>> if you want free press in the new democracy, let the journalists live. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. hello, welcome to the newshour. i'm jane dutton in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes - show down in northern iraq. peshmerga launch an assault against the islamic state to retake control of their towns. villages burning and planes shot in ukraine as fighting continues between russian separatists and government troops. lives in ruin across the gaza strip. we look at how israeli attacks leave little hope for students

preparing for a new school year hopes of an end to 50 years of violence in columbia - victims of the fighting between f.a.r.c. rebels and government troops join peace talks in cuba. we start this newshour in northern iraq where there's a huge battle going on between kurdish fighters and the islamic state group. the peshmerga kurds want to take back towns seized by the fighters, who are trying to establish an islamic state in the region. the iraqi army and the u.s. is trying to drive the islamic state group out of the area. the u.s. is carrying out air strikes against the armed group. this is a complex situation on the ground. let's look at the areas where the groups are fighting. so far peshmerga forces have retaken the towns and some of

the troops pushed on to the town of telkif taken by rebel fighters a few days ago. there's fears fighting going on there and a battle looming in mosul. the peshmerga are massing the troops at the mosul junction and some of moving towards the dam, and others towards the city itself. it was one of the first to fall to islamic state fighters. zeina khodr is live near mosul dam. dramatic developments. tell us more about what is happening in the campaign which seems to be spearheaded by the peshmerga forces. >> yes, a major military operation to recapture the mosul dam, behind me, less than 5km. you can see the smoke in the distance peshmerga forces are on the ground, trying to advance, to recapture a dam which is still under the control of the islamic state group. but the peshmerga, the kurdish

forces are not involved in this operation alone. they are receiving support from the u.s. military. have been hearing planes in the sky. an ill-equipped force like the pesh would not be -- peshmerga, would not be able to undertake a major battle without air support. they are using air cover as they try to advance. we understand from the peshmerga spokesperson, kurdish forces managed to recapture three small villages, as they push towards a highly strategic installation, the mosul dam, which provide electricity to surrounding regions. this is a highly strategic fight. it is not over. >> there's pressure on them to take back the towns as we hear reports of how the is group is getting violence. many people who have been affected, the victims, say the

u.s. strikes aren't affecting them, are not supporting them. what is going wrong in? >> yes, the u.s. strikes did not prevent what many officials are calling a massacre of the yazidi. another attack against an iraqi minority. up to 80 men executed. yes, the obama administration made clear that these air strikes have limited objectives to protect the minorities and the people on the ground. air strikes are in no way aimed at defeating the islamic state group. there's no plan on how do that. i have to point out a very important point. what is gong on is really expanding the scope of the military operation, it's not just defending. the airdistracks are used as air cover to recapture the highly strategic installation.

we know that the peshmerga are ill-equipped. u.s. trainers are on the ground giving advice, and the islamic state is really trained and well armed. they captured a lot of weapons. >> let's leave zeina khodr there, and we can see the fighting behind her. in parts of northern iraq the refugees fleeing the fighting outnumbers residents. that is putting the strain on local services. hospitals are struggling to cope. >> reporter: public hospitals in the kurdish region were struggling. as a region of iraq they are supposed to get drugs and other supplies from the ministry of health and baghdad. because of the dispute in oil revenue, between baghdad and erbil, neither supplies nor salaries came for months. >> the last few we have, medical supplies - because of the

economic crisis and the baghdad - it interrupted. >> reporter: this maternity hospital is trying to cope with displaced iraqis and the regular case load of expectant mothers. it's a difficult time for everyone. it's the same story in hospitals across the region. >> this is one of three trauma centers in the kurdish capital and has fewer than 300 beds, filled with patients hurt in accidents. on top of that the hospital was filled with a clued of peshmerga fighters wounded on the front. the hospital disappear says on one day alone they treated 40 wounded peshmerga fighters. >> this unit is critical. a hospital like that, or a city

like that in a situation we are in, in this situation, we need more than seven days. it was wounded in a battle last week. surgeons removed shrapnel from his brain. his prognosis is not clear. upstairs another kurdish fighter is treated for burns and eye injuries, caused when the armoured vehicle he was in hit a land mine. >> in the room next door is a kurdish turkish fighter from the p.k.k., which fought for decades for an independent kurdistan. he was wounded at a camp where thousands of fighters lived for years. this is the mother of it 2-year-old boy, who fell from a

second storey. she's been told that he has died. behind the doors hospital staff prepare his body to be taken to the morgue. the situation in eastern ukraine is becoming increasingly tense. in the latest development pro-russia separatists shot down a ukranian fighter jet in the east. a military spokesman said a plane was targeted overnight in luhansk. the pilot managed to eject safely. >> there has been shelling in donetsk. the local mayor said ten civilians killed and buildings badly damaged. ukranian forces pushed separatists out of large areas of the east and controls the road linking donetsk and luhansk. the rebels say they are getting tanks and more than 1,000

fighters training in russia. some of the trucks, part of the russian aid convoy are making their way to a ukranian border post. it has been parked since thursday, after it was insisted they be inspected before being allowed in. they'll be checked by the red cross. we are joined by emma. before speaking about the convoy. let's focus on the fighting. it seems to be ramping up at the moment. how serious is it, emma? >> the anti-terror operation, the ukranian forces, a plane was coming back when it was shot down. the pilot ejected. that suggests that the separatists do still seem to have some fire power. that is despite the ukranian forces gaining momentum and gaining ground in eastern ukraine.

we know that the israeli delegation has been instructed to focus on the security needs, that that is the top priority. the concern is the protection of the border community, along the southern border. there has been a promise with the israeli prime minister. if the rocket fire does not

stop. hamas will be dealt a heavy blow. it's the pressure and division amongst the cabinet which is the challenge. hard liners are opposed to any discussion of a development of a seaport, which was a key demand for the palestinian delegation, which remains one of the things on the table. a lot of opposition to discussion or - there's not opposition, but a push to make sure that the focus remains on the demilitarization of hamas, and that is something that hamas said is a red line. incredible internal challenges, obviously challenges for the egyptian mediators sitting with both sides. the israeli media is reporting that the chances of reaching an agreement on the egyptian proposal for a long-term ceasefire or truce are slim. >> we'll leave kimberley and speak to jane ferguson in gaza. is any of this likely to spook

the palestinians at all? >> we heard yesterday from hamas, and this is before they'd resumed the indirect talks, saying that they weren't happy with that egyptian initiative, the proposal as it stands. they want a full lifting of the blockade in gaza. they are talking about the seaport being established here, and not just an easing of the blockade, and that is what the reports coming out of cairo have been saying, that the israelis would like to see a slight easing, they may soften the stance on that. here the stance is a toughened one of they want that blockade lifted. they only have until tomorrow to come to an agreement, and hundreds of thousands of gazans are waiting to hear whether they will. 200,000 are waiting and the united nation schools across from the gaza strip, afraid to go home, until they find out if there'll be a performance to the

ceasefire. over 60,000 people have no homes to go to, and u.n. basically here as well as the authorities in gaza do not know where they are going to put them. school term is meant to star, as you see in the next story, we visited schools, the one i'm standing in, to find out how people are reacting to the news that they may have to move on soon. >> reporter: the gaza girls' prep school is home to 3,000 desperate people. they ran from their homes during the israeli bombardments, hoping the u.n.-run school would offer protection. over 200,000 palestinians are packed into u.n. schools here. a new school year was due to start next week, but officials say it has been delayed. many, like this man, have no homes to return to. i have 11 children. six of them go to school, and the new school year is coming. we don't know where to go.

her children attended the same school they are sheltering in. entire families are crammed together in classrooms. outside they queue for food and supplies in the playground. teachers have volunteered to help them until the children can return to the studies. classrooms across gaza, like this one, are turning into makeshift homes. four people have been displaced. a large family live in the one room. they created a divider to try to turn this into an apartment, so people have somewhere to sleep in here. it's not a permanent solution by any means, and this room, soon, should be hosting classes for children. >> around a quarter of a million children go to the same u.n. schools they are living in. the u.n. says 65,000 people have had their homes destroyed. it says it's trying to find a solution to the crisis. >> we will not force displaced

people to leave the school. we expect that we will have some thousands of families in our school. we'll consolidate them. >> that may mean families will have to share, and fewer schools will be freed up for teaching. half of gaza's children go to u.n. schools. the other half study in government ones. many are damaged from the fighting. some beyond repair. gaza faces an immediate dilemma. getting children back to school or providing shelter for their families. >> and that really is a snapshot from one school in the gaza strip. we are reporting from another school. figures are the same. over half of them are children, children that should be attending school. as people here watch the

negotiations and wait to hear news out of cairo, they are aware if a permanent ceasefire is declared, that's going to be the beginning for many families here, trying to find somewhere to life. >> thank you for that, jane. at least two soldiers and four suspected rebel fighters have been killed in yemen, happening when soldiers raided a house used by militants. a local official said the suspected fighters were members of al qaeda in yemen. >> flash floods and landslides killed 53 in nepal. 3,500 have been rescued following three days of rain. more than 200 homes were destroyed. hundreds of others are under water. let's get more on what is happening. >> i believe there's flooding ongoing in pakistan and northern india. it's part of the same weather system. have a look at the satellite.

things now look more active further towards the east, across parts of pakistan. these pictures coming through, many villages cut off. there has been a huge amount of flooding. you see the result of that, and people struggling to get about. the situation is getting better across northern india, and pakistan. the focus of the rain is further towards the east now across nepal, and also through to bhutan. if you look at the rainfall stats, you get into - you have about 300 millimetres of rain through the month. some of the totals that have been coming in, have been coming in. that was on thursday into friday. since then the rain is still coming down. if we look at the forecast, bangladesh threw up into nepal, and also bhutan.

you can see we have a concentration of rain. it took two, 300mm of rain. that is corrected. from a higher altitude, more than that, flooding across the region will be a serious issue in the coming days. >> thanks for that. a public memorial is held for eduardo campos, killed this week when a private plane he was travelling in crashed in the city of santos. his body has been flown to his home city. the politician was due to stand in presidential elections in october. his running mate will replace him on the ballot. we have more. many have been waiting for eduardo campos's body to arrive. >> reporter: very sombre scenes out the front of the governor's mansion. people have gathered here, holding up signs, newspapers, waiting for the ex-governor of

this state, eduardo campos assist body to arrive. he was a presidential candidate, he was wildly popular. he was a governor for nearly seven years and stepped down earlier this year so he could run for president. when he did his approval ratition from nearly 80 -- ratings were nearly 80%. >> translation: besides being a political man, he was a good map, a family man, a father. >> translation: he did many things for ou city. i'm grateful. he reformed my school. >> reporter: officials are expecting as many as 150,000 to be here on sunday for the urinal of eduardo campos, including the brazilian president. there are all sorts of ramifications, and this shakes

up the presidential campaign in brazil. now, especially here in his home state, no one is worried about that. they are waiting for the funeral on sunday, to pay final respects for this young and up and coming political leader. and most people here in brazil say he lost his life way too soon a group of victims from columbia's 50 year conflict between f.a.r.c. rebels and the government testified at peace talks in cuba. we have this report. >> sat at the same table. victims from all sides in the five decade-long conflict in columbia. indigenous leader lost five members of her family in an attack by paramilitary forces in 2004. >> translation: our pain, our feelings, tears and hopes as victims are one. >> reporter: this woman's mother and two brothers were killed by

f.a.r.c. rebels in 2000. >> translation: we will do everything to honour the loved ones we have lost. to rebuild peace and reconciliation in columbia. >> 12 people from all sides of the political spectrum who lost loved ones, the f.a.r.c. rebels and paramilitary groups. they are giving their testimonies to more than 50 years of violence, leaving tens of thousands dead, hundreds of thousands displaced. >> all sides are edging nervously towards peace. >> the best tribute we can give the victims is an end to the violence under the cycle of violence, making sure it does not recur. we are willing to reach agreement and compensation. we are willing to reach agreement to ensure no repeat of the violence, and agree on guaranteeing justice for the victim's families, who are also

victims. >> the newly elected president of columbia, juan manuel santos, made the peace talks a central plank of the election campaign. >> translation: my campaign motto has been with peace we do more. we have more jobs, housing for the poor. it's the way to build peace, not only by silencing the guns. >> two years of talks have reached tentative agreements on land reform, the f.a.r.c.'s participation in the political process, and ending involvement in drug trafficking. like all the elements in the discussion, the issue of the victims is fraught with difficulties, riddled with suspicion and resentment. while all sides are sat at the table, there's hope here and in columbia of a negotiated settlement for this long-running and bitter disputes. still ahead on the al jazeera newshour - can shale oil be the answer to jordan's energy

problems. we'll tell you about exploration efforts under way at the moment. a nice cold shower for one of the richest men. why bill gates is passing the bucket for motor neurone disease. >> in sport the 500 year horse racing tradition is alive and kicking in italy.

top stories - kurdish

peshmerga are fighting to take the mosul dam from the islamic state group. the troops regained control of three nearby villages, and are fighting for the town of telekit. pro-russian separatists are shutting a ukranian fighter jet in the east. the pilot managed to eject safely and have been shelling in donetsk. thousands of protesters in pakistan are camping in the capital, demanding prime minister nawaz sharif step down, accusing them of fraud in last year's elections. the egyptian police arrested several accused of bombing electricity generators. they vetted video of a vigilante group. gerald tan reports. the violence is part of the trend in the new government. >> in recent weeks egypt has been witnessing a form of

discontent. roads have been cut off, causing congestion. electricity generators burnt down, and police vehicles set on fire. in the latest incident, a new resistance group managed to hack the state-run radio station to broadcast its own message. it said: then this video circulating on social media, showing a group of armed men bowing to target police installations in southern cairo. >> translation: we are fed up with peaceful marches. blood was shed, women raped and funny stolen. we are peaceful. we do not want to carry weapons. you forced us to carry weapons to defend ourselves, women and the good land of egypt.

>> reporter: the government accuses the muslim brotherhood of orchestrating the attacks. the vigilantes say they are no way involved with the muslim brotherhood. since being outlawed the group has seen the mass protest movement dwindle to this. the interior says it will investigate those behind the video and make arrests. >> part of it is to try to take away any remaining legitimacy for the muslim brotherhood among the population. part is the idea of declaring the muslim brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and then saying that here is the groups that are affiliated with the brothers, but you are using political violence. >> reporter: this growing trend of vigilanteism appears to be an expression of anger against the jacob shapro government. supporters of mohamed mursi continued to hold demonstrations since his removal from office

last year. but with power cuts rampant, the economy still stagnant and a lack of security, some people are taking matters into their own hands and increasingly arming themselves. al jazeera is demanding the release of its three journalists who have been imprisoned in egypt for 232 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed were falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood in june. mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste were given seven year sentences. baher mohamed got an extra three because he had a spent bullet in his possession, picked up at a protest. >> more than 400 filipino workers arrived in manila after a 3-day evacuation effort from libya. the group was picked up from benghazi, and taken to another ship. they caught a chartered fight, and tried to escape the fighting

between groups in the country. seven were killed in the capital. a u.n. special envoy expected to visit the city trying to broker a ceasefire. demonstrators say they don't want intervention. >> reporter: rival groups fight in tripoli. these men want to take control of the capital. libya has no army since dictators muammar gaddafi was kick youed out and killed former rebels like these have stepped into the security gap, working in a semiofficial capacity paid by the state. they represent the city of misrata and zinc tan and are loyal to different groups. >> translation: this is the result of the battle between the rebels and the militias of the zin fan brigades. >> violence has been getting worse in libya in recent months, putting the lives of foreigners in danger.

filipinos are among those that returned home after being evacuated. many embassies and international organizations closed. civil society initiatives are springing up to encourage peaceful solutions. this gathering brought key leaders and elders together, creating a mediation council, pushing for an end to the fighting. >> >> translation: we condemn violence and the use of arms, and express the importance of power in a democratic framework and reject military coups. >> reporter: libya's parliament requested assistance from the united nations. a special envoy is due to arrive next week to help negotiate a ceasefire between the rebel groups. but on friday thousands of people protested against the decision, what they see as international intervention. they think the fighters should be given a chance to talk on

their own. within hours, violence returned to the capital once again. now, jordan is increasingly relying on vast shale oil reserves to meet part of its energy needs, but the high cost of extraction makes it difficult to take advantage of the resource of the several international companies are making the process easier. >> reporter: it's a resource that is globally abundant but not appropriately utilised yet. oil hail is an organic rich rock that when heated to 500 degrees celsius, cooled and distilled yields oil. in petroleum poor jordan. oil shale reserves is available in 28 locations. among the richest is the government in the southern province. these reserves were first dispovered around a century ago. but no extraction took place.

>> the main reason for not exploiting oil shale reserves in jordan and elsewhere is the price of oil. over the years, the price of oil dropped to levels where everything in oil shale is not feasible. nowadays, the conditions are better for investing in oil shale. >> reporter: several companies signed multibillion contracts to capitalize op jordan's oil shale. production starts as early as 2017. the reserves are the fourth largest in the world. the country has been importing 96% of energy at a cost of over one fifth of its g.d.p. for decades. jordan used to rely on a supply of gaz for a decade before the

rev clugs. this puts the government in a desperate situation to expedite agreement. each tonne of rock is estimated to contain 120 litres of oil. and this is why interest by investors is growing. >> the jordan oil shales are somewhat famous amongst the oil shale explorers. and there's a lot of published information documenting the properties of the oil shale here. >> only the u.s., china and russia have larger oil shale reserves than jordan. if extracted energy analysts believe it can maybe the oil reserves larger than that of the u.s. it means it could one day produce 250,000 barrels of oil a day. >> it's 40 years since turkey invited cypress. disputes over the oiled

remained. we have this report from the coastal town in the turkish controlled island, where plans are under way to break the deadlock. >> reporter: the signs say forbidden zone. a barrier of wire and screens and the threat of prosecution keeps the curious away. in the 19 '70s the resort was a playground for the rich and famous. it's heyday was ended, the homes and hotels hastily abandoned with the 1974 turkish invasion. >> this is to show what it may look like. >> greek cypriot george was 7 years old at the time, the son of a successful italia. he's part of a coalition seeking to overcome the political inertia, making it a pioneering city. >> this is a wonderful inesha. by planning the future, talking about it, we are starting to, in

a way, living in that future, and starting in the souls of the people to build the peace. >> in the past four decades few civilians entered the city. the few photographs that have been posted show a ghost town overgrown with vegetation. for 40 years the resort on the other side of the fence have been sealed off. uninhabited apart from the soldiers targetting it. 40 years ago when the residents fled. other parts crumbled into the ground and were absorbed by the habitat. >> reopening the jewel of the coastline could be crucial in resolving the future of the island. it is part of the town. reopening it would attract much-needed tourism dollars here.

there's only one thing i want to say here and in turkey, properties back to us and let us use them. >> however the question of the ownership is problematic. we can't say let's open it. who will we give it to. it's a comprehensive solution of the cypress problem. >> turkish negotiators meet. yet this accuracy roots project offers an example of how a breakthrough may be on the horizon. >> the roman catholic pope wants to improve ties with countries that don't have good relations with the vatican. china and other nations don't recognise the authority of pope francis, making the comments as he begins the tour of south korea. he outlined his priority with

the catholic church before the meeting of regional bish hops and cardinals. >> nicaragua's planning to build a canal said to rival that of its southern neighbour panama. it's hoped the chinese-backed government will boost the economy. critics warn of disastrous consequences. david mercer reports as part of our coverage. >> reporter: with eyes on the future, the young nicaraguans are learning mandarin chinese. the classes are free, a government initiative ahead of the construction of a chinese-backed canal. for these university students and graduates there are high expectations. >> when we heard the news of the canal, the first thing the young people thought was "i'm going to find a job", now we are preparing for work.

>> at around 280km, the nicaraguan canal would be three times longer than the panama canal. and includes deep water ports, trade and at a cost of $50,000, the businessman called it the biggest building project in the history of humanity. the government says the canal will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, transforming the country. >> nicaragua's the poorest nation in the roger mercados, with the lowest per capita, but for the development to happen, we need projects to create growth. some locals worry about the impact of dredging a channel up to 27 metres deep through the largest leg, and an important source of fresh water. every day dozens of ferries carry tourists across lake

nicaragua. many are afraid if the canal is built, the vital source of income could disappear. environmentalists warn that the destruction could have an impact on the lake, riff, rain forests and coastal areas. >> this project puts the country's environment and resources at risk. it's been approved in a record time of 1530 days. there has been a lack of transparency. some nicaragua question whether the canal will be built. >> with half the population living under the poverty line, many are happy to dream. david mercer, al jazeera, nicaragua. >> ahead in sport. find out who went on to win a match between two of tennis's former number one stars.

people are dousing themselves with ice cold water and posting videos online to raise money for a fatal motor neuron disease. john terrett has more. if you have been online in the last few weeks, there's a good chance you see someone saking the als challenge, people dumping ice-cold water on their heads, nominating others to do it the same. too cold for you.

you can make a donation. a ls stands for amyothophic lateral sclerosis. also known as lieu gehrig's disease, after a baseball great diagnosed with it in the late '30s. it's a degenerative disease killing off motor neurones. a viral campaign on the internet is thrusting the fatal disease into the spotlight. according to the als association 15 now cases of als are diagnosed each day. 30,000 americans have the disease at any given time. als affects 20% more men than women. the life expect si of an als patient averages 2-5 years. there's no cure, which is why money for research is so important. ice buck it challenges are not knew. 29-year-old als patient peter fraities, who can no longer talk or walk decided to use it to call attention to the disease.

he and a friend are responsible for launching the viral campaign and starting the sensation. before this so many did not understand what als was. >> i'm accepting the a ls ice bucket challenge. >> celebrities and politicians joined in the trend. it's paying off. the als association says july 29th to august 14th it's national and state chapters saw 146,000 new donors. they raised 7.6 million compared to 1.2 million in the same period last year. >> the only way to do this is quickly i'm told. here we go. this is why al jazeera reporters are always totally immersed in their stories. john terrett, feeling as if this may not have been quite such a

good idea, al jazeera, in new york. indonesia is celebrating its 69th year of independence from the netherlands. a large ceremony was held at the presidential palace in the capital jakarta. president susilo bambang yudhoyono delivered his last independence day speech and will hand over to the new president. rival rallies have taken place this hong kong. tens of thousands of pro-government supporters turned out in the city, trying to stop a pro-democracy rally, occupying a central campaign threatening to lock down the business district. they say beijing is interfering with elections that are meant to be fully democratic. now for the sport with andy. >> french champions have called for a rival player to be banned

for life. it follows an instance where a striker appeared to head butt a player. it happened in the players tunnel after the game. the president later called for the other player to be sanctioned. psg won, but they suffered a setback, with an injury to striker ibrahimo vich. a hip problem forcing him off after 15 minutes. >> mexico city start the premier league title defense against newcastle united on sunday. it's one of two games in england before city play. last year's runner-ups liverpool are home to southampton, a team they bought three players from. >> last season is gone. we have great belief this season. we are looking forward to the challenge. >> saturday saw arsenal beating

crystal palace. an injury time winner giving arsenal the 2-1 win. >> he kept going. in the end it was enough to win the game, to win the three points. you could see that the only team was one. that shows you, but it's difficult for everyone on the first day of the season. >> roger federer is on the brink of winning the cincinnati masters, and got to the final in a rematch of a wimbledon semifinal. the world number 3 took an hour to beat a cannes aid gan. and mr face david ferrer, gaming for the 80th title of his career. ana ivanovic is heading to the women's final, beating maria

sharapova, placed four above her. sharp took the second 7-5, ivanovic winning the decideser. she'll play serena williams for that title. one of sri lanka's greatest ever cricketers played his final innings. mahalla jaya wardener finished with a half century against pakistan. the 37-year-old retires from the 5-day game, averaging under 50, hitting close to 12,000 runs. it looks like he'll go out with a win. pakistan are 63/5, chasing an unlikely victory tart of 271. now, south africa lead the southern hemisphere's rugby championship after the opening round of games. they beat argentina 13-6 in pretoria.

this effort the only try of the game. quite a contrast to last year's run away 73, 13-home win for the springboks. >> have a look at the stand engs. saturday's other games saw australia preventing new zealand from claiming a record-breaking 18th consecutive test win. the game in sydney finishing 12-12. australia face a game in new zealand's eden park stadium, where the home team won the last 32 tests. >> we have the history. that's history. we are not living in the past in that sense. none of the team, or not many of the team involved in the history of eden park. there has been plenty of provincial success from the teams. they have won there, not in the context of new zealand. >> britney leads the way in the

final mound of golf's lpga championship. looking to win a second major tile, and has a one-shot lead after shooting a one-under 71 on saturday. behind her is defencing champion, pb park, 9-understand and joined in second place by norway's susan petty son. >> it's described by a fan as not so much a horse race as a war. the paleode-silena takes place in italy. and has been up and running for 500 years. local rivalries are played out on horse back. >> reporter: this is the moment zena waited all year long, it's been a tradition for 500 years. jockeys ride bare back along the terms in front by euphoric

audience. each represents one of the city's districts. the price is invaluable. the pride and glory of beating your neighbours much an achievement worth risking the next hole. sergio has watched his whole lane. >> lapaleo is not a horse race, it's a war. each district has a captain and lieutenant. they meet in secret to steel alliances and plots against then miss. >> it is one of italy's richest towns. it was hit by a banking scandal and the country's economic prizes. when it comes to the race, no expenses is spared. residents donate to the district and a good jockey can cost as much as 250,000. not bad for a 90 second race. but the paleo is worth more than

money. it's almost a religious experience, horses are blessed in local churches with a costume parade and hms -- hynns to follow. the district who won celebrate the history while the others are living in disappointment. this is what the paleo has been for 500 years, a horse race for a power for uniting and dividing the town. another fascinator renowned for his footwork is usain bolt, ready to run in an exhibition rate. he'll hope to add to his sixth title. they look as though they are in

need of a bit of work. let's have a look at this. looks to be in an advanced state. he'll do running a little later on. plenty more on the website. you can check that out aljazeera.com. ana ivanovic's win over maria sharapova is the top story there. that is the sports for now. thank you. 13 inmates in brazil have escaped from prison by digging a tunnel under the cell, and more remarkably the prisoners reporteded themselves on a mobile phone camera while they were escaping. you can see the pictures as recorded here. the prison guard has been suspended. police caught two of the in mates. they are looking for the rest. steven cole will be here with the next bulletin. from me, jane dutton, and the

rest of the team - thanks for watching.

kurdish peshmerga fighters launch an assault against islamic state group in iraq, retaking several strategic towns. hello, welcome. i'm steven cole in doha. the village is burning and planes shut down. fighting continues between russian separatists and groups. gaza under fire. israel's devastating campaign left parents with a schooling dilemma. >> and reopening cypress's forbidden zone