>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello and welcome to the news hour. i'm in doha with the world's top news stories. drumming up support for a coalition to fight the islamic state group, u.s. secretary of state john kerry is in turkey. russia's president, vladimir putin is threatening real lags as the e.u. and u.s. introduce new sanctions. oscar pistorius is found guilty of manslaughter for the killing of his girlfriend. and a nasa mission, but

underwater. we talk to one of the astronauts 20 meters below the surface of the ocean. ♪ hello. the u.s. secretary of state has said he is comfortable the u.s. will form a brood-based coalition to tackle the islamic state group. john kerry has been meeting with the turkish president in a bid to boost support for those plans. he already signed up arab countries on thursday, but turkey remains reluctant. on thursday john kerry secured support from ten arab countries. and several european countries are also on board:

other countries include canada, and also taking part is australia. let's find out the turkish position, cross over to bernard smith. bernard tell us where kerry has managed to secure firm commitments from turkey. >> this is an indication of the sensitivity surrounding turkey's role in any sort of campaign against the islamic state that after four hours of meetings that john kerry has had with the foreign minister, the president, and prime minister here, little detail about the nature of those discussions has actually come out, in fact all john kerry has said in the last sort of half an hour or so is that at the appropriate time every role of each country will be laid out in an anti isil campaign. turkey has more than 40 citizens held hostage by the islamic

state in iraq. it's very worried that were it to publicly take part in any campaign, then retaliation would be taken against those hostages by the islamic state. the u.s. would dearly love to use the air base here in turkey from which to launch fighter jets to hit i.s. targets in iraq and possibly syria. turkey has already said that is not going to happen, but the base can be used for humanitarian assistance and logistic call support. the u.s., britain, and other european countries have said they want turkey to stop foreign fighters walking into syria and iraq from turkey. turkey has now begun to strengthen their borders. this fight still be tush kish soil but it's a border town that looks to the middle east. the supposed birthplace of

abraham. now sometimes mingling among the pilgrims are men planning to join the islamic state. the plain ahead is syria. this smuggler told me it used to be easy to get there, you just cut a hole through the likely patrolled fence. not anymore. >> translator: the charges started about ten months ago. turkish forces have been digging trenches along the boarder, they put tanks there, and used night vision goggles, they have even shot at people. >> reporter: since january aspiring fighters have been trying to cross the boarder into syria's province where they will

be welcomed into an area controlled by groups linked to islamic state. the province is just behind me. of course turkey doesn't want the conflict spilling over here. but the i.s. is holding more than 40 turks hostage. the turkish government worries that playing a public active role in a us-lead military campaign to push back i.s. forces, could result in the i.s. taking out brutal revenge on those turkish hostages. it also has plenty of reminders of the human cost of the conflict. it hosts hundreds if not thousands of syrians escaping from the fighting. >> translator: there is no life here. the people are tired. the islamic state took everything and controls everything inside the city. there is no money. no work. >> reporter: u.s. officials say they understand turkish's unique position as the only muslim

majority country in nato. but its discrete cooperation is viewed as essential if the campaign is to have any chance of success. >> seeing that the turks are so close to the conflict, islamic state is practically on the doorstep of turkey. do the turks have a clear policy when it comes to the islamic state? >> well, of course, if you listen to turkish public opinion then of course that is regards the islamic state with abhorrence with the brutality of the islamic state, and it is generally behind attacks on them. the turkish opposition parties here blame the government for allowing the islamic state to take root in the first place. the go would say it has done everything it can to stop fighters from crossing from turkey into syria and iraq. back in 2003 in the u.s. lead

complain in iraq, the us-lead invasion of iraq, then there was widespread opposition to any military involvement in that campaign. this time, it is seen as different. this time turkey recognizes that these islamic state group is a group that needs to be tackled and challenges. >> all right. bernard thank you. well, iraq's prime minister says that france has agreed to join the coalition to fight the islamic state fighters. they have been holding talks in bagdad. >> translator: our air power is limited, and it's not at the level we want. and in the future we want to develop this power, but for now in order to confront the islamic state we need huge air cover to be provided by our allies. the french go has promised that france will participate in the

effort to strike against the position of terrorists. the u.s. has already begun to carry out air strikes. we don't want forces on the ground and they don't want to send any. iraqi police sources say a tank driven by a suicide bomber blew up killing 15 and injuring 36. the islamic state took responsibility for the attack. the camp is home to the iraqi forces battling the islamic state fighters in tikrit and have seen fierce clashes as the i.s. have tried to take control of the army base. the cia is saying the islamic state group has three times more fighters than previously thought. u.s. officials believe that i.s. could have as many as 30,000 fighters. we take a look at how the group has been able to recruit so many. >> reporter: they are well armed and well financed, rising to permanence after capturing several towns and cities across

northern syria and iraq, but it's their brutality that has made them notorious worldwide. and now the cia says the group known as the islamic state is growing. initially their numbers were estimated at around 10,000, but now the cia says that more than 30,000 men could be fighting under their banner. despite several governments identifying them as a mediate threat, there appears to be little agreement or clarity as to how and why the group has grown so quickly. some experts say the failure of marijuana foreign policy in the middle east is to blame. analysts argue that groups like i.s. and al-qaeda did not exist in iraq prior to the u.s. invasion. >> that is really a failure with much of the west in how they have been fighting terrorism for the past 13 years. you do have to address the root causes, the disenfranchisement of the sunnis in iraq is a huge

reason why many have gone to eye -- isis. another view is that it's the iraqi government's fault that it arose as a result of that government's failure to be more inclusive, alien nating the sunni population within the country as well last year's crackdown on hundreds of thousands of iraqis who took part in protests, hundreds of protesters were killed then. the prime minister maintained that they were terrorists among the demonstrators. within months though, the islamic state group emerged in those very towns and cities. >> with the previous iraqi government, the sunnis and the kurds felt disen franchised, and

in fact they were. the new prime says with the new government they will be inclusive. this is going to be a challenge to get the sunni tribes first to trust the new central government. >> reporter: but the i.s.'s group reach now extends well into syria. yet until now it appears that international mauers, particularly the u.s. have failed to come up with a plan to combat the group in syria. australia has raised its terrorism level from medium to high. >> our security agencies have raised the threat level based on an accumulation of indicators: the numbers of australians in

the middle east fighting with and supporting terrorist groups, the numbers who have returned from the middle east having fought with terrorist groups, the numbers here in australia who are known to be supporting these terrorist groups, and the exsortations that are coming from the middle east to the supporters of these terrorist groups here in australia to prepare to launch attacks here in australia. the u.s. has announced more sanctions against russia. the targets include its largest bank and major defense and energy companies in response to russia's military involvement in eastern ukraine. patty culhane, do you have more on the scope of the latest set of sanctions that have been announced? >> i can tell you these are much

tougher sanctions than we have seen before from the u.s. each time, the officials call them very significant, but most outside experts say they were pretty much half measures. they are not saying that with this sanctions. the biggest change is from the restriction is. western companies and americans will no longer be able to buy debt there those banks that lasted longer than 30 days. there are five defense companies that will face more changes to what can be exported, but here at the white house they think the biggest impact will be on russia's oil exploration. american companies have two weeks to get out of russia, to stop providing goods and services to all oil exploitation in russia. >> and all of this you mentioned, patty, i have got to ask you, the worsening business

and economic ties between russia and the united states with these sanctions, it must be a concern for some in the u.s. >> there have been a handful of companies that have expressed concern, but so far we haven't seen any big impact from any of the russian retribution. that could change. russian officials are starting to talk about contracts with big companies like boeing, and some of the oil producers here in the united states. if they start targeting american companies and it impacts jobs that could put pressure on president obama. >> all right. patty thank you. as well as the u.s. measures that patty was just telling us about, the european union has also imposed new sanctions on russia despite the threat of retaliation from moscow. major oil firms and state-owned banks will be denied access.

they say the sanctions could be eased after a review of the truce at the end of the month. >> reporter: we have had reaction from russia's foreign minister on friday to the imposition of the new sanctions. he says the sanctions threaten the prospects of political settlement in ukraine, and he is warning russia will take what he regards as appropriate action in its counter sanctions. we have heard from the russian prime minister, he is hinting strongly that russia could close its air space to western airlines. the cost factor would be huge, he says, and if the ban is imposed it could bring about the bankruptcy of several smaller airline companies. winter is coming with it a possible new weapon. russia could suspend its gas plies to the west and let china take up the strain on the other

side. and russia is a major exporter of rare metals, and they have very lucrative contracts with airbus and boeing, and russia could, in effect, scrap those contracts which would leave both companies struggling. leaders from russia, iraq, and china, are meeting for a regional security summit. and this year's meeting comes ahead of a planned draw down of foreign forces in afghanistan later this year. the crisis in ukraine is also high on the agenda. >> reporter: coming together in times of trouble, with their respective relationships with the west becoming increasingly difficult, countries like rush and iran are looking to strengthen old bonds and find reliable trade partners, and more than 20 years after the fall of the soviet union, vladimir putin turn to the

region. >> translator: we call to react in a strong and fast way, to make our countries prosperous. this rask is becoming more and more complicated. >> reporter: member states agreed to work harder on regional security and increase trade but as president putin put [ inaudible ] the impact of new sanctions by the european union aimed at stopping the flow of money was being felt. all the more reasons some observers say for moscow to look east. >> translator: small countries have nothing to offer to russia. but these are like a list of supporters to moscow. >> reporter: but russia isn't the only country eyeing central asia as a power base.

pressure from western sanctions is also forcing iran to look locally for business. but for all of these leaders, afghanistan, the growing instability there, and conta containing idealogical extremism are key. this represents hundreds of millions of people around the world. individually and collectively the leaders gathered here have the potential to affect the outcome of global crisis from syria to ukraine. and some are hoping the strengthening numbers could evolve into a force that can stand up to increasing western aggression. still to come, it's one of mexico's worst environmental disasters, and now the company responsible as agreed to pay for the damage. and there the cat walk to the worldwide web, we'll tell you how high fashion is not only

preserved for the front row. and in sport the united states has a physical challenge in the semifinals in the basketball world cup. ♪ but first south african olympian, oscar pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide for fatally shooting his girlfriend. the judge did accept that he mistook her for an intruder. tania page explains. >> reporter: oscar pistorius was tense as he arrived at court, first the gauntlet of cameras, journalists, and onlookers, nothing could have prepared him for what await until. >> on count i, section 51.1 of the criminal law amendment x, 105 of 1997, the accused is found not guilty and is

discharged. instead he is found guilty of coupleable homicide. >> reporter: the paralympian and olympian was stunned. he could spending up to 15 years in prison. his girlfriend's father listened intently, but didn't comment. oscar pistorius's uncle did. >> we would like to show our grateful we are to the judge that has found oscar not guilty of murder. that's a big burden off of us. >> reporter: but many legal experts say the not guilty verdict for murder was wrong. while others agree saying the judge had to put herself in the athlete's mind a man who feels vulnerable on his stumps in a country with highly violent crime. >> oscar was at risk to be shot

and killed and therefore he was acting this self-defense. and when you say in self-defense, at the same time he did not have the intention to commit murder. >> reporter: the at -- athlete had hero status in his country, but that was shattered when he shot his girlfriend last year. >> many people are unhappy pistorius was let off of the murder charge. some experts believe that with how small the toilet cubicle was, he should have known by shooting into it four times would have killed whoever was on the other side. the state could appeal and so can pistorius, in a dramatic trial that has captivated millions. the suspension only hinges on

the sentencing now. and the world health organization has warned that the ebola outbreak is spreading faster than the ability of the west african countries to contain it. the w.h.o. called for international support in sending workers and soup plies to the worst affected countries. the warning came as the death toll reached 2,400. there's been an exponential rise of new cases of ebola this year, almost 700 new cases are being detected every week. and the red cross's katherine mueller spoke to us earlier from free continue town in sierra l. >> it is unprecedented, countries have never been this kind of an outbreak before. for the red cross it is our first time, for example, in

sierra leone, first time we have ever had to do that. other organizations are looking at doing the same way. so it's a learning process for the government and aid organizations as well. nigeria has one of the more unusual slums in all of africa. it is built on water for the fishing community, but the risk of disease is high. mohammed reports. >> reporter: with its watery lanes clogged by floating shops this is macoco. nigeria's slum on water. at least 200,000 people live here. for them poverty, pollution and disease is a way of life. this fishermanlies here with his wife and 13 children. >> translator: we are a fishing community and like the fish we cannot do without the water. we are very contented.

>> reporter: in this slum people don't just survive they thrive too. for the people here life revolving around the water. they have a saying here that you can find anything except a grave in this slum on stilts. after more than a century of non-interference, local officials began to take an interest in the slum. two years ago they sent men with chain saws to the waterways to demolish the houses. a move that left thousands homeless. this woman now lives in this single makeshift group with nine of her children and grandchildren. >> translator: i was born here, and so were my parents. i know nowhere else, that's why i couldn't leave. i would rather die here than leave. >> reporter: but things are

beginning to improve. the government has abandoned its plan to evict the residents. they now also have a floating school. this man has been campaigning for better conditions here for the last 16 years. he says he is now encouraged by what he sees. >> it is one that recognizes that these people, are -- have a right to remain in their community, a community that is functional, that is like any other community, but serviced by [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: but until that happens the people here say they will continue to live the way their forefathers did. taking comfort in their communal existence, one more thing that enforces the feeling that their home is separate from the jungle behind it. well you can see the second

part of our special series on global slums on saturday. >> reporter: i'm in san jose, california with the story of how this camp full of homeless people exists in silicon valley, one of the wealthiest parts of america. still to come, ian paisley has died. we look back on his life. and bigger isn't always better, that's the message from the toronto film festival. we'll tell you why. stay with us. and also the painful plight of baseball, a player is struck in the face by a fast ball. we'll have the details later in sport.

>> a new episode of the ground breaking series, edge of eighteen >> just because your pregnant don't mean your life's ended. >> intense pressure... >> i don't know if this whole dance thing will work out. >> tough realities... >> we chicago ch-iraq, because we have more killings... >> life changing moments... >> shut the camera.... >> from oscar winning director, alex gibney, a hard hitting look at the real issues facing american teens. the incredible journey continues... on the edge of eighteen only on all jazeera america

♪ hello again, you are with the al jazeera news hour, let's get a quick run through of our top stories. the u.s. secretary of state says he is comfortable the u.s. will form a coalition to battle the islamic state group. and more u.s. and european sanctions targeting russia have

come into effect despite the threat of retaliation from moscow. south african olympian, oscar pistorius has been found guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting his girlfriend. sentencing has been delayed until the october the 13th. pistorius has been released and is on bail until then. hundreds of thousands of people remain stranded after massive floods in northern india and pakistan. at least 450 have died. india's prime minister say they are the worst floods in more than a century. over in pakistan, the government has rushed to save two major cities from the flood waters there. military engineers beached dikes

to release water pressure after the two cities came under threat. more than 1.8 million people have been affected. kamal sent this update. >> reporter: tens of thousands of people were evacuated by the law enforcement authority because of the rising water that has now inundated villages, orchards, and farmland. this man and his family left five days ago, along with his two children, mother-in-law and mother. they are now living in a tent such as this, but we have seen here that for the first time, the provincial government has gone out of the way. they have mobilized a civil defense organization. med medical students have volunteered to help the people in need. school teachers have come and taken up the responsibility of making sure the children don't lose out on their lessons.

this is the first time the government has actually responded in a very big way to try to alleviate the suffering, but this crisis is not going anywhere, and the government will need a lot of help in order to overcome these challenges. pakistan's army has arrested ten men suspected on being involved in the attack on the teenageage activist who was shot in the head two years ago on a school bus. she has since recovered. and the army says the detained men are part of the pakistani taliban, and the attack was ordered by the leader of the group. mexico is now paying the price for causing one of mexico's worst environmental disasters. the company will pay over $150 million in compensation for the 10 million gallons of

chemicals their fine spilled. adam rainy has more from mexico city. >> reporter: residents in the area affecting by the mining spill now have to deal with another problem, politics because the federal government has canceled planned talks with the governor of the state who is a member of the opposition party. this comes just after the federal government announced that the mining conglomerate will establish a trust fund to help the residents in the area. but the man who deals with the day-to-day issues on the ground will not deal with the medical government, showing that politics is getting in the way. gang violence has taken over

than 2500 lives, and the u.n. has subbed salvador one of the most violent countries in the world. >> reporter: this woman and her family are trying to find some comfort. they pray and sing to god in the tiny home on the outskirts of town. a religious celebration even more meaningful. her son, the 14-year-old, disappeared more than three years ago. >> translator: someone was going to introduce him to a girl. he said i'll be right back, but he never returned. >> reporter: every two weeks she sakes a one-hour bus ride to the prosecutor's office, but investigators say with no witnesses, there are no leads. >> translator: they tell me to be patient, and to bring them information, but i don't know anything. >> reporter: many families and mothers become the first line of

investigators looking for the thousands of disappeared as a result of gang violence. most are poor, but they are putting up a relentless fight. nearly every day families come to small police stations like this one. they go to the morgue or prosecutor's office, looking for information about their lost relative. but one of the greatest challenges for the investigators is to get that information, and that usually comes from gang members under a witness protection program. gangs have a code of silence, they punish those who talk with death. we asked one gang member in a police jail, why do they hide the bodies? >> translator: these are things that only we know. i can't explain it to you, it's a rule of the gang. >> reporter: the only forensic criminalist is willing to risk his life to find the dead usually in gang-controlled areas.

for 25 years he has exhumed remains in 830 grave sites. parents turn to him to find their lost children. often they come to where he is working hoping for news. >> translator: they bring me pictures of their children when they went missing and point out areas where they believe they could be buried. >> reporter: these families say that the government has abandoned them. >> translator: we're taking the necessary measures to implement new policies to respond to these people positively. is there more to be done? of course. >> reporter: ana has received threats from the gangs to stop looking for her son. her eldest son fled to the united states to be safe, she says nothing will stop her until she finds her missing son. you can read more on that on our website, the address is

aljazeera.com. less than a week before scotland decides whether to separate from the united kingdom, the latest opinion poll suggests a narrow 4% lead for the no campaign. the previous survey showed a 2% lead for the yes campaign. and it sparks alarm in london. banks and financial companies are being accused of scare mongering. the royal bank of scotland and other institutions have warned they will move their headquarters to london if the yes side wins. lawrence lee spoke to some who want to stay in the u.k. >> reporter: this little village looks pretty as a postcard. people have done well for themselves here. so with the boat club and the

cafe a lot of people are extremely nervous about a future for scotland sailing away from the united kingdom. so worried they might abandon ship as well. >> it is very serious. i mean, my family has houses south of the border, and especially while the whole thing kicks off regards independence [ inaudible ] if the current is going to change, i would rather be someone [ inaudible ]. >> we might move. we might not. i think we would have to wait and see what the outcome is. >> reporter: you could do without having to make the decision, i imagine. >> yes, for sure. >> reporter: no to independence voters say a scotland outside the u.k. would have to perform a desperate balancing act. but so many in this silent majority seem to have kept their thoughts to themselves.

the no to independence campaign has tried as it has to sow uncertainty in voter's minds to try to prepare the vision of an independent scotland as being ludicrous. but in messaging terms no we can't is never going to sound quite as exciting as yes, we can. its own leadership has made comparisons between the scottish nationalists and north korea. >> i don't want people to have to leave scotland. it's my country, it's [ inaudible ] people feel very strongly. this is not one country against another. >> reporter: and so even in wealthy areas, the yes campaign has a resonance. >> it's about just having independence, and rules, and making our own decisions and choices those kind of things. >> reporter: it has become

increasingly clear that putting fear in the minds of the scots to convince them to vote yes hasn't worked. the former first minister of northern ireland, ian paisley has died at the age of 88. for decades he opposed compromise with the ira but later became a peacemaker. >> we are cold, determined loyalist who will never surrender. >> reporter: for many ian paisley was the unmistakable voice of probritish unionism in northern ireland. he founded the democratic unionist party and rejects any compromise with the catholic minority. during the decade of violence, he denounced the irish

republican army who launched a campaign against their presence. some on his own site saw him as a liability. this was paisley interrupting a speech by pope john paul ii. >> mr. paisley i now exclude you from this house. [ cheers ] >> reporter: in the 1990s, ian paisley denounced the peace accord known as the good friday agreement, but less than ten years later he was elected as the head of a new power sharing group. >> if you would have told me some time ago that i would be standing here to take this office, i would have been totally unbelieving. >> reporter: ian paisley retired in 2010 and from the northern ireland assembly a year later. but the legacy of the man they call dr. no will be debated for years to come. in london fashion week has

started, but don't worry if you didn't get a front row seat, because these days more and more of what shows on the cat walk is going online. jessica baldwin reports from london. >> reporter: designs by jackie lee kick off london's fashion week. just a few hundred people fit into the tent, but video is live streamed around the world, giving the south korean designer an unlimited audience. >> the front row of the cat walk is still reserved to a few, but live video, constant -- social media updates mean the show goes on around the road. these experts will judge the fashions a hit or miss.

>> it does away with the magazine and the idea that once we have seen a collection you have to wait three months to see it again in a magazine. that seems pointless. >> reporter: more and more people buy their clothes online, and the fashion industry needs to make their presence known on the web. >> it can open up your brand to new audiences who are much more digitally savvy. >> reporter: this was an early adopter of fashion on the web. the company is the envy of other desirens with its 17 million likes on facebook. with fewer people going to the shops to buy their closes, the designers are hoping the buzz of the watt walk digital stream will inspire live shopping. still to come on the news hour, he has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons,

and now rob ford has decided to withdraw frommer to ron toe's mayoral elections. and how one californian is making waves as he battles an 11-time world champion.

♪ now to a space experiment underwater, it's aptly dubbed nemo 19. astronauts are joining two astronauts from the european space agency to adjust to life

at the bottom of the ocean. so how will the mission work? the four are spending seven days underwater, and they will live in 14-meter long cylinder close to 20 meters below the surface off of the coast of key largo, florida. simulating the communication dilemmas as well as feelings of weightlessness on a space walk, the astronauts will take a stroll along the ocean floor. the spine sorerus is the biggest dinosaur to walk the earth. >> reporter: about 15 meters long, give it a long neck like a bird, and a spineny 2 meter sail along its back, clawed forearms,

and you have what scientists say is the biggest predator dinosaur every discovered. and they say the spinosaurus was the first dinosaur to take to and dominate the prehistoric water ways. >> spinosaurus is the largest predator to date, 50 feet long. that makes it special in the category of olympic records for dinosaurs, but for science it broke another barrier that i think is scientifically more important. it is an animal that has adapted to living in water. >> it was the only dinosaur in the water full-time. >> reporter: this is the man who helped rediscover the sign spinosaurus. the predator has long been known to scientists, but the only skeleton uncovered early last century in egypt was destroyed during world war ii. when he met a fossil dealer in

morocco, he had an inkling of how significant it might be. it turned out those bones would blow most of the theories once held out of the water. >> we took a section of the femur to look at the details of how old the dinosaur was. >> reporter: analysis showed the spinosaurus likely adopted to life in and out of the water, but spent most of its time likely eating aquatic life. >> there are no animals that look anything like spinosaurus, so it's like working on an alien. my interest started very early when i was about 6 or 7 years old. so to see the skeleton come together and play a role in bringing this dinosaur back to

life so to speak is an incredible experience. >> reporter: a break through discovery that will give hope to budding dinosaur hunters that they too will have a hand in unearthing the next big thing. now it's time for all of the sports news. >> as you have been hearing in the al jazeera news hour, oscar pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide, the man won six gold medals in sprinting, and was the first amputee to compete in able-bodied olympics. >> reporter: oscar pistorius was the pioneering poster boy of parry olympic athletics. he went on to win six paralympic gold medals, the first coming when he was just 17 in athens. >> we was instrumental in the

movement between 2008 and 2012. since then the paralympic movement has many others that have been recognized globally and believe will continue growing. >> reporter: but the mannone as the blade runner wanted to run against able-bodied athletes. in 2008 he got the court of arbitration of sport to overturn a ruling to allow him to compete. >> they did not establish that the prosthetics used by oscar pistorius give him an advantage over other athletes who are not using the same device. >> i think this day is going to go down in history for the allty of disabled people, for -- i think it's such a significant day in sports. >> reporter: but later that year, south africa decided not to select him for the beijing

olympics. he would complete two years later in south korea. having completed in the heat after south africa came in sect in the relay final, he was given a silver medal. in 2012 he became the first double amputee to compete in the olympics. >> the next time they could see somebody with a prosthetic leg, and it's not something to talk about. it's nothing to be ashamed of. >> reporter: whether people considered him a role model or a rule breaker, he attracted global media attention. it will be greater than ever when he is given his sentence for culpable homicide. now in switzerland on course to reach the davis cup final. they have taken a 2-0 lead over

italy with the big guns giving them the advantage on friday. whatever roger can do, so can stan. dispatching of fabio also not [ inaudible ] the tie continues on saturday. they have taken a 2-0 lead over the czech republic. the czechs were brushed aside by these two men. the united states are through to the final of the basketball world cup. it was a physical contest. demarcus cousins complaining of being elbowed in the neck in the second quarter.

kyrie irving top scorer for the us. they ended up winning 96-68. the second semiconductormy final happens in just over an hour from now between serbia and france. serbia beat [ inaudible ] 84-46 in the quarter. on wednesday they only had one player who competes in the nba. cycling now, con ta doer has taken another step closer to winning the vueltedeespanirka. it was hanson's first stage win at the match. and only his tenth? his successive appearances. cotadore as a 1:30 lead.

miami's [ inaudible ] was taken to hospital after being hit in the face by a pitch. the pitcher threw the ball a speed of 147 [ inaudible ] an hour. the game did continue. the brewers winning 4-2. a local californian surfer produced the biggest shock of the opening round of the contest. the american defeated the 11-time world champion, kelly slater. he reported an 8.5. and will advance to the third round. that's your sport thanks a lot for watching. >> all right. thank you very much, robin. it's take you back to our nasa underwater mission. we're going to speak to awes w

row -- astronaut who is almost 20 meters under the water. tell us what the past few days have been like. >> they have been really amazing. and thanks for joining us this afternoon. we have been learning to -- how we're going to operate and simulate if we are exploring on the surface of mars. so we have been doing space walks every day for up to four hours, and figuring out how if we can't talk to mission control on a real time basis, how are we going to be able to effectively do exploration, by looking at sites, send the information back to mission control, and then have the opportunity to look at what we're doing, and then

redistrict it. >> so you would say -- we understand that the point of this mission, randy is to sort of simulate the cramped conditions of -- of astronauts that they experience in space, so how close are the conditions underwater? >> they are pretty close. the habitat down here is about the size of a school bus. so there are six of us down here. we have two technicians that act as our safety divers. we have a bunk area, and we all make food together. imagine a mission to mars where you are in your spaceship for nine months in one little tin can. you have to figure out how to get along, and still enjoy each other's company by the time you get to mars. >> how difficult, randy has it

been to adjust to life in a steel cylinder at the bottom of the ocean in and y you -- mentioned that you have been going on strolls what is that like? >> it is just beautiful. we have all scuba dived before, but you are only a visitor for a few minutes, but when you are living down here in saturation, you get to really enjoy it and watch it as it really is, and that's a neat feet to help you prepare to going to space because space is completely foreign as well, and equally if not more so than under the ocean. >> thank you very much. we appreciate it. and we're just coming to the end of the al jazeera news hour. for the viewers in the united states, it's back to your regular programming. for our international viewers, back with more news in just a

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