welcome to the news hour live from doha. these are the main stories. chemical weapons inspectors say they're on track with the first stage of checking syria's stockpile. tehran's optimism and discussions of iran's nuclear future. we'll begin re-opening our government immediately, and we can begin to let this cloud of uncertainty and unease from our businesses and from the american people. >> an 11th hour deal in

washington. congress approves a bill to end the financial crisis for now at least. and picking through the rubble. at least 151 people have died in a massive earthquake in central philippines. well, the chemical weapons watchdog opcw says it's on track with the inspection of syria's chemical weapons. it hopes to finish the first stage by the beginning of next month. the long-awaited peace talks over syria may resume in geneva next month. in a moment we'll hear from our correspondent david schrader in moscow but first first let's hear from them live in tokyo. what are the inspectors saying?

>> well, a spokesperson for the opcw did confirm to al jazeera a few moments ago that the inspectors are basically halfway through their work and that everything is on track. they said they've got the cooperation they need from the syrian government. now, it's important to understand that this phase involves verification of what the syrians have disclosed with regards to the stockpiles of kek cal weapons, and they will, of course, need to verify all of that and oversee the destruction at different sites. there are more than 20 sites they need to visit, but what's interesting is that the spokesperson did say that after november 1st, syria will have no capacity to manufacture new chemical weapons or mixing agents or loading ammunition with chemical weapons. >> all right, thanks from there.

let's shift again to the left and talk about capacity to manufacture weapons. david joins us from moscow. we can talk about plans to hold the peace talks in geneva. what about the capacity to make peace, david? how is that looking? >> sammy we have had news from moscow today, from the syrian deputy prime minister. he was in formal talks at the ministry of foreign affairs here in moscow. he did not meet with sergei lav rof, but he said that the geneva 2 peace talks bill start on the 23rd of november and continue to the 24th of navy. now, we must caution about that date because this is not an official announcement now. the u.n. were hoping to start the geneva ii peace talks in the middle of november. we understand from a u.n.

diplomatic source that they think the date will start on the 22nd and continue on the 23rd. we're roughly in the same ballpark there. we've been waiting since may for these peace negotiations to start. they're intended to get all sides around the same table and set up a transitional government which will take control of the country in the lead-up to democratic elections. they're one big sticking point, and that is getting all the opposition groups around that table because the syrian national council, the main hard line opposition group say they will not attend. they say that they want president assad to stand down before they will sit down at that negotiating table. that is a circle that has to be squared by the secretary of state john kerry, and we'll wait and see exactly what happens there. but we have a tentative date for the geneva 2 talks. >> all right. thank you both for talking about syria with us. staying in syria, rebels

have attacked a central prison in the northern city of aleppo that's been under siege for months now. fighters from the front launched the assault. and the turkish military shelled rebel positions across the border in syria. turkey said the group was targeting a group near al qaeda. now, negotiators from major world powers and iran say nuclear talks in geneva over the last two days made progress. it was the latest in a string of steps iran has taken to move closer to the west since the election of president rouhani in june. further talks will be held in further november. >> reporter: in the newspapers and on the streets of tehran a mood of cautious optimism. >> translator: i have satisfied with the talks.

i hope we can achieve what people want. i hope talks go on in a way that sanctions that determine things for ordinary people can be removed. >> reporter: headlines speak of smiles and positivity of this week's talks, the closest and most cordial in 30 years. >> two days of extensive and fruitful consultations, which we hope can lead with the beginning of a new phase in our relations. >> one of the things we all agreed is we're not going to talk about the details of our discussions and the work that's going on. >> with the surrounding secrecy there's no way of knowing how much concessions and on which side are being made. >> i think the easiest way to know what has happened is to know clearly what they're

saying. both of them are talking optimistically and also cautiously. it means that there are some things to be removed, but the whole atmosphere is very positive. >> years of sanctions have hurt the economy, putting a hold on oil exports, iran's biggest earner. it's also restricted the importing of a central commodity. >> translator: in my view sanctions that have affected the pharmaceutical sector are the most important, because my mother suffers from cancer and sanctions have had an impact. we can't find the medications, so for me these sanctions have priority to be lifted. >> reporter: iranians have lived many years where progressively tougher sanctions. it's a well-educated and politically aware population. few believe there will be a quick solution. >> translator: in my opinion, it's still 50/50 that they will reach a final agreement, but if

the negotiations are positive, then i think sanctions can be eased. >> these are just the first of several planned negotiations after three decades in the cold, there's a long road ahead for iran. the next step is to transport talk into action, the clear res relationship back on track will come with the embassies and international city. >> joining me now live from at that rain is associate professor of north american studying at the university of tehran. do you have this as perhaps the beginning of a new era in iran's relationship with the west? >> it's possibly. it really depends on the united states. the iranians have taken away any excuse that americans had in the past because of american antagonism towards former president ahmadinejad. now we have a new

administration. president rouhani in new york, he did very well, i think. he was successful in his public diplomacy venture there. the iranians have said they're willing to be flexible within, of course, the framework of international law. in other words, iran is willing to be more open, have more intrusive inspections, but at the end of the day the united states has to accept iran's rights within the framework. the president has said iran will not sacrifice its rights as an independent and sovereign country. >> what that gets to is the question, can there really be a braythrough without an agreement on the question or meeting the demands to halt uranium enrichment? >> well, president rouhani has said repeatedly and the foreign minister that halting enrichment is out of the question. iran will continue to enrich

uranium. it's a right they have. they halted enrichment for two years in the past and allowed the additional protocol to be implemented in the country for roughly two years and got nothing in return. the iranians believe that it has rights within that framework. if there are any questions, irans will be more open than before to resolve the questions. for the iranians the main issue is u.s. mentality. the problem is in the united states. in fact, in the laws passed in congress against iran that created these sanctions which have targeted the iranian central bank and even the imp t importing of medicine, it is sanctions are not directly linked to just the nuclear program. iran's ties with hamas and hezbollah, all of these, iran's political order, all of these are in the laws that have been signed. so the problem that the united states government is, a, does it have the will to change?

does it want to change? b, can it change congress and make congress repeal those laws? >> what happens in geneva? could it shift towards what iran is proposing, a system of spot checks, could we see that replace demands for a complete halt of uranium enrichment? >> reporter: yes. i think that that's the general idea. the iranians are willing to deal with any question that exists. of course, some in iran don't believe that western governments are sincere when they say that they feel that the iranians may be trying to produce a nuclear weapon because american intelligence doesn't say this. the iaea has never said that or showed signs that iran's nuclear program is anything but peaceful. the iranian government says if there are sincere questions the

iranians are willing to open up. western countries have to do something in return. in the past the iranians not only opened up completely, but they also halted you're rain yun enrichment and iran got nothing in return. it was further antagonized by the united states, the iranians being the axis of evil and so on. the iranians say we have a new administration, and the if the united states is sincere it can shift the former trend in the negotiations. remember the russians and chinese are very close to the iranian position, and the british and french are the ones that really look to the united states to see what it does. if there is going to be a better future, then the ball really is in the court of the united states. >> all right. thanks so much for your thoughts on that. >> thank you for having me. u.s. federal employees start heading back to work on thursday after congress voted to raise the debt ceiling and re-open the

government. to resolve the financial crisis it was approved in the early hours. it removes the threat the of an unprecedented government default. patty culhane reports many americans are upset politicians took so long to reach an agreement. >> without objection, the motion is agreed to. >> reporter: with that, a temporary reprieve for the global economy. the u.s. will not default on its debt. for the american people, their government will now re-open for at least the next three months. president barack obama expressing optimism that the country won't be back in the same place a few months from now. >> once again, i want to thank the leadership for coming together and getting this done. hopefully next time it won't be in the 11th hour. one of the things that i said throughout this process is, we've got to get out of the habit of governing by crisis. >> reporter: on capitol hill political leaders were quick to congratulate themselves and each

other. >> my hats off to senator reid for his tremendous work. >> second, i'd like to praise the president. >> i appreciate the work that sir alex erd shore did. >> praise was harder to come by just outside of the capitol where visiting tourists give you a good idea where this country feels about the latest crisis solved at the last minutes. from kansas, despair. >> very sad, because they need to get together and get something accomplished. they're like a couple of little kids on a schoolground bickering and not getting anything done. >> reporter: from california, frustration. >> it seems like most of the government is playing politics, and it's about political power. it's not about what's good for america, and that frustrates me greatly. >> reporter: in utah, anger. >> a lot of people discussing that i believe it will come happen time for voting this next go-around. i believe very strongly that a lot of voices will be heard at

that time. >> reporter: americans want every member of congress fired, but if their collective memories hold along with their anger, this is a message they won't be able to send until the 2014 elections. first, the politicians have another chance to try and find a long-term budget solution that they haven't been able to reach during the last five government-created crises. if not in three months it's possible the american people will be back here again from the outside looking in on capitol hill not liking what they say but not able to do much about it. patty culhane, al jazeera, washington. at least 15 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in northern iraq. the bomber detonated a truck packed with explosives in the village in nineveh province. in egypt a new protest law is being reviewed by the interim president. it's already been approved by the cabinet. the most contentious parts state

protesters must ask in writing for permission from their local police stations at least 24 hours before a protest. another article gives the ministry and all senior police the authority to cancel, postpone or change the venue of protests. finally, the government has the power to designate pro tess-free areas around state or government premises. joins me live from london is a senior lecturer in islamic studies at kings college. while you see this draft or proposal, is it a step towards beryl public order or more oppression? >> if you read it against the background of what has conspired over the last couple of months, it is, i think, to be greeted with a fair degree of suspicion. there are some stipulations that are in effect everywhere. the protest has to be conducted in an orderly fashion, gut the stipulations that it's the

interior minister who decided about the legality of protests is very different to what was previously put in place that this will be a decision of an independent judiciary. also, the regulation that local authorities can determine certain protest-free area is, of course, very much geared towards keeping people out of symbolically highly charged places or establishments of the political establishments. usually, of course, protests tend to converge on these places. they look for visibility, and they want to be heard by the political decision-makers. these regulations are definitely a reversal of the political gains egypt has made in the past two years, in spite of all the turmoil we have seen. >> is it a step backwards for the judiciary, too, when you think of the last constitution drafted under the supporters of

morsi, you have an automatic right to protest. the judiciary could only be called in to undo that and stop a protest. now it's the other way around. the police can stop and give permits, and you have to go to the judiciary to try and get your rights back. >> even, that is difficult because it's the local authorities that give the permits, on top of that the ministry of the interior has the authority itself to stop protests or declare them as illegal. that is the big difference. in the past the ministry would be like a party in front of a judge contesting the legality of a protest initiative. so this is definitely a reversal of the independence of the judiciary that was one of the hard gain achievements over the time that, you know, we have seen the regime change in 2011.

>> on the other hand, i guess supporters of this draft would say well, you need to notify -- you may not need to get a permit. you need to notify police in countries like the u.k. if you want to hold a moving protest as a static one. does it really stray too far from international laws? >> in that sense it's that stipulation that's the main bone of contention, i would imagine. if you look at what happened in the last couple of months and the relationship that -- the deteriorating relationship between the two main political actors of the ministry of interior and muslim brotherhood. it's exactly that ministry that has the final authority on deciding whether protests can go ahead or not will be met with a very great degree of suspicion by people who might want to organize protests. the fact that the organizers have to register their names and contact details.

again, after what has happened in the last few months this is another attempt of the mother to clamp down on political freedoms rather than restoring public order. >> thanks so much for your thoughts from kings college. well, it's based on a 2009 attack by the taliban on a pakistani police academy. now the events have been made into the big budget action movie. we'll have all the details. plus, putting the symbols of violence to more creative purposes. we have the story of one grieving west bank mother. the world cup seedings are out. find out who is in and isn't for next year's tournament. find out from jo in sports coming up.

49 people have been killed in a plane crash in laos. people from ten countries were traveling on the laos airline jet when it went down into the mekong river. it had been flying in poor weather and was about to land when it was hit by strong winds. at least 158 people are confirmed to have died in the philippines earthquake. hundreds more are injured, and dozens of people are still missing. the quake struck the island on tuesday. first, we have this update. >> reporter: we're in an area hit when the earthquake struck here in the philippines. now, this school, this public elementary school has now been a refuge for many of the residents who have lost their homes. they've been here for the last three days and are unable to go back. many of them, their homes have

been flattened to the ground, and others really have no other place to go. now, the issue here is becoming increasingly a humanitarian one. they say they're running out of the food and water. now, the philippines president, president aquino, has pledged that aid and assistance will reach quickly to those that need it most. we've spoken to residents here and they haven't seen any government official who in fact with iran really checking it out and say it's okay. they say the problem is really the problem of security, they said. they're constantly living in the state of uncertainty with aftershocks continues. they would like to see really to know how they can go back to normal lives again. the problem is that it's unsure whether schools are going to be open, if they're going to be given at all any assistance as to how to have some funds to rebuild their houses.

they don't know exactly how they can proceed. they're unable to go to work. electricity is still remaining practically unavailable in most areas and access is still a major issue. >> everywhere signs of the stet gekt back to work and the streets coming back to life. many offices and shopping malls remain closed while the full extent of damage is assessed. with the peak tour ishg season starting, no signs of panic here. although, from the city's mayor an opt missiontic prediction it might add a bonus into the typical holiday package. >> our tourists want to see what happened, so it can be an attraction. >> reporter: from most filippino visitors the damaged buildings are a reminder of their

country's susceptibility to natural disaster. >> this has happened in the past. >> reporter: while neighboring islands have been counting the cost in terms of lives lost, the big concern is the impact of people's livelihood, the heartland of central philippines. for all of the people of central philippines the same internal questions in times of natural disaster, why us. millions of people in eastern india brace for more flooding at the tail end of typhoon phailin battles the cost. we report from west bengal, one of the worst-hit regions. a community divided. while some people wait to to get to safety, those already there are struggling to get by. he points to the spot where he

thinks his home is. he doesn't know when he'll be able to go back, and if there will be anything to go back to. >> translator: we're facing a lot of problems in in makeshift shefter. we don't have access to proper food. i'm struggling to take care of my children. i can't even pray. >> reporter: the troubles are the result of events unfolding a long way from here. on saturday a fierce cyclone slammed into the coast of southeast india. it weakened into a tropical depression and caused chaos across the region. the indian states were prepares for cyclone phailin to hit, but now millions of people in neighboring west bengal are struggling to deal with it. it's a race against time to save more low-lying areas from being inundated. in a bid to stop the muddy torrent in its tracks, the army and people from surrounding villages try to build a barrier

across the water. >> translator: you can see how prepared we are. we are working around the clock to make things better here, and with the help of the army, we'll repair this breach as soon as possible. >> reporter: information about where and how fast the water is flowing is scarce, so most people have little choice but to go with the flow. >> translator: the government should provide lep on the ground. we're not going to get anything. >> reporter: rural communities across west bengal are bracing for more flooding and the uncertainty of mother nature means they may have to weather this storm for some time to come. al jazeera, eastern and west bengal. >> let's get all the weather with richard. >> thanks. it's often an event from the situations you have to watch out

for. this is the case with the aftermath with typhoon wipha that affected japan. we have another typhoon developing further south in the pacific drifting slowing toward the west, but it will take a sharp turn right and head towards the north. i stopped it there in a at around 0:00 gmt on tuesday. there's colder waters here, so less energy to feed on. it's still equivalent for a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 187 kph. it will have some impact upon parts of japan. so we'll keep a close eye on this. the ground is saturated and you saw that rainfall totals happened in tokyo. also more significantly in ashima with over 800 millimeters of rain. that doesn't set the all-time record for japan, because that

standing at 1,138 millimeters near toke sheem ma. that's that muff rainfall in a 24-hour period. nothing like that in the forecast. instead for the next 24 hours weather conditions are quieter around much of japan. getting towards that, they will see some rain not from that typhoon system but some rain expected across parts of japan. >> thanks. large bush fires are spreading throughout the australian state of new wales. several how manies have been destroyed and they're warning residents to leave the area. flames are fanned by strong winds. plenty more ahead including the girl detained on a school trip. we'll tell you why french officials are under scrutiny. kenya's missing billions. how holes in the public purse

cost the country its future. adrian gonzalez steals the show in the national league series. jo will have all the details in sports.

politicians met western powers to try to restart negotiations over tehran's disputed nuclear program. u.s. federal employees will be heading back to work on thursday after congress voted to raise the debt ceiling and fully re-open the government. a deal to resolve the financial crisis was finally approved in the early hours. france is facing criticism over the way a schoolgirl was detained and deported to kosovo with her family. the 15-year-old was taken into custody while on a school trip. the french government is now opening an investigation into how she was treated. tim friend reports from paris. >> reporter: speaking in kosovo where her family are now staying, she said she wants to come back to france and return to school. she spoke of the moment when she was escorted off the busby police. >> translator: i felt very bad.

i was ashamed in front of my friends because they started asking me, who did you kill that the police are looking for you? i didn't know where i was and what was going on. i started to cry. >> reporter: immigrants rights groups and even members of the governing socialist party call the conditions of the expulsion shocking. the family say that they fled kosovo about five years ago because they're roman and face discrimination. she attended school in a region in eastern france and regards that as her home. the interior ministry said that the family's application for asylum had been rejected. >> translator: the people involved were treated with respect. i ask to wait calmly for the results of the investigation. they'll be known in the coming days. >> reporter: the french prime minister said if the investigation reveals any violations, then the family could be allowed to return.

tim friend, al jazeera, paris. the maltese military rescued more than 128 migrants after their boat sank in the mediterranean. it caught in rough sea. a u.s. navy ship was involved in the rescue operation too. greece's parliament is looking at changes to laws. on wednesday it lifted the immunity of six members of the far right party, golden dawn. the group's leader and two other members were arrested earlier this month, and charges of belonging to a criminal group. the united nations is appealing for more troops and helicopters for its peace-keeping mission in mali. it says the extra numbers are needed to effectively stabilize the north of the country and project civilians from attacked by civilian armed groups. there are 6,000 troops in mali, roughly half of what's mandated.

for more of that i'm joins from paris by the president of the institute for foresight and security in europe. good to have you with us. first of all, is the problem the number of troops, and if so, where can they come from? >> well, the problem is the number of troops, but the problem is also the fact that a certain number of african countries who had deployed troops in missions withdrew their troops. as you know 1,200 nigerians have left united nations missions. why have they left? because they're fighting also a war in their country, and they're fighting against it. last week 150 troops also left the united nations stabilization mission for the same reason, and based on the fact that there are ongoing problems in the area,

and we have to have that while troops are not being sufficiently deported in mali, another mission is in cooperation in central africa and that was roughly last week. >> is there, though, a question as well about the quality of trooping trains, the ability of the u.n. to lead missions, more complex factors than simply the number of boots and helicopters deployed? >> well, the problem is the quality of the training, which has provided to this extent to the united nations mission, will have to have in mind that the united nations mission which is supposed to the extent of 12,600 troops were not coming from all around the world. most of them were african missions. the core of the united nations was the african-led operation

which was deployed before the 1st of july when the united nations came into reality. the problem is, therefore, are these troops sufficiently trained. that's one issue. is the mission for which they've been implemented really a counterterrorist operation now? is there still a risk in the northern part of mali where that was deployed? we have in mind that a few days ago there were troubles between the secular rebels and the army. does that mean that there is only this problem or other types of organizations, groups to resume the calls? is there still a genuine threat in mali? that is maybe one of the issues for which the united nations is having a lot of difficulty to have all of the militaries in there. >> what are the extent of the

gains made by the french now risk? >> what did you say? >> if these problems are not faced, what's the risk the of the gains made by the french being unwound? >> well, the president for so long is doing that. he was very clear about that saying that he had total confidence in the capability of the malian authorities, which are now -- they have been installed after a vote. he said he had clear confidence in the fact that the mali army can overthrow any type of disorganization. this is why the french troops are decreasing. we have clearly said that by the end of the year in december there will only be 1,000 french military troops. we have to have in mind when we say this, we also have to take

into account that most of these troops may need to be put elsewhere in central africa. this is also something which has been in the minds -- is in the minds for the situation that you're speaking of saying that the united nations is very open to sanctions in the continent, but it has to deal with at least three major missions and the problem is the funding but also to find the troops for these missions. >> thanks so much for your thoughts. kenya's president kenyatta called for answers after they found that a third of the country's public spending could not be accounted for. this is not the first time the country's finances have come under scrutiny. by far the biggest scandal has been the $10 billion that the parliament report reveals were reveal

revealed. students struggle with math. like most of their colleagues around the world they see it as a key life skill. it's tough to learn with a class of 100. education is the first of the underfunded departments in the government there. according to a report most ministries can't do their sums. from 2011 to to 2012, $4 billion of the budget is missing. that's 33% of the government's entire expenditure for that year. it counts spending level that would pay pour 15 years of free

primary school education or ten years of public health care. the group has been tracking the government's accounts for years. the auditor general hasn't accused anyone of stealing. just the money can't be traced, but the group's chief executive says wherever it's gone, it's costing the country it's future. >> the figure that was given to us by the auditor general is larger than kenya's current development budget. so it really is the difference between development and just muddles along. he chose a speak to the military to talk of the missing millions in fighting terms the soldiers would understand. >> just like terrorism and other forms of aggression, inefficiency, incompetence and corruption are massive threats

to our integrity as a society. as a nation, we must embrace it and fight for our children with the resolve required to combat terrorism. >> reporter: now all the government ministries have been ordered to explain where the money has gone. if anybody should know what happened to the missing millionses, it will president kenyatta himself. for at least half the period that the auditor general examined, he served as the finance minister and the man in the department is now the head of the civil service. kenya's health service is another dangerously ill department. patients spill out onto the grass outside the public hospital waiting for treatment. the auditor general has warned the government can't stop hemorrhaging money, the entire country will remain chronically sick. palestinians clash with israeli forces almost every friday in a west bank village,

but now of the symbols of the continuing violence are used for more creative purposes. we have the story. >> reporter: this woman knows all about overcoming grief. four years ago her son was killed during a peaceful protest near the israeli separation wall. now they have honored him with this very unusual garden, planting flowers inside grenades fired by israeli forces during the weekly demonstrations. >> translator: he used to love flowers. i hope he'll always be surrounded by flowers. >> reporter: her daughter also died after inhaling tear gas during a protest. he was killed right here after being hit in the chest by a tear gas canister. his death captured on camera. >> translator: i feel he's around me. i feel he's watering the plants when i do.

he knows i'm hurting. i'm sad because i lost two of my children. >> reporter: the garden is a chance for people to pay their respects. the nonviolent protests on the outskirts have been going on for eight years now, and villagers hope with the garden, children like these will remember others that have given their lives to the struggle. >> translator: our message to the israeli occupation and those that support is we're transforming canisters of death into canisters of life with flowers. >> reporter: a simple message and one they hope takes root elsewhere, too. this week sees the release of pakistan's first big budget action movie "war," a film based on real-life events following a 2009 attack by the taliban. it's one of several feature length movie releases this year. it's part of what's being seen as a revival of the pakistani

filmmaking industry. we have the report. >> reporter: it was a rare night of celebrity and glamour at the islamabad premiere of the much anticipated film. the action movie is the first to be made in pakistan on a multi-million dollar budget. they say the film has the potential to dramatically change the struggling industry. >> translator: i feel with the release of the movie, the pakistani film industry has arrived. we received a lot of support making this movie, and i think it will inspire young filmmakers to come out and make their own movies. >> reporter: they've had two released this year. pakistani cinema, known as lollywood after the eastern city where it's based has steadily declined since the late 1970s. that was because military ruler

launched an islam nation agenda that introduced a rigid censorship code ends what's described as dedevoted days of pakistani cinema. back then they released 200 movies annually and today it's less than one-fifth of that. adding to the challenges of the cinemas operating in the country, that number is now under 200. between pakistan's first submission for an action award in 50 years and the release of the first multi-million dollar blockbuster, it would appear the once ailing film industry is on the mend. it will take a long time before the movie business here will be able to compete with neighboring bollywood. one of the main challenges for pakistani filmmakers is raising money to fund projects. making movies is expensive, and with audiences mainly limited to

a handful of major cities, it isn't always easy to turn a profit. this pakistani filmmaker says it will take four to five years before it's lucrative for filmmakers. >> in india if you invest, you can recoup the money in the first week. you can't say that about pakistan yet. you need a certain film that you know the masses will come and watch. >> reporter: a gamble they're hoping will pay off. al jazeera, islamabad. the sports are coming up on the film hour including masters champion adam scott finishes the year on a high. jo will have the details shortly. my name's nicole deford and i'm

thank you so much. the top eight seeds for next year's world cup draw are out, and there are a few surprises in the list. fifa used the rankings. as you might expect, the world and european champion spain are ranked first and germany and argentina. switzerland and uruguay round out the top seven. brazil is in 11th but will be one of the eight seeds for the draw because they are the hosts. the netherlands and italy are currently outside the seedings. lee, many people will be surprised by who is in the seeds and who isn't. >> yes, but we're particularly

surprised by switzerland. that really is an interesting development because switzerland moved seven places up the world rankings and it's the october rankings fifa is basing this on. the way they do this is a point system and it's about recent results. switzerland not only won the european qualifying group but on a 14-behalf unbeaten run. that's what counts but not what you did in past tournaments. belgium is in brilliant at the moment. when you look at an elimination like the netherlands, that's unlucky but they reached want fient in south afk. i'm hopes that uruguay doesn't win their path against jordan. if uruguay doesn't go through, then the netherlands will be seated. what about italy? they've never been in position before. they're one of the game's elite, but it will make it interesting you could get an opening game

conceivably between brazil playing it let, because they are not among the seeds. >> that would be a brilliant start to the world cup. lee, fifa's decision to change the way the seeds are chosen has caused some controversy, hasn't it? >> it has. some nations are unhappy with the way things are going. a good example is france. they don't feel they've had a proper opportunity to raise their fifa ranking. they were unlucky to join the same group as spain. that is terrible luck. spain won as expected and france finished second. they haven't been drawn against their opponents yet. because there are only five times in their qualifying group, not six, they had less games to push up their rankings. so france is particularly unhappy. you've also got a situation where it starts to get intriguing. with switzerland seeded, you get an imbalance or do have an absolutely fascinating draw with

brazil, italy, the united states are underrated. the united states have achieved in the last few years, and then ivory coast or ghana if they get from africa all in the same group. that's partly because of what switzerland has achieved that you can have a group like that. >> that is lee wellings there live in london. we have to wait and see what that draw brings us. for now, thanks. the detroit tigers leveled the american league championship series beating the boston red sox in game four. it was total domination. to torii hunter smashed a two-run double. miguel cabrera got an rbi single in forty the fourth with the game ending 7-3. game five is later on thursday. >> we feel like we're one of the best teams in the american league right now, and you know, i mean that's showing right now. we want it to be a good contest. it's mentally and physically

draining every night, but that's what good baseball is all about. >> the l.a. dodgers beat the st. louis cardinals to go ahead in the national league championship series. the score was locked 2-2 before the dodgers pulled away in the third. adrian gonzalez smashing a solo home run. a.gon struck again in the eighth getting another home run to complete l.a.'s scoring. the game ended 6-4. >> translator: to me what was important was the victory, not anything personal. we could go into game six with the opportunity to win it, to win the seventh game and win the series. it's not about me. it's about the team. in the nhl the new york rangers ended a three game losing streak by beating the capitals on wednesday. they have their goaltenders henrik lundqvist to thank to keep washington at bay. the rangers got their goals in the second period. ryan callahan sealed the win.

final score, 2-0 new york. over in california the anaheim ducks notched up their fifth straight win by beating the calgary flames. dustin penner put them ahead less than a minute in as they went into the break 2-1 up. then in the second period, teemu selanne capped off the scoring with his first goal of the season and going on to win 3-2. cricket now in pakistan on the brink of winning the first test against south africa in uae. they bowled out south africa in the second innings, meaning they need 40 runs for victory. it's south africa first loss since 2011 if they win. golf now. adam scott continued his great 2013. the reigning masters champion won the grand slam of golf in bermuda on wednesday. it's contested by the winners of golf's four majors. the australian won by two strokes ahead of dustin rose, who is the u.s. open champion.

scott's 7 under par round of 64 on wednesday giving him an overall score of 8 under and a winner's check of $600,000. >> there's a timely shot, and it was icool way to finish this off, especially after yesterday. i've had such a good time here, and i had a really good time playing with the other three guys. what a cool event to be involved in, and thanks for making it so much fun to play around your beautiful course here. the issue of brain injuries in nfl could be thrown back in the spotlight with a new report out later. the study has found unusual and profound abnormalities in brain activity of former american football players. although the 13 subjects in the study were not diagnosed with any neurological condition, scientists found that the unusual brain activity increased in those with more head injuries during their careers. in aulth august the nfl agreed to payment of more than $750 million to 18,000 players

suffering serious brain conditions related to concussion. there's plenty more on that and other stories on our website, check out aljazeera.com/sports. there's also details there on how to get in touch with our team using twitter and facebook. that's the sports for now. >> thanks so much, jo, for that. for generations new zealanders have unofficials referred to their two mainland masses at the north and the south islands, but the government is changing all of that. the english names still stand, you see, but new zealand is now at the option of using mowri names, too. we have more from the capital of welli wellington. >> reporter: the appreciates green stone. it's a sill bol of strength, beauty and power. traditionally the greenstone is given as a gift. now the mowri has been gin

perhaps their greatest gift. the south island is known as on the waters of greenstone. the north island is getting a makeover becoming the fish of ma maui. boat are names that the indigenous have used for r hundreds of years. for vicky thomas, it's a moment to be proud of her heritage. >> i'm glad. i think it's one more part of recognizing maori as being the indigenous people of new zealand and we'll ibiculture country. >> english sailor james cook used maori names when he charted the islands in the 1700s. later they were described by the location north and south. >> already it's part of maorian history they're part of the european history, because captain james cook was the first person to take the names from

those islands and put them down in writing. >> reporter: for the last few decades they've been fighting for the survival and recognition of their language. the formal adoption of these names is seen as another step towards this. for leaders, it's another reinforcement of maori status. >> it's a part of they are recognition of maori and people of the state. we aren't going anywhere, and again, along with their countrymen and women, this will hopefully add to bringing us together as a nation. >> reporter: new zealand has always tried to encourage the use of both languages, and the changes have been largely supported by the wider community. the reality is, of course, you can't legislate what people say. for some the islands will always just be north and south, but for the maori. al jazeera, we willington new zealand. that brings us to the end of

this news hour. stay with us here on al jazeera. we have another full bulletin of news coming up straight ahead. on inside story, we bring together unexpected voices closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you.

[[voiceover]] every day, events sweep across our country. and with them, a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered? antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours.

>> we've got to get out of the habit of governing by crisis. >> the u.s. government is back open for business. president obama signed a bill avoiding a potential economic meltdown, but we mighte doing it all over again in just a few months. it's back to work for hundreds of thousand was federal employees sitting on the sidelines during the shutdown. why some workers are suing to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> new jersey elects its first black u.s. senator. corey booker wins, giving the rising democratic star an even bigger political stage. >>