>> announcer: this is al jazeera. from al jazeera headquarters in doha, this is the newshour. here is what is coming up in the next 60 minutes - a battle for central iraq as sunni troops engage fighters on the run from u.s.-led air strikes. protesters in hong kong gather outside the leaders office as their calls for him to step down. u.s. slams israel's new

sellement plan for -- settlement plan for eastern jerusalem. how these trunks could build a supersmelling machine. we begin the newshour in iraq, where we are getting reports of intense fighting in the center of the country between i.s.i.l., and sunni fighters. some of the worst fighting has been happening in the town of heath - that's in anbar province. and one provin shall council member there said that 90% of that city had been overrun by i.s.i.l. but sunni fighters, backed by the iraqi army have reportedly been trying to drive them out. imran khan is joining us from the capital to tell us how that effort is going, imran, to drive out the i.s.i.l. fighters. >> well, in the early hours of

morning, i.s.i.l. fighters went into the town, taking over key government buildings. what happened afterwards is very quickly - sunni militias backed by the iraqi army went into the town and began the fight to take the city back. this was a pitched fight. according to the mayor of the town itself, they were able to inflict heavy casualties on the i.s.i.l. fighters, and they are on the verge of taking the city back. so this was a short-lived offensive by i.s.i.l. fighters. we are seeing a renewed amount of fighting. we are seeing haditha surrounded by sunni militia, that and another town has a pitch battle. and i.s.i.l. fighters are under pressure in other areas that they control. this all seems to have been sparked by u.s. air strikes and

coalition air strikes on key base camps in anbar province, which weakened i.s.i.l. fighters. this happened over the last three days, and we are seeing a renewed push. >> anbar province, strategically important. it borders three other arab countries. important for those arab countries, as well as iraq, that their government forces keep control of that province. >> that's absolutely right. you have saudi arabia. now, what saudi arabia have done over the last few months is put a significant amount of troops on the border to try and stop i.s.i.l. fighters coming and infiltrating the border with saudi arabia. they are also considering building a wall along the border. they haven't got far with that idea. it takes a long time to do that. jordan is the other player, it's part of the coalition, mounting air strikes within iraqi territory, and understands the

need to close off the border. the wildcard here is clearly syria. that's not a border that anyone controls. i.s.i.l. is able to get across from iraq into syria, to the safe haven in syria. the coalition air strikes damaged them up in raqqa, which is slightly further up, but what they have done is on the border with anbar province, there's safe havens that i.s.i.l. has, in syria, so that's the weakest link. you still have the empty border crossing with syria. >> thank you imran khan, reporting from the iraqi capital, baghdad. crossing to turkey, president recep tayyip erdogan gave his clearest indication that his country will take action against i.s.i.l. the group has advanced inside turkish army conditions on the border with syria. kurdish fighters are trying to

keep i.s.i.l. from taking over the northern sound of kobani, we are joined from the area by bernard smith, to tell us what is going on in kobani. >> thank you. we managed to go to the eastern side of kobani, along the border fence, where there's a lot of cars parked, belonging to cars on the other side of the border, trying to take the cars over. while down there, we saw in the distance a couple of i.s.i.l. - we identified as i.s.i.l. vehicles moving along the main road. one had the black flag of i.s.i.l. on it, another we identified as an ex-iraqi army vehicle, and that was towing a howitzer, so there was a howitzer gun. there are howitzer movements around the east. we know from syria and kurdish fighters, trying to defend kobani, that the i.s.i.l.

fighters have been using hit and run tactics to hit, break through the defenses of the syrian-kurdish fighters, that they have got around kobani, including the trenches. >> when the president indicates that turkey is going to take military action against i.s.i.l., what kind of reaction is recep tayyip erdogan talking about here? >> well, the honest answer is the turks have not indicated what sort of military action they'll take. the parliament votes this afternoon on two motions that will embellish and enhance existing legislation, allowing the turkish ministry to take part in international operations. it will allow international forces to use turkish faces. recep tayyip erdogan talked about his desire to create a safe zone in syria, that's what

he'd like to use turkish troops for. that's an enormous change for him. because the safe zone within syria would mean it would have to be a no-fly zone, and rely on n.a.t.o. forces to enforce a no-fly zone over syria, and that a different issue to what the americans are dealing with at the moment. >> thank you bernard smith reporting from turkey. so syria - that's where rebel brigade linked to the free syrian army came upped attack in the under attack in the north-western province of idlib. there was a suicide bombing, and it was believed it was retaliation for those launching attacks. the islamic state of iraq and levant is blamed for this attack in syria. a base in the idlib country side belonging to an opposition side linked to the free syrian army, was destroyed in a syrian car bombing. it's not the first time i.s.i.l.

attacked other factions in the opposition-controlled north. it's the first reported incident since the u.s.-lefted coalition be -- u.s.-led collision began attacks. this could spark another moment in syria's law. >> translation: this attack at the word of i.s.i.l., the gangs of abu bakr al-baghdadi. >> reporter: back in january, syria's rebels declared war on i.s.i.l., after it started taking land and areas controlled by i.s.i.l. at the time the rebels were not able to force i.s.i.l. out of the north and evil. a u.s.-lefted coalition is trying do that. it needs partners on the ground to engage i.s.i.l. fighters in face to face combat. >> jamal is one of those partners, and his brigade was targeted by the suicide car bombing. less than a month ago he

gathered his force to show the world that the free syrian army exists, and he reiterated the war against i.s.i.l. has not ended. >> we will continue to fight the government and i.s.i.l. as well. we are the real evolution. we will liberate the car from i.s.i.l. >> despite two weeks of coalition air strikes for the first time since the campaign. the islamic state of iraq and levant released video from its stronghold and didn't shy away from showing how the command and control structures have been targeted. at the same time it wanted to show how firmly it's in control. it will not be an easy might. the car bombing will show how it's on the side of the coalition. breaking news - there are reports that seven libyan soldiers have been killed and 50 wounded - that's in a double suicide bombing that happens in

benghazi. we understand there are clashes going on - according to an army commander. seven libyan soldiers killed. we'll follow that story and bring you more updates on al jazeera. riot police have been deployed in hong kong as thousands of protesters block access to government buildings. you are looking at live pictures from hong kong, civic square. there has been a tense standoff between activists and the police outside the officers of the chief executive. we'll cross to the chief executive's office. first to hong kong. tell us whether the protest movement has the same momentum as it did when they first started? >> well, here at admiralty center, the numbers are a lot fewer than in previous days.

>> it's 6:00 pm here, we noticed that the crowds are building only after 8:00pm, after dinner when everyones is more relaxed, nothing else to do in hong kong than be here with friends and family. there may be a split in the protest movement. there is, after all, as scott heidler n found out, a difference in the strategy for the protest movement going forward. >> the resignation of hong kong's chief executive emerged as the first and foremost demand of the protesters. some have taken position in frost cy leung's office, forcing the police to form lines and barricade the line. the move reveals fractures. some say they would storm the building if he does not resign. >> a former leader of the democratic party. >> young activists are getting

impatient. probably they'll extend the skill, irrespective of what form of action dash what further action they'll take. there is, again, a consensus among us that they would not use violence. >> if they don't use violence, escalation could result in further arrest. >> i think the hong kong government is too irresponsible. wish they never respond to our demands. i agree with the actions to go a little further than what we are doing currently. >> there may be disagreements within the protesters over tactics and how to move it forward. there's one thing for certain. beijing has been engaged in what is going on, they are watching and watching closely. this is the chinese headquarters next to the protesters. >> a huge part of retail and tourists in hong kong come from tourists in mainland china. they have banned tourists groups going to hong kong.

that's thousands of tourists a day not spending money. some are still here. >> translation: i find the people on hong kong are self-motivated. the people on the mainland don't have the will for this movement. >> reporter: a will beijing is hoping will not move to the mainland and spread much >> reporter: it could be the economy that is the unravelling of the protest movement. it remains to be seen. i attended a campaign earlier on today, one put on by a new group called the blue ribbon group, a group formed by local businessmen and women, concerned about the economy of hong kong. concerned about how long the protests may disrupt local businesses. >> back to you. >> thank you very much. reporting for us from hong kong. from one part of hong kong to another part. outside the chief executive's office in hong kong.

the protesters have been threatening to congregate. we understand they have made their way there, but there has been a standoff with them and the police. >> that's right. it's more than a threat now, protesters have been pouring in. as you can see behind me, a lot of heads passing by. what you can see is people are sitting down. there's a call for protesters to come and stay here. across the barrier are the police. behind them is it the government complex. this is the first time we are seeing the protesters and police so close together since the police tried to break up protests on sunday using tear gas, there's a lot of concern from the protesters, that that may happen for several reasons. one mainly they have seen a column of police coming through, holding all kinds of equipment, big cans with the word riot on it, pep ever spray equipment and the protesters are preparing for

that, making their own gas masks. one thing is clear. they are saying that they are here to say. the plan is - and a core group of them, while another group is still trying to decide what their plan is. a core group is saying they are going to stay here, stay here for the night until the chief executive comes to work tomorrow morning, after the public holiday. >> all right. thank you. that report from hong kong. much more to come on the al jazeera newshour, including the latest from japan, where rescue teams are working to bring bodies down from mt ontake. household protection kits to stop the threat of ebola arriving. and in london, a top level meeting on the outbreak is taking place. there are two nations technically at war, but north and south korea are about to play out their rivalries on the football pitch. details with jo in posport.

first, there's more attacks in the afghan capital kabul for a second day. a suicide bomber has targeted an army bus. three people have died. the taliban said it carried out the attack. another explosion in the capital targetting a u.s. convoy, and in kandahar a convoy hit a police convoy. >> jennifer glasse - joining us on the latest attacks that seem to target the police and the army. >> that's right. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks over the past week. there has been six here in kabul. they have mainly been security forces. the taliban telling al jazeera, that it stepped up its attacks since the security agreement was signed on tuesday. that's a security agreement

between the new afghan government of ashraf ghani, and the united states and n.a.t.o., that will allow international forces to remain in afghanistan, past the end of 2014, until the end of 2016. the taliban says the signing of that agreement rules out any sign of peace talks with the new government, and they will target international and afghan security forces because of the signing of this agreement. we certainly have seen an escalation of attacks here in the afghan capital - six since the inauguration on monday, killing 17, and the attack down south on the kandahar, helmand highway, killing five police men. >> and the president, ashraf ghani, what is he planning to do about this, and how is he planning to improve the afghan security forces. >> wednesday, ashraf ghani met with the interior minister and security advisors, asking them for a new strategy for how to

protect the capital and wanted to see a strategy on his desk today. he had a video conference, earlier this week, a busy first week. he recognises the security as one of his biggest challenges, and he wants his forces and ministers to come up with a plan to thwart the attack. one this morning - it's far into a rural area of kabul, almost a village. the clear tart of the attacks was -- target of the attacks was a shuttle bus taking army workers to work. it's a challenge, it's been a difficult year for afghan security forces and civilians. >> jennifer glasse reporting from kabul in afghanistan. the u.s. has criticized is rail's decision to -- israel's decision to build 2600 settler homes in east jerusalem.

president obama met with binyamin netanyahu on tuesday. the white house says it's troubling. >> this development will draw condemnation from the international community. distance israel from its closest allies. poison the atmosphere with the palestinians and the arab governments with which binyamin netanyahu wants to build relations. >> more from west jerusalem. >> well, the plans for the constructions of this frankly large settlement has been around for a few years now. this is the closest we have come to construction, and back to any time now tenders will likely be put in for construction of the nearly 2,600 units in this area. whatever the case, the timing of this decision by the municipality by the jerusalem, couldn't come at a worse time, particularly for the u.s.

the u.s. president obama having a meeting with the israeli prime minister, binyamin netanyahu, at the white house, only a day earlier. in that meeting, both - they've reaffirmed the commitment to seeking a 2-state solution with the palestinians, but the move undermining that. that is, perhaps, why the u.s. has been so pointed in its criticisms of this move to build a large settlement in occupied east jerusalem. >> let's cross over to london. daniel is a director of the middle east programme of the european programme of foreign relations and a peace mediator. thank you for being with us, daniel, not the first time that the united states criticized israel's plan to - plans, rather, to build settlements. will it make a difference to

israel, what the united states has to say? >> no, it will not. there's a limited domestic political price for prime minister binyamin netanyahu to pay, to absorb such criticism. when america says that this will undermine the two states, that's what it's designed to do. this is a relentless process that it's about israel asserting power and control and preventing palestinian sovereignty. the easiest answer to the question is why do they do it, well, they can. the rhetorical criticism does not translate into this carrying costs, and the lack of accountability conditions. >> is there a reason that israel made the announcement now, a couple of days after binyamin netanyahu was in new york, that the united nations general assembly - and he met with the president obama, and we are looking with the pictures on the

screen. >> well, i don't think this was an announcement that was made now. i think the israelis would have been happy had the world not have known that this latest settlement expansion had gone further, gone forward another stage, but it is simply a process that continues all the time. more settlers move in at exactly the same time. one in 10 jewish israelis lives beyond the green line. so the degree of inconvenience on the timing is not that significant. the one thing that may be interesting is what was pointed out by the clip from the press secretary from the white house that you plays, which is how will the arab states, that prime minister binyamin netanyahu mentioned that israel was moving closer to them - egypt, jordan, saudi arabia, the u.a.e., how will they respond. the relationship is a quiet one, but it's a closer one.

will we hear anything from them, and the other question is - which i imagine palestinians are ask, is is there going be a new strategy from the palestinian leader. there was a speech by president mahmoud abbas, at the u.n. will he take forward the idea of using international law for resistance to end the impunity, to create accountability. that's where change, if anything, may come from, people will expect, rather from america and words of criticism. >> speaking of the palestinians, let me ask you about - there are reports that mahmoud abbas is going to ask the u.n. security council to set november 2016 as the deadline for israel to withdraw to 1967 borders. reports are saying that he'll put this forward to the u.n. security council. how do you see that going? what do you make of that? >> the question that most analysts - particularly

palestinian analysts will ask is everyone will anticipate that if there is a vote at the u.n., there'll be a veto. >> right. >> perhaps exclusively an american veto. the question is what else is going to be done. is this simply going to the u.n., as was done 2-3 years ago, or is it part of a broader strategy, one that says "this is how one pursues diplomatic political resistance using international law, using the cards that are potentially at the disposal of the palestinians." unless and until that happens, we'll have many more interviews where israel expands its control, its occupation, and the world provides rhetorical opposition, but no more. >> we'll leave it there. thank you for joining us on al jazeera. now, rescuers have recovered more bodies from japan's mt ontake. 47 were killed, and 20 are

missing after the volcano erupted on saturday. bad weather is hampering recovery efforts. the rescue part of this mission is over. these rescuers are searching for bodies. more than 1,000 soldiers, police and firefighters are taking part in the efforts. some bodies were half buried in ash. more on a hiking trail close to a mountain top. almost two dozen others are unaccounted for in what is japan's first volcanic eruption. the government fears the death toll may rise. seismologists continue to detect seismic active i. mt ontake is spewing out steam after erupting, with toxic arrive and smoke. it was packed with hikers. they were trapped around lunchtime on saturday. media say the reports were

caused by rock industries, and the asphyxiation from rock, smoke and residues. the village is at the foothills, and the people are watching the smoke. many use masks as a recaution against the airborne ash much this woman is 85 and has been praying. >> i thought offering money for the shrine and praying for it to settle so our home town would not be lost. >> but a few hours on thursday, the search was stopped because of heavy rain. >> it's a painful wait for those that haven't been able to find family members. on the mountain, conditions are tough. workers say it's like working in damp concrete, treading over rocks hiding beneath the ash. until everyone is accounted for,

the task of looking for bodies continues. >> let's take a look at the weather outlook. new zealand is in for some chilly weather. >> here in doha we would love the weather to turn chillier. they are coming out of winter and hope that things will get warmer. unfortunately, as we head through the next 36 hours. we'll see a lot of snow. let's look at the satellite. plenty of cloud is making its way across the north islands. there's more towards the south. it doesn't look too intense. but it is slightly misleading. the first system in the north is dragging in strong winds. it's turning north-westerly. it's after that when things will take a turn for the worst. this system in the south, it's pushing northwards, it will intensify the winds. that will make things feel very,

very coal. and it will have a fair amount of moisture. we'll see a lot of wet weather and a lot will be turning to snow. all of that is pushing northwards. if you are in the north of north island. first thing will be the best of the weather. gradually things go downhill. here they are starting with a cold wind. things will stay that way. by the end of saturday in the south of the south island. there could be up to 30 minutes of weather, and in the north - it will be milder and we'll see snow as well. >> thank you for that. you are with the al jazeera newshour. coming up... ..we meet the kurdish fighters on the front line of iraq. also had three mexican soldiers in charge, is it a sign of a

changing and fairer justice system? coming up in sport. danny welbeck makes it a double celebration. details from the champion's league is coming up.

you're watching the jazz where are newshour. here are the headlines - the city of heat in iraq's anbar province has seen fighting in i.s.i.l., and the iraqi army is trying to hold them out. i.s.i.l. controls 90% of the city. riot police have been

diverted to hong kong as thousands of protesters are preparing to storm buildings, if the chief executive doesn't quit. >> and the u.s. criticized israel's decision to build 2600 settler homes, and washington says the move calls into question israel's commitment to peace. more on the top story, and the battle against i.s.i.l. in iraq. the group is in control of the biggest city. kurdish peshawar fighters are keeping up the pressures as it is reported. >> this is the closest kurdish outpost to the strongest area. the city is 1600 below. the kurdish peshawar - they fire on the city with heavy artillery and a gun. this is the front line on top of the zyrtec mountains, where 500

forces operate. well, they are firing on a position, and the bad news is that we could expect maybe incoming fire. so we are going to leave right now. the deputy prime minister of iraq says he thinks the group can be defeated. >> certainly. because they have no future. the future is ours. the future is for peace loving poem. >> others are less optimistic. when i.s.i.l. fighters took hold months ago, they killed three people. we have seen the new road. forcing the road to go behind them. peshawar fighters control anything that leaves or enters the city to the east, but not

the other roads that connect i.s.i.l. to other territories in syria. the rebels - back at the zyrtec outpost. the general says his 3,000 men are waiting for better weapons, and assets to match the enemy below. moral among the soldiers is high, there's still a lot of waiting around. >> our spirits are high. we are motivated to fight and we are getting paid well. >> prayers are said in the desert, in what is likely to be a long war. >> all eyes will be an turkey on thursday, that's when parliament will consider a motion giving the government powers to launch military operations against i.s.i.l. we'll cross to a professor for international relations. thank you for being with us. it's quite surprising the speed

at which turkey is moving from being very cautious, most recently, to now, today, thursday, most probably approving a motion to fight i.s.i.l. >> right, a lot of people spite the hostage issue as a precursor to the change. once 49 hostages are freed, turkey has, you know, a freer hand in dealing with the i.s. but i think the biggest change happened in the recent u.n. summit in new york, when turkey required quite serious and substantial guarantees from the united states and, you know, n.a.t.o. in general, towards dealing with the backlash of the anti-i.s.i.s. operation. because in the past when turkey joined a similar effort, let's say 1991, iraq or gulf war,

turkey had to deal with a refugee crisis and other security concerns this emanated from that corporation. now i think what changed turkey's position is a proper n.a.t.o. and american guarantee over not leaving turkey alone. >> what specific guarantees is turkey able to get. >> most specifically, you know, when foreign troops enter turkey. the guarantee that they will not leave turkish territory once i.s.i.s., and basically whichever splinter organization that remains in iraq and syria, don't threaten turkey. in the past what happened is that, you know, ender lick air space had n.a.t.o. yet, they bombed iraq, and when they left turkey dealt with an angry group of people. this time the guarantees are

security guarantees. n.a.t.o. or the anti-i.s. coalition will not leave turkey alone once the operation is done. and will, you know, stay with turkey in the backlash part. >> speaking of the backlash, that is the interesting point, because there could be quite big implications for turkey, now that it's joining the u.s.-led coalition from i.s.i.s. a reporter standing on the border between syria and turkey said how close the i.s.i.s. fighters are to turkey now. >> well, i mean, yes, they are close, and when you basically look from the perspect of ankara, and what they explain for the rational of the parliamentary bill, it's striking that no longer do they different from threats coming from iraq and syria.

that is why the bill is like a joint bill in the sense that it addresses iraq and syria as a one signal unified front, which basically, without explicitly sitting i.s.i.s., it gives the idea that i.s. is right now united singular concern for turkey, and in a lot of ways the future of kurdish fighters battling with i.s.i.s. determines how much turkey will get involved with the fighting with i.s. >> thank you for speaking to us. let's get you the latest on yemen. the gust state demands -- gulf state demand full power be returned and equipment and the money returned. rebels seized the capital. >> reporter: in the south it's

in ruins, this is the only army base that put up a fight to defend the yemeni battle. after a week of bombardment by houthi rebels, they surrendered. they took over the site. over 200 bodies were later found in the rubble, in and around the place. shia fighters reportedly took tanks and artillery from the base, and moved them to the northern stronghold of sadder, but the houthis denied this. >> translation: the commander of the former commanding position took all the weapons when he retreated and gave them to the extremists and al qaeda, we have plans to hand them to the military and the police. the residents in the area seemed to be happy with their evidence here. but others are not. they are starting to make their voice heard.

this was the second time since the houthi takeover that activists tried to stage a protest. their number is small, but they say the message is important. >> this is just the beginning. now we have started this, the millions who revolted in 2011 be gap with 20 people, who once again brought down the wall of fear. it will snowball and get bigger every day. this is another protest in relation to accusations by looting by the houthis, who stormed state resolutions and looted the compounds of their components. people couldn't accept the gunmen storming charities that collect for women, orphanages and the poor. in is it one, and it made the female staff resisting for a week, before the houthis broke into the gate and luted the building. >> the position to put the actions have begun to spread in

other parts of yemen. such as this area. south of sap sanaa. many say they'll revolt against the houthis, unless they reverse their course of action. >> syria demand the release of its three journalists imprisoned in egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed have been detained for 278 days. they are falsely accused of aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood. mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste from sentenced to seven years in prison. and baher mohamed three years for having a spent bullet in their possession, which they picked up in a protest. >> health workers are testing a patient in hawaii to ebola. if confirmed it will be america's second case. a man in dallas texted positive, prompting parent to pull children out of school as five came into contact with him. 9,000 household protection kits

have arrived in liberia. 50,000 will be delivered. it's the worst ebola outbreak the world has seen. sierra leone's foreign minister told al jazeera that no one saw the crisis coming and says one of the reasons it spread so quickly is because initially cases were difficult to diagnose. all of this is discussed in london. that's as britain's foreign secretary makes a plea for international help. he wants to raise funds to fight the outbreak of ebola, which has killed more than 3,000 people in west africa. barnaby phillips joins us from london to tell us more about the plea. and what we are expecting out of the conference. >> i think it's part of the british government hoping to raise... ..several other european governments, and the united states here. the warning going into today's meeting, which is taking place in the building behind me was

bleak. the british aid charity save the children warning that in sierra leone, we are talking about five new cases every hour. they say that this could double to 10 new cases. remember, this is taking place in a country like neighbouring liberia, devastated by civil war. we believe there's one doctor to 100,000 people in the population. under normal circumstances, that's desperately inadequate to cope with measles and malaria. now, hospitals are finding themselves overwhelmed. the message is that more money will be raised. money, if it's raised takes tyke to be turned into practical aid. perhaps we should talk about protective kits. >> all right. barnaby phillips, thank you, reporting from london.

apologies for the glitch in the transmission with barnaby phillips. well, human rights groups in mexico have welcomed a decision to prosecute three soldiers alleged to have taken part in mass murders. they are among eight charged with homicide. the report by adam raney contains graphic images. >> reporter: there are many questions as to how mexican soldiers killed more than 20 people at the warehouse. it's clear that the army's original version of what happened was false. it said the killings on june 30th happened when soldiers engaged in a gun battle with members of a drug gang. witnesses said it was after they were surrounding. the government doesn't believe the military. >> the three soldiers enter. we had no justification. >> these pictures allegedly showed guns planted next to

victims after they were kill. they can't be independently verified. there's evidence that the killings were more in the style of an execution than a gun battle. human rights campaigners welcomed the move by the attorney-general but question how far he's willing to go. >> we have never gone up to high ranking officials to see what their involvement, and what is their responsibility that they have in these kind of crimes. that's a key issue. we need to go higher in the - in the chain of command. >> the mexican president maintained close ties to the military, a revered institution. they have been willing to turn a blind eye to constant accusations of human rights abuses. less than a day after the charges were announced the army was credited with cooperating in an vags. >> the mexican army reinforced its commitment to the rule of law and justice by taking the

necessary steps to clarify what is happening. >> he's under pressure to demonstrate a changing mexico. >> his credibility is at stake, his credibility and his name. he's a president that will change mexico. if he's to change mexico, he has to begin by changing the justice system. >> that credibility is in the hands of a man that works here. mexico's attorney-general. what we don't know is what lied behind a decision to prosecute the case against three soldiers is a pursuit of justice or an act of political theatre in a country where so many grow accustomed to see serious crimes go unpunished. >> all the sport is ahead, including the san francisco giant, making history as the play off continues. in major league baseball, jo has all the details coming up.

you'reway the al jazeera newshour. jo is here with the sports move. >> arsenal manager wenger spent 18 years in the job, with his side winning in the champion's league. danny welbeck was the highlight of the mash against the turkish -- match against the turkish side. welbeck, a $26 million buy, scored two of his goals before half-time, completing a hat-trick in the second, as

arsenal won 4-1. >> we had good pace in our game, transition and finishing was good. danny was at the end of good, corrective movements. of course, it's good to see that slowly they regain confidence. finishes well. it's nice to see that potentially it is there, and starting to get that in the previous hat-trick. we are hoping to gain confidence. >> real madrid had a scare against a bulgarian side when they took an early lead. cristiano ronaldo missed a penalty for real. normal service resumed when the player of the year scored from a second spot kick after 25 minutes. the winner in the second half. topping group b. in group a, the champions of spain, atletico against joost,

atletico winning this. turin the scorer in the second. the side is level on 3 point with two others. also in group a, the first home game in the champion's league group saw success for the swedes against olympiakos. dortmund were winners in group d. now there are two nations technically at war. south korea and north korea will play out the rivalries on the football pitch. the two countries will protest the men's finals. the team met in the '78 final, the match finished goalless. south korea's footballers will be excused from two years of service if they break a 28 year break, and north korea have tasted success in the women's, beating japan in the final on

wednesday. when it comes to north and south korea, sports and politics have been linked over 60 years of gigs. north korea boycotted the '96 asian game and "88 in seoul. there was a breakthrough in 1991 when the two nations competed at an international table tennis championship and football tournament. in 2000 historic summit meeting was followed by the two delegations marching together at the opening ceremony at the sydney olympics, and in athens in 2004. relations faltered following the games, and improvement when the south were invited to compete in a weightlifting competition in pyongyang. in 2004 the north koreans sent a team of 150 to the asian games. earlier i spoke to kim, a professor at the women's

university in seoul, telling me that sport played an important role in keeping channels opened between the two countries. >> sometimes when a relationship is not so good, this can be a good trigger to make a better relation. sometimes it can be a good trigger to have a better relationship between the south and north. it could be in the future. >> major league baseball, san francisco giants smashed the pittsburgh pir outs. the wildcard game was scoreless. crawford hit a grand slam home run putting the giant up 4-0, the first grand slam by a shortstop. the pitcher kept the home crowd

quiet, shutting out the pirates, giving up four hits in the game. the giants went on to win 8-0, progressing to the divisional series where they'll face the washington nationals. >> you know, we are facing guys that are throwing the ball well. you are looking for a timely hit. we couldn't have got a bigger one. crawford has been swinging the bat well. i was confident with him up there doing something, i didn't know he'd hit a grand sham. that's hard to get a bigger hit. now you are up four runs, and you get your guy out there throwing a ball well. it's hard to pitch a better game. formula 1 team in qatar are planning to race in japan, despite its being taken from their fact ris. the new owners were hit by legal action by 40 former employees who say they were unfairly

dismissed. the its have appeared on a website for sale. including pit lane equipment, steering wheel. race cars and essential kits would have been shipped to japan some time ago. rory mcilroy has been named pga player of the year, the second time in three seasons he's been given the title. 2014 as been a stellar year for rory mcilroy, with two major victories, and was part of the winning european team that retained the ryder cup over the u.s.a. last weekend. >> it means a lot. you know, it's the - i guess it's that time of year where the awards roll in. this is a - it's a very important one to me, because you get voted on by your peers and the players you are trying to beat week in, week occupant. if they appreciate what you have done, it means a lot to you. >> more on the website, check

out aljazeera.com/sport. and details on how to get in touch with the team using twitter. that's all the sport for now. well, we have heard of sniffer dogs. what about stiffer elephants. not a stealthier alternative. scientists believe there may be a better one. we have the details. >> reporter: elephants can find water underground and sense electricity. they have long memories, and have an extraordinary sense of smell. far more sensitive than a dog's. that's why steven lee is here. he's the u.s. military's chief science officer. it's his job to seek out solutions to combat related questions. from nature, shaun hensman things he can hep with a study he is running. inside a bucket is a small amount of explosives. the bull will signal when he's found it.

>> thatta boy, good boy. >> well done. >> good boy. >> lee believes he can design a machine to replicate the elephants trunk, that could save lives. >> for the shoulder you can see explosives detectors being designed. biological detectors, and those types of technologies can go to the commercial department, sensing industrial waste and those things, monitoring the environment. >> it's a proud day for him. the elephants sense of smell is 14 times more powerful. another time where the elephant expands over the dog is in memory. these elephants have not done this for a year, and are getting it right every time. >> elephants run in the blood. their father was the first to recognise their talents. >> the original idea came from

when dad was followed by a herd of wild elephants. he'd served them. they picked up a scent and started to track him. dad came home and started training an elephant to follow. and tried to use them to stop poaching in the zambezi valley. >> with any luck, the chief scientists says within 30 years, they could have a machine based on their drunk. >> you can read about the sniffer elephant by going to the website. it's aljazeera.com. and there, of course, all the other day's top stories and the world news up to the date and up to the minute. it's at aljazeera.com. that brings us to the end of the al jazeera newshour for our viewers in the united states. back to your regular programming. and for international viewers, we continue in a moment.

good morning from al jazeera. stay with us.

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