>> >> announcer: this is al jazeera. from al jazeera is headquarters in doha, this is the newshour. targetting the islamic state group in iraq. the u.s. launches a new round of air strikes. [ explosion ] unrest in yemen. more than 70 killed in days of fighting north of the capital. >> ukraine's ceasefire on the verge of collapse as explosions are heard in a rebel-held city.

plus... >> "the pigeon sat on a branch." a movie few understand wins the top prize at the venice film festival. now, we begin in iraq where the u.s. carried out a now round of air strike against fighters from the islamic state. u.s. and iraqi forces bombed slight near haditha, where sunni tribes are trying to protect the haditha dam. it's the first time the u.s. hit target in the sunni dominated area of anbar. >> if you want a remedy for this council, of course, there must be help from the global system. and if there is help from the american side, we will tackle it in a shorter time.

especially when we are talking about the air power. when we have this target and when we can be with us in the movement. everything. let's go to jane arraf. she's live in baghdad. they are widening the air campaign. >> absolutely. >> that's the first u.s. air strike since troops pulled out in 2011. the sound bite, the comments from an iraqi official, which is a spokesman for baghdad operations sedan. one of the reasons that the u.s. says it was bombing, it's to protect u.s. interests here in baghdad in case the dam was breached and the floodgates were open. a big concern is the baghdad belt. the area, the spokesman telling us that the u.s. is expected to

launch air strikes in the surrounding areas to prevent them being used as a staging ground for attacks on the capital. >> do we know the position the sunni tribes are taking on the u.s. involvement in anbar, where the u.s. has history. well, as we speak, the sources in haditha tell us that clashes are ongoing between iraqi security forces, backed by some members of sunni tribes against the islamic state group, and that component of sunni tribes is a huge development. it's the second part of that fight after the air strikes. some of them have aligned themselves with the islamic state group. some of them are simply being passive and staying on the sidelines. but iraqi officials, and iraqi security forces say increasingly they are getting some of the tribes on board to fight them.

that started with a suicide car bomb near the gates of the haditha dam. the tribes say that's when they got involved with the iraqi security forces. many of the clashes started. >> jane arraf in baghdad. now, government forces in syria has launched air strikes on the islamic state's strong hold of araka, leaving 25 dead. now, this video released by the rebel fighters is said to show the aftermath of the attacks. the strikes are part of a renewed offensive against the is group occupying large parts of syria. >> a retired lebanese army general joins us live from beirut. so are we seeing a global coalition put together to fight the i.s.i.s., when you look at the bigger picture of what is going on in iraq and syria.

maybe, president obama said he didn't have a strategy op how to fight is, because this -- on how to fight is, because this phenomena is not seen before. crossing the border between iraq and syria, and we know the situation between president obama and syria. after the meeting in wales we see a global strategy, but the main boots on the ground will be regional, and here is the role of syria to position itself to be a part of the coming strategy, and here is the bombardment that you said earlier. this - is it not app interesting turn around. a year ago there was talk of the possibility of u.s. strikes against the bashar al-assad regime. it seems now it may be a case that the u.s. and the bashar al-assad regime are on the same side in a new front. >> maybe not because that's the

intersection of interest. there's no direct talk. i guess there'll never be direct talk or cooperation. maybe at the intelligence level. the coming strategy and region, iran will be a major part of it. i think day to day things in syria will be through the iranians, by the help of the americans. >> even if iranian and u.s. interests intersect, what about the sunni concerns, because one could say that the is groups move into vacuums, whether it was in iraq or syria, when the sunnis rebelled and felt oppressed and under represented by the ram eems, have any of the sunni concerns been met. >> i think that the problem or the successes of is was based on marginalizing of sunni in iraq. that's why the grander strategy of obama has military dimension, and political.

here is the role of the new prime minister in order to, you know, form new government, so this is preparing the ground for the political level, containing and hitting center graf itties of the is for the future. is the solution near, i don't think some. >> can the group be defeated by, you know, this sort of international coalition, or will it alienate sunnis, pushing some into the arms of sunnis. >> if you head to i.s.i.s., it's not sunni and iraq. you have tribes - if you hit them, you create a good political environment and sharing power and the wealth of iraq between the sunni and the shia. maybe we'll go into a good process for political solution. however, we see like the

fighting between the sunnis and something that is against - there's not confidence. the shia of iran and iraq. >> the syrian air force launched strikes on the targets on golan heights. it struck near the crossing, it did not enter the demilitarized zone. rebels took control of the area, prompting israel to raise levels. where there's increased tension on the streets and the capital. government forces making the presence felt as rebels intensify their campaign of civil disobedience. >> army backed tribesman fought with rebels in the north. 70 people have been killed in

the last three days. >> we are joined live from the capital sanaa. first of all, any sign of the sort of mass civil disobedience, protests and campaigns promised for today? >> definitely an escalation in the mass protest movement let by the houthis in sanaa. they decided to block a main road leading to the national airport, an area where the government ministries are located, particularly the military of interior. it's a warning message from the houthis, from a government where the demand are not met. they will definitely escalate. what do they mean by escalation? we are getting a different source of report. likely we think the houthis in the coming days occupy government ministries and

blocking most of the main roads of the capital to completely cripple the capital, to put more pressure on the government to respond to the demand. >> while the houthis are trying to tighten their grip on the capital, is the government trying to do the same in the north? >> the government has been divided along sectarian lines for the last five years, it's weakened. it's fighting against al qaeda, therefore we haven't been able to see reinforcement by the army to the north of the country. for the time being we are seeing hewittie fighters -- houthi fighters, hundreds of them. they want to control a province is it's neighbouring an area where yemen's oil is produced.

if they control it they have more leverage militarily and politically. they put more pressure on the president saying they have the north of the country under control. if they don't respond to demands, they have to take into account a reality on the grounds which is that the houthis are presenting themselves as the biggest military fashion president in yemen. it's a delicate situation. >> much more to come here on the al jazeera newshour. musicians use the power of song to warn about ebola as some nations take action to stop its spread. plus limited power, contaminated water it sewage seeping into the sea. the daily hardship faced by palestinians in gaza.

in sport. japanese dennis star kei nishikori makes history at the us open. action from flushing meadows coming up later. let's take you to ukraine and the latest on a ceasefire tested on several fronts. heavy shelling hit a government checkpoint in mariupol overnight. there has been explosions near the airport in donetsk. despite the violations the ukranian military says the ceasefire is holding. >> translation: firing and shelling is a violation of the ceasefire. we are not talking about a cancellation of the ceasefire agreement at the moment. let's go to paul brennan in

donetsk for more. as you heard, authorities saying they are not talking about a cancellation of the ceasefire, does it look like a ceasefire where you are right now? >> it's not ceased, put it that bay. the fire is continuing. south of the airport, a few hundred metres from the perimeter wall, and to the east of me i can hear small arms fire and the burst of a machine-gun, and to the north-west of where i'm standing in the last half hour, there was a sustained brs of rocket -- burst of rocket fire. it seems that the ceasefire, such as it is, is not a reality on the ground and despite the decision, i suppose, of the kiev administration to say that at the moment they are not prepared to live up to the deal signed in minsk and embark on another course of action, the reality here is that there is discipline

perhaps, or no appetite among the fighters to silence the guns. do we have an indication of what is posed to happen as part of the political or diplomatic deal that was signed? >> the deal has been published. unfortunately on the telephone - i heard a burst of gun fire to my right from where i'm standing. the deal is known and one of the main deals is, of course, cessation of violence. the warring parties, the militia, to pull back. that doesn't seem to happen. where i am at the international airport, there's a small contingent of the ukranian forces for a period of some months, and they have been effectively besieged. three weeks ago it looked like they would be the supply points of the forces pushing back at that point, against the militia, and pushing them closer to the

russian border. as it is now, that force which is at the airport is surrounded. to answer your question, there's supposed to be a disengagement, guns silent. although the deal was signed in minsk, it was wet on the page, the substantive work that is needed to make the deal much more than a proclamation on paper, that is not happening. >> all right. paul brennan there, thank you so much. amnesty international has given a damming assessment of the conflict saying both sides have shown a disregard for civilian life, documenting indiscriminate shellings, abductions and murder. these satellite images from amnesty international show a build-up of russian armour and

artillery in eastern ukraine, despite denials from the kremlin that it is not supporting the spiritists. the regional director for the europe and central asia programme at amnesty international joins us from kiev. good to have you with us. in relation to the human lights issues, you get into the question of whether russian forces, supplies are in ukraine. why did amnesty feel the need to get into a political issue. >> it's not just a political issue, it's a significant legal issue. it effects how one characterises the conflict, legal obligations and who are the duty bearers, as we call this, in light of increasingly compelling evidence of russian involvement of which we have added a fresh layer. we call this an international armed conflict.

it means russia has its obligations to respect the wars of law, it must respect of the obligations and more than before cease its cooperation, the transfer of arms and support to separatist forces committing war crimes on the ground. >> just to clarify, do you have evidence that russian forces them are committing war crimes? >> much less direct evidence of this. russian forces operating there are not always distinguishable from who they are fighting alongside. the resulting in shelling in the areas, resulting in casualties are coming from the ukranian side, and the spiritist -- separatist forces, tortures, abductions at the hands of separatist forces.

that's the concern with regard to the separatist fighting movement. we are seeing the same pattern of abuses purpose traited by pro -- perpetrated by pro-ukranian forces. fighting alongside regular forces. ukraine takes back lawlessness, abduction, killings seen in rebel held areas. >> your report talks about violations committed by the so-called volunteer forces which are fighting alongside ukranian military units. are they under control of the ukranian authorities. >> it's diffuse. they are the product of debilitated military forces, and the surge of a popular desire to engage in military conduct. this is loosely incorporated

into a design structure. the engagements are loosely coordinated by the ministry of defense when it comes to military engagement. chains of demand and lentibility are difficult -- accountability are not working well. we have reports from law enforcement agencies on the ground, complaining back to kiev of the difficulties they are having in controlling the forces, that they feel they are not being responded to at the appropriate level. it's clear that it is incumbent on the ukranian authorities to bring the forces into a clear chain of command, a clear chain of accountability and investigate and bring an end to the adduces. >> thank you for -- abuses. >> thank you for your time. the government of sierra leone plans a lockdown to try to contain the ebola virus. 4,000 people have been infected since the outbreak this year.

half have died. gerald tan reports. testing for beach volleyball. health workers conduct mass check-ups in sierra leone. a rising number of cases prompts extraordinary measures. from september 19th to the 21st, no one in the country is allowed to leave home. >> initially it's a lock down. after a 3-day, the government will consider if the results show that the spread is minimised we may increase the days. >> reporter: doctors without borders fears that it could spread further because new infections will be untreated. sierra leone's government is going ahead with it. >> we have 5,999,000 people not affected. these are the emergency, the

ones we must keep safe. >> the worst outbreak is sweeping across west africa. hundreds of people died in sierra leone. musicians are trying to spread the message of caution. [ ♪ music ] . >> a new tune is hitting the airwaves from liberia to the ivory coast. as the government tries to contain the disease, the world health organisation says the first vaccine could be available in november. >> we agree whole-blood therapies and convalescent serum could be used to treat the ebola disease, and all efforts must be invested to help effective countries to use them safely. >> reporter: it's an effort that can't come soon enough. until then, ebola is forcing some countries to go to extreme lengths to stop its spread.

>> the armed group al-shabab named a new leader after former leader ahmed abdi godane was killed in a u.s. air strike in somalia on monday. ahmed omar will replace ahmed abdi godane. palestinians in gaza are in need of desperate needs of humanitarian relief. months of infrastructure were destroyed. what remains can't be repaired due to limited supplies. andrew simmonds reports from rafah. >> reporter: delivery runs like this are as crucial now as they were in the war. aid agencies are providing a life line. this is clean drinking water - filtered and safe. those returning to damaged homes, when the water supply is working, there's no electricity to pump it from fangs and wells.

gaza's only -- tanks and wells. gaza's only power station was hit by shells and bombs. the treatment plant was also destroyed and turbines were damaged. repairs will take a years, and a temporary fix will offer a fraction of the power needed. before the war it had the capacity to give gaza 60% of its power. some of the shortfall made up of plies by israel and egypt. it was a kat as strofic relationship before the war. now it will be more severe. without a constant power supply, sewerage is untreated. outlets pump out raw sewage like this, 24 hours a day. there's a health risk from bomb damage to suers. >> this area was filled with raw

sewerage, sinking deep through the sand. nothing could be done to repair the pipe or treat the sewerage for a whole month. there are fears that underground water supplies for a highly populated area may have been contaminated. >> we are talking about raw sue im, which for a -- sewage which was infiltrating the aquifer. we need someone today to take samples for resources and give solutions to contamination of sources. >> reporter: that is one urgent need of many. the fighting may have stopped. little else has changed. people have no option but to cope with the hardship. pakistan is dealing with the worst flooding in decades. 120 people have been killed and 4,000 people's have been partially or completely

destroyed. rescue workers used boats to reach stranded villages. the rain is easing. does that mean there's good news, better weather on the way. >> for that region of pakistan, yes, there's better news. we can look at the satellite. over the past few hours there's barely a cloud in the sky and few showers, eyes are drawn to the massive cloud over the strarl parts, it's a -- central parts. it's a new area of low pressure over central parts of india, this is where there's the new risk of where there's flooding as we head through monday and tuesday as well. >> towards the east, we have storms. you can see plenty of cloud in the southern parts of china and into japan. these are tropical features, developing into a tropical depression. it doesn't have a name. the other developed into a

tropical storm. it graduated to the school of names. it's become feng sheng. both will give heavy downpours. i think it's the rain, rather than the winds that will cause the problems. heavy down pores in the south of china, spreading to the west. affecting us in the northern parts of the vietnam, there could be flooding here, sammy. >> thank you. a quirky movie from sweden won the top prize at the venice film festival. as phil lavelle reports, describing the winner is far from easy. >> reporter: they love a surprise at venice, something a little random two. >> "the pigeon sat on a branch reflecting on existence." >> reporter: this was the reaction as the goalen lion winner has -- golden lion winner was announced. this is the press area. look at the journalists and

critics clapping. few understand what the film is about. "a pigeon sat on a branch reflecting on existence was filmed here" few get it. the plot is surreal, it is beautifully shot. many rooted for the comedy. they are happy. >> it's great. so funny, and so the pigeon is the point of view from which the pigeon saw or existence and nonsense. a good night for this film "the postman." the half drama, half documentary is set in a secluded part of northern russia, a place that has not moved on from its sovi soviet path. "the look of silence", was the only documentary. a raw look at the impact of the

indonesian mass murders of the 1960s. joshua's film has been universally well received. >> so the world's oldest film festival wraps up for another year. >> it was not a result like last year. the film that the critics loved took the top prize. italy's economic problems showed. it was more subdued. fewer came, money was spent, and those that did come, many leave with smiles, and a queue bewildered puzzled looks as they try to figure out what the time was all about. >> still ahead on al jazeera - the disease which blinds both young and old in nigeria, why doctors are hopeful of a breakthrough. plus... >> i'm in bolivia, where modern technology is used to do more than improve the quality of life

of the citizens of this country. >> and in sport, we'll tell you why this golfer will be laughing all the way to the bank after his superb shot.

you're watching the al jazeera newshour, let's recap the headlines. the u.s. is carrying out a new round of air strikes against fighters from the islamic state group in iraq. they bombed areas around the city of haditha in areas of the western province. fighters jets carried out air

strikes as an attempt by government forces to force healthy leaders to call off the campaign of civil disobedience. ukraine's defence ministry says a fragile ceasefire in the east is holding, despite explosions in the airport and heavy shelling overnight in the port city of mariupol. a court in kabul sentenced several men to death in relation to the gang rape of three women. armed men dressed as police raped them as they came back from a wedding. the trial was broadcast live on television. jennifer glasse is live in kabul. what happens next in this case, jennifer? >> the men can appeal their convictions. swift justice - the men were in court for a few hours.

the prosecution spoke, the men spoke briefly in defense of themselves. the judge adjourned and came back and sentenced all sex of them to the death penalty for a string of crimes, robbery, murder and rape. it was a gang rape last month that brought this to national attention. we have teen a number of demonstrations across the country over the past few days with afghans calling for swift justice, calling for the courts to hand down the death penalty. hamid karzai said that normally he's not in favour of the death penalty, but this in case africa africans -- in this case it was so heinous, deliver the reason for the death penalty. >> is that why the court issued a penalty sooner than expected? >> public opinion has been so vocal in this case. we saw demonstrations here in

kabul but across a number of provinces. police moved swiftly. afghans have been watching the case closely, and bringing a lot of pressure on the government to do something. there has been criticism, for example, the defense lawyer today says that his clients were not anywhere the right to remain slept. he says also the fact that they were paraded in front of the media, before they were in court. that their identities were made known to the public, that there were social media pictures handed out by the police. all of that prejudices the case against the men. lawyers say this is a step forward. the fact that this case has been open, quick and forward-moving. while there are flaws in it, it's an illustration of the justice system trying to become more rob u. jennifer glasse.

live from kabul. palestinian president mahmoud abbas says he may end the unity agreement in hamas over the way he governed gaza. he was accused of running a shadow government. and wants a single authority and a single system of rule. hamas said that the comments are unjustified. for more on this, mike hanna is live in ramallah in the occupied west bank. what is hamas saying, mike? >> well, it is strong criticism from mahmoud abbas, making those comments to journalists in cairo, basically insisting that hamas was intent on retaining control of gaza, and also insisting that during recent weeks and months. hamas has been acting against members within gaza, killing a number. and forcing others into house arrests. rafts of a large number -- arrests of a large number of

hamas members, more than 30 in the area having been arrested by the palestinian authority. well, the reaction from hamas has been somewhat muted, a spokesman saying it would be better for hamas to bring the matters up, rather than waging a war through the media. this is what the spokesperson had to say. >>. >> translation: the statements made by mahmoud abbas against hamas are not justifiable. as reports relied on are false, untrue and groundless. these entail a great amount of injustice. these tension-filled statements are no reward for the people of palestine, who stood up to israeli belligerence. we continue dialogue on all contentious points, in order to ensure reconciliation.

>> strong words coming as mahmoud abbas is seeking arab support as a plan for statehood. one wonders whether mahmoud abbas is coming under pressure from the key arab countries that he wants support from, to distance himself from hamas. >> it may be the opposite. because what is happening, and what we have heard at the beginning of the arab league meeting of foreign ministers are strong statements that palestinian military is critical. it was stated in the opening address. mahmoud abbas being made aware of this. there are elements in the arab league opposed to hamas, opposed to its actions and would like to see an end to the organization. it appears that the arab world is about to present a united front. certainly on the issue of palestinian unity. this is something that few within the arab world would oppose sh and the opposite --

oppose, and the opposite - strong calls that palestinian unity must be maintained and is critical if there is to be any progress whatsoever in terms of achieving a palestinian state. now, this plan we understand includes many elements which have been rejected by israel, that have been tried in the past, things like settlement freezes. how much expectations do the palestinians have, that this will be a plan that can lead them to statehood. are they preparing the plan b? >> well, plan b appears to be firmly in the back pocket, ready to be taken out should the plan that mahmoud abbas is imposing not gaining traction. what he is doing is putting a firm timeline on negotiations with the israelis, saying talks must take place within nine months, insisting that the issue of borders is discussed right at the beginning, and a commitment

from israel, that the establishment of a palestinian state on the 1967 borders. now the u.s. has rejected the idea saying it regards it as uni lateral action. israel made it clear it's not likely to agree to the timetable. what abbas is saying if not accepted, then the palestinians will go a legal route. seeking membership. this would open the way for israeli leaders to be brought before the international criminal court. particularly in relation to events in gaza. so that is the plan b for the palestinians to unilaterally press ahead with international representation, eventually seeking full recognition from the united nations, and not just as an observer member, and also seeking resolution from the u.n.

security council calling for the establishment of a palestinian state on the 1967 borders. make hannah from ramallah. thanks for that. al jazeera is demanding the release for their journalists detained in egypt for 263 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed received long sentences after a trial seen by observers as politically motivated. they are appealing their convictions, u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon raised the case with the egyptian president. you can join the campaign to get al jazeera journalists freed by using the hashtag free aj staff on twitter. find out more by going to aljazeera.com. qatar's government confirmed security services are detaining british human rights researchers. ghimire gundev and krishna

upadhyaya went missing while researching living conditions for nepalese workers. the qatar foreign ministries says they are accused of breaking the law, but gave few other details. qatar has been criticized for the treatment of workers during the construction of the 2022 world cup. they released a statement saying: now, 40 million people in nigeria are at risk of going blind. they are threatened with a disease that can be contracted by simply fetching water from a river. this report from northern nigeria. >> reporter: this is the village deep in the jungles of northern nigeria. it's large corn fields conceal a community overrun with blindness, a disease that blinds

its victims. children leading the blind is a common site here. this 50-year-old is a victim of blindness. >> translation: what hurts me most is i cannot work, i can't help myself. i'm always at the mercy of others. i want to do much for others, i can't. >> reporter: river blindness is one of the world's leading causes of blindness. >> the fly that causes the river blindness, known as black fly is along the river banks, and bites them when people draw water tore do washing. 130,000 people are believed to have been blinded by the disease in nigeria. river blindness caused major disruptions for the community. many children are forced to drop out of school to care for blinded relatives. >> the disease is a curse. you see young men and women wasting away.

they become so week, they cannot farm or work or earn a living. as a result agricultural production has been significant. >> airports are under way to stop the spread of river blindness, including drug programs, and surgery for those that have a chance to regain their site. >> i think we have gone very far. where we are coming from, a lot of people are at risk of the disease, they are not only getting the trucks to treat them, they are getting the drugs donated free. they are getting treatment and we are beginning to see good signs. >> government, aid agencies and numerous individuals are dedicated to the same active, elimination of the century's old scourge. >> stay with us here on al jazeera. joe will have the sport in a moment. roger federer reduced to a spectator as the u.s. open delivers another surprise

finalist.

welcome back. in guatemala some farmers fear multi national companies will steal their plants. monsanto law, patenting native species is a requirement for a deal between the u.s. and central american countries. [ chanting ] >> reporter: chanting seeds are for life, not for business.

protesters take to the streets in guatemala city. the groups are demanding the government retract the law that they believe will open the door to the privatisation of seeds. they say the so-called monsanto law threatenses the food supply and could make the poor each poorer. >> we farmers choose the best corp to replant. this is how we worked for thousands of years. this allows them to patent the seeds, and those that use the traditional way of planting will be penalized. >> in june the guatemala congress passed the law for the protect of new plant varieties. it's meant to protect the intellectual property of plant breeders who created or discovered new varieties. using seeds without permission could be punishable by fine,

imprisonment or both. analysts say some are in favour of the lawyer, seen as positive. the research and development done will be protected from big mon sapta companies that come in and take those innovations and patent them themselves. >> those that look at it is like a good thing. innovation has been going on long before the war was passed. scientists at the institute of science and technology created more than 140 seats. many are given to farmers free of charge, and to be reused. none are patented. the head of the institute said legislators respect another ruling declare corn a national patry moany. >> the law puts the genetic diversity at risk. any person or company can protect the materials without recognising the right of the

indigenous communities who discover the communities. >> the monsanto law is due to take effect in late september. with 70% of guatemalans growing crops, it will be hard to convince people that what is good for plant breeders is best for the country. >> david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala. sports fans, here is jo. >> thank you. hello. we begin in new york, where serena williams will go for an 18th grand slam title, taking on caroline wozniacki in the us open a little later. in the men's tournament novak djokovic and roger federer were knocked out on saturday. >> reporter: could this be the changing of the guard in men's tennis? kei nishikori conquering novak djokovic in under three hours, becoming the first man from asia to reach a grand slam final.

the japanese never allowed himself to be overawed against the world number one, taking the opens set 6-4. normal order looked to be returning as novak djokovic took the second set 6-1, but kei nishikori responded soupishly -- superbly. coached by former grand slam winner michael chang, he took the next 6-3, earning his spot in monday's decider. >> i got, like, 20 message already, even if it's at the forehand, so very happy to make history, and first time to reach the people in the final. i hope i can win, and to make history. >> reporter: heavy rain delayed the second semifinal between roger federer and marin cilic,

but roger federer's hopes of an 18th grand slam title went down the drain. the 14th seed marin cilic dominating his opponent, to win in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, the first croatian since gorham ivan inno vic to reach a grand slam, and this the first time that neither roger federer, novak djokovic or rafael nadal will feature in a grand slam. it was be kei nishikori, and marin cilic. as i mentioned earlier, serena williams plays in the women's final on sunday. while her dominance of world tennis continues, the state of the men's game in the united states is dire. the u.s. has not had a male grand slam singles champion in 11 years. christen sol umy looks at the efforts to find future winners.

>> reporter: danny picked up a tennis racquet at age three, the same year andy roddick won the u.s. open. no american male won the title since. this 14-year-old is working hard to change that. practicing six days a week. >> i had to explain to my friends tennis is not just a sport, running back and forth hitting a tennis ball, there's so much emotion in it that you have to care about what you do. >> reporter: his passion for the game, according to the coach, is what is missing in american professionals, along with a sense of strategy. >> american players look great and hit the ball great. they don't know how to play. in 1984, six of the four top 10 players were american. john mcenroe, jimmy connors and pete sampras were household names. to encourage the next generation of pros, the united states tennis association is working to

increase cooperation among training facilities, so the best players can train with and learn from each other. >> you have factions of great players and they are not trained together. it's a big part of the problem in american tennis right now. >> his school mates are drawn to traditional and less expensive team sports like football, basketball and baseball. the u.s. maintains dominance in women's tennis, thanks to serena williams and sister venus. they inspire little girls across the country to pick up a racquet. now it's the little boys who are in need of a role model. >> on to formula 1, and mercedes driver lewis hamilton promised not to do anything silly trying to win the italian grand prix. nico rosberg is trailed in the standings, but lewis hamilton

will start ahead of nico rosberg. the two drivers have been told to behave after a collision at the last race, costing the team a one-two finish. williams will start in third. >> my guys in the garage had, also - they have been through theive time with me and have done a remarkable job in terms of bouncing back, fixing the car and dealing with difficulties. we have done this as a team. it's great to have another one-two for the team. i'm proud to be up here for that. on to football. cameroon opened their qualifying campaign for next year's africa cup nation turn with a win. they beat the democratic republic of congo 2-0. they top the group d on goal, with ivory coast, beating sierra leone second. africa's top ranked team algeria

beat ethiopia. nigeria have been beaten by the red devils. a waterlog pitch led to mallee and malawi's game being postponed. >> the nuttest member in -- newest member, gibraltar will play on monday, in a 2016 qualifying match. the territory of 30,000 was admitted to uafa after a long-running battle connected to political tensions with spain. with the new stadium incomplete. they play home games. gibraltar are grouped with germany, ireland, scotland and georgia. >> what i want to see from my players is throughout the 90 minutes, not only do they use what they learnt technically and tactically, they play with a heart. that's what my players give, the extra by playing with a heart.

sometimes when you play with a heart, you can accomplish many things. >> and world champions germany play their first competitive match since winning the world cup. they were beaten 4-2 by argentina in a friendly on wednesday. they are at home to scotland. but, they'll be without new captain as he recovers from a kno injury -- knee injury. rory mcilroy in golf, had a disastrous third round in the b.m.w. championship. and here is a moment making golfers feel better. rory mcilroy putting the is itth for a triple bogey. he finished with a round of 72, putting him nine strokes behind leader billy. three clear at the top, shooting a 63. an impressive birdie. how about this for a shot.

graham storm earnt himself a $160,000 car with a hole in one at the european masters in switzerland, that is more than he earnt all season. it put him into the lead with one round left. >> that is all the sport for now. thank you so much. now, the mountainous city of la paz in bolivia is leftly unchanged over the centuries. the opening of cable car lines is set to change that. not only has the new transport line given the economy a boost, it's also integrating communities. from la paz, harris has the story. >> reporter: at first glance la paz looks far from the cutting edge of public transport. most parts of the city is unchanged for centuries. narrow cob stoned streets are -- cobblestoned streets are jammed with people.

the mountains criss-crossed by well-worn paths. the cable system changed that. >> translation: time is precious and hard to come by commodity. we expect to hep our customers save 12 million hours a year. >> the cable car is about more than beating traffic. it is about integrating two distinct sectors of society - the poor, and the wealthier who live downtown. >> the part of the city that sits i top the mountains is home to more than a million people. most are ethnic indians, many live below the poverty line. the arrival of the cable car brought about an economic bonanza. a stand was set up to sell drinks. that changed this woman's life. >> translation: i was thinking

of emigrating to brazil to look for work. i don't have to. i can support my sick husband and children. pay the utilities and pay off my debts. >> reporter: that is the purpose of the cable car - to integrate the city's neighbourhoods, making the economy flow more freely. jamie saves two hours a day in her come ute to a small book stand maintained downtown. she no longer has to pay for day care as she can take her baby's trolley in the cable car. even though they cost more than $200 million to build, the three lines are delivering benefits. and that brings us to the end of the show here for this newshour. back at the top of the hour with ner update -- another update. stay with us.

in a once in a generation achievement of human ingenuity. >> but al jazeera discovers a dark side. >> three years late... fleet grounding... fires on the airplane... >> they're short changing the engineering process... >> we go undercover on the factory floor... al jazeera investigates the boing 787

targetting the islamic state group in iraq. u.s. and government forces carry out air strikes against rebel positions. hello, you are watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead - heavy shelling in eastern ukraine despite a ceasefire between government forces and pro-russian separatists. anger in afghanistan - five men found guilty of a gang rape sentenced to death. plus... >> i'm harris in la paz bolivia, where modern technology is used to door