syria's war. coming up in the next half hour, the new faces of politics in myanmar. at least 86 people killed in a series of attacks in north-east nigeria. boko haram is responsible. still fighting for justice after nearly 30 years we catch up with filipino political prisoners. talks to end the war in syria. the saudi backed opposition says the meeting with staffan de mistura was very positive. they had threatened to walk away from the talks unless humanitarian terms were addressed first. they're due to meet again in a few hours. our correspondent is live for us in geneva. yesterday we saw both sides talking to the media. what can we expect today? >> reporter: i will try to breakdown the schedule as we've been told it will go today. right now behind this hotel there are supposed to be meetings going on this morning, delegates, members of the opposition, the high negotiation council, they can agree on how to go forward. they're also expected to meet later today with staffan de mistura, the u.n. envoy staffan de mistura for syria, although the opposition here has stressed on many occasions that just because they may meet at the u.

visited areas in the north-east of syria, clearly a rare visit. including obama's special adviser. he was among the delegates as well as british and french officials. we understand that discussions focused on military plans against i.s.i.l. we have to remember the y.p.g., the kurdish force, which is the backbone of the syrian defense forces, they have been taking the lead in the fight against i.s.i.l. and they have been the only partners on the ground of the coalition. some observers say that this visit, the timing of this visit is significant because the kurds are angry. they were side lined from geneva. they were asked to leave. the y.p.g.'s leader was in geneva and he was asked to leave. some is saying this is a show of support of the kurds, saying that we didn't forget you, showing that they're still partners. another point the u.s. and russia are struggling for influence over the kurds. russia was the one pushing for the y.p.g. to be sitting on that table but turkey, an ally of the u.s., was adamant that a group called terrorist should not take part in the talks >>> thank you

east and north africa. they cited iraq and syria specifically and said the international community needed to do its part to bring an end to the violence and the terrorism. they also believed that the international community needs to give wide scale humanitarian aired to refugees. both leaders mentioned that they have sympathy for other faiths that have also been impacted by the violence in the region and they promoted this notion of interfaith dialogue. now this entire meeting has been framed as a way to yooufnt the o sides. , it's likely vladimir putin signed off on this meeting, the meeting comes at a time when russia is isolated from the west, due to it's military actions in ukraine and syria. an attempt by russia to uplift its position in the west. >>> clinical trials for zika virus are at least 18 months away. caroline malone reports. >> this is china's first zika patient. he was in venezuela when he began to get a fever and feel dizzy. >> translator: the symptoms made me believe that i had contracted dengue fever because zika virus was only found recently. >> reporter: infection with the virus is usu

north-east. it is very important corner of syria. the turkish army making it clear, asking or telling the y.p.g. you need to withdraw from territories that you have captured from the opposition and trying to make them withdraw by the ongoing bombardment, but this is causing tensions with the u.s. the u.s. is calling on turkey to cease attacks. at the same time calling on the y.p.g. to stop capturing territory from the opposition. a very complicated picture at the moment, yet another front in our already complicated conflict >>> to the u.s. and one of the supreme court's most conservative members has died, justice scalia was 79. his death has the power to shift the power in the court. republican nominees fought hard in a debate a little earlier. first, our correspondent on the life and legacy of the justice. >> reporter: as the flag dropped to half staff over the u.s. supreme court, the death of justice scalia sets off an epic battle between the white house and the congress. >> he was a larger than life president on the bench. a brill

threats today is unprecedented; hacking, the emergence of a more aggressive china, north korea, east. in addition to syria you are now dealing with failed states in libya, somalia, yemen. how do you develop intelligence in all of these countries where the u.s. has no presence? >> brennan: we need to be able to operate in areas that are denied to us. we find a way to have our eyes and ears there so that we can inform our policy makers. i do think though that this is going to be more and more a feature of the future. and we here at c.i.a. are looking at how we need to enhance our expeditionary capabilities and activities because we need to be on the front lines. >> pelley: well do you imagine setting up c.i.a. bases, covert bases in many of these countries? >> brennan: i see c.i.a. needing to have the presence as well as a-- an ability to collect intelligence and interact with the locals. and we are in fact doing that in >> pelley: who around here has the authority to okay a drone strike? >> brennan: i know there are a lot of reports about the c.i.a.'s role and involvement on that. and i think as you can un

east and north africa. they sited iraq and syria specifically, said the international community needed to work to bring an end to the violence and the terrorism. wide scale humanitarian aired to refugees. both leaders mentioned that they have sympathy for other faiths that have also been impacted bin the violence in the region and they promoted this notion of interfaith dialogue. now this entire meeting has been framed as a way to yooufnt the o sides. patriarch is closely aligned with russian president vladimir putin. it's likely putin signed off on this meeting, at a time when russia is isolated from the west due to its actions in ukraine and syria. an attempt by russia to raise the profile in the west. >> miguel diaz is a former u.s. ambassador to the holy see. joinings us from chicago. ambassador very good to see you. the poach greeted the patriarch by saying, finally brother, given the great schism between the catholic and orthodox churches, almost a thousand years ago, that is putting it mildly. why now? >> there are many factors that contribute to the historic meeting. very interesting that it takes pla

north korea, russia, and iran. and countries failing all across the middle east. in addition to syria, you are now dealing with failed states you develop intelligence in all of these countries where the u.s. has no presence? >> we need to be able to operate in areas that are denied to us. we find a way to have -- our eyes and ears there. so that we can inform our policy makers. i do think this is more, and more a feature of the future. we here at cia are looking at how we need how to enhance our expeditionary capabilities and activities. because -- we need to be on the front lines. >> well, do you imagine setting up cia bases, covert bases in many countries. >> i see cia needing to have the presence as well as a, an ability to collect intelligence and interact with the locals and, we are in fact doing that. and, a number of -- number of areas. >> who around here has the authority to okay a drone strike? >> i know there are a lot of reports about cia's role, as you can understand i will not address any of the reports about cia's covert action activities. >> do you have to accept the de

east and north africa. they cited iraq and syria spix anspecifically and said they needed to bring an end to the terrorism. the international community needed to give wide scale humanitarian aid to refugees. both leaders mentioned they had sympathy for other individuals who had been impacted by the region and they promoted the ideal of interfaith dialogue. to unify both sides. critics said what this really was a shrewd geopolitical move on the part of russia. slowsly aligned with vladimir putin, and likely, putin signed off on this meeting. russia is isolated from the west due to the actions in ukraine and syria. this is an attempt by russia critics say to raise russia's profile in the west. >> the next stop for pope francis, mexico city. in fact he is scheduled to arrive in just a few minutes pip you say, the celebration is already under way. the pope is expected to raise some sensitive issues, in which the government would like to avoid. adam rainey is in mexico city for more. >> the faithful pray for salvation, not just the spiritual kind but one more tangible, to see mexico saved from the violence cons

east and north africa. they sited iraq and syria specifically, and said the international community needed to do it part toring an end to the quote, violence and terrorism. they said they also believed that the international community needs to give wide-scale humanitarian assistance to refugees. and they promoted this notion of interfaith dialogue. now this entire meeting has been framed as a way to unify the two sides, but critics have said what this really was was a shrewd geopolitical move on the part of russia. it is likely putin signed off on this meeting. and the meeting comes at a time when russia is isolated by the west due to its military action in ukraine and syria, and critics say this may have been an attempt by russia to raise its profile in the west. >>> next stop tonight for pope francis is mexico. he is scheduled to arrive there in just about an hour. adam raney is in mexico city. adam, during this visit, it's expected that pope francis will be true to who he is, and that means pressing sensitive issues the government would rather avoid. >> reporter: indeed, richelle. he is going to be conc

absolutely devastating, wolf, and they also came in two contested areas, in the north of syria, one more towards the eastvince on a contested highway the syrian government has tried to take back from rebel forces. it's unclear who conducted the air strikes. the turks are saying it was the russians. one air strike killed 15 people. it was apparently a cruise michelle launched from the caspian sea. the russians have not commented. it is clear these air strikes were absolutely devastating, 15 people killed in one air strike alone. also, a school that was sheltering internally displaced people hit as well, a devastating incident that has caused not just condemnation from the u.s., from the united nations as well. >> you were also given exclusive access to the front lines of the syrian government's campaign against isis, against the rebels there, inside syria. what did you see? >> well, it was on the fringe of raqqah province so right on the edge of isis' self-declared capital. we went to the front line there and spoke to one of the commanding generals. he said the war up there is a lot different than in citi

also express their desire to find a settlement to the crisis in syria and to ensure stability and security throughout the middle east and north africa. are we to believe the sentiment of true cooperation, that a world power with strong lasting ties to shia leadership in iran and syria is really working side by side with the government in riyadh, which is obviousliably the capital of the -- arguably the capital of the sunni world? is saudi arabia rightly suspicious of the role of russia that continues to attack the syrian rebels that president assad labels as terrorists? >> reporter: yeah. i think everyone's suspicious of everyone at the moment, particularly in the early stages of a cease-fire. what you have is a situation where russia is making allies with the iranians because it wants to prop up its interests and the government, it says, inside syria. but that's not the extent of russian interests. russian interests don't extend to having a prolonged war inside syria. so you know, while on the surface it seems that russia will want to sort of secure perhaps the whole country for the interests of president bashar al assad, ir

north korea, russia, and iran. and countries failing all across the middle east. in addition to syria, you are now dealing with failed states in libya, somalia, yemen, how do you develop intelligence in all of these countries where the u.s. has no presence? >> we need to be able to operate in areas that are denied to us. we find a way to have -- our eyes a ears there. so that we can inform our policy makers. i do think this is more, and more a feature of the future. we here at ciare looking at how we need how to enhance our expeditionary capabilities and activities. because -- we need to be on the front lines. >> well, do you imagine setting up cia bases, covert bases in >> i see cia needing to have the presence as well as a, an ability to collect intelligence and interact with the lolols and, we are in fact doing that. and, a number of -- number of areas. >> who around here has the authority to okay a drone strike? >> i know there are a lot of reports about cia's role, involvement in that. you can understand d will not address any of the reports about cia's covert action activities.

east and north africa. they say the international community must help bring an end to the violence and what they called terrorism in iraq and syria and help the refugees. >> translation: we need to defend the right of christians the world over >> reporter: the two sides framed the meeting as a reconciliation, but critics say it was an shrewd move on the part of russia. the meeting comes at a time when russia is facing pressure from the west due to its military action in syria and ukraine. critics say this was an attempt by russia to bolster its profile in the west. the historic meeting raised the profile of cuba. a triumphant president told reporters cubans will continue supporting peace, then referring to his efforts to end latin america's longest war said colombia is next >>> we've got a lot more to come here at al jazeera, including how the u.s. government is taking steps to end modern day slavery. >>> welcome back to the top stories here on al jazeera. the syrian government and its troops are closing in on rebel held areas in the value. that's north of aleppo. the opposition is struggling to hold its supply lines which are cl

critical to their calculations with respect to the isis heartland and syria and iraq and cross north africa and throughout the middle eastd in this country and elsewhere in the u.s. because the possibility of demonstrating how successful they can be without much fear of retaliation from the united states is something i think that is very much on their minds. david: hasn't isis had some setbacks in their region, in syria, iraq region? >> well they have lost some territory, that's true but they have lost it where we have aided the kurds in particular. and where the united states has provided both advice and air cover. but the fact is, that isis continues to consolidate its control over the territory it holds in both syria and iraq. in syria, the russian intervention on behalf of the assad regime has undercut what's left of the moderate opposition. david: right. >> i think actually given isis a little bit of a lift there. nobody really believes that the administration is going to materially increase its aid to the anti-isis forces or materially step up the bombing. david: ambassador, we've got to go. this has to be the fina

east and north africa. they say violence and terrorism must end in iraq and syria. >> translation: defend the right of christians the world over. >> reporter: the two sides framed the meeting as a reconciliation, but critics say it was a political move on the part of the russia. patriarch kirill is closely aligned with vladimir putin. it comes at a time when russia is facing pressure from the west due to its military action in syria and ukraine. critics say this was an attempt by russia to bolster its profile in the west. the historic meeting raised the profile of cuba. a triumphant president told reporters cubans will continue supporting peace. then referring to his efforts to help end latin america's longest war, said colombia is next >>> after can refugees-- afghan refugees crossing europe have told al jazeera that they're seeking asylum in italy because it is too hard in germany. berlin has accepted the highest number of refugees travelling into the e.u. they are now strengthening their borders now. >> reporter: this part of the northerly italy had been bypassed from right to left past the mountains in slow

east and north africa. they say the international community enthusiasm help bring an end to the violence and what they call terrorism in iraq and syria and help the refugees. >> translation: we have to defend the right of christians the world over >> reporter: the two sides frame the meeting as a reconciliation but critics say it was a political move on the part of russia. patriarch kirill is closely aligned with president putin. the meeting comes at a time when russia is facing pressure from the rest due to its military action in syria and ukraine. critics say this was an attempt by russia to bol terror its profile in the west. -- bog sister its profile in the west. a triumphant president cast roshgs o said cubans will continue supporting peace and then referring to his efforts to end latin america's longest war, said colombia is next >>> lots more to come here at al jazeera, including calling for change, a political vacuum in haiti brings the protesters out onto the streets. plus. it is called the greying of thailand. having a big economic impact. we're in bangkok with more. gkok with more. >>> welcome back to al jazeera. a recap o

east jerusalem. >>> and the survivor of a growing offensive in syria. >>> also this hour, japan puts its armed forces on alert, and warns north korea against a

police in occupied east jerusalem after a shooting and stabbing attack that killed one israeli policewoman and injured another. syria's army has broken through rebel-held territory north of aleppo to reach the blow government villages and cut off rebel supply routes between aleppo and the turkish border. >>> the u.n. special envoy to syria have announced the talks in geneva and how to end the war have been put on hold for three weeks. the head of the syrian government delegation saying that the opposition dealing with the u.n. envoy said that they weren't serious about negotiations. >> so the decision was made with the turkish and qataris to derail and make sure that the talks will fail. when they arrived they did not meet in geneva palace. they asked to see him in their hotel. since the beginning they started talk, but there is a humanitarian crisis in madaya and they went on to attack our russian friends and joint opposite ration against terrorists and started to spread their rumors-- >> the iraqi army is advancing in anbar province while they try to flush out isil fighters in the nearby city of ramadi. we have reports from baghdad. >> if a will yo fallujah have bee

only causing blood in syria but it is risking these talks >>> to yemen where about 40 houthi fighters have reportedly been killed by saudi-led air strikes. it happened north-east of the capital in the mountain range where pro-government fighters are trying to take back control. six yemeni soldiers and allied fighters from the popular resistance armed group were also killed in the clashes around the camp. japan has put its military on alert to shoot down a north korean rocket if it threatens japanese certain. the north koreans insist that the rocket will carry a harmless satellite. japan's prime minister says he and other leaders are far from convinced. >> translation: when north korea says it will launch a satellite, it really means a ballistic missile. these tests is an obvious violation of security council decisions. in terms of important security decisions for our country, it is a provocative act >>> harry faucet has more from seoul >> reporter: given the coordinates as to where the first and second stages of this rocket are likely to fall, it seems as though it will go along a very similar path to the one which was launched in december 2012. that is pretty

syria's war. coming up in the next half hour, the new faces of politics in myanmar. at least 86 people killed in a series of attacks in north-east nigeria. boko haram is responsible. still fighting for justice after nearly 30 years we catch up with

conflict in syria, iraq and afghanistan migration crisis since world war events of one night may have started a sea change in attitudes towards many refugees from the middle east and north africa. it was the new year's eve germany. scott thuman had just returned iowa. those attacks and the impact are part of his report next week on scott: sharyl, those atatcks new year's eve in cologne and other cities around germany some believe were pplanned, coordinated crimes against women and took place in as many as half a dozen countries. those nations are having to reconsider not only their open border policies but also the integration of arab cultures. we wanted to find out what took place that night so we went to cologne, germany. we examined the impact it is having on the habits of young women but also what it means for other countries. there is a definite call for a larger police presence. and now politically, many people are saying they need to rethink their approach on immigration. we will take a much closer look at this eye-opening night of crime coming up next week on "full measure." sharyl: look forward to that. thanks, scott. that is all for this week. thanks for watch

colleagues on the concern that we shared in north korea, the concern that while we have rightfully focused on the middle east and the conflicts arise being in syria, arisen in various places around the country, that we cannot take our eye off of north korea at the same time, and of course senator cardin from maryland, the senator and i have worked together on a variety of committee hearings. the first series of hearings we held were to address the cybersecurity issues, the cyber afraction north contrary, the situation in regards to security on the north korean peninsula. and i think the work that we have mad laid out over the pastr setting ground for this strong sanctions bill today. i rise to speak in support of h.r. 757, the north korea sanctions and policy enforcement act as amend by the amendment that came out on january 28. this legislation is a momentous achievement and i want to thank the members of the committee and particularly senator menendez as well for work as we came together with a strong bipartisan solution to what is the problem of north korea. i would like to thank as well house foreign affairs committee chairman ed royce, the s

syria, but iraq, afghanistan and everywhere else. sustainability. equation. >> if millions can't find their way to europe and the united states. what happens? >> well, we have countries in the broader middle east, north africa. central south asia, that don't look sustainable. we have governments that will lose control. we have economic models that are not going to work. if you have a country that has done well, on the basis of energy wealth, and yet you haven't created diversification. >> it's largely the case for neighbours. >> they have done something in terms of education, but they have not, yourself, diversified as well as it should have. >> and saudi arabia is increasingly looking isolated as a consequence of that. it's the saudis saying you are going to cut you have relations with iran. the only country that did was bahrain. i think djibouti, sudan, that is not a coalition. the other countries condemned it. ban ki-moon did all the time. they are basically saying no. the suedies are not going to write the checks. if you are leading one of these governments. you have to ask yourself, you are insecure saying what will keep me in power. what will keep my elites happy and fed and off the streets in