>> this is al jazeera. hello, welcome to the news hour in doha. our top stories... >> opposition fighters come under more pressure from the syrian military as they hold they are told the peace summit in switzerland has to go ahead. >> we hope that it will take place in the expected time line and with full results. >> the body of the former israeli prime minister lies in

state in jerusalem before a private burial on monday. >> hello is there. in london, with the latest from europe, including... accusations of more crimes and torture could the alleged conducts of british troops result in prosecution in the international criminal courts? >> right now in rome. asking whether this is the beginning of the end of italian opera as austerity measureses here take their toll. >> a peace conference aimed at ending the fighting in syria will definitely go ahead later this month. that's the message from 11 top international enjoys who have been meeting in paris. but it is still not clear whether the main opposition coalition will take part in any capacity. that is despite the fact that

opposition fighters appear to be coming under more pressure from the syrian military. in a moment we will be speaking about that fighting in syria. but first let's speak with jackie about it. jackie, the message seems to be the conference is going ahead with or without the opposition. >> well, really the meeting of the friends of syria today in paris was to deliver a clear message to the syrian umbrella opposition group that really talking, this planned meeting in switzerland is the only game in town. events on the ground, which will be hearing about in a moment, indicate that far from withdrawing the syrian government forces, if forces if anything are making gains so americans have been telling the syrian opposition that you can't hope for a military victory. it has been three years now. the only solution really has

to be a political solution and that is so the message spelled out clearly by the french ministeria short time ago. >> we have renewed our full support for the national coalition at a time when the syrian people is facing major difficulties. >> following an extensive discussion, we have unanimously adopted this text. presenting our position on the crisis, on the direction in which the international community must follow, and which requests that the geneva 2 conference take place following the expected timetable. >> so, a very clear message there from the french foreign minister and part of the whole of the friends of syria

grouping that this really is the only opportunity now. it is the only option. talks at the end of january in switzerland with the aim of creating a a transitional government with full executive powers. they are determined that meeting must take place. all right, jacky, as you saw there, the president of the coalition was there with laurent fadius. this is what he had to say. the most important aspect if is if we all agree that there is no future in syria. the alafad family has no future in syria. >> it is not clear whether the coalition will appear the geneva 2 talks. i think we have a clear idea. >> well, really, the syrian opposition leader, the

representative there from the syria national coalition was in a way being selective when he talked about everyone being unanimous. he said that everyone is unanimous about the departure of al asad. not only from him of syria but from the political scene, and his family. they made it clear they want no one linked to the former president involved in any transitional government. of course fabius caught an end to it. which is quite interesting on the part of the syrian swiss, which there was no explicit commitment to take part in the meeting in switzerland. we previously heard from opposition groups they were planning to take a position on the 17th of january. they appear to be giving themselves a few more days before they will formally respond to the international community that they come to the talks. jacky rowland in paris.

while that meeting is going on. syrian government forces are advancing on rebel positions on the outskirts of alepo city. an industrial area on the outskirts lies some 10-kilometers northeast of the city. the district is a major transport hub with infrastructure leaks to turk bring. if it falls, rebel sly lines from the north will be cut off. let's go live now to beirut to get the latest on the fighting in that area. what are you hearing? >> well, what we understand is that fighting continues in a number of areas across the opposition controlled north. activists are really worried about them falling into the government's hands. the government has not been able to reach that area but they have been trying to. this is what we understand from our sources on the ground.

is strategic territory. fighting, the battles have been fierce. up to 700 people killed in the past 10 days. fighters and civilians. while the rebels are bogged down in their own war. the government is taking advantage of this. and the people of aleppo city are worried. this is a divided city. the east is controlled by rebels and west is controlled by the government. and it lies northeast of the city. while they are fighting each other, there is this unprecedented unity. if we can call that it, among rebel forces. but still, that alliance is not unified and their future vision of syria. some believe in a civil democratic state, others believe in the creation of of an islamic state. while we see them united. in no way does this suggest they have a common vision of syria. on the ground the opposition on the ground is just as

fractured as we heard from jacky earlier on. >> thousands of ordinary people of course are trapped by the fighting that is going on there. the u.n. humanitarian chief has been expressing her concern over the humanitarian situation there saying that some people are starving. >> yes, the humanitarian situation is worsening. what valerie is referring to is people are living in the suburbs of damascus, yarmuk, for example, is a district south of the capital. when we understand is that up to 12 people have died from malnutrition since september and people are eating grass. so the international community doing its best to try to get assurances, guarantees from both parties, from all the warning factions, not just the government. they want safe and unhindered access. not just to the besieged areas but battle zones as well. >> given the number of opposition groups on the ground, we are also talking to

them. we have had guarantees from some of them that they will make sure that humanitarian workers are safe. we are looking for the same guarantees of government who have said the same thing. the u.n. will be holding a donor conference in the next few days. they are trying to secure up to $7 billion so they can provide much needed assistance to the people of syria, inside and the refugees outside. but u.n. officials have told us they are hoping to raise awareness as a need to create the humanitarian corridors. >> zeina live in beirut. in iraq, two car bombs have killed 13 people and injured 30 others. the first bomb exploded in a bus station in central baghdad. at least nine people were killed there. the second went off in a parked car in the suburb of the capital. four people died in that attack.

>> well, they come after weeks of sectarian strife. several armed groups are fighting government forces there. various sunni groups are in control of both cities. here is our report. >> it is almost three weeks since fighting broke out in the province. the government says the military is trying to root out fighters linked to al qaeda. the army is using newly obtained u.s. made hell fire missiles and surveillance drones. the government also says that local tribal leaders and their fighters are engaged in the battle against what they call terrorists. but that is not how these fighters or the residents see it. after soldiers cleared an anti-government protest site and arrested a sunnim.p.,

tribal fighters took it upon themselves to protect their areas. the fighters were able to control parts of fallujah and rumadi, but the government says fighters are still present there but the local tribes deny it. it was at the heart of sunni insurgency and the tribes that help american forces reverse the tied against al qaeda, the so-called awakening councils. but since the u.s. withdraw its soldiers in 2011, iraq's deal has crumbled. sunnis started anti-government pro-nests six provinces, accusing the government of sectarianism and marginalizing them. more seriously baghdad was using the army to target sunnis, one reason why the

people refused to allow the army to enter their areas. the government denied the accusations. but this crisis is not internal, it is linked to the war in neighboring syria. the islamic state of iraq and the territory on the border between iraq and syria which allows them free movement. critics say he is using this for political reasons to boost his image and target opponents before general elections in april. but maliki is winning support not only from his voters but also from the u.s., which is speeding up the process of selling more weapons and equipment to the iraqi regime. though washington is adamant that u.s. troops will not return to iraq. this is iraq's biggest crisis since u.s. forces left and could have serious consequences for the area. >> former israeli prime

minister ariel sharon's body is lying in state. hundreds have been to pay their respects. it is an emotional time sharon was looked upon as a father figure by many israelis. he will be buried in his farm in southern israel on monday. >> columnist for the up in joins us now. good to have you would us. you said in your column yesterday that while sharon was certainly israel's most courageous politicians, he was also the cruelest. what do d you mean by that? >> i think there were two sharons. the early sharon and late sharon. sharon a, the early sharon most of his career was a warrior, courageous officer and commander who taught israel the language of

military power, brutality and many times even in times of war. the late sharon, the sharon of his last years realized too late, but still on time, realized that israel cannot leave on its ward forever, cannot use only its military force as a guarantee for its existence and there are some limits to the use of force. this happened in his last stages. and then he went for the disengagement from gaza, which might have been a beginning for a bigger pull-out from the occupied territories. >> you go on to write about that transformation and then you say in later life that should have taught the israeli a lesson but didn't. you say that was his biggest failure. in what way? >> because unfortunately israely is back to square one

again believing only on its military force. not seeing the limits of it. ignoring totally the position of most of the world, if not the entire world and that it would guarantee the future of israel, this was the early sharon and now we are back in the same place with the current government who believes in the very same values that the early sharon believed in and totally ignore his late legacy, which was opposite. >> what do you think will be his lifetime legacy? how will history and israel remember him? >> in two meetings points, two milestones i would say. the lebanese war, one of the most criminal israely wars on one hand, and the

disingaugement from gaza, which was a courageous step pulling out all the settlers, pulling out the idea. he did in a wrong way without negotiation, without getting to an agreement with the palestinians, while ignoring the palestinians but he did it. and israel lacks a courageous leader who will do more of the same, but i don't see anyone around who had the capeability or has the capability and the courage to pull out settlers like ariel sharon did. the man who brought them there was also the man who took a small part of them out of there. >> gideon, also good to talk to you. many thanks for being with us. live in tel aviv. >> still to come here on the news hour, in thailand, they try to force out the government. tropical cyclone battles.

and a look for the win, the top of the english premiere league, a little later. >> the transitional leader of the central african american remember is calling for calm. interim president at the president was forced to resign by regional leaders on friday. >> i promis to work with all the forces of the nation without distinction. in order to achieve that goal. i ask each central african to remain calm and trust the action we are launching today in order to carry out the transition in peaceful and safe conditions. >> more now.

>> there has been more looting and more shooting overnight in the capital of the central african republic. the peacekeepers here are struggling to restore some sort of law and order. the problem is that nobody is in charge and control of this country. local politicians, nonetheless are going through the motions, at least, of trying to choose some sort of transitional leader. they are holding meetings today, sunday, but we don't see a single figure emerging who can unite this country who is not divisive. meanwhile, people are leaving. mainly muslims. there will be more flights two more flights to the capital of neighboring chazz today. thousands of people have gone. many of these people are leaving, really one has to treat nationality as a fluid concept. they might have been born in this country.

they speak zango the local language but origins come from neighboring countries, and that is where they are going to. women and children typically, men staying behind, waiting to acities situation and hoping, hoping that one day will be safe to come back to the central african republic. >> and continuing to push for a cease-fire in suedan. enjoys from the united states and south sudans neighbors have met. the head of the rebel forces have been fighting government troops. the u.n. has been pressing the government to release political prisoners to facilitate peace talks. here is our report now from bentu. driving along the road, you can't stay for too long. they are a little bit nervous because the rebels might be on

the outskirts. what we are seeing is a lot of destruction. since the fighting started i have been there. but you see obviously bodies of military personnel on the road. a lot of them are hiding out. many are too afraid to come back. the city is like a ghost town. parts have been charred. and walking around, there are lots and lots of soldiers. they seem to be in control but there are still militants so we can't stay in one place for too long. >> five al jazeera journalists are still being detained without charge in egypt. they are accused of spreading lies harmful to state security and of joining a terrorist

group. al jazeera says the allegations are fabricated and is demanding their release. the other two journalists from are from our sister channels. they have been detained for the past five months. >> fighting between rival tribes in the lybian city of saba has left 15 people dead. the death of a militia chief on thursday prompted several days rough running battles. meanwhile, the deputy industry minister was shot dead on sunday. he is the latest in ana string of high profile killings. he was the city's representative on the national transition council which took part taft revolution. anti-government protesters in thailand have been gathering with the aim of shutting down the capital bangkok. demonstrations are plannedded monday to force the government from office before next month's elections. so far eight people have been

killed in protest related violence. more now from veronica in bangkok. >> they are calling it bangkok shut down. thousands of protesters like the ones you see around me are planning to paralyze the capital city of thailand in order to throw out the government, the prime minister. this stage itself is going to be shut down. it has been the base of protests for more than two months. but instead, the protest stages will be set up right around the city in major arteries. it is going to be a big threat to business. traffic is expected to be terrible. the plan is to shut the city down for 15 to 20 days. now government is putting in place 14,000 troops and police to prevent law and order problems. this is supposed to security the -- to secure the jake it

is not clear how far they will go to try to put the city back to normal. and at what point that might happen. the threat is that there could be violence on the streets, of course. six people were injured on saturday when anti-government protesters and pro-government protesters clashed outside bangkok. and then inside. not far away from here. 7 people were shot by under identified gunmen on motorbikes. and they were mostly anti-government demonstrators. so the situation really has the potential to spiral out of control. there are efforts to try and resolve it. the government is considering putting in place an executive order to put together a reform committee to try to address demands for reform that these protestors are making. there is also elections scheduled for february 2nd. the people here though, want to shut down bangkok are not willing to wait.

they want an unelected council in place. >> in bangladesh, three opposition politicians have been appointed to the government's new cabinet that follows last week's disputed elections which returned. more than 24 people were killed during the vote, which was boycotted by the opposition. international observers in some foreign nations have called for a new inclusive poll. >> emergency services in tonga are trying to help thousands of islanders affected by one of the strongest storms they have ever seen. sigh cone ian papassed over the pacific nation on saturday killing at least one person and injuring several others. more now from caroline. >> this was the seen after cyclone ian hit tonga. winds gusting up to 287-kilometers per hour left parts of the island flattened. tonga's director of emergency says there is more damage than they anticipated. it was one of the strongest

storms to hit in decades. >> 70% of the houses is either damaged or blown away and the rest of the 30% left is affected by water. >> the military and aid groups are trying to reach people by boat. but it has been difficult to get to some of the worst hit areas because of rough seas. >> more than 80% of the infrastructure has been affected so, we will now wait to have a look at. >> new zealand is also helping. it sent an air force plane to try and assess the damage. supplies are also ready to be flown out from there when conditions allow. car line malone, al jazeera. we are approaching the halfway point on the news hour. we will update in a few moments. then, did the u.s. try to oust

afghanistan's president? still to come, revelations from a new memoir by the former defense secretary robert gates. plus -- >> in columbus ohio, i'll show you a new museum that has the world's largest collection of comics and cartoons. and in sports, why the defending champion is leaving a sweet -- ahead of the australian open. >> >> every sunday night, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks... with the most interesting people of our time... >> as an artist you have the right to fail... that's a big right to have >> his work is known across the globe. but little is known about the gorilla artist behind the glasses... we turned the camera on the photographer shaking up the art world. >> 2... 1... that's scary jr... >> talk to al jazeera with jr only on al jazeera america

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real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> hello again. this is the news hour in doha. we will take a look at what is making news in europe in a couple of minutes. but first, the top global stories. friends of syria say that the peace conference in geneva 2 will go ahead. but, syrian opposition groups still haven't said whether they will attend. it comes as syrian government forces advance on rebel positions near aleppo. in iraq, government forces are fighting al qaeda linked fighters. these are pictures from the

city of flukea where various armed groups are battling for supremacy. and the head of the transitional governing body is calling for calm between christian and fighters. a suicide bomber has killed two people. in kentuckya bye ul, a police bus killing cadets and wounding several others. the afghan taliban told local media that it carried out the assault. afghanistan's president karzai long accused the united states of trying to push him out of office. now he has one major voice backing his claim, the u.s. secretary of defense. robert gate's new book is likely to further strain ties between the two countries. jane ferguson reports now from kabul. >> it was an accusation often

dismissed as paranoia. during his reelection campaign karzaira cuesed the u.s. of trying to get rid of him. >> there were a lot of stories of the plans in washington and in london to bring a change into the structure of government in afghanistan and to weaken the government of afghanistan and to go to the strong men that they like in afghanistan and to put resources to afghanistan. >> now excerpts from then u.s. defense secretary roberts gates writes that was true. he writes about richard holbrooke's attempts at what he called a push saying home brook and others extended support to many of karzai's challengers. the deputy spokesperson in kabul has reacted with an i told you so. >> what secretary gates has revealed in his book further

proves the righteousness of president karzai's claims that there were deliberate efforts to disregard and to manipulate the very genuine votes of the afghan people. but karzai was also accused of foul play at the time evidence of a campaign to rig the votes if his favor was widely reported. new allegations by administration -- of interference by the obama administration could discred it the election. >> they don't know who to trust anymore. the people have been misled so many times by so many players that sometimes they have lost -- at times they have -- they don't have the self-confidence that is sufficient for a nation to act on in their own interest. and it is very dangerous that we have depleted a nation from its self confidence.

>> revelations about possible u.s. interference in the last presidential elections here come just a few months before afghan's go to the polls to vote for their next leader. president karzai has warned repeatedly against foreign manipulation. a warning that now seems to hold more weight. jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. now here is an intriguing proposition, could some of the prominent faces the british side of the iraq war about to apoor officially accused of war crimes, it is not beyond the realms of possibility in criminal court it seems. straight to our news center to explain why. >> the icc has been formally asked to address alleged war crimes in a dossier. it details allegations of beatings, mock executions and sexual assaults. it names among others, the former defense secretary, the

former defense minister and the head of the accomplish army. the document draws on 400 iraqis that are thousands of allegations of mistreatment amounting to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. it wants an investigation held under article 15 of the rome statute. the report is the work of the european center for constitutional human rights and a number of british human rights lawyers. one has been speaking to al jazeera. >> we analyze over 400 cases of torture, although they are now over a thousand of those cases. and we look in particular at the torture techniques that were part of the uk's interdation policy, interrogation and tactical questioning. there is also a great deal of

abuse, a great number of unlawful killings, and a number of those just like the people who go into british facility very much alivend within a few hours or a couple of days they are very much dead. >> and you stated that you believe that the abuse was system attic, what evidence is there for that? >> there is a massive material. we have analyzed this being disclosed to us in various court proceedings and all point to the top. it all shows very clearly that those at the top new exactly what was being trained, and knew exactly how those unla techniques, which constitute torture and cruel and inhuman and degrading treatment meant that inevitably in iraq, hundreds and hundreds of iraqi civilians who were detained and then questioned or interrogated were subject to torture and unsurprisingly,

some of them didn't survive. >> now, you are actually naming names, you are including civilian and military figures. can you tell us more about that? >> we are focusing on those at the top. it is not good enough for the m.o. d. to peddle a few bad apples. it is not people just at the bottom on a frolic of their own. it is trained and authorized and sanctioned at the very top. >> the m.o. d. are misleading the public to put it mildly. there is nothing to show for 10, 11 years it has been since the first deaths in iraq which started in april 2003 and here we are january 2014, the m.o. d. are simply not telling the truth. i suggest you go back to them and insist that they tell you the real facts. had you might ask them how many deaths in custody are they aware of, we found 111

and they repeatedly refused to tell the courts how many they are aware of. perhaps they might answer that question for you? >> well in response on sunday the military of defense gave al jazeera this statement. >> these matters are either under thorough investigation or have been dealt with through various means, including the iraq, historic allegations team, independent public inquiries, the kk, courts and in parliament. as such, further action through the icc is unnecessary when the issues and allegations are known to the uk government and the uk courts have issued judgments. should we be approached by the icc we will take the opportunity to explain the extensive work underway to deal with historic allegations of abuse. we reject the suggestion that the uk's arm forces, who operate in line with domestic

and international law have systematically tortured detainees. but of course the uk government regrets the small number of cases where abuses have taken place. where allegations have been substantiated we have compensated victims and their families. >> now the last few minutes we started getting reports that the department of the french is in hospital. according to the french up in he was admitted to a paris hospital on thursday. reports suggest she will be released in a few days. she was admitted following claims that her long time partner has been having an affair with a french actress. in ukraine, tens of thousands of people are continuing their protest in the center of can i i have. opposition -- kiev. the square has been the focus of anti-government protests.

protests after the decision to freeze ties with the west. the number of people going self-employed in croatia has rocketed. and there is a reason. many are getting cash from the government. entrepreneurs can pocket $5,000 to help boost the economy. here is the report. >> freshly squeezed apple, a juice that is unusual and popular mix. but the real recipe for success came down to hard work, persistence and belief in herself. >> 5 months ago he was unemployed so decided to open a fresh juice shop with help from the government. during the first year of business, he will get up to $5500 u.s. dollars. he will repay back to the state. as his business grows, he has employed others. >> three of us are working

here right now. we plan to have one more next week because business is growing. in spring we will probably extend to one more shop. this is a son september of health food that is in today. people want that. >> more and more unemployed people in croatia are becoming self-employed. three years ago that number was around 700. but last year it increased to over 5,000. but for a country with more than 370,000 unemployed people, that is still a small figure. >> small businesses will get more than 15 million u.s. dollars from the state and four and a half million more from funds. but the individual stimulus will be up to 4500 u.s. dollars. >> that is new from this year. we are getting smaller amounts for stimulus and everyone will get the same, regardless if they are apply forget a business or craft company. we will give them money according to their business plan. >> anyone who needs money to start a business has to come to the bureau with their idea. and if it is approved, and the stimulus is granted, the

business can be registered. and most croatians support the idea despite concern of public spending during a time of financial crisis. >> any amount of money for stimulus is absolutely positive thing. >> if someone is successful he doesn't need much. >> that seems like a lot of money to get at once but i think the whole thing is much more expensive. >> they require business owners have their own start-up money before they apply for the grant. if they don't use the money on the business, the government will take it back. while many are taking advantage of this, some say more needs to be done to help the hundreds of thousands of others who are still unemployed. al jazeera, zagreb. they save it isn't over until the fat lady sings. he is certainly appears to be losing her voice in italy where an old favorite is hit by the financial crisis. a report on whether the final

curtain is falling on italy's operas. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> they are the heart and soul of the opera. the chorus of rome's famous opera house. pavarotti and maria calas have performed here. but the opera house is in trouble. it owes 50 million. if management can receive a bailout but only if they cut jobs. >> the opera is one of italy's most cultural institutions. on par with the coliseum or any painting. it should be protected by the state and our constitution guarantees that. >> the financial crisis initially is forcing the government to slash funding for the art. the government has to save billions of dollars in the next few years. opera houses in italy are

mostly state funded. some have had no choice but to cut confirmances. or in some cases close down. >> this is one of rome's oldest theaters founded in 1727. the los angeles official performance here was in 2011. campaigners are trying to raise enough money to keep this place open. >> the i stallian government spends more than a billion a year on culture. much of the money goes to restoring ancient sites like the coliseum. the minister of culture insists opera will survive the financial crisis. >> they have to manage the administration more carefully. so the tradition can survive for many years. it is of course my duty above all to respect the profession of these people. i think it will be difficult to match the future where culture is not at the heart of

things. >> in roam's opera house, the performance of swan lake. when musicians went on strike last month, the orchestra was replaced with a cd track. for now, the artists are back. they say the show must go on. but it is not clear for how long. for al jazeera, rome. and the show continues here on al jazeera now back to adrian. many thanks. the 2014 rally is passing through the salt flats in bolivia as the race continues through south america. the raceback began in argentina and winds through bolivia before ending in chile on friday. now bolivians had vowed to block motorcycles and all-terrain 6 vehicles from the sea flats but the protest was called off when the government announced that it was sending in the military.

we were hoping to take you live to bolivia, unfortunately the technical gremlins have got the better of us. we will take a break. just ahead all the sports, including all the ups and downs for olympic mogul champions. all the details in just a moment. >>

an auction has outraged animal rights activists in the u.s. and beyond. up for grabs, the rights to

kill an endangered black rhino in africa. the permits went for 350,000. here is our report. >> space inside the dallas convention center was at a premium as 45,000 hunting enthusiasts from around the world attended the dallas safari club convention. this is our single biggest fund-raiser. >> jewelry, rifles and furs were available for purchase. but this time the big item up for auction was a permit to hunt a black rhino. that brought protesters to dallas. >> shouldn't be putting animal hunting in this way. that is wrong. >> they say the auction was inhumane. >> we need every single one of these animals, not even one should be taken out. into the dallas safari club says all proceeds will go towards saving the supervise. >> a lot of people think

wildlife just exists out there it takes care of itself. it doesn't. it is a managed wildlife. it costs money. namibia doesn't have a lot of excess money. they need money to manage the wildlife and in this case to protect and increase the population of the black rhino. >> he was able convince the people of namibia because of the money he would be bringing back into the country. >> this is the first time this permit has been auctioned off in the united states. >> protesters say the club should just give the money directly. >> the rhino killed will be past breeding age and aggressive to other wildlife. an american will pay anything to kill the species, protesters say. time now for sports. here is jo. >> thank you. >> closing in on the top spot of the english premiere

league. there is just five minutes left in the match. three points from chelsea and arsenal making them the third team in two days to occupy the lead. fellow title hopefuls liverpool are currently 6 in the league but a win could lift them up to 4th. spanish league champions barcelona were at madrid. very few chances in the first half. but should have added to his 19 goals for the season. second half straight away he got a warm welcome. the barcelona star picked himself up to almost grab a winner. nil-nil is how it finished. they remain locked on points at the top of the table.

fourth place in la liga, they opened the scoring as they raced to a 3-nil lead in the first half an hour. before the break, bilbao completed the 6-1 rout. third place real madrid will narrow the gap to three points if they win at mid-table espanol. the top tennis players are placing themselves for another scorcher in melbourne. temperatures expected to top 40 greece degrees sells yules -- celsius. they may have to postpone matches. >> andy handed out chocolates

at a news conference before they could turn into a sticky mess. the experience of playing many times in australian summer over the years definitely helps for the preparations. but, i don't change anything in particular in my approach. everything is more or less the same. and i am expecting to play in a big heat. you always have to expect because you can't really predict whether it is changing a lot. >> staying in the melbourne heat. the aussies thrashed england. australia chased down the target with 26 balls to spare to win by six wickets and keep up their perfect record since the english arrived in

australia. sri lanka beat pakistan with nine wickets in hand to take a 1-nil lead in the three test series. on to the nfl playoffs. for a third straight season the new england patriots have reached the american football conference title game. the pats beat the colts in the playoffs. new england will face the winner of sunday's game between the denver broncos and san diego chargers. n. the seattle seahawks won their national football conference playoff. the top seeded seahawks beat the new orleans saints 23-15. seattle will host either san francisco or carolina who play each other a little

later. the south african gophers made it four years in a row to have won the tour event in the calendar year. the open winner retains his title in derwin on sunday. finishing with 12 under par. german skier is count can down to the start of the marks hoping to add the downhill gold to the world cup and championship titles. the current olympic slalom and combined champion will not have to race against her friend lindsey vonn who pulled out with a knee injury. >> yeah, the king event and the last couple of years it was in many, many races it was so hard to beat lindsey. at least i was able to do it sometimes. and also now that she is not racing there are other strong

girls who can be really fast in the downhill. but yeah, to win a medal in downhill is really special. being an olympic champion in downhill is much better. >> she matched the world cup lead. herbar is the two time defending overall champion. over at the ski moguls world cup to reigning olympic champ proves to be in top form in utah. they both hope to defend their crowns in sochi. there is more on our web site including more reaction to a-rod's suspension. and why the international rugby board has suspended funding to fiji. check out al jazeera.com forward/sports.

that is it for now. >> many thanks indeed. the a new museum in the united states about cartoons. before you scoff comics are treated treated as a rare art form. here is the story. perched atop ohio's urban landscape is a new kind of temple for cartoons. >> and this for example, is from 1798, it is a cartoon called congressional pugilist. it features an actual fight that took place in congress. in ohio state university's billy ireland cartoon library and museum treats cartoons and comics the way the library of congress treats thomas jefferson and jeffrey causer, seriously. >> now cartoonists know they can give their collections to a higher state and they will be preserved, they will be exhibited and accessible to researchers. from classic comics to political cartoons. >> here is a fantastic

franklin roosevelt by wolverton. and richard nixon. >> it is one part museum, one part cartoon university where scholars come to study the world's weightiest practitioners of light literature. >> there is so much school scholarship on novels but this was really the material that everyone had in their hands. this is i think important artifacts of an era that need to be, well, taken seriously. in and you came all the way from hanover. >> all the way from hanover germany. houses in the temperature controlled shelves are 45,000 books of cartoon, 67,000 journals, the world's largest journals of cartoons and comics. here in 1843, the satirical magazine punch reports the first cartoon. the original calvin and hobbes collection. the hand-drawn strips of

peanuts charles m.schulz. >> it is timeless. the way it was drawn, the captioning. it is just timeless. >> in chester gould's original drawings of kick tracy. >> the collection includes 300,000 works of art. there would be more but the originals were often tossed out. but now a standard original by an artist such as schuld might be worth tens of thousands of dollars. and an early one like this one, is priceless. >> it contains historical stereotypes. you can city there was a different sensibility in how we portrayed minorities. >> now all drawn together in a new home. columbus, ohio. today's top stories straight ahead. thank you for watching. i'll see you again. >>

i'm phil tores. coming up this week on techknow. techknow's shini somara goes straight into the storm. winds of 150 miles per hour. but this twister is created in the lab. >> i'm at the national wind institute where they can actually recreate a tornado.

>> now science and technology take on mother nature. >> who wins? >> it's completely fine. >> techknow. sunday 7:30 eastern on al jazeera america. real reporting that brings you the world. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan bradford live from new york city. here are the stories we are following for you right now. israelis pay their respects to ariel sharon, the former prime minister who died on saturday. and residents of west virginia wait for answers as well as the all clear to turn on their taps again. four years after the devastating earthquake, many haitians struggle to get their lives back in order. plus photographs of women living in lands of conflict and exhibit now touring the united states.