>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello and welcome to the news hour. i'm steven cole from al jazeera headquarters in doha. closed for business, the u.s. government tells its nonessential staffers to stay home. we'll be live in the capitol with the consequences. police in athens move to

seize belongings. and japan reveals a controversial new sales tax to try to reinvigorate the economy. we open this news hour in syria, a new team of chemical weapons inspectors has arrived inside the country there 20 experts all crossed the border from lebanon to syria just a short while ago. the goal is to identify and withdrawal all chemical weapons. these pictures are showing opposition forces taking control of a check point. president bashar al-assad

will stay in power and could run for again. he said it is up to the people to decide. young activists took to the streets in order to show their support for the presidents. we're not going to talk about election, we're going to talk about weapons inspectors. what do we know so far about the inspectors that are -- [ technical difficulties ] >> well, we do know steven that the mission they are about to embark on is an unprecedented one according to officials at the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons. we also know they are going to dismantel all chemical weapons stockpiles in a country where a civil war is still take place,

and they are supposed to do that by 2014. we also understand in the next couple of days they are going to be sitting down and going through the inventory of chemical weapons provided by the syria government as well as the list of chemical weapons sites. but these remain undisclosed according to the agreement. then they are going to deploy to the field and begin work, and their first challenge, their first task which they have to embark on as soon as possible would be to dismantle and destroy the facilities where chemical weapons are produced and mixed. that's the first priority, because they are trying to crush the heart of the chemical weapons program in syria, and they have a deadline of november 1st for that. >> what about the government?

what about syria, is it cooperating fully in >> according to officials, they say the syria government is so far cooperating fully. that they have easily and quickly approved the list of the name of the inspectors that are going in with no objection to their nationality. the president has appeared saying they will comply fully. and we do know according to reports that there will be a lot of corroboration. this whole partnership is being done in partnership with the syrian site. so it's not like we're going to see chemists blowing up chemical weapons sites without coordinating and collaborating with the syrian government. but the november 1st deadline may not be realistic.

whether it is feasible or not will depend on the ebb and flow of the civil war. these teams have to travel through rebel-controlled areas, in cam bat zones and near the front lines. so we don't know of a united nations decision to send special foreign troops to protect these experts while they are working. >> thank you. simon mcgregor wood takes a look now at what the un inspectors are likely doing inside the country. >> the 20-strong team will be working to a tight deadline and under extreme conditions. there are engineers, paramedics and of course chemists. the task is daunting. the resolution says all production plants and equipment must be destroyed by november 1st. >> this is quite an ambitious

time line, and all the situation on the ground does comply indicate the mission. so this is quite challenging. >> reporter: preparations in the netherlands have been meticulous. the inspectors security will be a top priority. the syria government is thought to have gathered its chemical weapons at two dozen sites, but some of them are near front line positions. field teams will have to wear body armor and helmets at all times. >> we are like soldiers. and we will do a very good job there. >> reporter: each will wear a hand-held monitor to test the environment. they will gather samples and then devise way to destroy what

is thought to be a 1,000-pound stockpile of chemical weapons. given the deadline they will need the cooperate of syrian government experts and they will need coordination with opposition forces. that will require delegate negotiation and both sides will be quick to blame the other if something goes strong. americans are waking up to up certainty. nine hours after the white house ordered a partial shutdown of the government. the dispute centers in a law championed by u.s. president obama which seeks to provide health care for millions of uninsured americans. that is opposed by republicans who say it is too expensive. >> the american people in the

greatest land, the greatest country in the world deserve to have their government open. and they deserve to know where their members stand! do you stand with your country? do you stand for your country? or do you want to take it down this evening? stand up for your country! stand up for america! >> the american people don't want a shutdown. and neither do i. i didn't come here to shut down the government. i came here to fight for a smaller,less costly and more accountable government. but here we find ourselves dealing with a law that is causing unknown consequences and uncon damages to the american people and our economy. >> they keep trying to do the same thing over and over again.

they have voted to repeal obamacare 45 or 46 times. now that's a lot of repetition. and now they are trying to do it again. >> the shutdown may only be partial, but itself effects will be felt. millions could lose their pay. museums and parks have decided to close their gate, it strips the government of revenue of up to $30 million a day. the salaries of u.s. troops will also be protected after the president signed a new measure into law. after a million federal workers are on unpaid leave, describe what are the nonessential public workers? are all of this just irritant

value, or will all americans notice a real difference. >> certainly those americans will. they are not sure how long they will be paid for the next few weeks. as for the issue of not being furloughed, who aren't being sent home without pay they will continue to work but they are not sure when they will get a paycheck. so there's a big chunk of people now who are unsure about they financial stability and that has a potential effect on all sorts of sections of the economy. so that does have an effect. in the longer term from an international point of view, if this is only going to go on for a few days, it is thought there won't be a huge impact on the gdp. if it goes on longer, then

there's a chance to return to recession. it's more of a symbol of a fundamental governance in america. and that's where some of that passion comes in. >> in other words concerns about the level of confrontational politics. it's a showdown. somebody has to blink first. what are the analysts in washington of lawyers and analysts, what are they predicting? >> reporter: well, many do present this as a showdown, the question is who is the showdown between? democrats will not be blackmailed over the functioning of the u.s. government for only six weeks it must be remembered. it was only for a few weeks. theying won't go into any kind of substantive discussions on policy with what they call that gun to their head.

if they were to give in now why wouldn't the republicans use that again and again. it's a showdown within the republican party itself. the far right-wing have really forced this. many campaigned on forcing the government to shutdown because they campaign on hating government itself. the question is how long will they want the government to be shutdown. will this be enough? is this really about obama's health care law, a big chunk of which is actually going into effect today. it's a question for the house republican party as well. when do they feel they are going to take a huge political hit. and for them it is also for the corporate backers of the extreme

right-wing. >> indeed a lot of people will be hit in the pockets. thank for joining us. 85% of employees affected by the shutdown live outside the capitol. john has the view from chicago. >> reporter: this is the sound of u.s. federal workers everywhere. >> get your act together or get out. >> it takes a lot of money out of my pocket and my family's pocket. >> if i'm as inefficient at my job as they are, i would not have a job. >> reporter: it also hits main street nearly anywhere the u.s. government has office. leaving an estimated 800,000 people unpaid. >> congress is going to get paid

while we are forced to stay home on a furlough? i don't think so. >> reporter: the shutdowns hit hardest the closer you get to government buildings like this. the partial shutdowns in the past have lasted anywhere from 1 day to three weeks. >> we don't see the government debt really is going to change the hiring behavior of most companies. the only ones that seem to be really thinking about it are government contractors. >> reporter: but at national parks from coast-to-coast, the partial shutdown reveals a dysfunctional nation, who's very symbol, lady liberty is paralyzed. these faces are as immovable as members of congress, but they too can see it faces closure. there has been another death sentence handed down in

bangladesh. details from dacca coming up. plus. [ cheers ] >> well, all kinds of exercises and displays of military might including a fly pass. sending a message perhaps? and he wants to be alone. jose mario clears off just when the questions start getting a be it hot, details in a moment. ♪ the first batch of golden [ inaudible ] party members are appearing in a greek court. they were arrested as part of a crack downon the far right group. it was the country's third most popular party until the murder

of a rapper last month, which lead to an investigation into their activities. barnaby phillips is live. tell us more about what happened today, barnaby. >> it's a pretty hectic day at the atten's court complex. two groups have been lead into court. they spent the last three nights behind bars. they have brought in by the anti-terror unit, wearing masks, maybe 200 to 300 supporters outside the complex chanting support for their leaders. inside the courtroom, this is going on right now, these golden dawn members will be appearing before judges and prosecutors, hearing more about the charges against them, and for the first time, obviously getting a chance to have their side of the

story -- to give their say in some sort of legal framework. >> what is the case? we know about the murder of a rapper. what is the case against golden dawn and what is likely to be their defense? >> well, it's coming through in drips and drafts. the golden dawn leaders will be accused of being in charge of a criminal organization. there may be specific charges that relate to murder, assault, money laundering. illegal possession of weapons. the state is building its case. it's interesting that the greek police have leaked photos, and this whole process has been conducted very publicly, photos which were taken inside the houses, when they searched the houses of golden dawn leaders, when they showed pictures of the italian fascist leaders and also

weapons. as for golden dawn, it could be summed up as we are being persecuted by a corrupt government that is trying to distract the greek people. that is probably what they are be inside court as well. >> is there likely to be any truth in that, after all golden dawn, like it or not, is greece's third most popular party? or at least it was. it might have taken a hit because of the murder of the rapper, but nevertheless 17, 18 seats in parliament, it's a political force, isn't it? >> it's a political force. almost half a million people voted for it not once, but twice in last year's general election.

most of the people who voted for them did so out of desperation, frustration, poverty and unemployment, the result of greece's economic collapse, rather than the racial superiority or the violence linked with immigrant groups. but that is just problematic. golden dawn is there because of the great problems greece has socially and economically. those problems will not go away even if the government succeeds in crushing golden dawn. >> signs of desperation. thank you, barnaby. barnaby phillips covering that trial in athens. thank you. unemployment in italy has hit an all time high. more than 40% of youth are now out of work. figures for august show the overall rate rose to just over

12%. in the rest of europe, unemployment has fallen marginally for the first time in 2.5 years. it fell to 12% in july. same rate was recorded in august. hungary's parliament has passed a law, helping homeless in certain areas. those caught sleeping rough will face fines. critics say the government should help vulnerable people rather than punish them. in bangladesh a prominent member has been sentenced to death. he has been found guilty of war crimes dating back to the civil war. from dacca. >> reporter: there are some people that maybe up to 40 years

might have been better rather than them polarizing the country. you saw a lot of violence immediately in the past. this is not the case today. the nationalist party hasn't come out with a official statement. their lawyers say they are not happy with the verdict. most people say this should have been done with 40 years ago, but there has been so much controversy in the process. this government was in power 40 years ago. that's when they should have done it. they didn't. now it's there. they want to be an international [ inaudible ] so we have yet to see where it all ends up considering there is an election in 2014.

japan is going to increase it's a sales tax in an aim to reduce the massive debt bill. but the decision could prove risky. >> japan's tax increase is about the big picture, but it's here in the small shops that its effects will be felt the most. even a 3% increase will make some stop and think before they take something from the shelves. >> when the consumption tax goes up, all costs go up, including children's education fees. i cannot be happy about that. >> reporter: the government is under pressure to reduce the huge national debt which is among the worst in the world. he says they find a way to pay for japan's aging population. >> we tried to gain the confidence of the nation and create an opportunity for

growth. today i announced as the previous government sets out in the act, consumption tax is going to be increased 8%. >> but the decision is still a gamble for the prime minister. so far the efforts seem to be working. but those small economic steps japan has been climbing could become slippery again when the cost of living goes up. >> what the government is doing is boosting consumption and boosting investment right now so the impact of the tax hike will not be felt as much. it is very unlikely that the economy falls back into a recession. >> in an attempt to offset the impact they have announced a stimulus program, and will

consider a cut to the corporate tax rate. >> by 2016 we will try to half the public debt. we'll raise taxes but at the same time have a stimulus package. >> the first stage of the sales tax increase will see it go from 5 to 8% coming into effect in april next year. a second phase will see it go to 10% in two years, but the prime minister says that increase will require careful consideration. south korea has unveiled new military hardware. ballistic and cruz missiles are on show. as harry faucet reports it was also designed to send some strong messages north. >> reporter: for south korea's military this was an opportunity to celebrate history and demonstrate strength. it may not have been quite the

scale of a north korean military. >> >> translator: we'll deploy a system as soon as possible to deal with the attacks from north korea. and make the north realize the nuclear program and its missiles are useless. >> reporter: the unveiling of the cruz missiles shows what it calls a kill chain that can take out a north korean nuke on the launch pad, but there are still weaknesses. >> reporter: [ inaudible ] means everything, so for korea, we need much more modernized commander control, such as the one u.s. has. >> reporter: a point that the watching u.s. defense secretary chuck hague legal -- hagel will

be hearing a lot this week. for all of this day is about pride and military strength, south korea says its chief objective is to endure the shower of the nuclear threat. if that means it is not yet willing to go to war on this peninsula, then so be it. it's something that its neighbor might have to get used to. it makes it harder to slow its progress from the outside. >> they are expanding the program, we just won't know how big it gets. we cannot know if it's fully accounted for in the event of a future denuclearization event.

>> reporter: with north korea getting every closer to a viable deterrent, south korea and the u.s. are exploring new military options to undermine it. let's take a look at the worth now, around the world, here is richard. >> thanks, steven. we're seeing very unsettled weather in this big area of clouds. now we have had some very heavy rain being reported in the last few days from across the bakken. you see the effect it has here. and some heavy rain been reported in hungary, 77 millimeters in 24 hours, but a far more remarkable thing about the weather there is the fact that the temperature today only reached 7 degrees celsius, and it should be 22 degrees. so it won't break any records, but this is what you get when

you have this frontal system. cooling off in more northern parts here. still warm across the mediterranean. so get into tomorrow, we'll see a bit of a change taking place if you like that contrast, just beginning to weaken. still some heavy rain around. 750 kilometers still a difference of 12 degrees. fine but chilly across much of northern and central parts here. this area of low-pressure continues to move away towards the eastern seas, and rain and even snow on the northern edge. thanks, richard. the last vote was criticized for being unfair but will next year's afghan elections be any different? >> reporter: i'm outside the detention center in syria. i'll have the story of refugees who have arrived in italy.

after afghan cricketers target the longer version. raul will explain more. ♪ my name is jonathan betz. i'm from dallas, texas, and i'm]

♪ you are watching al jazeera. a reminder of our top stories. a new team of weapons inspectors have arrived inside syria. they crossed the border from lebanon just a short time ago. americans have started to wake up to a day of uncertainty.

after a partial government shutdown. hundreds of thousands of federal employees are now at home on unpaid lead. and in bangladesh, a leader has been sentenced to death for war crimes. let's go back to syria. the name is to help the country destroy its weapons and stop production of its weapons. they have been stockpiling weapons since the '70s. the government also established its own manufacturing plants. it has storage sites in another 50 towns and cities. the israeli military describes syria's arsenal as the largest in the world. a french intelligence suggests it includes several hundred tons of mustard gas and sarin.

the u.s. says they have thousands of delivery techniques for the weapons. martin is a spokesman for the prohibition of chemical weapons, and told me why the inspectors faced such a difficult task. >> there has never been a mission that has been tasked to disarm a country which is in a state of war of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. we have said publicly that some of these sites are well within government-held territories. some of these sites are within contesting areas. some sites will require transiting threw rebel-held territory. so for that reason, security is going to obviously be paramount. that will be the primary responsibility of the syrian government, but we will be relying heavily on the guidance

in damascus. the hierarchy for destroying syria's chemical weapons program will start with the production facilities and the machinery that they used to mix the components of sarin gas into the actual chemical weapons agent, and then to fill that into munitions. that is all scheduled to the destroyed in the next 30 days in tandem with our a very indication activities to confirm that what syria has declared to us is in fact what they have, and where they say it is located. >> more than 2 million people have now left the country according to the united nations and syria's neighbors are feeling that pressure. thousands of refuges also make the dangerous journey by boat to italy. >> reporter: they are exhausted

and hungry. they traveled across any desert to libya, then paid $2,000 each to get on to a small boat to europe. they were rescued by the italian coast guard at three days at sea. >> translator: we were sitting up on the top deck and then we looked underneath and we were shocked to see another 30 people below us. >> reporter: this man says the italian authorities forced them to be fingerprinted, beating some of the refugees. >> we have this is a free country. why they treat us like this, i don't know. >> reporter: local authorities deny using force. the southern town is already home to hundreds of african migrants. most of them want to leave italy and head for northern europe, but while they are here they depend on local help.

>> translator: i'm not a racist but this is an ex-acceceptional situation. why are they here and not in other parts of the country. >> reporter: the mayor is doing his best to calm any tension, but he admits his administration has run out of money. >> there are many people here who are out of work and can't pay the bill. there is a perception the state is giving the immigrants more attention than their own citizens. >> reporter: out at sea the italian coast guard waits for the next distress call. thousands of lives have been saved. 's very little the coast guard can do once the migrants are in these waters. they have to rescue them and take them to shore.

this recent footage shows the dramatic chase and rare capture of a 30-meter vessel with almost 200 mostly syrian refugees. the italian border guard say they arrested several of the traffickers on board. there are hundreds of syrians and other migrants waiting in libya for the next available cross to italy. risking everything for a chance at a better life. the u.s. state department has denied allegations it has been conspiring to overthrow the venezuela government. the president has given three u.s. diplomats until wednesday to get out of the country, and accused them of conspiring to sabotage the economy. >> translator: i have evidence here in my hand gathered of the

hostile and illegal behavior of the officials. violating international law with this evidence, we cannot accept that this group of u.s. officials take action against the peace of the republic like this. no. 73 people believed to have been kidnap victims have been recrewsed in a town close to the u.s. border. a new report said that more than 105,000 people were captured last year. 72% of adult mexicos say they feel unsafe inside their country. >> reporter: it is important to keep in mind this report is based on surveys taken across mexico and not on reported crimes. more than 92% of all crimes go unreported and that's primarily

because people fear the police sometimes as much as they respect them. they are worried if they report crimes criminal groups will come after them. more than 105,000 people were kidnapped in 2012 alone, and that the main crime impacting mexicans is robbery and extortion. extortion, charged for protection to people or businesses. sometimes that's a weekly or monthly fee. now the new president took office in december promising to lower levels of violence that was impacting every day meks cans during this ongoing drug war that started in 2006. so far the government hasn't been able to do that, because for the year 2012 some of the statistics and projections go into april of this year. violence has remained about the same over the past two years, so in the coming weeks and months

the government is going to be key to how it is is bringing down levels of violence. it has been caught up in this war against criminal groups since 2006. some 26,000 people gone missing in the drug war and 70,000 have been killed in the violence. mexicans voteded for this president in large part to try to solve the problem of violence. we reached out to see what they had to say about that, but we have had no comment from them at this time. hunger appears to be falling around the world. the agency says developing countries have been steadily helping steady economic growth, but improvement is still needed in parts of africa. in south africa, thousands of slum dwellers have rallied against poor sanitation in their homes.

they marched on a government building. they say they are angry that they will not install proper toilets without proper drainage. >> in our area we have been living there more than 20 years. we're still using the bucket system. more than 20 years. so for us it's not dignity for humanity. so that's why we're here and very, very angry. . in new guinea more than 40% of people live in poverty. and it's particularly difficult for women to support themselves. >> reporter: when this woman received a loan of $300 from a micro finance organization for women, her life changed forever. the loan helped her start a business selling dried fish. she makes $500 a month and

employs two people. >> translator: i know the value of micro finance. my yesterday and today are not the same. my children are in school and i even bought a television for them to watch, because i don't want them to end up on the street, and i am able to buy more fish to sell. >> reporter: there are millions of women looking for cash to start their business but there are only 15 micro finance organizations in new guinea, and getting access to the money is not easy. women have to get 10% of the money they want to borrow, and have a guarantor to get the loan. the money has to be paid back within a year. that's difficult in this country. this woman gave her micro finance loan. she just received new equipment

for fisher women through such financing. she says the government should take the lead in make small loans available if it's serious about job creation. >> translator: all actors particularly the government has to tak micro financierously. they need to make it easier for micro finance organizations to register with the central bank. >> reporter: but interest rates for loans at commercial banks are as high as 25%. the government has set up a new micro finance agency to make small loans more accessible. >> translator: when this government took over in 2010 guinea was a country, not a state --. the total amount of money -- [ technical difficulties ] -- four times the amount, it's too early to criticize us. we are putting reforms in place. >> reporter: the reforms that have been made have definitely helped people, but more changes

are needed. micro finance has lifted millions of people in africa out of poverty. so the hope of many new guineians is it will become more accessible to them too. coming up in sports, major league baseball's final playoff spot. details coming up. on august 20th, al jazeera america introduceds2x

♪ welcome back. it's been a week now since a devastating earthquake killed more than 300 people.

aid agencies are slowly bringing relief to the area. but hundreds of people are still without any help at all. >> reporter: this is what it is like to drive through an a neglected and un -- [ technical difficulties ] -- this is also ideal ambush territory where fighters frequently fire rockets and use roadside bombs to attack security forces. but convoys laden with relief arrive in the main town of the district. they pile up along the roadside waiting to take their goods to those who seed them. other aid organizations have set up camp here are already moving aid to the effected areas on their own. for them safety concerns are secondary in the face of a calamity. >> translator: i heard too much about [ inaudible ] but so far

we have observed based on our past experience that these people are different from the rest of the country. you will [ inaudible ] for they are very loving and [ inaudible ] people. >> reporter: whenever there is a major disaster in pakistan one of the first people to arrive on the seen is these people. there it is not a surprise to see them here. the first priority may be to get essential food, water, and shelter. the main concern is rehabilitation. >> translator: in this type of area which is disserviced, it is our moral duty to help our brothers, and hopefully looking that the whole world will be coming out, the united nations and muslim countries also, and pakistani agencies should help them rebuild as soon as

possible. >> reporter: getting aid to the remote regions is considered a [ inaudible ] task. but rebuilding the devastated region may prove even more difficult. in china, people are marking the 64th anniversary of communist rule. the president marked the day in the square as the first ceremony for the new leadership which came to power a few months ago. two u.s. generals have effectively been fired over their failure to defend a major base in afghanistan. taliban fighters breached security last year. the two marines have been asked to retire early. election season is underway in afghanistan. the man who lost out in 2009 has announced he is going to run

again. >> reporter: like many candidates, he is highly critical of the current administration, blaming it for institutional corruption and wide-spread injustice. >> one area that we are most concerned is the lack of commitment from the ruling political class to the rule of law to the transparency of the elections, to the fairness of the elections. >> reporter: he has reason to be curbed. he was the runner up in afghanistan's last presidential election in 2009, a vote widely seen as flawed. >> if the elections are worse than before, the people will be utterly disappointed, and that will be a big blow to the efforts of stabilization of the country. >> reporter: the 2009 vote was hard by accusations of fraud including the use of false voter

id cards. security remains a concern for next year's presidential election, but in terms of fraud, there is hope that technology might help. millions of afghans have mobile phones and connect through social media, and that could mean access to hard to reach rural areas. a debate on the role of facebook and twitter in the elections. the former head of intelligence says they won't have a meaningful effect. the potential candidate thinks they will allow ordinary afghans to monitor the vote. >> if they could see something huge illegal or fraud is happening, they could just take the photo, tweet or put it on the facebook. >> reporter: for now he is meeting people the traditional way. inviting them to his home.

>> the people of afghanistan are confused [ technical difficulties ] >> reporter: if it goes ahead as planned it would remark the first transition of power in afghanistan's history. jailed star sanjay debt has been released from prison temporarily to receive medical treatment. he became popular in his role as a do-goo gangster. >> translator: i have come home on parole, which is every prisoner's right. i respect the law of the land. i will go back to jail once my leave period is over. i only want to request of the media that i spend the time that i have with my family. the champions league returns on tuesday. chelsea faced the romanian club.

but chelsea's manager has been the main talking point as always. here is what he had to say. >> i make mistakes but i try to be honest all the time. so the same way i try to be honest with one and say that he is going to play tomorrow because of what he did in training, and because of what he did in the last matches he played. with kevin is the same. i did not like the match he played against sweden. and i didn't like the way he was training. but you have this tendency, you only ask about the guys that are not selected. see you tomorrow. [ laughter ] >> i love the reaction of the press. barcelona also in champions league action. leonel did not make the trip.

he went off with a thigh injury. that will keep him off for two to three weeks and that's good news for the opponent. >> it's obviously very good manager for us, because for me he is the best player in the world. however it is a tinge of sadness because it is also fantastic to see the greek players play here. obviously we welcome barcelona here with open arms and we are hoping that will be another great occasion. arsenal takes on napoli in group s. the gunners will be up against [ inaudible ] a.

>> people were tough with him because they didn't expect him to -- to go to chelsea, but he did well. he did very well. he did well with it, and i think in the end, we spent time going on, people realize that he has done well. and they will have a new man in charge of an upcoming game. he replaces the man who was sacked last week after three seasonings? charge. he has signed a three-year contract, and wasted no time in to getting to know his players as we took a training session with his team on monday. firetina were in action. they stay fit. there was also one game in spain

monday. following up the 53-minute penalty with a header. grenada winning 2-0. everton have moved up after the win against newcastle. this man scored twice and set up another goal for barkley. newcastle did pull a couple of goals back in the second half. but everton remains the only unbeaten side in the english premier league. the tampa bay rays have taken the last spot in the playoff. after 162 regular-season games it came down to this. extra tiebreaker in arlington. leading 1-0. the rays went 3-0 up thanks to be two-run homer from evan

longoria, but in the 7th inning, they caught a lucky break or not as you are about to see. it was ruled a catch when it clearly wasn't. tampa bay eventually won 5-2. david pryce played a complete game. one of the plays in that game, texas rangers pitcher nelson cruz is playing for the first time since completing a 50-game ban for doping. alex rodriguez received a 211 game ban for drug use, he is currently appealing that punishment. the hearing is set to last until friday, and unless a settlement is reached, a decision isn't expected until later this year. the world number 1s in the men and women's game were winners on tuesday in the china

in the opener. serena williams is now into the third round. serena has had a great year. serena's big sister venus was always in second-round action. the american was given a wild-card to play in this event, but the german who progressed to the next round for the 6-1, 6-2 win. sports in afghanistan has been in the spot light recently. their footballers won their first-ever international tournament. now their krcricketers are

attempting to qualify. this time they are attempting to reach the 50-over version due to be held in 2015. the first game is coming up on wednesday. >> we just want to do our basic -- we are sticking to our basics. we still want to do whatever we did for the last 12 months, and the way weplayed though last two seasons just washed out. now the third islamic solidarity games have come to an end in indonesia. and the host has been celebrating the most. 46 muslim countries completed in the sports. >> stay with us here on al jazeera. i'll be with you for another half an hour for news around the

world. ♪ come, it is here. >> yes, let the games begin. he is fighting for his baseball life and some $46 million. a-rod and all of his attorneys were there fighting his 211-game suspension. the hearing is expected to last less than five days, after that the group will decide to uphold, reduce, or overturn the suspension.

if the suspension is upheld, rodriguez would lose some $32 million in salary, and he wouldn't be back on the field until he is 40 years old. the big story tonight, people, the rays will be taking on the rangers in a tiebreaker in arlington, so we decided to bring in our mlb columnist rob parker.

this is al jazeera america. congress failed to agree on a temporary budget to keep things up and running in the government. and harry reid placed the blame squarely on the tea party's shoulders. >> it is embarrassing that these people who are elected to represent the country are representing the tea party, the anarchists of the country, and the majority of the republicans in the house are following every step of the way. this is an