>> no let-up in the fighting for syrians as talks appear to head in the right direction. you are watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead: france announces why it may soon recognize a palestinian state. burundi discusses meeting in ethiopia. plus the aust tralian open has a new woman's champion german, kerber stuns serena williams to

win her first granted alarm title. delegates representing syria's main opposition group are set to arrive in geneva where the u.n.'s open talks it hopes will help ends the war. om zils is yet to commit to negotiations with the government. even sew, the developments give a glimmer of hope that piece efforts may get off of the ground since two earlier rounds collapsed in 2014. the war gallon almost five years ago. it's left at least 250,000 people killed. millions of other syrians have been forced to flee. many like the refugees you see right there are trying to -- are risking their lives trying to flee europe. the war has allowed isil to capture territory it's drawn in the u.s. and russia as well as regional powers, saudi arabia, turkey and iran. ouratic editor james bays says

any negotiations will be drawn out. i think a breakthrough will be a long way off the u.n. are planning a very, very slow long process. they feel it didn't work last time. they brought the sides together the syrian government saying we have to talk about terrorism before we talk about anything else. of course, the opposition wanted to talk about the future of syria and transition, political transition in the role of assad. and the government's arguments over the agenda, most people say, was people say collapsed the talks. they are going to do it much more slowly this time. they are not going to be in the same room if the negotiations start. there will be proximity talks. remember as well this time, we've not just got two delegations. there are some other political figures who have beg invited in

an individual capacity. another problem there, they are already here, dorene but they, now we are told, are getting unhappy. they believe they are not being equally treated. and some of them are now saying that they are not happy maybe to start negotiations, this, themselves. >> third group, in part, because thoert allies with the kurdish group that has not been invited. real difficulties here, a big problem, i think, for the u.n. that's why they are taking it very, very slowly. >> talks in geneva, they doubt anything substantial will be achieved. mohammed jamjoom reports. >> it's continued suffering like this. syrian activists hope will make a meaningful impact in geneva. as demonstrators in various parts of syria imploring sthem o

remember the plight of their people, from those who have too little food to those taking cover from too many bombs. >> many civilians are killed. just to remember this. okay? a war zone as they hear of talks stopping appear starting. many say they aren't hopeful. the u.n. can't even ensure the delivery of cartons of mic to the children of maidia. those in the besieged town tell al jazeera that despite the delivery of aid people continue to die of starvation. >> the aid is about to run out. it was delivered more than 10 years ago. the u.n. and the red cross know

the aid can't last more than 15 days. en now, we have lots of hunger here others are as angry with the divided opinion zils as they are with the syrian government. >> this is a message urging you to unify. it's not just assad's barely bombs killing us, not just russia's missiles. the differences and divisions are killing us. we need to unite. >> unity and disagreement been in short supply so far in geneva where negotiations haven't even started yet while in syria, the death and did he have station continues. mohammed jamjoon, al jazeera. >> inside syria, 15 people have been killed and dozens more injured by russian airstrikes targeting until positions in alleppo. the city is in a region where it's divided between government and opposition. the refugee crisis claiming dozens more lives, turkish media

reports say 39 drowned when a boat carrying people to greece sank off of the coast of the turkey. some of the victims are children. more than 40 people were rescue the. >> authorities say 5 have died in airstrikes. residential areas hit in the attack, destroying a mosque and several homes. a woman and a child among those killed. the humanitarian situation said to be getting worse in that city. palestine liberation organization has welcomed the friends call for international involvement in ending the iezzoi occupation. they say they want a conference to revive talks. harris also says it will recognize the palestinian state if a final push for two talks on a two-state solution fails. u.s.-led efforts to broker peace collapsed in 2014 largely over the contested issues of borders

and israeli settlements. palestine has been industried losing territory since britain controlled the region in 1917 in what was then then as the british mandate. jews only made up three% of the population of historic palestine in the early part of the last century. in 1947, the u.n. drew up a plan to divide the plan between jews and palestinians. the state of israel was declared a year later. at least 750,000 palestinians were expelled from the country, 530 villages destroyed. itsis began settlement expansion in palestinian areas. this divided jerusalem. in the past two decades, settlements which the international community consider illegal expanded rapidly. a the senior advisor to the p palestinian welingz the move but says israel has never taken any talks seriously.

the french have chaperoned and advocated and supported an international forum or conference to replace the sole monoplistic role of the united states which lasted for 22 years and produced absolutely nothing in the peace process except eating our land and water and separating gaza and almost taking over east jerusalem by the israeli settlement project and, therefore, the french really got all of our support if there is any chance for an international forum to start pushing seriously for ends of occupation and the real peace process, we will support it. when we sigh the oslo agreement, there was 160,000 cologne y'all setters. today, there are 650,000 of them in the west bank, alone. they control two% of the territory of the west bank, now

they control 62% of the territory of the west bank. this is really a trojan horse, this excuse of going to negotiations that the israelis never respect and never commit itself to any of the agreements they signed. i think really the drive we want to see now supported by the world is the drive to stop that absolute crime against our land, stop the settlement project. without that, there will be absolutely no palestine to be talking about in the next five years. >> the incoming chairman of the african union has called on member states to help in the fight against armed groups in north and west africa. the president was speaking at the au summit in ethiopia's capitol. the country is part after regional joint force waging a wire against the nigeria based group, boca haram. also, part of discussions at the

meetings. catherine soi sentence this update on the gathering. >> reporter: security in the region has been a defendant big part of the agenda at this african union summit. leaders, african heads of state have been talking about terrorism in africa, ways of working together, better cooperation, sharing intelligence. south sudan has also been on the agenda in the formation of aegovernment. the deadline has come and gone. the biggest issue, perhaps, is the burundi and the situation there. the commission has a report on the situation. this will become the position that are going to come out of here. heads of state will be discussing and perhaps voting on the floiment of troops to bur underi with or without the government's consent. the government has rejected any such move. a lot of people i am talking to say that many heads of state will be reluctant to end the suddenly move because burundi is

it has an elected government, even if that is contested. burundi is a true contributing company. very important, very delicate. a lot of people are saying that perhaps what will happen is that the heads of state will push for a political dialogue bringing together all warring parties so that they will be apparently move the country forward. not here but he sent a high level nem trying to get the support of. the zika outbreak, brazil at the center with 4,000 possible cases. the mosquitos-borne disease is

linked to birth did he ever tells in babies and acted 23 countries so far. peru has confirmed its first incidence much zika. a venzuelan tested positive. guatemala is on alert. 20 cases are of women of childbearing age. malacia's top operator says $4 million medical have been stolen from state owned companies. m malai can't cleared involvement schwitzer land began an investigation after allegations of kruings and money laundering. prosecutors there say money was illegally moved to swiss accounts of former malaysian officials. still ahead on al jazeera, the first major restoration in 15 centuries. it was the believed to be the birthplace of jesus.

>> south korea is cashing in on a business on the rise: drones.

♪ top stories on al jazeera. delegates representing syria's main opposition group are set to arrive in geneva. the u.n. has opened talks that it hopes will help end the war much the opposition is yet to commit to negotiations with the government. palestine liberation organization has welcomed a french call for international involvement and ends in theitsisi occupation. france says once a conference to

ref i've talks with israelis and the palestinians. the incoming chairman of the african union has called for members to help in the fight against armed groups in north and west africa. the ongoing violence in burundi is also part of the agenda at the au summit. thor are rallying against a bill recognizing same-sex partnerships. if passed t would allow same-sex couples to commit to one another before a state official adopts each other's children and inherit residual rights. italy is the last european country with no legislation on gay unions. a surge in u.s. oil production in recent years says a it is pushing down prices and having an effect on relations with middle east oil suppliers, particularly saudi arabia. tom ackerman explains from washington, d.c.

>> reporter: 70 years ago, this was king saoud's first trip outside his country to forge an alliance with franklin roosevelt. >> bringing east and west together for a better world. >> i think we signed a faustian bargain with the south in exchange for stable supplies of oil continuing to this day, but with opec imposed an embargo, the u.s. launched what president richard nixon called project independence. >> by the end of this decade, americans will not have to rely on any source of energy beyond our own. >> the u.s. increased reliance to a peek of sixty%. the explosion of american crude protection has cut that dependence to less than 30%. half of the imports come from friendly nabors: candidly and meth co.

the increased u.s. confidence is evidence the by three recent decisions, lifting a 40-year ban on exporting american oil, preparing to sell off nearly 1/10th of the nation's strategic petroleum reserve and in a blow to canada, president obama put an ax to the keystone xl pipeline project, he said by environ concerns. president obama said america's military assets will be rebalanced toward asia and the pacific. but perhaps not just yet. i think the pivot to asia is maybe not quite as important on the forefronts of our agenda as we made it at the time. >> energy expert charles ebbinger says the rise of isil and the arab spring's failure will force the u.s. to protect its old interests. >> i don't think we have any good options in the middle east right now. now, we add iriran back in the i

equation. if they come out of their isolation with the lifting of sanctions, they have always been a defendant player against our interests. >> even if the u.s. does enjoy a greater sense of energy security than it has in decades, the go strategic tie that have bound it to the middle east are not soon likely to fray. tom ackerman, al jazeera, washington. >> the u.n., polls showing bernie sanders running neck and neck in hillary clinton in the rates for the democratic presidential no, ma'am nails. sander's brand of socialist is surprising. john hendren reports. >> reporter: the time-worn realtyims of american politics are it changing. for the first time in u.s. history, american socialists have a "star-telegram" standard bearer. we need an economy that works for working people. >> a major candidate for

president. >> if it takes a socialist to show us the way, a democratic social accident to show us the way, then god bless him. >> the system hasn't worked for a very long time. for me, it's not so much of a taboo or the "s" word so to speak because i have seen what cam tallism has. >> america's agricultural hartland taj these are signs of new times. >> with iowa preparing for, polls show bernie sanders in a heat or deeding with hillae. i with a could set up an epic rivalry, a socialist versus the ultimate capitalist. >> that's what's happening. >> trump is already tagging sanders with the other c word. >> this socialist/communist. okay? nobody wants to say it. >> until recently, sanders' european-style socialism was a hard sale in a country that has long e indicated it with

soviet-style communism with marches. >> everyone revealed his inborn dislike of communism. >> mr. welch. >> to red baiting joseph mccarthy. >> no stance of decency, sir? >> to ronald reagan's campaign? >> we do not want socialized medicine. other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom that we have know it in this country until one day we will awake to find that we have socialism. >> that program for the elderly now called medicare has become universally popular along with a socialized retirement, social security. >> at one level, we hate socialism as it were or democ t democratic socialism at another level, we like a lot of the things that democratic socialism does. >> the sanders campaign is opening the door to a growing

breed of young liberals disillusioned by washington and wall street. >> they see europe today, they see these benefits to socialism and they don't see the iron curtain and stalin and, you know, the negatives that might be associated with it. >> campaign trail is long and tortous for sanders to go from higher to history, he will have to carry american-style socialism to victory from iowa to washington. john hendren, al jazeera. >> first complete makeover in 1500 years for one of the world's most famous churches is beginning to take shape. the church of the nativity in bethlehem is being renovated by italian experts. stefanie dekker has taken a look at the work so far in the occupied west bank. >> what is believed to be the about birth plates of jesus christ has survived ottomans,

armed siege, even an earthquake but history and the weather have taken their toll. the church of the nativity is being restored. >> fixing the old, something knew hidden underneath the wall platter. >> we were lucky to discover an angel in its entirety, we restored it. this will give a different vision of the church than before the restoration. this will be a beautiful end result. we are swheen it looks like between the italian team of experts, varnish has dulled its image. it's a remarkable transformation giving the church a complete facelift. the ralph and windows were restored first as the rainwater was leaking inside the church.

the fact that they were taking plates some have jokingly described as a miracle. >> this holy side they each oversee different parts, invisible tightly guarded lines that have crossed and turned violent. >> who cloonz which centimeters. >> priests and monks fighting with brooms. someone may have brushed a little too far. since tensionties that boil down to the idea if you clean it or take care of it, it's yours. those centuries' old rivalries have been put aside in a rare moment of consensus overseen by the palestinian authority. perhaps the idea dawning that thetha it will over right all.

when the scaffolding and sheets are removed, the church of the nativity will be seen as it hasn't for centuries. stefanie dekker, al jazeera at the church of the nativity in bethlehem. >> new civilian uses are getting more and more popular as harry faucet reports. time to get down to business. a hazardously windy day. >> i was nervous. it was windy. the drone kept rising. it was difficult. it has only been an organized sport. it was snapped up in just a few minutes it's happening a few meters from south korea's first

drone show. the largest such ex positive ever to be held in asia. south korea wants in on a fast-gr fast-growing industry. >> we hoch tonight promote the technology. >> helicopter-style takeoffs and landings and horizontal flight. the military still dominates the south korea ian drone industry as it does the global one. what's changing is the ever easier access to this technology encouraging startups to enter the fray. for instance, a drone that in its final formal mimic, a bird of prey to keep smaller birds away from airports. >> the price of this things is affordable. it is one of the fastest growing.

by 2025. these things have been getting cheaper, producing better images and anybody can fly them. the it is a set of relations, meaning use could be limited to stri strictly defined areas. >> concerns of legal liability, privacy and safety and here in south korea, the real threat of north korean drones. several have been found crashed in recent years. south korea enforces strict no fly zones as a result some worry that will be their industry. radio instructions. south korea. >> the east coast of australia has again been battered by torrential rain and thunderstorms causing widespread flooding. this was how it looked in sydney

on friday when severe storms rolled in including lightning that hit sydney's tower in the middle of the city. major damage. crashing through houses and cut power. >> kerber stunned serena williams to win the australian open, her first ever tennis granted slam title. 7th seed has become the first german to win a major title since instead of fy graph in 1999. >> serena hoped to win. for her opponent, the match of her life. a sgrand slam final. the nightmare for williams began when she made 23 unforced errors helping kerber take a 6-4 lead. it was the first time the german has nem set off williams in three and a half years.

the world number 1 regained 6-3 and forced a final. >> wpdz efforts to equal instead of fy grand slam titles ended when she hit a volley long. a victory in over two hours. stealing one of the biggest songs in history. >>ists working hard and now i am here and i can say i am a grand slam champion. it sounds crazy. >> every time i walk in this room, everyone expects me to win every sing match every sing day of my life. as much as i would like to be a robot, i am not. and i try to but, you know, i do the best that i can. >> the first german to win a

granted slam title since her idle, instead of fy graph in 1999. al jazeera. >> read much more about that match on our website, aljazeera.com. wildfire. we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity but we're doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. tonight techknow investigates gold at any cost. we travel deep into the rainforests of peru. these illegal mining operations extend for miles an