to the world health organization in jeneva.

>> and at some point on that front line, the town is 500 meters apart. >>reporter: the kurds control the oil fields but they may not be able to protect them for much longer. the threat is from the islamic

islamic state in iraq. kurdish troops replace government forces here when isil pushed them out of many cities in june. since then, it's been a struggle to hold this territory. that's why the governor of this city is asking the u.s.-led coalition to launch an extended assault against the group. they say isil wants kirkut's oil fields. that's why it's so important for the united states and for the air strikes to focus on kirkut.

>> thousands of iraqis cross this check point daily. despite that, isil are able to infiltrate the city where they already have some support. suicide bombers. >> this check point has already been targeted twice by suicide bombers in the past four months. but what they fear the most is that if the armed group decides to push through this defensive line and storm the city. across iraq, the violence continues. at least 41 people killed, 61 injured by explosions in the

country. 14 people have been killed in fallujah. we are live in baghdad right now. now, can you tell us about the iraqi prime minister visiting iran? >>reporter: the prime minister is on a two-day visit to tehran and has already visited with the president of iran. he's also going to meet with the heads of the national security organization, heads of the forces effectively the iranian foreign policy brigade. iran is absolutely crucial to this region and to beating isil fighters. for a very long time here,

they've had small amounts of units fighting isil fighters. they've been in and out of baghdad as well as damascus. these are the guys that really directed the syrian efforts, so for them, the iranians, the red line, if the president gets removed, that's a big problem for the iranians. both regimes are very close to each other. what the prime minister will be looking for is assurances that he can continue to count on iranian support and intelligence gathering as well as what they're doing with the coalition air strikes. there's not a great relationship between the americans and the iranians, for example. but more importantly perhaps in all of that is the issue of

finance. both iraq and iran are concerned about slumping oil prices. that will be one of the other topics on the agenda. >> all right. thank you for that. we're following developments on another main threat in the fight against isil which is in kobani. take a look. >>reporter: kurds were able to hold their lines against isis last night. however, there remains still something of a stalemate. the kurds nor isis have gained territory. positions remain the same. but they are ready to send iraqi

pashmerga fighters to the fight. and at least five yemeni tribesmen were also killed. just give us some more details. >>reporter: the death told is only rising because only a few hours ago, there were also expect the number to rise. what's important, al quaeda is the strong hold.

there are two fronts in that proves. al quaeda and the tribesmen. in another development, the al quaeda fighters as well as tribesmen united and they are making gains. they control four districts on the outskirts of it trying to repel any advance. >> reading here about possibly united sanctions on high-profile yemenis. can you tell me what that's about? >>reporter: it's about pushing political figures here to implement the transitional

period. they accused the former president of hindering the transitional period. i think it's some sort of pressure on them if that happens because now we understand that the u.n. panel is investigating evidence if the former president is trying to influence or hinder the implementation of that transitional period. as far as the hotis are concerned, they say we have to wait for there to be an official decision and that concessions have to be made. remember, now, everyone is talking to each other, with the prime minister to beat the crisis. the winner in all of this would be the hosis. they are in a powerful position to gain at least six ministers in the new cabinet.

this is not official. if that happens, it indicates a new power that this group has gained in this country. >> thank you. oscar pistorius has been sentenced to five years in prison for killing his girlfriend. he shot and killed her last year. his defense lawyer says he may only send ten months in prison and the rest of it under house arrest. it seemed today watching the sentencing that it was almost relief that it was all finally over. the emotional moments, particularly the judgment itself wasn't there. >>reporter: well, absolutely. i mean, you'll have seen over the past seven and a half months of this trial at times oscar pistorius weeping uncontrol ably. he appeared quite calm today.

the sentence delivered to a hushed courtroom and he was, i think, perhaps prepared for it certainly. he looked around as he was heading down stairs into the cells and quickly grasped the hands of friends and family as he was led away for what could be as you mentioned less than a year in prison. >> and any reaction to that from either side? i think -- i wonder if people feel five years -- what five years in prison for killing someone is really not what it's all about? >>reporter: exactly. that's been the spin off if you like of the huge international media and public interest in this trial that's been world castes live. it is a fact under south african law under the culpable homicide sentencing that he only has to serve one sixth of that sentence.

his family said that after the sentencing was delivered, that the family accepted the sentencing and that oscar himself is looking forward to teaching and helping his inmates as a way of giving back. reeva steenkamp's mother said quietly it's right. many are really angry at the sentence and the verdict. they believe he should have been found guilty of murder, not culpable homicide but other people here say at least he's going to prison which many people believe is fair. >> all right. thank you. still so much ahead for you this news hour. sweden has discovered a link between herpes and alzheimer's. and major league baseball's

unlikely finalist prepare for game one of the world series. we'll be back. we'll be back. the chief executive of an oil giant was killed in moscow. >>reporter: we lost a true friend of russia said vladimir putin. he was here for a meeting with the government about foreign investments and infrastructure projects. now russian investigators are trying to piece together the circumstances of the collision that killed the man and his crew. >> the black box has listen recovered. people have been questioned.

dispatchers, drivers, managers of the airport. of course, the investigation has to be held before any conclusions can be made and nobody should rush to the investigation committee to early and probably wrong conclusions. >>reporter: early indications are that his plane hit a snow plow taking off from the airport and that alcohol may have played a part in the crash. >> at the moment, it has already been established that the driver of the snow plow was under the influence of alcohol. >>reporter: whether or not this is true and the man's lawyer denies his client even drinks, one of the world's biggest energy companies is now looking for a new boss as oil prices slide. >> i think the way he set up the administrative board, the plan has been that future bosses would be found within the company. i think the corporate culture is very strong. >>reporter: whoever replaces him

will have to decide whether to be as true a friend to russia as his or her predecessor was. bulgaria is refusing to give up a russian human rights activist back to russia. he was indicted by russian authorities for alleged fraud. in july, he was arrested. magistrates say he could be put in an aggravated situation if he returns to russia because of his political beliefs. lufthanza has gone on a one-day walkout at the airport. more than 1,500 flights have been canceled. simon mc-gregor wood with more. >>reporter: at the airport, some

of it will 166,000 passengers affected are trying to rebook. on the boards, evidence of the 1,500 canceled flights. the dispute is about the company trying to cut pension. they say in the world of low-cost flight, it's far too expensive. >> competition in our industry has become stronger in recent years with the low costars on the one hand side and the carriers on the other hand side. on the short and long haul business, we are really under pressure and we need to change our costs in order to face this kind of competition. >>reporter: the pilots say given the huge responsibility of their job, their early retirement deals should be respected. >> when colleagues say i cannot do this job responsibly anymore and of course this job needs a performance that is 100%, they

need to have the option to choose early retirement. this is important and should stay that way. >>reporter: there are fears long term damage is being done both to the airline and to the german economy. europe's economy is wobbling somewhat with economists predicting low growth next year and possibly a recession. these strikes are not helping. this strike follows last week's train strikes. because of these strikes, some politicians are threatening new laws. >> it is a hit to the corporate culture of germany because we have smaller individual groups who want to press their individual interests onto the economy and this is certainly a further mile stone in turning down the growth potential of germany. >>reporter: it's all challenging germany's image as the resilient

power house of the european economy. >> the first batch of an experimental ebola vaccine developed in canada has been sent to the world health organization in geneva. actually one of three vaccines. test on animals suggest it is effective even if taken after exposure to ebola. then there is another one based on a chimpanzee cold virus. 10,000 doses are being prepared to be sent to west africa if

it's shown to be effective and safe. and johnson and johnson is developing a vaccine that will be ready next week. it can be manufactured quickly because each component can be produced separately. of course, while all those drugs are still being tested, quarantining ebola sufferers is still the most effective way to stop the spread.

people living in households where someone who has died of ebola are required to stay inside their homes for 21 days. it's a major health official's hope will stop the virus from spreading but it comes at a price. >>reporter: aid groups have been supplying food to some under quarantine but for many who are already poor, it's been a desperate time. alfred recovered from the virus to find that 12 of his family members had died.

in liberia, the president has said she fears ebola will result in a lost generation in west africa. she says deaths, illness, and the economic carcinoma it's if i will be felt in the region for years to come. india is still recovering a year after a cyclone hit. the government ordered evacuations prevented many deaths. >>reporter: usually these fishermen pull boats out of the water but this one was hundreds of meters inland driven there by the force of the storm. this fisherman says his village was flooded by sea water and the only thing they could save were their lives. >> the government alerted us to move to a safer place so we tied up our boats and went but the

wind came and the houses collapsed and the boats were swept inland. i've never seen such a disaster. >>reporter: it's a disaster that everyone has to pick up from. residents here are trying to get their lives back on track as rebuilding and cleaning up after the cyclone goes on across the state. the final cost of the damage is still being calculated but it's likely to be high as the damage is quite severe. nearby, this city bore the brunt of the storm. food is being distributed by relief centers across the city but a week after the storm, many are still surviving without the basics. >> it's been like this for five days. there's no power or water. now they're giving us rice and vegetables. i've never seen a cyclone like this. >>reporter: officials say they have a lot of work ahead of

them. >> the airport is still damaged but has reopened which has allowed emergency supplies to be flown in. electricity has been restored to most of the city. but the damage has been done. and government estimates suggest it will take ten years and billions of dollars for life here to return to normal. good time on the news to check in with our meteorologist to find out about hurricane gonzalo. >> that's right. europe is so unsettled right now. certainly we're going to go to

gonzalo but we also need to mention bad weather hitting the canary islands. they've had flash flooding there if the one person lost their life. it's a mixed picture. we've got the snow across parts of moscow and russia. another frontal system towards the south but the main feature is the low pressure. the remnants of gonzalo. it's not a hurricane anymore. across the uke there have been possibly two fatalities as a result of strong winds. gusts at about 120 kph and about 50 millimeters of rain. so you can see strong winds affecting uke. you see the snow there across

parts of russia. that pulls away and then we start to get much cooler weather coming in because you can see this big area of snow developing across the alpine region. it could be up to one meter of snow across the higher part of the swiss alps. this desert landscape has been transformed.

harnessing the power of the wind. three companies have started. >> our country, pack stand, is blessed with this wind corridor. it starts from the arabian sea and goes 160 kilometers inland. >>reporter: if the entire wind corridor was covered in turbines, it could generate twice as much power that pack stand needs. >> you can see there are so many thank y turbines here. the government is subsidizing the cost of leasing land and the companies expect their

investments to be paid off within five years. >>reporter: it's knot only pack standi companies. in the distance you can see turbines built by china. behind me a turkish company is also producing wind electricity. pack stand needs 120,000 megawatts of electricity a year. right now it only has 50,000. the government's policy is to reach 1,000 megawatts of electricity from alternative energy and so far has less than a quarter of that. >> after terrorism, regional energy is a big problem. >>reporter: he says not enough has been done to bring investors in. >> i would say the pace is very slow. if you ask me, if you really want to resolve energy problems

in the country apart from the site, we have to go on -- >>reporter: back in the desert, the wind has picked up. investors will be happy about that. after all, more wind means more money. nicole johnston, al jazeera. still ahead, fighting the enemy within. we report from a security exhibition. plus, i'll be reporting on whether these giant wind turbines can help with the power shortage or maybe we won't bring you that story because you've already seen it. but we will be talking about training for the champion's league. league.

special welcome to our viewers on al jazeera america. isil fighters pushed out iraqi forces earlier this year leaving kurdish forces to defend the city. a german court has rejected a bid to force a pilots union to call off its strike. 1,500 flights have been canceled this tuesday. and oscar pistorius has been sentenced to five years in prison for killing his

girlfriend. he shot and killed model reeva steenkamp on february 14th last year. his lawyer says he may only spend ten months in prison though. the rest under house arrest hong kong now and the first talks among student leaders and the government have taken place and even broadcast live. they want hong kong to choose its own leaders without interference from beijing. let's go live to hong kong. how did the talks go? >>reporter: the government would say that they are offering some compromises. it's a complicated situation. at the moment, 1,200 member committee chooses the candidates for chief executive of hong kong and this committee is often very heavily influenced by beijing. these students are saying we don't want that committee to choose, we want to choose.

so the government is going to say we're going to widen the committee and who is in it and make the process more transparent but they have not given any road map as to how that's going to work or when that's going to happen so the students feel that they're not getting anything out of these talks. >> so they're all staying in place then? we're looking at pictures on the screen of the protests. are they dwindling in numbers? holding? >>reporter: you know, the numbers have been going up and down but coming up, those numbers have surged. the protesters were all watching and reacting to the talks while watching the screens around the city. they also asked the government to be more representative of them, to talk about what they want beijing as opposed to the

other way around. >> thank you so much. scientistses in sweden say they have found a clear link between herpes virus and the risk of getting alzheimer's. those with herpes have double the risk of alzheimer's. the findings -- weakened immune system among the elderly provides opportunity for the virus to spread to the brain. once infected, the virus stays in the body. scientists say the benefit is that it will help focus effort on treatments to stop the disease. let's get more on this with the head of research at alzheimer's research u.c.l.a. joining us by skype from cambridge. is this new? i seem to have read this link has been proved before but this seems to be more definitive

research.

>> so we need to look at all possible angles for research and this is certainly an interesting angle. and if this leads to studies to show whether antiviral treatments can reduce the risk of alzheimer's disease, that would be interesting to find out but we may not know the answers to those studies if they occur for a number of years. >> interesting stuff. thank you for that. >> thank you government's are spending more to watch populations from the inside. the u.s. so far has the biggest defense expenditure.

some of the biggest increases came from countries like china. more on this from the internal security comp bigs with erica wood. >>reporter: the latest equipment built not so much for war but for security challenges at home. with protests being staged around the world, governments are looking for the best ways to maintain security. >> all the concern by internal state security, if you have a look, you will find from the shoes and to the most huge technology advanced technology.

>>reporter: here we have protective clothing, tear gas, riot gear, drones, and imaging of battle zones. >> the ability of this software to pinpoint a sniper and see his area of operation. >>reporter: most of what's displayed here is promoted to protect countries from the inside and often in close confines. >> wars like iraq and afghanistan have shown that things have changed and customers are demanding more than just protection for their troops. they're also looking for speed and agility. that's because a lot of fighting is now street to street in the urban environment. all this equipment and technology attracts the attention of governments and big business. >> they are also here to sign big contract. in fact -- >>reporter: and it's not just

hardware. surveillance software is big too protecting major infrastructure from cyber threats. >> people now see cyber as a real challenge of the future. we're seeing much more of a trend of future investments, much more looking forwards new technology. >>reporter: so while state institutions say our borders and airports are software, all of this technology and software shows that populations are being increasingly watched and controls. >> somewhere down the line they're not legal. policy and political issues. the fact remains any and every surveillance violates civil liberties and privacy rights. >>reporter: governments are getting better at protecting

themselves not just from threats from foreign elements but also from their own people. erica wood, al jazeera doha the u.s. city of detroit is under investigation by the united nations for violating human rights denying thousands of residents water. >> it's a damaging conclusion. they're calling one of the biggest cities in one of the richest nations in the world -- >> you have in detroit a man-made perfect storm. the denial of water threatens a wide range of human rights. >>reporter: detroit has shut off the taps in 27,000 homes. worse, u.n. officials say, they shut off the most vulnerable.

>> it's having a disproportionate impact on low-income african americans in detroit. imagine, you're choosing at times to either pay your rent or pay your water bill. pay for medical necessities, or pay your water bill. these are not choices we expect people to have to make in one of the richest countries in the world. >>reporter: in this majority black city, that has left a racial divide. >> we've been robbed. the city -- the people in the city of detroit have been robbed and water rights is one of the last things. >>reporter: water shutoffs are happening in michigan ironically which the name of the state means the great water. officials recommend restoring water to all who can't pay and

new federal and local standards for affordable water among other findings. one problem is detroit's infrastructure. motown's population has plunged to 700,000 leaving a sprawling, inefficient system. for some, rising water bills now rival a down payment on a car. >> i got a water bill for $4,000. >>reporter: the findings might be embarrassing for a bankrupt city but they are not enforceable. there will be no un peace keepers here. but u.n. officials say the city can treat access to water as a basic right or join the ranks of human rights violators. an estimated 80% of the species living in ecuador are still unknown to scientists but now the threat of oil extraction means those species could be

destroyed before they're even discovered. >> looking up to the tree tops, he searches for familiar faces. for the past year, he's been following a group of spider monkies. every few minutes, he notes what they're doing. >> we do what they do he tells me. when they rest, we rest. when they move, we move. >> our job is to observe and record behavior. beyond that, we never interfere with the animals. particularly because we are in such a pristine environment. >>reporter: the monkies cautiously come down to scoop up mineral-rich mud. the monkeys trust the scientists scientists after years of observation. the park's a refuge to more than 20 types of endangered mammals

and home to 100,000 species of insects but it could all be at risk as work begins to remove oil from an untouched corner. >> it's the value of the oil under this forest which led ecuad ecuador's government to agree that extraction can take place but scientists argue what's above the ground could be worth far more. the plants themselves could hold the key to saving rain forests. a third of pharmaceuticals come from nature and a fraction of the trees and plants here have been identified. it could offer long-term jobs. >> in particular the young leaves stand out to us as being where we should be looking for future medicines and nowhere in the world is this pharmacy got more potential than here in

ecuador. >> after the oil companies arrive, people will come looking for land and to come to cut the trees and hunt the animals. oil exploitation is the start of the problems. but with oil development encroaching and the drone of generators in the distance, the future of this unspoiled world is hanging in the balance. david mercer, al jazeera, ecuador. coming up, the man who dressed generations of celebrities is dead. we look back on the life of oscar de la renta. plus, soccer is taking on

domestic violence. that story coming up. at story coming up.

so bicycles, number one form of transport in the world. problem though is they're also easy to steal. now three students have come up with a novel invention and they call it the unstealable bike. >>reporter: here's a little known fact. the world produces three times more bicycles than cars and 20% of them are stolen. that means 30 million bicycles

are taken every single year. these of course are all bicycles but in fact they're more like sitting ducks. every one of them has a lock. some are big and strong. some are rather flimsy. but there's not a single one of them that can't be cut. >> the bar can't be joined. it's blocked, and you have to have the lower bar or the bike

will collapse and bend in half. it makes stealing the bike pointless. >>reporter: it's simple. light weight. and made for the city where most bikes are stolen >> this bike clearly has one problem which is a lock. >> yes, the key is the most vulnerable part so we're devising a way to bypass the problem with a mobile phone, use a code to unlock it, not a key. >>reporter: with the global trend of people seeking healthier, simpler lives, the bicycle market is growing 20% every year. not bad for three engineering students who tired of having their own bikes stolen have proven once again that necessity is indeed the mother of

invention. an interesting legal battle going on in cricket. the cricket board has -- plan to take legal action. it comes after the west indies pulled out mid-way through their tour of india last week. india quickly replaced it with a one-day series next month but they're still expected to lose more than $50 million in revenue. the carribean players walked out because of pay disputes at home. >> the first match in the white

group at the finals in singapore is on court right now. the latest is that the number two seed is trading to the dane. wozniaki has just taken the lead 4-3 in the second set. she's on the verge of causing an upset. she already has a win under her belt in the red group. she was a comfortable winner over canada. she lost the match in the most frustrating way possible. it hit the net, went long in

double fault. the major league baseball kansas city royals return to the world series for the first time in 29 years later on tuesday. the royals are preparing for game one of the best of seven series. they may not have the post season experience the giants have but have played incredibly well this year. kansas and san francisco head into the championship series even though both only got into the post season as wild cards. >> with that said, this is our goal in spring training. this is our goal. and we had one mindset and that was to go to the world series and win it and to be able to be here on this big stage is exactly what we've been working real hard for all season long and we're really happy to be here right now. >> everybody's definitely excited to be here and we have had a lot of adversity and we've pushed through it and then come

out doing pretty good for ourselves. so everybody is looking forward to it and excited to get the series started and it should be a fun one. >> despite the success, the kansas city royal's have traditionally been known as baseball's worst team. they have finished bottom of the american league eight times including four straight years from 2004. in 2005 they lost 106 of their 162 games since the turn of the century, kansas city has lost more games than any other team in the american league. the national hockey league has suspended one of their defen defenseman while it investigates his arrest on domestic violence charges. he has not yet been charged with a crime. he's been suspendeded from all team activities indefinitely.

the european champions league returns on tuesday. it will be played behind closed doors in moscow. they are taking on manchester city and are being punished for the behavior of their fans during previous ties. the english champions trained in an arena that will be just as empty come kickoff. supporters have been banned because of violent and racist behavior. >> some people think that the local team may be more dominant without playing if their fans but i think that's the most -- >> i think it's very difficult for us to play without fans. it is a difficult game but we're going to do our best to win the game. >> the other game in that group has won both their games so far.

they have traveled to roma. which he will see will take a huge step forwards qualifying. there's much more sports on our website. check out aljazeera.com/sports for more. the u.n. children agency has warned every five minutes somewhere in the world a child dies as a result of violence. there's a new campaign to raise awareness of the issue. not just conflict or war that's responsible. over 75% of deaths due to violence are in homes, schools, communities. child victims of violence could

develop long lasting symptoms of ptsd. it draws a link between poverty and violence stating child murder rates are worst in central america and warns 345 children under the age of 20 could die from violence each day in the next year unless something is done. very sobering numbers those are. >> now, unicef told us earlier that child violence is a global problem. >> there are very strong links between poverty and children's experience of violence. having said that, the report uncovers the fact that there's really no country in the world that is immune to its children experiencing violence. so strong linkages but at the same time, a strong message about the global nature of this violation of the rights of children. and one of the things that unicef is asking for is the engagement of the public, of everyday people in discussions

about legal frame works and we see when there's that engagement of people that the laws make sense and are known to people. there are some other really simple things that need to be done and one of them relates to and as you mentioned poverty at this time. >> oscar dela renta has died. he was 82 years old. >>reporter: simply put, the red carpet wouldn't be the same without him. oscar de la renta, a trend setter, his fashions worn by celebrities and royalty. as for first ladies, he was second to none from jacqueline kennedy to michelle obama, his style set the trend. hillary clinton wore his gown in

1997 and laura bush chose him in 2005. he found fame with seams and stitches but started out as a pointer born in 1932. he dreamed of being an artist working with an easel but it became clear his calling was with clothing. by the 1960s, he was working with elizabeth arden and in 1965, he had his own label. he was a business man, a his legacy will live on in his designs and what he will forever bring to the fashion world. just last week, his company appointed a new creative director as a successor to him. de la renta once said every season i'm inspired by women. he was 82 years old. and that is the news. back to local programming now in the rest of the world. rest of the world.

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federal authorities have charged seven people with conspiring with al qaeda. >> since 9/11 the us has spent has spent billions of dollars on domestic counter-terrorism operations. >> i wanted to be in on the big game and to be paid top-dollar for it. that's it. >> many of these involved targeted informant led stings. >> to them, everyone in the muslim community is a potential informant or a potential terrorist.

>> hundreds of days in detention. >> al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. >> thousands calling for their freedom. >> it's a clear violation of their human rights. >> we have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. >> journalism is not a crime. u.s. military in syria. will the weapons be used against the people they're designed to help? also the cdc makes changes to its ebola protocol to protect health care workers. is it too little too late? and the mentally ill may be unfairly targeted in the efforts against gun violence. i'm lisa fletcher, in for antonio mora. those and other stories straight ahead. >> the u.s. resupplied kurdish fighters with. >> weapons ammunition medical supplies.