[welcome to the news hour, with the top stories on al jazeera. lying in state. nelson mandela is in the heart of the south african government. as religious violence claims more lives. thousands of riot police confront protestors we will have the latest live from the ukrainian

capitol. your guy becoming the first in the world to legalize the trade in marijuana. these are live pictures from the government building there in the capitol. allowing to see him before he is buries on sunday. the country's first black president died in his home six days ago. now mike, you have been standing outside the building watching the dig nit tears coming in and out. what's been the mood there? >> the respectful move we

have seen here, the viewing of the body began within the last half hour. that is they were the first to view the body, and since thin we have seen a number heads of state pass through, particularly african heads of state. he was all an old friend of nelson mandela, in the freedom struggle. a stream of dignitaries from this continent, and far beyond, and then within the next few hours it will be the public's turn, ordinary south africans the people for whom mandela fought so long and suffered so much, they will be filing pass in the union buildings.

now mike, just take us flu the significance of the journey they took this mopping. it was driven through the city as it is now called in that city, there are many many marks of then son mandela's history, moments in his struggle against the apartheid government. this is the court in which mandela stood accused along with a number of other fellow anc colleagues. number one in what is called the trial. then this central prison, he was held in that prison after being arrested separate to the treason charges that he

subsequently changed. this is the seat of the south african government, for decades it was the best end of power, the government against whom nelson mandela fought so hard and so long and line in 1994, he was elected or confirmed as south africa's first democratic president. the first leader of a nonracial democratic society. has been renamed the nelson mandela amy theater. there will al be a statute chew unveiled in this building. so the union buildings which were once the very symbol, now become a symbol and a memory place of nelson mandela the man that brought that government down and a very fit tribute to this great man, thank you for that. just outside the union

building. he is involved with some people that are waiting to pay their final respects to nelson mandela. you can see thousands and thousands lined up on the streets waiting to pay their respects to south africa's father. he wasn't just south africa's father, he is also a father, a mentor, and an icon do the rest of the world. well, i think you have had a pretty good look at that long long cue, snaking around a couple of blocks. this is one sight, there are more than one with this many people waiting to board buss, and then to be taken off to the union buildings to walk past nelson mandela's coffin. these are poignant seens.

they are cameoeds, not moving very quickly, very patient. and of course reminiscent of scenes in 1994, when formed all over the country people waiting to cast the fist vote that any of them had cast in their lives and that of course courtesy to nelson mandela. excuse me, you are live on television, can i ask you how you feel. >> very happy, and excited. >> how long do you think this will take? >> i'm not sure, but we are looking it is going to take quite some time. >> you are willing to wait. >> very, willing to wait. >> as long as it takes. >> as long as it takes. >> hi, can i have a word with you, we are lye on

television. >> yes. >> what does this mean to you. >> i didn't see madiba, yesterday -- today is my day to go to see madiba. i am happy, today, and i am happy and then i'm crying again. >> he meant that much to you? >> i don't know what i can say about madiba. thoughts about madiba. >> the time i take to pay my last respect to them. >> i will pay my l respect to my president. he fought for us. he fought for the

freedom,. >> let's hope your boss isn't watching. they did it in 1994, they knew then they were waiting for a momentous thing, and they waited for a long long time, patiently, and they will do the same thing now because they know this is a momentous occasion, something they won't forget. >> jonas, thank you for that, speaking to us. >> riot police have stormed key ya city hall in an attempt to force out protestors camped inside. now, earlier they fought with demonstrators as they try to clear a protest camp. joins us live now, tim,

we have seen the police moving in, how successful have they been in terms of disbursing the protestors? if you look at the scene now, not at all, because initially they reasserted their authority, where of course, the demonstrators have been now for over two weeks. but they have now backed off. the riot police are nowhere to be seen, their vans have gone away, at 1 point it appears they were ready to go into city hall as well. where they have been occupying that building, but they have also backed off from there as well. they simply carried out this operation in the night to clear some roads. nothing more than that, but it was clearly, also, a successful attempt to show how easily when they want to make a move back

in here bring down the barricades and stop this protest. i think there may be more people than there were yesterday. but my colleague has the story of the night. >> they have been expecting it. revolutionary movement and they are unwilling to lose face. government militias storms the barricades. at first it seems like a battle to reclaim the store for more than a fortnight. the progress was slow. it took nearly three hours to break the loins. the real purpose of this

operation, seems not to take back the square, but to take down the protestors around it. it's been a show of force but so far without the show of violence. >> all the while, opposition leaders kept up their cause, to stay peaceful, some youth appears in the mood for trouble, but others were intent on preventing violence, there were consequences. keep them out. >> the e.u. foreign affairs chief who earlier had stood with demonstrators in the square, said he was certain by the events and criticized the use of force. the president is closest for an alley lives in brussells as long as they oppose ukraine forging closer ties with europe, his hands are tied.

this shows he is still in charge, even with the highest youth delegation in town. a show of strength, that enough is enough, and that it is time for everyone to go home. >> well, the ebb and flow of this protest goes on, and beneath me here just to my left, i can see the demonstrators rebuilding one of the barricades that was only a short while ago taken down in that overnight operation. in the meantime, it looks as though negotiations are continue, what success think are anybody's guest. but the assistant u.s. secretary of state is meeting the ukrainian president, they are having talks and will be reporting on any progress that they may make later. reporting for us from the

capitol keyiv. >> the u.s. has approved $60 million for defense equipment. two were killed on monday night as they try to disarm local ma slish las the french president has flown in to visit his forces. >> this is a country being swept up in a frenzy of hate. these pictures filmed by amnesty international show the after math of an attack on a mosque. low christians burned it down. and now, they are stripping it apart. the graffiti on the wall insubjects the rebel president. the coalition of rebels can took control here in march. the big problem now is every day persons.

the new situations, last week it was a fight between armed people. now we are witnessing fighting between communities. >> french soldiers are here to protect civilians they too have now become targets. the french president visit was in part to pay respect to the two soldiers who died, and boost themore 3r58 of the rest of his forces. for now, it is the africa union forces can are more visible on the streets, these men are from congo, they are protecting the african unions special representatives to the country. the communication, all of that, and we are calling all the people to take the future. >> the role will become increasingly important

here. the safe way to get around at the moment, in convoy where african union forces. there are no french soldiers on the streets at the moment. there is no rule of law here, muslims are being targeted by christians and christians are being targeted by muslims. french soldiers were disarming rebel groups. now they must box out their next strategy. that leaves them free to roam the streets. and angry mobs to take out their revenge. >> al jazeera, bangi. >> joining us live now from paris, the death of the french soldiers definitely a major set back for the french force. what's been president allan's reaction to the death.

we are told that apparently that brief stop over in the central african republic was planned before news came through of the death of the two solves. but certainly that the timing was very significant. he said that this was a difficult and dangerous mission. but he havessed that it was a very important message. and in order to save more lives but obviously as you say a big set back, because this is on the very first day of the french operations to disarm. so obviously it does give pause for thought, but what with are hearing very clearly have been appearing on french radio since the two were killed very much a reiteration that france is there for the course. >> we do know too that

the french parliament has been debating the c.a.r., have these deaths raised questions among the parliamentarians about france's involvement. >> i think what they have done is reinforced questions. questions that were already being raised. we must underline that there was a broad cross party, cross main stream party support for this intervention, it was mostly the parties on the far right or the parties on the far left, who objected to it. and however, the kind of questions that were being asked before, are now being asked more urgently, namely, why is france the only european country that actually is engaged on the ground. we hear about political support, financial support, but it is only french soldiers that are there on the ground. also questions asked about the cost of this

mission, this is a time when france is going through an economic cries us and people are asking why is france footing the bill, and why is france taking sole responsibility for being the policeman of africa. and they are asking more intensely now. >> very intriguing, jackie roland there reporting for us from paris. >> you are watching the al jazeera news hour, still to come, once freedom fighters, now impoverished. why they are still waiting for recognition, compensation, and their land. plus, it is set to become the biggest health problem of your generation, but does dementia have the funding to match. and that snow way to play a champions league match, joe will tell us more about what happened next in a very cold european football match.

syrian rebel forces are reported to be advancing. south of the country, it silts close to is israeli boarder, on monday, reforces reclaimed the town. >> leaders from six gulf states have called on fighters from the lebanese armed group hezbollah to lead syria. tuesday's talk says the summit in kuwait focused on the humanitarian situation, with members pledges hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. ties with iran are on the agenda, following last month's deal in geneva. omar is live for us in kuwait. now, omar, usually the gcc focuses on gcc issues

but they also talk about regional issues as well. let's start with iran, and it's nuclear deal. what's expected to come out of discussions from that. >> now, let's start with iran as you statemented. the final summit came out welcoming the nuclear deal, between the p five plus one, with iran, last month. saying in deal will only boost the security and stability of the region. they said this is the first step towards a wider and a comprehensive deal with iran, which leads to a nonproliferation deal to make this area -- to -- to rid this area with weapons of mass

destruction, including in nuclear weapons. now, this is very interesting point, because not all gcc members trust iran. they call on iran to boost its relation with its neighbors. they welcome the new president and they call on the iranians to take practical steps to stop the medaling in arab and regional affairs in the region. >> very interesting dynamics there. but the g.c.c. summit also discussed the syrian conflict, and they are pledging hundreds of aid. >> yes, they supported the call to hold the second conference in kuwait, and that will happen early next year, and they are pledging hundreds and millions of dollars to end the crisis of the syrian refugees. now on the war in syria,

they condemned the forces and they called on the sitting opposition to take part in the geneva ii conference. based on the basis of geneva one, which means there's no place for syrian president, nor members of his regime, who have blood on their hands. now, moving on to the final important point, egypt. they welcome the aspirations and the choices of the egyptian people, and they call on to support egypt politically. >> reporting for us from kuwait city. let's take a look at the weather the weather across much of europe is relatively settled. but with this area of

high pressure dominating it is putting in quite cold air from the north. and indeed quite snowy conditions. but further towards the yeast, has the snow has been heavier and more wide interest, last night's game was disrupted as a result of significant snowfall. 23469, after 32 minutes the game has to be talletted to be replayed at a later date. well that's small in comparison to the fate of many refugees living across this region at the moment. and indeed, the forecast suggests that some of the refugee camps are likely to be hit by very heavy snowfall, and that is going to be extending along the boarder with turkey and syria, and through towards iraq as well. so here we are likely to see snowfall accumulations from up to 60 to 90-centimeters. and the temperature here in about one degree, it

should be around 12 or 13 degrees. so very cold nighttime temperatures, the snow does begin to ease as we head through to friday. >> richard, thank you very much. now the first ever g 8 summit is getting underway in london. there are 34 million people living with the disease, but treatment for those in the u.k. has been hampered by spending cuts. al jazeera reporting now from the north of england. >> it just takes over your life. it is 24 hour, seven days a week, 365 day as year condition. that you have to deal with. and you cannot turn your back. >> it's visiting time at this special home for people with dementia. melvin wear is here to see his wife evan.

they have been married 57 years. >> you live day by day. it destroyed your normal kind of life. and it takes over. >> apart from that, not a lot of things in the world i love, but i love her to bits. i would do anything for her. >> dementia requires long term help, and social care. evan is paying privately, but most are depend on state health. the illness costs an estimated $38 billion a year, that's more than cancer, strokes and heart disease combined. but as measures take hold, not enough help is reaching those most in need. >> dementia can strike rat any age, but now that life spans are growing around the world, there's also putting a strain on developing countries, that don't have an equally advanced medical

system. >> the increasing number of people globally are going to be a real problem for all countries. so we need to share best practice, share learning and we need to disseminate the outcomes and research as quickly as possible, so we can enable people to live well with dementia now, but develop the treatments the r the future. >> the u.k. government is prompting hundreds of millions of dollars in investment in tackling the illness, as health ministers it's hope that the combined efforts of the world's wealthiest nationed will's the suffering of millions. at al jazeera, bradford. >> and joining us now to discuss this very emotional issue, is hillary evans. in london, hillary, thank you very much for making it on the show. now, it's a very touching subject, but it does seem that every day there are illnesses plaguing various populations you have heart problems,

diabetes, obesity, why should governments focus on dementia. >> well, as people across the world live longer and longer, more and more people are suffering with dementia, and we are slowly finding out more and more about the disease. the people from suffer from alzheimerss, the different types of dementia, but it has devastating consequences. it has consequences on every system, and on families and on the individuals. so we really welcome the g eight coming together and looking at what you can do to solve this problem in the future, and solving its needs and a need to look at treatments and specifically a cure. >> now france has said to have one of the better dementia programs. that they have shifted their focus from viewing it as a health problem to seeing it as an individual with dementia, how does that change the approach or treatment approach. >> well, i think in some of the caring for people,

they need to be seen as individuals, and everyone with dementia suffering in different ways and they need to have care packages that work for them. but this is also about how we can try and prevent, how at the moment, there are no real treatments there are some drugs that you can take that will improve your symptoms for maybe 12 months at a maximum, but there's nothing else you can take, it hasn't had the kind of add sadment, we think there could be a break through, and fewer people would then be suffering so is that would ease the strain on the health and social care systems around is world, but also we have the vision where -- which would be a fantastic thing. >> hillary, there's so much we could discuss about this, unporch by we have ran out of time. hillary evans there, from

alzheimerss research in london. and more to come on al jazeera, including as the world says farewell to nelson mandela, we take a look at why his promise of a better life in south africa, has yet to be realized. also ahead, the talk of the town. >> hosting its fist major sporting event in decades. joe will be mere to tell you why sports at the southeast games are causing a stir.

welcome back, you are watching the al jazeera news hour. south africans are paying their last respects to thenson mandela, his body will lie in state for the next three days allowing people to see him before he is buried on sunday. riot police in ukraine fought with protestors after surrounding city hall. it is the second attempt to use ford against protestors in the last two days. the u.s. has approved $60 million worth of defense equipment for foreign forces in the central african republic. french president visited the capitol following the death of two soldiers. let's return to south africa where people will vote in a national election in june. despite having a black president since 1994, the

black majority still faces serious problems from poverty to high unemployment, and for many the ruling party says the african national congress is to blame. mike hannah has more. >> prayers for a man who touched the lives of all. but in the void left by his death, an awareness of challenging so come. the growing gap between rich and poor, is the most brutal reminder that it is still to be realized. >> i think the challenge we have, hasn't necessarily means ma della, it means us south africans. if we don't do something, the young people are going to revolt, because if they remain poor, and the few become richer, than the people will revolt. >> the fault lines within

south african society have become all too clear. it was a labor dispute that resulted in the killing of more than 30 people last year, but many argue that the root cause of such violence is an african national congress government that has lost touch with those that put it in power. >> if you look at what has been happening over the last few years in terms of public violence, you can see that we have many many people who don't feel represented by those in government. and the resort to violence is because they don't feel they are heard. >> and there's mounting criticism of the national congress, even those that have intent a lifetime in its ranks, a particular point of anger, or a scene to blame the past, for its inability to deal with the problems of the present. >> we are accountable. and while we can say --

we cannot in a sense bring out the ghost of apartheid as the reason why we have problems today. today's problems are our doing. and requires political solution and the new way of thinking of solutions. >> the death of nelson mandela signals the end of an era, one dominated by a group of political titans found both by friendship, and the desire to create a better life for all. >> and as final preparations are made for nelson mandela's burial, there are answers to be answered whether a new generation of pleaders is able to complete the work, begun by those who are now gone. mike hannah, al jazeera, johannesburg. >> joining me now is political analyst, thank you very much for your company. again, mandela and the

anc had brought south africa out of the dark days of apartheid. and they put the country on a journey to success, where did the vision go wrong? >> well, largely with a whole lot of nepotism, a whole lot of corruption, a lot of people feeling that it was their turn to actually gain and accumulate the spoils of power. unfortunately. but that has been a small segment of the leaders in our country, and i think it shouldn't color our vision for the future. in fact, mr. mandela himself once said, and perhaps echoing what reverend said earlier on in the broadcast, what mr. mandela said is if the anc does to you what the apartheid government did to you, then you must do to the afc what you did to the apartheid government.

he said this in 1993 at the conference of the union movement that he is affiliated with the anc government. and i think those words are words now that south africans need to take to heart. >> fair enough words as mike hannah said, a lot of people in south africa, don't feel they are being represented, the question though is the problem with the ano, or is the anc overwhelmed with the problems being faced by south africa. >> i believe there are catering of the anc still within its ranks who are able to overcome these problems who are able to root out the bad elements, if you will. it just takes the right type of leadership, and the political will to do so. because that political will may bring out skeletons in some closets. >> are you talking then there's a need of a change of personality, rather than a real shake up? >> a change of attitude,

and they may necessitate a change of personality. but certainly it is the attitude. the prevailing attitude at the tame. >> now, yesterday, at the stadium, we saw president jacob zuma stand up to give his tribute to nelson mandela, but he was booed and it was quite an embarrassment, given that this was an event that the whole world was watching. do you think this will actually spur him to perhaps change even what he is doing or how he is driving the party in the country? >> anyone would hope so. but given the power base that he does have, remember that the crowd at the stadium is not necessarily the power base, the real power base. so given that father base and the confidence that the anc has that it will continue to win elections in south africa, i certainly hope that it spurs change. but there's a part of me that says it is unlikely in the immediate future, unfortunately. as a fellow analyst said

in a comment yesterday, to boo is not yet to boo in south africa. but we might be heading that way. >> very well said in dean, thank you for coming up on the show and talking to us. kenya will celebrate 50 years of independence on thursday, but the thousands of people who fought for that freedom are still languishing in poverty and neglect, reports now in central kenya. >> a growth of aging kenyan fightingers meet where they once used to fight. years of poverty have all been broken the spirit. >> they are briefed against the british government, for torturing thousands of them during what became known as the maw maw uprising in the knife teen 50's. they want compensation, and a comfortable old age.

>> i don't even have enough food. i can't work. i have no farm. my children have no education. >> hiding deep inside the nearby forrests, a legendary maw maw leader. >> where freedom fighters spent the better part of the struggle for independence, tens of thousands including were killed in that struggle. >> british troops shot and captured him in the forrest. he was tried langed and buried in an unmarked grave that has never been publicly identified. he has been immortalized but his wife is still trying to find his remains so he can bury him with dignity, and then be buried next to him. >> how would you feel if

it were you. not knowing. i would like to find him, and bury him like a king, like my king. >> at last, 85-year-old believes he has won a key battle. he is one of 5,000 fighters who won the class action suit against the u.k. this year, but they are still fighting for land promised to them. kenya's past president, on independence. >> the british left the land, i need mine back. i am not asking for the cattle i just want a little piece of land for my children. >> it is not until 2010 that the government lifted the ban imposed by the british, a law honoring them has been promised but still not passed. they are still fighting for fruits of their

independence, they sacrificed so much for. al jazeera, central kenya. >> here is a story to get high on, your guy has become the first country in the world to legalize marijuana. politicians passed a peel to allow people over 18 to use, sell, and grow the drug. ur your guy innocent distribution lodge before it was over, crowds were already cheering in the streets. uruguay will now allow its residents to grow, buy, and consume marijuana, a 40-year-old decree, allows people to smoke it, and thousands do, but they can't buy or sell it, this in turn has create add market for drug traffickers.

uruguay and congressman julio brago who wrote the law. >> we have two options to fight drug trafficking and forbid marijuana consumption, or let the state regulate a market worth $40 million a year, instead of leaving it to dealers on the streets. >> but the new legislation, they will be able to walk into a drugstore like this one and buy up to 40-grams of weed per month, that legal marijuana will be cheeper and safer than pot sold in the black market. one must register in order to get it and plant t at home, and not everyone is ready to do so. >> this man who preferred not to identify himself, has six pot plants in his backyard, it is the exact amount allowed, but he says he won't declare it just yet. >> i am against declaying it. i am not afraid of the government or the police, but of being kicked out

of my job by my boss who doesn't know i smoke weed. >> the government will distribute licenses to plant up to 40 hectors to be sold in drugstores. but the new law still divides uruguay. and make compromise the drug war in neighboring countries. >> fighting drug trafficking is something serious, which cannot be done unilaterally by one country. >> uruguay's president also thinks his country cannot act on its own, that's why he asked for international consensus. the government needs at least 120 days to regulate its new legal marijuana market, in uruguays are still divided, but he hopes neighboring countries will join the campaign, and help turn his experiment into a success story.

al jazeera. >> still to come, on the sports news with joe.

welcome back. india's supreme court has upheld a law that criminalizes gay sex. there are with scenes of dismay, the judges said on parliament can re-change the law. more now from new delhi. >> disappointment for gay

and lesbian groups. as they deliberated on the objections to the indian pennal code, 377, that had been removed by the delly high court. the high court the supreme court in fact were absolutely adamant and very clear, in their judgement, that they were not making any judgement about gay and lesbian lifestyles or the law, but as it stands in india, but it was the procedure aspect of how penal code 37 has been removed by the high court, and they deemed that illegal. and what they are saying now is that the decision to remove the pennal code is not up to the high court, it is up to parliament, so the supreme court are now throwing the ball already back into parliament's side, and saying you need to debate this, you need to talk about this, and you need to make the

decision, and vote upon whether pennal code is removed from the statute, which would then allow gay relationships and gay sex not to be illegal in india. it is a blow for gay and lesbian rights at the moment, but the biggest question for those activists and their supporters will be will this issue be debated at the moment, we have recently seen state elections and everybody talking now about a potential gender election in 2014. perhaps the question is how high the agenda is this issue, or will it be debated in the new parliament post ageneral election. >> it is time for sports now. >> thank you. will have to wait until late they are wednesday to try to reach the knock out stages of the champions league. the match was abandoned due to bad weather conditions on tuesday. it was goalless with the game only 33 minutes old.

nonstop hail made it impossible to see the markings on the pitch. they have been refuted criticism at the turk arena. >> we were told there was no problem with the efficiency of the pitch, and that it would in good condition, our heating system below the pitch has been working for two weeks. the reason why the match has been postponed is a precaution to prevent the players from being injured because of the ice falling. >> there were criticisms that there were few people to clear the pitch, that does not reflect the reality. 11 people cleaned the pitch on wednesday, this number will increase to 20 just in case. >> playing for second place in group b, they need a draw to advance to the knock out stages. while a win for the turkish club means thatly go through. the group has already been won, they beat cope haggan 2-nil. his goal was followed up by renaldo, and his

return from injury, that now leads the championships league table with nine for the season. in germany, defending champions hosted manchester city, and like all of the other games on tuesday, it started off with a minute of silence for the former president nelson mandela. in the massachusetts, they were two goals up in 12 minutes, courtesy of thomas mueller. but the city staged the most impressive come back. and james milner, earning them a 3-2 win. still finished up in group d, but will be drawing a lot of confidence from that result, which ends the record run of ten straight championships league victories. >> also on tuesday, phil james helped manchester united the top group a that result also helped again. they qualify in group six, with a 3-1 win.

think already through, so that loss is of little consequence. they are out and will now be playing europea league football. over to egypt now, with a return of domestic league football, seems to have hit another stumbling block. on monday the football association confirms the season with kick off on december the 26th, after almost 22 months of suspension following the port disaster. the min industry of the interior canceled tuesday's draw, and still haven't given the green light to restart. in the meantime, egyptians who the league will be at the world cup in morocco, which begins on wednesday. now, my mar is hosting its first major sporting event, in 44 years. the opening ceremony for the 27th games will get underway in about 45 minutes from now. 11 countries are taking part in the 11 day event,

athletes will compete over 42 sports. like swimming athletics and football, others more traditional to the region well the games are unique in that there are no official limits to the number of sports contested and the ranges decided by the host. so in the past, sports like par gliding have also made an appearance. >> well, correspondence joins me now, florence, some controversial over the sports that have been included this year. >> yes, that's right. as you mentioned, the host country has a chance to pick what events they want, and what they did this year was to include a traditional game, which played but not very popular around the region. it was a strategy that has worked the r the honest country, it nabbed them the first two goals

of the event, even though the opening ceremony is today, some took place earlier in the last few days. now, there was also the over controversial was choosing to exclude traditional events like tennis, and gymnastics. in fact, that decision so angered the philippines that it threatened to send a smaller delegation, to protest the unfair exclusion. of course, it has to be pointed out that not every country felt the same way. saying it helps preserve tradition, and lend a regional flavor to the games. >> and of course this is the fist big sporting event in 44 years, what does that mean to the people there? >> well, we have spoken to people, some of whom have traveled a long way just to be a part of this event.

now may all say they are excited that the country is able to host the games. so it has had a lot of catching up to do in terms of advances, facilities, infrastructure, so the fact that it is able to host this event is a huge source of pride to the people here. and of course as uh yo mentioned the last time it hosted the c games was 44 years ago. it missed out on other opportunities. so the fact that it is hosting -- playing host this time, is further proof that its neighbors accept that it is on the path of democratic and political reforms. >> so all eyes will be there on mirimar, in the next 45 minutes that opening ceremony for the 27th games. thank you very much. 18 time grand slam tennis champion is criticized the international olympic committee for not doing enough to defend gay athletes ahead of the winter olympics. she revealed she was gay

in 1981, says she is disappointed with the way they have responded to russia's guy propaganda law. >> i think we can say that sports and politics are combined. they go hand in hand, and that's where my disappointment with the i.o.c., where they said that sports and politics don't mix, which is completely contrary to everything that's been happening. so that's where my disappointment is more than anybody or anybody else, is the i.o.c. for really putting their head in the sand, and not wanting to make any waves. >> formula 1 world champion sebastian vettel has criticized new plans to award double points at the final race of the season. that division is number of one of new measures. the german who won the world it to this will year with three races of the season left, thinks it will disadvantage those that worked hard to

to accumulate points throughout the year. the winner of next year's grand prix gets 50 points and not 25. had it been in place for the last twoees he would not have claimed the championship. instead alonso would have been crowned world championship. >> plenty more on our website, check out aljazeera.com/sports. so thank you very much. well, despite all that twerking it seems miley cyrus is not as popular as she would like to think. more people liked pope fran recess than the pop starlet. facebook, a modern day diary for more than 1 billion people on the planet. to share news, during

good times, and bad. a common feature on the site, and in 2131 in particular. the arrival of the u.k. future monarch prince george, was the third most talked about topic on facebook. but posts on the royal baby, were still a far cry from that of the biggest conversation driver pope francis. >> the new leader of the roman catholic church is described as a pope of firsts. the first pope from the americas, the southern hemisphere and the yes, sir wit order he can as another to the list, of the first to make waves on social media. the top 10 list released by facebook reveals a compelling snapshot of trends this year. after the pope, election was second most popular, covering the ballots in

pakistan, kenya and malaysia to name a few. natural disasters and floods were also hot topics, and rounding off the list were the bombings at the boston marathon, the tour de france, as well as the passes of one of humanity's giant, nelson mandela. >> with memorial events unfolding, millions of people continue to go online to pay tribute, flooding facebook with pictures and pots. >> from humor, to hope and heartache, face book has picked up on the emotions of the world, becoming an ever growing record of life today. >> al jazeera. >> we are indeed connected, stay with us here on al jazeera, we have another full bulletin of news straight ahead.

>> a bipartisan budget deal comes together that could prevent another government shut down. president obama says it is a good first step, now it needs approval there the full house and senate. south africans line the streets to say goodbye to nelson mandela. the revered leader will lie in state for three days before his burial this weekend. u.s. secretary of state condemning the actions saying he is disgusted with the decision. a nevada family