we'll have more of "america tonight" tomorrow. syria's government and opposition trade blame as talks in geneva collapse. the world news from al jazeera. britain's prime minister called for billions of dollars more for aid for syrians with donors meeting. obama uses a visit to a mosque to take a stand against bigotry, saying an attack on islam is an

attack on all faiths. the collapse of the syrian i can't talks in just two days. while further attacks are under way in aleppo. we will have the latest on the fight from near the border but first from our can't in geneva. >> reporter: date after peace talks broke down in geneva it is becoming clearer how harder it will be to get all the parties back to geneva on 25 february.

he said it was just a temporary pause in these peace talks. we heard many times since last night from the hnc, that's the main opposition party here, they will be departing today. they say they have no intention of coming back on 25 february until they actually see some of their demands being met. until, they say, that the lifting the siege has happened in syria and that there's more humanitarian aid getting in and some political prisoners are released. these are the conditions that over the past several days they've insisted needed to be met before formal negotiations could happen. on the syrian regime side, that's going to be very difficult for staffan de mistura to convince them to do that. the syrian regime has been getting military advantage in aleppo, aided by russia and russia stated that they have no

intention of backing off from aerial bombard many. they say they're not going to do that while there are still terrorists in syria. it is a complicated and even more difficult to get parties here in february, harder them getting them here this time on the turkish side of the syrian border now. the talks in tatters. what's happening on the ground? >> reporter: yes. there was no diplomatic break through but on the ground a military break through. the government declaring victory three days ago they launched a major offensive in the northern countryside of aleppo province. they advanced towards the government - the pro-government founds. they unleashed heavy fire power.

more than 500 russian air strikes. so the opposition couldn't confront this assault. they were appealing for assistance for more weapons for reinforcements to be sent for the front like but they were not able to consult this assault. the government was determined to break the siege of these two pro-government towns. this morning we saw pictures broadcast from those towns, people celebrating in the streets. the government undoubtedly now has an advantage because in the - it can use these towns as a launching pad to launch further attacks in the aleppo province because the objective of this operation was to sever the supply line that reaches from turkey to opposition controlled districts inside aleppo city. the government succeeded in doing that. the biggest question is the fate of the hundreds of thousands of people who live in opposition controlled districts inside aleppo city.

there have been many turning points in this conflict over the past five years, but this one many will agree, this is a decisive turning point. it is a consequence kwen sham turning point. it is clear that the government and its allies are negotiating on the battle field. what many expect, really, is even more violence and intensification of the violence, even more offences because the government now has three weeks before the next talks are scheduled to take place to even tip the balance of power on the ground more in its favor thank you very much for that. lots happening on syria. britain's prime minister is calling for billions of dollars more for aid of syrian refugees. that is at a conference in london. this is what people are flowing from. a video taken by a russian drone captured these images of the almost complete destruction in the city of homs. extraordinary images. the prewar population was nearly

1 million people. it shows it is now virtually empty of life. 70 world leaders, including angela merkel and john kerry are expected to attend that conference in london. it is estimated that up to nine million syrians have fled since the war began five years and more than 6.5 million people are internally displaced. the u.n. says over 4 million syrian refugees are living in nearby countries. the king of jordan has warned that his country is at boiling point because of the influx of many refugees. many are educated and would like to work but are struggling to find employment. >> reporter: these two are studying two days a week to become pharmacists. they have scholarships from an

aid organization. assyrian refugees when they graduate, they won't be allowed to work. he lives with his sister and his children. in syria he studied chemical engineering. after he arrived in jordan, he learned how to repair cell phones but he is not allowed to do that either >> translation: i got a certificate but i couldn't find work. when you go to a shop, they say syrians are forbidden from working. >> reporter: he says it is so hard to survive here that one-by-one almost all of his friends have left. many of them heading for europe along the routes taken by those without visas. he and his friend spend time walking around the streets, window shopping for things they can't buy. he still has a bullet in his shoulder after being shot in syria. here in jordan he worked at a sweet shop for a while, but he

says he was put in jail for a week for working illegally. jordan says the economy and infrastructure are over whelmed by so many refugees. it says the west wants it to continue taking in more syrians, including thousands at the border, but it has to do more to help. not just the refugees but the poor jordanians. most do work and earn less than the legal minimum wage. the cuts in aid to refugees, more syrian i can't children and older people are working illegally. this man sits on the side wake eight hours a day selling used stuffed toys. two weeks ago authorities came and took them all away. he had to pay to get them back. other people are struggling to make a living here. he works 14 hours a day and he makes $10 on a good day.

>> translation: i leave the house at 7am and finish at 9 p.m. sometimes i have din or sleep without eating because i am tired >> reporter: there are close tiess between syrians and jordanians. but the strain is now beginning to show the wikileaks founder will turn himself over to police on friday if a legal panel decide his detention is lawful. he has been in the embassy for more than three years. he is trying to avoid extradition to sweden where he will be facing sexual assault charges. two more republicans dropped out of the race for the with the white house on wednesday. rick santorum and rand paul.

they both didn't gain enough voter support in iowa. the virtual tie in the democratic contest was the close in history. bernie sanders and hillary clinton have moved on to new hampshire. a report on the latest clash between the two candidates. >> reporter: appearing separately before the same audience, the two candidates were asked what their positions would be in conflict zones, especially in the middle ift. sanders began by saying first of all that he, unlike clinton, had always been opposed to america's position in iraq. heap went on to say. >> we have to destroy i.s.i.s., but we have to be not just tough, we have to be smart, and that means we work with a large coalition, led by on the ground muslim troops, the king of jordan made the point it will be

muslim troops who will destroy i.s.i.s. because they have hijacked their religion. u.s., france, germany, russia will provide support in my view to the troops on the ground >> reporter: a member of the audience asked clinton whether she would rule out intervention or use of military forces anywhere outside the u.s.? >> i can't in good conscientious and tell you that there would never be any circumstances in the time that i serve as president where it very well might be in america's best vital national security interest. so i want to be honest with you. i will do what i can, i will stand against adventurism, ill-thought out missions, i will not send troops to iraq and syria, that is off the table, that will be a terrible mistake. we will continue to use special forces and we have to because of the kinds of threats we face. >> reporter: clinton's challenge is to narrow a huge gap between

herself and sanders and show people in new hampshire that she is just as progressive as bernie sanders and that she is far more capable of achieving results in washington the president obama has used his first visit to a mosque in the u.s. he said with when ever a religious group is targeted, we all have the responsibility to speak up >> reporter: this is the first time a u.s. mosque has been able to put up a welcome sign for the president obama >> your entire community so often is targeted or blamed for the violent acts of the very few. >> reporter: after more than 7 years his visit now comes as anti-islamic sentiment is on the rise and the people here say they feel it >> it's present. it has become part of the political discourse which scars our community. we just try to focus on the

positive. >> reporter: that is exactly what the president did, highlighting the accomplishments of muslim americans, at the same time giving a kind of lecture to people watching at home and what muslims believe. this man thinks that might have an impact >> there's only a couple million muslims in the country. a large of the portion where there are none, so people who don't know muslims, i hope they heard it >> reporter: they're unlikely to convince republicans. 59% said they agree with one plan to temporarily halt all muslims from coming into the country. the president argued that way of thinking is not only un-american but it is dangerous because it could serve as a recruiting tool for i.s.i.l. >> and today there are voices in this world, particularly over the internet, who are constantly claiming you have to choose between your identities. as a muslim for an american.

don't believe them. you fit in here, right here. >> reporter: me also said even though it's unfair, after a troughist attack muslims will have to continue to condemn. it. that didn't sit well with everyone >> if the calm to condemn terrorism is rooted in the bigoted idea that we are suspicious because we are muslim, continuing to accommodate that sentiment is not going to make it go away but make it worse. >> god bless you. >> reporter: islamaphobia ask on the rise. so are attacks against muslims, the president hoping that his speech sends the message that muslims are truly welcome here still to come, passport to the european union, why serbia is seeing the refugee crisis is an opportunity. plus. why health officials in south korea are raising the alarm over

binge drinking.

welcome back. the top stories here on al jazeera. the u.n. has halted talks in geneva aimed at ending the war in syria. syr syria's government and opposition are blaming each other of the collapse after two days. wikileaks founder will hand himself over to authorities on

friday if experts decide his detention is lawful. the president obama has used his first visit to a mosque in the u.s. to take a stand against bigotry. a growing crisis in fallujah. the city is controlled by i.s.i.l. they have cut off a supply by cutting a key bridge. the siege is making it difficult for civilians to get food and medicine. imran khan has this report. >> reporter: although it is not a humanitarian disaster yet there is real concern that the situation could escalate. it is very desperate. we have been speaking to people inside the city. they tell us that the markets are out of food. there's no fruits, vegetabless or meat. the medical supplies are running low. there is no baby milk applies

within the city and a woman has advised she is struggling to feed her child. there needs to be an air drop into that city. none of the aid agencies so far have commented on this situation yet. the iraqi security forces took the city of ramadi as they were doing that they cut off the key supply line which is the palestine bridge and they besieged the city of fallujah. no supplies are getting in there. we have seen cities besieged before they go in and take the cities from i.s.i.l. there is at least 5,000 families, some 110,000 people trapped within that city itself. if supplies don't get in it will become a humanitarian disaster and something will need to be done. iraqis are aware of in and this is a military campaign to go and take that city from i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. control that city.

the only foodstuff that they have is stock piles of wheat. they're rationing that wheat out to the people of fallujah. we've been told that there isn't enough to go around and if something isn't done soon that that city will face a humanitarian disaster the civil aviation authority says there is no evidence so far of a criminal act of an explosion on a plane which left one person dead. it made an emergency landing. i pilot thought it was caused by a bomb. one passenger was sucked out a hole that appeared in the fusage. serbia is seeing a crisis as a potential opportunity, the government feels it should be allowed to join the e.u. because it is dealing with the situation in a better way than other states. from bell gayed here is lawrence-- belgrade here is lawrence lee. >> reporter: these people having

got so far, they cannot leave serbia. they can move neither forward nor back. all they have left is the kindness of strangers in this food center. >> reporter: where do you sleep at night? >> there is no proper place. no proper place. >> reporter: you sleep outside? >> yes. outside >> reporter: at least they're safe here in comparison to the forests of macedonia or the seas. >> you have to look at the amount of grass roots, humanitarian organizations and movements that started here in serbia. we always have a few serbs, even 16/17-year-olds, have to get a letter from their parents to work here. >> reporter: it isn't that the serb i can't has treated them

washing. -- serbia. serbia's political class made a calculati calculation. it has behaved in a far less horrible ways to the refugees than some of its neighbors like hungary and how many they should be in and serbia is not. they're arguing this at exactly the point when the schengen zone is collapses. serbia will have to have tens of thousands of revs gee. this man does the lobbying for serbia. >> translation: we have shown a high level of humanitarian and we treat the migrants better than some members of the europe union. >> reporter: serbia has a problem. it has noesh r nowhere to house a few hundred, let alone a few

thousand refugees. those stuck here sleep in the park. so what happens when e.u. start expelling more to here >> really difficult. lack of capacity, lack of experience, lack of money. a lack of any kind of sense of inter continental migration. >> reporter: the syria conference in london, they will be offered more funds to get around this and keep failed refugees here more successfully. while the e.u. in such a mess, the country has been hostile to such april friend one of the largest trade deals in history has been signed in new zealand. the transpacific partnership consists of 12 nations and together they make up almost 40% of the world's economy. wayne hay has this report. >> reporter: after years of negotiations the transpacific partnership is one big step towards becoming a reality.

new zealand is one of the drivers of in 12-nation deal and hosted the signing ceremony in auckland >> i am delighted to be here today to mark the signing of this most important agreement. what brings us together is a shared belief that opening and integrating our markets through trade and investment will enhance the prosperity of our peoples. >> reporter: outside the venue the reception wasn't so welcoming. protesters filed into the city and were met by a large police presence of the opponents say the deal under mines the sovereignty of member nations. they're not happy many of the finer details will remain secret for another six year. they believe it hands too much power to big business. >> it's really important that we build solidarity and strength on the street to say many, many new zealanders are opposed to this deal, not just because of what it does to our country economically but because of the

political sovereignty that has been sold out from under us >> reporter: the government says the economic boost they will receive from the breaking down of trade barriers outweighs any negatives. many of the numbers are conservative with new zealand forecasting it will increase their gross domestic products by 0.9% by 2030. the signing has been described as a technical step in the process. it is certainly not the end. each country has two years to ratify the tpp and in that time the protesters say they will continue to oppose the deal. ratification may be the most difficult in u.s. where there is political opposition to it in the middle of a presidential campaign. the trade representatives who signed say the deal is solid and they're confident all 12 members will remain in the pact south korea's president says the planned satellite launch by north korea should not be tolerated. south korea's defense ministry

says it is ready to intercept if north korea is preparing to launch a long-range missile. activity has been reported spotted at a launch station on the country's west coast. earlier this week pyongyang announced it was planning to launch an earth observation satellite in february. the move has been internationally condemned. south korean are some of the hardest drinkers on earth. no other people in the world consume more liquor and that is giving public health officials a headache. alcohol abuse among women is an increasing cause for concern. >> reporter: on drunk patrol with south korean police. these partners have been called to this shop. where someone is reported in urgent need of help. they find her heavily

intoxicated and passed out in the bathroom. the officers carry her on the patrol car. they will take her to medics. up until now korean men have been the heavy drinkers, but increasingly women are joining their ranks. every night south koreans consume 7 million bottles of the local alcohol made from r ice. >> translation: the number of calls we're getting involving drunks is overall increasing, but women make up most of our calls now. they're destroying themselves with liquor. it is heart breaking. >> reporter: on any given evening on the streets of seoul young women can be seen stumbling about, drunk out of their minds. many people say the big part of the problem is availability of

the liquor found 34/7 anywhere and only $1 a bottle. this man and 25 other alcoholics have launched a class action lawsuit against liquor companies, accusing emthis of using celebrities into luring young women any drinkering. >> translation: they see these famous people drinking, it encourages consumers to drink more. it leads to over drinking and people getting knocked out. >> reporter: university students like this woman and her friends are partying and binge drinking which helps them destress. she studies 18 hours a day and with youth suicide rates here in-- the ahighest in the world, she says it helps >> reporter: do you ever see a day when south koreans will

drink less. >> absolutely not. >> translation: liquor is something that is naturally shared between friends and family. i think our drinking culture is very uplifting. i don't think the day we have less will ever come. nor should it. >> reporter: none deny alcohol's negative effects, but they argue women is simply joining in on an old korean cultural practice, one that provides the necessary escape, no matter the risks you can find out plenty more about that story by watching his full report south korea's binge drinking. that is on 100 east. it first airs on thursday at 22:30 gmt. japan is debating whether its oldest elephant should live out her final years. this is hanako. she is 69 years old.

she was a gift from the thai government in the 1960s and has lived in the announcer: since she was two. there has been an online petition for her to be moved to a sanctuary in thailand where she would have more space. that petition has attracted tens of thousands of signatures for the elephant.