from washington, i'm ray suarez. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> welcome to the news hour. i'm sami zeidan in doha. coming up, a palestinian is shot dead by police in jerusalem after ramming his van into a crowded train platform. the attack followed violent clashes with israeli security forces in the city's most holy site. west africa president pushes for civilian rule in burkina faso

but no election until next year. >> tonight they said we can have real change in washington. >> and republicans sweep to victy in the united states. taking control of both houses of congress. ♪ a palestinian man has been shot dead by israeli police after he deliberately drove his vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians in occupied east jerusalem. at least one israeli police officer was killed. this is the scene right now. the incident came after a morning of violent confrontation with security forces when palestinians were denied access to one of islam's most holy sites. these are the latest pictures to come out of parts of east jerusalem. as you can see there, a bit of smoke. fires burning. as far as the tensions which have boiled over on this day.

let's go straight to our correspondent live for us in west jerusalem. what is going on right now. take us through the events. >> reporter: well, a very tense day in jerusalem, starting in the morning at the compound when a number of far-right jewish activists tried to access the compound. they chose this day to go, because one week ago, one of their leaders was shot and badly wounded by a palestinian man. now the man who is wounded is an american/israeli activist who campaigns for greater jewish involvement in the compound, greater jewish access in the compound. that of course is seen as a major provocation and that is what we know resulted in the confrontations between israeli security forces and palestinian

youths. in saying that, only a few hours later than we heard the news of this attack in the -- what is described as the scene line or the border that divides east jerusalem -- or occupied east jerusalem and west jerusalem. and that is when a palestinian man drove his week into a crowd of people waiting at a train station. and one person was killed in that attack, and police later shot dead the palestinian driver of the vehicle. >> a struggle for control of east jerusalem. we have a statement by an israeli minister talking about building a temple at the mosque. how is that planning into the tension? >> reporter: i think it's enormously to be perfectly frank. the truth is, we have heard and particularly from some of these activists, we understand from eyewitnesss that they were chanting as they were trying to

access the compound, they were chanting that very thought, that a third temple will be built there. they believe the al-aqsa was built on the foundation of one of their temples, and you have these groups advocating for that. it certainly inflames things within the palestinian communities who increasingly see the al-aqsa compound and mosque as something that is being desecrated by israeli security forces. this is their most important holy site and it has now been the scene of very brutal confrontations between israeli police and palestinian protesters. >> all right. thanks for that. meanwhile jordan has recalled its ambassador to israel in protest of what it calls israeli violations in

jerusalem and its holy site. it's the most serious diplomat rauch between these two countries. some diplomatic reverberations of today's events. how far is this going? >> well, sami i can tell you over the past few months jordan has been becoming increasingly worried, and feels disrespected when it sees what it describes as israeli violations in the al-aqsa and al-aqsa compound, because jordan has a special historic role in looking after islamic and christian shrines in jerusalem and that role is recognized under that peace treaty that you mentioned. so jordan feels it is now in situation where it respects its obligations, but israel doesn't, and it cannot allow this to keep

happening. jordan has employees from the ministry in jerusalem who are supposed to look after al-aqsa. jordan has had this historic role for a long time. and as well as it a peace treaty and close security coordination with israel every day. some observers say that jordan sees these violations as a threat to its own national security, and we even have jordanian officials going as far as threatening to review the peace treaty. and jordan is taking action at the national security council, and has made arrange mentes to file a complaint against israel

there. jordan has been upset for many months now when this escalation started. jordan thinks that the israeli police should not be entering the al-aqsa compound, should not been entering the mosque, which is what happened this morning. this is basically the straw that breaks the camels back. they consider this is a very sacred place. there is no peace treaty between israelis and palestinians, and it just wants to look after these shrines, maintain the status quo for as long as possible, until the two sides agree to an agreement, under which everything becomes clear, and east jerusalem is protected because palestinians want that as their capitol, so this is why

this is a very sensitive issue for jordan and jordan sees these violations as a threat to its own security, because it's supposed to look after these shrines, and it is not -- and basically israel is not allowed to let jews pray inside the al-aqsa compound, under the peace agreement, and we understand from palestinians who are there, that this is exactly what is happening. >> all right. thanks so much. and as she is talking there, we're looking at some of the live pictures, and it does seem like things are kicking off in that neighborhood of east jerusalem. a lot of flashes of light, this coming as she was explaining at the end of a long and tense day in which israeli police made a move in the al-aqsa compound. [ explosion ] >> all of this, of course, coming on the back of fear and

concern for any attempt by israeli groups to exert their influence over the site that is holy to them, but also holy to palestinians and muslims around the world. [ explosion ] let's take you to iraq now. the iraqi interior minister has reiterated his government's commitment to fighting isil. here is what he had to say. >> translator: i see [ inaudible ] that we are [ inaudible ] isil and other terrorist groups. we are in the process of eradicating them, but we need cooperation from neighboring countries in order to hunt down terrorists and drain out their sources of funding. in iraq fighting has intensified in the western city in anbar province. the iraqi army is seeking to

take back control from isil fighters. imran khan reports. >> reporter: once this was a quiet suburb, but since june, the southern part has been taken over by isil. in recorrect days the iraqi army has mounted an offensive to try to retake the area. coalition air strikes have hit targets in the border areas of the city, and no it's time to retake the streets. the main fighting forces, a counter terrorism unit, nicknamed the golden squad. this is a unit with a mixed reputation amongst sunnis who have accused them in the past of human rights violations, accusations the head of the unit here dismisses. >> translator: the golden squad is not biassed to anyone. it's for the iraqi people. it includes and protects the shoenys, shias, and others. and is considered to protect all religions and sects. i just want to set the record straight to everyone.

>> reporter: they sweep houses they have captured, but here booby traps and surprise isil attacks are common. >> translator: we're in one of the neighborhoods that isil claims to have taken. we're still fighting them, and there are signs of them all around us. >> reporter: the fight for these streets is key, as they are strategically valuable. they offer easy access into the center of the town. with the right number of fighters you can take over the city. that means the entire city falls. if that happens, it gives isil a base in which to mount further attacks, but also gives them a propaganda victory, one that they will be very keen to trumpet that they say shows the weakness of iraqi forces. this footage was shot on sunday. but not much as changed. pockets of isil fighters are still mounting attacks, and

iraqi soldiers are fighting back. but neither side has the upper hand. in syria at least 12 children have been killed by a mortar attack. shelling targeted a school in the district. rebel fighters in the syrian government are fighting for control of the area. the presidents of ghana, nigeria, and senegal are meeting military leaders in burkina faso, pushing for a return to civilian rule. we're covering the story live from the capitol. first of all, some details i believe coming to life about the transitional plan. what do we know? er >> reporter: well, we know the president suggested a one-year transitional period. they told opposition groups, civil society, and religious leaders to go away for an hour or two and make a list. on that list put down three names. and then hand back the papers. a name that appears on all

lists, that person will be the new president. this will only work if the colonel accepts it. he hasn't said anything yet, and we're waiting for though ah announcement when he does make it. so it may be a couple of more hours. >> does this mean the military authorities have accepted the demands of some of the visiting african leaders as well as others that the transitional period should be a civilian one? >> reporter: we know the military is under a lot of pressure to hand over to a civilian government. we haven't heard from the military official. what we are seeing on the ground is delegates, ambassadors, people trying to compile a list. that basically means that they will be taking over the country. the military has been very, very quiet. the colonel has been here, but

people are waiting to see what he says. the key thing is he has to accept everything that is going on. if he doesn't step down, opposition leaders say they will go back to the streets to protest and forcibly remove him from the streets, sami. >> reporter: this is sort of extended, perhaps transition period what people are looking for? does it help them to get on with their lives, et cetera? >> reporter: generally people are saying one year could be long enough to put certain systems in place. if you rush it too much, you are opening up the door for more violence to occur. so generally, people are saying, yes, the country does need time. what needs to be done is agree on the one candidate who can hold the country together, manage things, and prepare for

elections. but the key thing is will the military accept it as people are waiting to hear from the colonel when he does make an announcement of what he plans to do. is he going to step down or is he going to fight this and stay in power. >> all right. thank you very much. boko haram is responsible for more violence in nigeria. at least five government solders have been killed by boko haram. they are reported to have robbed the bank and set fire to the police station there. zambia's acting president may have backed down over the dismissal of his defense minister, however, the protests were also seen as a rejection of his authority. >> reporter: briefly dismissed but now back another his post. he front runner is reinstated as

the ruling party's secretary general. he has been sacked by the interim president just a day earlier. the public backlash was almost instantaneous. armed with machetes and stones, his supporters demonstrated on the streets. police had to use tear gas to disperse them. it prompted an emergency meet l. >> some of these things that we see and we look at them to be simple, [ inaudible ] in other countries. >> reporter: in the end the interim president, guy scott resended his order, but he hasn't explained why he reversed his decision. there is still speculation that he is eyeing higher office, but he is constitutionally barred

from running, because his parents were born in scotland. and some are worried that he could take the first step towards the return of white rule. >> what will be important in the next 90 days is that there is a clear sense that the rules are being followed; that there's no attempt to try to manipulate the transition. i think that's the type of uncertainty that would lead to the types of protests that we saw. >> reporter: people in zambia are in mourning, the funeral of the president is scheduled for next week. after that, the race begins in earnst for zambia's top job. coming up on the news hour: >> tonight they said we can have real change in washington. real change. [ cheers and applause ] >> republicans sweep to victory in the u.s. midterm elections,

taking control of both houses of congress. plus the yemen president is told to leave his country or face sanctions. and time to deliver. one of england's biggest teams has failed to win so far. manchester city knows it's now or never. ♪ to the u.s. now where the republicans are celebrating a night of gains across the country. they now control both houses of congress. mike hannah is at capitol hill for us. mike, can you hear me. oh, there you are. good. let's start with reaction to how things went there, mike. >> reporter: well, sami the office of mitch mcconnell is a few doors behind me here, and walking past it, arriving staff were exchanging high fives and smiles all around. that is a scene being repeated

in republican offices throughout the country. some january mitch mcconnell will go into the senate as the house imagine yourty leader. a comfortable majority in the senate and the house of representatives, and importantly too, sweeping the board almost in terms of the governoral races that hand at the same time. dispaying for the democrats too that in that governor's race, the republicans won a number of states that had been held comfortably by president obama during the presidential election in 2012. while president obama himself he is due to hold a news conference in the coming hours to discuss the situation. he is also invited leaders from both parties to come to the white house on friday to discuss the way ahead. but generally democrats still reeling from an evening that went worst than even the gloomiest of predictions had said would happen. >> reporter: the man who is

likely to be the new senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell celebrates his win in kentucky. a win that set the tone for a night of sweeping republican gains in both houses of congress. >> tomorrow the papers will say i won this race. [ cheers and applause ] >> but the truth is -- the truth is, tonight we begin another one, one that's far more important than mine. and that's the race to turn this country around. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: a runoff was predicted in the georgia senate race amidst speculation that neither candidate could achieve an outright win. but what was supposed to be a close race become yet another comfortable republican victory. there will be a runoff in louisiana, and at least one democratic senator who will live to fight another day.

>> louisiana's worth fighting for. join me. let's get some rest tonight. and hit the campaign trial in the morning. god bless you all. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the republicans increases their majority in the house of representatives and took a number of governorships away from the democrats, including president obama's home state of illinois. president obama has invited leaders from both parties to the white house on friday to discuss the way forward in the light of the new political reality. butten -- but the new lords on the hill are more likely to demand presidential compromise than seek it. mike hannah, al jazeera, capitol hill. let's take a closer look at the new political landscape in the u.s. republicans won seven seats from the democrats. these are the seats that changed hands, iowa, north carolina,

colorado, montana, south dakota, arkansas and west virginia. that means they now control both houses of congress. of the 435 seats of the house of representatives, the republicans have 244. while in the senate the republicans currently have 52 seats. nine more than the democrats, at 43. simon rosenberg is a former advisor to u.s. president bill clinton. he joins us from washington, d.c. good to have you with us. this wasn't a huge surprise, was it? does this mean the odds are now stocked up in favor of the g.o.p. going forward to the presidential elections do you think? >> well, i want to say that this was a bigger defeat than i think any democrats thought we would have. and i think we have to be honest about that going forward, and try to understand what happened. for many democrats what is confusing is if you look at the

policy track record of the president, the economy is getting better, deficits are coming down, gas prices are -- are lower, stock market is at an all-time high. the health care plan is working. and if you look at the polling data from last night, more americans think the economy is getting better than worse. that's the first time that has been true in a long time. so the republicans are not going to have an easy path to oppose the current set of policies coming from the administration. the second thing on your question, 2016, the map is very different in 2016, much more favorable to the democrats, but this should give the republicans a boost and give them more confidence that they have a real shot in 2016. >> what is your take on why. a lot of the economic indicators are looking good, why did the democrats do so badly even in some of the states that obama had managed to swing and were looked at as kind of key states. >> one of the most interesting

things i read this morning is that some of the biggest republican victories were in the states where the obama healthcare plan actually signed up the most people for new insurance policies, meaning the states that had benefited the most in the country, are the ones that gave the republicans the biggest margins. we're going to be debating about how that is possible, i think for the next few months. but certainly i think the one major take away is that many of the democratic candidates in the country ran away from the president, nearing their association with him would bring them down. and i think what the democrats ended up doing is getting all of the down side of the association with the president and none of the upside. and there should have been much more of an national effort to make the case that in 60 years the democrats have been in power, things have gotten better, and i think that left a lot of running room for the republicans to define the

elections on their terms. >> what do you make of going forward then? do you think fears of dead lock just became a lot more real because of this result? >> i don't think anyone should be that optimistic that much is going to happen over the next two years. even though the republicans will have 54, 55 senators, there aren't a lot of democrats who will be comfortable working with ted cruz and the conservative republicans on major issues nor do they need to. i also think there are many republicans who are up for reelection in 2016 in heavily democratic parts of the country. there could be some bipartisanship on foreign policy, and the trade agreements, but i'm not optimistic about many domestic issues being able to be done together in the two parties going forward. >> all right. thanks so much for your thoughts and analysis on that. >> sure. thank you. let's take a look at those

u.s. midterm elections, what they could mean for the rest of the world. >> reporter: the midterm results paint the commander in chief as a lame duck waddling down the steps of air force one. and many republicans will also want to know how the u.s.'s foreign policy will be effected. and on issues ranging from the standingoff with russia to strategy against isil, the immediate perception is a harder line is likely to be followed than president obama would naturally want to pursue. >> i think we'll see a much more aggressive foreign policy from the united states, a lot less foreign aid. i think the participate will have less room to negotiation with iran and ukraine. prime minister netenyahu has fought off increasingly strident criticism by the administration, the government will feel it has

a protective layer surrounding it. and russia president putin is unlikely to want to offer concessions to some of his strongest critics in washington. yet it may not automatically follow that more hawks in the senate means a more hawkish foreign policy. >> i think you will see a more divided senate. the republicans have been able to criticize obama with one voice. they all agree that they don't like what he is doing. what they haven't been able to agree on is what we should be doing instead. >> it finally happened. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: so u.s. foreign policy already accused of lack of focus, may have less direction in the next two years, and the republican restricts the commander in chief, while working out a strategy to take

national elections. all right. let's bring you some news coming in, the saudi royal court has announced the minister of information has been relieved of his post, and also a television station has had its offices shut down after accusations that it has been fermenting sectarian tension. all of this comes a day after a number of people were killed in an attack on shiite muslims who were gathering to mark the anniversary celebration. so the television station has had its offices shut down, and the saudi minister of information has been relieved of his post. still ahead on the news hour, egypt's human rights record comes under the spotlight of the united nations. plus:

i'm in the middle of the australian outback, after a century ago this site was used by the british government to test nuclear weapons. only now is it being handed back to its traditional indigenous owners. and was this french football coach being racist, or was he misquoted? details coming up with jo in sport.

>> on the next "talk to al jazeera", legendary tv host dick cavett. >> steve jobs said, "how does it feel to be dick cavett"? about the only question that's ever floored me, you know? >> "talk to al jazeera". saturday. 5:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the

world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> only on al jazeera america. ♪ you are watching al jazeera. let's recap the headlines now. a palestinian man has been shot dead by israeli police after he drove his vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians in west jerusalem. at least one israeli police officer was killed. it has been a day of violence at the al-aqsa come mound in east jerusalem. now jordan says it will lodge a formal complaint with the u.n. security council over israeli actions in jerusalem at its holy sites. the country has also recalled

its am -- ambassador from tel-aviv. after the 1967 war the area was occupied by israel. but under a 1994 peace treaty, jordan still has a supervisory roll over muslim and christian sites and that includes the al-aqsa come pound. let's talk to a senior fellow at the american university of beirut, and also a middle east analysts, joins me from cambridge, massachusetts. on the surface it looks like two communities who want to pray at the same site. why does this need to end in violence. >> well, the al-aqsa in jerusalem as a whole has become a huge issue with the conflict. the site is a holy site for both

people. but the religious significance is really a proxy for an intense political war, and for the palestinians, the situation in jerusalem is particularly difficult, because they are under israel control totally, and there is no palestinian authority or plo presence at all, and that's ironically why you have more palestinians demonstrating in jerusalem, because the palestinian authority of abbas is not there to keep them quiet as it is in most of the rest of the west bank. so this has to be seen as a political battle, and increasingly desperate palestinians are seeing their land taken away by israeli settlements, and apartheid roads as they call them, and annexation of land. and another 750 or so jewish colony settlement units were

approved around jerusalem and bethlehem. so it is a political struggle that has focused on religious symbols. >> is this sort of discourse about jerusalem's holy site, the possibility of establishing a jewish temple there, it used to be something very much on the fringe of israeli society. is that changing? is it moving more in to the main stream of politics? >> well, all of israeli's society, and in fact much of palestinian society, has shifted to the right in the last 20 or 30 years or so, so the netenyahu-lead coalition, which includes some very right-wing gro groups, they all form a coalition now that is very much right of center, and the hole jewish political landscape has become quite right-wing. there's massive support for the attacks on gaza.

there's no significant challenge to the settlement process, but i would say this idea of rebuilding the temple, or building a third jewish temple as some of the extremists call it, this is not a main stream idea. this is a bunch of right-wing religious fan anotherics. but these people tend to capture a lot of news and attention. and they do the provocative acts. this is one of the problems, the american, israeli, jewish right-wing fella that was shot last week, which sparked some of these clashes is among the group that is in the process of allowing jews to pray on the site that is predominantly a muslim site. these types of incidents ignite the deeper passions that both people have, which are really about national rights and national existence.

the israelis and palestinians are two national communities that have suffered deep historical traumas, and a lot of them focus now on jerusalem because there's nowhere else, really, where the people are so closely interfine withed, and there's a great proximity of palestinians and israelis unlike any other place in gaza. and because there's no palestinian control, you have this outburst of fighting, shooting, and killing, and what must be seen as an ongoing national conflict, and active war, but low-intensity war. >> all right. thanks so much. >> thank you. the united states has told the deposed president of yemen he must leave his country. he is accused of helping houthi fighters seize parts of the capitol in september. his office says he was told by

the u.s. ambassador to yemen to leave by friday or face sanctions. we're joined live from the capitol. how is the ultimatum going down there? >> reporter: well, the party for the former president rejected the warning, and described it as a blatant interference in yes, ma'am mepranum's internal affairs. the party also said that no foreign entity or foreigners can ask a yemeni national to leave his or her country. what is significant also from the party of the former president is that a tone of escalation, the party called on all supporters to be ready and stand vigilant. the former president remains the most powerful figure here in yemen with influence over the military, the government, and the state institutions as well as he enjoys large base of

supporters. so this is a dangerous sign that things could really spiral out of control. >> another dangerous sign there from yemen. thanks so much. now egypt's human rights record is being reviewed by the united nations. it will examine the way egypt treats political opposition, women's rights, and the media. protests have continued despite the introduction of a controversial protest law. a special permit is now required for gathering of more than ten meme. a local court recently sentenced 23 people to jail for three years after being accused of holding an illegal demonstration. human rights groups have criticized egypt for the way women are treated too. there are many claims of sexual hararesment that aren't even investigated. and several journalists have been targeted by the government

including three journals from al jazeera who have been in jail for 312 days. they are convicted of supporting the outlawed muslim brotherhood, a charge they deny and are appealing. so how did the deliberations go down there in the building behind you, barnaby? >> reporter: well, a lot of countries spoke, sami, that was interesting, so many they were limited to one minute each. this is part of what is called a universal peer review. it happens to every country and it was important to stress that. egypt was not being singled out, this was simply their turn to appear before all of their peers. i felt they came under some criticism, notably from western countries, but they also received a lot of support from countries in the region, countries like the uae, saudi arabia, algeria, and a lot of support from west africa countries. let me bring in my guest at this

point. he is from the international federation for human rights. it's all over, do you think anything was achieved? >> not today in terms of immediate results, but that's something we see as part of a big proer -- process which is to put pressure on the egyptian authorities. so that hand today. but mostly the counseling sessions, is the place where egypt must be held to account. >> i was watching the egypti egyptiani egyptianiandelegation at the end. they were very, very happy, you could tell by their body language. >> well, they received some support, but perhaps less than expected in terms of countries really being willing to take the [ inaudible ] to praise them publicly. on the other hand you had

criticisms that were expected. but overall they can see the process as a success for them. >> reporter: i wonder whether they take any notice of the remarks made here in geneva in the underhuman rights council. >> based on what they say, they didn't react in a positive way because they kept on say western countries have misconceptions about the situation. to be honest, what they are doing at home to journalists, human rights defenders, are doing more harm to their reputation. and there must be a way of saying that they must stop harassing, and jailing human rights defenders at home. >> reporter: many egyptian human rights activists didn't even feel safe enough to travel here today. >> yes, only national ngo's were willing to face the egyptians

here. >> reporter: could i ask you, obviously on al jazeera, we're very concerned about the welfare of our colleagues who have been in prison for more than 300 days. do you feel any optimism that the egyptian authorities could have heard our concerns. >> there were indications that the egyptian president was referring to that attention as arbitrary and normal in a way. the way they reacted this morning was not very positive. and that's the case for journalists and also human rights defenders, solely for the legitimate exercise of their work and not their rights. >> reporter: thank you very much. sami and that's it from geneva. >> and thank you, barnaby. university students across mexico are starting a three-day strike in support of 43-missing students. hundreds gather on tuesday night for a 43-hour vigil in mexico

city. the students were on abducted last month. the mayor and his wife are under arrest on suspicion of ordering the abduction. more rebel leaders in eastern ukraine could be added to the european sanctions list. sunday's rebel-held voted endangered a ceasefire deal. merkel added that european sanctions on russia will also continue while they continue to back the separatists in ukraine. georgia's sacked defense minister says his party is pulling out of the fragile government. he was forced out by the prime minister a day ago after saying the arrests of several officials were political motivated. two senior ministers resigned in protest over the departure, one of those the former foreign minister says georgia's foreign

policies are under threat. a prison boss is being summoned to court. the 89-year-old is being charged with crimes against humanity. he denies any mistreatment happened under his command. paul brennan reports. >> reporter: he is almost 90 years old now, but he is an angry and unrepentant man. he stands accused of torturing and causing the deaths of 12 political prisoners at the jail he was in charge of. 25 years on from the fall, this is the first time a prisoner governor has been tried for communist era crimes. this was one of the many victims of the secret police. he was beaten so badly in prison that he died of a ruptured intestine. in a gloomy campaign office, his son is currently into the third

week of a hunger strike, demanding that even 30 years on, justice be served. >> you can't torture and kill people. no, that's not acceptable for society. society cannot accept that ever. that's why these are -- there is no statute of limitations in the united nations human rights declaration and all international legislation and laws. >> reporter: the extraordinary slow progress has seen romania fall foul of human rights. there were allegations of ill treatment that still have not been dealt with in the courts. >> translator: the decision is not about the amount of money awarded, it's about the influence that it will give the romanian prosecutors who reopen the files which were wrongly kept secret. and the guilty people should then be brought to justice.

>> reporter: there is a body set up specifically to look at the darkest episodes of romania's communist era. but for many years political interference hampered its work. access to the security files is crucial to making progress. >> for many years we had not access to the -- the files, and please explain why this cases are so slowly. >> reporter: the decision to force him to come to court indicates perhaps a willingness by romania's present day heards to confront the crimes of their predecessors. but the pace of the legal process here is a deep frustration to the victim's families, and it will take more than one high-proprosecution to prove this is a desire for justice.

still to come, after the death of two horses, could melbourne favorite been saved? jo will have that story and the rest of sport coming up next.

♪ welcome back. now in the 1950s, australia's remote outback was used as a testing ground for nuclear weapons. people were given just days november from their homes. now the desendants of the people relocated to make way for the tests are getting their land back. andrew thomas reports.

>> reporter: it takes two hours in a military plane to fly from the nearest city to the airstrip here. it is one of the most remote places in australia. for the british government in the 1950s, that made the land around the area perfect for testing nuclear weapons. it did a deal with australia, and secretly detonated seven big atomic bombs. smaller tests continued into the 1960s. nina's parents were given just a few days notice to leave their lands. after the tests levels of cancer in the community soared. she lost several family members to contamination. >> i felt really crushed. it was dangerous, and i have been telling the people, it is dangerous to go back. it is poisoned. >> reporter: in the 1980s and

'90s, australia's government spent $100 million cleaning up the land, though much of it was put off elements part of a huge australian weapons-testing zone. no longer. australia's government gave the area back to its traditional owners. >> this will allow the people unrestricted access to that area, and officials here today is testament to the significance of this special occasion. >> reporter: near the airstrip, buildings, former barracks and hospital still largely as they were in the 1950s. one hope is that in coming years this area will attract tourists. the handover then represents an economic opportunity for the indigenous people living around here. richard worked with indigenous people and will help develop

tourism. his uncle was a british soldier in the 1950s, who witnessed the testing of the bombs. >> he put his back to the bomb, and when he bomb went off and the flash came, he could see the skeleton of his fingers through his closed eyes. >> reporter: private compensation deals were done with indigenous people. but the return of land and public acknowledgment that happened here, has been for some, long overdue. now jo is here to get us caught up on the sports news. thank you. manchester city's chances are hanging by a thread. manuel's team occupy third with the russians in fourth place. realistically both have to go for the victory if they are to have any chance of advancing in this the last 16.

but the british champions have failed to win any of their matches in the competition this year. >> we are lucky to have lost [ inaudible ] in the last minute, and -- with -- with [ inaudible ]. after that [ inaudible ] we -- we didn't play well. we didn't play well, and i think iran saw a very good moment. and in russia we played very well. also in this the same group: a french coach is in trouble over making alleged i will racist remarks. he is quoted by a local newspaper as saying that african players lack discipline and intelligence. he says the comments he made about african players have been

misinterpreted. lee wellings has more. >> these are about african players at his club. he was talking about lacking in technique, intelligence, and discipline, and some stereo types there. he is talking about them being cheap and powerful. but he says this is not the context. we should say he was originally talking about the africa cup of nations, sometimes clubs don't want african players to go play in the tournament biannually, so they shy away from buying them. but talking about their lack of attributes, this is what landed him in trouble. the u.s. women's football head coach has appeared in judge charged with two counts of assault. he is accused of hitting her sister and nephew back in june. she will stand trial in january. the u.s. team that is just

months away from competing at the world cup in canada. the conviction could jeopardize her position on the team and prevent her from being allowed to travel to the tournament. and adrian peterson has pled no contest to discipline charges. he disciplined his four year old son, and caused cuts and bruises to the child. he will have to do community service as well as pay a $4,000 fine. he says he wants to get his life back on track. u.s. basketball player, brittany griner says she is okay despite an attack on her and her teammates by a man wielding a knife. the team were boarding a bus after practice on monday when a man attacked her and two maem teammates. griner received a cut to her elbow, a teammate was stabbed

but was unhurt, because she was wearing two jackets. the attacker has been arrested. on the court kobe bryant top scorer with 49 points, but it wasn't enough for the l.a. lakers as they hosted the trail blazers. the lakers were behindmost of the game, and gerald green came off of the bench to bag 26 points, which pushed the contest the trail blazer's way. despite the best efforts of bryant, they fell to a fifth loss. they got the home team to within 2. but portland held firm to record their fourth win in four. raphael nadal has been released from hospital.

he thanked his well wishers and hopes to start in january. a defibrillator may have saved the life of melbourne cup favorite. the 6-year-old horse died of hotter failure caused by a rare condition. and officials are reviewing whether exkwien defibrillators should be provided at races. the two deaths have overshadow's australia's biggest horse race. there is more details on aljazeera.com/sport. and there are details on how to get in touch with our team using twitter and facebook. that's it for now. >> thanks so much. stay with us here for another full bulletin of news. that is doing up in just a

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