submitting to a slow death. ♪ time is running out for iran to reach a deal on its nuclear program with world powers. ♪ hello. i am marin dennis in doha. at least 49 people have been killed at a volleyball match in afghanistan. also coming up on the program, a historic day in tunisia. people have voted for their first directly elected president. president putin blasts western sanctions. russia won't endure another iron curtain because of ukraine. plus, protecting the symbols of the protest movement in hong

kong. ♪ we start in afghanistan where at least 49 people have been killed at a volleyball match in paktika prove incident. dozens more are believed to be injured. let's go to our correspondent charles stratford in kabul. charles, what do we know. >> reporter: martin, we spoke to a tribal elder who was at the hospital, the closest hospital to where this attack happened. >> that's around about 45 minutes drive. so, it shows you how isolated this area is. he describes the suicide bomber walking into this volleyball tournament on foot before d detonating an explosive device. as you say, he says around 49 people killed, at least sent injured and children among the dead as well. we are now hearing as well that

the government here has authorized sending of two helicopter did down to that region. it's southeast of kabul to try to pick up some of the casualties there and bring them for treatment here in kabul. we are also hearing it has been authorized additional troops go down or certainly fors, police force securities forces down there to try and help the victims. the president has come out with a statement. he described the attack as inhuman and unislamic. it comes at a particular poignant time, a day when the parliament here has voted unanimously in favor of those security agreements with both the u.s. and nato. >> has there been any claim of responsibility yet, charles? >> reporter: no one has claimed responsibility for this attack as yet. i mean it is the biggest or if not the biggest, one of the biggest attacks,

certainly this year, and all evidence would suggest that the taliban are behind this. paktika has been hit earlier this year particularly hard and throughout this conflict. we have seen a surge in attacks in recent weeks, three here in kabul, the capitol, itself. also in the south of the country, up to 400 fighters used. there has been this surge. all evidence would suggest that the taliban are behind this. the latest attack in paktika. >> charles stratford live in kabul. thank you. coming down to the wire in vienna cher six world powers and iran are trying to reach a deal on the reinian nuclear program by monday. the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry is already there and the russian foreign minist certaini sergei lavrov jonah hull is in vienna

and sent thus update. >> a flurry of diplomatic activity, there certainly seems to be here in vienna. the russian foreign minister is due and the british foreign secretary and french counterpart are due to have dinner with john kerry and the german foreign minister who is already here we understand that in the coming hours, john kerry will sit down for his first one on one private session with mohammed ja zarif. up until now, they have been accompanied at least by barones catherine ashton, the lead negotiator for the p5 plus 1. suggestions coming from anonymous sources that a deal is no longer possible, that an extension may be in the works. well, that may or may not be. but remember, there is still all of monday to come, including the long hours of monday night, and with all of the decision makers here in vienna for that time, i think it would be unwise to rule anything out. >> the israeli prime minister

benjamin netanyahu has weighed in, saying no deal on iran is better than a bad deal on its nuclear program. >> there is no reason for it to retain thousands of centrifuges nor is there any reason for iran's continued developing intercontinental missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheadss, thus threatening the entire world. therefore, it would be preferable for there to be no deal rather than a bad deal, endangering israel, the middle east, and all of humanity. >> russia is clearly big player but it's under huge international pressure, itself in the ukraine. president puentein is denying it will be isolated over it's backing of separatists in ukraine's east. we understand the fatalities of an iron curtain for us. we will not go down this path in

any case and no one will build a wall around us. >> that's impossible. affecting one of the main exports. he says if the possibility is lowered on purpose, is this hits those who introduce those limits. he went on to say it's far from certain that sanctions, sharp files in the oil price and the depreciation of the national currency will cause nect affects or catastrophic consequences only for us. no such thing will happen. earlier, i spoke to ian ran on development, with the ihs global insight and asked him about putin'scon comments and if russia can weather the sanctions. russia is under pressure from multiple quarters. not just sanctions at the oil price, fleeing investment and attempt to pivot east to china and asia. >> that's going to take decades.

the fact is, russia's destiny is with europe. it does most of it's trade with europe, depend event upon europe for finance, for market did, for technology. it's not going to -- on okay, again, can we break that down a little bit then and look at the price of oil because, of course, it's plummeted recently very significantly, having a massive effect, hasn't it, on so many countries that are dependent upon the oil and gas exports? how dependent is the russian economy on oil and gas? >> very. it's basically unreformed economy. it's still highly dependent. we saw that on 2009 we saw that. the russia was one of the hardest i want economies as the oil price fell. we are seeing that again the

falling oil price probably the biggest sanction it is. it's going to hurt. the budget assumes $100 a barrel for a price of oil for the next three years. it is arrange 53%. the polls have just closed. there are 22 candidates to choose from. two have emerged as the frontrunners. in tunnis, here is more. >> reporter: most of the people at this polling station are old enough to remember life in a state where political opposition or freedom of speech were not tolerated that is why to some, this is the first time they've ever voted in a presidential election. >> how are you feeling right now? >> very excited. very excited and highly

optimistic about our country's future. >> this is a man who has a good chance of winning. he has spent years in politics. but he has managed to distance himself from the country's author toretarian past. >> i believe in the tun easeian people. >> last month, his party needed tunis won a majority in parliament. there are fears if it also takes the presidency, there will be a concentration of power in the hands of one man. >> we need a new blood. we need stronger. we need to go ahead enough to be to have some people who throw you behind. >> the current president also has a chance of victory. some people think he has the backing of enough, the second biggest party in the country. it doesn't have a candidate. this man may surprise everyone,

a business tycoon who appeals to some young people looking for a solution to their economic problems. campaigners say at the heart of tunisias problems is inequality. >> i believe the problem of creating job opportunities, decent working opportunities for young people, for women that are the most affected by the lack of job opportunities, this needs to be addressed. inequalities between the region, the coast regions and interior regions need to be addressed. >> there is so much at stake in this election. many are proud of what this tiny country has achieved. they also understand the transition to democracy isn't over yet. tunisians united to fight for freedom, dignity and jobs. almost four years on, there are more people out of work. and tunisia is politically divided. but people have something they didn't have before: hope for the future of their children.

al jazeera, tunis. the results aren't out for a couple of days, but in the meantime, you can always go to the website and find out exactly who is who in this historic presidential election and find out a lot more about what is riding on these elections. a high turnout for tunisias's first direct election for the president at aljazeera.com. no political parties emerge victorious. run-off election will now have to take place on november the 29th for the conductor undecided parliamentary seat. people voted saturday for the first time since the government cracked down on protests years ago. the largest shia movement party boycotted the elections. the isisi cabinet approved a contentious bill that defined the country as a nation state of jews. the bill needs to be passed in

parliament to become law. it undermines israeli's democratic values. a separate initiative to strip arabs of welfare rights if they or their relatives take part in unrest over the issue. in taez, more from jerusalem. >> it takes it down to parliament or the kinnesette where it's going to be debated by law makers. this bill, of course, is very controversial. critics of it say it will effectively change the nature of the current legal system of israel. the attorney general has attacked the bill going as far as saying that it threatens israel's democracy but, of course, you also have those on the other side who say that it is important to en shrine the jewish nature of the israeli states. whatever the case, it's still a long way from becoming law, as

we have been saying. it will be debated by law makers in the coming days, but many critics. prime minister, benjamin netanyahu are saying that he is using this law effectively to score political points, particularly those with -- or rather the members of his own cabinet. bear in mind this is a coalition government, a government which is formed mainly far right groups and mr. netanyahu's larger party and as a result, we are perhaps seeing mr. netanyahu trying to do what he can to ensure that that coalition stays together as we enter what most observers believe is an election period. many believe that we can see an election within the next six to 12 months. mr. netanyahu is no doubt keenly aware of that and again, some are suggesting that his support for this bill and, indeed, his pushing this bill is directly

related to his political futures. >> in another development, an israeli border patrol soldier has been charged with manslaughter for killing a palestinian protester in may. prosecute say they switched the non-lethal rebel bullets with a life round and shot the boy in the chest. the officer was arrested earlier this month. security camera footage shows the boy posed no immediate threat standing about 65 meters away from the troops. he job description president has told an it atian newspaper egypt would be ready to help secure a future palestinian state by sending in troops to help local police. he script, which shares the border with gaza is familiar with some of the territory that would potentially make up a future palestinian state. cairo mediated indirect talks between israel and the palestinians that led to a cease-fire in august after 50 days of war in gaza. more than 2,100 palestinians and

73 israelis were killed. still to come, al jazeera, sides of a growing divide between yellen shia and sunni muslims in an oil-rich prove incident plus: >> i am jessica baldwin outside oxford where researchers are asking citizens to help save the penguin.

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production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now >> a remarkable quest that sparked imaginations and created history over 700 years ago, marco polo left venice to points unknown and mysterious relive this epic odyssey people encountered, discoveries made... and now... questions answered... al jazeera america presents marco polo a very modern journey hello again. these are the top stories at al jazeera. in afghanistan, a suicide bomber killed at least 49 people and injured dozens more. the bomber blew himself up

during a volleyball match in paktika prove incident. 22 candidates, two front runners from the secular tunis party and mon sef mazuki. negotiations in via vienna are heading toward their deadline. john kerry is expected to meet the russian foreign minister, sergei lauvrov. >> a power plant has been shut down after it was attacked by trooibzmen. the plant supplies power to the capitol, sanaaa and many certain rounding prove incidentsibesmen the plant supplies power to the capitol, sanaaa and many certain rounding prove incidents. they have been gathering fighters, a sign of increasing sectarian divide in the country.

they are making preparations for what looks like an am imminent military confrontation with the shia houthis. the army has been weakened by years of conflicts. tribesmen say they will take the defense of the oil and gas-rich province into their own hands. the situation is under control. but if there is war, it might get out of control. malitias will reek havoc. it will be dangerous for the oil and gas installations. the local military commander in charge of the most important units in marib, he tours the front line on a daily basis to make sure his men are ready for the fight. fighters are deployed for two weeks and sent back home for a day or two and they have to return to the front line. this is a predominantly sunni

area. anti-houthi sentiment is on the rise here these people accuse the shia group of expanding control for most of yemen. for them, defending the area is a matter of life or death. they have to maintain the patrol units. generous tribes send us food from time to time. >> the government has pleaded for calm, asking tribesmen and the houthis to settle their differences through dialogue, whether threat of war looms large in this rich desert prove incident. >> the houthis are deploying hundreds of fighters to the area. they say their presence is crucial to prevent al-qaeda from seizing vital oil and gas installations in the prove incident of marib. al jazeera, sanaa. >> al jazeera is continuing to demand the release of our three journalists who have now been

held in prison in egypt for 330 days. they were charged -- jailed on forced charges of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their convictions. it's been five years since 58 people, including dozens of journalists were killed by gunmen in the philippines. nearly 200 people have been charged in connection with the magand i & o w massacre. the police are waiting for their first conviction. a report now on how the filipino justice system is itself on trial. skwacht often the main highway in the province in the southern philippines. 21 of the victims real associates. five were simple passersby.

the first witness to come forward spoke to al jazeera. in fear for his life, he accused a r i have a l family, one of the most powerful in the region being behind the massacre. 80 members of the family are now on trial for multiple murders along with 176 others. under the family's influence. the family patriarch and twosons all held public office and were close allies of the country's president at the time. the case has been proceeding much slower than many would like even with a president in power. >> you don't charge 198 originally. it's never been done. the international tribunal have not charged this many people. >> the tribe continues. the biggest test of an already pilloried justice system. the case has been beset by more than just procedural problems.

there is infighting among prosecutors, accusations of bribery, a judge who some say is too caution and witnesses who are either disappearing or getting killed. >> promising to reform the country's culture, the president says there wiould be a convictin by the ends of his term in 2016. so the justice secretary, who was human rights commissioner when the crime happened has taken over the case, herself. it's not easy to advance the agenda. a lot of assistance. positive people. those who would really want status quo to prevail. >> since the massacre, rights group say there has been more than 100 extra judicial killings and only a handful of convictions. in the southern film means,

members of the family are also back in public offi. as much as the government says it's pushing for change, it seems some things haven't changed at all. man illa. people? india have been protesting over the death of an indian girl in neighboring butan. indian police say the girl was working as a maid and her family have alleged she was raped and murdered. in myanmar, protest orders called for justice after army cadets were killed. candles were lit. 23 people died on wednesday when soldiers attacked a training center. the city is the headquarters of the kachin index army on myanmar's border on china. activists in hong kong are preparing to preserve and defend

the masses of art work created during the ongoing protest. demonstrators have been camped in native districts for more than two months but as kim vannel reports, some believe even if their demands for democracy are not met, the art must be saved. >> when anger boiled over, the streets were transformed. umbrellas used to protect protesters from tear gas came to symbolize dissent and art, delivering messages as loudly as any megaphone took over. >> when we look at them day and night, they keep us alert or boost our moral. they gently express our demands. we want to preserve these things because of an emotional need. >> preservation is no easy task. police have given demonstrators notice they are about to clear the main protest site. volunteers who wants to protect the art have organized what they call rescue teams to guard key works until the very last

moment. others want to see how it plays out. i want to see how kohong kong police or plaintiffs face the affirmative. if they cold bloodedly clear it, i want to see it and see if they will be touched a tiny bit when they see our art work. >> much is delicate line the lenin wall. days are undoubtedly numbered although some believe it's part of hong kong's story. >> the art works participate. they will have more stories and embrace more layers of meaning. >> student leaders and government officials have held talks, but protesters' key demand, that hong kong's key executives have not been met. political activism is driving art and ingenuity but as of yet,

not change. kim vannel, al jazeera. >> the last large pieces of wreckage from the malaysian airlines jet have been recovered. most of it is being sentence by rail to the netherlands. some bigger pieces, though, have been trucked. fighting in eastern ukraine delayed the recovery operation by dutch experts. most of the 298 victims are from the nuggeter lands. >> a long and rough journey to travel to the remote islands of the southern ocean says scientists studying the pen win population have come up with a way to track them from afar as jessica baldwin now explains. from the university. robert simpson is the brains behind penguin watch, a research project thattakes thousands of images from automatic cameras puts them on the internet and uses citizen scientists to

identify penguins. >> very dense. >> the data provides insight into the penguin's breeding behavior to see if they are reacting to climate change. it's crowd sourcing in the name of scientific research and more than 20,000 people have visited the site to click on penguins, eggs, or even the odd penguin photo bomb. >> in the first hours of penguin watch being live, we have looked through as many images as the research team had ever done in years of doing this work just because of the shear scale of people that went on and looked through these images. >> penguins are sensitive to their environment. how many babies they have or how they are clustering provides scientists with important clues of how they are coping. the volunteers clicking away a penguin washer are make -- watcher are making a differenc . so the animals can live outside the zoo. it's an easy sell because just about everybody loves penguins. >> they are charismatic, comecal

and they walk away. they are always busy but they are also penguins with attitudes, especially the adelis. even working in colonies and they have rushed out to attack me even this other they are knee high and flap away with their wings. >> they are more interested in stroke can than striking. whatever their attitude, they need to be conserved. penguin watch is giving people a chance to do just that. jessica baldwin, al jazeera, oxford, england. >> now, the british driver lewis hamilton has won his second formula one title. the victory teending at the abu dhaabi grand prix. he started from poll position but failed to recover from a poor start as he drifted out of contention, eventually finishing in 13th place. hamilton entered the race needing only a top two finish to be guaranteed the title. his decisive victory allows for

big celebrations at the marina circuit. don't forget you can keep up-to-date with the day's news, all of the developments, a lot of analysis as well. we are particularly concentrating, today, on those elections in tunisia. aljazeera.com. in this this this. >> it themselves equip and train people to document abuses. the renowned musician reflects on a life event that infliences his work now. >> i was bullied by a group of kids. they