this huge landscape, huge mountain chain of ethiopia is critical not only for ethiopia, but also for the entire region. consider egypt, look at the sudan, where six percent of the nile flows to these countries. how can you support life in egypt without restoring ethiopia's mountains? so this is regional, national, and international. >> environmental degradation is not only a problem for the dry regions of ethiopia. it can be just as devastating for countries like rwanda, where rainfall is plentiful. this tiny country is grappling with the problem of a growing population trying to eke out a living on a finite amount of land. as in china and ethiopia, over-farming on the hillsides caused serious erosion and a decline in fertility, forcing poor farmers to move into protected areas, such as the rugezi wetlands, a wildlife site of international importance. when farmers drained this marsh to try to grow more food, they not only damaged an important wetland ecosystem, they also had a significant impact three hours drive away in kigali, the capital city. the water that pours from the marshla

if i live in ethiopia, i would have done something else.ust wouldn't most likely have been cooking. >> northern europe and the scandanavian countries take pride in the fact that they can bring people into their culture, and they can grow up and have a good experience. they are facing threat with the indemrux of refugees -- influx of refugees and immigrants. you don't seem to describe that. >> "scandal" is in general an open place, where mifl, you have a pretty big country. we definitely stood out. but today it couldn't within 20 years later. it wouldn't have been a big deal. today you have immigrants. refugees, adopted kids, layers. you start, you know, post world war ii when, you know, the whole industry, revolution and all the rest of it. first we had a lot of corking for it from italy, staying from yugoslavia, and eventually the next wave of refugees and immigrants. it's a mixed bag of waste getting to sweden and denmark. >> norway and finland is a little different. out. >> was it negative, positive or neutral? >> for an adopted kid it i

. >> praying for a new life by thousands of ethiopia jews calling on israel to open its doors. >> if the current momentum is lost, all syrian parties will regret it. that's the stark warning given by the u.n.'s humanitarian coordinator in direct talks on the syrian crisis are due to get underway in geneva on friday. the war is described as probably the most devastating crisis in the 21st century. saying half of the population that lived in syria in 2010 has been displaced by the conflict. the june receive representative in syria says more than 250,000 people died in the fighting with children, bearing the brunt of the war. >> syria is probably the most dangerous place on earth now to be a child. even the very simple act of playing is no longer safe. a few months ago, 19 children were killed in a play ground in homs as they were celebrating the holidays. the same week, six children were killed when a mortar hit a unicef supported child friendly space in aleppo. >>> james bays joins us live now from geneva. we were given information about the trauma people are suffering from there. did

praising ethiopia for economic growth and support against al-shabab militants.he fact of the matter is, and the government admits this, there is a long way to go on the path to gem okay rahsy and admits mistakes are being made. it comes as a huge embarrassment to them, and something that they promise to look into, and give the roma people more of a say in their economic social and political rights. >> are. >> the president of transattended another ceremony. the place de la republique was a rallying point after the attack as parisians rally in support of free speech, an oak tree will be planted. francois holland unveiled plaques crass prize. the muslim counsel in france wants mosques to open this weekend for visits by non-muslim members of the public. this report from the grand mosque in paris. >> the why the of an open door weekend is to demystify what happens in the mosques and combat negative expectations. which has thrown into disarray the attacks against the supermarket and the magazine. and the attacks in which 130 were killed. the idea is that ordinary peo

syria is one, and ethiopia is the second. and so we have said we need to raise $100 million for this response. >>> the international community and the ethiopian government donated hundreds of millions to help people in need. the u.n. says the scale of the problem was never expected. >> the international community provided more than $350 million towards the el nino response. the government put forth more than 300 million of its own resources for food aid alone. the problem is the size of the need due to the el nino is enormous >>> with months to go until the next rainy season, that means more people like mohammed and his family have little choice but to wait for help to arrive >>> the american phil maker michael moore visited his home town flint in michigan to highlight the lead poisoning in the water. the u.s. president declared a federal emergency in flint. more called on president obama to see the situation for himself. >> i'm here today to ask, request, insist that president obama when he is at the detroit auto show wednes

we had been told by the villagers that we were close to ethiopia, that all that was left was to cross the desert, that in a week's time we would find the end of sudan. the dying began on the fifth day. >> it was an astonishing story of survival, and it took an extraordinary partnership to bring it to the world. valentino deng and his american friend dave eggers spent 4 years writing a book about valentino's childhood nightmare. >> i think we have a fascination for children who have lost everything and have then become separated from their parents, and we know that this happens during war, but this was something so unique, where tens of thousands of children walking more or less alone across a desert, 800 miles. >> together they've told a tale that captivated millions and even became the must-ad book for a psident. now they've begun a new journey, using a shared passion for education to help rebuild a shattered society. here in the u.s., people take theieducatiofor grand, and he can say, "well, i walked 800 miles, uh, through war-raved sudan just to-- to sit --on therass and and learn

syria is one, and ethiopia is the second. and so we said we fleet to raise 100 million for this response. >> the international community and the ethiopian government donated hundreds of millions to help those in need. the u.n. says the scale of the problem was never expected. >> the international community provided $350 million towards the response. the governor of ethiopia put forth more than 300 million of its own resources for food alone. the problem is the size of the need due to the el nino is enormous. >> with months to go until the next rainy season, that means more people like mohammed and his family have little choice but to wait for help to arrive >>> let's take a check on the weather with richard. any chance the area may see rain soon? >> no, you wouldn't expect it. climbtology says that january had 13mm of rain, making no difference whatsoever. the rain has come during the summer, if we run the satellite sequence, you can see virtually nothing happen on the satellite imagery. the cloud is towards the south. it's j

the government of ethiopia put forth more than $300 million just for food aid alone.he problem is the size of the need due to the he will known yo is just enormous. >> with months to go until the next rainy season, that means even more people like muhammed and his family have little choice but to wait for help to arrive. charles stratford, al jazeera, a far region in eastern ethiopia. >>> the man left brain dead after a french drug trial has died. prosecutors in france launched an investigation into the trial after five others also became critically ill. a total of 90 healthy volunteers were given the pain killer. research on the drug has since been suspended. >>> democratic presidential candidates in the u.s. are holding a debate sunday. the event is taking place in south carolina, which has a troubled history of race relations. there isn't a single black candidate on stage for that debate. we have this report. >> 100 years later, we are still going through the same -- >> he is a lesser known candidate currently campaigning in south carolina. businessman willie wilso

to ethiopia where it is relatively calm after a crack down. development projects are feared to take away their land. >> reporter: we spoke to the government here and speak admit that security forces have killed doss p dozens of people on the crack down on these protests. they're saying it's elements within those protesters who are saying are being encouraged and funded by terrorist organizations. they have promised to launch an investigation into the deaths and into the looting and burning of public and private problem. the region is this country's largest region. they're the largest ethnic group. yesterday we travelled around 50 kilometers over the cap toll to an area that has historically been very anti-government. this is our report. >> reporter: a member of the ethiopia security forces shot this mother of two in her neck during a recent protest. when her condition began to deteriorate in hospital, she insisted her father take her back to her village so she could see her children. >> translation: we went to demonstrate. they allowed us to p

drought conditions triggered by the el nino phenomenon are treating ethiopia quite hard. the usually dry weather pattern began in june 2015 spreading from the remote northeastern portions of the country into more populated areas leaving about 10 million people in need of food and help. onerganization says that the ongoing situation is worse than the 18 -- excuse me -- 1984 drought crisis. many residents have lost their livelihood and are now simply trying to survive. to improve the situation heavy rain is crucial but i'm afraid it's the dry season and heavy rain is not anticipated for the next several months. some rain is in the forecast in ethiopia into your saturday but it's not enough to make a dent. different story across kenya, heavy rain is expected. so that will cause flooding up there. let's go to japan. rain is falling across the region including tokyo and rain should change over to snow as we go into tonight because temperatures expected to drop. the rainmaker is located to the south of japan and this system actually caused record breaking heavy rainfall, over 1

burundi talks a string of crises for african leaders to deal with while meeting in ethiopia. also an ancient church reveals a secret. >> reporter: i'm with all the day's sports, including the australian open has a new women's champion. kerber wins her first grand slam title >>> hello. delegates representing syria's main opposition group are due to arrive in syria soon where hopes

syria is one and ethiopia is the second. we need to raise 100 million dollars for this response. >> reporter: the u.n. says the scale of the problem was never expected. >> the international community has provided more than 360 million dollars since 1 october towards the el nino response. the government has provided more than 300 million for food aid alone. the problem is the size of their need due to the el nino is just enormous. >> reporter: with months no go until the next rainy season, that means even more people like this man and his family have little choice but to wait for help to arrive >>> here is what is coming up in sport. two nba team save all the best action for the final three seconds of the game. joe will be here with all the details in just a moment. ust a moment. >>> people in the mexican town are proud of their fresh mountain spring water. now they're fighting to keep their pristine life line free of contamination. >> reporter: is the people of this area about this mountain spring and they will tell you that

and that is a farm in ethiopia. i a really traditional ethiopian coffee. a lot of acidity and it varies and sweetness. it is delicious. >> when you go to places like ethiopia could it be several different kinds? >> the actual name of the former farmer is how we do the traceability. we want you to know who is behind the coffee and product. >> is this is one of the many farms you but you? >> i've been to a lot of farms. >> there are people that are generally really poor and isolated and cut off from the community a lot of times and never tasted the coffee roasted the map but it can be. these are there sorting beds there are we are actually doing a fundraiser trying to build a school for the children and they are raising money. this week if you come to our shop you can buy a bag and we will donate a dollar directly to their school fund this weekend at our three locations i will be doing pop-up shops it is a nation on the donation on the forget whatever you want. >> what does a pound cost? >> this is $18. a little more expensive but really good. >> we have one

and we report. >> reporter: this is one of the biggest days in the ethiopia orthodox calendar and it's people here believe that jesus christ was baptized and thousands of people gather at churches like this one and then they walk a few kilometers to an area that is supposed to symbolize the river jordan. the women play an instrument called a beginner. ethiopia orthodox christians believe king david played it for god and they have the arc of the covenant symbolizing jesus and the patriorch follows them. >> translator: for me and all the people who follow the ethiopia orthodox church it's a very special day as you can see. >> translator: i love the celebration because it's part of our history. >> reporter: so tens of thousands of people have gathered here now and come from the respective churches and are waiting for the patriarch's arrival and the combination of the ceremony happens in the morning. ♪ in the early morning light the patriarch has water symbolizing the river jordan and use hoses to spray the crowd. yes. >> translator: i'm very excited to have been covered by the holly water

he said this at the african union's peace and security council meeting in ethiopia. we are talking about an instead to send peacekeepers into the country, where there has been months of unrest. catherine soi has been monitoring the days event in ethiopia. >> the heads of state discussed terrorism in the continent, violent armed groups holding large territories, and deadly attacks in count lis like burkina faso, and al-shabab poses grave danger. they deliberated on better ways of sharing count terrorism, intelligence, and also on the agenda with south sudan, and the transformation of a unity government. the process seems to be on shaky ground following the decision by the government to create 28 states up from 10. the armed opposition led by ria march ard said it was not in the spirit of the peace agreement. burundi is high on the agenda, and will be in the coming days. the heads of state will consider options to solve the crisis, and they are expected to discuss and decide on the deployment of the peacekeepers with or without the government's consent. if they endorse

burundi tops the string of crisis for african leaders to discuss as they meet in ethiopia. serena williams understands by kerber in the australian open title. she is the first german national winner after stephi graff. delegates from syria's main opposition group are travelling to geneva where the u.n. has opened talks that it hopes will end the war there. the opposition is yet to commit to direct negotiations with the government. even so the developments are giving a glimmer of hope that peace efforts may actually be getting off the grounds for the first time since two earlier rounds of talks collapsed in 2014. the conflict began almost five years ago and it has killed at least 250,000 people. millions of syrians have been forced to flee. many of them like the refugees you see here have risked their lives to reach europe. the war has allowed islamic state in iraq and the levant to capture territory and has drawn in the u.s. and russia as well as regional powers. our correspondent joining us from geneva where those talks are taking place. i suppose it is a progress of sorts

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 s

in the news ahead, about 400,000 children in ethiopia are at risk of severe malnutrition. it is the worst draught in hassle a century. -- half a century. plus the home that grows on you. we report on a design in chile that could be the future of social housing. >>>s the top stories on al jazeera. the syrian government forces have recaptured what they say is the last rebel stronghold in latakia. the u.s. says the dispute over which syrian opposition groups will attend talks in geneva will be resolved soon. protesters in the cairo suburb have defied an official ban to not protest. thousands have homes have been searched. cold weather is causing major disruption across east asia. travel has been disrupted across japan after a cold front dumped snow across the country. temperatures in the far north of china have dropped to minus 40 degrees. the afghan government has held unofficial talks with the taliban in qatar. the group says its political office in doha is the only body authorised to carry out negotiations on its behalf reinforcing the authority of its new leadership. it f

also on the program ethiopia cracks down on dissent. dozens of protesters are killed by security forces. a hollywood actor leads mexican police to the world's most wanted drug lord. worried about freedom of speech, thousands gather in hong kong to ask what has happened to five missing book sellers. tens of thousands of people who are starving to death in the syrian town of madaya will have to wait at least another day before help reaches them. aid agencies had hoped the trucks with food and medicine would arrive on sunday. some people are so desperate that they're eating leaves and grass. for the latest, we speak to our correspondent in beirut. why is it taking so long to get this aid to people so desperately in need? >> reporter: it has been a very complicated process. it is part of a multi stage deal that dates back to september and we're talking about two distinct regions of syria where the aid is going to be delivered. so it's not just madaya which is on the outskirts of damascus quite close to the lebanese border, but it is also a

also on the program, ethiopia cracks down on dissent. at least 140 protesters are killed by security forces. a hollywood actor leads mexican police to the world's most wanted drug lord. worried about freedom of speech, thousands gather in hong kong to ask what has happened to five missing book sellers. tens of thousands of people who are starving to death in madaya will have to wait at least another day before help reaches them. aid agencies had hoped the trucks with food and medicine would arrive on sunday. some people are so desperate that they're eating leaves and grass. our correspondent joining us from beirut. what is behind this latest delay? >> reporter: so as you've said, the u.n. aid agencies are not ready to deliver this food, and it involves other sides. we're talking about two distinct regions. we're talking about villages near damascus, on the outskirts, and also villages in idlib. these aid deliveriesy have to happen simultaneously. it is going back to a deal from september. there was a u.n. brokered deal. turkey and iran h

ban ki-moon has welcomed the plan outlined at the african union summit in ethiopia. on monday the u.s. state of iowa will become the first in the country to hold its presidential nominating contest otherwise known as a caucus. for months now candidates have spent millions wooing iowa voters. a win there can make or break a candidate's campaign. >> reporter: it is in homes like this that the united states will hold its first official votes in its presidential nominating contest. so where is this caucus going to be held, where are the people going to be. >> in the living room here. >> reporter: it means to gather, so in iowa's caucus you won't see polling booths or voting machines. people meet at homes, community centers and churchs. the state of just three million people became prominent through historical accident >> in 1972 there were a series of changes in how each of our political parties would select their nominee to be president of the united states and iowa happened to go first that year. so iowa has been first ever since. >> we will be passing out slips of pap

secretary ban ki-moon has welcomed the plan out lined in the summit in ethiopia. on monday the u.s. state of iowa will become the first in the country to hold its presidential nominating contest known there as a caucus. for months candidates have spent millions wooing the voters. a report from des moines. >> reporter: it's in homes like this that the united states will hold its first official votes in it's presidential nominating contest. so where is this caucus going to be held, where are the people going to be here? >> right here in the living room >> reporter: this? >> right here >> reporter: to caucus means to gather. so you won't see polling booths or machines. you will be met by homes, halls and churches. >> in 1972 there were a series of changes in how each of our political parties would select their nominee to be president of the u.s. iowa happened to go first that year. so iowa has been first ever since. >> we will be passing out slips of paper for you to vote on. >> reporter: it is simple. supporters vote by secret ballot tossed in a hat or basket. the top with the most wi

burundi tops a string of crises for africa leaders to discuss as they meet in ethiopia. how south korea is cashing in on a business on the rise. drones. delegates representing syria's main opposition group is travelling to geneva. the opposition is yet to commit to direct negotiations with the government. a glimmer of hope that peace efforts may be getting off the ground for the first time since two earlier rounds of talks collapsed in 2014. the conflict began almost five years ago and it has killed at least 250,000 people. millions of other syrians have been forced to flee, many of them like the refugees you see here, have risked their lives to reach europe. the war has allowed the islamic state in iraq and the levant and other powers in. going to james bays who is live in geneva. i suppose the fact that they are happening now is some sort of progress. >> reporter: i think it also justifies the u.n.'s decision, which i think was a difficult decision, to go ahead with a start to this process as planned on friday. talks on syria with only one of the sides here, the syrian

sum nit ethiopia's capitol. his country is part of a regional joint force against boko haram.he ongoing violence in bur underi part of key discussions at that meeting. let's cross over to catherine soi. we know they are discussing about -- we know it's -- excuse me -- catherine, discussing burundi. what else is expected to come out of this meeting? >> ( knowledge they have been discussing bur underi since yesterday, friday. the security council fails to made you cone consensus. heads of state have been talking about it. they will be talking about it tomorrow, sunday. so basically what they -- what the issue is meds of state will be deliberating and it may be voting on a position to send this peacekeeping troops to burundi with or without the commission of the burundian government. we know burundi's government and the parliament have rejected such a move. a lot of people we are talking to say many heads of state will be reluctant to endorse such a move. burundi with peoples have al president, even if that is contested. it's interesting to see how all of this plays out. bur unde

charles stratford al jazeera, northe northern ethiopia. >>> joining us now is ben hartman.is being donetsk? is anything being done to allow these ethiopians to return home? >> well, i there is a process in place, the relaunched program that you mentioned that was announced a couple of months ago. and that process will play out. it is the latest final badge of ethiopian jews that have been announced. and the question is what connection there is to judaism, and for a lot of people there are a lot of controversy attached to them. many have family here so there is an issue of family reunification. regardless of the reasons why they are coming, or how many end up coming here, they will face some problems and issues. the community deals with very difficult issues of poverty, unemployment, education, and police brutality, and things like this. >> i'm just wondering how those -- how those affected by this deal with the poverty issue considering the discrimination that they face in israel, the way that they are treated. they are not treated like israeli citizens. i'm just finding ou

ethiopia needs to concentrate on its own development. we need to help ethiopia shoulder this burden and eventually find solutions for refugees so that they can go back voluntarily to their countries of or in. >> i'm particularly interested in what you just said about refugee flows. there's a migratory movement from africa. what can you do about it, pry speaking? >> the most important, i think, is to stabilize refugees in countries of asylum. i've been saying this to european nations, as well, because they are now worried about refugees and migrants reaching their shores and they're rightly worried. i think it's very important not to forget that refugees come to other countries first, in fact the majority of them stops in those countries and they need help. in the entire world, our most underfunded operations are in africa. i think the crisis in europe is a tragedy, but i think that it will be an eye opener for the world on the need to help countries that shoulder the largest burden of refugees. like ethiopia, like many other countries in

john graham is head of save the children in ethiopia. he has told al jazeera that 9100 million dollars received from international donors is not enough >> it is acute malnutrition, the last stage the children have in malnutrition. what we have seen in the areas where the animals have died, the children were cut off from milk and so on, they just lose all their nutrition. when you get into severe acute malnutrition. as you say, we're expecting 400,000 children to fall in that this year. if you don't get therapeutic feeding and assistance, then the mortality rights are very high. we have a great opportunity this year to head off the kind of suffering that we have seen in previous years, especially in 1984, but we have to have the resources. frankly, the window is getting narrow. if we don't get food aid pledged by march of this year, only a little over a month away, then the food will simply not be able to arrive in country in time to be distributed to people during what we call the hungry season. we have to be very direct now. this is not

we had been told by the villagers that we were close to ethiopia, that all that was left was to crossesert, that in a week's time we would find the end of sudan.

ethiopia's largest ethnic group. al jazeera spoke to him two weeks before his arrest. >> the government was ready in a responsible way. >> the protest was sparked by a plan to develop areas in the roma reason outside the capital. they integrated the development plan, unconstitutional, because it ignores a federal system, because it gives each region a degree of self-rule. they say the plan is nothing more than a land grab. the roma have used the government of ignoring political and economic rights. >> the protests representatives a big crisis that the ruling party had to face since coming to power 25 years ago. the organization human rights watch says 140 people have been killed and many more arrested and detained. rights groups say that they are using hard anti-terrorism laws to crush any dissent. >> the government says it suspended what it described as activities related to the integrated cost plan, and blames the violence on elements to connections for what describes as a terrorist investigation. including the opp

there are also hundreds in east africa in ethiopia, south sudan, uganda, and kenya. one of these camps is in northern kenya. many refugees have lived there for decades. as long as the conflicts in their home countries continue, they cannot go home. >> some have been here for 20 years. they come from somalia, your treo, south sudan, baroody, and the democratic republic of congo. it has grown to be like a town, with businesses and merchants. refugees are not allowed to work . they have no prospects. he has lived in this hot for years. the water is rationed. innocent cannot leave the camp without permission. when he fled the drc, his father, a journalist was being targeted by our militias. many have horrifying stories to tell. >> i had to go away will my father was taken away. they came in they just take him at an unknown destination and i do not know where he is. it just took the family. they came to our house and they killed most of the people. in the center, people can earn a diploma in liberal studies. it is run by the jesuit refugee service. it is called "higher ed

there are many thousands of displaced jews, abandoned, but not forgotten, the jews of ethiopia.

christians make up around 50% of ethiopias approximately 96 million people. white, almost transloot sent cotton shawl. the women, sit, stand, or lie on one side of the church, the men on the other. the littergy is sung and read from bibles written in an ancient language. worshippers have come here to this church for mass on the orthodox christmas eve. >> translator: i'm here to celebrate the birth of jesus christ. he was born to save us. >> reporter: the kingdom in the north of the country established christianity here in the 4th century. and the orthodox church still today plays a pivotal role in the cultural identity of this nation. but of course, like celebrating christmas anywhere around the world, it's also about having fun. ♪ >> reporter: christmas revellers have gathered here by the thousands to dance, drink, and celebrate. one of the biggest nights of the year. these two have their photograph taken among models depicting the nativity. >> translator: we prefer christmas eve it's a lot of fun, but we will be celebrating christmas day with my parents. >>

northern ethiopia. >> protests in the capitol after a run off to the president, was canceled. the opposition candidate. even though it has no replacement. >> in this environment there won't be an election. we are discussing the situation and there are many scenarios that can occur, in h the end we will have a second round after the government gives us power. >> trying to establish a firm link between the zika violence and micro receively, a season where babies are born with aben normally small heads. the big task is to try to establish a link between the two, but so far the evident remains sixble. however brazil's government says they are losing the battle against zika. give as lot of reason for concern, and now that the big task is to try to establish the link here, what is the link, is it zika alone. is it zika with something else. >> it is now ten months since an earthquake devastated large areas of that pap. nepal. reconstruction has been slow, many of those effected want to have another quake. they have come from the united kingdom to repair his house, here. in the foothi