renewed tensions between erdogan and putin after russia is accused of violating turkey's airspace. ♪ ♪ good to have you along were a i am david foster you are watching al jazeera live from london. also in this program the hunger and starvation in syria. as the opposition arrives for peace talks with the u.n. in geneva. regional security tops the agenda in a summit of african leaders but the situation in burundi continues to divide. and a locust invasion a race against time in argentine to exterminate the swarms

inflicting devastating environment th the damage. turkey summoned russian ambassador to, quote, strongly condemn what it says was a violation of its airspace by a russian fighter jet. turkey says despite radar warnings a russian su34 like this one went in to its air space last november turkey shot down an russian air force jet which it claimed was flying in its territory killing the pilot and that led to an escalating war of words between the countries. after this latest incidents the turkish president says he wants to talk to his russian counterpart vladimir putin warning there could be course kenses if the violations continue. well, russia's state news agency says its country denies the allegations. let's bring in zeina khodr live

from southern turkey. what are the suggestions from the turkish people about what happened here? >> reporter: the turkish foreign ministry is describing this incident as, quote account yet another example of russian escalatory behavior. we also heard from the turkish president erdogan saying that the incident shows that russia wants to escalate tensions in the region. the president also warned of consequences. now, he didn't say exactly what those consequences will be. but nato, turkey, being, is a member of that alliance, issued a statement, a very quick response, really, saying that they stand in solidarity with their ally turkey. and nato also urging russia to avoid violations in the future. but at the same time, nato did call for calm. it called for deescalating tensions and it is encouraging contacts between the two

countries. and like you mentioned, erdogan saying that he wants to speak with the russian president, but so far there has been no response from putin. we have to remember this is not the first time erdogan has tried to speak to putin since the downing of the russian aircraft in november. and the russians have long demanded an apology from the turks and that never happened. undoubtedly, a dangerous development, heightening tensions, not just between russia and turkey, really, there is tightened tensions in the region. >> did they patch it up after last time, or was it just as you seem to suggest, pushed to one side with the russians demanding an apology which they didn't get? >> reporter: well, there was a war of words that really tensionedded beyond the down -- extended beyond the downing of the turkish plane. we heard the russians accuse the turkish government of supporting terrorists and being involved in isil's oil-smuggling operations.

accusations the turkish government denied. russia did slap economic sanks on turkey: it did not respond militarily to the downing of its jet but the action that his russia has taken since has tied turkey's hands in syria. turkey is a player in syria. so it russia. russia supports the government. turkey supports the opposition groupings, but what we have scene, the russians do as of late, is target groups which are allied to turkey. as well as target their supply routes. where they actually bring in weapons or whatever they need from turkey in to territories they can control inside syria. and it's not just that, rushing a deployed an air defense system basically telling turkey your proposal of a no-fly zone will never happen. and we know that turkey has been pushing for a no-fly zone in syria. so russia really tired turkey's hands in syria and that has been really a major blow to turkish policy. >> okay, more perhaps in the next couple of hours on that. for now zeina khodr, thank you, in southern turkey. syrian opposition representatives are now in

geneva. they are due to take part in u.n.-sponsored peace talks but have yet to commit to direct negotiations with the assad government. our diplomatic editor james bays is in geneva and joins me now. look, we have heard that they have arrived in switzerland, they are expected at the hotel where you are, but we still don't know exactly what their position is, do we? >> reporter: no. i think we need some clarification of their position. i think from what i have -- the sources that we have been speaking to, including some who have arrived here early and also some of their advisers, and they have a lot of different groups advising them. is that they are coming here to make their case, and to see if some of the things that they have been told while they are in riyadh, will actually come true. they were told i think by a number of different countries, by saudi arabia, where they were

based, they were told by the u.s., even spoke to the russians and the u.n. if you come to geneva, we can sort out and address your concerns. and then hopefully you'll be able to join this process. it's interesting that when they get here, everyone wants to meet them. in fact, we have seen here in the thole the u.s. special envoy for syria, michael rattily, he was here and he has now disappeared a short time ago. and i think that's because there is a bit of a delay, david. yes, they arrived some hours ago at geneva airport, they have not made the short journey to the hotel and that is because even though i think everyone wants them here, there is a bit of bureaucracy involved because some of those in the delegation, which we think numbers something like 17, maybe 20 people, do not have the swiss visas. and so visas are being issued at the airport and this is taking a little bit of time. and i am told by our colleagues at the airport, that the whole

delegation has said, well, we are not coming here until everyone has their visas and then we'll see them arrive here and then i believe as soon as they arrive we'll hear from the spokesman for this opposition group, the main opposition group and i think then we'll be a lot wiser. >> james, normally we see hand shakes or people storming out of meetings. this time we have seen nothing so far but equally fascinating in its own way. we'll be back with you as soon as that group turns up. james bays in gentleman neave actual let's take a look at what's happening on the ground d in syria. reports of russia airstrikes targeting rebel positions near aleppo. in the west opposition fighters say they have taken control of checkpoints. the cities in a ring young that is divided between the

opposition and government forces. one of the positions being discussed in geneva is aiming the syrian government's blockade of towns such asthma day a. a -- as madea. 16 people have starve today death there despite aid convoys arriving earlier this month. mohamed jamjoon reports. >> reporter: it's continued suffering like this that syrian activists will hope make a meaningful impact in geneva. as demonstrators in various parts of syria are imploring dip mats to remember the plight of their people. from those with too little food to those taking cover from too many bombs. >> we have daily kills, many civilians are killed by this canister bombs. it's forbidden internationally. just to remember this.

okay? just to urge the international community. >> reporter: from the war zone, talks start and stalker many syrians say they are not hopeful. >> translator: the u.n. can't even insure the delivery of cartons of milk to the children of madaya. >> reporter: those in the ma sieged town of m madaya say peoe continue of die of starvation. >> translator: the aid is about to run out. it was delivered more than 10 days ago. >> reporter: people people are hungry. >> translator: it's not just ranslator: it's not just

>> they say you shall never have the powers that we have as permanent members. >> reporter: and got a standing ovation. >> we inform the security council. [cheering and applause] >> reporter: what many people here are waiting for, is a decision on whether to send african union peacekeeping troops to burundi with or without the concept of the government. how the a.u. will handle ba buri will set a precedent on other countries holding contentious elections. >> we need to find a way in which transitions offer political space for all various actors. but prior to that, we do need to find a succession and plan that makes it easier for leaders to

contemplate the possibility of standing down from power. >> reporter: 17 african countries are to hold national elect this is year and all particular interested in burundi's makes congo. they have been accusing the president there of attempting to illegally run for a third are term. the president hasn't declared his intention, but his government has been violently cracking down on decent. this is an election year for the a. you feel as well. the council members of the peace and security council have ended. that of the chairperson of the commission end later in the year. the chad president the new union chairperson has preplaced the president in his inaugural speech he had no illusions about the task ahead in tackling the many problems afflicting africa. catherine soi, al jazeera. we have this if you stay with us here on al jazeera in just a moment. top secret u.s. officials say

e-mails sent through hillary clinton's home serve every did contain sensitive information of course the ancient secrets revealed as a historic church undergoes its first proper renovations in 1500 years.

♪ ♪ and these are the global headlines this hour, turkey's president is demanding talks with his russian opposite number after a russian jetta ledge italy violated turkey's airspace once again. syria's main opposition group has arrived in geneva to

take part inter directly, that is, in the u.n.-brokered talks aimed at ending the civil war in syria. the u.n. secretary general has told leaders they should not use legal loopholes to cling to power. he was at the african union security summit in ethiopia. the influential new york times newspaper is backing hillary clinton's campaign for the democratic party's nomination. shrieking her as, quote, one of the most deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history. but the scandal which continues to surrounds her use i've private e-mail account while secretary of state continues. the state department now saying that 22 messages which passed through her home server while she was america's top diplomat had information marked top secret. mrs. clinton always has insisted there was no breach of national security because she didn't send or receive classified material. so more now from al jazeera's

kimberly halkett. she's outside the clinton campaign headquarters in iowa. >> reporter: the hillary clinton campaign is calling for the release of those top secret e-mails knowing now that they have been marked top secret that will never happen. the problem is the clinton campaign's stories do not add up. one year ago when firefighters revealed she was using a private e-mail server we were told there was nothing sensitive on the e-mail servers. in fact, now, the state department itself says 22 e-mail contain closely-guarded government secrets, her republican opponents are sees on the ground this saying -- sees on the ground thiseizing on thir information should be done. the problem is the issue is trust. hillary clinton has scored low in the mind of voters, there is just two days until the presidential nominating contest here in iowa. where many iowa ans have made mayor minds up and may not be influenced by these new revelations, at the same time, however, it's expected to have

an impact on the next nominating contest in new hampshire where hillary clinton trails as well as the general election for her republican opponents are certain to seize on this controversy and say this is the reason hillary clinton if she is the democratic nominee should not be president. the iraq military says that eight soldiers died in an attack on their convoy carried out by the islamic state of iraq and the lo levant east of ramadi. in fallujah five people killed in coalition airstrikes which also detroit five houses and a mosque. medical sources say a woman and child are among those that died there. palestinian journalist on hunger strike in an israeli jail is said to be close to death and so weak that he can longer speak. he is a news reporter for the saudi channel. and he is protesting against a six-month sentence refuseing all food and until treatment since notch.

he is one of 680 palestinians being held under administrator tension without charge or trial. the head of the prison saturday is calling on palestinians to support him. >> translator: he is in a very critical condition as he could die any minute. but he is in high spirits accord to this lawyer who met him on thursday, he was firm and very determined his demand was freedom or death. he is not the first to go on hunger strike but as everyone knows the pal tin. >> stacey: inning i didn't knows have a lot to worry about. i hope there will be more popular support. about a million people got together in rome to protest a bill if approved would legalize same-sex civil unions. it's the only european union without such a law 67 they chose circus maximum in roam, the theater of ancient battles to bring their fight against

same-s*eubgs civil unionses and a develops. 10s of thousands of family from all over italy together to say no to a law that proposes to give same-sex couples legal recognition and adopt to -- try to adopt a partner's biological children khao*euld. >> translator: we are against this law because children are not giving a right. since the beginning of time children have come from a mother and father. >> translator: two men cannot give birth to life so you can't call that a family it's selfish of them to want children just to satisfy their desires. >> reporter: italy is the only country in western europe without a law that protect same-section couples and the government is trying to fix that anomaly, but clearly a lot of italians disagree. in a counter demonstration last

weekend thousands of game rights advocates showed their support for the law in more than 100 cities across the country. on thursday, some of them gathered in front of the senate where the bill is being debated. a wake-up call for a country that says they can't wait knit long to every keep one the rest of europe. >> translator: we have been trying to have a law for same-sex couples in italy for the past third years, -- 30 years, i hope the government finally approves it without comprises because this is already a compromise as it's not a law that legalizes same-sex marriage but it is a first stem. >> reporter: the bill will be voted on in the senate starting next week. but because of the hundreds of thousands of people who voiced their opposition on saturday, the outcome is far from production table. claudio, al jazeera, rome. let's take look now at demonstrations in paris protesting about swing security measures put in place after the paris attacks. the french government is

considering whether to extend the country's state of emergency which would give authorities the power to detain and arrest people without warrant. south korea is having its first ever expo devoted to drones. at the moment it is the military sector that dominates the skies. but as harry fawcett reports, new civilian uses are constantly taking off. >> reporter: it's race day for these pilots, time to get down to business. 80 teams vying for the title on a hazardously windy day. >> translator: i was nervous and it was windy. the drone kept rising so it was difficult. >> reporter: drone racing has only been an organized sport here for four months, but every place in this continue test was snapped up in just a few minutes, it's all happening just a few meters from the first drone show. the largest such expo organizers say ever to be held in asia.

south korea wants in a fast-growing industry. >> translator: drone technology has been developed here mainly in the military sector, we hope to promote the transfer of that technology to those saville i don't know sectors. >> reporter: one such effort a drone enable held top style take offs and landings and airplane style horizontal flight. the military still dominates the drone city as it does the global one, what is changing is the ever-easier access to this technology encouraging start-up to his enter the fray. for instance a drone that will mimic a bird of pray to keep smaller birds away from farms and airports. >> we use open source space technologies to develop things very fast. so the price of this thing is actually affordable to the farmers around the world right now. >> reporter: the consumer sector is one of the fastest growing. one analyst report suggesting it could be worth more than $4 billion a year by 2025. and it's not hard to see why these things have been get are ever cheaper, producing ever

better quality images and just about anybody can fly them. the problem though, is an increasingly heavy set of regulations meaning their use could be limited within strictly defined areas. there are concerns of illegal lie -- of a legal liability, privacy and safety. here in south korea the very real threat of north korean drones several have been found crashed in recent years. south korea enforces strict no fly zones among other regulations partly as a result. some drone makers fear that will mean their industry will struggle to lift off. but the racing enthusiasts have something to cheer restrictions on leisure use at least are set to be loosened, harry fawcett, al jazeera, south korea. now we are going to talk about something else up there. plagues of locust which are threatening to devour huge parts of northern argentina massive clouds of the insect have been seen in the area and locals are working with the authorities to try to contain it all before the

creatures get out of the control. daniel reports from a province called see ta santiago. >> reporter: a single locust eats its own body weight in a day. a 10 sent meeter adult can fly 50-kilometers in a day. that is just one locust. multiply it by millions and that single locust forms part of a ravenous devastating force. >> the huge swarm of flying locusts arrived here last october at the end of the breeding cycle. they laid their eggs and what we are seeing now is the product of that swarm. >> reporter: this region has seen nothing like this since the early 1950s. >> translator: we are going to where the locusts are concentrating and causing them the maximum damage. when we did that, they move elsewhere so we are trying to insure they don't form swarms, because if they do, they'll my great and lay their eggs some

where else. >> reporter: state agricultural agencies and local people are working together to first find whether locusts are concentrated and then fumigate. most of the insects are still jumping. their wings haven't developed to fly. the challenge is to irrelevant rat case them before they take to the air, in community at a qo great they will be impossible to contain. this is a race of time with authorities and locals trying to exterminate them before they multiply out of control f they do they'll devour all of this vegetation in the whole area, destroying livelihoods and wiping out whole communities. the climate in this normally arid region has changed. recent winters have been milder and rainfall greater, that's created the ideal breeding conditions for the locusts. >> translator: this is a job that can't be done alone. everyone is working together. private and public.

and it's going very well. we are all working to lessen the impact of these locusts. >> reporter: as the sun goes down, the locust settle for the night these locust hunters from all over argentina work in a coordinated effort to identify where best to fumigate early the next morning. if they get it right they are on course to contain this threat. if they don't, the locusts multiply and eat everything in their path. al jazeera, argentina. one of the world's most famous churches is getting its first proper renovation in more than 1500 years. the church of the native at this in bethlehem is being working on by italian experts, stephanie deck has been taking a look -- decker has been taking a look at what's been done so far in the occupied west bank. >> reporter: what is believed to be the birth place of jesus christ has survived the crusaders, the ottomans, a parisian invasion, an armed siege, even an earthquake. but history and the weather has

taken their toll. now for the first time since the six the century the church of the nay toews at this is being completely restored from controlling to floor. the latest focus has been the mosaic and fixing the old has also uncovered something new hidden underneath the wall plaster. >> translator: we were lucky to discover an angel in its entirety, a beautiful angel that has just the top part of its head miss, we have restored it so it will give a different version of the church than before the respiration, this will be a beautiful end result. >> reporter: we are shown what the mosaic looked like before the italian team of experts start work. centuries of candle smoke and varnish have dulled their image. it's a remarkable transformation, delicate, meticulous work giving the church a complete face lift. the roof and the windows were restored first as rain water was leaking inside the church. these are sensual repairs. but the fact that they are even taking place at all some have

jokingly described as a miracle. this holy site is administered by three different churches, the greek orthodox, armenian orthodox and the roman catholic. they each oversee different parts, invisible tightly guarded lines that if crossed with turn violent. >> translator: it happened before, in some cases there were serious scuffles between disputes over who cleans which centimeters. >> reporter: just like this, priests and monks fighting with brooms following a communal clean five years ago. someone may have brushed a little too far. sensitivities that boiled 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 the results will benefit all. the roof no longer leaks. the mosaic shines. and in time once the scaffolding and sheets are removed, the

church of the native at this will be seen as it hasn't for sen tircenturies stefanie dekke, bethlehem. and it's all about peace and love. aljazeera.com for all of the global headlines, aljazeera.com. my obituary will be, wendell pierce, who's known for playing bunk moreland, the detective on the wire, dies today at 110. >> he's best known perhaps for his role in the hbo crime drama the wire, but pierce , who grew up in the historic african american neighborhood of pontchartrain park in new orleans, is dedicated to rebuilding