aleppo assyrian forces backed by russian air power intensify their offensive. the world news from al jazeera. also ahead new allegations of sexual abuse by u.n. piece keepers in the car. protests in greece against the government's economic policies turns violent. the two u.s. democratic front runners go head to head in a televised debate for the first

time syrian government forces backed by russian air power are pushing ahead with their offensive in aleppo. the operation has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee the city. hundreds of them have been camping out on the border. >> reporter: out of their homes, out of aleppo and out in the open they spend the night under the sky on the border with turkey hoping to get in. over the past few days syrians in their tens of thousands have escaped aleppo since the syrian government and its russian allies began a new offensive in the province. >> translation: under pressure like never before, rebels issue a call for general mobilization, to descend their positions in aleppo. the countryside here is the last remaining base in the north for groups allied with the secular

free syrian army. parts are also held by governments allines led by the al-nusra front. for the past three and a half years aleppo city has been divide. the opposition controls the east and the government forces the west. the regime is trying to be siege rebel held districts and cut the rebel supply line from turkey's border to the north. the development is raising new concerns. >> we're trying to end the siege of a number of besieged areas across syria and yet what is being done by russian and syrian forces could create a new siege. so this is incredibly hurtful in terms of real lives. it is a major obstacle to the pursuit of the political solution and it needs to stop. >> reporter: another siege could need another madaya. starvation, malnutrition, mass

suffering. once a holiday resort, this town outside damascus has become the most dire example of what happens when cut off from food and humanitarian aid by besieging force. it is a path nobody wants for aleppo meanwhile tens of thousands of syrians are living in besieged areas which are surrounded by government forces or in some cases rebel fighters. siege watch.org, an organization mondaying those areas, says there are more than 50 pockets. most are in the damascus areas. the ones in red are completely cut off from food and medicine. this clues the nearby area of madaya which has been the focus of media coverage. those marked in orange are not much better off. the purple markers are places besieged but where food and medicines are still being smuggled in. the executive director of an

institute says they need to have bolder action to get through. >> in most cases the aid doesn't go in even with negotiations. madaya is a special case because it got international media attention, but most of these areas never do. the united states other donor countries need to express their desire to the u.n. that their funding for more force theful and to take-- forceful and take bolder steps to get into those areas because other measures have proven infective. the funneling of aid to government-controlled area is being criticized now. a lot of syrians on the ground feel that the u.n. is actively complicit in the regime strategy because it has worked so close with the regime on these

deliversys meanwhile, saudi arabia is ready to send ground troops to syria to fight i.s.i.l. a general says a meeting is planned for next week in brussels to discuss the issue. >> translation: from the beginning of the operation against i.s.i.l. in september 2014 the saudi kingdom was committed to the international coalition and we stayed the course despite our operations in yemen. today we announced our readiness to participate with ground troops in the fight against i.s.i.l. because we have the experience in yemen and so do our allies in iraq, that we know air strikes along is not enough and a ground operation is needed. we need to have both to achieve better results on the ground the u.n. peace-keeping submission in the car says it has identified new cases of sexual abuse by its troops. human rights watch says the alleged victims, including a

woman and girls, were gang raped. peace keepers were deployed to restore order in 2013 after a spike in religious violence. the latest claims come on top of more than 20 allegations last year of sexual abuse by u.n. peacekeepers. >> due to the gravity of these allegations and the information collected, the u.n. has decided to take immediate measures, including the repatriation of the soldiers to the congo. this will occur after investigation is carried out. in the meantime, the soldiers will be confined to barracks the deputy director for human rights watch at the united nations and says more needs to be done to bring soldiers to justice. >> we understand that an investigation is underway and the fact that the u.n. has actually interviewed some of

these individuals who we also interviewed and confirmed these allegations about, but the next step is really to get accountability because just sending these troops home is not enough. there needs to be repercussions and legal consequences for these actions. in two cases women and girls were gang raped by peacekeepers, and in others women were forced to trade sex for food or even just small amounts of money. we're hoping that the republic of congo actually responds to the united nations' requests and queries for involvement in engagement. we don't have much reason to be optimistic because republic of congo troops has been involved in abuses in the past and they have not been active in pushing for accountability for what their troops do abroad. this is not a new problem but a problem we saw as early as haiti many years ago, but we found

that the mission in the car has been particularly plagued by this problem. 22 cases were reported last year and globally the u.n. experienced 69 cases. we're glad to see after so much time the u.n. has committed itself to put a task force in place to try to correct this issue democratic presidential hoeffuls hillary clinton and bernie sanders have been facing off in a debate in new hampshire. the debate comes three days after clinton had the narrowest win in history. they're focusing on health care and education >> the numbers don't add up from what bernie sanders has been proposing. that is why all of the independent experts, all of the editorial boards that have vetted both of us have concluded it is just not achievable. let's go down a path where we can tell people where we will do, a progressive is someone who

makes progress. that's what i intend to do. >> every major country on earth, whether it's the u.k., france, canada, has managed to provide health care to all people as a right and they are spending significantly less per capita on health care than we are. so i do not accept the belief that the u.s. of america can't do that let's talk to the founder and executive director of open debates which wants to reform the presidential debate process. he joins us live from new york. the democratic race is now just down to two contenders. do you think that this forced both of them to up their game in this debate particularly on policies that would appeal to the left of the party? >> absolutely. hillary clinton has her back against the wall. she had anticipated coasting to victory in this particular democratic primary race.

in fact, the debate tonight wasn't originally scheduled when the democratic party laid out the schedule because they wanted to protect her from bruising attacks. bernie sanders has spoiled her plans. he tied her in iowa and he has crushing her in the new hampshire polls. so she came out swinging. she was fer owe shoulds-- ferocious and aggressive. we had the most dynamic debate in the race you have to admit that bernie sanders did seem uncomfortable on issues like foreign policy especially when asked about afghanistan. >> absolutely. we saw hillary clinton do two things. on foreign policy she sounded fluent, experienced and jt. it highlighted bernie sanders's limitations. he is a movlg and inspiring candidate when he is talking about domestic issues but far less inspiring and less eloquent

when speaking about international foreign policy issues. the other thing that she did that was so effective in this debate is that she simultaneously attacked bernie sanders accusing him of having plans that we can't afford, promises that we can't keep, numbers that don't add up, and yet she remained sympathetic because although shia tacked him, she did not come off mean, aggressive or hurtful because she simultaneously accused sanders of unfairly challenging her progressive credentials, smearing her and accusing her of being bought and sold. it was an effective debate for her. she managed to attack her opponent and demonstrate her tops going forward, how is the new hampshire primary likely to shape the race going forward for the democratic contenders? >> i think despite her impressive performance tonight it is highly unlikely she will catch up in this new hamp she

primary. they do make-- hamp sheer primary. she is likely to lose new hampshire. she made an outreach to minority voters on issues of rarnl andy quality-- race andy quality a and-- the large latino population. if bernie sanders wins new hampshire, he will be relegated to a regional delegate, but if she can stop him here, she will have the nomination no doubt thank you for talking to us. lots more still to come here on al jazeera. more than 80 people die from a new outbreak of lassa fever in nigeria. >> reporter: we speak about an indigenous minority here. ity here.

>> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target.

welcome back. a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. tens of thousands of civilians in syria have been forced to flee and camp out on the turkish border. saudi arabia says it could send ground troops to send i.s.i.l. in syria. the u.n. peace-keeping mission in the car says it is investigating seven new cases of sexual abuse. more than 20 alleged cases were reported in the country last year. democrats hillary clinton and bernie sanders have been facing off.

it comes three days after clinton had the narrowest victory in the iowa caucus history our correspondent reports on some leaders acknowledge an end is needed to the can conflict >> reporter: the u.n. calls it the worst humanitarian crisis since the second world war. new pictures from madaya show a fragile young girl, apparently malnourished and the body of a woman. a man is heard saying down with the u.n. and empty talk of human rights. here there was much talk in london with the promise of action in the form of an enormous aid package. the prime minister struck an upbeat note at the end >> today is a day of hope, a day about saving lives, a day about building futures, a day about giving people the chance of a

future, the chance of a life. >> reporter: there is a depressing assumption behind this conference, that the syrian crisis will be with us for some time to come and, therefore, donors need to look at long-term assistance, education and employment for millions of syrians in the long years before they can return home. from turkey, lebanon and jordan, stark warnings, they cannot carry on looking after millions of syrians without more assistance. >> looking into the eyes of my people and seeing the hardship and distress they carry, i must tell you we have reached this. i represent the people of jordan, their well-being and safety are my first priority. our country will continue to do what we can do to help those in need, but it cannot be at the expense of our own people's

welfare. >> reporter: so there's something of a grand bargain on offer here. donors give more aid to syria's neighbours and in return they open up labor markets and ensure more syrian children go to school, but as the norweigian prime minister told me in pointed remarks about one of the participants in the syrian war, the real solution is peace. >> we need to build - to have confidence-building measures in syria. that means the fighting the decrease, russia has to take the responsibility to make sure that there is a possibility for this peace negotiation and it should be in their interests too. i don't think russia would like to stay on forever with military personnel and an expensive war in syria. >> reporter: but european countries, in particular, have their own reasons to give generously here. by making life tolerable for syrians in the region, they're less likely to seek asylum in europe. this conference may alleviate

syria's agony. it is hard to believe it will bring a solution any closer while the european union stuhlings to deal with arriving refugees, serbia is seeing the crisis as an opportunity. the government feels that by welcoming refugees, serbia is proving it deserves to join the e.u. >> reporter: these are the refugees ejected by europe because they're from the wrong place. having got so far, they cannot leave serbia. they can move forward nor back. all they have left is the kindness of strangers in this center in belgrade. >> where do we go and sleep? >> reporter: where do you seep at night? >> there is no proper place. no proper place. >> reporter: do you seep

outside? >> yes. outside outside. >> reporter: they're safe here in comparison to the fights of macedonia or the sea off turkey. they don't mind a few of them hanging around >> reporter: you have to look at the grass roots, the movements that have started here in serbia and we always have a few kind of essentials, even-- serbs, 16/17-year-olds. they have to get a letter. >> reporter: they haven't treated them particularly well, they have been picking them up on won border and-- one border and dumping them on another way. they have this attitude of why they are not in the e.u. they're arguing this at the point when the shenzhen zone is about to collapse and they might

have to receive tens of thousands of refugees without being in the e.u. >> translation: we have shown a high level of humanity and we treat the migrants better than some members of the ufr peen union. we have shown we're qualified to join the e.u. >> reporter: serbia has a problem. it has nowhere to house a few hundred let alone a few thousand. those asleep here sleep in the park of a bus station. what happens when they expel moor here? >> it is a lack of capacity, lack of experience, lack of money, especially a lack of any kind of sense of inter continue then tam migration. -- intercontinental migration. >> reporter: while the e.u. is in such a mess, the country it

has for so long been hostile to is turning into such a friend israeli premium court has suspended the attention of a palestinian journalist. he has been held without charge since november. he has been on a hunger strike for 72 days in protest against a law that allows israel to hold suspects without trial. he plans to continue with his hunger strike until he is free. >> translation: listen, please, don't be fooled by the israeli decision. don't let the call for solidarity die. we are all suffering, all of us, all the people used to come and tell me, although we are crushed that they are astonished by our plight. please tell the world. my moralee high but i'm feeble. i have hope thanks to god to greece now where workers have walked off their jobs in a

nationwide strike. thousands marched against the planned pension reforms and salary cuts. tensions were high with sporadic violence towards police. >> reporter: this is the third general strike. like the others, it has been initiated by the communist party. unlike the other two, it has brought support from the urban areas and the countryside. they are angry about the government's proposed social security over haul. it would chanch a million taxpayerers 27% of their income to help this, effectively doubling their taxation. freelance professionals and farmers say that abiding by the law would put them out of business. so they will have to avoid tax to survive and that would undermine the law which is to

balance the government books hundreds of people have taken to the street of the capital in chile over the signing of the tpp. the deal, involving 12 pacific countries, aims to slash tariffs and barriers for 40% of the economy. opponents of the plan say the tpp will cost jobs and impact on the sovereignty of asia-pacific countries. more than 80 people in nigeria have died from a new outbreak of lassa fever. the w.h.o. says the potentially fatal virus is transmitted through foopd and drink. most people can't get access to treatment. >> reporter: this is the infectious diseases unit in a hospital. one victim died here a few days ago. several have been given treatment and discharged, but there are still patients suspected of carrying the

disease which has spread through ingesting rat waste. they include this man. he does not want his identity revealed because of the stigma attached to the virus. his fiancee died a fortnight ago. he has been under observation for four days. >> she started this feeling of malar malaria. i have experienced what i haven't before. it was a disaster. it was lassa fever. >> reporter: he is not sure how rat waste contaminated the food that led to his fiancee's death. he think he will be cleared of the disease. those who are suffering experience vomiting, backache, bleeding severe swelling and rashes. it has led to an increase in demand nor rat killer products. more than 15% of those who

contract the disease die. the government partly blames it on a popular food called garree. it is stored in unhygienic conditions where rats roam freely. rats get into sacks where they leave waste and it spreads through inhaling tiny parcels. they say they are not to blame here. >> because they were dried. >> reporter: the government says it is doing all it can to stop the virus, but it is having difficulty getting the drug in that stops it. >> we have our response teams contacting the case management. i do not think we have a prob m problem. we might need south koreans. >> reporter: those suspected of

carrying the disease are hoping the outbreak will be over soon, but the government says good sanitation, hygiene and fumigating rat-infested locations should see it end soon film sensors are not letting bangladeshi's see a movie. there is a tense relationship with the government following their long running fight for independence. >> reporter: film festivals here are a rare occasion to promote bangladeshi movies. the local cinema is in decline with crowds dwindling since the 1990s. they're dying and the film theaters has not been replaced in that way. so this is one thing that you cannot show the film to the larger audience.

>> reporter: at the same time local movies have been receiving more recognition abroad. but the bangladeshi film with attention this year won't be screened home. my bicycle is having trouble getting clearance. the director is from a community, another first for the country's film industry. >> translation: my wife, my friends gave money. the crew worked for free. it was sort of a crowd funding model. >> reporter: he showed us a letter from the sensors saying the movie isn't getting clearance because of concerns that it portrays the military in a negative way. a long running rebellion ended in 1997 but the army presence is heavy in indigenous areas and communal rights are common. >> reporter: it is pretty difficult for any kind of

independent film maker in bangladesh to get their movie screened in theaters like this one, but the stakes are high with my business kel. it is a rare-- my bicycle. it is a glimpse of the minorities not seen in media. they worry their culture is in danger of disappearing. >> translation: a language survives through its use. we can't afford to print books in our language. >> reporter: it is a state of affairs he hopes it will change will change finally, the singer song writer maur ice white has died. the band is known for a string

of hits, including september and boogie wonder land. he was diagnosed with park ininsons in 1992. he died in his sleep aged 74. you can keep up-to-date with news on our website at aljazeera.com [ ♪ music ] thanks for joining us for "america tonight", i'm joie chen. there is new terrifying indication that europe's refugee crisis is spiralling out of control, has tone on another frightening dimension. "america tonight" investigates