>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello there. welcome to the al jazeera news hour in doha. the top stories. a pat on the back for russian diplomacy, washington and moscow agree at least to more talks on syria. four men are sentenced to death in india for gang raping and murdering a student.

>> i'll have all of the sports including a top indian cricketer is banned for life for spot fixing. i'll have all of the details. thousands gather for protest on egypt streets as mohammed morsi is detained for another 30 days. plus nasa's voyager one becomes the first man made object ever to leave our solar system. ♪ russia and the u.s. are moving closer to agreement of some sort anyway on the issue of syria. u.s. secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart sergey lavrov are meeting in geneva focusing on way to get rid of syria's

chemical weapons arsenal. we'll go to jonah who is in geneva for us, but first let's hear what the diplomats have been saying. >> i will say on behalf of the united states that president obama is deeply committed to a negotiated solution with respect to syria, and we know that russia is likewise. we are working hard to find the common ground to be able to make that happen, and we discussed some of the homework that we both need to do. we're not going to go into it in dedetail today, we have both agreed to do that homework, and meet in new york around the 28th. >> >> translator: russia, the russian president from the begin having been supporting a peaceful resolution. we have supported the un

observers, and we were one of the initiators of convening geneva one. >> translator: i believe we should welcome this decision by the syrian leadership, and i would like to express my hope that this would become a verier isous step. >> the syrian president, says his government will start submitting data on its chemical stockpile one month after signing the convention. >> translator: in the next few days, syria will send an appeal to the un and the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons. my opinion this agreement will come into force one month after the signing, syria will then start handing over data to an

international organization about our chemical weapons, but i want to make it clear to all that these millions will not be fulfilled in a one-sided way, but it also depends on how russia's proposals will be perceived, when the u.s. stops supplying weapons to terrorists, we can approach a final stage. >> jonah, what have the talks in geneva actually achieved so far? >> to be honest, that's all we really know about how these talks are progressing here in geneva on the chemical weapons front. all we have is john kerry's assertion that they have been constructed, but we also now know that there might be more riding on these talks than just the chemical weapons issue, because as we have been hearing,

several came together and said there were moves underway to revive the peace talks that began in geneva last year, and were set to resume this year and try to implement a ceasefire agreement and put together an interim government in syria, drawn from both the opposition and the assad government side. those talks going to be going on in parallel with the chemical weapons process, that these men will meet again in new york later in the month, if they have found sufficient common ground by that stage, they will try to set a date for geneva two to commence. but that will depend largely on the success of the chemical weapons talks. and at this point we don't know much about how that is progressing. >> okay. they have agreed more talks.

there seems to be enthusiasm to try to meet some kind of agreement. besides the diplomacy, there are other voices continuing to be heard. >> as there have been out there this process, other voices making various points. president putin following on from his op-ed piece in the "new york times" has been speaking, you heard him there, praising syria's decision to join the chemical weapons convention, and saying it was a good sign of faith by bashar al-assad that he intends to follow through with their plan. but the united states and their allies want guarantees, they want them swiftly, and they want them backed up with a un security resolution. it is also what the syrian political opposition wants to see, the syrian national council, they have released a statement saying that they are

deeply skeptical about assad joining the convention, calling it a clear attempt to evade international action and accountability, and i can tell them they are not alone among merck and its allies who are trying to work on a clear and enforceable plan. >> all right. jonah thank you. meanwhile human rights watchers warn that the talks could lead to more killings, and that efforts should be focused on ending the violence, not just on securing syria's chemical weapons. >> the announcement for russia and the u.s. talking, has also been a green light for syria to continue killing its people. and having blue helmets on the ground looking for chemical weapons would be very dangerous.

>> a report says government forces killed at least 248 people in villages. in may. rebels say the number is even higher. >> reporter: rebel fighters attack government positions using mortar, they say they won't lay down their arms until president assad's regime is toppled. but they remain widely outnumbered and out gunned. here at the outskirts of the capitol of damascus, the rebels strong hold, government forces use massive fire power to recapture the area. it's a war that shows no signs of letting up. the un estimates more than a hundred thousand people have been killed since the start of violence, but a knew human rights report accuses ah said's

forces of max executions. last may, activists posted videos appearing to show women, children, and elderly lying in pools of blood hours after a progovernment militia stormed the villages. this is the commander of the syrian resistance, a mainly progovernment militia. he is filmed talking about plans to attack a village. >> translator: it's the traitor's only access to the sea, we have to besiege it and clean up the whole area. >> reporter: the dramatic efforts underway to get president assad to hand over syria's stockpile of chemical weapons, the opposition says that won't be enough, and wapths the international community to use force against assad, but

assad's main allies warn enemy strike would create more chaos and strengthen radical groups in syria. >> we'll have more on syria later in the program, and you can keep up to date with all of the developments on that and the rest of the day's news on our website, aljazeera.com. again, that's aljazeera.com. at least 30 people have been killed in a double bomb attack in iraq. the devices went off outside of a mosque. it's not yet clear who was behind the attack. while india's interior minister has welcomed the death sentence given to four men convicted of gang rape and murder, he said the judge had sent a clear message to the country, the attack in december lead to nationwide protests and a change in sexual violence laws. it's just the second time that

the death sentence has been handed out in the past nine years. >> reporter: the death sentence has been welcomed across india and even as we can see outside court here, scenes of celebration, and relief in many respects on part of even the average indian who has come here to find out what the sentence was and react it to. a man telling me this is the sentence he believes that everyone who commits rape in india should receive. that statement is certainly the mentality of many people across india, following this very, very public case in december of last year. the question many people are asking going forward is how long will this momentum last when it comes to women's rights and safety across india. this case has at this point come to an end. we don't know when the punishment will be handed down, given the appeals process that is likely to take place, but the

biggest spotlight is on how long can india keep the momentum going when it comes to protecting women across the country. some breaking news in the sporting world, a indian cricketer has been banned for life for spot fixing. raul is with me to explain more. a life ban sounds like the worst possible news for him. is it a big surprise? >> it certainly was to him because he was reported at tweeting -- he saw the results coming on one of the indian news networks, and tweeted how surprised he was at the severity of the ban. just to remind you this is when

players are paid to effect small portions of the game, so not the actual results. so it's very easy to bribe players in that regard, and i think the indian cricket board are trying to second out a message to the rest of the world that the corruption won't be poll lated, because it has had a bit of a problem trying to shed it's a of that image. >> how big of a problem is this? >> the first match fixing case in 2000 involved the indian test captain. he was banned for life at that time, but then managed to overturn that ban and sought a career in politics. but recently india cricket players are so well paid now, it is almost pointless for them to get involved in corruption because the punishment is so

severe it's not worth it. so it surprising he decided to go down this road and end his career. >> indeed. you'll have more for us later. thanks very much. in other news the taliban has attacked the u.s. console at it in western afghanistan. the u.s. said special forces secured the compound. two members of the afghan security forces were killed, as were seven taliban tribers. >> reporter: the attack began with explosion and gunfire. the fighters attempted to enter the u.s. consulate. >> translator: an explosion took place, and a number of insurrents enter the consulate gate. >> reporter: the attack included

a car bomb. civilians were among the dash wallties and were quickly rushed to a compound. >> translator: my brother was a guard at the consulate and was injured. >> reporter: the consulate had been an intended target for sometime. the consulate strategically borders iran and has been considered secure. james cunningham issued a statement saying . . . no areas in afghanistan are completely secure from taliban attacks. the groups still control large areas of the country. the u.s. military will pull out

most of their troops by the end of next year, and it's unlikely they will leave behind a defeated taliban. still to come on the al jazeera news hour, 20 years after they sign a landmark agreement why peace between israel and the palestinians remains elusive as ever. there's been a fourth night of protests in turkey after the death of a demonstrator. on monday. he was killed while demonstrating against the planned construction of a shiite prayer house being constructed next to a mosque.

in egypt thousands of anti-coup protesters are holding marches calling for president morsi to be reinstated. this shows the army firing what looks to be tear gas at some protesters. meanwhile rallies are continuing across alexandria. elsewhere in southern cairo, people have come back out on to the streets once again this friday. meanwhile prosecutors in egypt have extended the detention period of the deposed president morsi by a further 30 days. he is facing several criminal charging including murder. we're joined on the phone by our correspondent who cannot be named for security reasons.

have the prosecutored given the reason why they are doing this? >> they say [ inaudible ] exactly why [ inaudible ]. but if you [ inaudible ] what they might be thinking when they look at the current situation in egypt, you can't really see much on an inclination on their part to bring morsi to swift trial. they think they have brood public support, and [ inaudible ] and detained lots and lots of high-ranked officials. they think the anti-coup protesters are losing some steam, as you showed earlier [ inaudible ] protests going on there. and they also are very watchful of what is going on in sinai,

and i think [ inaudible ] morsi on trial now or -- or soon that it might bring [ inaudible ] so i think [ inaudible ] situation. >> we can see pictures of protests in various cities including alexandria today. how widespread are the protests this friday? >> well [ inaudible ] as many as we can. we think there are at least 22 marches going on at the moment around the country. nine or so in cairo, 13 more in other parts of the country. [ inaudible ] alexandria [ inaudible ] we have been hold that the security forces

[ inaudible ] between rival factions [ inaudible ] one side and [ inaudible ] on the other. we're also hearing [ inaudible ] around the country in mahala and [ inaudible ], again, where there has been fighting between protesters and people [ inaudible ] streets and go home. the security forces we have been told haven't yet intervened in any of those. >> thank you, our special correspondent on the phone for us from cairo. time for a check with the weather now, with everton. everton, how is the flooding looking? >> i'm hoping things will improve. we have seen some very heavy rain coming in. you can see this cloud making its way northern and eastern

around 500 houses have been flooded out, and 200 people had to be evacuated from their homes. you can see it's going to be a good part of ukraine, where we're see wet weather as we go into saturday. similar temperatures for moscow. autumn really has set in with a vengeance. wet and windy weather in germany and down to austria. we'll see some rain coming in across a good part of the northwest of europe. it will sink its way further southeast as we go through sunday, and by that state, even the western side of the mediterranean we'll see some weather start to push its way in by then. wet and windy again across a

good part of the united kingdom. >> thanks very much. a fire in a russian psychiatric hospital has killed at least 37 people. it happened in a village called luca. rescue workers say they recovered ten bodies so far. but they did not explain how it knows the missing are all dead. it's the second time in a year that a russian hospital has burned down. barnaby phillips has more from moscow. >> we understand this fire began in the middle of the night. one official saying it may have been started by one of the patients lying in their bed, but obviously rescuers are looking for more evidence now, looking also sadly for more bodies. it should be said that russian state medical institutions have

a pretty poor safety record. you might recall -- [ technical difficulties ] just outside moscow back in april that killed more than 30 people. in that case it was blamed on electrical wiring. in this case officials are talking of possible negligence. but it was an old wooden building and under those kinds of circumstances? the middle of the night, it's likely to go up in flames very quickly. soldiers were visited as violence entered a faith day. at least 22 people have been killed and many more injured, including red cross workers. negotiations are underway. it's accusing the government of breaking the terms of a peace treaty. >> reporter: since fighting

began five days ago between the philippine government and the national liberation front fighters, the city shows no signs in fact of improving. the liberation front fighters still have at least 80 civilians hostaged with them. earlier today we were filming hunting of soldiers moving closer to an area where they leave the liberation front commander is holed up together with a majority of these civilians. a new meters away from where we were, a mortar fired and we saw several red cross volunteers injured. the president visited the city this morning, and there was no mention of a peaceful solution underway, but he has already given instructions to his military, for as long as the lib nation front continues to cross lines that shouldn't be cross, then he has given them instructions exactly of what to

do. here it is becoming increasingly a humanitarian concern. more families remain trapped inside where the fighting is concentrated. they are very much worried, it has been five days -- they are very much worried about the situation of the hostages there. and there are several decomposing bodies. the leader of the liberation front is denying any involvement. a few months ago the liberation front chairman declared independence from the philippine government. he said no matter what kind of peace agreement the government will have with any break away faction here, that won't guarantee peace here. the situation at japan's fukushima nuclear power plant is not under control.

only days ago the japanese prime minister assured the world fukushima won't pose a threat to the olympic games. >> reporter: japan's opposition party questions the man charged with ensuring safety at the damaged fukushima nuclear plant. the answer is swift and unwelcome. the situation, he says, is not under control. under a week ago, japan's prime minister was assuring the world that the leaks were under control. it is likely that this assurance helped members of the international olympic committee to award tokeco the 2020 games. >> translator: the prime minister made a statement that this is under control. the government will continue to ensure that all necessary steps are being taken. >> reporter: for months

radioactive water has been leaking from storage tanks around the plant. some of it has reached the pacific ocean and efforts continue to keep the main body of contamination away from ground water. one international expert says tepco's current solution is untenable. >> it's likely there is a major challenge ahead for disposition of that water. in my view, it's us sustainable to indefinitely, a multi-decade-long process to basically continue to hold that water in tanks. >> reporter: so they must do something to relieve the pressure on these storage tanks. international advise source have told them they should allow a controlled release of the contaminated water into the ocean. we have more on japan's

nuclear crisis on our website there, you'll find a spotlight page called "japan's after shock" on aljazeera.com. again, that's aljazeera.com. still ahead, fine out why the twitter sphere is all a flutter after some big news from the social media giant. plus -- >> reporter: i'm on the miami beach where a shortage of sand could spell trouble for this state's tourism industry. and tiger woods shoots an opening round 66, but it doesn't good enough for the lead. all of the action coming up in sports. ♪ ç]

♪ hello there, welcome back you are watching al jazeera. these are the top store thinks hour. the u.s. and russia have agreed to hold direct talks again later this month, raising hopes for possible peace summit on syria. u.s. secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart have been meeting in geneva to try to reach a deal. four men have been sentenced to death, for gang rape and murder in india. the attack lead to a nationwide protest and a change in india's sexual violence laws. car comes and gunman targeted a building, and two members of the afghan security

forces and seven taliban fighters were killed. the war in syria, many opposition activists feel the uprising against the asad regime has been hijacked, and some have fled across the border to lebanon. >> reporter: this opposition activist says he is wanted by the syrian government for helping to start the uprising, and even though he left his country over a year ago, he doesn't feel safe here in lebanon. >> it's like we're do an interview in damascus, because the regime in damascus is very strong, and they have very strong allies here. >> reporter: one of the allies is hezbollah. and it is that backing that this man feels helps keep assad in

power. >> i don't think it is a revolution anymore, because there are so many hands now playing with our revolution. some are giving arms for the -- opposition for conditions. [ explosion ] >> reporter: this is what the revolution now looks like. the uprising in syria started with peaceful demonstrations here. but over two years later it is one of many battle grounds. many syrians are frustrated that the international community hasn't resorted to military action against the regime. >> he'll keep using if not chemical, he will keep using missiles and every possible gun he has, and he is still killing people every day. >> reporter: the regime has lost territory to the armed opposition, but still has the upper hand militarily.

>> if you want to [ inaudible ] go to iron and if you want to see the opposition you have go to golan done and paris. and i believe the keys are not anymore in the hands of the syrian. >> reporter: while people talk, this is what is left of many syrian neighborhoods. many of the activists now feel they have no say in the outcome of a war that neither side is winning. >> for more, joining us once again is visiting professor political science at the university here in doha. the u.s. and russian agreeing to more talks. the human rights watchers saying the u.s. and russia with these talks are giving the syria regime a green light to kill more people. what do you think? >> i think the syrians are very

happy to buy more time. and the russians i think they get what they want. and the americas are hoping, i think to get something out of it. but the americans they want a quick [ inaudible ] as soon as possible, but the russians want it to be as practical as possible. when we're talk about talking and more talking, i think because of the chemical weapons, i think issue, we're forgetting i think the human rights report, as what is really happening inside of syria, the continuation of the conflict and killing by non-chemical weapons. and most of the people were killed by convention. >> should they be focusing instead on bringing about a ceasefire in syria? >> i think there was some mention about meeting at the end of the month and discussing geneva two, and they have been talking about this, i think for

months, and i think the continuation of the conflict will not wait i think for them to agree. it seems to me a lot of people are forgetting the syria people. they are talk about the competition between russia and the united states, a lot of them [ inaudible ] concentrating about the declining [ inaudible ] they were i think insulted by putin's letter to the american people, and i think it's becoming kind of a psychological issue for the americans and russians, and not taken from the perspective, i think of this region. nobody talks anymore about freedom and democracy, and the arab spring and all of that, it is concentrating on one single issue unfortunately. >> so where do we go from here then? the syrian government is saying it wants to give up its chemical weapons, but you were saying that government cannot be trusted. >> i think the government cannot be trusted. the government [ inaudible ]

concentrate that they will continue on their policy of i think seizing the opportunity to have more control. there was argument that if syria used chemical weapons that would be a sign of the syrian regime weakness, but now it's a sign for them to get more support and i think from international assistance. unfortunately, there's no way out. we're talking about a reluctant american foreign commander in chief, american foreign policy, the russians have a psychological problem, and the arab system waiting for the americans to move, and i think they feel a bit left in the cold, i think because of the american foreign policy towards syria, and now we are waiting to see how the great powers, i think soviet -- not the soviet union -- russia and the

united states, how they continue to handle this problem. >> all right. thank you very much for speaking to us once again. in other news un's children's see unicef says fewer and fewer infants are dying, but sub sa -- see harrah children are still dying. here is a look at the figures. several countries have been singled out for praise. effective and affordable medical treatments improved hygiene and sustained political commitment are credited as the main reasons for the decline, but it's not all good news, countries in sub

sa hair ran africa have the highest mortality rates in the world. 98 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012. for more on this, we're joined by a unicef spokesperson and children's rights activist. welcome to al jazeera. first, which countries have the highest rates of child mortality at the moment? >> well, we are looking at obviously the countries of priority are the big populous countries. we have a huge child mortality burden in nigeria, congo, and we're very concerned about countries in western central africa, where we have seen a continuation of conflict or poor health services that aren't reaching the majority of children with the quality of care that they need. >> what are the leading causes

of death among children in these countries? >> i think what we have got to remember is we're talking about preventable child deaths. deaths from malaria, diarrhea, and you pneumonia. and underlying those conditions are poor new tradition. so the clinical work ahead is how do we do what we know best, simple things like getting things to sleep under nets, vaccinatio vaccinations, better water and sanitation. ethiopia is a country we're celebrating. it has achieved a two-thirds reduction.

just with political commitment combined with a real focus on primary health care intervention, especially in the most remote areas, you can achieve this goal. >> are there lessons for countries for these african countries from countries like bangladesh where things have improved? >> yes, these are resource poor countries, but yet they have made this a major priority. they have committed it at the highest echelons of political leadership. we have seen in ethiopia, as i mentioned, they have 38,000 community health workers spread across the country, that go door to door with these simple interventions, with oral rehydration salts, they make

sure the kids are vaccinated on time. they are paid by the government, they have a year training, and with that combination of government ownership and priority in reaching the most remotest and rural parts of the country, we can attain this goal, it is doable. with the right combination of leadership and focusing on simple practical interventions and equipping communities themselves to tackle these basic diseases, we can have an impact. >> thank you very much for speaking to us. 25 children have been rescued from a suspected child trafficker. but so far no relatives have come forward to claim them. >> reporter: these are some of the 25 children who were rescued

from a suspected child trafficker according to the state government. the house where they were kept was raided by child welfare officials on august 17th. neighbors became suspicious about the number of young children in the building. the woman holding the children has been charged and jailed for running an illegal orphanage. the government aledges she was using the illegal orphanage as a cover to traffic the children. >> we have children that are from neighboring countries. they were not properly fed. they were looking sickly, and they were hungry. some of them were crying, and we saw them and then we have to remove them from that environment and put them in protective custody, what you have seen today. >> reporter: some of the rescued children are as young as

three-month-olds, the oldest is 12. but so far only one parent has come forward. this is where the children were rescued. investigators are searching for clues that might lead to identifying the children's parents. >> reporter: but so far no identifying documents have been found here. the woman said this is just an orphanage, but such orphanages are thought to be the cause of human trafficking in nigeria. the government body set up to fight the issue, said the children could have been hand over the children from the parents. >> was there any particular agreement signs, these are things we need to know. because currently what is [ inaudible ] nigeria, parents handing over babies for illegalalty, and essentially

criminal abduction process. >> reporter: authorities are hoping that publicity will lead to the identity of the children. still ahead all of the sports, including real madrid reveal whether or not their new $132 million signing will be fit enough to make his debut on saturday. ♪ ç]

♪ 20 years ago, the israelis

and palestinians reached an historic agreement that was meant to harold a lasting and comprehensive peace settlement. it was signed on september 13th, 1993. seen as a diplomatic milestone it was supposed to end with a term innocent deal within five years, but 20 years later, the two-state solution is still far from reality. the former director general of the israeli minister of foreign affairs, he says the terms would be even harder to implement now. >> nothing, nothing has been achieved. the other way around. if we speak of the issue of borders, it's much more difficult to find a line -- an agreed line at this stage, and if in the year 2000, prime

minister barack demanded 3%, and in 2008, the prime minister demanded 6%, i guess the demand now will be for around 10, 12%. and to swap, 10, 12% inside israel will be very difficult. so the situation is something at the moment is more difficult than 20 years ago. >> florida has long been renowned for its beaches and endless sunshine, but the state is facing a crisis. it's beaches are rapidly running out of sand. andy gallagher has more from miami. >> reporter: they attract millions of visitors each year, and generate billions in revenue. the beaches of south florida are facing a crisis.

erosion is normally replenished using sand dredged offshore. >> all of the tourism places are for ocean and sand, so if we don't have sand, we don't have anything. >> not a good thing. this is very enjoyable. we come down here all the time. >> i'm sorry, but i'm grateful for what is here. and it seems like there is still plenty. >> reporter: it might look that way, but brian says the situation is now critical. >> we don't at this point have a clear-cut solution it to. and so far we're in the middle of hurricane season right now, and we have been lucky so far, but if we were to have a major storm we would have to come up with a source of sand very quickly. >> reporter: one of the solutions is to bring sand in

from places like baj bahamas or ground up glass. >> we're going to lose our port facilities, our airport, all of these things will be non-functional. >> reporter: the professor studies global warming, and says rising ocean levels is a much greater threat. and he thinks the search for sand is pointless. >> at what point do we stop pouring money into a lost cause, and start spending money in helping people buy out and relocate. >> reporter: the beaches here are worth a fortune and most want to enjoy them while they can. twitter has taken the first step toward going public.

the announcement was made with just a single tweet. here is joel with more. >> reporter: these days you haven't real made pint on the web, until you add a hashtag. welcome to the world of twitter, news outlet, advertising platform, and real time communication forum. in just over seven years it has transformed from micro blogging site into a core engine of social media, and it is now poised to grow even bigger by going public. the announcement took the form of a tweet, short, succinct. twitter works like a messaging board. anyone with an account can post texts or pictures as long as it's under 140 characters. add a hashtag and the message gets grouped with similar posts to create what is called a trend. are more than 200 million active

users. they are putting out some 400 million tweets every day. and those millions of tweets translate into billions of dollars, specifically more than $10 billion. twitter's estimated market value. it's decision to offer stocks is generating excitement especially because investors now know what to expect after facebook's experience last year. >> twitter won't have to do quite the same education, but will have to prove its own business model, which consists right now of very small sponsored advertisements, and they are hoping that their advertisements add up as well. >> reporter: the sheer traffic has made it an indispensable tool for governments, corporations, and celeb advertise alike. a source of news and entertainment, twitter has changed the way we learn about the world. once it is a listed, people will

finally be able to buy in and capitalize on this, one hashtag at a time. time now for all of the sports. >> as you have been hearing, an indian cricketer has been banned for life for match fixing. he was part of the side that won the 2007 world cup. the aledged fixes happened during the warriors [ inaudible ] and indians all of which happened last match. the coach has confirmed that his player will make his reel madrid debut.

the $132 million signing trained with his new teammates. the 24-year-old welch man trained this week, and he did come on for whales last week. >> i don't know if he will start the match or if he -- if he plays the second half. the physical condition is not -- is not the best, but is not so bad. he trained alone, and had ten day's training session with the international team. his condition is not 100%, but he is not bad. >> someone who has left area is getting used to his new home. $66 million is the most that arsenal has ever spent on a

player. on to the bmw event. the american leads the fedex cup. that was his 7th straight birdie. one of the world number one tiger woods? he is in second, and in a four-way tie for third after the opening rounds. >> i'm not exactly real happy. i played well. i just didn't get much out of that round. i missed short ones in there, and then played the par fives even par. that's just not very good. lance armstrong said he has returned the bronze medal he won at the olympics. he was stripped of the honor after he confessed to using

performance-enhancing drugs during his career. the isc said it will not reallocate armstrong's medical. that's the latest low point of what has been a truly dramatic fall from grace. the anti-doping association released a report, charging armstrong with what it called systematic dopes. in august of that year, the american chose not to fight the charges, but not admitting his guilt. later he was banned from cycles. and to 2012 now, the uci stripped armstrong of his seven titles. in january of this year, the texan finally admitted his guilt in a tv interview to oprah winfrey. they stripped him of his awards,

and asked him to return the medal, which he has now done. davis will be in action for his country in about ten minute's time. he will play against canada. he made the switch to belgrade just days after playing on the hard court. emmerts team new zealand has increased its lead in san francisco. despite recruiting the most decorated sailor of all time. they finished the day just three points short of winning the title. they now lead 6 points to minus one after oracle were docked two points before the event even started. baseball the pirates have gone

level with the cardinals at the top of the national league central division after a 3-1 win against the lowly chicago cubs on thursday. just two weeks of the regular season left. and that's your sporpts. i'll have much more later. >> great stuff as ever. thank of you. more than three decades after taking up a nasa probe has become the first man made object to leave the solar system. this is the moment that voyager one was launched in 1977. during the '80s, it surveyed, jupiter, saturn, uranus and neptune. it is now about 19 billion kilometers from home. there's lots more ahead.

thanks for watching al jazeera. ♪