ahead of talks the main syrian opposition says bashar al-assad must go but the government says that's out of the question. you're watching al jazeera. i'm jane dutton live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up, regional elections begin in three german states. it is seen as a test for angela merkel's open door refugee policy. a day of protests in venezuela, as the opposition ramps up calls for president maduro to step

down. not good enough, afghan families who have suffered injury and loss when the u.s. accidentally attacked a hospital say the compensation doesn't go far enough firstly, the war in syria and the u.s. secretary of state is meeting his european counterpart a day after the syrian government set its conditions for talks in geneva. pop sigs members arrived in switzerland ahead of meeting on monday. the government is due to arrive in the coming hours. it insist the president bashar al-assad's role is not up for discussion. lawrence, you saz john kerry meet leaders on saturday and today with the europeans. what has been on the table?

>> reporter: yes. of course, if only for reasons of diplomatic courtesy if for nothing else, he has to be seen to be visiting his allies as a precursor for going to geneva and hence this round of discussions that you mentioned. i think they will want to know from him what is the state of the cessation of hostilities which is monitoring on the ground. he will also be discussing the refugee crisis and ukraine as well, but crucially i think they will want to know to what extent washington is prepared to accommodate moscow's position on behalf of the syrian government. i think it is worth bearing in mind that in terms of this nowadays european countries have only limited diplomatic leverage. it is washington and moscow and the talks in geneva which takes place on monday will be absolutely crucial, not only because they will determine

whether the peace talks are successful but whether the cessation of hostilities on the ground can continue to hold the syrian prime minister is insisting on keeping the country's territorial position. is that possible? >> reporter: there has been a suggestion, and it's not more strongly than that, but the russians proposed something in the last couple of days which has been reported both in italy and in the turkish media as well. the model is based on the dayton agreement as in bosnia that would allow for a kurdish third in the north-east, a sunni third with raqqa in the east and allawit teshgs third which will maintain under the control of

bashar al-assad and through to the turkish border. very easy to pick all sorts of holes in this. what choice will the people of homs have, stay there or move to the sunni quarter in raqqa. clearly it is an open question whether i.s.i.l. would still be there. what it would do would play very much to the point of the syrian foreign minister that the integrity needs to be respected and there is a red line over bashar al-assad the syria's main negotiator says bashar al-assad must leave before the conflict is resolved. >> translation: we continue it can only begin when bashar al-assad is death or stands down all parties have been called to on to unite.

>> reporter: fighting in syria two weeks into a partial ceasefire agreed by many sides in the war, but not all. inactivists video they say they're taking the area from allied forces. aleppo said they had been hit by government air strikes. >> translation: military planes launched air strikes on friday morning after prayers. >> reporter: there is less violence in other parts of the country. in idlib people felt safe enough to on come out into the streets. there have been protests against the government since the ceasefire began but these demonstrators are campaigning about fighting between different groups, the free syrian army and al-nusra front. on friday crowds came out in support of an fsa commander. >> translation: we are here to serve you. the syrian people are king and a jewel on the crown. you are the true masters.

you are our leaders. this land is ours. i am the son of syria just like you. this is only a phase in the syrian revolution and it will go away. those who don't belong here will eventually leave our land. >> reporter: as well as foreign fighters there are many different opposition groups. they all agree that president bashar al-assad has to go but disagree on how to get there. >> there is not one unified position. there are thousands of different groups that comprise this opposition. there are deep divisions among the main ones over whether they should participate in a peace process or not. >> reporter: rebels are blaming each other for the fallout in idlib. disagreements on just one side of the fighting in syria's deeply complex war at least 17 suspected al-qaeda fighters have been killed in air strikes in yemen.

security officials say the strikes were a second stage to freeing the southern area. there have been several attacks on local security officials in the area. libya's u.n. backed presidential council is attempting to push through the new unity government without parliament's approval. the council nominated a unity government last month, but the internationally recognised parliament in the eastern city of tabruk is divide over the popped cabinet. voting is under waep in three states of germany. it is expected to be a litmus test for the refugee policy of the german chancellor. she has defended her open-door policy which has seen an influx of refugees. it has provided a platform for the right wing afd party which opposes the current refugee policy. a funeral has been held in

afghanistan for a family killed trying to cross the aegean city between turkey and greece. their bodies were brought back to kabul. the youngest was nine months old. more than 130,000 people have travelled to greece through turkey. so far 320 of them have died. thousands have attended rallies in the venezuelan capital. the anti-government protesters are angry at the state of the economy. government supporters also turned out as our correspondent reports. >> reporter: these are the streets of down town city today. supporters of the president came to condemn the renewal of a decree by the u.s. that rules that venezuela is a threat to their national security. these were those same streets when the late chvas was still in

power. it was also a time when the larger than life leader was making the calls. today the country is ranked as one of the worst economies in the world. food is hard to come by. >> translation: people are not going to the marches because they're standing in line outside shops hoping to find food. if you march, you can't get food for your children. >> reporter: in this i will-rich nation, protesting has become a luxury. a couple of years ago this avenue right behind me would have become what was known here as the red tied with hundreds of thousands of supporters attending their leader's call to defend the revolution. >> reporter: in the area here where the opposition was holding its rallies, it was no different. just like it is no different today at the twin march that the opposition has called to demand

the president resign. >> translation: i came thinking this would be huge. it is a poor turn out. maybe because the media is controlled about the government and people didn't know about it. >> reporter: street demonstrations and political rallies have been a part of the landscape for decades. today a lack of unified leadership, the memory of recent police repegs and a desperate economic situation have left people feeling power of the and unable to seek out change peacefully. still ahead on al jazeera >> reporter: i'm reporting from the state in myanmar where lives continue to be affected by civil war despite the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement machine beats manhattan ancient chinese game. we will tell you what this could mean for artificial intelligence. intelligence.

welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. syria's opposition has arrived for talks to end the war. they say bashar al-assad must go. any discussion about bashar al-assad's role is a red line. >> reporter: voting has started in three german states to elect regional parliament. these elections are seen as a litmus test on angela merkel's policy on refugees.

it has been a major talking point ahead of the vote. thousands have attended protests in venezuela. they're angry at the state of the economy. the government supporters have also turned out. more on our top story. it is almost five years since syria's up rising began. they were inspired by event across the arab world. the first report in a special series. >> reporter: with memories as vivid as their disappointments run deep, these people turn to books when they can, seeking comfort in their pages, solace in the chapters. a brief escape from a reality of looming and horrific milestone. five years of a war that brought with it the kind of unmitigated misery no-one here could have

foreseen. at the beginning, though, the arab spring had spread hope. >> what happened in tunisia and egypt, all the areas to go to the street, they give us the courage to do this. >> reporter: syrian artist opened pages book story and caée as a refuge for fellow citizens tired of conflict and thirtsing for culture. he fled damascus remembers very well how things spiralled out of control. >> translation: the problem in syria is because we think the world will help us like egypt, like tunis, libya, and in the end all the world left us alone. >> reporter: some attempt to bury their sorrows in these volumes, tu it is harder than it looks. these days in istanbul, a city so full of the war-weary, it is hard to fine anyone who feels

optimism, especially not that felled half a decade ago, before hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives. in another part of town refugees whose lives were shat reasonable doubt by conflict try valiantly to put the pieces back together. with the help of the small projects ngo these women who are afraid to show their faces are learning skills to help them survive. this man, who used to own a july restore is showing them how to make earrings. he will never forget the beginning when for his fellow country men and women resistance yielded far more beauty than heartache. >> translation: it is felt like we started to raise our voices. i mean we have finally started to raise our voices. that was a good thing. nobody had any idea things would

get so bad. >> reporter: he insist skills like these don't just help in making a living, they also aid in southing souls. >> translation: at the start syrians' demands were simple. the regime didn't know how to deal with people outside of force >> reporter: five years on, these syrians still feel battered. for even those who managed to escape their country haven't truly been able to escape the war look who has just arrived in paris for a meeting with the e.u. counterparts. that's john kerry, the u.s. secretary of state, obviously top of the agenda will be syria. the u.s. military has been criticized for providing

inadequate compensation for families killed in a hospital attack. the bombardment on a hospital killed 42 people and injured nearly 100. >> reporter: he sits a broken man, his body scarred and battered from when an american ac130 gun ship attacked a humanitarian hospital in northern afghanistan. he lost a hand and one eye last october. 4 # others were killed, nearly 10 injured. now the military is offering what it calls condolence payments of between 3 and 6,000 dollars >> translation: i received $3,000. this is a small amount. this looks like a joke, an insult to us. it is not acceptable to anyone >> reporter: this lady lost her husband. on he was the breadwinner for her and four children. she says it is not enough. >> translation: if a woman doesn't have a husband or someone to take care of them,

how can they live? the money they are given is not enough to raise even one of my children to the age of 12. >> reporter: he was working as a security guard at the hospital operated by doctors without borders. they said they had given nato forces the hospital's coordinates. >> an accident is difficult to believe, but we are trying to understand how much the mistake was or how many mistakes were done and we struggle with mistakes done. today it is only question that we have. i think we that we can have all the assumptions, but the answers are with the american army today. >> reporter: the hospital was destroyed. the u.s. plane fired 211 shells in the 30-minute onslaught. witnesses said people were shot from the air as they tried to escape. president obama has apologised for the attack. u.s. forces said it was a mistake but have resisted calls for an independent investigation

preferring their own internal probe. those findings are yet to be release. some personal will face action but not in any court. that will leave some people questioning whether justice really will be done. this 11-year-old girl was in the hospital. her husband watched helpless as she was dying engulfed in flames. >> translation: we were given $6,000 which will not help as i am still in psychological shock. >> reporter: the money will help a bit, but it can never replace a daughter or a loved one french investigators are expected to release their final report into the german wings plane crash which killed 150

people d he was suffering from depression but under law his employers couldn't be alerted to his state of mind. marco rubio has won the latest round of voting to become the republican presidential nominee. he 10 delegates in the caucuses. donald trump has changed the location for his rally on sunday due to ongoing security conce s concerns. back on the campaign trail, a moment of concern for the republican front runner. it appears someone tried to get on stage. donald trump quickly surrounded by secret service. >> thank you for the warning. i was ready for them, but it's much easier if the cops do it. >> reporter: this latest incident hours after an event in

chicago was cancelled. several fights broke out there and the police cleared the hall and then there was violence outside with five people arrested and two police officers injured. donald trump says he doesn't need to change his tone >> mr trump should get up this morning and tell his people to be nice. my folks are nice >> reporter: it is said donald trump was not blameless >> it is a sad day. replies discourse shouldn't be conducted this way. >> he has created a toxic environment which has allowed his supporters and those who some time seek confrontation to come together in violence. there is no place for this. >> reporter: just this week a protester who was being led from an event in north carolina was punched in the face.

his 78 year old attacker said. >> he deserved. the next at the time we see him we might have to kill him >> reporter: many believe donald trump has encouraged such behaviour. >> who is protesting anybody? get out of here. i would like to punch him in the face. in the old days, do you know what they used to on do to people like that? they would be carried out on a stretcher. knock him out. i will pay for the legal fees. >> reporter: miss manager is also facing allegations of roughing up a reporter, allegations they say is false. all of this would be a problem in a previous election. but this is no ordinary election and he is no ordinary candidate donald trump's opponents have criticized him for inciting

violence at his rallies. hillary clinton said it was important to stand up to someone like donald trump. >> if you play with matches, you can start a fire you can't control. that is not leadership. that is political arson. if you see biggotry, oppose it. if you see violence, condemn it. if you see a bully, stand up to him floods and mud slides have caused devastating damage in brazil after days of heavy rainfall. authorities in rio have declared a state of emergency. the down pour have flooded parts of the city. the president flew over areas to assess the damage. myanmar's new government says peace in ethnic minority areas is its main priority. rebel armys have been fighting for autonomy or independence.

despite an agreement signed the situation is worsing. it is civilians caught in the middle who are most efficiented. >> reporter: here a buddhist monas be tery can provide protection for men. outside the communities are being torn apart and young people are suffering the most. at this time of day, this woman's youngest son should be helping her on the farm. in november 16-year-old and two others from his village were taken by a group of men and they haven't been seen since. >> translation: of course i miss him. he still want to finish school and he is learning how to be a mechanic. his father is not feeling well, so he stopped going to school to take care of his father. then this happened to him and we're helpless. >> reporter: it is likely they were taken by one of the rebel armies operating in the area. allegations of abduction are becoming increasingly common. accusations of rape and torture

have also been made against government soldiers. one armed ethnic group followed al jazeera it doesn't force people to join its ranks. >> we don't do that. we don't have the policy of that. we explain that they have to come by themself >> reporter: under almost 50 years of military rule myanmar became isolated. problems were magnified in areas where there is fight for control. there is little opportunity. most of the areas where the arm ease operate are remote and poor. there is some hope being placed in the new government, but there is a concern that some groups might use this time to try to exert their power, particularly the myanmar army. renewed fighting in the state has seen thousands leave their homes and take shelter in nearby temples and monastries. they're caught in an attempt for the army to prove its worth at a time of political transition.

this woman has since received phone calls from her missing son, but still doesn't know where he was taken. >> translation: when he calls, he says "i'm fine", and tells under the circumstances not to worry about him. he doesn't say where he is or what he's doing. >> reporter: the problems in the edit in particular minority areas are complex. there are big ex-penningtations for the new government to provide security which may lead to much needed development and opportunity. wayne hay al jazeera in a show down between human and artificial intelligence, a machine has defeated man. a google program beat one of the world's best players of go, an ancient chinese game and thought to be too complex for computers to master. >> this is in a bit of trouble here. he resigned. >> reporter: the amazement of

the commentators was obvious. the disbelief of the human competitor clear. he went into this five game series extremely confident. he didn't win a single match against the alpha go program. even alpha go creators were amazed the by result. >> to be honest, we are a bit stunned and speechless. he put up an incredible fight again. alpha go made a large territory at the bottom of the board, but mr lee found some really amazing tactics to play in the territory and create a really huge co-fight. >> reporter: go is an ancient chinese games for two players to place black and white stones.

the winner places his tone around the others. intuition is as important as memory, which makes conquering the go the mount everst of programmers. it uses two sets of deep neural networks that allow it to crunch data in a more human like fashion. it learns and improves from every game if plays. this latest victory sets a whole new benchmark. the defeated champion tried to put a brave face on it with a reassuring word for the rest of the race. >> translation: alga go exhibited some weaknesses, so i doubt whether it has the skills to deliver a wider message to humans. i think i am the one who lost today, not humanity. >> reporter: with the final two games of the series still to be played, it is only going to get

better and cleverer it seems we really are become redundant. in the meantime you can checkout the news and stories on our website at aljazeera.com check it out. it out.