>> hello, and welcome to the news hour. coming up in the program. >> he has committed many crimes against humanity. >> accusing the syrian president of crimes against humanity. >> the case that gripped india and made headlines around the world. four men convicted of a gang rape are sentenced to hang. >> i have news from europe

including the investigation in what caused a fire at a russian psychiatric hospital killing nearly 40 people. hello, everybody, all the sports including a top indi indian cor, cricketer is banned from the sport. we have all the details. >> the u.n. secretary general has accused bashar al-assad of committing many crimes against humanity. ban ki-moon thought he was speaking in private but his unguarded comments from broadcast by the u.n. television service. >> many countries have been urging that president assad should go or leave. acinar as the uniteas far as ths concerned, we have not said something that has to be decided

by the will of the people, whether they have this president or that president. i think it is their choice. what happened is that he committed crimes against humanity. >> how significant are his comments given all the diplomatic developments. >> we find our what the u.n. really thinks, and what u.n. generasecretary general ban ki-n thinks. he's always very guarded when he speaks in public because of his role. syria is a member state of the united nations just as the u.s. and the u.k. and france on the other side of the argument are, so he has to be very careful in

his role. as you say this was a meeting where he was addressing the international women's forum. during the meeting there was a sign, an electronic sign saying it was a closed meeting. it appears the secretary general thought his comments were in private, yet they were broadcast by u.n. television. everyone in the building, including all of us journalists based here could see the comments of ban ki-moon. it was not just that line accusing president assad of crimes against humanity. he also talked about the fourth coming report by the head of the chemical weapons investigation, which we believe is going to report very soon, we believe his court will land on ban ki-moon's desk very soon. we're told by the u.n. spokesperson that ban ki-moon does not have that report yet, but it seems from these

unguarded comments, we believe that ban ki-moon knows what he's going to hear because he said that chemical weapons were used. >> well, ban ki-moon's comments come as russia and u.s. hold talks in geneva aimed at resolving the syrian crisis. >> arriving at the geneva headquarters the russian foreign minister and u.s. secretary of state began a second day of talks of renewed efforts to rid syria of chemical weapons. >> president obama is deeply committed to a negotiated solution with respect to syria, and we know that russia is likewise. we're working hard to find the common ground make that happen. >> from the very beginning of the syrian conflict, promoting a

peaceful resolution and we were one of the initiators of the geneva one. >> washington insists they want to hold onto the threat of military strike, russia insists the threat of military action should be. off the table. >> speaking in kurdistan the president urged the u.s. to step down. >> we believe without the sanctions of the u.n. supreme court council is unacceptable. >> on thursday syria was willing to sign the chemical treaty. it could take months before the

treaty takes effect. diplomatic efforts here are not enough. russia and the u.s. have agreed to meet for more talks in new york at the end of the month. al jazeera, geneva. >> now we're joins from paris professor of middle eastern economics. thank you for joining us. there is this hand of another try of peace talks that is gaining momentum. what do you think is happening? >> well, today we really have had a jumps into the prioritize of the chemicals weapons. the first priority is to dismantle syria's memory arsenalchemicalarsenal.

he said the future of the second peace conference depends on how convinced the americans will be of syria's initiative to dismantle chemical weapons. this is the first stage. what we're seeing, what we have seen today and last night and today is that the russians and americans are engaged in serious talks, constructive talks. i think those sides realize how grave the situation is, and i think this is the beginning. as cary made it clear, john kerry, the talks are constructive and russian and men chemical weapons experts are in talks in order to decide the nature and talks of syria's chemical weapons. >> these talks are constructive,

but there are still gaps in the position between the russians and the french, for example, let alone the americans. >> well of course, there are very huge gaps. the americans and the french would like to dismantle chemical weapons. the russians want to pre-event anto prevent anytype of threat. i priorities are different, but i think both the russians and americans realize the strategy is to proceed, and to put syri syria's chemical weapons under international control, i think both the americans and the russians realize this is not a game, as john kerry said. this is real. that's why the talks are taking place. i'm really surprised--i was

really surprised about how both the russians and americans are shower praise on one another in order to reach this particular difficult stage. >> we just heard from the u.s. state department now saying they're confident--the u.s. state department--the u.n. report will say that chemical weapons were used in syria, but it is unlikely to assign blame. how do you think the report that we're expecting soon will change the diplomacy that is going on urgenright now? >> well remember the russians insist that the assad regime did not use chemical weapons, it was the opposition. i doubt very much that the russians will change their position. the u.n. investigators were to establish one thing and one thing only, whether chemical weapons were used i in the end f

august. chemical attacks did take place. the reports would say it would be a damning indictment about the use, the huge use of chemical weapons. the french and americans and germans and british would look at the report in order to say, look, we have told you so. the russians will say, look, all the reports have is basically that chemical weapons were used. i think from the u.n. general secretary comments, ban ki-moon, not only has he accused president al-assad of committing crimes against humanity, again, you're going to see the same divisions but the balance of parr will tilt in favor of the western position because it will show the extent of the chemical attacks at the end of august in eastern

damascus. >> do you think that there is too much focus right now on chemical weapons at the expense of trying to find a larger peace deal? because at the end of the day we're focusing on the chemical weapons, but conventional weapons are killing syrians every single day? >> well, this is really the most important question you have asked me tonight. almost more than 100,000 syrian civilians have been killed. we estimate fewer than 1500 syrians have been killed by chemical weapons. that is almost 99.99% of the syrians who have been killed by conventional weapons. even if you dismantle syria's chemical arsenal today the war would go on because the underlying causes of the war would remain. chemical weapons are a critical component of the syrian conflict, but they are not the overriding concern. that's why it seems to me that

the presence of the u.n. envoy is very important because both sides, the russians and the americans, realize what do you do after you dismantle syrian's chemical weapons? you still have the war. you need to address the real drivers behind the syrian conflict. the americans prioritize the dismantling of syria's chemical weapons. they will not proceed to accept to convene a peace conference unless syria's chemical weapons are dismantled. i think that's what is taking place. the next few days, the next do you weeks the focus will be how to bring syria's weapon to international control, dismantle them, and then the hard challenge, the hard process, the hard decision starts on holding a second peace conference geneva 2. >> thank you for your analysis

there. at least 35 people have been killed in a double bomb attack in iraq. as people were living a prayer session, more than 50 others were injured. it's not yet clear who was behind the attack. the taliban has attacked the u.s. consulate in western afghanistan. buildings i were attacked. killing six security guard and two policeman. in india four men have been sentenced to death for the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman on a bus in new delhi. her attack led to a change in sexual violence laws. >> for months people across india have demanded the death

penalty for a crime. >> four men convicted of raping and killing a woman in new delhi last year has been given the strongest punishment possible in the indian legal system, they have been sentenced to death. >> this will create fears in their minds. they will think twice about the consequences before doing anything. every day we hear about rape and murder all over. now all of this will stop. >> as this high profile case has proceeded through the courts many indians have directed their anger at the lawyers defending the perpetrators. >> when they accused in jail they were in tears. i asked them why they were crying. they said we know we'll be hanged.

>> many say it will take more than this to change the mindset across the country. >> more than the legal system, i feel we should start this in individual homes. teach our children and make them morally aware and teach them moral duties and teach them these things are not right and we should not do these things. if these things are taught at home we'll start to see results. >> the four men are expected to appeal the sentence in higher court. the victims family is ready for a long fight. >> yes, this fight will go on until they are hanged. that's the day when we'll have final justice and peace of mind. >> this sentence has been welcomed across india, but it may be some time before the punishment is carried out. for months issues of sexual violence and women's rights have dominated the national debate, and people here hope that this case will lead to long-term,

social, cultural and legal changes. >> india's tea party candidate for elections next year. modi is banned from with allegations that he allowed riots. >> in hamburg the social democratic party here right before the german election. >> and more on lance armstrong. details coming up with robin. >> a huge fire has caused

millions of dollars worth of damage in new jersey. the area had just been rebuilt after it was ripped apart by super storm sandy last year. tell us the latest about this fire and what's happening. >> well, this place needs to be filled with sweets and brightly lit arcades. but look at it behind me. these are some of the buildings damaged in the fire. there is still some smoldering. the investigation into the cause of the fire is just starting, and the governor of new jersey, chris christie said that investigation could take days. the fire spread so quickly yesterday because it was very windy with gusts of 20 to 25

mph. but firefighters were able to put out the fire because of something very creative. they pulled planks from the boardwalk on the other side here of these buildings, and in place of those planks they put piles of sand. today the area is filled with journalists. you can hear some traffic here, and there are a lot of first responders. >> live for news new jersey. thank you for the update. thousands of people have had to leave their homes in the u.s. city of boulder in colorado because of severe flooding. at least three people have been killed since heavy rains started to fall a week ago. dozens of people have been cut off from mountains communities. major roads have been washed out and several buildings have collapsed. russian investigators are looking at whether arson or negligence is to blame for a deadly fire in a psychiatric

hospital. we have more details from our european news snore, barbara? >> thank you. yes, police say that 37 people were killed as the blaze quickly spread through the wooden building, which dated back to the 19th century. now it happened in the vegetable of luka in russia's northwest. barnaby phillips reports. >> reporter: the fire began in the middle of the night. it tore through this single store building partially made of wood from a hundred years ago. a patient was engulfed in flames in his bed. she amongst the dead. >> the first started around 3:00 a.m. the fire alarm went off. the unit of firefighters came quickly, and together with hospital staff they started an evacuation.

>> it was a male psychiatric ward. many of those who lived here were not able to move by themselves. few family members ever came to visit them. in the morning hundreds of rescue workers searched the surrounding forest hoping to find any survivors who might have fled. the authorities say they're investigating possible negligence. the reports that officials previously ordered that this hospital should close because of safety concerns. there have been several fires in russian state institutions in recent years, and hospitals, of people's homes and drug rehabilitation centers. buildings are often old and in bad condition. in april more than 30 people were killed in and a fire at a psychiatric hospital in russia. >> british police have foiled

what they called an audacious plot that happened to computers and still millions of dollars. 12 men were arrested. the device was situated in a london bank. they were trying to take control of the bank system remotely. no money was actually taken. spain's public debt has reached a record high despise the government's relently us austerity squeeze. it owessed 92.2% of spains gross domestic product. that is expected to rise for another three years. former ims boss has secured a new economic adviser to the government of serbia. the 63-year-old is facing

charges in france evolving around a prostitution ring. the previous sexual assault case against him which was brought by a new york hotel maid was dropped pinches we have more we'll have more news from europe in the hour. >> warning separatist rebels against hammering more than 100 hostages taken in the country's south. the stand off continued for a fifth day. >> reporter: it's been days of heavy fighting and the city. [ gunfire ] the situation has rippled through the entire city. it has become a battleground and its people are in despair.

government forces are trying to take control of this part of the suburban village. they believe one of the top leaders is hold u holed up here. and it is believed that he has control of the hostages. more havsoldiers of the liberation ft have been seen marching in uniform. now th they say these talks do t address the grievances of the people. the founder of the liberation front made a new declaration of independence more than a year ago. the military believes they are

behind the toss taj taking and attacks. philippine president hoping to show that the situation is under his government's control. but he made no mention of negotiation world trade center fighters. >> deadlines, they must not cross the line like they're burning the recommendation communities and when they endanger the lives of innocent people i have given instructions to security forces in certain situations. >> reporter: at least 20 people have been killed since the crisis began, and 15,000 have been forced to leave their homes. many families remain trapped where the fight is concentrated, and aid is getting harder to reach them. as the situation continues to deteriorate many wonder if the government will be able to save the city from further destruction. al jazeera, southern fill means.

philippines. >> cleaning up japan's wrecked new england plannuclear power pa much bigger challenge. they hired americans after admitting that they were overwhelmed dealing with the leak of thousands of tons of radioactive water, which was only a minor part of the clean up task. a south korean man escaped from north korea 41 years after being abducted. he was apparently on a boat captured by north korea back in 1972. there is no word yet on how he escaped. the north is believe to have kidnapped 500 south koreas since the war in the 1950s. >> it is our obligation to make sure that they all return home under any circumstances. so in with regard to an abductee, our

government will do our best to give him support so he can settle in our society. >> firefighters in bangkok will getting almost as many calls to catch snakes as to put our fires. they caught 1500 snakes in the past five years. only a few were deadly cobras. the rest were just nonvenomous pythons. next to come, nasa's voyager one the first man-made probe to leave our solar system. >> a shortage of sand can spell trouble for this state's tourist industry, and there are much bigger problems coming up. >> real madrid reveal whether their $132 million will make his debut on saturday.

>> hello again, here are your main headlines. u.n. secretary general has accused syria's president bashar

al-assad of committing crimes against humanity. ban ki-moon thought he was speaking in private, but his unguarded comments were broadcast by u.n. television service. four men have been sentenced to death for gang rape and murder in india. the attack in december led to nationwide protest and a change in india's sexual violence laws. and a fire in a russian psychiatric hospital has which would 3killed37 people. it's the second time this year that a hospital in russia has burned down. now three security personnel have been killed as the egyptian army continues it's military campaign against what he describes as terrorists. for more on this we're joined by a course upon department who we're not naming--a correspondee

not naming for security reasons. do you get the impress that they're winning that war or at least have the upper hand? >> well, i think it's very difficult to know for sure for the main reason the army has the entirety of the sinai under lock down. it is very difficult for the media to get in and back up. they are targeting what they call terrorists groups. they're going after getting the area under control. there is another criticism coming out from people who live in the sinai peninsula and say maybe the army is using the campaign there to justify the continued state of emergency. we have been pushing the last couple of hours to one of the

named tribal chiefs in the area, and he said this is actually the biggest military assault in decades. but the army is not differentiating between civilians and militants, they're searching houses and doing so aggressively. the people are being arrested for no reason, and the area could be cordoned off. in what he's saying, we can't back up independently, but we can certainly confirm when he says that there is no transparency, and that's what we're experiencing because we're not allowed to get in there to actually see things for ourselves. >> okay, that's our correspondent in cairo. thank you. staying with egypt, thousands of protesters have been holding protests across the country. it came when it was announced

that president mohamed morsi will be detained for another 30 days. with the demonstration soars, it shows no sign of ending. people living near the rallies are very frustrated. >> for weeks protesters have been marching through the streets of cairo. sometimes they last for hours. other demonstrations last well past the nighttime curfew. >> i don't believe they're upset because of the demonstrations. the people have seen the killings and burnings. i don't believe they are upset. if you look at the window above you, you can see that they are supporting us. >> not everyone is in enthusiastic about these anti coup rallies. >> of course it is very difficult for us. we cannot do anything. we cannot go outdoors. can you imagine how we live?

>> every friday as you see people are afraid. shops are closed. they're afraid they might be attacked. if i have an errand far away i can't go anywhere. >> during the protest it becomes difficult to drive around the area. the shops that used to be open on fridays are closed because there are demonstrations in the middle of the day and a curfew in the middle of the night. on thursday the interrim government announced it will extend the curfews for a several more months. the protests are affecting lives in the areas where they're held. those who are against the military coup don't seem to mind. but others say they have enough and they want their weekends back. al jazeera, cairo.

>> middle-finger gesture is causing a major destruction in the lead up to germany's election. back to barbara in lone do to explain why. >> reporter: well, chancellor angela merkel's main challenger is explaining himself when he us used the middle finger in an article. reports from hamburg on why the party's usual supporters are losing faith. >> these days fishermen wilhelm is some with what likely the social democratic party. or sdp. his catch has been getting smaller and smaller. the same go for the sdp and their voters.

>> they are no longer the party of the middle man. all they're interested in is power. >> hamburg is an old city of sailers, dockworkers and traditional left wing politics and the creation of modern wealth in the state. the minimum wage, taxing the rich and social spending could find support but there are problems. >> their leader, he's come under fire for making paid speeches for big business and then making repeated gaffes in the campaign. many party followers have already lost the faith when the last chancellor introduced painful welfare and job market reforms in 2004. chancellor angela merkel is getting the political benefits. in this campaign she's borrowing

a plan for minimum wage and other ideas from the social democrats to win over their vote whose are typically working class. trade unions close to the working class suggest the spd may have only itself to blame. >> from my perspective there is a lot to criticize but the sdp is still the lesser evil for workers. but i think the party show defend workers' rights more. he. >> he suggests that voters trust angela merkel as much as the sdp to bring about social justice. social democrats will need to cast their net wider possibly wooing big business. hard to do without seeming to lose your social soul. we will go to meklenberg.

>> many people were forced to leave their homes in the ukraine after swelling rivers caused the collapse of the region. the emergency ministry said 250 homes are flooded and 30 are at risk of being washed away. former u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has received the honorary degree from scotland's st. andrew's university. it was awarded in recognition of ms. clinton's achievements as a politician and diplomat. it's her first foreign trip since sending her four year term in politics. training rodents to track out gun violence. we are on the case in rotterdam.

>> reporter: meet magnum, derek, and johnson and johnson, famous detectives every one, and in this case, the police crime busters, five intelligent rats. working in the twilight they can sniff out gunshot residue in seconds instead of waiting several hours in lab reports and saving time in investigations. >> it will save time because we're training them to d detect text a sample which would take my colleagues two hours with a microscope and some chemicals. >> monique who has written books on animal behavior first saw rats in action sniffing out personnel mines in action. by using food awards they can be trained in a few days, not only

to detect explosives but also drugs, and they're 95% accurate. >> the rats have proved so successful that now other police forces around the world have shown an interest in recruiting them. >> but initially officers took some convincing that it was a good idea. >> most people laughed about it, and they weren't--they thought we present being serious. but it shows that policemen and women are opportunistic people. once they see what they can produce, they call us all the time, can we use them. >> the rats will bring their first case to court soon. perhaps improving their own public image in the process. al jazeera, rotterdam. >> now contemporary art lovers in london have yet another reason to visit the modern

gallery. a set of interlocking staircases have been install outside as part of the london design festival. it's based on the work of the dutch graphic artist who used mathematical formulas for inspiration. there are 187 steps, so this work of art would be quite a work out. and now you're up-to-date with all the news from europe. >> barbara, thank you. now more than three decades after taking off the nasa probe has become the first manmade object to leave the solar system. launched in 1977 voyager's mission was to survey the outer planet. just in case there is anyone out there, it's also carrying old phonograph records etched with music and images from earth. >> reporter: this was the moment that voyager one began its

exploration. launched at a specific time when the outer planets in our solar system were aligned so that a single spacecraft could fly past them. now in the third millennium passing our sun into what is called interstellar space. the material in which voyager finds itself is not created by the sun. it's created by our neighboring stars, super nova remnants and so. >> when voyager one began its mission it was supposed to survey it's outer planets. it traversed jupiter, is a turn, neptune. before it began to seek out new planets, it sent back in famous picture of the earth in 1990. our planet reduced to a pale blue doub dot in space.

by now it is 19 billion kilometers from earth. initially scientists had difficulty proving their probe was, indeed, in interstellar space. but then last year a solar event gave them the evidence that they needed. >> the sun had an eruption in march of 2012, which was fortunately headed in the direction of voyager. in 400 days, like a tsunami, it finally got to where voyager is, it caused the plasma to react in a way that could be sensed, and we knew we were in the dense plasma of space. >> it has now left our solar system. it will be another 40,000 years before it reaches another planet. >> fascinating stuff, and for more we're joined by francisco diego, a research fellow from

the department of physic and astronomy from the university of london. what kind of information can the voyager tell us about interstellar space and what is out there? >> trying to see this happening, we're witnessing spacecraft which is sending data, data is still being received by this huge an tan in a o antenna, abos in diameter. now, it's detecting magnetic fields and eventually cosmic raise and particles. it's coming from stellar space, and it gave the indication that

the flow of the particles come from the sun was repeated, giving the impression that now the spacecraft is actually leaving the sphere and entering into stellar space. it's fascinating. >> now the via voyager has now e where no other probe has gone before, what could be next? >> well, there are also other spacecraft that are leaving the space, the solar system already, and well, it is interesting to see that we can produce spacecraft that can travel beyond and away from the solar system because we know in the very long term human kind has to do the same thing. in millions of years to come we

know the solar system will come to an end, and human kind will have to find another home. these are the very early stages of developing technology to travel beyond the confinement of the solar system. >> you mentioned before about the day athe data that the voyad be collecting. what could we see in the next few deck glades not few decades, now it's power has been depleted. it was receiving 200 watts, and now in the next ten years it will come to nothing. they will be one by one commission, and then the vowager will be completely silent. we still have a few more years of receiving data, not images but just data about cosmic ray

energies coming from outer space, and the depletion of the particles comin coming from the. we'll see this to confirm and map a little bit more this transition about what is called a helio sheath, the bubble that surrounds the sun and the very austere, if you like, region of the interstellar space, of course, into the stars. >> francisco diego, thank you very much for explaining that for us. >> thank you very much. >> now activity harass taken the first step to go public. the announcement was made with just a single tweet. the company is not bearing all just yet. it's keeping its initial documents unwrap. it's likely to generate the biggest buzz in the stock market since the debut of facebook.

florida has long been renown for its beaches even in endless sunshine. but maybe not for much longer. the beaches are rapidly running out of sand. andy gallagher has more from miami. >> reporter: theatric millionstt millions of visitors each year. the beaches in south florida are facing a crisis. in miami they're about to run out of sand all together. >> all the tourism places are for oceans and sand. if we don't have sand, we don't have anything. >> this is very enjoyable. we come down here all the time. >> i'm sorry, but i'm grateful for what is here. it's great, nice, it seems like there is still plenty. >> it might look like that, but

brian flynn, who has been working on beach restoration for 30 years, says now the situation is critical. >> we don't have a clearcut solution to it. you know, so far we're in the middle of hurricane season right now. we're peak of hurricane season right now, and we've been lucky so far. but if we were to have a major sandstorm we would have to come up a source of sand quickly. >> reporter: among the solutions to avoid this impeding crisis is to bring sand in from the bahamas, but there are those in the environmental community who say all of this is ignoring a much larger, deeper global crisis. >> we're going to use our facilities and they're all going to be non-functional. >> the professor studies global warming and said rising ocean levels pose a much greater threat. he predicts the area will be

underwater by century's end or sooner. >> at what point do we quit pouring money in a lost cause and spend the money to buy out and relocation? >> but for now authorities are continuing their search for stand and confident that a solution will be found. the beaches here are worth a fortune, and most want to enjoy them while they can. al jazeera, miami beach, florida. >> continuing a good run on the track. robin will be here with all the sports next. plus the story of a top indian cricketer who has been banned for spot fixing.

>> welcome back. it's time for the sports. >> reporter: thank you very much. indian cricket chiefs have come down hard banning for life for spot fixing. the charges were against two this year. the editing chief of cricket publication, and he says that they only have them to blame.

>> he hasn't been given very good advice by those are allegedly his friends. that's one of the reasons. but also he's 30 years old, you can't blame the rest of the world. he should have on so much more with the skill that he had, to finish up like this, this degrades his name. it's a big shame. >> now day four of the second test between zimbabwe and pakistan. the house set a target of 264, and pakistan struggled at 158-5. they need another 106 rounds for victory. and only five wickets in have.

real madrid revealed that their $132 million signing will play. did he come on as a substitute for wales in serbia. >> i don't know he can play the second half, the physical condition is not best, but it's not so bad. so he trained alone, and he had ten days trainings session with the national team. his continue is not 100%, but he's not about a. >> kaka is set to play his first league match saturday rejoining the team. and the former world player of the year is expected to start. he stand joined record of

$158 million. kaka has already won a s erie-a. >> kaka is in good shape, and has played very well with the enthusiasm of a young player. he said he's moved by the debut. is. >> lance armstrong said he returned the bronze medal he won in january. the international olympic committee stripped him of that honor after he admitted to using drugs. here he is competing in the individual time trial. they said they would not reallocate armstrong's bronze medal.

the spaniard leads the championship by 50 points. he was .53 of a second faster. and new zealand entry over article team u.s. in the 54th america cup. despite the article recruiting the most olympic sailor ever. the challenger quickened sixth and seventh on thursday to finish three points short of winning the title. they lead six points, and they were docked two points before the event even started. up despite the deficit, captain jimmy has not given up on the title just yet. >> i think the question is imagine the loss from here, what an upset that would be. almost got it in the bag, so that's my motivation.

>> working hard to recover from injury as making a return in time for the nb eastern conferee finals. chicago might be able to take it a step forward and win their first championship since 1998. >> right now in my training, of course, it's kind of hard, but i have support, and right now i'm trying to run, lift the weights a little bit more and we have a big season coming up, so i'm trying to prepare myself for it. >> thank you. great color tie. do stay with us here on al jazeera. another full bulletin of news is straight ahead. bye-bye for now.

we'll tell you where it is and what it can mean for our educational system. coming up.