>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ and a warm welcome from me david foster, you are watching the al jazeera news hour. in the next 60 minutes, taking the battle to isil, the iraqi army says it has made strategic gains against the armed group. and yet isil still advancing towards the syrian city of kobani, raising concern in

neighboring turkey. afghanistan reaches an agreement that will keep u.s. troops in the country. and protests still spreading in hong kong. and we'll be looking at an effort to save nigeria's drill monkeys with a report that half of the population has disappeared. ♪ two months ago, iraqi forces were caught very much by surprise when a large part of their country was overrun. now they say they are fighting back against isil, and having some success. significant gains the army says have been made against the fighters against the islamic state of iraq and the levant. iraqi soldiers claim to have recaptured 16 villages east of the capitol, bagdad. more than 100 isil fighters were

reportedly killed. now almost all of the province is back under their control. in anbar province, fronts are being fortified. >> translator: it's a formidable defensive line, and we're satisfied with the troops in place. our morale is high, and people in the role are a cooperative. while in northern iraq, a town was captured by isil fighters. it is just 15 kilometers south of kirkuk, and isil has been using the area as a springboard to launch attack. let's go to monica in erbil. are we seeing perhaps a change of tactics by the kurdish

fighters close to where you are? >> reporter: absolutely, david, the peshmerga were sort of in a stalemate, and now they have undertaken a more offensive role. we understand they are attacking three fronts in separation locations, and in at least two attacks air strikes were involved as well. >> with regard to the air strikes, are we now seeing a greater coordination between those on the ground and those directing the aerial bombardments that we're seeing? >> reporter: definitely the air strikes making a difference here on the ground at least, because we know that the peshmerga were not 100% confident that the weapons they had would match isil's weapons for one, but also that they had the required framing, really, so now we're seeing that the coalition is

striking targets first. this has given them more confidence to advance. but one thing to keep in mind, isil has they retreat are leaving land mines in the towns, or leaving soldiers dressed as civilians, so the peshmerga are circling these towns, but they are fearing the land mines and id's could effect the troop movement as they go in. >> monica thank you very much. let diabetes -- let's get more details from bagdad. >> translator: locals call this the triangle of death. it consists of three towns where the fiercest fighting against isil took place. but now iraq's army and the kurdish peshmerga say they are in charge and have taken back 16

villages in the province. here the army says it has stopped several improvised attacks like these. still villages remain nervous. >> translator: there are regular roadside bombs across the town, not to mention a sticky bomb under a car that exploded recently. >> reporter: peshmerga forces say they have taken control of the outskirts after the iraqi army retreated when isil took the town in late june. they are confident they are take it back soon. >> translator: we're now at the last front line. we normally engage in fighting with isil fighters at night and the early hours of the morning. our morale is high, and we will fight isil to the last drop of blood. >> reporter: this is said to be one of the last strong holds of isil fighters in this province,

but taking it won't be easy. many are worried about civilian casualties. isil fighters are said to be hiding inside houses and the city itself. so avoiding civilian casualties will be a priority. people like this woman who's husband was killed during shelling. >> translator: our houses are destroyed. the shelling is taking place day and night, and we're very tired and sick of living in miserable conditions. we fled the shelling and came with just the clothes we were wearing. we have been here for three months and just want to go home. >> reporter: but people don't know when they can leave these tents and go home. isil may have retreated but without significant forces left to protect the province they could return and that's a real fear of many year. afghanistan has initiated a

long-delayed security agreement to retain u.s. combat troops. the afghan national security advisor and the u.s. ambassador signed the agreement just 24 hours after ghani was inaugurated as afghanistan's new president. his predecessor has refused to sign. >> translator: his excellence the president mentioned important points in relation to this agreement. it was critically studied and considered in the best interests of afghanistan and stability. i would like to repeat this message to the people of afghanistan that delay which took place in the signing of this agreement was because we wanted to protect the national interests of this country. >> the u.s. combat troops that remain will continue in a supporting role it's described as. afghan forces have taken the lead against the insurgency, but

they are still not ready to fight on their own. jennifer glasse reports. >> reporter: an gan army cadets add their own twist to this graduation ceremony. across afghanistan this year, they took the lead, carrying out 90% of the ground operations. >> the security forces are not ready yet in every field, so they need continuous support. and it would be leaving a half-ready force that could have the challenge of an insurgency that is still out there. >> reporter: afghanistan's air force has only a fraction of the planes nato supplied here. nato will help with training as well as teaching budgetary and security skills. bsa not only paves the way for

them to keep their own force, it also shows long-term commitment to afghanistan. >> the signature of the psa itself is a broader signal to the region about the clarity and purpose of the security operation after the end of this year, and will make clear we and our nato partners will remain engaged in training and supporting the security forces. >> reporter: the new force will have about 12 1/2 thousand soldiers, the bulk of them american. >> translator: this itself blocks the door for any dialogue because this is for the occupation of afghanistan, and that's what we are fighting against. >> reporter: the security and police forces cost about $5 billion a year, mostly paid for by the international community. afghanistan is expected to take over the full cost of the troops in 2024.

in the meantime, a nato' mission is to ensure that afghanistan's troops can eventually fight on their own. >> let's go to rosiland jordan life in washington, d.c. what is the feeling ros, that this is the best the u.s. could have hoped for? or that the afghan forces trained and beefed up by 12.5,000? >> certainly the u.s. military wants to see the afghan military stand on its own and be fully capable. but this has been an expensive training mission for the u.s. military, and they are dealing with a military that does not have the centuries of professionalism the u.s. military itself had to develop. so they know this is a long-term project. however, just as with the nato status of forces agreement, the

bsa is only going to last for about two years, and it really does beg the question, will that be enough to make a critical, fundamental psychological change in the afghan military, so when u.s. forces do leave the country, they will be able to defend the afghan people from the taliban and other outside threats and provide basic military security. >> how open is the united states administration to -- let's put it this way -- an invitation to come back in bigger numbers to help if it all goes wrong for them and their own forces? >> well, certainly the political discussion is already getting underway here in washington, david, because everyone is taking a look at what has happened in iraq. and let's not forget it was the iraqi government that refused to provide the legal protections that u.s. troops would have required in order to stay in

that country beyond the end of 2011. so there's already a sense that if afghanistan were not willing to extend that same kind of legal protection that it is extending right now, then the discussion wouldn't even get started, but the other question is whether or not the u.s. government would want to continue spending billions of dollars every year on a mission which many americans do believe should be wrapped up by now, and that's really going to be the critical question, is it worth the investment for u.s. national security to keep troops beyond 2016. >> rosiland jordan thank you. a senior iranian official who is visiting lebanon says iran will supply military equipment to the lebanese army for the first time. previo

previous requests didn't materialize. iran also supplies weapons to the mainly shia group, hezbollah. >> reporter: the timing of this offer is significant. lebanese officials have been saying, including the prime minister itself that this country is facing, quote, a fierce terrorist on slot, the lebanese army is at war with isil, they have engaged in fierce clashes with that group. they are also fighting another powerful rebel force in syria, the nazra front. so far it's just the united states that provided weapons to this army, but it's not just the timing, it's the donor itself, iran. iran for some is a part of the conflict. they have been supporting the syrian government.

they see iran as empowering the lebanese shiite movement, hezbollah at the expense of the state. this is not the first time iran has offered to help. in the past the lebanese government refrained from accepting that assistance. we'll see if the government does agree this time, since the army really is facing a threat and doesn't have much equipment at hand. now to yemen where a houthi rebel spokesmen says fighters will not be withdrawing from the capitol. and the rebels want to work alongside the leaders. houthis are maintaining their grip on sana'a after signing a peace agreement. a small anti-houthi rally took place in the capitol, after houthis managed to stifle a similar protest last week. coming up, take a look at this, the dangers of getting to

school for children in nepal. plus driving into a high-tech area in south africa so taxi drivers stay cool and more secure. and bad news in the champions league. we'll have sport in about half an hour. ♪ protesters in hong kong say they want to hear from the chinese government by wednesday about their demands. their want free elections in 2017. near government headquarters here, quarter past 9:00 at night in hong kong, where the chief executive is urging protesters to leave immediately. saying that china's communist party leaders will not be hon forking their demands. >> translator: the organizers

have said several times before that, if the moment goes out of control, then it will be halted. so now i call upon [ inaudible ] to fulfill the promise and end action immediately. >> we're joined now live from hong kong. we have seen the numbers growing over the last eight days or so. the numbers have not abated at all. but sometimes when you get protests when the weather changes, so too does the nature of the protest, and i believe it has been raining a bit. >> translator: it definitely has been raining. and theying don't call it the umbrella revolution for nothing. i'll step out of the shot so you can have a look at the gathering there. now it's really interesting that as i was making my way through this crowd to the vantage point here, there wasn't a single policeman in site at all, david.

this civil disoh -- disobesance movement is very civil. it is the eve of a public holiday, so everyone is out. everyone here joined in camaraderie to try to push for pro-democracy. tomorrow is the public holiday when china and hong kong celebrate national day. that is china's national day, but also tomorrow the main protagonist of this movement are saying that that's when these numbers are going to double, triple, even quadruple. so we'll see what happens tomorrow. >> well, we do know that protest leaders always like to sort of talk up what is happening under their auspices, but what about other people there.

because all throw there are tens, possibly thousands, i wouldn't imagine everybody in hong kong is happy with what is happening there. >> well, you are absolutely right. hong kong, foremost is a business city. it is a financial center. so there's a lot of concern that businesses will be affected by this disruption. already they have seen businesses that are completing, but nobody is coming to the center, which is the heart of shopping in hong kong, because of the protests, because roads have been blocked off. this week is golden week. and that is the second-most profitable time for businesses in hong kong. that's when a lot of sales are on. that's when a lot of chinese mainlanders come to hong kong to do their shopping. but we're hearing that a lot of mainlanders have started to cancel their trip, in fear of this, basically, not wanting

their trip to be disrupted, and as we found out, there are long-term concerns about hong kong's economy. >> reporter: without the usual crowds it's hard to tell that this is a prime location. this should have been the restaurant's opening day. the only person being served is the owner. >> when you see that all of the roads have been blocked, and then traffic has been diverted and then there are no people walking on the streets, and nobody coming to our restaurant. >> reporter: the protests have strategically taken root in hong kong's most densely packed shopping area. this is normally one of the busiest times of the year for luxury tours. but now mainlanders are staying away. and it is frustrating more than just the retailers.

>> translator: why must you damage the prosperity of hong kong in your fight for democracy. >> reporter: the concern is echoed by business leaders. >> i think they will affect, you know, the image of hong kong and also maybe the foreign investors, you know, will have certain reservations. >> reporter: this is where most of the protesters gather. they take up about 3 kilometers of this boulevard. this is normally one of hong kong's busiest roads. it connects the east and the west of the island. but the protests have cut the traffic in half. this building is usually packed with tech savvy youngsters, but many are at the protests. >> translator: my sales have

dropped around 30%. but i think the protesters are very peaceful and i support their campaign. >> reporter: 98% of hong kong's businesses are small or medium sized. it's unclear how long the protests will last, but what business owners do know is the longer their continue, the less likely their enterprises will survive. okay. time for the weather now. one continent, two countries, your job compare and contrast as my old headmaster used to say. >> let's start with what is going on in the u.k., because here is what it looks like at the moment, the nicerus sets of the leaves there, but it's generally dry. and we have had just 19.4 millimeters of rain. that is just 20% of the average that we would expect. and it's actually now the driest

september on record. so provided we don't have a really heavy downpour in the next couple of days it does look like we're going to have the driest september on record. that's very different on what is going on across the rest of europe. that has been giving us an awful lot of wet weather. this is what it has been like in the eastern parts of spain. clearly a lot of water on the road there, has forced the closure of some of the roads and inundated some people's homes. and we have also seen very wet weather across parts of france. for this city, we expect just 600 millimeters for the entire

year. and this is what it did look like yesterday. clearly a lot of water there, causing a lot of problems, and the flooding is now slowly beginning to recede. that system is going to stick around as we head through the next few days, the good news is it does become slightly less potent. so all those there will plenty of showers here, the worst is over and the showers should be let pokey. david? thank you very much. italy is having to deal with an influx of migrants in record numbers. as part of our series, escape ruths, kim vinnell reports. >> reporter: syracuse on sicily's southwest coast has changed dramatically in recent years. the ancient city survives on

tourism, and other migrants are ever visible, who have crossed the mediterranean and now call this place home. this man is one of them. he fled the ivory close three years ago, but italians, he says, have not been welcoming. >> translator: they don't like immigration. they don't like it. they think when we arrive here, we take everything and it's our fault that there's a crisis in italy. >> reporter: this is one of six migrants living above a catholic church. the priest has helped thousands of so-called boat team over the years and says italian attitudes need to change. >> translator: these are good people who are not asking for help. they are not being victims. they are people who are searching for dignity and rights. >> reporter: but with unemployment in italy at its highest level since the 1970s,

not everyone shares the same view. >> translator: they absolutely should not be allowed to come here, because they bring diseases. they take away jobs to italians. >> translator: it is a very difficult problem, because it doesn't belong to italy or north africa. this is something that belongs to everyone. >> reporter: some 130,000 migrants have arrived in italy since the start of this year. many head to countries like france and germany, and see northern europe as more open and accepting. this man says most of his friends have already left, and he will probably do the same, having risked his life to make a new home, he says he would rather do that where he is welcome. september is a month where school starts in large parts of the world, and millions of children will be either taking the bus or getting a lift, perhaps from mom and dad.

in nepal many children don't get to school unless they cross -- well, take a look at what we'll see in a moment. >> reporter: this 11 year old wishes there was an easier way to get to school. her school is at the other side of the river. the nearest bridge is over an hour's walk away. so she has to rely on a rope bridge to cross the river. >> translator: no matter how difficult it is to go to school, and how late we get there, we have to go, once we're educated we can build a proper bridge for other students. >> reporter: more than 50 children use this crossing every day, gravity pulls it halfway across the river then all of the children have to push and pull the basket. balancing themselves precariously on the rope. half of the time the basket is on the other side, and children have to use a hook to pull

across the river and many children fall into the water. this 15-year-old is often given the task of bringing the basket back. >> translator: the rope got tangled and i ended up in the water. i'm really scared to go to school. >> reporter: that was years ago. many have lost their fingers and several children have been injured trying to cross the river. the local government says it does haven't enough money to build a proper bridge. >> right now, we have 10 million rupees so when that 10 million how can we commit 5 or $6 billion. >> reporter: in a nearby village a suspension bridge was finally installed but only after the old bridge snapped killing five people. this boy managed to survive. >> translator: i still dream of

people screaming asking for help. now i'm afraid to cross rivers. we have to cross the river to go to school every day. a student got swept away recently. i'm scared. >> reporter: the government has allocated $15 million to build suspension bridges, but people here wonder if the tweens will ever be replaced. still to come on this news hour -- [ explosion ] >> -- opposition fighters in syria on the offensive close to the strategically important city of holmes. plus -- >> i'm deep in nigeria's southwestern rain forrest. and i'll tell yule about one of africa's most endangered animals. >> and can kobi bryant help the lakers bounce back? we'll have that and the rest of

sport in about 15 minutes. ♪

♪ you're here for the al jazeera news hour. these are the global headlines. [ explosion ] >> the iraqi army says it is making major gains against fighters from isil, the islamic state of iraq and the la -- levant. they say almost all of this province is back under their control. in syria isil is having greater success. fighters very close now to kobani on the border with

turkey. bernard smith has sent us this report. >> reporter: kobani is behind me, the latest report we have is isil forces have advanced within 4 kilometers on the eastern side. so they are about 2 kilometers away from the western side. at least 15 mortar shells have landed in kobani, and three civilians were killed yesterday. turkey's prime minister is chairing a cabinet meeting and in that meeting the chief of the turkish general staff will tell the government the situation on the ground. from that briefing, the government will present two motions to parliament, one for iraq, one for syria, asking parliament for permission to

send turkish forces outside of national boundaries, so take part in international operations. a will be voted on on thursday, and there may well be a clause also asking for permission to allow foreign forces to operate from within turkish territory, operate against territories in syria and iraq. so from thursday, after turkey's parliament votes on those motions, we could well see a more active role being taken by turkey against isil fighters. fighters in syria have made gains towards the city of holmes. it has been an important ground in the uprising against the assad regime. here is victoria. >> reporter: opposition groups are on the offensive in the countryside north of holmes. they have retaken one village after weeks of fighting.

now they are ready to move towards a town controlled bial l -- by alawites. >> translator: we entered the velage and managed to kill a number of regime soldiers. >> reporter: it's the third largest city. it's on the road linking the capitol damascus with the alawite hot land along the coast. it's one of the first places where protests began, and for a while the opposition calls it the capitol of the revolution. it took three years for the syrian army to remain control of this city with support of militia groups and hezbollah fighters. the opposition retreated to the countryside from where they are staging this latest push. but in the northern city of aleppo, other groups suffered a

setback. u.s.-lead air strikes targeted the nazra front. >> translator: the americans should know we'll remain to protect the blood and honor of the people of syria until the last one of us dies. >> reporter: the second largest city is close to the border with turkey. the front is under pressure in aleppo, targeted by coalition forces and the syria regime. more now on the signing of the afghan security deal with the united states. let's bring in former afghan ambassador. good to have you with us on the news hour. i'm going to start if i may by asking you a question i put to our correspondent earlier. with 12.5 thousand mostly american troops staying on in roles described as being advisory and training, is it possible for the afghan forces to take on, defeat, the taliban

or any other kind of insurgency? >> definitely the combat mission that the u.s. and nato has had for all of these past years is going to end. in post 2014, the 12 to 13,000 u.s., nato forces has to do mostly as you mentioned with training, assisting, advising, but also a part of it is going to deal with counter terrorism. there will be special forces stationed in afghanistan who will not only train the afghan special forces but will also be conducting some operations against terrorists who threaten not only afghanistan's stability but also a threat to the region and world peace. >> what makes you optimistic that the afghan forces by and large on their own out in the field can beat the taliban, when the taliban hasn't been beaten

by all of the international norses and the afghan forces put together? >> that's a very good question, but the last couple of years the afghan forces have been on their own 99% of the time over the last year, and have done very well, not only protecting but also making sure the taliban are not able to hold and secure territory under their control. now what we need is -- and it's quite clear to everyone that afghanistan forces, both police and army, need more training, better equipment, maybe even an air force that is more effective to help the forces on the ground, and for that, we need u.s. assistance, nato assistance, in order for the f afghans to be able to take charge of these activities two to three years from now. >> what about the future for the two men who have now signed a pact. a new chief executive and president of the country, two

rival camps if you would like, trying to over come their differences and take afghanistan forward. will they be able to bury their differences and lead afghanistan toward what it is parliamentary elections in a year or two? >> yes, and then a constitutional amendment within the next two to three years in order to create a prime minister's job, but for now i'm an optimist, i think these two gentlemen have a lot to share. they have the same vision for afghanistan. they come from rival groups. they fought in the campaign to the extent that they could, and now they have to work as a team. and i think they will have some bumps along the road, but they will overcome them, and what is very important is for them to put very competent and focused teams to work together and create a national unity government as they have agreed to do. >> you see this is one of the

most crucial things, isn't it, because one of the criticizations against the outgoing president is he had some coneys behind him. how difficult is going to be to keep them away from the process? >> it's going to be key. and it all depends on the leadership abilities of these two men. it all depends on the political will that they have to demonstrate, and i think they have enough experience with the cronies and non-cronies with those who are more competent and those who are less competent to make that differentiation, and the hope of the f afghan people is they will have a better government serving them with an agenda that makes sense and they can deliver on. >> ambassador thank you very much indeed for your thoughts. good to have you with us.

now in the latest in our still going strong series and the man who still has monumental designs on the artwork in india. faiz jamil went to meet him. >> reporter: they are a mon mument of his work. political and historic figures line the outside of his studio. inside he continues to work tirelessly from political figures, such as india's first prime minister, to historical ones such as benjamin franklin, his work is very much in demand. the son of a carpenter from a poor family, his art career began as a schoolboy. >> he asked me [ inaudible ] he give me a rupe and [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: that lead to a request for another gandhi statue and then another. after art school, he became

famous for this gandhi sculpture. >> people like it. i also like it. he is thinking for our people to understand what gandhi was, what he wanted. people should think by seeing this statue, maybe they try to inspire. i work for peace for the world. so i like this -- this thinking, and i [ inaudible ] thinking i wanted to make a big sculpture on this subject. >> reporter: now he is doing just that. this is the largest sitting gandhi statue ever made set to be placed in front of a state assembly. statures like this one have dominated his work and made him famous. but he himself feels that even now his legacy isn't complete. sixteen of his statutes are in parliament, others in every state in india, and dozens of

cities worldwide. but he creates not having created any modern art sculptures on a large scale. >> still i wish to have biggest possible modern art. i wish to make -- [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: but that regret hasn't dampened his passion say those who work with him, including his son. >> i have seen it in him since early age. and he has always been a very spirited person and he is always very jolly and enjoying his work, so i think that's one of the reasons why he has been so active till date. >> reporter: the senior has no plans to retire. >> still my mission is not complete yet. so it will go on. >> reporter: even at 89, the desire to create keeps him going. faiz jamil, al jazeera, india. coming up in a moment, somebody else shows that age is

no barrier. raphael back on the court after injury. we'll tell you how he managed in just a moment. ♪

♪ now if you are hoping to go on safari to watch and wander rather than to hunt, you better hurry, because lions tigers, and elephants are closer to extinguish than we thought before. half of the world's wild animals have disappeared in the last 40 years.

this is -- some of those on the most endangered list. the number of tigers down by 97% in a hundred years, just over 3,000 remain in the wild. the leather back turtle population down 95% since 1989. in the last 40 years numbers of lions have fallen by 90%. there are fewer than 17,000 of them left in the wild. poaching blamed for the decline of the short-beaked common dolphin. there are just 15 apparently of these creatures left in the eye ownian sea. and the african elephant population has gone down by 60%. in nigeria at least one conservation project in the rain forrest is doing all it can to protect one of africa's most endangered animals. there are fewer than 6,000 drill

monkeys remaining in the world. >> reporter: deep in nigeria's scenic rain forrest a unique sanctuary, the only place in the world to see captive groups of drill monkeys in their natural habitat. >> they had really been overlooked by the scientific community and the conservation community unlike let me say the big animals that everyone talks about, and are well studied, you know, whales, tigers, elephants, gorillas. >> reporter: they are only found in nigeria and a knew other places. there are only between 4 to 6,000 left in the wild. therrian forrest habitat continues to be destroyed. they are among africa's most endangered mammals. they are the highest priority of the 60-something species of

endangered primates. this couple were passing through nigeria in the late '80s as tourists when they saw and fell in love with their first drill monkey. 26 years later, they have rescued more than 80 drills. today they have captive breeding in its fourth generation. all paid for by grants and donations. >> we knew from the start what we wanted to do. >> reporter: each animal here has a story. this 21-year-old was rescued from a zoo where he lived alone until he was six. it has affected his confidence until today. this on the other hand is the dominant male in this group. he was born here in the project, the son of the dominant female. away from the mountain ranch the project also keeps a batch of drills in the city. an educational group more accessible for school troops.

keepers have been interacting with the animals for years say there is a lot to learn. >> in the group of the drill, without the females, there's no way the male can lead the group. >> reporter: back at the ranch this dominant male has been wearing a collar for two months. but funds are still needed and -- >> we also need a competent field team leader. animals are more than ready to go, they always do the right thing. and now to sport >> thank you very much. we're going to start with tennis. top seed has extended his run to 20 matches. it follows his straight set win in beijing. he started strongly, breaking his opponents serve. lopez responded with a break of his own. he went on to win the first set,

6-2 and was even more dominant in the second, winning that 6-1. and raphael returned to the court after a three-month delay. the spaniard winning 6-1, 6-0, and also into the second round. [ cheers ] to japan open now, number one seed's fortunes were at the other end of the scale he lost to the australian open champion, beaten 7-5, 6-2. the world number 103 stealing the victory on his second match point claiming what is by far the biggest win of his career. >> yeah, i didn't find anything about my game, and even if he played well at the end, and even at the end of the set he was

very aggressive. >> football, they will be without ibrahimovic. the swedish captain missed the last two games with a heel injury. intensive treatment failed to resolve the issue. >> translator: it will not be easy. we know it for sure. already last year, replayed difficult games without him. obviously we perform better with him. but we have to deal without him. barcelona meanwhile have set to concede any goals in the competition this season. they will be relying on messi out front. barcelona says this will be

their toughest group. >> translator: obviously psg have the qualities to play well. our goal is to get ready for any possible scenario, whether they put pressure on us, wait on us to play, wait for us behind our lines, these are different aspects of the game we have been working on. chelsea are in lisbon on tuesday. they are fresh from their win against aston villa. they are determined to secure their first win of the champions league this season after a 1-1 draw in their previous game. the spaniards still having problems with his hamstring. >> this is an important game for us tomorrow. it's a difficult game. and if i can -- if i can play my best players and the team i think is the best team to try to get as a result, i'm not going

to make any -- any change. manchester city game is also coming up. joe hart returning for city after he was rested on the weekend. >> i also want to play the game. you know, that's my nature. that's my professionalism. i always want to play. but i'm not the manager. i'm just a player, and i live by the decisions of our manager. let's have a look at the champions league in matches on tuesday vrment -- tuesday: nigeria's football association is set to vote on

its new chairman. the current man in charge is stepping down after being arrested over corruption allegations, something he denies. this comes just over a year since they won the african cup of nations. they always reached the knockout stages of the world cup this summer. however, the scandal prompted fifa to pose a ban. earlier i spoke to africa football journalists, he says the whole scandals have been damaging for the national team. >> in the next couple of weeks nigeria have not still been able to give their coach substantive contract, and it means that for every game nobody is really sure if he is surviving or not. and obviously being in the qualifiers for the cup of nations scheduled for morocco,

you need your coach to be in the best frame of mind. in the long term, like you said correctly, nigeria one of the biggest countries in african football, and in africa, nigeria has the continent's biggest economy. so you want a country like that to have everything spic and span. to the nba, teams are busy finalizing their rosters. the bulls have derrick rose back after injury. he has been recovering from a serious knee problem. the former mvp says while there are plenty of people who are sceptical, he is out to prove them wrong. >> i know i'm always going to have to answer this question for the rest of my career, so i'm

ready for that. but for the bulls fans, i can tell them i'm ready. and what will quiet the critics is for me to actually be on the court and playing. kobi bryant is also coming back from a knee injury, and without him the lakers had their worst season since they moved to los angeles. >> it's a mixture of excitement and a little nervousness, and, you know, a little rage. it's a mixture of a lot of things. meanwhile the clippers are looking to put the racism controversy, surrounding their former owner firmly behind them. his comments about black fans completely overshadowed the playoff run last year. >> we didn't use it as a reason why we lost.

you know? we lost because oklahoma beat us. we didn't execute in game 5 and 6, but the controversy had nothing to do with that. and we wouldn't allow that to be a reason why we lost. and i think that was good. >> that's all of your sport for now. >> thank you. waiting for a taxi anywhere can be difficult, but in south africa, it can often mean standing around in the blistering sun or the pouring rain. well, a safer more eco friendly shape of what might be things to come has been unveiled in cape town and tania page went for a ride. >> reporter: a worker carefully paints the finishing touches on this. now it's harnessing the power of

nature. it's clean and safe in a neighborhood where there's lots of crime. monica is on her way to work. >> it's much safer because there is security all the time, watching you and there's not a lot of danger. people pretending to sell stuff to you, when they want to steal from you. >> reporter: the other women she shares a taxi with are also impressed with the practical features of the taxi stand rather than its green credentials. >> translator: you can see where you must stand, and the design much neater and more attractive. >> reporter: but it's the environmentally friendly factors that make this is a south african first. rain water is collected from the roof to wash the taxis and the solar panels make it almost self-sufficient. the solar power is channelled through here. they can track how much usage there is with this panel on the

wall. this year they have only needed to tap into the main power grid for 2% of the usage. it's are a big advantage in a country with regular power cuts. >> the green elements are really important for showing us the future, and what the green elements do is reduce the operating costs of this facility. and what we're finding is that we can often get access to the capital funding, but the long-term operating costs are always a challenge. >> reporter: the old style of taxi stands can be dangerous at night. but most south africans don't have a choice. they don't own cars and rely on shared taxis, but at least now people can feel safer on their way to wherever they are going. tania page, al jazeera, cape town, south africa. in a couple of minutes we're off to the united nations security council and hear about the humanitarian cost of the conflict in syria.

see you then. ♪

>> an al jazeera america special report families torn apart, fleeing isil's brutality >> the refugees have flooded this small town... >> can they survive? don't miss primetime news on al jazeera america all this week >> 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. ♪ hello and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. the house oversight and government reform committee set to hold hearing at this hour. they have called the security service to testify, specific about this man who got much further into the residence than anyone thought we would manage to do