. hello there. these are the top stories here on al jazeera. just who is to blame? russia says it received evidence from syria about the chemical attack that could point the finger at rebel fighters. the ten-day siege that left thousands homeless and brought one of the largest cities in the philippines to a standstill.

i'm in zamboanga where scores have been killed and the military operations trial to rescue what remained of the hostages. a million people affected as mexico braces for what could be its third tropical storm in less than a week. and the rise of african art. why paintings are now fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars on the international market. ten days into a siege into the philippine city of zamboanga, and separatist rebels appear to be losing ground. the military says it now controls 70% of the areas that had been occupied by the moro liberation front. the industrial city is said to

lose a billion dollars a day. zamboanga is the third largest in the philippines in terms of area. a major military offenses took back areas in santa barbara and santa catalina and there's heavy fighting in talon and more fightings in mapong. what does the moro national liberation front? the moro people have been fighting for independence in the southern philippines. the group is one of the three in the region. the moro islamic liberation front split in 1981. they signed a peace treaty with the government in 1996, and the government has been reviewing it. in early august it declared a new state and tried to raise the

flag in zamboanga city, which led to the latest fighting. we'll go to the sports stadium being used as an evacuation center. first we go to the city's medical center. margot, what is the latest on the fighting that you're hearing? >> reporter: well, at the moment at least over the last hour or so we haven't heard any exchange of gunfire. now, the military says this is an indication that the rebel forces have indeed been weakened and no longer as strong as in the early days of the siege. they are seen to be losing ammunition and saving what they have for the perpetual -- really, for the eventual planned escape of the leaders of this siege. at the moment they're under orders, the military says, to basically act with caution. it's imperative that no further loss of life come out because of

this standoff as it were in the villages behind me. >> now, marga, the government, when the fighting had first started, had been talking about trying to find a peaceful political solution. any efforts on that front? have they given up on that? >> reporter: from what we understand, it's been very difficult to even figure out, as the government says, who is in control of the rebel forces. every time they say they speak to the rebel commander on the ground, he refers them to the chairman of the moro national liberation front. when he is spoken to says he did not order this assault, and that the men on the ground should be spoken to directly. there's a lot of back and forth. the government says it no longer knows who it needs to speak to. what they're trying to do is almost constrict the movement. team on the ground, see they run out of supplies and eventually

rescue the hostages being held. >> marga, thank you for that. let's speak to jamela at zamboanga city's sports stadium being used as an evacuation center. how many people have been forced to leave their homes because of the fighting? >> reporter: well, the government now puts the number of evacuees at 104,000. that changed from just about 2,000 a few hours ago. the government is saying for now they're focusing on the immediate needs of many of the evacuees here, such as food, shelter and clean water. because this conflict has been dragging on for ten days now, they're already looking at a semi-permanent solution. at this point currently they're still in the stadium, but the government is looking at possibly finding them a structure where at least they have proper roofs over their heads.

the bigger problems of the many evacuees here, the children are unable to go to school. the school that is supposed -- the public school where the children used to go to has now been used as a hold-up area for the mlf fighters. a lot of human rights workers are looking at possible signs of trauma from many of the children here. there was a brace where some of the children were asked to draw as part of the therapy sessions, many kids drew soldiers and many drew images of the mlf, images of the soldiers and images of choppers actually flying over their houses. human rights workers are saying they want to make sure that in many ways they can try to mitigate the long-term impact that may actually affect many of the people here in zamboanga long after the clashes are over. >> jamela, what are conditions at this evacuation center, at that sports stadium like? does everyone who needs shelter

have somewhere to sleep and enough to eat right now? >> reporter: well, at this point the government is, in fact, stretched. there's not enough food. there's not enough water. we've spoken to some families who said that a family of eight are only given meals for, in fact, three people. but the government is saying that they're trying their very best. there are a lot of volunteers here from many nations on the ground. the concern really is of many of the evacuees here their houses. they want to be able to find out exactly when they can go back home, when their children can go back to school. the problem is three villages have been raized as a result of the clashes between the moro national liberation front fighters and the philippine government. at least 600 homes have been razed and burned down. it's not sure where they will put all the evacuees, but the government hopes a semi-permanent solution will in

place soon for them. >> thank you very much, jamel a&m -- jamela a a&m arga. 16 soldiers also died during the raid in borno state in northeastern nigeria. they're trying to flush out the rebels and the area has been under a state of emergency since may. egypt has re-opened the rafa border crossing with giza after it was closed for a week. it will be opening for emergency cases only. they limit the number of people allowed to cross the border. about 1200 people use the crossing every day before mohamed morsi was deposed at the people's president in july. within the past few hours,

russia says it was given evidence by syria that implicates rebel fighters in chemical attacks. russia says it's now examining it seriously two days after a u.n. report into one particular attack where some western powers cates that the assad regime is to be blamed for. fred ware joins us from moscow. will they make this new information public at some point? >> reporter: well, it's not known what is the nature of this evidence. it's not even clear that the russians know yet themselves. this material was handed over to the visiting russian deputy foreign minister sergei lavrov in damascus yesterday. today he's meeting with president assad, and i guess the discussions will be about this. the main thing the russians want

is for the u.n. weapons inspectors to come back and complete their work. apparently that is going to happen. the russians say that there is a lot of evidence that in three previous incidents that rebels did use chemical weapons in aleppo in march. for example, the russians have also revealed that in july they filed a 1 100-page report with e united nations about that march incident in aleppo, which strongly implicates the rebels in the use of sarin gas against civilians there. it's clear the russians are lining up their arguments in order to influence the debate that is going on right now at the united nations about a resolution to get this chemical webs operation in syria started. >> a lot of questions being asked about whether the u.n. security council will be able to

agree on a resolution on syria that will satisfy all the parties involved. >> reporter: yes. well, the russians and the west are not only at odds over who might be responsible fors specially the august 21st chemical attack, but they're completely at odds on how to proceed with the enables resolution in the u.n. the russians say it must contain no threats of sanction or force against syria, because it would just make it impossible for the syrians to follow-through. the west says that this is -- the threat of force is what's brought assad and the syrian regime this far, and that they have to keep his feet to the fire in order to make it go forward. >> all right. fred, thank you for that update there. fred ware live for us from moscow. the u.n. security council's

five permanent members are struggling to agree on how to deal with syria's chemical weapons stockpile as fred was telling us. they meet on thursday to consider the draft resolution. all sides want them to rid themselves of the chemical arsenal but are divided on how it should be enforced. >> on the ground rebel groups on the outskirts of hamah found them. they were trying to enter from the north. we have more. >> reporter: in the suburbs of hamah rebel fighters are on the offensive. in the past 24 hours they took over two government-controlled military checkpoints. the battle is being led by fighters from brigades and a coalition of other rebel groups who fall under the command. this is what's left of one of the checkpoints captured by opposition fighters on use. the burned-out remains and the destroyed tank are signs of just

how fierce the battle was. >> translator: this position is now under our control. one tank was destroyed and its crew killed. the remaining regime forces retreated. we will advance beep i don't understand the town and take control in order to cut off the regime's supply lines. >> reporter: while president assad's forces retreated, they weren't far away. as they were filming, al jazeera's team came under fire from government tanks. away from the checkpoint and on the way to the nearby village, it's difficult to find a single building still intact. assad's air force has been pounding this town for days now. those lucky to survive continue to suffer in this ill-equipped field clinic. >> translator: first they bombard us with shells and then with barrels filled with explosives. now they drop containers, each

filled with two tons of explosives. today two dead bodies and more than ten others were injured. we're doing our best to treat them. >> reporter: not even the main mosque was spared bombed from the sky, a large hole is left in the roof. just as the massive death toll has shown this war's contempt for the sanctity of life, the destruction of mosques shows very little, if anything, is still considered sacred in syria's war. there's plenty more ahead this news hour, including a top nuclear envoy considering a return to the table over north korea's nuclear program. two years after the birth of "occupy wall street," the anger is still there, but the protest numbers rrnts. is the movement truly dead, or can it rise again? >> renaldo steals the show. we'll have all the details later.

until the united states its been revealed that the gunman that killed two people had a valid pass to enter the site. aaron alexis had a history of mental health problems and run-ins with the police. an official audit uncovered other security lapses. we report on the fallout from monday's killings. >> reporter: armed guards stand at the gate of the naval yard where a partial return to work was anything but normal. workers are struggling to understand how 12 people could be shot and killed in what should have been a secure military facility. >> i'm still obviously in shock like everyone else is. >> reporter: nearby cafes remain mostly empty, but neighbors told to stay in their homes are beginning to venture out. >> today it seems like it's back

to normal sort of. i mean, you can tell parking lots are not as full, people are uneasy. >> reporter: the navy yard remains an active crime scene as investigators try to learn more about the gunman, 34-year-old aaron alexis, the former navy reservist let go in 2011 with a general discharge and a record of misconduct. it's also been revealed alexis had a history of mental illness and two gun-related arrests. yet, somehow alexis was still able to legally purchase a firearm to carry out his crimes. the fbi reports the search for evidence could also be time-consuming. it's a process many say could delay grieving. still, at the nearby washington nationals baseball stadium, canceled games are resuming, but there's a moment of silence to honor the victims. fans reacting with sad belief that a shooting occurred so close by. >> it's a sad day.

it's a shame that people have to express themselves in that manner and can't find another way to communicate. >> that's just terrible news. i mean, you know, you wonder what motivates somebody. >> reporter: it's a question that still remains unanswered and may take time to understand. al jazeera, washington. president barack obama says a lack of thorough background checks is putting the u.s. at risk of mass shootings. >> the fact that we do not have a firm enough background check system is something that makes us more vulnerable to these kinds of mass shootings. you know, i do get concerned that this becomes a ritual that we go through every three, four months where we have these horrific mass shootings, and yet, we're not willing to take some basic actions that we know can make a difference. >> the brazilian president rousseff has postponed a state visit to the u.s.

the trip scheduled for next month was called into doubt after leaked documents revealed that brazil was one of the targets of a u.s. spy program. president obama has been trying to ease tension with rousseff since leaders met on the sidelines of the g-20 summit earlier this month. the white house says it understands why the revelations have caused so much controversy. >> they both look forward to that visit, which will celebrate our broad relationship and the president believes and president rousseff believes, as i understand it, should not be overshadowed by any single bilateral issue no matter how important or challenging the issue may be. we're certainly acknowledging that the concerns that these disclosures have generated in brazil and other countries. gunmen have killed a senior election official in afghanistan. aman was shot dead leaving his house. it happened just days after

campaigning kicked off for next year's election. while supporters of bangladesh's islami party went on strike after the country, protests broke out on tuesday after a senior figure in the party was sentenced to death for warm crimes for the 1971 war with pakistan. he's the sixth senior opposition leader to be convicted this year. their supporters say the trials are politically motivated. a court in thailand sentenced a lebanese man to two and a half years in jail for possessing bomb-making material. he was arrested after a tip-off from israeli police. he denied planning an attack on bangkok airport and of having links to hezbollah. china has recommended restarting international talks over north korea's nuclear program. envoys from north korea and china are meeting in beijing on the 10th anniversary of six-party talks. the negotiations between russia,

the u.s., china, japan and north and south korea stalled in 2008. >> translator: all parties should be devoted to the talks. we should not only return to the talks but extend the talks and also reach agreements and achieve peace. >> translator: the hostility towards north korea does not solve the nuclear issue. instead it has made it worse. the nuclear threat by the united states has become strong and more real. they have not even started a discussion about a peace treaty. >> joining us live from beijing is our correspondent scott heilman. who is at the talks in beijing, and what's happened so far? >> reporter: we have the two top level negotiators from china and north korea, and the other members, the other four nations had lower level representation at this because quite frankly it wasn't part of the six-party

talks. this was a forum marking the 10th anniversary when the six-party talks began in this building behind, and that's where the forum was held today. it's really the first step down the path to try to get these talks restarted, which is a major challenge. that's because those other nations, japan, united states, south korea, they see that it's a non-starter at this stage because the preconditions for them to come back to the table is for north korea to show any action that they're stopping they are nuclear program and, in fact, it's kind of gone the opposite direction. there was recent evidence indicating they may be starting up their nuclear reactor. there's a long path to go down before they get everybody back to the table. >> all right. remind us again, what are the main sticking points of launching our relaunching the formal talks over north korea's nuclear program? >> reporter: the main sticking point for those nations is the fact they need to see some progress. there's been so many promises

made during these ten years of talks that really haven't been in operation for more than four years that have been broken. north korea in the past has said that, yes, they will stop any nuclear program. that has -- that has gone in the face of those agreements at these talks. they have also said that they wouldn't launch missiles, so they wouldn't test missiles. they have done that and tested nuclear devices. earlier this year the largest nuclear device was tested. it really flies in the face every time they make a promise at these talks, it seems to be that just down the line they contradict that. then there's normally tougher u.n. sanctions after that. right now what needs to happen is that the other parties need to come to the table. they need to see north korea is serious about stopping the nuclear program. i'm not sure if they come up with a period of time where they don't see action, but that's the baseline for nose nations, japan, united states and south korea before they come back to the tables and they don't see

any progress in north korea's nuclear program. >> scott, thank you, live from the beijing, the chinese capital. almost half a million birds are to be killed in nepal to contain a bird flu outbreak, but the move is being criticized by poultry farmers who face huge losses. we have more from the capital, katmandu. >> reporter: this used to be a bustling poultry farm, but last month's 4,000 chickens got culled to stop the spread of the bird flu virus. >> translator: i have not come back up here since the cull. it makes me very sad. they were such beautiful birds. >> reporter: he lost $20,000, most of which he owes to the bank. without his chickens he can't even pay the interest anymore, and he's one of the thousands of farmers facing this problem. when the first cases of the bird flu virus were discovered last

month, some farmers rushed to sell sick bird spreading the virus that causes the disease. last month it was declared a bird flu emergency zone. healthy and sick chickens were all culled. over 1.5 million birds have already been killed. poultry farmers say the government's unwillingness to compensate farmers has help to spread the virus. >> translator: if the government gives farmers nominal relief rather than full market price, then farmers try to get return on their investment and put people's health at risk. >> reporter: the government said it's already paid more than $2 million in compensation to farmers. >> if we increase the compensation rate, then farmers may not be motivated to minimize the risk. >> reporter: now the government is targeting domestic chickens. >> translator: in order to control bird flu, our team will come to all homes and will destroy all ducks, chickens and

eggs. >> reporter: from feed producers to the meat processing industry, local butchers and consumer all have been affected by this cr s crisis. while the virus has not spread to humans, the government has not brought it under control yet. the fear is without everyone's cooperation it could infect people. al jazeera, katmandu. tony abbott has been sworn in as australia's new prime minister. the 55-year-old led his conservative coalition to a comfortable lower house majority this month, but his alliance doesn't control the senate which could make it difficult to push through his legislative agenda. mexico is preparing for what could be its third tropical storm in less than a week. at least 47 people have died, and storms have lashed both the pacific and atlantic coastlines. the government is trying to get aid to more than 1 million

people that have been affected. we have the report. >> reporter: at least a dozen people were buried under this mountain of mud. that's one of the many landslides in mexico after a rare combination of storms lashed it from two coasts. rescue workers trying to clean up after the previous landslide were swept away. >> reporter: the volunteers were cleaning the highway when there was little mud, and they were dragged by the mudslide. >> reporter: streets turned into rivers as two-thirds of the country tries to recover from the worst storm season it's seen in many decades. more than a million people have been affected by heavy rains, flash floods and swollen rivers. aid agencies and the government are struggling to provide for tens of thousands of people in emergency shelters. >> translator: the federal government is making and sending out its best effort to have an adequate coordination with state

authorities so we can provide the necessary support to the families unfortunately being affected. >> reporter: in the resort city of acapulco, jetskis had to be used to rescue stranded people, but many have to wade through deep water and cling to dangerous zip lines to reach safety. >> translator: we're desperate because we can't return to our city or jobs. our time at the hotel is up, so we will see how they support us. >> reporter: at least 40,000 people were trapped at the acapulco airport when the storms hit, and many have to be airlifted to the capital in military planes. there were also incidents of looting. some had to steal food because they had nothing to eat for days. the forecast for the coming days with warning the landslides and flash floods for tens of thousands of people. it may be sometime yet before they can even think about returning to a normal life.

steph is here with all the latest weather. as people struggle to recover from the last two storms, it looks like another one might be on the way. >> that's right. it isn't good news. we can see the cloud across many parts of the country, but there are a couple of places to focus in on. first of all, there's this massive cloud towards the northwest. this is still tropical depression manuel. it's still with us and working towards baja, california. this one isn't finished with us yet. the other area of clouds is here over the yucatan peninsula. it does appear that this one is developing some kind of rotation, and it looks like it will develop into another trep cal system through the next couple of hours. it looks like by tomorrow we will have another storm with us, and that's why all of area on this chart is very dark blue. that's the heavy rain. we expect that to intensify not

only across the yucatan peninsula and the western parts of cuba as well. for thursday and friday, this whole area is wet. this storm sucks up a lot of air from the southwest, and that means along the western coast we're going to see more torrentially heavy rain, and that includes places like acapulco, which has seen the worst of the flooding out of the recent storms. although the storm will stay away to the north of acapulco, we have plenty more rain here over 100 millimeters of rain. >> wow. bad news indeed for that region. thank you very much. still ahead this news hour -- >> i don't remember walking through the town. next thing i'm on top of a car port looking down. >> hopes with the global economic crisis how many people have been driven to breaking poi point. coming up in sports, the

rookie golfer given a shot at a $10 million payday.

the philippine army says its retain 80% of territory from separatist rebels. the u.s. navy has ordered a

review of security at all facilities after monday's mass shooting at a base in washington, d.c. a pentagon audit has shown that dozens of convicted criminals gained access to bases because of cost cutting to security programs. well, it's two years since the "occupy wall street" movement was born aimed at government and the wealthy, but it's struggling to maintain momentum. >> reporter: from this to this. in two years the "occupy wall street" movement went from a global phenomenon to a few hundred people in an urban park trying to re-create the magic. the music made a comeback, and so did it the familiar catchphrases. >> we're here to talk about "occupy" truly reconnecting with the 99%. >> reporter: what was missing was the numbers. there are far more media and

yypd officers on site than protesters. organizers put on a brave face. they say it takes time for revolutions to have any real impact. >> it's about being in communities that just talk to each other and talk to the press. the press just talks to the politicians, and it's not funneling up. we need to kind of like shift that -- shift the tone of the conversation. >> as the "occupy" move proved, they need to involve many more voices. this park is the birth play for the "occupy wall street" and it's right in the middle of the financial district, easily accessibility and people can come and share theired whys and frustrations. whether the occupiers lost the park, it changed everything. two months after protesters set up camp, the new york police department moved in and evicted all of them. it left "occupy" without a home, without domestic and international media attention and without momentum. nathan schneider is one of the original occupiers. he said many of the people who

dedicated their time to the uprising have dispersed. they're committed to smaller groups like the fast food protests and controversial keystone pipeline. >> they saw a lot of violence, and the frustration that that caused often resulted in them taking it out on each other. so the community has really been torn apart, and that's parts of why people have spread off into different projects. >> reporter: at a time "occupy wall street" catched the world's attention and went against politicians and the rich. without a workable command structure or agenda, many are left to ponder what might have been. al jazeera, new york. well, greek civil servants are protesting against government plans to fire thousands of public sector staff. schools and hospitals have been forced to close as teachers and medics begin a 48-hour strike. the government says the cuts will save millions of dollars.

greece is receiving a $320 billion bailout but is at risk of losing the installments if it doesn't go ahead with tough austerity measures. well, a new report found that suicide has been on the rise after the global economic crisis that kicked off in 2008. the figures increased in parts of europe and the downturn seem to affect more men than women. emma hayward in london meets one man pushed to the edge after losing his job. >> reporter: three and a half years ago, kevin shepherd felt like his world was falling apart. the lost of his job and then the breakup of his relationship led him to the brink of suicide. >> i remember -- i don't remember going out the door or walking through town. i am looking down from a car

part. the reduction of work was a massive impact, because you're seen as a breadwinner. every man's goal is to get his job, family and house. you're set for life. all of a sudden, you wake up one day and that's gone. >> reporter: kevin is now in good health and working again, but what happened to him was by no means unusual. a new report examining data from 54 countries found suicide rates increased after the start of the economic crisis. researchers found that around 4,900 more people committed suicide in 2009 than expected based on previous trends. in europe more men of all ages took their own lives, but the rise was sharper among the 15 to 24 age group. in general, rises in national suicide rates seem to be associated with an increase in unemployment levels. in greece the financial crisis

is still biting hard. as the poverty and unemployment levels have risen, so, too, have the suicide rates. >> it's common knowledge to everybody that you have many more deaths, we're seeing a 50% increase in three years. >> reporter: researchers of this latest report say the rise in the number of suicides is just a small part of the emotional distress caused by the crisis. for kevin, though, life is now moving forward. emma hayward, al jazeera. >> david joins us live from the u.k. he's one of the report's authors and he specializes in suicide at crystal university. welcome to al jazeera. first, talk us briefly through the main findings of your report.

>> okay. so our interest was in looking at the impact of the 2008 global economic crisis on suicide rates. we used the most extensive available data on suicide rates for countries around the world available from the world health organization, and we looked at the extent to which the years after the recession were associated with rises in suicide rates. we plotted out suicide rates in the countries in the seven years leads up to the recession, estimate what to anticipate for the suicide rates to have been in the year the recession started. there was a difference between the actual rates and expected rates. we found there are around 5,000 suicides in 2009 compared to what we expected to see. most rises were most likely entirely restricted to men. >> you found out that more men were prone to committing suicide. did the study figure out why?

>> we weren't able to look at that. our findings are certainly consistent with previous recessions where males appear to be more affected than females. you could speculate that for men the loss of a job, males are often the chief wage earner in a family. the loss of self-esteem associated from it could hit them worse that might hit women that might be the second wage earner as a couple, for example. it could reflect differences between men and women and their willingness to seek health through tough times. men will put on a brave face, so when they experience hardship, may not off-load diments -- difficulties by talking to others. >> were there particular countries where the effect of the economic crisis were more pronounced? >> we found -- it's difficult to pick out individual countries, because we're only looking at

one year's worth of data here. we found some of the greater rises though were in the newer european countries and in north america. >> why did you decide to conduct sufficient -- such a survey? how do you think it might be helpful? >> it's true to say that it's quite a big body of research going back many years showing the periods of economic recession are associated with rises in suicide. there were rises at the time of the great recession in the 1920s. the asian economic crisis in 1998 was associated with rises in suicide. in korea, japan and other affected countries. i think this economic recession is different. we wanted to see whether the effects are as great. we wanted to see who would be most affected by it so you can target interventions at the age

and sex groups most likely to be affected. it shows previously that males do more than females. it's important to look at that again. it shows the effects were strongest in young people helps us focus activities towards those most affected. >> okay. it makes sense from where i'm sitting. now, your policy suggestions in your report. are you hopeful that a politician's government might implement these? >> this is a growing body of research showing that active market programs help offset the impacts of economic downturns and rises in unemployment on suicide mental health. so the whole point on it, any research is supposed to understand the impacts of major economic events better, but also to better understand how one

might help those affected. so, of course, it appears important for us, the politicians. we're aware when they're considering the economic impacts of an economic recession, but also to consider the impacts of recession on people's mental health. we were looking at in our report suicides, but, of course, suicides are the tip of a very large iceberg of mental health problems. for every person that takes their life through suicide, 20 or 30 people will make a suicide attempt that thankfully doesn't end in death. for every attempt, another ten people will consider suicide or develop serious depression. the estimates for suicide are reflects the tip of an iceberg of mental distress that accompanies periods of economic depression. what we know and didn't look at in our study but is the focus of future work was the extent to which any differences between countries can be explained in

differences in the way they responded to the crisis, and that will help us in terms of future economic crisis in better managing the health damaging affects and effects of mental health of economic downturns. >> david, thank you for speaking to us. david is joining us from bristol in the u.k. there's more ahead here on al jazeera. modern african art is starting to fetch top dollar at auction houses, but is it at the expense of more traditional art forms? >> beautiful, younger. in sports find out which he compared his footballer to eggs. we'll explain all of that and more.

my name is jonathan betz. i'm from dallas, texas, and i'm an anchor for al jazeera america. >>my name is ranjani chakraborty, i'm from houston, texas. >>i'm kim bondy. >>nicole deford. >>and i'm from new orleans. >>san francisco, california. when i was a little kid, i just really loved the news. >>news was always important in my family. >>i knew as a kid that was exactly what i wanted to do. >>i learned to read by reading the newspaper with my great-grandfather every morning. >>and i love being able to tell other people stories. >>this is it, i want to be a part of this. >>this is what really drove me to al jazeera america.

welcome back. african modern art seems to be the next big thing in the art world, and it's becoming increasingly outside the continent. major international galleries are showcasing art. here are some examples which will go on sale next month at the auction room. that's a london-based online auction house. the total value of this collection is almost $500,000, and the most expensive is this one, the tower of religion is expected to fetch between 85,000 to 120,000. in a moment we'll speak to the man behind this auction, but first, a report from nigeria.

>> reporter: she's one of the nigeria's budding modern artists. his exhibition is called and include diverse scenes from africa. she depicts revolution, temptation and creation in the garden of eden. in in this series of work she focused on the strength and resilience of women, and these paintings don't come cheap. they have sold for $10,000 each. >> right now african art is flourishing. one has followed the action, and a lot has changed drastically. lank year angola got the award next. people collect african art to have something hanging on the world. >> reporter: sales of her

paintings somehow a demand of modern art from africa. last year a piece sold and sales have increased by 500% according to an auction house in johannesburg. the idea that traditional artifacts represent all african artists have to offer is changing. here artists say there's a decline in sales in traditional art like masks and shoppers are going for more modern teaches. this art dealer tsz the increase in sales is due to the fact nigeria and west africa are more accessible. >> it's been underpriced. it's amazing some of the piec pieces -- i've been in the business for 18 years. we used to sell some top-notch art 15 years ago compared to the prices now.

this is why it's a great time to be collecting as an investment, if you want to be collected african art in general. >> reporter: that's good news for the artists. she takes her exhibition to london next month where she hopes to find new buyers. >> ed cross is the of a rick can art specialist at an online website. welcome to the program and al jazeera. you're in the business. why is modern african art becoming so popular? >> i think that it's just the depth of talent coming out of africa at the moment. it's always been there, of course, but it's partly to do with the growing middle class across africa and the infrastructure that is beginning to be put in place in terms of galleries, education and so on

the african continent. we're also seeing investment from, for example, nigerian banks and other financial institutions in the infrastructure over here, for example, to take modern is being sponsored by a nigerian bank. they recently put on two shows, which are going on at the moment. the first contemporary african art show is happening. it's partly to do with economics and its partly to do with the level of talent emerging and also front-runners out of africa recently over the last six or seven years. one is the sue who is an absolute superstar and ethiopian artists whose work is selling for almost $4 million in the states. there are people from kenya who

is now in new york. so it's partly assets that are working to drive this, but it's been driven from all over the place to be honest. >> where are the buyers of african art coming from? >> that's a good question. the ngn and chinese are booms if you like, they were driven by the people. african people have been a little bit slow for various understandable reasons to actually catch on to this market. it's happening now in a big way. i would say that the majority of buyers probably come from nigeria, who have a tradition of collecting. there is plenty of disposable income there. they are buyers from ethiopia, kenya, and buyers from south

africa, which is a major market in itself. there are also buyers from the far east, middle east from anybody in europe that does business there or has a love for africa. people speculate people are just buying because they love the work. >> ed, thafascinating stuff. thank you for speaking to us. ed cross, founds of ed cross fine art. from art to sports news. >> most of the footballing superpowers lived up to it. renaldo stole the shot with a hat trick for real madrid. he started on the bench but came on the in the second half. his free kick set up the second of renaldo's three goals.

there's the other goals in a 6-1 victory. >> it's an important victory because whether you start well in the first game of the group, it's a good thing for us. we have a little advantage compared to the other teams, but nothing special, i think. the result was really good. it was important to win. we have other games. >> munich made the perfect start to their title defense. they were comfortable 3-0 winners against csk moscow. any closed out this group with games. >> translator: we wanted to start with three points in the champions league season, and we did well. we left little chase and we gathered goal chances and made three points. we can be happy. >> the other game in in group,

big victory as well for psg and he was the fourth player to score 200 goals for manchester united in the 4-2 victory. >> i think if you're going to win the champions league, you need several world class players. you know, we certainly come into that category. it's really important that you have as many as you can on your team. you can see what some of the teams have got, and we have to try and keeped adding to that and keeping what we already have here. >> our football course depth lee willings joins us live from london. great start to the champions league, 30 goals in total. what matches can we look forward to on wednesday? >> reporter: some really good matches, and we're looking forward to it. it looks as tough as any champions league group sooi've n

in quite some time. chelsea doesn't have a bad group at all, really. you would expect chelsea to come through that group. it's never straightforward and easy in the champions league. schalke has a decent record and are home to bucharest. napoli is really good playing dortmund. and then think play arsenal. you can pick any two to go through. in group g, at letico madrid, and it's austria versus porto in that stage, too. perhaps not as strong as in the past, and you would say that milan would be the team most likely to go through along with

barcelona. anything can happen in the champions league. chelsea beat barcelona in a match last season. >> you talk about chelsea, but let's talk about the manager stealing the limelight with the excellent speech, actually. >> he's prone to do that. his main job is coaching players and he likes to have fun and did it dead-pan. talking about players like they're young eggs. this is what he said. >> beautiful, young eggs. eggs that need a mom, in this case, a dad to take care of t m them, to keep them warm during the winter, to bring the

blankets to work and improve them. they will arrive the moment when the weather changes, the sun rises, break the eggs, the and and the eggs are ready to play at the top level. >> so he will need to pick 11 of those young eggs for a starting line-up against basel in their first champions league game tonight. >> thank you very much for that. we'll catch up with you later on. baseball returned to washington on tuesday following a fatal shooting rampage at the nearby navy yard. >> we remain united as washingtonians and americans. >> a minute of silence was held for the 12 victims before the nationals game against the braves. the series opener was postponed a day earlier resulting in a double-header on tuesday. washington came from behind to

win the first game 6-5 and have a 4-0 victory in game two. they remain in wildcard contention after a stunning late-season turn-around. jordan spitz is on the verge of completing a rise through golf's top ranks. the 20-year-old tees off in atlanta this week as the youngest player to ever qualify for the season in the pga tour championship. he began this year in the united states second tier, but will finish with an amazing pga title. he has the president's cup also to look forward to. >> if i start really dwelling on the year, then i think i lose focus on the present in the tournament and especially the president's cup. i don't want to do that at this time. these are the most -- these two out of the next three weeks are the most important weeks of the we're year for me. >> that's it for me. thank you. do stay with us here on

al jazeera. there's lots more ahead. good-bye now. antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours.

. >> good morning. this is al jazeera, i'm rah chel kerry, these are some of the stories we are following. new insights emerging including where he bout the murder weapon used in the maz shooting and how he managed to bring it into the building undetected. and we are learning more about the shooter's history and mental illness, and how he managed to keep the security clearance even after admitting to police he heard voice voices in hs head. >> the difficult clean up is underway in colorado, homeowners trying to pick up the pieces. escalating violence in the philippines, government portions