we'll see you next time. >> welcome to the news hour from aljazeera headquarters in doha and london, these are the top stories. pushing for a diplomatic solution in south sudan, foreign ministers touched on juba slipping further to chaos. >> in london with all the news from europe. guilty of hacking a british soldier to death. the two men who wanted a religious war are convicted of murder. >> putin says he'll pardon this

man, in jail for 10 years and one of his fiercest political opponents. >> mapping the stars in 3-d, the european space agency launches its newest mission. >> first, to south sudan where a delegation of foreign ministers from seven african countries have arrived to try to mediate an end to the violence. hundreds have died in fighting since sunday. the violence is spreading. the government's confirmed it's lost another city to the rebels. we are in juba with the latest. >> out of his military fatigues and back in his suit and cowboy hat, he explains that his countries dissent into violence is because of an attempted coup

and not ethic rivalry. >> these people are playing with worded to find support and help from their tribes. women not allow that to happen as it hurts the reputation of the government. >> he says those who tried to overthrow him will get a fair trial. >> we will bring them to military courts because they killed innocent people. if you want, we will bring them to civilian courts. the law is the law. >> supporters are mainly the man he blames for the coup, his former deputy. he says it's all a misunderstanding, but the president's timing might be be a little late. although the capitol is quieter now, the violence has spread. troops loyal to the president have lost control of another city and oil workers seek egg refuge to the north as foreign ministers from neighboring countries work to find a solution to the crisis. south sudan only split from

sudan in 2001 and this conflict could place the country into civil war. the president has offered to talk with mishaw but he has gun underground. >> we are not allow the former deputy to distort the image of the tribe. his agenda is to seek power. he has the right, but only through national and not tribal mechanisms. >> caught in the middle, tens of thousands are cramming into compounds. it fight for control of south zoo dan may be spread i can, but they just want it to stop. >> a british jury has found two men guilty of hacking a seller to death on a london street. let's go to lawrence taylor in london for more on that. lauren. >> thanks doreen. the soldier was just outside his barracks in east london when he was talked. the two men responsible charged at armed police. the court was told me wanted to

die themselves and become martyrs. we have followed the trial. we are outside the court now. they were defiant to the end. >> they were in their words on a mission from allah, lauren, that's right. they said they were following allah's commands and in their view and they said from the start they felt it was a morally right and necessary thing to do so exact revenge on policy in afghanistan by selecting even if randomly a british soldier and killing him. very defiant after found guilty. the more vocal of the two men smiled and kissed his koran as he was led away. he didn't think this was murder. he thought it was an act of war. >> we must fight them as they fight us. >> this is the moment michael came to the attention of the world, someone who said he wanted to follow the logic of revenge to its ultimate end.

>> his aim had been to come across and kill a soldier. >> we sat and wait and it just so happened that he was the soldier. >> rig by happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. having hit him at speed with their car and then described in graphic detail how they tried to cut his head off. in his view, this was an act of war. >> i'm a soldier of allah. i understand that some might not recognize this, because we do not wear fatigues, but we are still soldiers in the sight of allah. >> appalling act, utterly brutal, a completely innocent

young man with no chance to defend himself. in broad daylight in a busy london street. >> the two men waited until the police came and they were shot and treated on the side of the road. they denied the attempted murder of a police officer, hoping they would be martyred rather than captured. the jury accepted those arguments. throughout all this, rig by's family sat in court, his mother often in a flood of tears. they had this to say: >> this has been the toughest time of our lives. no one should have to go through what we've been through as a family. we are satisfied that justice has been done but unfortunately, no amount of justice will brinkley back. >> all of this shocks the whole country, but the man was defiant to the end, insisting he was a soldier of allah, acting on his commands and he had a command to

killle a british soldier. he looked at me directly and kissed a copy of the koran he'd been holding. >> the two denied they took instructions from anybody but god. >> what happens next? >> well, the judge said he wasn't going to pass sentence on them yet. murder carries a life term in the u.k., but the judge has discretion. he said he said waiting for new truckies from europe. these two men may not actually ever known as prison, that's perfectly possible. the other will happen in the first week of january is that the parliament here has all the intelligence and security committee, which has been meeting to cuss how it could be that even though m.i.5, the security agent here had the police at the highest level knew

about these two men historically had no idea they were capable of doing like this. >> when they knew about them, how much did they know and what do you think went wrong? >> the police said in briefings that these two have been involved in crime, petty crime, drugs, assault, that sort of thing for some years before the man had been seen at a rally organized by a very radical islamist preacher. they knew about him. he tried to go to kenya and sow male i can't to fight and was arrested by the kenyan authorities. he came back. that was 2010. even though m.i5 new then, they somehow fell off the radar. you can be on the radar and not under the microscope at the same time, and that's what seems to have happened.

>> thank you very much indeed for reporting from central court. >> the attacker claimed in court that he was a soldier of allah's army. aljazeera's investigation units have spoken to his brother to explore why a man brought up in britain decided to murder a british soldier. we report. >> when jeremiah saw his brother on t.v., he was initially shocked, but he says he he soon understood his motives. jeremiah doesn't want to show his face for fears for his own safety but speaks exclusively to aljazeera about his sibling. >> the events were inevitable. there was going to be an attack which mentioned foreign policy also its justification. >> the only reason we have killed this man today is because -- >> we seem to have a slight problem with that report. we'll try to bring it back later on. >> russian president putin says

he's about to pardon the countries top political prisoner. he said he will pardon oil tycoon who was one of the biggest tycoons in the world. his sentence was extended recently until 2017. >> was this a surprise? >> it certainly was. i think there was a lot of as you'd imagine, analyzing who would be eligible for this parole, which was this amnesty, which was going to involve about 26,000 people. it was very clear from the tart that the seriousness of the crimes, he was not going to be included in that. he was charged with fraud and money laundering and as you say, there are suggestions that his sentence was going to be increased. it came as a surprise when the four hour marathon press conference finished that putin

said he'd been approached by his lawyer and made an appeal for a pardon, which he then astounded everyone by saying he was prepared to grant, and also added that he could be freed in a very short period of time. he was one of his most virulent opponents and outspoken critic of the government. we've got coming up in the next six weeks, the moscow olympics, and critics will was a release that would to a certain extent divert attention from moscows human rights record and thousands of political prisoners who till remain behind bars. >> thank you very much indeed. >> plenty more to come from europe, including pressures facing ukraine. that. >> the euro's deal to bring

confidence to the banks. >> also ahead, senior turkish police involved in widespread corruption now fired. we'll bring you the latest twist in the bribery probe. >> a moment of madness, why this brazilian footballer was stripped by his opponents after a win. >> the syrian city of aleppo is under attack with mounting

injuries. >> they are complaining that, inc. bombing campaign has killed 165 people. it has expanded to include more village around aleppo not only the village held by the rebels, but village around the city held by the release and have been in the rebels' hands. obviously the government is determined and pushing very hard trying to recapture as much territory in that area as possible. >> there's this new amnesty international reports, which is basically highlighting how syrians are being tortured by the governments, as well as by the rebel forces themselves and then you have this other u.n. report coming out highlighting the appearances are civilians, we understand. you know, all these reports are taking place, but it's really the civilians that are caught up

in the fighting and are suffering. >> yes, they are bearing the brunt of all this vicious civil war going on. not only in the beginning they were confronting the government forces, being shot by the government and persecuted by the government, now even amongst the rebel groups, there are new groups emerging that seems to be using the same tactician that the government is using, as you said, amnesty report is talking about detention centers, torture, flogging, killing very quick trials that don't adhere to any legal standards and sometimes for very small offenses, such as smoking cigarettes or having sex outside marriage or even challenging the authority of some of these rebel groups. many times, some people who have been abused are children. this is something amnesty says that people should stand up with, with every day that's passing in syria and with the situation getting more complicated, more and more

people are wondering who is fighting for their freedom and who is actually stealing it from them. >> this is all just a couple of weeks before the so-called geneva two peace conference is meant to be taking place. >> yes, actually many people cite the peace conference schedule as a reason the battles are intense filing, because both sides feel they need the upper hand on the ground or at least strengthen positions on the ground so that at the negotiating table, they will give as little concession at possible especially with the government. they feel in the past few months they have made advances on the ground, they have shown very clearly that president assad is not going to be brought down within military means and they want to tell the rebels the government is still very strong, that they should take whatever the government gives, because they cannot extract anything the government is not willing to give them. >> reporting from bay rot, thank

you. >> in turkey, the chief of police in istanbul has been fired. he has been in that job since 2009, and he led an anti corruption operation in istanbul, arresting several people with links to prime minister berdoan. he has called it a dirty operation. >> the detention of 52 individuals on the 17th of december in association with a massive corruption investigation went right to the heart of the turkish government. it included the sons of three cabinet ministers, and cabinet ministers were yet to see the evidence of this, but cabinet ministers are themselves apparently implicated. i do apologize for that update, anita telling us about that pipery case going on in turkey. let's move oh other news. >> 140,000 ethiopians have

returned home after being expelled from saudi arabia. they were ousted after a change in laws. many legal workers were caught up as their documents were confiscated by their employers. some returning spoke about the conditions they experienced working in saudi arabia. >> i was expecting a very good life. i thought i would get a decent job with good pay and come back and support my family. i'm very happy that i'm finally back here alive. there are lots of horrible things happening there. >> i thought it would be peaceful and suitable there, but it's not what happened. i even thought i would be able to support my relatives and continue my education. >> life in saudi is difficult and harsh. i even feel like crying to tell you this. to live in saudi is to cry every day. >> 30,000 workers were expected to return home, but the numbers have quickly grown with it becoming one of the biggest

humanitarian air lifts in recent history. aid agencies are appealing to the international community for help. >> amnesty international said the violence in central african republic is much worse than thought. war crimes and crimes against humidity have been committed, almost 1,000 killed in just two days. amnesty had a two week mission to the country. >> we had a small team in the country on december 5 when there was an enormous explosion of violence and some of the worst atrocities committed. we were able to document these the. we did conclude that serious acts were committed, war crimes and crimes against humanity. what we found was that there were systemic willful killings of civilians. there was systematic and looting

of civilian property, destruction of religious institutions, including mosques, we witnessed a mosque be destroyed by an angry mob and even mutilation of bodies, so the level of anger is so high that it's not just people killing each other, but it's people killing each other and mutilating the body in horrific ways. >> the u.s. ambassador to the united nations has arrived. she has been meeting with row lidgeous leaders and the president. it's america's highest profile evident to end the violence that has killed many people in the past few weeks alone. the u.s. has no boots on the ground. a new peace keeping force is taking over operations. we report. >> a military handover that's meant to make a difference to the traumatized people of the

central african republic. the peacekeepers are now replaced by a much larger force. it's the largest force of its kind in the country. it will try to calm when the threat of genocide is ever present. it's twice the size of the existing force and will double again in the coming weeks to 6,000. with the military build up, more political pressure is bearing down on the countries interim president to calm the anger and threaten full justice against anyone involved in the upknown number of atrocities. >> we have discussed with the president to insist on what needs to be done to prevent a tropical storm city crimes. it is critical that the message

comes from himself to make sure that nobody will be immune from any form of persecution. >> here, a city like the capitol, the risk of more large scale killing hasn't diminished. it's clear that bolder military action is needed as attacks on villages by christian militia continue. >> the challenges for the replacement are profound. it isn't about peace keeping, it's enforcing some kind of calm and to have any hope of doing that, the new force needs to be fast, efficient and well equipped. >> the outgoing peace keeping force commander believes the bolstered force will work. >> we only intervene in specific locations, depending on the threat. they will be able to go everywhere and diminish the risks. >> action is needed soon if the fierce of the minty muslim people don't lead to

retaliation. the french army wants to disarm both sides, but it's too tense right now, and sources have told aljazeera that more fire power is needed first. in the coming days, it's expected there will be more political pressure on the country's interim government to put out positive messages about reconciliation. alongside that, more robust action to disarm the killers. >> two men held by the u.s. at guantanamo bay have been sent home to sudan. muhammed and abraham were believed to be members of al-qaeda. the transfer is part of the latest effort to close down the controversial prison. it was opened after the 9/11 attacks. >> india has rejected john kerry's expression of regrets over the arrest of its deputy consul general in new york. they want a full apology from the united states for the

treatment of its diplomat. she was arrested last week on suspicion of series have a fraud, strip searched and locked with common criminals. she is also accused of paying her indian maid less that that the minimum wage. it has led to a major diplomatic row between india and the united states. >> the people of madagascar return to polling stations friday to elect a president in a run off vote. risks will likely influence the election. we report from the capitol. >> the crush to get closer to the outgoing president led to several injuries. the crowd's spirits stayed high. the international community may have barred him from running for president, but you wouldn't know

it from this rally. there seemed to be more pictures of him than the candidate he's supporting. >> people want to fight against poverty. they don't want to fight with each other. madagascar people should neve be removed from their land by force under the past president. i want to thank the current president for taking the land back. >> the countries been in a political and economic crisis. these elections may bring back democracy, but they've also reignited the rivalry between the president and the man he deposed. his wife was on stage with the front runner. >> i think that i'm the voice of change for madagascar. we have to come out of this crisis, out of poverty. i've got all the necessary skills for that. >> 151 parliament arians will be elected alongside the next

president. >> if he controls parliament, he could become prime minister. >> the vote may not be free and color. last month, a third of the countries regional governors were replaced with senior military officials. >> all tactics are used in every possible way, including, really, non-compliance with the law. >> while the neighbors walk to the rallies, she did not care who wins, as long as the economy recovers. >> it's hard to survive since i lost my job. when the factory closed. i don't think it matters who i vote for. >> she is among the nine out of 10 who survive on less than $2 a

day. they are tired of suffering for the ambitions of a few. madagascar. >> much more to come here on the aljazeera news hour. >> seeking health in the jungle. we look at the custom used for generations by amazonian natives. >> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism

in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news.

(vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people.

>> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capitol. (vo) we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. (vo) and follow it no matter where it leads, all the way to you. al jazeera america. take a new look at news. >> you are watching the aljazeera news hour. here's a radio he minder of the top stories. foreign ministers from seven african countries arrived in south sudan to try to mediate an end to the violence. fighting has spread and another city lost to rebels. >> putin said he he said about to pardon the countries most

prominent political prisoner, one of the richest people in the world when arrested in 2003. >> jurors have convicted two me of killing a soldier on the streets of london. the men convicted were acquitted of the attempted murder of a police officer. >> the ukraine's president said he won't stand for a second term if his popularity falls. lauren is following that story for us. lauren. >> he has been facing down protests over his handling of a trade deal with europe. hundreds of thousands of people have been taken to the streets. earlier, he warned foreign countries against meddling in his countries internal affairs. these are live pictures. the protestors till there. we have a report. >> in his first news conference since the protests began, the ukrainian president explained why he signed the deal with

russia. >> we continue to work with the i.m.s. we are partners with them but this loan we have received from russia is beneficial for us, because russia did not apply any conditions. >> it doesn't rule out a relationship with europe. >> there are no contributions under course of ukraine for any european integration. in fact, we are not talking about integration, but economic relations. >> pro european demonstrators build a new barrier at independence square, despite the president's message. the president's news conference was a highly controlled event with a handful of journalists invited inside the president's office. what could have been an opportunity to reach out to the opposition turned into criticism. >> they have overestimated their pours and abilities and treated the whole society with much disrespect. it's not right. personal ambitions have to be kept in check especially for those aiming for higher political positions. >> in parliament, a sign of

progress. for the first time this week, the session wasn't blocked so the budget could be introduced, a budget some say is only possible because of the russian bail yacht. >> europe's leader hard at work to stop a repeat of the on going banking cries. they have a huge task, trying to break the vicious cycle of economically weak nations attempting on their own to bail out struggling banks. it has all but bank resulted countries, forcing them to accept international bailouts. europe leaders are in brussels having told their finance ministers have come up with a deal against trouble in the future. >> three pillars of support, the first a banking supervisor. his job will be to watch out for trouble ahead. there will be a single system

for banks threatened with going bust, the single resolution mechanism. the third is protecting banker wherever they live in the euro zone. >> tractors blocked the road to the e.u. headquarters just hours before europe's heads of state arrive for the summit. for more, let's go to brussels. after they got past the tractors, are they happy with this deal that the finance ministers have come up with? is it a done deal? >> it's more or less a done deal. that there is a huge sense of relief here. it's taken about 18 months for the european finance ministers to get this deal to where it is now, which is a few blanks to be filled in. leaders here from europe are very relieved, because they don't have to spend much of this

summit dealing with it themselves. it's a breakthrough that took much negotiating to get to this particular point. there are some criticisms of it. not everyone is thrilled with it and to point out shortcomings, i'm joint by peter spiegel who knows more about what the shortcomings might be. it's a breakthrough, but not everyone's happy with it. what are the main shortcomings. >> it is a significant deal. there are two major areas where a lot of senior officials the european central bank are very concerned about it. the first is complexity. let's remember what this is for, wind down a bank that when it collapses, think about lehman brothers. >> it can happen in a short time. >> you don't want a bank run, a panic. usually this hams over the weekend, you has she it out and announce to the market on a monday.

the system we've set up here agreed last night involves three separate committees in three different bodies, you have a resolution board, the european commission, the european counsel, anywhere from 60 to 70 people who are going to vote on this in a situation, a lot of concern that is way too complex to do. >> crucial decisions won't be taken quickly enough. >> particularly in big, complex banks, that's the big concern and the reason we are doing this at all. ireland had a big bank that grew up and essentially took the spire country down. the bailout was so large, it aissue government could not afford it. we're going to make it a european responsibility to pay for those banks to prevent it from happening again. the germans didn't want their taxpayers to pay for these banks, the amount of money that is being put aside to help these

banks is incredibly small. >> $75 billion. >> remember, this one mid sized irish bank that brought down the government was $30 billion. there should be a back stop, some sort of public money, but the germans have insisted no, no public money, maybe in 10 years. there's a lot of concern, too complex and not enough money in the system to do what it's supposed to do. >> there are a lot of politics in play here. the responsibility is taken away from the public and putting it back on the in substitutions. >> there's not a uniformity that this is a good idea. let's think of lehman brothers, part of the reason there was a systemic collapse is all people who had invested in lehman brothers lost their money. what we've set up now is basically lehman brothers for everyone. if you invest in a bank and it

collapsed, you're wiped out. if i'm an investor and want to put money in banks, i'm going to think twice. >> lots of fine print to be sorted out. what we understand, the process from here is complex, and full of problems, as well. the european finance ministers, their deal is done, but they have to work to turn it into a law and treaty. many problems pete outlined there are shared and felt strongly within the european parliament itself, so the work is not yet done. they are going to try to get it all done by may, 2014, because then there are european elections to parliament and the it will become more difficult if they don't do it by then. >> thanks very much indeed. that's it from london and europe. let's go back to dough happen. >> a special panel investigating the n.s.a. has recommended it should have powers restrict. this tools allegations the

n.s.a. collected records of billions of phone calls including those of fortune politicians. we report. >> the head of many of america's big tech companies were at the white house on tuesday, they want urgent reform of the n.s.a. and its data gathering operation. it looks like they may get their wish and a lot quicker than expected. a surveillance lee view board reported was due to be published next year but pushed out by the white house. it makes more than 40 recommendations, the n.s.a. will no longer keep a a foreign database. it will be held by the phone companies or third party. they can no longer ask for companies to build a back door in their software. the n.s.a. should not spy on non-u.s. citizens outside of the u.s. because of religion or political views. >> the scope of the surveillance program was revealed by edward snowden, the journalist who helped him get the information out said there needs to be

strong support. >> the overseeing agencies are worthless. courts have been very one-sided. i think we need genuine oversight mechanisms beyond the ones we have to ensure these changes take plagues if the white house adopts them. >> the white house can accept, reject or modify the decisions. a federal judge ruled the collection of data could be illegal. >> any time there are outside elements, be they judicial or legislative or journalism that is passing judgment by shedding light on clandestine programs,

it becomes a problem for the national security establishment. oversight is important, that's not always a bad thing. unchecked and unwatched, institutions, its people will creep and expand their actions, so these things need to occur, but it's not pleasant. >> the panel does not suggest it stops using all foreign internet data but recommends rusing the scope of what it can grab. aljazeera, washington. >> venezuela's president has told opposition leaders they can challenge his leadership in 2016. he reminded opponents of their constitution am rights to seek a referendum halfway through his presidential term. he told politicians they would needle to collect 4 million signatures to start that process. >> former nba star dennis rodman arrived in north korea to meet leader kim jong-un and prepare for a game on the leader's birthday. rodman said the match is on

track despite the recent execution of kim's uncle in a political purge. rodman plans to bring 12 exnba players. his visit comes less than a week after north korea announced the execution of one of the most powerful figures in the country. >> china has the biggest population in the world, and the second largest economy. people are working longer hours and that makes i harder to find time to look at elderly relatives. it's especially tough for those born under the one child policy, as there's nobody else to share the responsibility. one businessman has figured out how to tap into a growing market. >> the residents of sun city always kickstart the their day with some exercise, at least those who can. >> though able to walk now, a former party chief could barely

move when his sons first brought him here. >> i wasn't too thrilled in the beginning, but they are both billionaires, so i'm ok with it. i like it here. >> this is sun city, a privately run community on 42 square kilometers geared specifically towards the elderly. it has its own hospital, temple, and supermarket. there are houses and manicured village and custom built apartments, sold or rented to those above 60 years old. leaving the elderly on their own or in someone else's care is not popular in chinese families. it's almost seen as a failure to comply with if familial duty. >> this man felt he failed to care for his father and wanted to make sure others got a better chance. >> times are changing. peel are more liberal, educated

and busier. this is a way by which we can care for our elderly without failing as children. >> living here comes with a price that most in china can't afford. it costs anywhere from 252700 u.s. dollars a month, which sun city residents say is worth it. unlike state-run welfare homes, here, they're amongst their own in wider, better surroundings that make them feel happier and more confident. they also feel like less of a burden to their children, with a population aimings quickly, the developers believe they're on to a winning formula and it's only a matter of time before more of these community spring up across a changing china. beijing. >> mapping the milk why way in better detail than ever before. we'll look at the 3-d view of

our galaxy. >> audiences are intelligent

>> traditional medicine in peru has been prod by local shamans for centuries, but now tourives are looking for alternative curious. we travel to a southeastern city to learn about plants used for spiritual healing.

>> in search for a cure, about to start a journey. in the heart of the jungle, he is guided. a revered plant is turned into a poet tent hallucinogenic drink. he says he's's here oh to heal his soul and when the night is over, he will become a better person. >> for me, it's medicine, not only because it cleans the organic parts, but also cleans the negative energy we have in our body. >> shamans and users say the drink made out of the bark of this jungle vine will purge the body and spirit. the shaman guides the patient through a spiritual experience. >> people who are ill are coming to get cured. my husband and i cure them.

they go back well. >> for thousands of years, indigenous people have used the plant to cure their maladies. >> the use of plants to cure illnesses is a common practice here especially among poor people who don't have the means to go to a doctor, so medicinal plants are usually found in markets like this one and offered to cure anything from arthritis to the flu. >> this man can't afford a doctor, but doesn't need one. >> i've learned this from my parents and grandparents. we use plants to get cured from our illnesses. >> scientists say medicinal plants can cure depressions, addictions and illnesses. tourists are coming, but many of the medicinal plants could be deadly if not taken properly. >> the problem with traditional medicine comes when people take

the practice out of its natural context. >> many tourists take offers of concessions through the internet without knowing the guide or shaman may put their lives at risks. it is not the first time he has taken this potent plant. he says the ritual requires an experienced shaman to achieve a successful experience. this time, he trusted antonio and his wife. at daybreak, he says he feels clean, right and peaceful. aljazeera, peru. >> for photo sports news, here'. >> it was the home side who took the lead with the goal after 51 minutes to put casa branca one up.

then to the brazilian 12 minutes later. the game going to extra time until a conceded penalty. the spot kick converted for the moroccan. the 3-1 win. >> no is not just about any city in particular, this is about morocco as a whole. all the club presidents came to support us. all of morocco supports us. that is truly heart warming. we will fight in this final, show them that we are men, warriors. we are going to fight on all front to win this final. >> after the game, stripped of his shirt. he had his boots uptied and

taken. the players couldn't quite decide who would end up keeping them. real madrid reached the last 16, winning their second leg against third tear. defending champions saw the shock of the round you, 2-0 on the night and 2-1 over both legs. >> spain topped the fifa rankings. the 2010 world cup winners lead germ know, argentina and columbia. there's plenty more on our website, aljazeera.com/sport. >> bra dillian authorities gave the go ahead for work to resume on the stadium. it came five workers after a worker fell to his death.

authorities are satisfied safety requirements have been complied with. it was already expected the venue would meet its deadline for completion. >> 39 time grand slam tennis champion billie jean king will represent the u.s.a. at the sochi olympics. she has been selected for the u.s. delegation to the russian games. russia has come in for criticism after passing a law banning gay propaganda. kaitlyn kayhow said it's not up to athlete to boycott games. >> when you're talking about athletes, athletes aren't spokes people. they are there to compete and work hard and gain honor for their nations. athletes have every reason to be competing at their best. when it comes to international policy, obviously, you can't

divers policy from the olympic gales, it's just impossible. taillight, the united, we've made great strides on this particular issue of lbgt rights, but at the same time, we have a lot to work on still. we're not perfect. i think when we go to russia and make the statement that we support the dignity of all human beings, we can gain the momentum a understand enthusiasm and momentum from those games and come back home and work on issues that still remain for us to solve. >> what impact do you hope your presence there as an openly gay athlete will have on the russian population? >> i think that people who may not agree with who i am may take a second look to see that i'm someone who upholds the spirit of the olympic games and is grateful to russia for hosting in many ways. it takes a lot of commitment to host an olympic games and it's a lot of sacrifice. i think the russian people are bearing that right now. i hope to go there and represent the united states and

demonstrate that there are other ways of life and other perspectives that can be seen and experienced. the olympic games are the perfect platform in order to experience that diversity. >> in the nba, the miami heat felt their own back over the indiana pacers who beat them last week. the top two teams played wednesday. lebron james played with a twisted ankle and showed no effects scoring 24 points on the night. the pacers led through much of the matchup with paul george scoring 25 points. the fourth quarter was all miami led by wade on both sides of the floor as he finished with 32 points. miami raised a 15-point deficit to win 97-94. >> in a challenge, the new jersey devils played the senators, scoring to move up to eighth spot on the all time goal scoring list. the scoring opens to make it 1-0 for the devils.

then 3-0. 5-2 new jersey is how it finished. >> finding it tough going, playing south africa in johannesburg. taking four wickets. swift made his half century. >> a rare occurrence in the final of one of the big races at the southeast asian games taking place in myanmar. these are the closing moments, finishing in a dead heat. the photo finish couldn't separate the pair, even down to a thousandth of the second, so both rewarded gold medals.

that's all in sport for now. >> that's amazing. >> while the european space agency hope to map the night sky in 3-d, it's just launched it's mission. it's likely to give us an unprecedented view of the universe. >> the successful launch of the rocket from europe's french guyana. onboard, the billion dollars space telescope. it will be parked in the near shadow, around 1.5 million kilometers away. from here without the sun's glare, it will be able to survey the surrounding tars with unprecedented precision. >> it's probably one of the biggest things we don't know is however away the stars are. it will define those positions to within 1% or better so for the first time, we'll have a 3-d

map of a large chunk of the galaxy. >> it uses two telescopes to track the movement of distant stars. each has five mirrors, focusing the light on to what is a billion pixel camera, the most powerful put into space. this precision tracking technique will pinpoint the position of around 2 million stars an hour. that data is around 50 gigabytes each day will be transmitted back to earth for analysis. >> a thousand million stars that are going to be observed by this very powerful spacecraft to map the way the gal action eye is moving. we will know how the gal action eye form, how it is developing and up to now, he could look at the light of the star, we could not see it. this will see it. if a planet is around the star, then it may be able to find it, as well. >> over the next five years,

it's hold it will map and remap the position of around a billion stars. it will also be able to measure their brightness, temperature, com pigs and motion through space. >> one of the intricate elements that we have a five year operational period, which we need to meet all the science goals of the mission, but we built around 2015 intermediate catalogs which can be used by scientists for their benefit. >> scientists expect to discover no asteroids, tens of thousands of failed stars or brown barfs and 20,000 super novas or exploding stars. it is hoped it will shed light on the structure, content and evolution of our galaxy, how it came into being and why it is the way it is. >> thanks for watching the news hour. from doha, there is more news coming up from aljazeera in just

a moment. on august 20th, al jazeera america introduced a new voice in journalism. >> good evening everyone, welcome to al jazeera. >> usa today says: >> ...writes the columbia journalism review. and the daily beast says: >> quality journalists once again on the air is a beautiful thing to behold. >> al jazeera america, there's more to it.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. security breach at target. credit card users are affected. >> a growing and disturbing trend in public schools, armed security officers with military style assault weapons on campus. >> europe launching this powerful satellite, its mission, mapping out the galaxy. >> the secret svi