>> and warm welcome to this madge news hour with me, david foster. these are our top stories. over the next 60 minutes world leaders address issues of syria and iran at the united nations general assemblie assembly in n. >> we have shamed and stopped

our attackers. >> killing many palestinians in the west bank. >> reporter: hello, we have the latest from europe including greenpeace activists could face 15 years in prison for trying to crime an off-coast drilling unit in the arctic. >> president obama said diplomacy must be tested when dealing with iran's nuclear program. there will be a success of world leaders talking over the course of the next few days as well as mr. obama, we're expecting the new iranian president. there see the president of colombia. we're talking on syria, mr. obama said the u.s. was

commit to finding a political solution. our diplomatic editor reports. >> reporter: president obama came to the united nations to layout his vision of the middle east and the u.s.' future involvement in the region. a detailed explanation of involvement in syria, the palestinian-israeli peace process and iran. >> we're encouraged that president rouhani received from the iranian people a mandate to pursue a more moderate course, and his statement of an agreement, i'm interested in pursuing the discussion with united kingdom, france, russia and china. had the roadblocks may prove to be too great, but i believe the

democratic path must be tested. >> reporter: he said process could only be made with the removal of the threat of nuclear bomb. but he did said iran can have a peaceful ira nuclear program ane acknowledged the mistakes of the past. >> this mistrust has deep roots. iranians have long complained of u.s. interference in their afierce anaffairs and american r throwing their government during the cold war. >> reporter: president explained the widthe wider issues he has n grappling with. >> the united states has was chastised for meddling in the

region, and at the same time blamed for not solving problems and showing inconference towards muslim population. >> reporter: president obama spelled out when it would involved itself in the middle east. from those groups he deems terrorist networks he will act. syria is another major topic, and with all the diplomatic tipping and throwing, these are testing times in new york. >> reporter: absolutely. and times to listen closely to the key leaders on this subject, on the subject of syria. not only president obama. we've also heard from perhaps the most hawkish country of all of this, the french. the trenc french president saide

needs to be accountability from the attacks that hel killed over 1,000 people. we've had the colombian president finish his speech. we're expecting the speech of the new amir o, and the newest leader of the world is president rouhani. it's all running a little late. they're supposed to only do 15 minutes each. president obama's speech was nearly 45 minutes. he took three times the amount he was supposed to do. the introduction taking place right now for the amir who we'll see coming through the door right now, and giving his first speech on this world stage, and i think we'll listen very closely to his comments on

syria. he has just formerly been introduced. this is how it takes place. a former introduction. they are introduced to the world, and remember qatar one of the most important backers of the syrian opposition. so how will he respond to the talk of peace now? we were only just a few weeks ago just hours away from war. let's see what he has to say. [applause] >> the the excellency, the president of the general assembly, the excellency, u.n. secretary general, ladies and gentlemen. at the outset i would like to congratulate mr. john ash for his election in the 68th session of the general assembly, and i

wish him success in his mission. i would like to express appreciation for hi the former president of the 67th session and his success, and i would like to ask to strengthen the united nations. there are many problems leading to stres countries people were m different regions in the world looking forward to the international community to dedicate their efforts to find solutions to poverty, hunger,

and adopting resolutions. even beyond the necessary collective attention and campaigns that are called for from time to time important as these might be. mr. president, there are events and accelerating events of importance. the result of the movement of the people and forceful entry into political public arena. the israeli conflict comes at the forefront threatening peace and international security. this is an as a result of the israeli occupation and injustice inflicted upon the palestinian people as well as the failure of creating lasting peace. continued israeli occupation of

palestinian and arab territories with the practices resulting from that including changing the demographic conditions particularly by extending of cope of activities in jerusalem the gaza strip, and changing its status quo and demographics all this cannot be accepted as normal. this is not because such actions create flagrant violation of the united nations government, but the historical injustice inflicted upon the palestinian people should end. international organizations were established on the basis of granting the right of accepting

termination in the aftermath of two world wars. it is israel should know that coercion and defect of policies do not bring peace. it is wrong for it to establish a state which seize peace and susubjugating other people and denying rights and making subjugation over peace. there is no security in peace. true peace comes from cooperation people for all. the peace we desire is built on dignity and justice jesus the u.n. resolutions and

>> the experiences of different nations and peoples confirm that under settlements do not endure that they were pre-text for new conflicts. it would not make the issue disappear. it actually transforms before our eyes into a more complicated issue because continued settlement activity leads to the destruction of the foundation for establishing a palestinian state while the current status quo changes into one that resembles an apartheid system under the domination of one state or even within the state. this would be ground for a new conflict since no people would accept continued injustice and remain silent. then any rights of the

palestinian people establishing their independent state within the limits of the 1967 borders as well as the right to return of palestinian refugees, but to present international standard and international legality which should not be advisable. just as the international community has applied the principles of international legality in the past for other crisis in the world we should apply the same legal principles for all issues therefore. we call upon the security council to uphold its responsibility in maintain international peace and security and to adopt the necessary decisions to stop israeli practices. mr. president destructive actions and horrible massacres have scorched earth and destroy cities crossing red lines

particularly after the regime's use of chemical weapons against its own people. it is unfortunate that the perpetrators of these brutal crimes and massacres which have shocked every human conscience are enjoying impunity of deterrence or accountability. this raises questions about credibility of human rights in the international community. the issue is whether or not the city possesses chemical weapons because syria is a state in conflict with another state that doesagdoes acknowledge chemical weapons. it is the use of chemical weapons against its own people.

we all know that there i failure to enforce the political settlements to the inability to the security council to take the required decision to stop the bloodshed and the continued city and regime and it's refusal of all regional and international initiatives. according the decision-making process at the security council needs to change since it lacks fairness and objective. it's a major obstacle to maintaining international peace and security, and to punish war criminals and perpetrators of crimes against humanity. therefore, we affirm the importance of accelerating

comprehensive reform of the security council in order for it to be more capable of dealing with gloam challenges and responding to the aspiration of people. this will not be achieved through the international community through the council so it becomes expressive democracy of the multi lateral work. it is obviously impossible to take any decision without the sporsupport of the majority of member states but the decision should not be mont monopolyized. i takby two or three countries.e

large number of mortars have not fallen, and the sacrifices were not made by this great people so that despotism can be exchanged for chaos or another kind of despotism. the evolutions of which people are calling for freedom, dignity and justices are now trying to reverse the march of time. these difficulties were expect expected. but some politician dos not succeed even avoiding expected anticipated problems. anyone who knows the reality of issues in the arab regions

realizes these revolutions come within a long range historical process, which was experienced before by different peoples in europe, america, asia and africa, and meeting demands of the people in all states of the world was never an easy task. it was always a path of sacrifices. it was not easy to go through it without patience and determination. rarely have there been revolutions that were not followed by desperate attempts to aboard them. that is why wise people prefer all the time that regime change should take place through gradual reform, but we also know very well certain cases in our region and other regions in the

world where there was no way for change or reform. at any rate we should not jump to hasty conclusions about the future of the arab revolutions. this is historical necessity and long term one. it is clear things in the arab world will not revert back to the way they were before, and the arab peoples have become more aware of their rights, and more involved in the public domain. always opting to be an active party taking an. constructive role through its balanced economic negotiations. we'll continue fostering this approach so the state of qatar can maintain its responsibilities and commitments

at the initial, regional and international levels. the state of qatar aims to be a human being of dialogue and discussions among different parties, and not an party in these conflicts. we open windows for cultural and information dialogue among peoples. the processes initiated by qatar, which has made it a state of institution, a state that is interacting positively with the international community was not possible to achieve out commitment to apply the rule of law, good governance, combating corruption and protecting human rights and basic freedoms as well as the women participating in public grounds with men.

as for concerns for the youth and evaluating environments to maximize their abilities will always be among the priorities of our policies. mr. president, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the middle east is a very alar alarming issue. in this context i affirm the position of qatar that every state in the region has absolute right to news nuclear power for peaceful purposes according to the standards and procedures of the atomic international agency. we also look forward to convening the helsinki conference in steps freeing the

middle east of weapons of mass destruction. the issue of climate change remains at the top of our concerns with all of its ramifications on the global system as a whole. i would like here to confirm and reiterate the commitment of the state of qatar to continue cooperation with the international community in facing this challenge and implementing the measures agreed upon during the 18th conference of the state parties to the united nations' framework convention on climate change, which was hosted by qatar at the end of the last year in order to develop a road map for tackling the negative, environmental and economic consequences of this dangerous phenomenon. it is worth mentioning here that the state of qatar has gone a long way of implementing the initiative of the global gray lands alliance which it launched in order to establish an

international organization t for this me numbe phenomenon. it will work with other organizations combating drought and preserving the environment without duplicating their work. i call upon all of you to support this initiative. mr. president, the state of qatar participates as an active and effective partner in efforts made to achieve sustained development at the international level. we have pledged to allocate the acquired percentage of our national gross national product for the least developed countries. in addition to humanitarian and relief assistance that our state provides in cases of disaster and emergency. the state of qatar has sustained

a great achievement of these goals. i thank you, peace be upon you. >> aethe emir of qatar giving hs first international speech focusing on the conflict in the middle east, talking about the israeli-palestinian situation, and also talking about the situation in syria. let's now speak to our senior political analyst who was listening to that speech. he spoke of the scorched policies of the say sad regime. >> yes, certainly a continuation of the same substance that we

had seen from his father. concentrating on the israel israeli-palestinian issue for the majority of his speech, and then qatar has taken a clear stand. on substance there might be the same in qatar. and the new emir might show more implicitness in the conduct of foreign policy. >> on the issue of syria, did we learn anything new? >> what we've learned is that there is a policy. for this time in the last two or three weeks there was a sense that he was flip flopping, reacting to policy.

there is no clear strategy for obama in the middle east. will he go to war, will he not go to war, will he talk, and then in the end he took the issues that he did. he's telling us there is a strategy behind this, and the president knows what he's doing, and he tried to justify the confusion or explain the policy. >> reporter: he said the areas where he would act when he really had to. he didn't use the phrase red lines because of the problems he's got into with that phrase on syria. on iran, we know there is a new president who has only been in power for a short period inaugurated back in august. he has been making overtures to obama. hohow do you view obama's

response. >> there was such time when iran did deal overtures. but in the white house there was someone who already made the promise or commitment in 2009 when he was candidate to president that he wanted to speak to iranians on the basis of mutual respect an. i think they look forward to a relationship where they can call cultivate nuclear energy in iran after lifting of sanctions. they look at a role as a regional power, that will be the subject of deliberations between the two presidents from time to time to come. >> reporter: this present a difficult situation for president benjamin netanyahu.

he doesn't have president ahmadinejad, who perhaps was an easy target. and last year the graph they showed of how close they were to the bombs. these are difficulties for them to speak to. >> just a couple of months ago he made it clear, and he did tie, about the use of force, he would defend allies, and when there is a questions of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, he made it clear that he would use force. i'll go out on the limb. israel has a lot to benefit from a deal between the iran and the united states. what is better than getting rid of syria's chemical weapons and iran's peaceful talks through peaceful means. what is for me conspicuous is the arab silence. i think they may potentially be the losers in lebanon, in iraq,

from american-iranian deals. israel has everything to gain. i will remind our viewers this one anecdote. israel is not mentioned once but syria is mentioned six times. >> reporter: thank you for serious analysis on the situation. difficult to predict th the big speech, and it all depends on how long all the speeches take. my guess is four hours from now.

>> let's go to nairobi. the president spoke about the number of gunmencying that five had been killed, 11 had been arrested and it was the interrogation of those. and it will leave everybody to under why and how this happened. >> well, indeed, yes. the real questions are now being asked here. the president did not elaborate about the 11 gunmen, the 11 suspects that they have in custody. who actually carried out the attack in the mall. there was ambiguity in the president's speech for people to

make their own conclusions. there are many questions right now being asked by kenyans on some of them on the social media. chief among those are what happened to the hostages? the people who were being held by the gunmen? now the president also talked about bodies under th of the rue of the free floors, and many asking whose bodies are they. they mentioned only five of the gunmen killed. officials coordinating the operation have been telling the media and kenyans there are between 10 to 16 gunmen who had carried out the attack. >> okay, i understand we have lost the line to nairobi. we'll try to get that back. we're hearing from our correspondent close to the westgate mall. talking about how many questions

need to be answered about the four-day siege. i would add one other thing, the president of kenya said he praised the civilians of the kenyan people and generosity of the kenyan people giving 60 million schillings in donations to those who had suffered at the hands of the al-shabab. a powerful earthquake hits northwestern pakistan. and the best young scientists on the continent. find out who has invented what, and then we'll hear about the footballers getting hot and bothered by th next year's cup n brazil. united nations said the israeli army is deliberately

violating international law by using forces. we went to meet one teenager who lived to tell his story. >> reporter: the 15-year-old school boy found himself caught up in a demonstration of the army. he was shot in the head. the bullet remains embedded in his skull. >> reporter: there was tear gas, but i wanting to home. that was the only way. otherwise i would have had to have taken a much longer root. >> this was where he was shot. along the wall in bethlehem between the two communities. >> reporter: there has been a significant increase of the number of palestinians killed and wounded, due to the use of

excessive force by the israeli military. >> reporter: the already too violent confron confrontation bn the palestinians and israeli forces constitute most of the deaths. acts of violence against those who have settled in the west bank continue to be carried out. a valuable olive crop was destroyed. more than 40 israelis were hurt with one israeli killed. at the roadblocks and check points along the west bank and gaza the restrictions on the freedom of movement of palestinians continue to pose a major human rights concern. odai's prognosis is not encouraging. remains unable to walk. his parents are gone and his

grandparents know they won't be with him forever. >> may god's mercy be on him so that he could at least walk again. he's just 16. what kind of future will await him. >> reporter: grandson and grandparents sharing a tragedy that spans the generations on the west bank. al jazeera, bethlehem. >> the israeli government for reaction from that report. we received this from the foreign ministry: >> the foreign ministry cannot comment on specific cases reviewereferred to in the repor. 45 has been killed in the powerful earthquake in pakistan. it hit balochistan province.

these pictures show people leaving buildings in karachi, more than 900 kilometers from the epicenter. the quake was felt as far away as new delhi. >> it frightened people as far as karachi. however most of the damage according to the authorities was reported from a remote centered district of baluchistan province. many of the mud houses could not with stand that powerful earthquake which was said to be ten kilometers deep therefore a dangerous one. however, pakistan was lucky it did not see any major damages in the cities. there it reports an island appeared off the coast in the

arabian sea. the island was said to be 30 to 40 feet high and 100 feet wide. that of course off that particular earthquake which happened 120 kilometers southwest in baluchistan. >> in the u.n. general assembly, french president françois hollande said he was encouraged by iran's willingness to engage in the international community. >> i have made the choice to engage in direct and open dialogue with president ro rouh. and i will say that while i'm in favor of dialogue i'm firm on the issue of nuclear proliferation. >> when hassan rouhani and his first speech as iran president

stands up in just a few hours' time what are we likely to hear from him? >> reporter: i think the main theme he was likely to present is he's going to try to erase the last eight years of ahmadinejad and that type of rhetoric that has damaged the image of iran and i think he'll point concretely that iran is willing and ready to do on the nuclear issue so that this becomes a memorable speech. that will be his purpose, to erase those eight years. >> how close do you think we'll get to see any visible evidence of the warming of ties between iran and the united states? if the two leaders say these things separately, certainly it's important that we see something physical. >> it would have been helpful if there had been a handshake at

the luncheon. but there may be opportunity. i don't think we should forget that on thursday there will be a meeting between secretary kerry and the iranian foreign minister. which in an of itself is historic but it's overshadowed by the expectation there would have been a handshake between the two presidents. >> president rouhani said we don't want a nuclear bomb. how much will that have been welcomed by the people in iran as a whole who suffered under the sanctions that have been imposed because of the allegations that this was, in fact, something that they wanted to achieve? >> i think it's quite welcome but not new. the iranians have been saying that for quite some time. the iranian people are suffering under these sanctions, far more so than the government and the desire for the population to end this isolation to break out of it and fix the economies are

overwhelming as well as civil society. it's interesting to see just yesterday a letter was signed and published with 500-plus members of the iranian intelligence of the cultural elite, and journalists coming out and saying they view this as collective punishment. >> if they come out and say we would like much closer ties with you, but you have to crackdown, for example, on hezbollah, would he be prepared to do that? i think h his ties with hezbollh is that of a dimension they're not going to give up that to potentially have a relationship with the united states. but at the same time i don't think that is going to be an immediate american demand. the american demand first and foremost is to make sure that the nuclear issues are resolved,

and then they'll be much easier to deal with. clearly it's going to take a long time, and it will have to be a process that really requires a tremendous amount of political capital invested by both sides. that's part of the reason why this higher level of diplomacy is needed. it's a indication that most sides are investing much more politically than they have in the past. >> if there is a new dawn between the two countries, what is most likely to put it under strain? >> well, there are plenty of elements both inside iran, inside the united states, and throughout the region, the fear that between the countries, reduction of tension also come at their expense, geopolitica gl

expense. there is a tremendous amount of support particularly amongst the populations of these two countries. >> thank you very much for joining us there. two people were killed and 60 others injured when a tornado swept through a town in brazil. state of emergency has been declared 300 kilometers west of southern california paolsao pao. it forced 60,000 people from their homes. >> typhoon usagi has destroyed roads and force people from their houses. and at least 20 people have been killed, thousands have been displaced after severe flooding in the northern philippines. monsoon rains brought by typhoon

usagi have destroyed dozens of homes in one province. we have more. >> reporter: this is now home for karla and her seven children. their house was destroyed after a landslide hit their neighborhood early on monday morning. she says she's unsure what the future might hold for them. >> we don't wanting to back there any more. we want to be in a place where we're safe. it's hard because my children are still small. >> reporter: at least 20 people have been killed and hundreds of homes have been destroyed by landslides and flash floods. rains poured inassess tentl ina.

>> the potential relocation of families that are actually living in the danger zone. >> reporter: the government is appealing for more aid. 6,000 people have already been displaced, and they're now liv living in evacuation centers with barely enough food and drinking water. the philippines is the fifth country ranked as most vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. at least 20 cyclones hit the philippines annually. >> despite many dying every year the government still has not put together a disaster emergency program. in this village all they can do is wait. it's unsure when they can go back to their normal lives again. >> time in the news to go back to london and the update on the

so-called greenpeace pirates with barbara sarah. >> reporter: thank you. authorities say they're assessing whether they're going to file charges against activists from greenpeace after they tried to climb on an offshore drilling platform in the arctic. if prosecuted the protesters could face up to 15 years in jail. >> almost a week since the greenpeace ship was raided by russian coast guard they have been towed to a fjord in northern russia. immediate fate of the activists now rests on iran prosecutors. the protest was launched in great speed to catch people by surprise.

they ascended on platforms by ropes. they were quickly ente intercep, and it soon became evident that the russians did not intend to be lenient. >> i suspect you of terrorism. >> reporter: hours after that radio exchange officers took charge of the ship and it's multi national crew. five days with the coast guard is not likely to be the end of the matter. they indicate they intend to pursue piracy charges against the group. they intended to seize the platform by storm and raised legitimate doubts about their intentions. >> investigators have launched a

criminal case according to article 227 of the criminal code, piracy. investigators plan to question participants and detain the most active amongst them. the ship was loaded with electronics whose purpose was not clear. but greenpeace insists that it's protest was peaceful and at no time was the intention to seize property in the way piracy is legally defined. >> i have no sensible explanation as to why this criminal case has been launched. they're being unlawfully held by the russian authorities. they have no means of communication with us, or their lawyers. they have been held unlawfully for five days. >> reporter: campaigners on the ship are from 18 countries including australia, brazil, canada, denmark, france, russia and the u.k. and the u.s. if prosecuted each could be facing up to 15 years in prison. paul brennan, al jazeera, mosc

moscow. >> greek public sector works have taken to the streets to voice their anger over plans to cut thousands of jobs. the greek government must drastically reduce numbers in order to get more bailout funding from its lenders. they're measuring the success of austerity measures. chamber maids are protesting against poor wages. unions say the strike will continue until the hotel gives the maids a better deal. former frenche frenches were nicholas sarkozy who could still face charges that he tricked

france's richest woman into giving campaign donation funds. and to help pay for his 2007 election campaign. the rule something a setback to sarkozy's hopes of challenging françois hollande in the 2017 presidential election. spain's king juan carlos is being admitted to the hospital in madrid for a hip operation. the 75-year-old monarch will be treated for an infection that makes it difficult for him to walk. it will be his third hip operation in less than two years. the european union has held it's 25th annual contest to find it's next generation of scientists. the event brought together 126 young scientists from 37 countries in europe and beyond. we were at the event in prague, and we have this report. >> reporter: to the three winning projects, a prize of

$10,000 each and title of young scientist of the year. this year's scientists were from ireland, finland, and the u.k. judge has to choose from 85 projects as diverse as the countries being represented. from this sweden, this system turn plastic opinions into waterproof rooftops if. >> reporter: how did you get this idea. >> we had to find a new use for plastic bottles. >> reporter: from finland, an ingenuous way to learn piano. >> this sense senses when to ple keys. >> reporter: and from austria,

surgical instrument to give surgeons better access to bowel tumors. thousands of young scientists found it okay to be serious and fun. >> it's geeky. when you have interest in science it's really fun. >> reporter: europe says it needs it's young scientists more now than ever before. some people have even spoken of a lost generation but turning these wonderful ideas into world applications that bring jobs and growth will bring huge investment. e.u. officials say investment will happen. >> this is a perfect example of how european youth can bring all of europe in a much more

positive perspective on the future. >> reporter: there is no doubt the talent on display nor the commitment to life of science and innovation, ideal for the economy of the future. the challenge facing europe's politicians is providing investments and incentives that will keep these scientists and their ideas in europe and encourage those who want to fall in their footsteps. >> those are the stories making the news in europe. let's go back to david in doha. >> only for a second. we thank you any way because its time to introduce sports. >> reporter: well, the top man at the world footballer's union believes his members are in for a tough time against brazil. ththe debate over hot playing conditions is not the only concern for qatar 2022, but the heat in brazil and the afternoon kick-offs will exacerbate the

problem and they also spoke about travel schedule. having to deal with heat, humidity and altitude at the world cup in mexico. he said modern players should be more than capable of dealing with the expected temperatures in brazil. >> we have that in mexico, and we have the humidity and the smoke, but it didn't have a massive affect on the quality of the play. i think players get used to it over the competition, and i think the mexico world cup was a great showcase for world football. brazil i don't think is a problem. we talk about traveling four-hour flights, but professional footballers and professional athletes are doing it all the time. >> reporter: we have more football kicking off in this hour. barcelona in spanish league

action is coming up halftime. namo with his first goal for the club in the fifth minute. then they make it 2-0, and they have a perfect record with five straight wins, and it looks like six they're currently 3-0 up. now 25 years on sprinter ben johnson has returned to the scene of one of the most infamous races in athletic history the olympic final in south korea was subsequently linked to doping. now johnson is trying to eradicate drugs from sports. >> reporter: back on the track. back at the scene of the crime. ben johnson took his time strolling the 900 meters that he ran in 1 1.79 seconds. in his lane, support for his

latest venture, the face of drugs and sport and now the face to eradicate them. >> i don't want to do this to have a good name or seeking media attention. the sport needs changes. >> reporter: in 1988 the sport made an example of him. the race watched around the world was forever tainted by johnson's drugs test. stripped of his medal and time he always maintained his own cheating was to keep pace with other cheaters. that it was impossible to compete at the highest level without drugs. >> test something getting better, drugs are getting better. technology has changed over the past 25 years. >> reporter: the man behind this campaign is australian sports

wear entrepreneurer. he said this is part of a long-term effort. >> these things take time and you have to start somewhere. the fact that we're generating less than 4,000 petition signature is disappointing. but we'll continue to do what is right and we'll continue to do it. >> reporter: it's objective is to secure better funding and better support for athletes who want to come clean. ben johnson still believes his victory achieved here in this stadium 25 years ago should still stand. he was just one of the majority of athletes of his era that were on performance-enhancing drugs. for all the optimism surrendering his campaign. you you know believes the situation has gotten even worse in the quarter century since. >> and u.s. ryder cup tom watt on it insists that age will be no barrier to success.

they have begun the countdown ahead of the 2014 tournament. europe up holds the trophy and the u.s. and has not brought the cup away from home since 1993. the american captain said it wilhe'llbe 65 when the team como scotland, but he won't be out of touch with his players. >> age is not an issue at all, the players on my team, our team, they know that i've been a player in the ryder cup. they know i've been a captain of the ryder cup. they know that i know that they know. >> reporter: you cannot buy experience. that ryder cup story is the top story as well. okay, more later. >> thank you very much. indeed, you're quite right. you cannot buy experience. i'll be back with another half hour of news in just a moment. thanks for watching the news.

on august 20th,

>> welcome to al jazeera. i'm tony harris in new york. here are your headlines. we're still waiting for iranian leader hassan rouhani to speak to the united nations. reports are that he skipped launch because alcohol was being served. president obama did speak to world leaders at the united nations and the president wants the u.n. to support tough punishment against syria if it doesn't give up chemical weapons. he asked russia and iran to stop supporting syrian president bashar al-assad. congress and senate has one week left to agree to