welcome to al jazeera. i am del walters. here are your headlines at this hour. >> this goes to the core of american credibility in foreign policies andible the congress and the united states will understand that and do the right thing >> making it at a time case to punish syria, secretary of state john kerry appearing on the sunday morning talk shows. discharged from the hospital, nelson mandel a goes home. the florida a and m university marching band gets ready to take to the field once again, nearly two years after the hassing death of one of its drum majorszing death of one of drum majors.

the debate over military action against syria now turns to congress after president obama asked members of the senate and house for their authorization to strike the country. a short time ago, secretary of state john kerry said that knew tests show that saran nerve gas was used in syria. >> this morning, a very important recent development that in the last 24 hours, we have learned through samples provided to the united states that have been tested from first responders in east damascus and hair samples and blood samples have tested positive for signatures of sarin. so this case is building and this case will build i don't believe my former colleagues in the united states senate and the house will turn their backs on all of our interests. >> syria and the region have responded to president obama's

decision to delay those military strik strikes. for more, we go to robert ray who is standing buy in neighboring tripoli, lebanon. robert, how has the syrian neighbors and the syrian moved to the white house move >> bashar al-assad came out today and said the u.s. threat will not change syria's principles or halt their fight against terrorism. so he was firm on that. they do not seem at all intimidated by it. around the region, opposition forces say intervention should occur and if it does, if it is passed by u.s. congress and it's a go, a green light, then they should actually arm the rebels even more, the opposition forces. they want back-up. now, in turkey, syrian opposition coalition calls on u.s. congress to pass this strike. they want it all to occur. saudi arabia also saying to the world that everyone must act,

come to the backing of the syrian people. so, it seems that the region is looking for the united states to indeed pass this, come here, and create a strike and get this going. del? >> robert, you are in lebanon, one of the country tries affected by the situation in syria. what is happening in lebanon? >> reporter: yeah. we are in tripoli, north of beirut, about 50 or 60 miles from the syrian border. this is a primarily a sunni town. it is a very poor town. we spent the entire day basically talking to people on the ground here opposition forces that are in lebanon that support the forces in syria. some of these people go in and out syria to fight assad's regime. we spoke to a group today right on a borderline between assad's regime and the opposition forces. they told us that they wished,

they wished very much, that yesterday the president would not have tossed this over to congress. they wanted to see action here they are in desperate need, they tell us. it's pto the point, also, where if we are walking through some of these neighborhoods here at tripoli, assad's register e-mail is one side and the sunnis are on the other side, the opposition forces. if you cross that line, there are snippers up in these buildings that will fire on us and will kill us. we were told that exactly by the folks we talked to today out here in tripoli. del? >> robert, i guess it is against that backdrop i have to ask the question from the standpoint on a war-weary american public and some say war-wise. is there a sense there that perhaps some understand why the united states is hesitant to get involved? >> reporter: i would say that, yes, there is -- there is the understanding that perhaps the united states should be hesitant. but i will say this:

being here on the ground in places like tripoli and looking at the desperation, these people are looking for any help they can get, and to them, the u.s.a., america stands for help and they looking for that. >> that's what they are telling us they want. but there is, action of course, some people that do think and do understand the hesitation, but this is a war-torn region, and people, people need assistance. i have done this as honest as i can from here on the ground in tripoli, del. >> one final question, everybody talks about the united states involved is anybody there talking about russia getting involved? >> reporter: i haven't heard a lot of that today, but yesterday, there was a lot of speak of that, that russia clearly, an ally of syria and even of iran, one of the gentleman today when i did ask him a question, i said, you know, if the u.s. intervenes, if the u.s. does do a strike there, do you think that the region

will, in a sense, blow up? will there be war all over? and he 100% to me said, yes, there is no question that this region, this part of the world, will indeed have a full-scale war. >> that's his opinion. he is part of the opposition forces and a sunni here in tripoli. del? >> robert ray joining us from tripoli. thank you very much. al jazeera' paul beban has more, he had more on secretary of state john kerry's comments this morning. he joins us live from pa washington. paul? reporter: >> reporter: good morning. secretary kerry, as you know, saying there is now evidence that sarin gas was used, building on his very strong remarks from friday, you know, making the case for war, and now, of course, the president taking the issue to congress. as we know, this has been a very difficult congress to work with. there is word that the president was set, feeling very setback by the failure of the resolution in

britain and also worried that the next time he might need to come to congress for military force, perhaps in any future conflict with iran that this would undermine him in those future efforts. that may be some of the reasoning behind going to congress now. however, there are criticisms from both sides, even some republicans saying that the president should act now. >> and if he says this issue is as important as it is and sending so many mixed signals really over the last year and certainly over the last 10 days, this is a clear failure of leadership. if he feels so strongly about it and if he doesn't want to take the action, himself, then he should call us back into session tomorrow. we can't be waiting nine, 10 days and allowing syria to prepare for this and sending such a mixed signals to the world and particularly to iran. if we can't stop syria under red line with chemical weapons, how can anyone expect us to stop iran with the red line on nuclear weapons? >> so again, del, you are

hearing there that concern about when the president acts, how -- the signal it sends to other adversaries abroad. peter can i, long time republican on the house intelligence committee coming out against the president, taking it to congress. very divided. a lot of questions moving forward here del? >> paul beban joining us live from washington, d.c. paul, thank you very much. keep it here to al jazeera for our continuing coverage of the crisis in syria. you can also stay up to date 24 hours a day on our website, aljazeera.com. nelson mandel a is back home in johannesburg nearly three months after being in the hospital there. the 95-year-old civil rights icon remains in critical condition. tania page is following the story from johanessberg. >> there is a ambulance on stand by in case his condition deteriorates and he needs to be rushed back to hospital. he has been transferred home where they say they have set up

an intensive care unit for him. they have also moved all of the medical staff that have been attending to him in that pretoria hospital since the 8th of june here to his home. his condition, they say, is still critical. at times, it is unstable, and they need to perform what they describe as medical interventions. they are not really giving any detail as to exactly what that means or what there is. and it and that really is just to protect the former president's privacy and that of his family as much as possible. a huge level of interest in the health of nelson mandela, a man beloved not only here but all over the world, the focus returning back to his home now that he is being discharged from hospital. the latest readings of japan's fukishima power plant show radiation levels are 18 times higher than than one thopt. levels that could kill a person in one hour.

tetco say the measurements were taken at the bottom of a storage tank on saturday. it also found new ridation tanks around tanks storing the toxic water there. legendary broadcaster sir david frost has died. he was 74 years old. his family said he died of a heart attack on a cruise ship. his journalism career spanned decades. he hosted recently alister ease of hour-long interviews for al jazeera. he gained recognition by interviewing president richard nixon. the florida a&m marching band gets ready to take to the field once again. some are asking if it is too soon after the death of one of its drum majors. a fight over europe's slice of the amazon rain forest. thunderstorms are forming across the midwest. in addition to that, it's very 450u78 i had in the northeast. rain is on the way. i will tell you all of the details in a few minute.

third. and you can kiss that puppy goodbye, chula vista would answer back. they would come up clutch. jianca rlo, and california is back on top, 4-3. but buckle up, this game was a rollercoaster ride. the bottom of the fifth, they

he >>,toaj. i am del walters in new york. for the first time since one of its members died in a hazing incidents, the florida a and m marching band will take to the field this afternoon. robert champion died back in 2011. there were criminal prosecutions. the president and resigned and the band was suspended for two years. kilmeny dukehardt reports >> reporter: this weekend, college football is back, and so is the florida a and m marching band. >> i am comfortable with the decision we have made to lift the suspension.

>> interim president larry robinson took over shortly after the hazing death of robert champ fin. he says the university and the band are really for a comeback. >> we have established some stops stands we believe will be simulated by others. >> the jewel. >> appear new student code of conduct and procedures to report and investigate hazing, an anti-hazing website and minimum grade standards members need to keep. >> this on campus, the morale was low. it was boring at the games. the people weren't coming out to support, so it was tough for the whole student body, not just to be a student. >> in 2011, the band had more than 400 members. today, it's less than half of that. down [ sighs ] ed to numbers like in the 1960s when former trombone player sylvester was marching. today, he is the new band director and trying to change the culture >> hopefully, we are coming out of that much smarter and much

growner than we were prior to that. and it's totally a different mindset in being a student in the stand. >> meanwhile, prosecutors have brought charges against a total of 15 defendants for the savage hazing death of robert champion. five of those students have taken plea deals resulting in probation and communicate service. prosecutors are pushing for jail time for those still charged. for the family of drum major robert champion, they are seeking an undisclosed compensation for the university for pain and suffering in the death of their son. still, on the streets of tallahassee, home to the university, home people are happy for the return of the band. but... >> a death occurred on one part, you say, yeah, a death occurred. it's too soon. another part, you say give them a chance. >> a band more famous than their

football team plays in orlando. kilmeny duke harder, al jazeera. >> a large scale gold mining operation in french ghiana has locals upset, it calls for mining inside the amazon. joined live from the capitol of french ghiana. gabrie he will el, what's at stake here >> a development versus non-development and how to protect or not protect the forest. you know, when a lot of people think about the amazon rain forest, they think of brazil, ecuador or peru but europe has a slice of the amazon as well in french ghiana, the overseas department of france here in south america, and deep in the jungle hear, we went to a small village called saoul where the local villagers are against development but a big mining company is for it.

for cedric benoit, it is not a holiday but the rain forest is a way of daily life and survival. here. >> here in the jungle, we go to hunt and to fish. it's our culture. without this jungle, we have nothing here. >> benoit and 70 other people live in the village of saouel here deep in the jung els of french ghiana making this r0e7's largest national park and its only slice of the am zone. >> a growing tourist destination have decided to protect the village for one reason. in only one hectare, there are more plant and animal species than in the whole of europe, but there is something else here. gold and lots of it. >> that's why the government granted a small french mining company called rexma a five-year license to explore it, against the wishes of the villagers.

the area the company wants to explore has an estimated 8 tons of gold along the nearby river, the main waterway for the village. back in the capital of khian, an investigation is under wifrnlths that rexma faults fides documents but rexma denies any wro wrongdoing and says the controversy is over blown. >> it is only 12 hectares. we are not going to destroy the world. these 12 hectares will give the french ghiana people wealth and jobs. >> rexm ha has offices set up and three pieces of heavy machinery to start digging when they get final authorization: the issue has symbolic significance. >> a world power like france, if they can't preserve a little case of our own rain forest, how can we have the moral authority for us to tell countries smaller

than us to preserve their forest. >> residents of saoul fear if the project is given the green light, it will mean pollution to the river and illegal gold miners in the area. as they gather for their daily game of patunk, all they can do is wait and see what government officials far away will decide to determine their part of this pristine amazon >> reporter: and it's important to point out that here in french ghiana, about the size of austria, 91% of it is covered by rain forest. the vast majority of the rain forest here in french ghiana is well protected. you don't have the large-scale mining and agricultural operations that you see, for example, in brazil or even peru. but this case has certainly grabbed the attention of a lot

of people, especially in paris because they are watching it closely because this could be a s symbol of not only practical sequences for the people of saoul but symbolic consequences because again, remember as it was pointed out there by someone in that story that this really is france's and by, extension,rop's only part of the amazon. >> g bachlt riell, if this goes forward, with the local people get richer? are they homesteaders and don't own the property they exist on? >> they own the property that they live on. and they will get rich in the sense of they will get jobs. certainly, this mining operation would bring jobs to the community, but many of the people there say we don't even want those jobs because they want e doe to overtime -- eco m

and they feel it would take away more jobs from tourists than it would bring to them some people support it but very much against the project by the locals in the village. >> gabriell joining us live from ghiana ruth bader ginsburg married the an economist and the head of the kennedy senator. in june, ginsburg voted in favor of gay marriage in that ruling that repealed doma, the defense of marriage act. a landslide in taiwan. you have to see to believe. a driver narrowly escapes a giant bolder.

welcome back to al jazeera. i am del walters. secretary of state john kerry says there is evidence the syrian government used syrian nerve gas to attack its own

peeled. he human rights nelson man dela back at home. he was released from the hospital today. former south african president remains in critical condition. the florida a and m university marching band gets back to the field. they had been suspended after the hazing death of its drum major, robert champion. many of the 164 men being heads at the gauptt gaupt gaubt are from yemen correspondent itwaby traveled to yemen and met one of the families of those me are from yemen correspondent itwaby traveled to yemen and met one of the families of those men in yemen, the news obama had lifted the more to moratorium h raised hopes high. mithal told his family when he returned from gauuantanamo afte more than a decade, he wanted to get married.

his brothers went so far to plan the role hihl would take the role on to help him reintegrate into society. then they learned hile was on the list of 46 indefinite detain easy, 46 from yemen.

they want to know why, if at a time u.s. is convinced hile is a dangerous enemy combat ant and an al-qaeda operative, he won't be tried. >> >> that was correspondent rob connive conniveau. take a look at this, dramatic footage of a driver in taiwan coming this close to being crushed by a boulder during a landslide. the couple inside escaped with only minor injuries.

the landslide was triggered by days from rain from tropical storm konri. and here is what we have to look forward to. it's going to be a scorching hot couple of days across texas into oklahoma, certainly across missouri, arkansas and down into new orleans. as a matter of fact, high temperatures today right around 104 degrees in dallas, 92 in corpus visited and nothing but humidity in the atmosphere now the heat across the south central plains and while it's going to aid into some volatile storms as we track into the next 24 to 48 hours, we are going to see severe storms pushing across portions of missouri into chicago all the way down into central and southern portions of illinois as we track into the afternoon. right now, we have a severe thunderstorm watch in effect just to the east of kansas city in missouri right around jefferson city. that particular line of storms

very common to see damaging winds there, winds greater than 65 to 70 miles per hour that's enough to knock down the siding off of the hoots and also to cause road damage. we want to be cavern if we are out there today travelling along i-35. that front is going to actually make its way into the northeast as we track into the next 24 hours. it will be a rainy day. mostly cloudy, overcast skies into pennsylvania into new york state and we have heavy rain in boston we will continue to have to deal with that throughout the night and evening into tomorrow and on labor day so if you are travelling along i-95, if you will be in new york city, i want you be careful on the roadways. could have heavy rainfall they said monday into tuesday. the front does push through tuesday into wednesday. we season shine and temperatures certainly a lot more comfortable. that humidity will subside. the rain willing across the southeast along i-95, i-75 and i-10. if you are traveling there, take

it ease as well. across the southwest, monsoonal moisture will track from the southwest from phoenix to las vegas into you think tral portions of utah. use precaution. flash flooding will be a problem. del, back to you. >> put the stakes on the barbie early. diana nyad is hoping the 5th time is the charm. she is trying to swim from cuba to florida. this is her fifth attempt. her previous efforts have been cut short by jellyfish stings. this time, she is wearing a body suit and face masc to fend off the creatures. the swim could take more than three days to complete thanks for watching al jazeera. as always, much more news at the top of the hour, but first, we are going to tell you about the remarkable comeback of a species that once was feared to be near extension, the uganda gorilla. we continue to follow the news,

the latest on the congressional battle over what to do in syria. ...