>> these are some of the stories we're looking at detail in the next 60 minutes. confronting isil kurdish fighters stayed they prevented prevent an steak, but thousands of people are still strike to escape.

and in east ukraine, our separatists are trying to keep the gas flowing. >> in pakistan since the flooding tens of thousands of people have become sick with skin disease. coming up we'll find out how doctors are coping. >> well, we begin the news hour with the latest from the islamic state in iraq and the levant. kurdish fighters say they have repelled an attack by isil fighters in a major town in that why. attack of isil has sent thousands of kurds fleeing for

their lives. isil fighters have been threatening the town itself until the intervention of kurdish fighters. it is the third biggest population center for kurds, and where more than 200,000 people have left to go elsewhere in syria. more than 130,000 refugees from syria have arrived in turkey in the last three days. the united nations calling for international support to help the country deal with such a big crisis. >> reporter: this video was released by isil. it says that it shows its forces attacking kurdish villages in northern aleppo. the fighting has been so intense that it has forced thousands of syrian kurds to leave their homes to turkey.

this man arrived at the refugee camp. but he does not plan to stay long. >> i brought my family and i plan to go back to fight isil. they have capturing our lands. >> my husband is ill. we're thirsty and hungry. we are in a really bad situation. we fled from brutality. this is no way to live. about can we go? >> friends and relatives in turkey, we'll stay about them. for those who don't have family here their situation is bad. >> reporter: turkey has reopened it's border with syria but tensions remain high. police used water canon and tear gas on a small group of kurds. turkey has been criticized for not doing more in the fight against isil but something that the refugee crisis, but

something that might make presidentere presidenter president erderwan rethink his tactics. >> this is another challenge that the turkish government will have to meet. >> reporter: the exodus into turkey is the biggest, and something that the turkish government is struggling to cope. >> let's make a correction on something that i said. i was talking about the area wher kurdbani that 200,000 people had moved out of there where in fact, they moved to that area from other parts of syria. we go to the turkey-syria

border. victoria, we were showing pictures from the security forces, and you got caught right in the middle of this. >> that's right. we arrived here in kabani. i'm not sure that you can see it on the little hill. we were looking for refugees that were coming across the border. what happened up this road all of a sudden a lot of tear gas, water canons being fired at protesters. it wasn't a huge number, perhaps, 40, 50, 60, but certainly a strong police presence. even further down towards the border there was a large line of turkish riot police. the protesters we spoke to, both turkish kurds and syrian kurds.

the syrian kurds, their issues, they wanted to bring their families and then go back to defend it. the turkish kurds here feel that turkey is not doing enough to repel them, and saying that turkey goes so far as to help the group. over 130,000 have crossed here over the last three days. i spoke to assad, the turkish government relief agency here. they say they're trying to rehouse these people. most coming across the border are housing with families. they are very clear to give a message that they're helping. battles still going on, and we're being told that isil is one kilometer to the west of kabani. to the east there a 10 kilometers to the south. fighters have managed to repeal them, but we're told that the situation is still very fluid.

>> give us an idea of how easy it would be or difficult for them to actually spill over and bring the battle into the area where you are, which, of course, is outside syria. >> that's right. well, isil might not have this stretch, they do have stretches on turkey's border. nothing has really happened. nothing has changed. there are absolutely allegations that fighters come in to syria through this route. it has become much more difficult but certainly reports of young fighters to join western women, young girls, and they make their way through this border. the border crossing, and people come in and out, this is unofficial, so still fighters and smugglers will make their way through this border.

isil holds two of the border crossings. what the kurds want is given the patches in between that isil hold, they want that whole northern border. they've got land to the east and to the west. if they manage to get thi control of this area. >> the lebanese town where hundreds of rebel fighters are based. reports say some people were killed and others were wounded. so let's talk to retired lebanese army general in beirut. would it be fair to say that although this was inside the lebanese border, the authorities

in your country would not be displeased to see these rebels taken out in this fashion. >> if depends what area of lebanon. this area has become everyone's law. it's lawless, it's like everyone is fighting and it is incapable of controlling syria because of topography. but maybe the army gets benefits of this. maybe we don't have the capability to really stop them. but hitting some targets inside, it's not going to end everything there. it is protected. that's why the situation is a bit murky. >> indeed, it may further cloudy the effort even more that lebanon has hostages, which are being held. what is the position of that at the moment? >> there is a major problem of

lebanon. there are some political factions who say let's negotiate as with the lebanese and shia, and many say no, we cannot negotiate with terrorist. maybe qatar will inter convenient as it has before in lebanon. i don't think this is the solution for this hostages. >> general hannah, thank you, indeed, for speaking to us live from beirut. appreciate your time. it was only a matter of hours ago that houthi fighters were fighting for control of sanaa. now they're standing guard outside of major government buildings. there were concerns how the houthies are using their new found influence.

>> reporter: hours after the truce was gree agreed upon, the area is tense. the new deal will allow minorities to dominate politics for some time to come. houthies would overtake almost every government building as well as military command. the president called it historic. >> witwe have secured this historical agreement which will help to bring a new down to yemen. so i urge all together to implement this agreement with immediate effect. >> the u.n. agreement with all the issues facing yemen. especially on crucial aspects,

social security and the houthi take over. >> the president holds transparent consultation of all parties. the current government will continue to run the country until a new government is formed. it must be inclusive of all representatives of society. the duties of the government will be delegated naturally but also on a federal level. the president must appoint two political advisers. a new nonpartisan prime minister must be appointed. >> but the agreement did not clearly say when the houthi fighters would turn out from the capitol. they said that they would fully stop once the deal is implemen implemented. from the stronghold in the north, from they there go to the south taking strategically

important cities before reaching the city. in sanaa. supporters stage mass demonstrations, but some say the real goal of the group is to seize power. the latest is the biggest challenge that yemen faces in transition to democracy. agreements between the houthi and the government has failed in the past. many are left wondering if the deal will leave the government impartial. >> what do you see when you get out and about? >> reporter: yes, when you look on the face of it, it seems calm.

when you go into the details, when you go into the streets you see something different. the houthies are moving smoothly and without disturbance. we see one area where they were setting a checkpoint in front of the one of the buildings, and you can see soldiers inside the ministry. it is the houthies who have taken the security measures of keeping that ministry under their protection. in other parts of the city there is apprehension. there are fears of what may happen next, particularly the houthies have not rested on their laurels. they have hunted down their opponents. some of the housing compound

owned by the army general who has gone against the houthi es in the last decades, and others who are considered enemies, they're hunting them, looking for them everywhere. it is a very tense situation. as much as they have tried to put a happy face on this, they're very concerned and they talked earlier today about there are violations that they have seen already, and they are very much concerned about the deal. >> mohammed, thank you, thank you very much. >> well, the editor in chief, he told me sunday's peace agreement changed the course of yemen's further. >> i don't call this a brokered deal but a broken u.n. deal. the u.n. had no choice but to agree. this is a black dot to the u.n.

history for one reason. they did not negotiate the release. today in yemen the houthies are in control of almost every government institution, and this is the case for years in my opinion. this is why i always say today starts the change of yemen's foreign policy for years to come, and this will bring tension within the country especially when it comes to sensitive foreign policy issue. >> let's talk to the political analyst joining us in bahrain. the foreign policy has been changed. in what sense do you think it's changed to the point of saudi arabia? >> it has changed since yesterday. it is really difficult situation

in saudi arabia. yemen for the last 40-50 years was under houthi influence and domain. we hear from tribal leaders. suddenly all of that has chang changed. now there is another country that yemen has a huge influence in yemen. and yemen is not the same. >> you're talking about iran in this case? >> reporter: yes, precisely. they're able to go forward under the viable partner not to bring yemen back. yemen will never be brought

back. they're warning, and the whole state of yemen is under their control. >> if saudi arabia's influence is decreased, and iran's influence is increased, how will that change the regional dynamics? >> it's required deep analysis. it's something to be seen in the future. but it is completely i unprecedented. we've never seen that before. we fought hard with egypt to control yemen in the 60's, and we won yemen back, but now yemen has not controlled all of yemen,

but i could say today that it has the upper hand in yemen. >> general, thank you very much, indeed, talking to us from bahrain. appreciate your time. >> reporter: good >> ukrainian army said its getting ready to withdraw troops and equipment from a proposed buffer zone. the move is in line with deal reached with pro russian separatists in belarus. under this deal both parties are to pull back at least 15 kilometers from their sign of the front line. the ukraine army said it would be effectively ready to do so on wednesday if the cease-fire is respected. now shaking it's defend on kiev for energy. as they tell truss donetsk, it

don't be an easy task. >> reporter: there is a lot of work, and the shelling can be terrifying. sometimes after finishing a job other areas get destroyed overnight. >> even as they fix older pipes the gas may soon run out. russia cut off supplies in ukraine in june. separatist leaders have a plan to keep their part of ukraine cosy this winter. >> it is technically feasible. if we make an agreement with russia we'll be able to receive gas and not pass it on to ukraine. >> it's not that simple. today many separatist-held towns in donetsk rely on gas held by government-held territory.

that's why the separatist resent the cease-fire. they want control of the entire region. gas is only part of the problem. fighters took us to see a coal-powered fire station, engineers are working hard to keep it running. >> there is coal storage in our power station. we were preparing for the wintertime. we still have enough fuel for a month of operation. >> reporter: they say they can run on gas and heavy oil even though at the moment there is very little guarantee of supply. >> this power station is only operating one turbine at just 15% of its ordinary capacity. there is a fuel shortage that runs mainly on coal. it runs the coal line to produce more fuel. >> reporter: for lack of power many coal mines are flooded with

ground water. this engineer told me it will take two months to pump the shafts dry. the team is busy, but with the economy at a standstill thousands of workers are on unpaid leave. there will be plenty to worry about for the self-declared republics this winter. al jazeera, donetsk. >> the "world health organization" is saying that the ebola outbreak has been contained in senegal and nigeria. they say there should be no general bans on the countries now. other countries are still balancin fighting the virus, which has killed 1700 people. ashraf gandhi has been

elected president. resolving three months of little political deadlock. but some say the deal is a sham. warning that the health crisis is unfolding and thousands are getting sick with abdominal problems, skin diseases are becoming problems. nicole johnson sent us this report from southern punjab province. >> a baby girl born four days ago and named after her mother. she had to give birth on the banks of these flooded fields. the family's home was swept away by the rising tide a week ago. >> i was in acute pain lying on the bed for two days. i can't afford to visit a doctor or get medicine. >> reporter: the weakest is suffering especially children, pregnant women and the elderly. we count a dozen babies in this small camp alone.

children are developing sores. >> we need a doctor and money. we need care for the babies. hygiene and food and clothes and a tent for giving birth. the government has given us nothing. we are exhausted. >> reporter: two and a half million people have been effected in one of the worst floods pakistan has scene. many can't go back to their village, they're living in camps on the side of the road with no toilets or clean water. across huge areas of southern punjab floodwaters are slowly starting to recede, but it's leaving behind dirty stagnant water, which is breeding more disease. >> people are using this water to bathe in, wash their clothes and dishes, and some people are drinking t and people are getting sick. >> they're living next to their homes, not inside, but they have their beds outside on the roads, and we have all the stagnant

water and insects around them, that's what's making the situation worse, and these are the conditions they're leaving in. >> reporter: this clinic for flood victims is run by a charity, children have skin rashes and infections. this woman tells us she's suffering from vomiting and stomach cramps. all of these women have the same complaint. doctors are treating around 2,000 people a day in this tent alone. >> most of the problems we're seeing are stomach issues, diarrhea, and skin diseases, and then there are more and more people showing up with more diseases. >> reporter: medical staff say they're pleading for help. they say it's a crisis here. at least these flood victims have somewhere to go for medicine and to see a doctor. in more isolated regions there

is no one. so for now babies and mothers have to struggle alone. nicole johnson, al jazeera, pakistan. >> we'll start with the weather. you might be looking at that map, but it's moving from one side of the continent to the other, but it's not quite as simple as that. >> meteorologist: no, no, the monsoon does not happen white in thawhite--quite that way. you see the imagery that on the western areas its dry and fine. but across the eastern states of india and bangladesh we have seen a lot of flooding. not far from behind, in fact, two days of flooding here has caused some real problems. and it does look as though it's going to rain pretty wet over the next 24 hours.

maybe some slight decrease in the precipitation as we head through on to wednesday. so by that stage dry for new delhi and we would like to stay that way for the next ten days. in theory the monsoon rains, it gradually fades and remains. here in to the arabia peninsula a little bit picking up in the next day or so with temperatures close to 40 degrees. the humidity will be dying down, which is good news in this part of the world. we have temperatures of 40 degrees. whether you're under flood or extreme desert heat we're heading towards the autumn or spring equinox, depending on whether you're north or south of the equator. you'll have almost equal lengths of day and nighttime. >> thank you. still to come on the news hour,

russia considers joining the effort to fight isil. in sport the u.s. team arrives in scotland ahead of its ryder cup match. we'll hear from both captains in about 15 minutes. stay with us, if you can. hey, jennar fuzz mike troober munny sling... awwwwww scram! i'm crust mike jubby roll bond chow gonna lean up an kiss bet. peas charty get town down. [laughter] ♪ borf a liver tute face stummy wag ♪ pow pam sha-beeps stella nerf berms. saxa-nay nay? badumps a head. temexiss gurrin. juppa left. fluppa jown! brone a brood. what? catch up on what everyone's talking about with the x1 entertainment operating system. preloaded with the latest episodes of the top 100 shows.

only from xfinity. >> you're watching the al jazeera news hour. these are the top stories this hour. houthi rebels controlling the government in sanaa after

signing a peace deal and have raids the homes of senior, military, political and tribal leaders in the capitol. more than 130,000 refugees have arrived in the last three days calling for international support to help turkey deal with the crisis. afghan taliban has asked f for an unity government. it has met sunday for a power-sharing arrangement with abdullah abdullah. the houthi are a significant off shoot of the shia, but the group has found support across sectarian lines. >> reporter: yemen's houthi movement has gone from being on

the periphery politics to center stage. it is a small fraction of the country's 9.5 shia muslims, but they are the most active in yemen's political affairs. >> you see people signing up to support the houthi movement politically, and because they feel that they can create the change they see, that they're not part of the status quo here in yemen. >> reporter: the houthi say they have been marginalized, and have no choice to take up arms against the government. the group moves from this area, and it's influence is growing elsewhere. members of the houthi tribe descended on the capitol this summer. there was an ultimatum of the

government to resign or face the consequences. >> the time has come for the third stage of this popular escalation, which falls within the framework of civil disobedience. >> reporter: yemen's government said that the houthi are dominated by iran, but they deny this. saudi arabia has access to the group as well, and as a bulwark against al-qaeda in the peninsula. the houthi stand at the precipice of a struggle of gains. al jazeera. >> we have here abraham, conflict resolution professor at georgetown university here in qatar. did this catch most people by surprise?

>> to a certain extent, yes. they were surprised for which this movement by the houthi to take over the capitol of this stage. the tension was always there, and there were some speculations by observers of the yemeni political scene. we expected some time for thi this--to take this, but the houthi have surprised everyone. and launched this large scale taking over of the government institutions and of the. >> would it be fair to say that they wouldn't have been able to do this without the encouragement or help of an outside ally, and most people are pointing at iran as the most likely country. >> well, in my view there are three major factors that contributed to help the houthi to be successful in this

movement. one is the support, actually, and the other is the close alliance with former president. that has been also on the table, and this close alliance has strengthened them magnificently. and in addition the third factor is the nature of the demands that the houthi es raised for this crisis, and for this movement. which are most of them demands, reducing the crisis and moving an incompetent government, and also about the i a implementation. >> let's talk about the wider picture. what is this going to mean, for

example, for america's attempts to take on aqa, al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula. if iran has influence, where does that leave that? >> this has serious implications for almost everyone, for the u.s. saudi arabia, and yemen. for the u.s. this brings serious questions over the past years of focusing on the security approach of building security units that lift in less than 24 hours and enlist the houthies. this is a huge challenge for the american process, and it owes the people a lot of explanation about to what extent the security in yemen. >> abraham i know you're sta

staying with us for a few hours. thank you. >> now the russian president vladimir putin has met his security council to discuss cooperating with other countries in the fight against isil. there's no word who those countries could be. isles releasing pictures earlier this month condemning putin and referring to muslim separatists in the ca can you caucuses. what are people saying about with what vladimir putin means? >> well, iraq is actually already helping out the iraqi military. it's supplying the iraqi military with fighter jets, trains, and training pilots as well and some of the defense analysts i've been speaking with

suggest that some of those pilots are flying combat missions against isil. we don't really know at the moment what more the russians might do to help out whatever international coalition is being built. it might be something more long those kinds of lines, the weaponry and expertise. or it might be political pressure. it might be leaning on syria's president bashar al-assad to divert more of his military forces against isil. but a lot of this has yet to be fleshed out. >> the delicacy here is while the u.s. is trying to get countries to fight isil, but we're talking principally syria. if bashar al-assad fights against the syrian supported

rebels, this becomes a tangle. >> yes, it is are a mess. there isn't much that russia and the west agrees on currently, but one thing it does agree on, i think, is that isil, the islamic state, is a threat. it has directly threatened russia, and i think russia is looking at different advantages that it can possibly get out of this. it is, perhaps, looking at allying with the united states in a fight against isil as a way to maybe negotiate with the united states about lessoning sanctions, increasing relationships, improving relationships with the united states and the west that are being hurt by ukraine. but i think also russia is looking at what's going on in iraq and syria. thinking that if the united

states gets bogged down in a long, protracted conflict in the middle east as it has done before, that would divert attention to the eastern europe, ukraine, and from the pacific region as well, and that would certainly suit russia. >> rory in moscow. thank you. australia is expected to resettle many 4,000 refugees from iraq and syria. the government said it's success in stopping asylum seeking boats has allowed it to welcome in more refugees. andrew thomas has this report. >> reporter: he never went to the gym when he lived in syria. but in his new home, australia, working out is how he spends a big part of his day. >> i'm in australia on my own, i'm lonely. the only place i can come and

release my energy is the gym. >> reporter: before the arab spring he ran a shop. when bashar al-assad's crackdown began he joined the resistence. but in 2011 that got him arrested. he would held and tortured for 20 days before he bribed guards to release him. he left lebanon and applied for refugee status and led to a new life in australia. he's grateful but also lonely waiting for an english course to begin, hoping when he's better able to communicate he'll be able to find employment. right now his days are pretty empty. >> i'm a refugee. home is where my family is, but i'm grateful for the reception and the generous assistance i've had here. >> reporter: he knows hundreds of thousands of fellow syrians remain stuck in lebanon.

with much fanfare australia has committed to taking 4,000 more refugees from syria and iraq over the next year, refusing visas but those who arrive illegally by boat. even so, many say australia is still not doing enough. >> compared to what other countries are doing, it really pales in comparison. >> reporter: he just hopes one day members of his family will be able to join him as settled refugees. australia's government has been heavily criticized for how it treats asylum seekers who make their way by boat. it's rely by being tough on those who arrive by the the back door it can be more generous to those who arrive officially. >> thousands of students in hong kong are holding rallies in

china's decision to restrict elec electoral reforms. in august beijing ruled out open nominations for candidates in elections to vote for the city's top leader in three year's times. they're only allowed to choose between candidates screened by ba beijing. charges of embezzlement. the trial got under way after a serious of delays, and she could be jailed for life if convicted. there was an organized general strike that forced the employer of every business--the closure of every business. a tribe in northern ecuador has been forced to live with the oil industry for decades.

now a controversial extraction plans is about to kick in. they're worried that tribes could bear the brunt of the impact. but they're not the only ones who are anxious. >> reporter: they carve shafts of palm into hunting tools. once they lived off the surrounding forest alone. now they sell blow guns and spears to passing tourists as souvenirs. since the oil companies have arrived here they've seen their way of life transformed. >> the oil companies talk about helping us, but it is a lie. here there is more sickness. they damage and pollute the land. every day the vehicles drive the roads and there are fewer animals. >> reporter: now they're afraid things will get worse. ecuador remains divided by the president's decision to extract

more oil in the national park, one of the most bio diverse places on earth. uhere people have lived side by side with oil and know the benefits and the costs. last year a broken pipeline spilled 12,000 barrels of oil in these waters, that left the population of coca, a town of 65,000 people, without drinking water. >> reporter: he tells me that all these rocks were black. the journalist said it was a reminder that the government must boost farming and other industries as a long-term industry. >> reporter: without a doubt oil is our only source of wealth.

but what happens when we run out of oil? >> the oil companies refused to speak to al jazeera, but they say this time locals will see the greatest benefits from the new drilling. >> it's a great challenge for our government to show the world that a small oil-producing oil can extract oil despite environmental risks. exploiting oil to leave poverty behind. >> reporter: looking out over what was jungle just a few decades ago, they worry that more oil will mean more roads, and one day there will be no animals left in the forests. they want the government to legally recognize their territory now before their way of life disappears forever. al jazeera, in the amazon region of ecuador. >> here at al jazeera we continue to demand the release of our journalist who is are imprisoned in egypt. mohamed fahmy, bader mohammed, and peter greste have now been behind bars for 268 days.

falsely accused of aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood. greste and fahmy were given seven years and bader was given an extra three years because of a spent bullet casing he picked up at a protest. still in the news hour. [music] playing more peace. can musical harmony spring political harmony amid all the fighting in iraq. and the race to qualify for major league baseball's postseason. we have the details in just a moment.

>> thank you very much, david foster, the ryder cup gets under way on friday in glen eagles in scotland. the u.s. team led by captain tom watson flew in on monday. they look to regain the trophy they lost in 2008. however they haven't won a ryder cup away from home since 19 the 3. >> on paper everyone thinks the europeans are the favorites, and rightfully so. they have great players on the team. they are not to be taken but very seriously about our team. but i can assure you that the team is here to win. they think they can win and i believe our team can win.

>> we're confident. we have a very strong team. it's a very strong american team. they will be well-led. wthey have all had very good season. this is what makes the ryder cup so great. >> ni co rosberg has called the season the worse so far. he has had to watch his teammates louis hamilton to take it from start to finish. the britain leads the drivers championship by three points. barcelona has maintained their perfect start to the spanish league season making it four wins of four. their latest victims, sporting a

similar looking kit that barcelona wearing for several years. barcelona wearing orange. >> going to the top of the german bundesliga. both sides coming up losses in europe midweek. but i ready agrees with the first of his two goals coming from the penalty spot from the home side. they were reduced to ten men after just ten minutes. and the goal comes after the break. well, no doubt about the most talke talked about goalscorer in europe, that's frank lampard. grabbing the equalizer for manchester city. lampard currently on loan from the mls side new york city.

>> i was so sure that they would play well against chelsea because he is a very good professional. he always wanted to be in this game from the beginning. i spoke to him at the beginning of the week. very good play area, i'm very happy for him. >> i don't look to opponents. we are leading with three points. we come here into a difficult stadium and difficult opponent, and we leave in better condition than we arrived. so good. >> now saturday cameroon, ivory

coast and guinea named the host for the 2019, 2021, 2023 african cup of nation. we still don't know who will host th. libya had to pull out. algeria and egypt and zimbabwe have all expressed an interest. over to the asian games in south korea where they continue to lead, they have 58 golds in total. they won the artistic gymnastics with north korea coming in second. south korea sits second in the medals table but it was a

disappointment for them on the court. they were beaten by myanmar for the men's double title. and myanmar winning golds in the women's doubles. and popular sport, women's beach volleyball competition. they narrowly beating kazakhstan over three sets. to major league baseball. pittsburgh sending cardinals to the postseason hours before they played cincinnati. any plans to celebrate have been put on hold. they were given a thrashing. the three-run homer helped cincinnati win 7-2. the race to win the american league central division is heating up.

they now trail by one and a half games. more sport on our website. check it out www.aljazeera.co www.aljazeera.com/sport. you can get hold of our team using twitter, blogs and video kits from around the world. again www.aljazeera.com/sports. >> golf, friday. >> yes. >> after two years. >> i think the americans might pull a surprise this summer. >> whatever. they are without doubt the most exciting sporting event i've ever had the ability to go and see. this will be just as good. thank you very much. one of the great centers of art and learning, and the tradition is being kept alive. some of the country's best musicians have been trying to overcome the instability there with their bows and strings.

and we went along to listen. [music] >> reporter: this might be the least likely weapon iraq has deployed against isil. this is the youth orchestra, and they begin with the iraq anthem. they say this is crucial against isil who have sworn to destroy anything to conform to the group's ideology, and that includes music. a lot of people have come to watch the concert. some say that is a reflection for the desire of more events like this despite many are leaving the neighborhoods and traveling the streets. for the conductor the attendance is less important than the ability just to play. >> for many years our music has been controlled by those who say

music is forbidden. but now we're able to transcend war and give peace and tranquility. >> reporter: the challenges are many. power disruption air conditioning for a while, and in baghdad the heat is stifling. but the music is crucial not only for development but for their country. >> it is very difficult in these times because of what the world is going through in many countries. i hope this concert to go through other people and be an example. and people still care about music, especially classical. >> reporter: more concerts will require a big effort. in the year since the american invasion and occupation iraq's art has declined.

lack of investment shows this building. under saddam hussein music grew. >> reporter: iraq was called for centuries the cradle of civilization. >> ten months it has taken 700 million kilometers the journal, but nasa's spacecraft is now in arrest bit around mars. >> congratulations. [applause] >> the probe is expected to continue orbiting for a year. it is all part of a $670 million mission to learn more about the red planet and the atmosphere that surrounds it. we'll report on that in

al jazeera. back in a moment. >> on the stream, >> what role should foreign policy play in mid-term elections. and are candidates intentionally leaving the hottest issues out of the conversation. join me on the stream >> the stream, on al jazeera america >> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> this trial was a sham... >> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation... >> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy, let the journalists live.

>> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first choice for the news. as congress votes to arm the moderate syrian rebels, can they make a difference in the fight against i.s.i.l. and congressman luis joins us to discuss broken promises on immigration. i'm antonio mora, welcome to "consider this". those stories and more straight ahead. . >> i will not commit armed forces to fighting another ground war in iraq. >> we know the free syrian army cannot take on i.s.i.l. >> the moderate opposition in syria has,fa