>> joining hundreds of syrian kurdish and opposition fight tours take on the islamic state in iraq and the levant. the peshmerga have been waiting on the border since wednesday. reconnaissance teams have been sent in over the past few days. now it seems that they're ready to begin the fight. now kobane has gained great significance not just for the kurdish forces defending it, but also for turkey. it's leaders have been watching developments there closely. we'll have more on that a little later. but first an exclusive report from inside kobane.

>> reporter: we are now standing in the western neighborhoods these neighborhoods represent the springboard where they're fending off isil attacks. they have a firm grip on alias to the east. to the or the out of kobane, where the high ridges can be seen in the backdrop, on these ridges the turkish army and it's forces opposition closely monitoring the fighting taking place inside the city. now deployed to the front lines fighting isil, waiting for orders from the joint command who are arriving of peshmerga forces with equipment. this will shift the balance of power on the ground. forces are planning a new assault against isil positions in kobane.

>> we'll cross to our correspondent on the turkey-syria border. that's just a few kilometers west of kobane. how much of a difference is this reinforcement likely to make in the battle for kobane? >> well, we're waiting to see how it's going to play out on the ground, but the sources that we've been speaking through from the syrian forces fighters who have been waiting for reinforcement for a long time tell us that they will, indeed, make a difference. you can see where reinforcement are stationed. it has the kurdish flag above it. that's where the iraqi peshmerga forces entered first before distributing them to different key locations. we just got of phone with one of the spokespersons for the

kurdish fighters inside kobane who told us that peshmerga forces have taken up forces, and we have yet to use the heavy weaponry. there has been, offer, consistent fighting throughout the day with the sound of mortar shells and other explosions and fighting taking place. however, that has subsided significantly over the past hour or so. it has been quiet as we anticipate the sound to see how nighttime will unfold. but it is a significant development nonetheless, and the fact that the kurdish fighters have been calling on reinforcements to come for a long time, and they finally got their wishes. >> michael: it is not just a physical battle on the ground, it is a political battle. stay with us for just a moment. not everyone is on board with the peshmerga deployment. there is criticism from turkey's

own president erdogan. let's listen to what he has to say. >> i want to stress one important thing about kobane. why kobane? why not other towns like homs or why not even delazur. why not iraqi territory occupied by isis. why are we not giving intervention in these areas, and why only kobane? >> what do you make of that statement from erdogan? >> well, turkey has consistently questioned the strategy to battle isil, providing military support to the kurdish fighters because turkey considers those kurdish fighters to belong to a terrorist group, as does the united states. also, turkey feels that there is inconsistency in the outrage that has been expressed in kobane, whereas the deaths of hundreds of thousands of syrian

civilians in the past few years has fallen on deaf ears, particularly the cities mentioned by erdogan. >> it's a very complex situation there. jamal, than thank you for spraining to us. took to go us on the turkey-syria border. a bomb blast in egypt's sinai peninsula has injured seven soldiers. the device was planted on a road used by army patrol and police. 33 soldiers were killed and in coordinated explosions in the same area last week. now there are reporter that egypt's military are using helicopters to bombard clearly abandoned areas in sinai. this is to make way for a buffer zone. the campaign was brought forward

after 33 soldiers were killed in an attack in the area last month. the military said that the new measures will stop gun running from gaza through underground tunnels. while many people have left voluntarily, some have had to be evicted from their homes. eight egyptian men have been given prison terms for posting a video of a gay wedding on the internet. they were jailed for three years charged with debauchery and offending public morality. the video, which went viral, was a gay ceremony with two men in the center kissing and exchang exchanging rings. al jazeera continues to demand the release of three journalists who have been detained for 308 days. mohamed fahmy, bader mohammed, and peter greste are falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood.

al jazeera rejects the charges against them. thethey were given seven years in prison, and bader mohammed was given an extra three years for having a spent bullet in his possession from a demonstration. >> it's unfortunate that the al jazeera journalists, like other journalists, are paying the price for their work. they should be allowed to work. governments have problems with other governments, ideologies, they should sort it outside of taking it out on these journalists. don't let them in your country or let them go home. but don't put them in prison and totally unjustifiable reasons to put them in jail.

>> ousted president is stayin staying in the ivory coast. well, his departure has left a struggle for power between rival factions. these men say they're in charge of a country seen as an important country in the fight against al-qaeda in north africa. the military chiefs are backing corporal zida. let's hear from john joe who has this report. >> to some he was the only president they'd ever known. but there is now disputes over who is in charge. first, the head of the army said

that he would take control. >> people of burki na faso. announcing the resignation of the president. i will assume the responsibility of the government and will start immediately to return to constitutional life. >> then colonel eye san diego county zida said he's now head of state. >> while we wait for consensus by the people and all political parties, i, unfortunately, will take responsibility for this transitional group, to insure the continuity of the state. i call on the international community especially burkina faso's allies, to support us during this trying time. >> the resignation was welcomed by many but it was attempts to further extend his time in office that brought protest on the streets. the president did agree not to seek another term in office but

said he would remain in power until next year. >> i call on all parties to put the country's needs first. only dialogue will prevail and lead us to peace. for my party i remain open and available for transitional talks until a hand-over power to elected democratic president. >> issuing the statement in which he still considers himself the head of state. the opposition has said repeatedly here that prior to any discussion of political transition it is pure and simple and unconditional that the president must leave. >> tuesday marked the start of a civil disobedience called by opposition parties. demonstrators storm parliament and set it on fire. they were trying to stop the vote that would have allowed the president to run for office

again. after days of violence people in burkina faso opened that this would bring an end to the oppressive violence they've had to endure. >> and just a recap for bot those who have just joined us. military chiefs have backed colonel zida, and we'll bring you more details on this story as we get them. but burkina faso is being watched by the united states and colonial power france. both have ties to the country. it lies between mali and west nigeria in the east. both are fighting al-qaeda-linked fighters. the united states reportedly used its air bases in burkina

faso. washington gives millions of dollars in foreign aid. thnow the country's allies will be concerned about the power vacuum left by the president's resignation and the ensuing rivalry between the military leaders. let's get more on this situation. we're joined by skype by jeremi keenan, he's the author of a book "the dark sahara." thank you very much, professor, for being with us. let's get to this breaking news about the military chiefs in burkina faso backing colonel zida. does this bring an end to the confusion in the country? do we now know that there is

someone who is in actually in charge? >> well, this is new news to me. i thought you might have asked me before i heard this who would come out on top, the chief of staff or colonel zida. i was going to say colonel, well, if i was a betting man i would put my money on zida. i just earned that the army has backed him. that is not surprising. the general who was trying to take over last night was probably seen as to close to its president. and colonel zida would have more the support of the civil society. he is a younger man, but still the military. that's not to say that all the military will be behind him and may well be residual support. it sounds from what reuters is saying that the army has put its weight behind zida. that is not surprising. it could well be that he does

manage to stabilize the country, hold it, and turn it over to civilian power, but we've heard that many times before in african countries, and it's often a long-time happening. i think there must be a lot of disquiet as to whether or not that sort. >> now early yes we had outlined burkina faso's role against al-qaeda, is this a role that is likely to diminish now? >> well, .

>> this shifting of compaore, nobody trusts him. he plays both sides of the game. it's interesting that those negotiations have really left to go to algiers. not that it is to be any more trusted, it is over and above compaore himself. he was involved in hostage taking. he had a finger in that, he had a finger in drug trafficking. things couldn't have gotten much worse, really, having that sort of character in power. this is why there is so much celebration, of course, in the country with his departure. >> professor, we'll leave it at that. thank you very much for sharing your insight with us.

still 20 come on al jazeera, we take a close look at china's drastic steps to look it's best for asia pacific forum. plus-- >> north and south wiz stan, they say they're losing a lot of money. . >> and formula one with a spin on and off the track. >> boko haram has denied that it agreed to a cease-fire with the nigerian government. the leader has ruled out future talks with no negotiations taking place. he says that the school girls

who have been kidnapped have been converted to islam and matter off. >> in what way did we make a truce? what kind of negotiation and with whom? your envoy and infidel like you will not be spared and will be decapitated if falling in our hands. what negotiation? we did not negotiate with anyone. it is a lie. we will not negotiate. what is our business with negotiation. allah said that we should not. >> we're joined live from abuja. this must be a huge embarrassment for the government. what has been their reaction to this latest statement from boko haram? >> well, actually so far the government has yet to say anything about the new video. they say they have not watched

the video yet. they're not willing to comment on anything so far. the general feeling is that of anxiety, fear, and that we are back to where we were two weeks ago when the federal government here and also they have reached an agreement on the cease-fire with boko haram, and soon the girls, 219 girls abducted more than 200 days ago would be released soon. i spoke to a parent who has lost a daughter or whose daughter was kidnapped by boko haram back in april who told me that they're heartbroken. they're expecting good news by the end of the day, and this is what is happening, and he felt heartbroken. >> boko haram said that the girls have been abducted and married off. do we even know where those girls are? >> basically the nigerian

military said that they know exactly where the girls are, but to launch an attack to result in the death of men. but eventually that talk faded away. the government still insists it knows where these girls are, and that the talks are still going on just two days ago. now with the statement by boko haram there is a new fear that probably what the boko haram leader may be true, and that could dampen the whole idea of these girls coming back home any time soon. so basically to say whether or not th that they know exactly where these girls are, it's difficult to say at the moment. some people feel if the military knows where these girls are, and why boko haram is camped out, definitely some form of arrangement, some form of action could have been taken to save some of these girls. but with the statement by the boko haram leader, nobody is putting a bet on that. >> the report from capitol of abuja.

virgin has vowed to move forward with its plan to take tourists to the edge of space. this is despite a crash in a test flight. it came down in the california desert killing one pilot and injuring another. the founder of virgin group is traveling to meet his team at the site. on his twitter page he wrote: >> al jazeera's tom ackerman reports. >> reporter: this was the 35th test fight for the passenger plane, but only the fourth time it had been due to reach the edge of space under its own power. as seen in the last test mission a carrier air raft lifted it to the height of 14,000 meters. at that point the plane was supposed to separate, ignite it's own rocket motor and climb to the altitude of 2100 meters.

instead it crashed to the month javi desert floor. >> i knew it wasn't because something didn't happen, it's what i was not hearing and not seeing. if there was a huge explosion, it didn't occur, i didn't see it. >> more than 700 people have paid deposits for a seat on board the enterprise, which would give them a few minutes ride in space. the initial ticket price, $250,000. >> we'll get through it. future rest in many ways on hard, hard days like this. but we believe we owe it to the folks who were flying these vehicles. >> reporter: the crash came the same week that another private commercial space mission failed.

an unmanned rocket carrying experiments and supplies for the international space station was deliberately blown up shortly after launch. virgin galactic has said that the timing of its plane's first commercial roll out would be based on a safety-driven schedule. now that timetable has been thrown into even more uncertainty. tom ackerman, al jazeera. >> china has successfully resurvived an experimental spacecraft that flew around the moon and back. the unmanned lunar or bitter returned to earth after a successful eight-day flight. it was a test mission that aims to have a chinese spacecraft land on the moon, retrieve samples, and then return to earth. we heard earlier from our meteorologist about china taking drastic steps to insure blue skies next week. that's when it hosts the asia pacific economic corporation

forum. rob mcbride went on to where a major clean up is underway. >> in beijing motorists are only allowed to use their cars on alternate days. workers and government offices are given a week-long holiday. out of town heavy trucks are banned from the highways. while in heavily-polluting provinces building sites and factories are shut. quarry owner got the phone call on the morning we visited him. telling him to stop work. one less source of dust. he views it as his national duty. >> yes, it caused us some loss of business, but we're happy to do it. we have to uphold the authorities in their effort. >> the whole community, it seems, has been mobilized for the cause. >> there hasn't been a clean-up effort like this since the 2008

beijing olympics. then, as now, china is determined to showcase to the world it's remarkable economic transformation. but one free from the clouds of pollution that have been created in getting there. the city has the unenviable reputation of being the most polluted in the whole of china. residents can be thankful for the breath of fresh air the apec delegations promise to bring with them. >> i don't think it will stop the pollution problem. it's only a temporary measure. >> this only deals with the symptoms but not the cause of the pollution. >> the long-suffering residents of northeast china know that departure of the vips will likely be followed to a swift return to a smog laden existence. al jazeera, outside of beijing. >> let's take a check on the

weather now with stephen. how is that pollution in china effecting the weather there? >> weather effects pollution and at the moment its looking favorable for clearish conditions. the reason is all this cloud is edging its way. it shows you the direction that generally the winds are going. at the moment the air pollution there is known as moderate. that's with the index of 63. it could be worse, definitely, and the reason is because the winds are coming from the northwest. that's one of the things we need in order to have clear air in beijing. it's either that or rain. those are the two things that really help us out. over the next 24 hours or so it does look like the conditions are going to stay rather good there in beijing with the winds coming over the mountains towards the city hopefully strong enough to make it over the mountains. then the air should stay relatively clear. now if we head towards the u.s. in the west here we've had an awful lot of heavy rain recently. you see the latest batch of wet

weather working its way through san francisco. that's very good news because many parts of california are in a drought, and all the reservoirs are generally in the northern part of the state. that's where we neat the wet weather. fortunately, we've got rain where we need it. but unfortunately it has caused a few problems, mostly with landslides that have been triggered there thanks to the rain we've seen on friday. that has caused quite a few problems. we've also seen quite a few problems towards the southeast as well. around chicago here. well, the winds have turned. they're bringing in some very, very cold weather. that has caused a little bit of flooding around the coast of the lake, and it's caused this part of the tree to fall and the lamp post as well, it has caused quite a bit of damage, and gradually that cold wear is sweeping south wards and east wards. it will certainly be cold as we head our way into sunday.

>> thank you. still to come on the al jazeera news hour, let the debates begin. we hear from both sides in our special coverage ahead of the u.s. midterm elections. you'll get a bird's-eye view of new york where landlords are getting their money's worth from sky high apartment prices. and in sport, why this fable team may be feeling lonely during the asian champions league final.

>> a reminder now the headlines here on al jazeera.

turkish forces look on peshmerga forces that enter the syrian border town of kobane. they've been waiting on the border since wednesday. burkina faso army said that it is backing colonel zida as it's transitional president. it's president compaore has resigned. boko haram has released a video denying it has agreed to a cease-fire with the nigerian government. the leader has also ruled out future talks. pro russian separatests are preparing to elect a leader and government in a vote that's being condemned by kiev and the west. separatist leaders say wednesday's vote in donetsk and luhansk is an important vote,

and many are worried that the election will not bring about much change. >> reporter: the first wrestling gold medalist of the donetsk's people republic. less than a year ago they were regional teams of a united ukraine. >> times are hard right now. there were a lot of changes. we hope that we'll become a recognized republic and it be possible. >> being shown live on local television signals that dontesk is on its way to statehood. it is here at the front line that people have nothing left but fear and misery. they live hidden away in dark, damp, underground bunkers. this shelter was built during the second world war. it's cold, and there is no sanitation. >> this is where we sleep, and

here there is a sick man. he has not come out in three months. >> this man had a stroke recently. he asked for medicine and says that all the aid is going to the fighters. >> 22 people have lived here for months. they have not received pensions. others come and go, depending on the fighting. the sound of war is ever present here. hopes of a lasting cease-fire dwindle with each bullet and shell fired. there is also fatigue among the fighters. >> maybe after the election they will be intelligence enough to end this fight. six months ago it was one country. we didn't hate each other. now people who live 100 kilometers away hate us. i hope our government find a compromise, but i don't think so. >> the frontrunner of the leadership promises to build a

new state and expand its borders. >> i suppose political and peaceful solution but we're ready for any military action and we're not afraid. this is our land. our brothers are living in land occupied by ukraine. we need to live in a single state with them. >> but for those living through these dark days, the question of an ukraine or a new donetsk republic does not matter that much any more as long as they return to living above ground. >> tens of thousands of people have attended the game. now you've attended that funeral

ceremony, just tell us what the mood was like there? >> yes, the people have been lining the streets as the pro sessiothe procession occurred. the people are screaming and showing their love and giving their support. >> mickey, we're just looking at the pictures of this funeral at the moment. and certainly we can understand

the devastation that south africa is going through. just tell us how do you think that they will be remembered? >> it is important that they remain on top all the time, and mos. >> that is the orlando pirates'

team spokesperson. >> at least nine members of the afghan security forces have been killed in a suicide attack in central loga province. at least 0 others including civilians were injured in the attack. afghan forces have deemed the target of attacks by the taliban as troops prepare to withdraw by the end of the year. >> well, pakistan is one of the world's biggest producers of pinenuts. they have made things a little difficult for growers and traders. we have more. >> in pakistan's northern region of bannu, it's the time of year where the locals bring pinenuts to this market.

everyone here is busy. this man is filling sacks of pinenuts. they're intricately sorted by hand in what could take several hours each day. nearby some take machines to save time and labor. pakistan has one of the largest pinenuts forest. although pinenuts are found abundantly in other parts of the country, the ones in waziristan are known for their unique taste. in good times pinenuts can fetch a lot of fun. but because of the conflict of waziristan tribal members are complaining that they're losing a lot of money at a time when they need it most. a large military operation against foreign fighters has forced over 800,000 people out of waziristan.

>> we are poor people. transportation costs have risen from 2,000 a piece to 8,000. this is effecting the people in the country. the government should open the routes and help us our problems. >> the price of pinenuts was around $10 a kilo. because of the military operation in the area it is proving difficult to transport the commodity to the market. j. >> a timely delivery is essential. the pinenuts goes bad very quickly. due to military operation the time of transportation and unpredictable weather the pinenuts are rotting. we're losing lots of money locally. >> although traders may have their own problems they complain it's the middle men who make the most money. creating new ways of preserving

it's pinenuts. >> bangladesh has been hit by an electricity blackout. we're on the line now from dakka, can you give us an idea as to how this came about? >> it started 11:30 local time, which is 5:3 5:30 5:30 greenwich main time. the inter connected line snapped causing the chain reaction in the entire grade system all across the country. now, they tried to restore it just for an hour the electricity came and again snapped. the entire nation is in black out except for northeast of the

country which has partial electricity. the rest of the country is total blackout. they have emergency power for airport, generators as well. even the prime minister in the presidential house does not have electricity. they're running on power back up. >> what has been the impact in all of this? >> well, it depends on the industry. most of them do have power generators, but they can run only for a short period. this is going to affect the industry, and the hospital and emergency services, they're ba badly affected. even the transport system mr. collapse if this continues for another few hours. even if you want, you cannot. >> any idea as to when the power will come back on? >> well, the energy secretary

told the local immediate for people to have patients. it will be a little while. they did not give a specific time frame. we tried to talk to other sources. nobody can give a clearcut answer. the idea is most people expecting there might be a black out because the way it's going there does not seem to be a clear road map or outline to when it will be restored. >> thank you very much for that update. speaking to us from dakka. >> it's the final weekend of campaigning in the u.s. midterm elections, and they could see the republicans take control of both houses of congress, which would make life very difficult for president obama and his democrats. but many polls show that voters hold both the main parties in very low regard and want more choice. who are the independent third

party candidates? there are 32 officially recognized third parties. the main ones are the libertarian party, the green party and the constitution party. there are many independent candidates running, and three of them are making an impact in the senate race. ones to keep an eye on is in kansas. greg roman. his campaign was given boosts when the democratic candidate withdrew. now this means that he now has a real chance of unseating the long-standing republicans pat robert. now, there are no independents in the house, we have more now from los angeles. >> americans say they're fed up with the duopoly of republicans and democrats who have dominated politics over a century half. that's evident in the polls and on the streets. >> political parties, i feel

disenfranchised. i don't know which one really speaks to me or represents me accurately and my concerns. >> i think i'm probably in line with most of america. frustrated at the gridlock. >> voters want more choices. a survey by gallop showed 60% of america needs a third party. >> i think there should always be other parties to choose from because it's a democratic society. >> we have more choices in the mix. >> yet there are more than just two parties in the mix. as this politician going door to door is proof. >> hello. >> i'm michael feinstein, former mayor. >> green party candidate michael feinstein is running for city council in santa monica, california, a city which he once served as mayor. >> this could be a spoiler to a system that is frankly already spoiled when you're trapped in always choosing the lesser of

two evil, you end up with the evil of two lessers. that's the political system that is less and less representative. >> parties have thought out ideologies and political platforms, and many serve in local government. yet when it comes to congress or the white house they can't get a foot in the door? >> money is the mother's milk of politician. in today's political environment with the cost of campaigning being what it is, with an overwhelming disgust with constitutions not only the major parties, but political parties as an institution it's a long hard futile climb. >> parties are losing cloud. 42% of voters describe themselves as independents more than either reasons or democrats. yet, because of money,

tradition, and organization the two main parties rule. >> i don't care for either one of them, and i believe in our country, but i can't stand our government. >> the voters are as guilty as the media, as our politicians in allowing to monolith, to control the political debate. >> as much as americans say they disdane their politicians and their parties, they appear for the time being, at least, to be stuck with the system that they've got al jazeera, los angeles. >> still to com come on al jazeera, all the sports including one united states rugby team is guaranteed to be part of a record-breaking performance.

>> welcome back. it's time for sports now. >> thank you so much. three formula one teams have contemplating a walk out ahead of sunday's grand prix. they took part of the practice sessions, but some are not in texas. it means that only 18 cars are set to be on the starting grid. that's the lowest number since the 2005 monaco grand prix. now as you've been hearing tens of thousands of people have been attending the funeral of south african football captain

senso weyima. a suspect has been charged with his murder. now now in the english premiere league are under way. a new fixture that traditionally produces a lot of goals. it is not producing any at the moment. of a at halftime, it's 0-0. arresarsenal played at the bottom. >> this one position at the moment, and i believe it would not be realistic to just think now we can come back quickly. i'm focused on our game and the

consistency of our results before we think about coming back. >> now australia's western city wonders, it won't be down to the local support of their traveling fans. 14 of their supporters have been able to get visas into saudi arabia. they will be in a crowd of 67,000 support he is. they did take a 1-0 lead with them and they could become the first australian side to claim the asian title. >> when you have belief in your team, belief in your squad, there is no fear for me. why would i fear? i respect them. of course we respect them. they're in the final. the fear is a big word for me. >> the most important thing is we have to win the match and take the championship. everyone knows the history, we're a team which has won this championship before, but the last time was a long time ago. we're determined to win it.

>> well, the african champions league reaches its conclusion later on this saturday that's in algeria. if the club is leveled at 2-2. as for the asian national team the winner will go through to next month's world cup in morocco. >> murray has done enough to qualify for the season-ending finals in london. later on this saturday djokovic will face nishikori. >> very few points can decide the winner. >> well, pakistan looks to be in pretty good shape to move up in third in cricket world ranking.

australia out for 261. pakistan now in a strong position to clench their first series win over australia since back in 1994. players just finished over the 61 for 2 in pakistan. in the big league of 370 runs to take in to day four. now athletics governing body, the iwf will decide who to host the world championships. >> at last stop for a group of people with a big decision to make. the governing body has been in doha to see if the qatari capitol is ready to host the championships. it would be a first for the

middle east. >> it will inspire younger generations to get involved. >> the cities of eugene in the united states, a country which has yet to stage the championships as well as barcelona in spain are also in the running. >> every previous addition has started in august. high summer temperatures means doha's plan includes a cooler. it's one that they don't believe puts the city at a disadvantage. >> we look at the calendar and find that in the city by the end of september. i think that this is going to be a good chance for the whole

world to see the world championship with the season ending with a world championship. >> the football world cup is on its way to qatar, but there are still unanswered questions surrounding that event. when in the year it will be played, and what will the findings of a report into allegations of corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 bidding process will be revealed. >> can this bid be treated in isolation, or is this the wrong time to be rewarding another big event to qatar. >> we have not spent, nor should we spend any time worrying about other sports and other situations. it's entirely for us to make judgments around our sport, and that's exactly what we've done. >> a final decision will be made on november 18th. sara coates, al jazeera. >> alexander levine will take a lead in the golfs shanghai

masters. holing for an eagle at the 16th. levy started his round with three consecutive birdies, and in complete control at the moment. he's on 22 under par. now champions new zealand are heading into uncharted territory. they're headed to play a test match in the united states for the first time in 30 years. the team will be in the world cup, ranked at 18th place. the all blacks have attracted 161,000 at chicago's soldier field. that will be a record for a rugby game in the u.s. plenty more on the website. you can check that out at www.aljazeera.com/sport. our top story there the latest from the semifinal action under way in france right now. >> okay, that's how sport is looking for now. >> thank you very much.

>> well, every score meter of a house is expensive when you live in a big city, and in new york the sky is the limit. even the air has its own price. as mary snow reports. >> on an island that's home to 1.6 million people squeezed per space and vying for a view, the only way to build is up. demand is high leaving developers jockeying for a slice of the skyline. the higher the building, the better the view. and the more money that can be fetched. that's why they hire kurt westergaard. launching a balloon to his truck, equipped with the faa's blessing his job is to photograph the view from sky scrapers that have not yet been built. mirror inches can mean the difference of millions. >> you can advertise an apartment with views of times square or without just those inches back and forth. that's really cool to find that

out. it's like you've discovered, that wow, i can see it or i have a sliver of river--shoot, it's an air conditioner. >> the air i itself has become a hot commodity. >> the right to develop in it is being transferred to a very tangible asset. >> a tangible asset, but a complicated one. he worked on a deal where this catholic high school sold its air rights for $13 million to a company building condominium next door. >> that difference between what you're built at, let's say it's five stories. let's say you can go seven or eight stories. that unbuilt portion is called air rights. >> the average right per-square-foot of manhattan property by some estimates is roughly $800. for air rights the average price

for-square-foot is $351, a jump of 52% since 2011. the appetite for air has become an appealing side dish for a new york institution famous for its pa strom any since 1998. jake is its family's third generation of katz's deli. it sold its air rights. that means that the deli will stay put. he does not disclose the amount he's going, but he said its enough to keep his business going for the many years to come. >> it's the last of wild west frontier that exists in business. >> and just when that soaring coast for undeveloped air comes back to worth is anybody's gue guess. mary snow, al jazeera. >> stay with us here on al jazeera. we have another full bulletin of news for you right at the top of the hour.

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