>> how are you doing. this is the al jazeera america news hour with me, david foster. >> no nation should possess nuclear weapons. >> iran's president addressed the historic meeting with the united states. war rages in syria. at the u.n. a deal on chemical weapons may be getting closer. we're live new york. more than two years after

the tsunami in japan, of debris is still washing up on beaches thousands of kilometers away. >> reporter: hello there, we have the latest news from europe including. >> in the custody-- >> reporter: the former li liben president lost his bid for freedom. and once sees sanctions are now flourishing again. >> iran's foreign minister and secretary of state is set to meet face to face. it will be the first time in more than 30 years that there has been a meeting at this level. in a speech earlier on this

thursday. iran's president calls on all nations to eliminate nuclear weapons. hassan rouhani proposed a road map to ban nuclear weapons. >> the world has waited too long for nuclear disarmament. nuclear weapons tonight be tolerated. nuclear weapon states have the responsibility forever nuclear disarmament. i urge them to comply with this long-overdue obligation. this must not be delayed any further or hold hostage of non-proliferation or perceived notion of strategic stability. >> it could not have come at a better time iran and the united states are holding their first high-level meeting since 1979. the u.s. has admitted that it's close alliance with iran was because the c.i.a. focused to

keep the shah in power. americans were taken hostage and were kept for 444 days. brief corporation in the war in afghanistan after 9/11, that didn't last, and the american government accused iran for arming members of the iraqi coalition and soldiers. they have been threats and sanctions over iran's nuclear program. former u.s. state officer direct director of government affairs. joe, are there many expectations of this meeting, or is it simply a get together and they'll talk of something substantial later. >> no, this is the substantive

meeting. we'll see high levels from iran and the united states talking. in addition to that, irani foreign minister and secretary kerry, it's likely that there will be sustained negotiations and dialogue after today in the p-5 plus one as well as laterally. >> i would imagine not everybody is welcoming this with open arms. there are suspicious people, particularly in the building behind you, congress. >> reporter: well, certainly there's a lot of skepticism about negotiations and diplomacy and with good reason. we've seen several decades of a cold relationship to say the least. the intentions othe inquestion s intentions persist. president obama and president rouhani said focus on the nuclear program.

the united states should be laying out it's objectives of how to ensure not only does iran not acquire nuclear weapons, but that this is verifiable and clear. and the same then for the iranians to perform what they're going to see in return. if that kind of constructive conversation can take place, that will very much impact the political debate, which is very skeptical, yet willing to see what comes out of these negotiations. >> why do you think mr. rouhani is in this position now? is it ideologically he is against nuclear weapons or is there pressure from the iranian citizenry. >> a combination of sorts. in 2003-05 when he was nuclear negotiator for iran, he would reduce tensions.

that was in his background. also the signal sent by the iranian people, although they didn't have a choice of what candidates to run, when given the slate they chose the most mamoderate candidate and gave hm their endorsement overwhelming overwhelmingly. for a moment the supreme leader is willing to empower rouhani to seek a deal. that will not last forever, but they need to act. >> just a thought. when sanctions are hut in place, is it because they have feeling in iran, feeling pressurized their standard of living has gone down. does that show that sanctions actually do work? >> sanctions clearly have had an impact on irani calculations. that is the goal from the american perspective. trying to make sure that the iranian government, the leadership, does make the choice to come to the table.

but the iranian people themselves, too, they saw ahmadinejad for what he was, the previous president. they did not like him. he fell out of favor with the supreme leader, and the iranen people are looking for a better way not only in the world but internally for more freedoms. they believe in that vote with the limited choices that they had that they were selecting their candidate. here in washington people are very interested in that part of the story. in how the iranian people have expressed themselves. the debate about sanctions, will it be used to leverage a real deal that sticks or will they not? that's what we're going to see in the days ahead. >> joel, thank you very much. it will be interesting if anything publicly is revealed about that meeting on the sidelines of the united nations. the security council is apparently inching towards a resolution of how to deal with

syria's chemical weapons, according to a couple of diplomats. they're trying to overcome their differ reasodeferencedifference. let's go to u.n. headquarters. overcome their differences. do you think they'll agree to disagree or will they work together. >> reporter: they'll work together to make this resolution happen. it sets out a timeline for syr syria's chemical weapon arsenal by 2014. diplomats tell us that they're very close to a deal and have an agreement on substantive issues. the west has to back down on one key point. they're looking for a resolution of chapter 7, that would allow the community to back up their words with force.

whether it's a military intervention, sanctions. if syria did not comply with its obligations under the resolutions. so russia was strongly against that. that's off the table. what there is in this resolution, we're told, is an agreement to come back for further measures under chapter 7 if syria does not comply. so not as strong as the west and the united states were looking for, but a substantive agreement, the only agreement we've had on syria, and since the conflict began here at the united states. and we could have it as soon as early next week. we still need to wait for a vote from the chemical watchdog vote which will oversee the chemical collection. >> as the talking goes on, so, too, the fighting and millions of people who have been displaced, whether they're

refugee, outside of syria and if they're known euphemistically displaced. what about the humanitarian? >> 7 million people impacted by the fighting, displaced or refugees. that's a third of the population of syria. and that's very much on the minds of people here in the united nations. there is a meeting today, the group is called "the friends of syria." they're looking to raise money to help. they include people from the united states, turkey, jordan, germany, just to name a few. they need a few billion dollars to address this crisis, and that's just this year. they only have half of that money, they're looking for donors to come through and

provide them with more. there is talk among the non-ngos that are affiliated with the u.n. they need more access to the people in syria. that's another discussion happening on the sidelines of the general assembly here. how can they get better access to the people whether it's crossed lines or cross borders, in both cases they're having trouble meeting people in need. they want to put pressure on not only the syrian government but neighboring states so they can help those people. >> the next guess is early next week. thank you very much, indeed. in syria mortar shells landing close to damascus. the embassy is just a kilometer away from the hotel where the u.n. weapons inspectors are staying. in the southwest damascus

there are reports of government shelling, and a gospel offensive to take over a city of harms. it's been a strong hold since the start of the conflict. syrian president bashar al-assad said he has not ruled out the possibility that the u.s. might target his country in military strikes. he said the u.s. has a history of violating the u.n. charter. >> the possibilities for an offensive will always be present. at one moment under the pretext of chemical weapons. other times the pretext will be different. for decades the united states is exceedining the security counci, violating the united nations charter and violating all human and moral values. perhaps we should take that possibility into account everywhere in the world. that's what we do in syria. we ask ourselves if there is an possibility an offensive will take place. no one knows for certain when

that possibility can become reality. >> presidenreality. >> a heavy price for involvement and is under increasing pressu pressure. >> the military power in the battle for syria is still in the regime's favor, and that is unlikely to be affected if the syrian government loses it's chemical weapon stock pile. that gave a new lease of life. by averting international military intervention. but undoubtedly it could be a painful concession not just for the syrian government but its allies as well. >> if syria ends up at the end of this process really giving up it's chemical weapons that is a strategic loss for syria. that's a strategic loss for hezbollah and others. because those chemical weapons were part of the deterrent of

israel and the u.s. i think they're feeling secure that the regime will be around for a good while longer. >> reporter: but they no longer feel secure at home. their strong hold in beirut has been linked with car bombings, the area is now protected by the state. security forces replaced hezbollah's men at check points which were set up after the attacks. hezbollah said the move of its kind should silence critics who believe the group is acting as a state within a state. >> hezbollah's message is that we want to return to the state. i expect the group to soon announce that it's pulling its forces out of syria. it will say that it is no longer involved. it has paid a high price for its role and the future of syria is in the hands of russia and the united states. >> reporter: it's leader has sent a message to resolve the conflict through dialogue.

>> i want to extend the sincere and honest invitation to saudi arabia, turkey and the rest of the arab and islamic states. review your positions. you're betting on a failed military option. the solution is political. >> reporter: hezbollah has never shied away to declare it's state of policy. this has not been without a price. it has earned itself enemies especially since its forces have been fighting along side the regime. it's not clear if hezbollah entered syria with an exit strategy, but there seems to be an option. hezbollah's main backer iran is not only pushing for a solution to the syrian war but it is pushing to be a part of it. >> coming up on this program, the roma should be kicked out. former lie bearalyformer li.

>> here in al jazeera we've been able to get hold of video of the mall attack in kenya last saturday. the goal of the red cross has changed from rescuing people to coping with grief. more than 70 people are still missing. >> reporter: through the eyes of the first emergency teams to arrive at westgate mall a brave attempt to save lives as the attackers are still shooting and taking hostages. kenya red cross secretary general is leading his teams,

many of them volunteers. non-have any idea of what's happening. they're just trying to do their jobs against overwhelming odds. >> hospitals will need to get details. we need to have teams and teams and we're going to act like machines. there are several bodies we need to move. >> reporter: five days later there is a different challenge. aside from a nationwide campaign to get flood donations he has to try to find more than 70 people reported missing. >> i couldn't even imagine the pain that they're going through, but on the other hand, unfortunately, there is little one can do. it is so sad. as a human being, as a muslim, and as a kenyan, you can't

explain how to present. >> this is a grief counselors who are presently taking a break. there are more than 200 of them working around the clock,al voluntary. the challenge is not the grief but not knowing if their relatives, their friends are alive or dead. >> reporter: the collapse of three floors at the mall have buried an unknown number of hostages, and the red cross is dealing with scores of distres distressed people trying to find their relatives. this grief counselor has been working nonstop since last saturday. >> the challenge here is getting people to come. they're not likely to be found at this point in time after the building has collapsed.

in. a short distance away is a tent outside of the city as mall. this woman has come to ask if her husband has been found. the answer is yes. the missing tally goes down by one. for so many years the wait will be much longer. andrew simmons, al jazeera. >> al-shabab which claims to have carried out the mall steak has told al jazeera it has carried out another attack on kenyan police close to the border with somalia. they said that two police officers were killed. al-shabab wants kenya to pull its troops out of somalia. interpole issued, quote, a most wanted notice for samantha lewthwaite known as the white widow. detectives say they want to question her on charges of

possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony. former liberian president lost his war crimes appeal. >> reporter: thank you. judges at the international criminal court in the netherlands held up the prison sentence. you'll remember he was convicted last year for planning and aiding atrocities by rebel in sierra leone's civil war. >> reporter: taylor sat impassively through the reeding of the judge, rising to hear the end of the decision. >> charles taylor remains in custody pending the finalization of arrangement toss serve his sentence. >> reporter: taylor will now be transferred from a detention center in the hague to potentially a maximum security prison. his victims were pleased by the

decision but say they're still suffering. >> so many of us are still suffering. he is suffering, and he is here, even though he's locked up. >> reporter: judges last year convicted taylor on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. for aiding and abetting the rebels who murdered, raped and pillages their way through neighboring sierra leone during an 11-year civil war which cost 50,000 lives until 2002. during the trial taylor said his involvement was not proved. and he denied running a so-called blood diamond trade, swapping precious stones for weapons and personal wealth. >> never. ever. did i receive whether it is mayonnaise, coffee, or whatever, never did receive any diamonds from the iuf. it is a lie. it is a di diabolical live.

>> in 2010 supermodel naomi campbell testified at the trial. taylor had given her a large-cut diamond after dinner. the prosecution said taylor should serve 80 years because of his involvement. >> reporter: the prosecutor for the special court for sierra leone said the outcome has a broader message. >> what the appeals chamber today made clear was what the trial chamber made clear. that is people in position of leadership have not only power and authority, but they have responsibility and accountability. and if we can move that message forward and expand its application, i think that is a water shed moment for human rights. >> reporter: divers in italy have found human remains at the site where costa concordia was

at rest. 32 people died when the costa concordia capsized in january last year. the remains will now be dna tested. more than 1800 my grants have been found off the coast of italy in the last 4 hours. the vessels they use are often barely seaworthy. thcomments have been criticized by human rights groups and even members of the european commission. jackie reports from paris. >> reporter: a rear viea roma cy has set up home at least temporarily on the outskirts of the city. like all eu citizens roma have the right to move freely throughout the european union. but with local elections approaching in france, some politicians are turning roma and

their campsites into analect a n electoral issue. >> we're not trying to stigmatize them. but look at the reality. the difficulties we're experiencing in these cities. >> reporter: the socialist government has been dismantling these camps under the right wing administration. there are about 20,000 roma in france, and the interior minister said most of them should be expelled. until recently there was a roma camp on this scrap of wasteland, but they've even been moving on from here. which gives you a sense of how marginalized these people are. but roma groups say they don't live like this by choice. they say french law prevents roma were getting a proper job and without a job they can't get housing. >> most of them are in france for fiv 5 to 20 years, if they

didn't want to remain they would not remain in this particularly hard conditions. they would not remain in france if they didn't want to integrate. >> reporter: in sweden, two roma have found themselves at the center of a controversy. swedish poll his have admitted to setting up a database of roma living south in the country. this ethnic profiling is illegal. >> if we want to be a credible voice we must keep our own house tidy. >> reporter: the case of the roma is testing the limits of eu rules on the freedom of movement. it also acts as a gain of levels of xenophobia in france and elsewhere in western europe. al jazeera, paris. >> we'll be looking further into that story on "inside story." you can see that on al jazeera in injures six hours time. we're back a little later with news, but now it's back to

david. >> india's prime minister describing an attack of indian kashmir as barbaric. killing four people as well as a policeman. the group dressed in indian army uniform and then raided a military base. the attack will not derail peace talks with pakistan taking place this weekend. n.a.t.o. says one of its soldiers in afghanistan has been shot and killed. according to the alliance, the taliban said it was behind the attack. still ahead, no shelter from the elements pakistani say they desperately need tents and water. we are with rescue crews in india where thousand versus been left strapped, and we have more

rains on the way. a man in charge of the sport of cycling is about to go run off the way in about 20 minutes time. ç]

>> welcome back. you're watching the al jazeera news hour with me, david foster. the u.s. secretary of state is due to meet his iranian counterpart in the coming hour at the united nations. the iranian president calling on all nations to sign a global treaty to remove all nuclear weapons. the use or threat of use of nuclear arms. the wate syrian fight sometg getting close to syria's capital damascus. interpoll issued a most wanted notice for the british

woman samantha lewthwaite known as the white widow. and thousands of people in southwest pakistan are waiting for help two days now after a quake hit the area. nearly 350 bodies have been found but its thought that that number will rise. the earthquake hit large areas, the poorest in the country, it already lacks basic medical supplies and decent hospitals. >> reporter: it was once a cluster of several villages in the remote part of southwestern pakistan with the population of 5,000 people. but these villages were destroyed by the earthquake earlier this week. it killed hundreds. days after the quake hit people are still digging in the hopes of finding family members. still unaccounted for.

they want to make sure that no one is buried under the rubble. 15 people including women and children are missing, and the same story is repeated in orvilleages close by. >> we have lost everything, as you can see. and i'm still struggling to find my family members, who are missing. and salvage anything we can from the debris. we have no food, no water, no shelter. there is no help from anyone. >> reporter: the district police chief assures that these people are coping on their own. he recalls the terrible day when he thought that his town was no more. >> soon after when he came out to a house there was a cloud of dust everywhere. i thought the whole area was gone. we tried to recruit all possible help we could, but the government help did not make it

possible. >> despite the fact that the government said a massive rescue effort is underway, many villa villages we have seen today said they have received no help. for now they can find some protection from the blistering sun with i am pro ver improvisa. >> in the indian state tenses thousands of people have been rescued from areas worst hit by the flood, but many are still trapped. >> the rains finally stopped around the city to reveal the damage. when the flooding began rescue efforts were slow in this area but picked up on thursday. we followed these rescue workers as they headed out. floating down the water on what

used to be a paved road there were signs everywhere that showed how bad the flooding became here. rescuers came to the small village outside the city. people here told us they had been stranded for days. they can do with whatever they have. >> it's been like this for four days. there is no food. there is nothing here. there is water everywhere. >> only a few villages at a time can be taken away, and that time couldn't come any sooner for kanu has been trapped in the village with his pregnant wife without any amenities. >> my wife is pregnant. there we could not get a doctor of any kind for support for her. >> it's the first days that the incessant rains have stopped. rescue crews have welcomed the break and it's the first chance they've had to rescue people in this area. but hundreds in the state are still trapped and the forecast

is still calling for more rain. they say rescues are happening around they expect to stay busy. >> reporter: so far today we've rescued 150 people. for the past few days we've rescued people from bridges, highways, and now because of the weather we've come to the pa periphery. >> reporter: but these people were left to fend for themselves without help. all they can do now is wait for the water to recede so they can return to their villages and return what is left of their homes. >> the international olympic committee praised russia's preparation for winter olympics in so sochi. >> reporter: they say the games are ready and it will be a fabulous experience. a new russian law that critics

call anti-gay. >> reporter: torrential rain and extensive flooding led regional authorities to declare a state of emergency in sochi earlier this week. but neither the weather nor on going civil rights concerns have dampened the ioc's final assessment. >> we visited all olympic facilities in the valley and some on the mountains, and our conclusion is quite definite. this is impressive. >> reporter: much of the city still looks like an enormous building site with unfinished hotels and debris from the construction scattered across the coast. but the games will go ahead. and on the subject of civil liberties. they insist that it was not the io c's role to intervene. >> as long as all are treated

with respect, we're satisfied. and this is the case. >> reporter: just over four months from now the sochi games will finally get under way. the stage is not set for athletic excellence but political protest. >> reporter: while the ioc delegation was touring sochi, ten gay rights protests were arrested in moscow. they were demonstrating against a new russian law, allawi the campaigners say is used as an excuse to ban all gay rights demonstrations. nikkological inikkoli said to cd support. >> you can do this during the medals ceremonies or during

competition where people can wear their pins of rainbows connected to the gay community. this can be very embarrassing for the russian authorities. >> reporter: russian and ioc officials say athletes and spectators will not be affected by the ain' anti-gay law. just four months time we might find out. al jazeera, moscow. >> a greenpeace photographer who was arrested for protesting has been jailed for two months. one of 30 people detained after a protest against oil exploration in the arctic. others are being investigated for piracy. there is a new twist in the stand off of italy for

berlusconi for tax fraud. now giorgio napalitano has taken the step of criticizing them and calling the threat disturbing. europe's wildlife population has dropped dramatically, but a new study suggests through the 1960s, limits on hunting have seen some endangered animals from wolves to eagles stage a remarkable come back. >> reporter: the report looks at 80 mammal pollalations and 19 bird populations across europe, and it turns out almost all has risen. one of the clearest success stories is the european bison. by 1920 europe had no wild bison. just a couple in zoos. but thanks to a breeding president busprogramthere are 3.

the gray wolf population has quad drewed to more than 11.5000. the report suggests better compensation for farmers whose livestock are killed by wild animals. but the comeback could help rural communities through ec ecotourism. >> conservation and legal action have helped the cause. >> the main reason why these two species are coming back is e.u. regulation. the directive, the habitat directive and the legislation that protect these species. that's important. the member states they can't just bring them out. that's the fix, so to speak. on the other hand there have been over the last 50 years a

lot of conservation efforts by ngos, private individuals, institutions and governments who have been trying to bring natural habitat to restore what we have lost. >> reporter: now back to david in doha. >> julie, thank you very much, indeed. it has been more than two years since a tsunami devastated parts of japan's east coast, and believe it or not debris is still washing up on beaches in north america. alaska has massive amounts of coast line and much of it appears there. >> reporter: the high wide view is spectacular. the largest uninhabited island looks pristine, untouched by the modern world. but land on these beaches or walk the shoreline and you get the true close up picture. the picture of a slow moving environmental disaster.

metal barrels, parts of old shoes, plastic bottles, fishing floats and buoys from aqua culture farms litter the beach. >> it's not hopeless. we just need more resources and more people. but it's not hopeless. it's never ending. >> reporter: half or more is tsunami debris. it's packed by hand and flown out by helicopter. montague island is a dumping side in the northern corner of the gulf where currents and prevailing winds drive logs, fishing boats and anything else that floats onshore. >> this is chinese or korean, i'm not sure. >> whiskey. >> reporter: conditions are a little better this year. heavier stuff is coming in now, but there is less of it. last summer in the first big

wave of tsunami trash the garbage on the beaches increased 100-fold. a huge job for the crew trying to cover every inch of every beach. >> job security. based on what i've seen so far, you can't find an end right now. >> reporter: so far they've taken 30 tons per mile of plastic like this off the coast line on montague island, and they have a lot more work to do. in fact, they figure about 75 more miles to the south. and the farther they go, the harder this operation will get. 100 to $150,000 a mile. another eight to ten years at current staffing and funding levels. >> we don't know what the true environmental damage is. we can look at how many miles of coast line are covered in plastic, but what does that translate into so far as ecological damage and what does that do to our fisheries. >> ten thousand miles of alaskan

shoreline needs to be cleaned up. >> a wise woman told me this is our kitchen. we need to keep it clean. this is where we get our food. >> reporter: it's where more of this comes ashore every day with every tide. al jazeera, montague island, alaska. >> stay about us, we've got sport coming up. we'll tell you whether the detroit tigers are celebrating for a third straight year. ç]

>> sudan there has been a big increase in the cost of getting

about. massive costs of fuel prices. that has led to protests across the country. demonstrations began when the government began to end fuel subsidies all together. we report from kartu. >> protesters who were shot dead during the protest. as many as 60 people were killed in the protest. these demonstrators shout they want to overthrow the government. this man chose bullets that he say were fired by security forces. elsewhere in kartume. fear of shortages came the day after many at the traditional stations had been torched during violent protests. internet services have been restored after 24 hour internet black out. cars were burned, buildings

torched during the demonstrations which were marketly more violent that protests last year. the government did not protest n the protests themselves but thee kind of protests involved. >> we can protest that doesn't damage property or individuals or their rights. >> reporter: the government said it can no longer offer cheap fuel. the economy is short of cash after losing it's oil income when south sudan became independent two years ago. but some say this will lead to higher bus fairs and food prices which people here feel they can no longer afford. they say they've been struggling with rising prices for months now because of the high inflation rate. the leader of the uma party is calling for peaceful protests and the general strike.

>> the salvation of the nation lies in a new system. our party has laid out our vision for the new system. the vision for a new constitution, a comprehensive and just peace and how to achieve this. mobilization, sit-ins and civil protests lead to go a general strike. >> reporter: the government was clearly prepared for these demonstrations and in contrast sudan's opposition party has a reputation for being disorganized and poorly led. so while more demonstrations are expected in the coming days it's not clear where they're headed. al jazeera, kartume. >> it's the worst drought in libya in 30 years. many people have been affected. al jazeera went to see some of them. >> reporter: the people's diet is mostly meat and milk but both are scarce in this drought. the men have been gone for

months. they must take the cattle to find water as women take refuge from the sun in their old village. 20 people left when they moved to find water. >> it's been two years with no rain. maybe we'll die. the own thing that keeps us alive are the animals. the animals have died and now i have nothing for my child. >> reporter: more aid is arriving at the direction center. the government said a million people are in need. almost half of the population. the president said the climate change may be to blame for the drought. although not everyone is convinced it is at the front of the minds of those attending the u.n. convention. >> if we don't have sufficient water in africa, example, do you think held be in america, europe, elsewhere in the world? it would not be possible. therefore it's very important as

one family of the global village, we should be able to dress this problem. >> reporter: the government wants to kill wild animals in the national parks to help feed the people. it's a source of food that were used during droughts before large areas of land were protected. noit's people are particularly vulnerable. they already experience climate extremes. right now it's in the relationship of its worst drought in 30 years. but four years ago it was hit by its worst flooding in 40 years. the climate changes will get worse and more frequent. >> she's dancing to lift her daughter's spirits in a world of problems not of their making.

>> let's turn to sport. >> reporter: thank you very much. oracle team usa has been celebrating their victory. holding eight successive races to the new team new zealand. it's the longest regatta in the sailing event. they have reinvigorated interest in the america's cup but the question asked is the high cost of participating. >> it's an incredible comeback. i don't know if i've ever seen anything like this in yacht racing. you have wind, water, all kinds of things that actually come into play. so it's a long time with wind in the mind and technology development. this comeback is extraordinary. changes they made in this cup, these boats are phenomenal. the technology, amazing.

but there was a high cost to it. this cup was probably one of the most expensive to compete. we only had three competitors trying to take on the u.s. it certainly brought a lot of lifeblood and a lot of eyeballs. people are excited. but the cost is extraordinary. there has got to be a balance there. >> a mixture of disappointment and pride many disappointments for the kiwi supporters after their team's final effort. and that could threaten the future of team new zealand. they say it's too early whether they'll challenge again with the new zealand government will also reconsider what level of financial support they'll offer. it has had a great profile like louis vuitton an. the government will sit down and have a conversation with them. >> reporter: to football, there are three matches on thursday. meanwhile the late penalty that

real madrid to win has been labeled a mistake. carlos sánchez is judged to have pulled down pape at the time. the chief of spain referee said that the official involved might have had a family issue that meant he wasn't in the right frame of mind when awarding the penalty. ordered to play four games behind closed doors after it's fans riot during the derby last week. police needed tear gas to disperse the crowd and the match was abandoned. there could be a new president to cycling governing body in a few hours time. eye ratio man pat mcway has been called to resign over the scandals of doping,

namely the armstrong doping. >> reporter: the doping revelations last year left cycling's reputation punctured. but the president pat mcquay have survived calls for him to resign. he could finely lose his crown to cookson. cookson looks to secure the european vote which would be 14 of the 22 that he needs to be elected. >> i think it would an bad day for cycling if i'm not elected. we've had a troublesome last few years and if we don't have a change that era will continue. >> reporter: technically m mcquaid does not have a valid nomination, but he believes he could be appointed and approved by congress. he has held up his work from the commission to investigate how the sport was being run.

but mcquaid's army of critics are finally expecting to pay the price for years of questionable governance of uci. >> i wouldn't say that the cycling ills are all his fault, but at the end of the day, pat mcquaid and his predecessor, this has been the home of cycling for 22 years. we've seen cycling dive in the depth of despair. >> mcquaid saying there is a lot of evidence that the sport is cleaning up. it's a lot cleaner than when i came into it. but changing coaching does take time. i want three more years to do that, then i will stand down. >> reporter: despite its problems cycling has tried to stay on track. it has attracted a lot of positive attention with last two tour de france winners among its competitors.

but cook son and mcquaid, cycling seated power. >> now she's struggled with injuries and lack of form but venus williams is on track to finish the tennis season on a high. going to the semifinal of the pan pacific open in japan for the first type she overcame canada's bushard. and i the fastest serve in tenn. the detroit tigers are celebrating a third consecutive title in the american league central. the division was secured with a 1-0 defeat of the minnesota twins on wednesday. seven shutout innings against

the twins. the twins 2002 of 2004 to win the division three years in a row. well, could that be the second time in 19 years of postseason won't be th the new k yankees. ending their wildcard hopes the yankees are preparing to say farewell to two players on sunday. for more on next year's winter olympics check out www.aljazeera.com. you can look at our teams using facebook and twitter. again, www.aljazeera.com/sports. i'll have more later. >> thank you very much, indeed. that's the news from the news hour team with david foster. for now, we have more coming up

after the break. al jazeera.

>> welcome to al jazeera. i'm tony harris. here are your headlines. we are just over four days away from a partial government shutdown, and there appears to be some progress. house republicans are considering adding a delay in implementing parts of the healthcare law to a bill to raise the nation's debt limit. that bill will come up for debate next month. the foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the u.n. security council plus germany are scheduled to meet in an hour's time. the ministers will discuss iran's nuclear program. on the sidelines u.s. secretary of state john kerry will be meeting with his iranian counterpart. it will be