>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello, and welcome to the news hour. these are your top stories. the mission to syria may have just started, but already these chemical weapons inspectors have been honored with the nobel prize. elsewhere in syria, new allegations of atrocities human rights watch says rebels are targeting civilians. african leaders say they are

being unfairly targeted by prosecutors based at the hague. >> i'm in gainesville, florida and we'll show you the latest in drone technology, who is using them, and who is concerned about their use. welcome to the show. the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons has been award the nobel peace prize. the committee says the organization deserves the honor for its effort to make the world a safer place. >> reporter: for the second year in a row an organization won the peace prize. >> the nobel peace prize is to be awarded to the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons for its extensive work

for eliminating chemical weapons. >> reporter: it was a surprise announcement, the opcw has until recently been a relatively on cure body. formed in 1997, it has been thrown into the global spot light for the resent use of chemical weapons in syria. it has now started the ambitious project of destroying all of its chemical weapons by next year. more inspections will soon follow. >> it was stronger commitment and greater dedication. i truly hope that this award and the [ inaudible ] ongoing mission together with the united nations in syria will help broader efforts to achieve peace in that country and -- and the suffering of its people.

>> reporter: the opcw wins the award ahead of stiff competition of 259 nominees. the prize, going to an organization is not to everyone's taste. >> the inspiration should come from the inspirational acts of an individual not on organization. i hope in years to come it won't become habit to give awards to organizations. i hope it will go back to individuals, and their individual services. >> reporter: but in some ways the opcw winning the peace prize does hark back to one of the originations of the award which has disarmament at its heart. the syria national coalition has been reacting to the news. the spokesperson for the group told reporters on friday that the prize was awarding

prematurely. >> i find it rather ironic, i don't think giving the nobel peace prize to the chemical weapons watchdog, i don't think it is going to give peace any chance in syria. the decision was a rather surprising decision for me. it seems that the world insists on forgetting that we have over 110,000 foreign heros using conventional weapons and yet the world focuses on the issue of chemical weapons that has only killed 1400 people. >> that was the response by one of syrias opposition groups, but how do you think people inside of syria will be reacting to the winning of this prize? >> well ever since the chemical weapons disarmament deal was

reached, a lot of syrians really were complaining and criticizing the international community. they believe that the world really didn't do much to stop the war, and the world was more concerned, really with their own national interests, because chemical weapons really are a threat to the united states as well as its ally israel, and that seems to be their concern to get rid of these weapons. we heard the person -- the official from the syrian national coalition reiterate that, and conventional weapons are still being used, people are continuing to die and there is no end in site for this war. >> do you think this attention is detractioning from the

traditional weapons. >> reporter: well, yes. there is supposed to be a meeting later this month, and it's not clear who will attend and whether the talks will reach a break through. yes, the chemical weapons inspectors going to work under very difficult conditions, but the two main research facilities where chemical weapons are southeast of the city of lepo, there are major clashes going on. the rebels in that area belong to al-qaeda. so that site will be one of the sites the inspectors will have to visit. whether or not this regime is launching an effort to help facility the effort i don't know, but the government is

trying to ensure that it can secure this site and the rebels linked to al-qaeda will not get their hands on the stockpiles there. >> okay. zeina thank you. well the opcw is a welltively young organization. it has seen the destruction of over 80% of stockpiles worldwide. now the united states has been the main beneficiary with 90% of its chemical weapons now destroyed. russia has also worked closely with the opcw. in total they have carried out more than 5,000 inspectors in 86 countries worldwide. we have a critic of the noble peace prize announcement.

it's great to have you with us on this news hour. you have said that the prize has essentially strayed from what alfred nobel intended, but nobel said a criteria for winning is promotion of peace. do you think he would have approved of this year's winner? an organization that is getting rid of chemical weapons. >> well, you mentioned promotional peace is a fine idea, but the idea of nobel was to give the prize not for peace but the champions of peace. and who did he have in mind? that was those who work not for removing one weapon or another weapon or limited measure. he was for an all-out abolishment of all weapons in all nations, and i think it's right. you cannot really achieve durable peace as long as there are so many weapons around, and

so it's the whole international system that needs to be changed. that was nobel's idea, it was valid in 1895 and it is much more valid today. it it's imperative in today's world. >> does awarding a prize like this to the opcw actually do any arm, though? >> no, it does don't any harm, but if the nobel peace prize had been used to its full potential, namely, creating international cooperation on abolishing the military system, and the military industrial complex, not in other countries, all countries, in your own country and all countries. that is in the interest of every person in every nation of the world, and then it would do a

lot of good to the development of the -- democracy to improving the environment, to the poverty, to women's rights and it -- it would do a lot with all thing -- all big problems for humanity would be served by the nobel sticking to its actual course, the idea of nobel. >> so you are not saying that you think the prize should be gotten rid of all together, what you are saying is there should be some sort of change in the structure of the process? >> absolutely. the present committee is hostile to nobel and his idea. they are for military force, for nato, for military power games. they accept this international system, but we need a committee

which is loyal to nobel, and which will serve the interestsover the peace, the champions of peace that nobel had in mind. >> thank you for being on the news hour. now turning to syria and human rights watchers accused rebel fighters of killing up to 190 civilians in august. it says at least five rebel groups with links to al-qaeda are responsible for planning, funding, and carrying out those attacks on august 4th. human rights watch says the killings amount to war crimes. it states 43 of those killed were women, children, and the elderly, and it is calling on the un security council to hold both sides to account.

>> reporter: he retraces his steps. this is what is left of his home in the village. in the early hours of august 4th, he had to make a harrowing decision to stay with his disabled son and wife who had trouble moving or run. he now has tloo live with the consequences both his wife and son are dead. >> translator: there are the bullet holes and the blood is slattered on the wall. >> reporter: an offensive was launched, the target the president's power base. people here predominately aloite to which assad belongs. opposition fighters attacked a number offal low wait villages. including a strategic post. take control of this area and

the opposition fighters could move closer to assad's hometown and bare in on the coastal city. [ explosion ] >> reporter: it was a week's long campaign but what happened specifically on august 4th that is at issue here. in video, it appears to back up what human rights watch content. shooting civilance as well as shooting at people trying to get away. at least 190 people were killed and around 200 people from the area are still being held hostage. >> they continue to hold over 200 citizens from the villages. we are urging these groups to release the hostages. >> reporter: five groups including an al-qaeda-backed

group planned the funding, and carrying out of attacks. in the investigation the rights group found an image in an opposition video of what looked like a man's son lying in bed. a resident confirmed it was him. he has a good idea of who might have killed and buried his wife and son at the back of their home. the graffiti reads we are coming. okay. still much more to come on this news hour, including . . . ♪ ♪ a new reform package gives home to some minorities in turkey, but others say they are not impressed. and we'll tell you why music lovers in japan are still burning for the traditional compaq disk. and in sport formula one

fans mourn over the death of a female test driver. first a car bomb has exploded in benghazi. the building was damaged. no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. the international criminal court has ruled that libya's former spy chief can be tried in his own country. he was a prominent member of the government. the icc says libya is willing and able to try him for aledged crimes against humanity. he demanded that his case be handed over to the hague. now african leaders meeting

are no longer discussing a complete withdraw from the icc, instead they want to renegotiate the terms to try sitting heads of state. they have only convicted one man, an african war lord and all of the others that are charged are africans. the ethiopian foreign minister has accused the court of targeting africans. >> unfortunately the model under which the court has been operating, particularly its unfair treatment of africa, and africans leaves much to be desired. far from promoting justice and reconciliation, and contributing to the advancement of peace and stability in our continent, the court has transformed it's a into a politically [ inaudible ] this up fair and unjust treatment is [ inaudible ] and that's why we have been expressing our serious concerns

against the icc. >> malcolm has more. >> reporter: the main reason that african governments are gathering here is because of the trials at the icc of the kenyan president, the kenyan deputy president, and the president of sudan. critics say african leaders are simply trying to get them off of the hook, but people here are saying that the icc has treated them unfairly, been prejudice against africa, and africans. it looks likely that they may be asking for some kind of presidential immunity so heads of state don't have to stand trial. john kerry is afghanistan for talks with karzai. an agreement would allow

american troops to remain in afghanistan after the nato-lead mission ends next year. and the u.s. agrees to protect afghanistan against future foreign intervention. officials have con decked iraq's decision to execute dozens of prisoners. 42 people were put to death over the last week. they were convicted on terrorism charges. kurdish rebels say they may consider ending a crease fire if their rights are not recognized. they are among several minorities who are unhappy. >> reporter: the mon -- place

is hundreds of years old. a syrian property was seized by the state in 2008 over an ownership dispute. >> we are the sons of this land, we did not come from another country. we have our own religion, language, culture, and basic rights. >> reporter: the prime minister has proposed a set of reforms to improve the lives of minorities like the kurds, and some christians. the changes include education in languages other than turkish at private schools, naming a university under a leading figure and returning christian property. but not everyone is happy. for the syrians here the government's move if implemented, it would be a step in the right direction, but for other minority religious groups

the grievances are deeply rooted and the government has to do more. >> reporter: the kurds that the reforms seem to have been aimed at have rejected it, saying it is not enough. ♪ >> reporter: and as for the offshoot of [ inaudible ] estimated to be around 15 million are demanding more rights and official recognition of their sect >> translator: we want official status, government funds and an end to the victimization of us. >> reporter: the government says some of the problems began during the founding of the tur rich republic. it promises more reforms it says will make turkey stronger, but until that happens the mistrust will not go away.

a fire at an orthopedic hospital in southern japan has killed eight patients and two staff members. firefighters say the call for help came too late and that they were unable to prevent smoke from spreading through the four floors of the building. an investigation into what caused the fire is underway. there has also been a fire at a shopping mall in beijing. firefighters took five hours to put out the blaze which started in a fast-food restaurant. no casualties have been reported and the cause of the fire also remains unknown. north korean has branded a point in naval exercise as a grave military provocation. the two-day drill off of the korean peninsula prompted north korea to put its military on high alert. the u.s. has almost 30,000

troops in south korea and engages in these drills. >> translator: they are developing a nuclear weapon for a pre-emptive attack. if the u.s., japanese, and south korean forces launch a nuclear war, our revolutionary armed forces will immediately mount a counterattack to bury the p provacators. kim and his wife were seen watching a women's valuable match. several still photos also released of the couple at a concert. the first time kim's wife has been seen in public in over a month. new york city is hosting a

conference on drones and aerial robotics starting in the coming hours. the unmanned planes are used not just by the military but also to help with emergency services. civil rights, groups, though are not happy. andy reports from gainesville in florida, one of the centers for the u.s. drone industry. >> reporter: this is a maverick, this tiny aircraft carries with it cutting-edge technology. controlled by remote or through a preprogrammed flight path. it offers a bird's eye view from the ground below. buyers from across the spectrum are lining up for training sessions. >> we say you can find something, look at it, and track it, and they say we can doing a culture, pipeline inspection, so we're getting feedback that the plane is more versatile than we

thought. >> reporter: drones are increasingly being approved by the u.s. government for use in the civil air space. the applications are limitless these craft are currently being bought by the u.s. military. but as this technology becomes more advanced and these eyes in the sky more prevalent there are concerns about privacies. for human rights lawyers it's the lack of regulations that worry him the most. >> the model framework, the circumstance and the restraints. i need to see that. and i haven't seen that. so i'm uneasy about it, but i'm not the only one. >> reporter: at the facility where the mavericks are designed and built there is no concern about privacy. drones have been used to fight fires and save lives.

>> we carry cell phones where we voluntarily input all of our information. these tools that exist much more easily violate our rights than any unmanned aircraft system. >> reporter: whale the debate continues to heat up, it is estimated by 2015 there will be more than 7,000 of these craft in the skies above north america. we're getting some breaking news out of egypt. reports of a series of explosions in egypt's sinai region. four soldiers have been injured in northern sinai, and we're hearing of at least six explosions across the area with reasonses claiming they were targeting the military. it is believed the soldiers were hit by a homemade bomb that exploded near a military

vehicle. thousands of people have been told to leave eastern india as the cyclone approaches the area. it is expected to hit the coast by saturday evening. widespread flooding is expected as a result of the category 1 cyclone. satellite images showed the storm to be about half the size of india. from that we can go straight to richard who has the latest weather for us. >> thank you. i have indeed. it is also worth mentioning that we have got some severe storm systems further out to the pacific. this is expected to curve away towards the north, and that won't have any impact until at least wednesday and largely says over open waters. it is this particular system which is the equivalent of

category 2 hurricane, which is causing the problems. it's right over the philippines at the moment. and sustained at about 165 [ inaudible ]. to put that in context the storm which occurred a little while ago had sustained winds of about 30 kilometers per hour faster than that. this will pick um moisture and a little bit of warmth across the south china sea and become a nasty storm once again. so interesting thing is to watch what happens in terms of the precipitation fields here. this system you'll notice goes north, but this one continues to move away towards the west, and there you go. so by sunday it is right in the middle of the south china sea.

and that will have a big impact upon vietnam. now we come to the severe tropical cyclone which is extending from myanmar and sri lanka. the strength of the winds is still open to debate. some suggested category 5 hurricane. the indian department suggests the winds will be lighter, probably around 210 with gusts of 230. both organizations in agreement we'll see something like 200 to 250 millimeters of rain widespread over the next few days. >> richard thing. much more to come including france's top court passes a new

ban on frac-ing. plus the walls in new york that have inspired a generation of artists now might be seeing their last days. and major league baseballs now locked in with their final four.

♪ hello again you are watching al jazeera, a reminder of our top stories. the nobel peace prize has been awarded to the organization of

the prohibition of chemical weapons. human rights watch has accused syrian rebels of killing at least 190 civilians during an offensive in august. it is believed the rebels are linked to al-qaeda. and african leaders are meeting to review their relationship with the international officials in hague. joining me live now from joe handest berg is the deputy director for amnesty international africa. thank for being on the news hour. desmund tutu wrote recently that african leaders are essentially asking for a license to kill. they are no longer voting to withdraw completely, but they want some immunity from the body. is this still concerning to you,

then? >> yes, thank you very much. it is very concerning to us that the african union is meeting this weekend to discuss its relationship with international criminal court with the view of either asking for a block or a mass withdraw from the international criminal court or to try to negotiate to ensure that those heads of state or sitting heads of state who are facing trial to have those trials [ inaudible ]. that is not what the international criminal court is all about. >> is there any merit to the point that they target african leaders. there is a trend here. >> no, those arguments have been made in the past by the au as well as quite a number of african states, but if one looks at the cases that are before the

international criminal court, five of them were referred to the court itself by african states themselves because they were not capable of handling those cases within their nation or jurisdictions and two of those cases were referred to the international criminal court by the united nations security council. so it's a disingenuous argument to say they are targeting africans, because that is where those crimes have been committed. and in five countries they have not been able to handle the crimes, so they invite the international criminal court to come and assist. >> okay. but is the icc effective at holding to account african leaders, because we often see them just dodging the court. >> sorry do you remind repeating the question. >> i'm asking you whether the

icc is actually effective when it is holding to account african leaders. some openly disregard the ruling of the court and won't appear before it. >> yes, the question of effectiveness of the international criminal court has come into question on a number of occasions. i think it will be incorrect to judge the effectiveness or otherwise of the international criminal court by the fact that [ inaudible ] has not yet been arrested and brought the court. the court is made up of state parties, and they are the ones who are supposed to cooperate in the allegations of the suspects. so this particular case of al-bashir and the fact that he has not been arrested should not be used to judge the

effectiveness otherwise of the court. and the court is still very young. we need to give it time -- time will always determine whether or not it has been effective. we are confident that once he steps down as president and that is going to happen sometime in the future, then the protection of the state will cease to be there, and there's a very possibility that he will be arrested and brought before the court. so we believe the issue of effectiveness is something that should not be judged yet. it is still premature to come to a conclusion as to whether or not it is effective or not. but i think time will tell. >> very interesting. great to get your thoughts there. that's the deputy director for amnesty international. thanks again. now france's top court has

rejected a challenge to a ban on frac-ing. environmentalists say the controversial extraction method say it can pollute water supplies. emma reports from paris. >> reporter: every few days isabelle travels a few kilometers from her home to check on this site in the french countryside taking pictures to chart what happens here. a few months ago drilling equipment was being used leading her to believe the land was being considered as a future site for shale gas extraction. otherwise known as frac-ing. the site operator told al jazeera it is totally come play ant with france's ban on frac-ing. >> it's a no hope idea. there -- it's -- not a long term idea, because as long as you -- you wish to get fossil

energy, that fossil energy will be finished one day. >> reporter: fracing is a technique used to extract gas. a drill digs deep underground and then moves moresonnally. the method has been criticized. two years ago france became the first country to ban frac-ing. but a u.s. energy firm decided to challenge the law. the constitutional council has decided to uphold the law, the public and firms still need to be convinced that the benefits of frac-ing outweigh any environmental risk. shale gas exploration has been embraced by governments such as the u.s., but also resisted by

some communities. supporters of exploration in france, though, believe it has been unfairly judged. >> the benefit of frac-ing to make it short and clear is to produce france's own resources of hydrocarbon, where it is gas or possibly oil. and therefore replace imports. >> reporter: the industry is unlikely to give up its fight to frac in france. isabelle is determined to keep this land clear for the future generations. frac-ing is also helping to power the u.s. to become the world's top oil producer. a new report says the u.s. will overtake russia by next year. the exploration of shale oil reserves has allowed the u.s. to sharply reduce crude imports. china has told the u.s. to

stay out of a maritime discute with the philippines. the philippines is challenging china's claims over the resource-rich area at theun. john kerry said all countries had a right to seek arbitration. spokes woman for the chinese foreign ministry responded to kerry's comments. >> translator: non-parties to the dispute should respect the efforts by relevant parties involved to peacefully dissolve the dispute through direct and friendly negotiation. talks aimed at averting a u.s. debt default will continue in washington on friday. senior republican lawmakers have offered the president a short-term debt limit increase

ahead of next week's deadline, but an agreement appears to be further away on the government shutdown. >> we had a very useful meeting. it was clarifying, i think for both sides as to where we are, and the take away from the meeting was our teams are going to be talking further tonight. we'll have more discussion. we'll come back to have more discussion. the president said that he would go and consult with the administration folks and hopefully we can see a way forward after that. >> i think the president said the other day if they were to send them a clean debt ceiling extension, no partisan strings attached, he would sign it, but we don't know that that's what we're going to get here. if the house passes as they could right now, the bill to pass the senate to reopen the government at funding levels republicans set and celebrated,

he would sign it. with the u.s. government shutdown now entering its 11th day, many americans are feeling the effect. >> reporter: ann is supposed to be in her lab, making sure contact lenses can't cause infections that blind people. but she is here instead huddled against the driving rain with other federal workers. >> frustrated, bored, angry. >> reporter: their chants -- >> give us a vote! >> reporter: -- so far ignored. michelle lockman a new mom and cancer patient can't start an experimental treatment funded by the government. >> to fine this trial and be excited and then told it could be put on hold because of the government shutdown was just a big blow honestly. >> reporter: federal parks are closed, meaning no tourists for

nearby businesses. >> we're debating whether we should pay mortgage or payroll. >> reporter: thousands of children from low income families were going to be kicked out of their classrooms, but a private donation is keeping them in school for now. that has never been a concern for members of congress, though, their private day care center is still open, and they are still getting paid. >> i think it's inexplicable. >> reporter: she is not alone in that feeling here where workers say they have figuratively and now literally been left out in the cold. >> i don't have wores for what is going on right now, but what i do recognize is i always believed in the american dream, and right now, i just don't know if i'm going to get paid, what is going to happen to my family.

>> reporter: a question being asked across the country, but only a handful of people have the power to answer it, and so have they haven't. students in italy are protesting against plans to cut education funding. they are calling for a national law granting every citizen the right to an end indication. they also want to stop public funding for private schools. >> we are here for our future because we think that pub i willing school and public university is the future of this country, italy, and so we think that a great -- the money that the government -- the money spent to give to our school is not enough, and so we are here protesting for these lows. >> translator: in italy there are more than 80 expected demos. it's an important mobilization.

i think we'll be up to 200,000 students. obviously we have to consider the weather. this signifies a consciousness in the student population about the need for change. coming up the un sport we'll hear from cricket players past as present as they react to the retirement of an indian icon. stay with us. ♪

hello again a veteran u.s. astronaut has died at the age of

88. scott carpenter was the fourth u.s. astronaut to play in space. during re-entry he lost radio contact with controllers and was later found hundreds of miles away from his landing site. listening to cds is going quickly out of style around the world, but in japan, many are bucking the trend. cd sales actually went up there last year. rob mcbride has more from tokyo. ♪ >> reporter: he just got the new miles davis. his friend says, cool. they give it a first spin through a pair of speakers, obviously the whole bar says cool. >> translator: owning it is part of the joy. you want to touch it and read

the jacket cover. >> reporter: with thousands of vinyl records and cds, this tiny bar is a shrine to physical media. the patrons own many thousands more. cds kept at home in a land of tiny apartments not designed to hold them. >> translator: for all of my customers it's the same, fighting with their wives for storage space. an icon of 20th century the cd is alive and well in 21st century music stars. clever marketing in particular keeps the kids buying. >> translator: japanese [ inaudible ] will have all kinds of extras like tickets to events. and they keep coming with new ideas. >> reporter: remember the fax? japan does. many businesses still rely on them.

japan's newspapers are among the world's largest selling. but time may be catching up with even the japanese cd. >> translator: with more people having smartphones, cds will eventually decline here as well. as people skip the download phase and go straight to live streaming. ♪ >> reporter: back at big boys, that's not so cool. >> translator: as long as there are people who appreciate cd's, they'll still exist. if we stop, that will be a problem. >> reporter: so spin it again while you can, and stay cool. robert bride, al jazeera, tokyo. it's time for the sport. >> thank you very much. some sad news in formula one, a former test driver has been found dead in her hotel room. the spaniard was one of a few

women to come close to competing at the top of the sport. the daughter of the former f-1 driver had raced in day 3 before joining us with the team. she lost her eye in a horrific accident last year. they are examining the scene of the death. a second practice session was completed. other drivers struggled at the circuit. it lived up to his reputation as one of the most difficult tracks, but no problem for vettel who edged out his teammate mark weber. a victory on sunday would see him secure a forth consecutive world title. danny set the pace in

practice ahead of sunday's grand prix. but was more than half a second quicker than his teammate marquez. several nations can book their spots at next year's world cup in brazil on friday. spain's match against belarus is expected to go ahead despite an explosion at the stadium. a generator has been blamed for the blast in an area containing the stadium's offices. three people were injured with two workers suffering serious burns. spain and belarus later trained at the venue despite flood light failures. also in europe, belgium needs just a draw against croatia to advance.

switzerland, russia, and bosnia can also qualify if they win their respective matches. mexico faces a must-win match against panama with just one win so far. a loss at the stadium could see them miss out on qualification for the first time since 1990. there are two matches remaining. >> translator: what the players want at the moment is support. i think it's the only thing we want. we know that at the moment things have not been going well, but we have a great opportunity. this is the moment to back them, the last option we have to do something that we should have done. in south america the winner of columbia and chili will automatically advance in next year's summit. turn to world number 2, has

booked his place in the semifinals of the masters. he'll be joined in the next round by [ inaudible ]. 6-3, 6-3. france's player is also through. both players can clench spot in next month's championships in london if they reach the final in china. the detroit tigers will battle the boston red sox for a place in baseball's world series. justin verlander lead the tyingers to victory in the decisive game. he struck out ten batters and only gave up two hits in the 3-0 victory. the best of seven championship series begins in boston on

saturday. >> i worked my budget off all year to try to get consistent and get myself to where i need to be, and i feel like it finally paid off at the end of the year. it wasn't easy. it was a battle for me all year long. excuse me. but i felt like i was finally make a couple of adjustments that i needed to make, get myself to be more consistent. cricket players past and present have been paying tribute to the man known as the little master was featured on front pages on friday. his final match will be his 200th test. he commanded respect all over the world. >> he is a living ledge engineer, and he has played the

game for over two decades. [ inaudible ] field of cricket and i wish him all the very best. >> he disappointed me in recent times. i thought he got a bit obsessed with statistics, and the fact that he is going to retire after 200 tests is consistent with that. but as a youngster what he did was amazing. the other amazing thing to me is doing that in that country where they are absolutely obsessed with cricket, that's -- you just got no idea of the challenges that that presents. and there's more check out aljazeera.com/sport. there is also details on how to get in touch with our team using

twitter and facebook. and of course we'll have more sport on 15 gmt to be precise. >> thank you. >> sure. now it's a cultural institution in new york city, and it's walls have attracted artists from around the world, but the graffiti covered five point's complex is proposed to be knocked down. >> reporter: on a subway train to manhattan one building stands out ablaze with color and creativity. it is known as 5 pointz. jonathan coen serves as curator. >> there is no other such location that offers wall space at any given time for any

artist. we do offer that. ♪ >> reporter: an icon of street art, it has been a backdrop for movies and music videos, but the building is now slated for destruction. >> the name five points refers to the five burrows of new york city all coming together. but it attaches admirers from all over the world on a daily basis. and news that this will all soon be lost is hitting them hard. these artists came all the way from france. >> all around the world people talk about 5 points. >> reporter: the owners plan to build two high-rises on the site. the plans include gallery space for airrtists.

>> the folks at five points wanted it to be just what it is, kind of forever. and that -- that wasn't possible given the private ownership of the land. >> reporter: but the artists aren't happy they have filed a lawsuit under the visual artists rights act. >> it is definitely not attacking the landlord. it's really fighting for the artist and giving them a voice after 11 years of work. >> reporter: with few legal places left to spray saint, the destruction of 5 pointz would sends the artists back underground. okay, that's it for this news hour, but do stay with us. we'll be back in a couple of minute's time with another bullet of news.

bye for now.