prlandscape in two countries each of them struggling to mend deep dichingsz. in ukraine, parliamentary elections are employing closely watched. we will have more on that in a moment. first, to nazir. an uprising inspired krooths world. sunday's vote could set the country well on the path toward peaceful democratic transition. we begin this report with hasham al abaya.

>> a country casting an historic vote. security forces track a group of people with explosived in the house in the suburb was capitol. killing most of the fighters, including five women police officials say were armed and planning to disrupt the elections. this is the leader of the secular tun easeians call a party that's likely to major make significant gains. members of the former government and the president are also taking part in these elections. one of them is kamal mazan. >> my priority is security given the rise of terrorism here in tunisia here and in the region. i am determined to fix the economy and build strong ties with the international

community. >> morjane and ase psi face a tough challenge. tunisia's election system is based upon proportional representation. no party is likely to win a majority. consensus is the only way forward. the lesson that we learned from egypt and other countries is that in a transitional period, a single majority won't be able to solve the country's problems. you have to have an extended coalition. to do that, you need consensus. >> the election will end four years of a transition that was marred by violence, instability and a deepening rift between conservatives and seculars. >> i think it's defining political moment. tunisia will basically stand on the basis of the outcome of this election as a country with some kind of opportunity to rebuild

society, to rebuild the state, and i guess to be the shining model. >> tunisia's future will be decided by more than 5 million voters, but according to recent opinion polls, half of them are undecided. >> this is where four years ago, thousands of tun easeians took to the streets to deny ounce government oppression. the demand for freedom is across the arab world. now people in the region wonder whether tun easeians will inspire once again by becoming a model for the peaceful transition to democracy. al jazeera, tunnis. >>is. >>. >> we will be live in tunisia later in the program. to ukraine now where poll did have opened in parliamentary elections. president poroshenko's party is expected to win the largest share of the vote. but there is a strong chance his party will have to rule in a

coalition. ukraine is facing difficult times with russia's annexation of. ongoing fighting in eastern ukraine and it's shrinking economy. our correspondent, barnaby phillips, is live for us in the ukrainian capitol. barnaby, how is the voting going? >> reporter: the voting that i have seen has been going perfectly smoothly here in kiev. you mentioned president poroshenko. he just popped up in the time of krematorsk, in the east, a town we have reported from a lot here in al jazeera, a town that was recaptured by government forces that had been held by secessionists, the kind of place it is very important for the ukrainian government to show today that there is a successful election. they will be hoping large numbers of people come out to give that vote some credibility in the east. >> that's, i suppose, the converse of that is it would undermine the credibility of those breakaway republics if you

like. it is an extraordinary situation that these elections are taking place in. let me bring in my guest at this point. it's a great pleasure to have the form ter prime minister of slovakia a neighboring country. you are here as an election observer. some are saying this is a chance for ukraine to have a new beginning. others worry this election will only deepen the divisions in this country. what do you think? >> it is necessary as a first step and to fulfill the promises. free elections, new parliament okay with some former deputies, but with new political parties, because otherwise, there is no trends how to promote reforms which are so inevitable for ukraine. so that's why i call it first necessary step. when i was speaking with all of the people around in other

regions, the only sentence they are repeating: we need peace and stable society to promote economic reforms. and that's why for reforming reforms, the need of the new parliament is really inevitable. >> ukraine is going to need help, isn't it? any new government from neighboring countries, places like slovakia. one issue is gas. if the russians don't supply gas as we come in to winter, it will be countries like yours that may have to help. >> slovakia probably is the country with the reverse transport of the gas to ukraine, and we are helping ukraine as we can, and we are prepared to help. but it is true, that first of all, ukraine has to start with real reforms of their system: anti-corruption programs, strong anti-corruption program together with decentralization giving

more power positito the regionsd the ukraine to have really the peace and stable situation and, plus, yes, there is a discussion if these elections are enough to with legitimate and legal, the answer is that according to constitution it's legal and they have a chance when there is a peace in east part and east part of ukraine to repeat elections and government is prepared to do it. >> the former prime minister of slovakia, thank you very much for joining us here on al jazeera. we will bring you knees from kiev and from from kiev and from

>> we will take you to mariopal now which was under the control of separatists but back in the hands of kiev. our correspondent, hoda is there. a different atmosphere where you are in the east. what's the feeling there? >> reporter: well, certainly a very different atmosphere. people are voting in accordance with the electoral observers. the turnout is quite high. when you ask them who they will vote for, it is a different story. we spend the date yesterday in sloviank, the epicenter of the

pro-russian uprising up until july and over there, people are not very happy even though there was an electoral campaign going on and there are several candidates. some of the people we spoke to who said they were going to vet, they said they were going to vote either for the opposition bloc, which is basically people from -- candidates who are pro-moscow or for the communist party. they are very angry with the government in kiev because of the shelling that happened in the summer. they also say that since there then, there has been no help whatsoever, as barnaby has been saying, president poroshenko came to kramatorsk, a 15 minute drive from slovansk. but that will not quell the anger of the people there and then you have the big urban areas where nobody is voting. there are no polling station. the leadership of the separatists there are saying that these elections are anyway

i will legitimate and as you say, they are having their own vote next sunday in which they will vote for their own parliament and presidency. >> hoda joining us from ma the riuopol. thank you. back to tunisia. people are going under the polls under a proportional representation. 15,000 candidates are competing. 217 seats. this parlor particularly have sweeping executive powers. the winner should get 51% of the seats to form a government. 96 parties are taking part in the elections. the main battle is likely to make between conservatives and centrist parties. as you heard in the report, the elections are over shadowed by security problems and high unemployment. let's go to our correspondent. she is joining us from the

capitol, tunis, for us. so no doubt, problems as we go in to election day, but what is the overall atmosphere feeling like in the capitol? >> reporter: i have to say there is a mood of excitement in many polling stations here in tunis and, also, around the country. people may be politically divided but at least now, they do have a choice of which path they want to take. but joining me now to talk about this further is yousef sharif, a blogger and researcher. yousef, how are you feel being this election? i know you voted. what's the general mood amongst young people? >> it's hard to say because many people are quite -- they don't care any more about politics. but in general, i think we see people going to the polling stations. they are not f -- i i think we have a balance and hopefully, i

mean most of those voting today hope for a better future rather than vote because they are to vote and i think there is optimism around. >> there has been some insecurity in the country of late. it doesn't seem to have affected the election and the turnout. >> not at all. there were security issues, but if you take the amount of propaganda we had during the last few years, you would think that today would be like the end of the world. but, in fact, it's not. there are very limited security threats and we saw the security forces were able to stop these threats before happening. so everything is going smoothly, peacefully, and i think the day will finish quite pooeflts and it's going to be successful. >> now, let's look at possible scenarios in the election. it does seem that there won't be enough party to get a majority to rule on its own. so inevitable there will be

coalitions. the big talk of a coalition come from two different ideological backgrounds. how is that going to work? >> we have seen the leaders of the two parties perhaps courting each other essentially, but it doesn't seem to go towards coalition. i think by the end of the dates, they will realize and i am sure they are realizing they need something, to agree on something and that something, i think, will be rather a neutral government, something that can lead the country towards this long path to democracy. >> what are your feel ings? what are your predictions? i know last time, you were quite accurate in your predictions in october, 2011. what are your predictions this time? >> it's hard to say. this is you actually one of the most democratic elections i have seen in my life. and i have been in several elections around the world before. this is really unpredictable. we don't know what's coming out

today, tonight actually. and my plea dix is they will have to agree towards a democ t democratic government. the major shares of the vote, my prediction will be shared between more than persons between the two parties, then the rest will be shared between several parties. >> thank you so much for joining us here in tunis. >> what he was saying was that no party is expected to get overall majority. intestifitabley there will have to be a could alition. so more political intrigue to come here in tunisia. >> thank you very much for the update from tunis. >> that's our correspondent, nazanin mashuri. much more to come here on the al jazeera a newshour. iraqi forces take a keep town from isil fighters. the question remains of the

group who helped them in battle. >> and on the streets of nigeria as locals insist, there is no he's fire with boka haram, plus. >> one fire and square against tough, tough, tough competitions. and we remember prosperous on the way. >> supportsmen about the 2022 world cup and why the gulf state has an early reason to celebrate. >> lebanon's army appears to be stepping up efforts to drive armed groups from the country's north. the gun battles in and around the city of tripoli have killed at least .6 soldiers and four civilians. the violence is seen as a spillover of the civil war in syria with sunni fighters and

al-qaeda crossing into lebanon. let's go to stefanie dekker from tripoli. stef, what's happening there? >> reporter: you can probably hear it. it's a tense stand-off between the army and fighters. the army is positioned a little further down this road and around one kilometer to the right of me. >> that's the sunni neighborhood where these groups are now focusing on. we have this. we have heard quite intense battles over the last couple of hours. we do know their leader is meeting in tripoli to try to find an end, a solution but there has been this on and off fighting since thursday dawn and the army in an apartment north of here arresting a man they accused of being a recruiter for isil. this is a tension situation here. the people in lebanon on are used to war but this is a result of the syrian spillover. there has been tensions here before. two different neighborhoods, the neighborhood where those fighters are now and another

neighborhood where people are supporters of assad. >> that's fight we have seen happen here since the course of the war but it's been relatively quiet. the arrest of this isil leader has pushed this situation. camping down -- tamping down on what they call sleeper cells. it is tension and we will have to see how it plays out. >> stef, why are we seeing these attacks on the army? is it because of this recent arrest that they made and the raids that they are carrying out? why are we seeing this real escalation right now? >> reporter: you can see an ambulance. they are carrying out the wounded from that area. we know the army is checking the army is checking

those ambulances. >> this is why you see the standoff tweens sides. they will tell you they are doing this to protect lebanon, to protect this country from the situations that you are seeing now. it is incredibly complicated and to boil down a complicated situation, what we are seeing playing out is a spillover of the war in syria. >> stef, thank you very much for the update. >> that's our correspondent, stefanie dekker joining us from tripoli in lebanon. 30 people have reportedly died in syrian government airstrikes. 11 people in wester homms were killed. nineteen neim norther homms, including 10 children. homms is one of the first areas where people revolted against

bashar al assad more than three years ago. to iraq now with security fors say they have retaken the straj e-mailic town that's said to be the biggest gain for the iraqis in months. isil fighters were using the town as a base for a plan fault on shia sites. let's go to our correspondent. he is in the capitol baghdad for us. am imran, explain why the latest offensive is seen as being so strategically crucial. >> reporter: well, if isil fighters had consolidated their position within the town of jufr space. saka, it would have given them a gyn jumping off point to some of the holiest shines in the whole of the world and this was always seen as a problem for the iraqi

authorities who carefully planned this latest assault. what they did was they traveled in the last 72 hours from baghdad down the road through all of the taking over the villages that isil had controlled. this is a rural, ag culling structural area. lots of places for isil fighters to hide in. they moved on the town, itself. once they did that, they were able to take the town quite swiftly. the reason for this is that this is the furthest south that isil fighters have come. this wasn't a town that they were in complete control over an area. they were in complete control of. they different have the kinds of fighting numbers they do have in anbar provinces or other areas of iraq. so this was seen as an operation that the iraqi army could do and they could do very quickly alongside shia militia forces. >> is that why, imran, the main fighting force involved in this operation, why are they seen as being so controversial?

>> reporter: their brother organization came to the forein 2006, '7 and '8 at the high of the violence. them and other shia militia groups were accused of committing crimes against humanity here in iraq against the sunni population and of fighting against their own forces sometimes in the battle that was taking place back then. they are seen as very controversial. many people are reminded of those days, of those battle days that they say where shia malitias ran wild through the streets of baghdad and other parts of the country. the organization now say they are a disciplined fighting force and they are fighting now alongside the iraqi army and, indeed, report to the ministry of defense and, indeed, one of the members of the brother organization, which is also a parliamentary block as well as a fighting force is now the minister of the interior. they say they have fully integrated inside the iraqi

security establishment but they are very controversial. lots of those leaders back from back in 2006, '7 and '8 hold it key positions within the organization. >> imran, thank you for that. that's our corresponden, imran chan joining us from baghdad there. now, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations is due to arrive at ebola stricken west africa. she is said to visit guineaa, liberia and sierra leone in a further effort to stop the virus, british military forces and health workers are helping train local volunteers to treat patients. there are now more than 10,000 cases of ebola worldwide. tensions remain high in nigeria despite the government saying a cease-fire with the armed group of boka haram is still in place. many nigerians are skeptical. moutasa was in abuja when one man was accused of being a boka

haram member. >> people say this man raised suspicion when he refused to open his bag. he is an unfamiliar face in this part of abuja. at a time when visitors are nervous. attacks in the northeast are still going on despite the nigerian government insisting a cease-fire with boca haram fighters is holding. >> translator: we don't is want that kind of issue. >> they suspect the man could be from boka haram because he was carrying thebeads. he said et cetera just a cattle herder. the guns are to protect his animals. many don't believe his story. >> they don't know what this man was doing in the neighborhood. they don't know why he was carrying the ammunition he was carrying. people say they are worried about boka haram attacking nigeria and they are not taking any chances. >> the capitol is more than 500 kilometers from boca haram

territory. residents know they were not safe. there was an attack on a shopping mall here in june. >> somebody bring him in. you know, because of this with boca haram, so we are afraid. >> the government says a cease-fire still holds. officials also say: >> people who are not really very, you know, i mean not very happy with the cease-fire to bring vigilantes within the regions and some do cause problems. you know, the main thing is that the federal government is committed to this cease-fire. >> many nigerians say they are skeptical about the cease fire and on edge. that's why some want the man they have captured killed. others want the police to question him. it's a challenge getting him in to a nearby car but this may have saved his life. hara mutasa.

al jazeera. sglvn. >> three access journalists have been detained for 302 days. peter guesta, mohammed fat me and mohammed were, are appealing against their convictions. access has dismissed the charges against them and continues to demand their immediate release. let's take a look at the world weather now. a cyclone head to go pakistapak how bad? >> it could be a nasty one. we don't very often see em psyche loans taking the path this one is. the sat life i -- satellite imagery. let's look and see what it's going to do. well, there it is at the moment. the track, projected track, takes it and curves it away towards karachi. as a wind feature, it's nothing special, the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane or will be a time. it reaches the pakistan coach

line friday. it will sustain winds of about 85 kph and gusts of 100. but it is the rain which is the main feature. we have seen some impact from this in terms of rain. goa has seen rain because of the circulation, just sort of bringing more shower cloud into parts of india. but really, at the moment, it is right at over the sea, vast amounts of rain coming down. huge amounts of rain but not really affecting anybody. as it moves towards the north and the west, it's going to impact along this coast and going to see seas along this coastline and it goes further north and we start to see it picking up strong winds at the islands towards wednesday and that system moves with a risk of serious flooding. >> thank you very much, richard. now, we have much more to come here on the newshour. blo brazil's run-off gets underway.

it's a vote that the is just too close to call. and a 6th inning with the fourth game of the world series exploded. we will show you why it was a lot better for san francisco now. sport coming up in a moment.

an uprising tomeleded. tune easeians voting after three and an election with eastern regions controlled by pro-russia separatists. lebanon's army appears to be stepping up attacks to drive gunmen from the north of the country, at least six soldiers and four civilians have died in two days of fighting in and around tripoli. two decades have passed since jordan signed a peace treaty with israel. the packet is still unpopular among many of jordants citizens but both governments seem determined to protect their strategic partnership. >> reporter: when jordan and israel signed a peace treaty 20 years ago, they put behind them, 46 years of war and mistrust. since then, the two neighboring countries have had an uneasy

relationship. king abdullah once described his relationship with prime minister benjamin netanyahu as cold and unpleasant and this is how he feels now. >> translator: today, we have both islamic extremism and zinist extremism f jordan and on other islamic countries are fighting extremism and israelis are slaughtering our children, then we have a problem. >> failed grounds of israeli palestinian negotiations have angered the kingdom, which hosts over 2 million palestinian refugees. jordan has a stake in the outcome of the palestinian israeli conflict not only bays of the largest palestinian refuge e-mail population in the world but because of the strong attachment to jerusalem. isi recognized jordan's special role in looking after islamic shrines and has agreed to give it high priority prior to when

israelis and palestinians negotiate the future of the city. by allowing right-wing jewish groups to enter the compound, jordan feels israel is undermining its role in protecting the holy site. >> we continue to tell israeli officials any unilateral action that will affect the status of the holy sites must be stopped immediately. >> mohammed abjurad, a refugee who fled to jordan in 1967 is still living in a refugee camp. he said the treaty was more beneficial to israel. >> by signing a peace treaty with israis jordan, they assure there will be no wars and no one will askis why it's stealing pal stanian lands. >> analysts say there is too much to lose. >> i am convinced jordan will never severe ties with israel. it is not is in jordan's interest

interest. yes, security coordination is important, but it's as important for israel as it is for jordan. now, if we are talking about isis, let's not forget the borders. >> the treaty defined permanent borders with israel and returned the area of albakurda for jordan. but for many, it feels like the truce, not peace. al bakra refugee example. >> the former israel ambassador to the u.s. joining me live from tel aviv. now, very good to have you with us onnays. is it more of a truce than a peace treaty as that report said? and do you think it is mutually beneficial to both countries? >> i don't think at all that's it's more of a truce than a peace treaty. as a matter of fact, as the late mushadian said there has been a war before the peace treaty was

signed. one could go back to 1921, the fisal agreement. i was part of the negotiating team with jordan in washington after the mad rid conference. the difference between jordan and some other arab countries was that the head of the jordanian delegation said from the very beginning, our objective is to conclude the peace treaty with israel. that was, of course, israel's objective as well. i think by and large, although there were some ups an downs, the treaty has proved it's self. peace has proved itself, also, after the iraqi war, after the gulf war, when king hussein, the late king hussein in jordan in general wral not in the good graces of the united states. israel, me as the ambassador, we

made a major everett to really correct the relationship once again between jordan and america because israel has an interest in that. >> why don't you think there was greater public support in jordan if for this peace deal and how much support would you say there is among israelis to maintain it? >> well, i can't speak, of course, about public opinion in jordan. but i am sure that people who are really, you know, concerned and really understand the problems of both countries, but the problems as jordan as well understand the benefit of this agreement and it has proved itself. there is peace on the border. this is the most peaceful border, i think, jordan has and israel has so it's beneficial, but i agree action of course, are there are extremists on both sides and in israel as well as

jordan, in the jordanian parliament, in the kinnes. t as well who don't understand how important this treaty is but i am assured and have confidence that the leadership in both countries will see that this peace treaty remains as important and as solid as it was in the past. >> is it just extremists that don't support this peace treaty? for instance, the man in our report, the palestinian refugee in jordan who doesn't see that jordan has got very much or that the palestinians living in jordan haven't got much of out of this peace deal with israel. >> part of the answer is whatgit have the palestinians in jordan as part of the general population in jordan from economic affairs and things like that. some of the benefits are indirect, by the way. again, linked to the

relationship between jordan, israel and the united states, also in economic terms there should be more. i would certainly be in favor of mo more. i don't know if all of the population would welcome that. i would certainly welcome that. i would like to see more economic and other relations but as you probably know, there are matters, for instance, like water and ecology, where there is a great deal of cooperation although it doesn't make the news unfortunately. >> all right. thank you very much for your time. that was allman, former israeli ambassador to the u.s. joining us from tel aviv. thank you. >> polls have opened in brazil's presidential run-off. there has been a bitter, hotly con testified campaign and the outcome is anything but certain. voters are choosing between jism lma and a senator and former

state governor. a latin american editor has more from brazil i can't. >> even buying and selling a coconut at this busy market is a chance to show allegiance. no opportunity is too trivial to no straight who's side you are on the most fiercely fought e lenthsz. the dual is between the incumbent worker's party, a former left wing guerilla tortured in the 1970s and the gravenldson of a famous politician who died the day before becoming brazil's first elected president after its military dictatorship. unlike her immensely popular predeshe issor who set the scene as the iron lady, a tough technoaccurate who nonetheless represents the political party and in the last 12 years dramatically reduced poverty through increased wages and

social programs. >> nevis is the market's favorite. married to a famous model, he insists his image as a former playboy, brazil can change. some one else who will go to brazilia to reduce inflation and jump start the economy. now, technically in recession. >> brazil's capitol was built in 1960, literally in the shape of an airplane and in the cockpit is the presidential palace. you see here it is age apt metaphor for what's happening right now, a country that has funeraling taken off under the previous government, but which under president roussef has been losing more and more altitude. >> brazilians want change but are torn about who can best deliver it. >> there is a roman god called junos. he has two faces. looks to the future and he looks to the past. he looks both ways. the middle class looks like that figure today because they look

to the past, and they are thankfully to everything that the pt did for them. but they look to the future and they are not sure if juma will give them the extra miles that they want. >> roussef's strongest sport comes from the pour sectors, people who have not risen to the middle class but who believe it will be their turn next if youssef stays in. that's not the case for much of the middle class that has come to expect more. >> it hasn't been all bad, but there is too much corruption and bad health services. we need to renew things. >> reporter: in the end, the outcome will be decided by the middle and new lower middle classes that have not given up on the dream of their giant nation taking flight once again. al jazeera, brazil i can't. >> our correspondent is now live for us. an election race that has just

become tighter and tighter, gabe. >> reporter: absolutely. this is a cliff hangar too close to call. this has been the closest and the most competitive election in brazil history. now, the polls and everything else don't matter because today, more than 140 million brazilians will go cast their ballot. the polls open here in brazil nationwide about half an hour ago, 35 minutes ago. brazil is the world's fourth biggest democracy oevenlt behind the united states, india and indonesia. 96,000 polling places around the country. over 525,000 electronic voting machines in the country as well. it's a huge election on multiple levels. and i want to bring in a guest to talk a little bit more about this election that we have here. this is maricio, a political analyst. tell me, such a tight election, divided nation. what do you make of it? >> if you like brazilian soap

operas with a thrilling final chapter, this is best you can get. brazil has shown who was going to win the election. this time, we don't know who is going to win. it's going to be very tight. whoever wins is going to be by a slender margin. >> divided country. have you ever seen anything like this in terms of how divided people are right now? >> no. i have never seen anything like this. i can say most people going to the polls to the are not only going to vote for their candidate but by rejection to the other candidate. it's grown bitter in the last few weeks. it is very, very close. so you really don't know what the outcome is going to be. >> salt at stake in this election. but what have been the key themes brazilians are going to be voting on today? >> the economy is the major issue because brazil has had sluggish growth in the last three years or so. and whoever wins is going to have to deal with that. the impact of social programs is something very important because you cannot tackle inflation and all of the economic difficulties brazil has had without having some impact on the social

programs. so whoever wins is going to have to deal with both of those issues. >> brazil in a technical recession. it's not growing but unemployment is at its lowest levels? >> that shows how bizarre this election is and how dramatic it's going to be because many people are social program fans and have criticism abouts the economy been many is see social programs are important. it's dramatic at this point. >> either dilma rousseff feeling confident now? either feeling like they have it in the bag? >> not a at all. they are both very excited. there is no doubt about that. but they are also very, very anxious to see the results. >> that's what will we will know tonight. >> thank you. we will come back to maicio. polls have only been opened about 35 minutes or so. i can tell you that we will be here all day. the home state or home city of opposition candidate neves. my colleague, lucia newman will

join us from brazil i can't where she will monitor results and follow dilma rou. seff campaign. as mauricio said action this is too close to call. the polls are open in south america's biggest democracy. >> gabe, thank you very much for that. >> that's our correspondent, gabriel elozon ddo. i believe we have pictures dilma who said she just cast her vote in poverty on allegre. these are the photos on the day of the brazilian run-off vote. still to come, we hear what major football trophy means for the country preparing to host the 2022 world cup. cristiano ronaldo's scoring streaks continues in e el classico. joe will have the details in sport.

>> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony...

>> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america it's been a year since the bicycle ban was introduced to improve traffic. but for many, it's the only affordable way to get around. jamil has been to meet some who say their livelihoods are suffering. >> calcutta's roads are brim with all sorts of vehicles just like any indian city with one distinction. there are no bicycles on the main road. a bicycle ban has pushed cyclists on to these back roads.

it's especially hard for those who use a cycle to make a living. bokade says it means tralling longer and working less. he estimates his income has gone down from $200 a month to $80. >> translator: the ban has affected my family heavily. if the ban goes on for a longer time, i don't think i can make ends meet. >> business is bad for those who repair bicycles since explain switched in the past year to other forms of transport. >> before the ban, i used to have at least 20, 30 cycles in this garage for repair every day. now, you can see there is not even five here for me to fix. imagine what will happen if it goes on for another year. calcutta police declined our request for an interview but in past media statements, police have said general safety and traffic con jegestion were the n reasons behind the ban and there

is no plan to lift it. >> with traffic increasing every year, calcutta police say that since banning bicycles from these main roads, traffic flows faster. crit sikz say besides affecting those who's livelihood depends upon traveling by bicycles, banning this form of transportation puts down one of the greenest forms of getting around. >> the state's pollution control room board says 50% of calcutta's air pollution comes from cars. this environmentalist said banning by siblingz will make that worse. >> if we allow more and more vehicles, it would only mean that the air pollution in calcutta is only going to rice. if we don't look at more sustainable in terms of transportation, it's going to become a problem. >> boka isfingly the ban. they want to stop sitting aisles and start moving again with the rest of the city.

pez jamil, al jazeera, calcutta. >> time for sports. here is joe. >> elizabeth, thank you. eight years until qatar is set to host the world cup. the gulf states has won arguably the most important silverware to date. we spoke to qatarspots minister about the broader issues surrounding tit. >> the good thing about football is that you can you can see and test the results, winning tournaments, you know. and but really, the focus of the world cup in qatar for many aspects of like in qatar is amazing. of course, one of them is having, you know, a focus on our yank team. that will participate in 2022 and positively, in that

government but believe me, in all aspects of life in qatar, we are winning in many, many aspects. >> how important is it for qatar not just to host the world cup in 2022, but to have a competitive team taking part as well? >> i think it's very important. first, because i think qatar is by nature, they love football. they love participating in tulle. they like playing. they like winning and to host events in football. and really, you know, think about it as more than just being a game. it's a positive driving tool for change, and it makes the nation really focus. >> do you have any concerns at all that the world cup will be taken away from qatar? >> no. really, we are, as a nation, we are, you know, focused 100% on

deliver what we are promised. we have promised an amazing world cup and we will do that in 2022. we understand, and the emir, himself, he led the way on talking about some of the shortcomings that we have. and the prime minister and the whole cabinet is really following that lead. >> in some ways, are you looking forward to the leads of the report and allegations of corruption? do you hope that once that report comes out, qatar will be begin a chance to move on? >> yeah, of course. see, first of all, we need to realize that will 2022 or any world cup is a high-profile event. so people will keep talking about 2022 and other world cups, also. and hopefully, when the tournament starts, people will

realize how amazing is the world cup in qatar. so, you know, we don't -- we don't really have, you know, a big concern because we really won fair and square against tough, tough, tough competitions, and we were very transparent ought way. and, you know that the report will come positive. >> spain now with cristiano ronaldo has scored an 11th straight game. on saturday, his goal marked a kushl turning point for real madrid in the classco against barcelo barcelona. barca ahead in the first half. after that, real didn't look back. pepe and medina sealed the 3-1 win. it. spoiled it for suarez who played his first game since returning for a four-month ban for biting. from the top 2 in spain, two of

the biggest clubs, the premier league. chelsea topped the table with an unbeaten record in the league so far. united lie in 8th. this match will be as much about the coaches as the teams. united's hull was boss when both worked at barcelona. they are considered two of the best tacticians in the game. >> everybody knows the respective for him. i never hide the respect, the relation and he was the importance of my career. >> the late game. before that, playing everton and tottenham host newcastle at whiteheart lane. >> san francisco has leveled the world series at two games apiece. they came from behind in game 4 against the kansas city royals to win 11-4. david garrett reports. >> reporter: the second game in san francisco, the fourth of the

series, kansas city up 2-1. they were about to go ahead in game 4. singing down the middle, kc up tree-1 and looking good to go 3 in the series. >> here is a 3-1. >> in the same frame t perez summoned up a hit and it's 4-1. >> san francisco getting their act together, juan perez with the best hit of the night so far, garrett dyson with an excellent catch. the giants even the game at 4-all. bottom of the 6th, pablo sandoval delivered at just the right time. young if you panda back in the black. they were not done yet in this inning. by the end of the 6th, it was 7-4 and kc's usually tight

defense was starting to look shake. a fielding error allowed san francisco to go up 8 to 4. kansas city not on the same wave length here at all. >> now, it is exciting. a great game tonight. at this obviously we think it's a great game. these guys fought hard. i mean they scratched and called to get -- claud to get back in it. you get down against this club in that bullpen, you have your work cut out for you. >> an 11-4 win for the giants. 2-2 now in the series. we know there will be at least one more game in kansas city but the next installment is in san francisco on sunday. davy garrett, al jazeera. >> raining world champion mark marquez has equalled a season record by winning his 12th race at that time. >> ahead poor start but claud his way back to the front of the pack to finish neil three seconds in front of runner up rosi. it puts him equal well mick

duins's 12 race wins from 1997. >> andy murray is strengthening his chances after beating one of his main challengers, david ferrera. the scot could move up to 5th in the race if he biningz in spain on sunday. 6-4, 7-5 f spacing refredo. his third-world club title for the season. >> roger federer is true to his 9th straight home event. later on sunday after beating parmovich. winning the tournament for a 6th time. >> that's all of the sport for now. more later. thank you. >> thank you. that's it from me and the entire newshour team.

fa favia eastbou faviaibrahim is next. thanks for watching. ♪

>> america votes 2014 >> the race is still a dead heat >> filmmaker aj schack turns his camera towards elections in the swing states >> it shows you who these people are... in ways that you don't get to see from the short appearances >> unconventional... >> if i can drink this... i don't see why you should be

able to smoke that... >> unscripted... >> we gonna do this? >> ...and uncensored... >> are you kidding me? >> america votes 2014 midterms the series continues only on al jazeera america >> tanks on the streets in northern lebanon as the army battl battles gunmen for a second day. live in tripoli with the latest. hello and welcome to al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also, ahead, the football democracy in tunisia, millions cart ballots in the country that inspired the arab spring. a crucial vote also gets underway in ukraine. millions cast their ballots against the backdrop of fighting in the