>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello there and welcome to the news hour. our top stories india's government condemns the pakistan court for freeing prisoners out on bail. reports of a new boko haram attack in nigeria, dozens killed and more than 100 women and children kidnapped.

and fighting in kenya's parliament over a knew security law, giving the government sweeping new powers. ♪ >> india's government has condemned a decision by a court in pakistan to free the alleged master mind of the mumbai attacks. he has been held in a pakistan prison for more than five years. he has now been released on jail. he is one of seven people accused of planning and carrying out the attacks in 2008. we'll get the details of this decision from our correspondent in just a moment. but first we have the indian reaction. >> reporter: condemnation across the political spectrum here in india, at the pakistani court's

decision to grant bail. both parties have come out to condemn this decision. here is what india's home minister had to say. >> translator: he has been granted bail, which is very unfortunate, i think it shouldn't have happened. i believe that all of the evidences that have been provided by the indian government are enough to convict him. >> reporter: he also said that both he and india's external affairs minister will be in touch with the pakistani government to find out what they plan to do following this decision. the ministry of external affairs has come out to say, that quote, we cannot accept that a person designated as an international terrorist is being released from jail. now all eyes are on the pakistani government to see what their reaction will be. >> let's go to pakistan. kamal this man has been named as

one of the master mines of the attack. where has he been granted bail? >> reporter: well, that's an excellent question. just to give you a brief history. he was tried by an antiterrorist court in 2009. just a year later his case was transferred to the anti-terrorist court in islamabad. after that an attack earlier this year, in which a judge was killed, the judge who was leading the case opted out, by citing security reasons. after that the case slowed down and today, of course, this particular surprise, the federal investigation agency prosecutor objected. however, his lawyers were able to get him bail against a bond of 500,000 rupees which is about

$5,000. obviously it does create more hurdles and problem as far as relations between india and pakistan. >> it will be interesting to see what pakistan does. pakistan still reeling from an attack on its own soil. this is being criticized as undermining the government's pledge to root out terrorism. >> reporter: well, you have to also understand that there is a lot of animosity and mistrust between india and pakistan. so pakistan has said that it will deal with those extremists, however, it wants to follow the process of the law, because earlier, the head of once upon a time was also exonerated by the court. so even though both countries have a lot of -- animosity, they

wanted to make a point that pakistan wanted to move beyond the past and look towards the future. >> kamal thanks for that. the russian president vladimir putin has given a defiant message on the economy. he said russia's currency will rebound. it has been hit by the falling prize of oil and the sanctions over russia's presence in ukraine. in london we'll speak to our economic expert who is standing by for us. first let's hear from putin. >> translator: our economy will overcome the current situation. how much time? i believe about two years in the

worst scenario, and after that, the growth is imminent. >> so putin says the russian economy will recover in about two years. what is your assessment? >> well, the general feel of the press conference was to give the news broadcasters and the public a feeling of him being in control, the state being confident and taking responsibility for the current meltdown, the current crisis. the two years might seem like an arbitrary figure, or the regime's anticipation of how long the currency, the financial volatility, the economic crisis may last, but it also can be seen as his warning to the russian public that the next two years will be very difficult. at the same time having realized that, and knowing full well the

shocks of the fragility of the russian economy, he is saying i'm still in charge. i'm in control, and the state will support the vulnerable sectors, the banks, the economy, the people. so it's as much a for cast of recovery as much as a warning or caution, call to the russians to be patient because the next two years will be difficult. >> putin was also speaking about russia's crumbling currency. >> translator: the current situation is caused by external factors first of all, but we also understand we have not done many of those things we plan to do to diversify our economy over the past several years. >> why haven't they diversified their economy? it has been promising to do that for more than a decade now. >> very much, yes. and it's precisely right. it has been promising to do that, but there was very little

concrete, plan, concrete vision, or ip initiative to implement any particular fundamental restructu restructuring, modernization of the economy, the development of alternative or additional sectors, not so much dependant oil and gas. but there is a relatively large service sector which employs people in finance, retail, in construction, in trade, in some other services, and it does contribute a lot to the gdp of the country, and these are the sectors that will be hardest hit by the ruble collapse. so the short answer is there was no particular pressure to do it, as long as oil provided a nice comfortable revenue for the budget. >> thanks for that. let's turn to the political side of things. putin also spoke about ukraine and he said he was hopeful of a

peaceful resolution. >> translator: i hope that we will be able to reach direct political dialogue and through these means and political methods to settle the situation. >> western sanctions of course key to what is happening in the russian economy. without some settlement on ukraine, there's not going to be any lifting of sanctions. >> yes, absolutely. and again, this statement can be read in two ways. in one way, he is in control. he is in charge. he understands the situation, and he has influence over the conflict. but also on the other hand maybe it's -- it's one of the first steps towards something on the ground, much more concrete in terms of implementing the peace ceasefire or resolution of the conflict. in fact could be read or understood as a step towards negotiation with the west over

ukraine. >> thank you for much for breaking that down for us. to berlin now, where the german chancellor has been delivering her state of the union address. she said western sanctions against russia would remain. >> translator: we want to face the challenges posed to international security, but we cannot travel this path alone. it is up to russia to accept our offer of dialogue on the basis of the valuess of lasting peace in europe. as long as we have not achieved this goal, sanctions will remain unavoidable. >> reporter: she was speaking ahead of ta today's summit in brussels. simon is standing by for us in the belgium capitol. >> shiulie, i think what we're going to hear today is they will take no public delight in the current state of crisis of the

russian economy, to which, i think president putin feels the e.u. sanctions are contributing, but they are not going to lift the boot from the russian neck so far as you have seen, as we expected. another tranche of e.u. sanctions targeting particularly russian attempts to exploit oil and gas in crimea and the black seacoast off of crimea have been announced today. it's coincidence the timing. it is a sign, although there are concerns about the perilous state of the russian economy, the european union leaders show no signs of going soft on sanctions. >> hitting russian's economy affects european economies. are europeans worried about that? >> reporter: i think they are, but i think it's a price that they can pay for the time being. we do not see european capitols

filled with protesting farmers. it's true the russian ban on food imports from the european union has hurt certain sectors, it's quite a large item in the trade between the two. but european union institutions have been quite quick to spend quite a lot of money to cushion some of the blows. they have spent millions of dollars for example in storing dairy products. they spent millions of dollars compensating farmers in the fruit and vegetable sectors so they don't get too badly hit. longer term, of course, that price becomes heavier, but it's not in the front page at the moment. so i think it's something that european unioners here think they can get away with for the time being. and the doomsday hasn't come to pass yet. so i think we're going to hear the language later on this

evening, offering the possibility of dialogue, of course, with the russians, trying to turn a new chapter, but also they will not let the pressure on sanction goes. >> simon thank you. the armed group boko haram has killed at least 32 people in nigeria and kidnapped many others. it is feared more than 100 people, including women and children may have been taken. the attack happened in the north earlier this week. and the nigerian court-martial has sentenced 54 soldiers to death by firing squad for refusing to fight boko haram. the soldiers were found guilty of a number of charges. previously nigerian troops have been reported of being outgunned by the armed group. and they have complained of not having enough ammunition or food. let's start with this kidnap. more than a hundred people

thought to have been taken by the group. >> reporter: yeah, exactly. that's what we're hearing at the moment. but the number is contentious. initial reports say more than a hundred, as many as 185 have been taken. but other reports say that is the number of women and children who are unaccounted for, probably some of them may havest indicated when the boko haram fighters attacked the town. then the other issue is that a number of people have been killed, as many as 32, some are putting the figure as high as 40 or thereabouts. >> and that brings us to this other extraordinary line coming out of nigeria, death sentences to 54 soldiers who refused to fight boko haram. many troops are saying they don't have the ammunition or even enough food to wage a

campaign against boko haram. >> reporter: exactly. in addition to that, allowances have not been paid according to some sources to these soldiers who have been taken to the front line to fight boko haram. and we're hearing that nigerian forces may not have enough arms to fight boko haram, there was a governor of one of the states who's area has been -- occupied by boko haram. the nigeria government don't have the able to do deal with this, because the weapons that boko haram have is much more than the government has. but it says it is doing all it can. and we have seen boko haram has been capturing towns and

villages after towns and villages from nigerian security forces. although there are reports on other parts of the northeast where security forces have suddenly chased out boko haram from such areas, and now we're hearing reports that the security forces are pushing harder to take more territory out of the hands of boko haram. >> thank you very much indeed for that. plenty more still to come here on the al jazeera news hour, including winning back their land. the fighters? iraq are determined to defeat isil and retake their holy mountain. and in sport, meetings on the sidelines of the world cup in morocco after the man they hired to investigate their dealings quit in protest. ♪ the united nations is asking for more than $8 billion to help

some 18 million people affected by the war in syria. they want the funds by early as next year. nick spicer has more. >> reporter: the gorman foreign minister opened the conference by calling syria the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. top united nations officials and ambassadors from countries surrounding syria, painted a picture of infrastructure and social services under severe strain because of the influx of refugees. >> jordan is hosting 1.4 million syrians. iraq is also thankful for the humanitarian assistance it received to help the refugees and the idp's although it falls short of what is needed. >> reporter: as the war enters

its fifth year, the united nations is launching a new approach. coordinating aid to syria and other countries. and bringing together emergency and development aid. >> it is needed in order to get syria ready to receive back the refugees. we need to work for sure in this component in order to try to reduce the social and economic impact in the neighboring countries, but in syria itself. >> reporter: the new initiative for syria requires $8.4 billion in spending, last year the u.n. only got a little over half of the money it asked for. but the hope is this time there will be more money coming up, because a lot of it will be spent on development, and donor countries like to spend on development because it has long term effects. providing development aide to

syria's neighbors does not mean refugees will stay refugees, just that something must be done to help the host countries and syria. donor countries will have to put up the money at another conference time in 2015. syria's refugees need help right now as winter sets in. zana hoda has been speaking to people in lebanon's valley. >> reporter: the united nations says it is the worst humanitarian crisis worldwide. the needs are great. up to 11 million syrians require help, not just those who live outside of the country, but those who have been displaced within syria as a result of the conflict. it's not onlying food that they need, and jobs, they need to educate the children. here in lebanon, 500,000 are of school age, and only 25% are enrolled in school. we are at one of the informal

schools set up by the united nations. there is 50 of them scattered across the country. as you can see a lot of children are not being educated, and lebanon can only do so much. this country is appealing for help. the government wants $2 million to help 2 million people. 1 million are syrians, and 1 million are lebanese. so this crisis is not just affecting syrians, it's affecting lebanese as well. a lot of them have lost their jobs because syrians work for cheaper wages. so lebanon needs help. the syrian refugees need help. 1.1 million are registered, but it is believed that there are hundreds of thousands more living here, and most of them realize they are not heading home any time soon. hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing the conflict in iraq too.

one such area is this mountain. it was home to thousands from the minority community. many were killed others had to flee for their lives. now they are joining in the fight. >> reporter: we head to the top of the mountains with the man in charge of the volunteer force. this is their fight. this is their land. he has brought weapons and ammunition, but it's far from enough to hold back the isil fighters who launch attacks daily in an effort to control this strategic mountain range. we pass towns and villages now controlled by isil. homes that the volunteer force are determined to take back. >> translator: we feel we need to take revenge because of what they have done to our people. we want to fight them to defeat them. >> reporter: this is just two kilometers from the isil front

line, and home to one of the most sacred temples. an hour before we arrived a truck had driven up to the edge of the velage packed with explosion is. >> translator: they drove a big truck with other fighters providing covering fire to keep us occupied. they didn't get into the village. >> reporter: his commander says he left the mountain to meet the kurdish president to get more weapons. >> translator: i just came back from meeting with the president and asked for support and weapons. he gave his word that we would get them as soon as possible. i'm sure if we got these weapons we would drive isil out of the area. >> reporter: but not today. the push on isil positions surrounding the mountain cannot

come soon enough. we were advised to leave but with isil surrounding on three sides, we had no choice but to climb up the mountain. we're walking up the mountain because the town has come under too much fire. they appear to be ending at the church that we were filming at just earlier today. the fighters hold their ground for now, the kurdish forces are pushing on isil to the east and north of the mountains. villages held by isil to take so they can help the azidi take back their mountains. a security agreement calls for a shared capitol of jerusalem and an end of the israeli occupation in two years.

jordan submitted the proposal. >> translator: we will remain open to discussions in order to make this draft resolution a success, until a final resolution is reached, laying the foundation for genuine negotiations and putting a total end to the israeli occupation of the palestinian territories before 2017. the conflict between israelis and palestinians has been going on for almost 70 years. in 1946 britain controlled palestine. the u.k. declared it should also be a national home for yous. a year later the united nations proposed dividing pal stin into arab and jewish regions. the palestinians rejected this. in 1949 the fighting stopped but thousands of palestinians had

become refugees, and pal stin was divided into three parts. israel, the west bank, and the gaza strip. this is how it looks today. palestinians have roughly 12% of historic palestine. we have been gauging reaction in the occupied west bank. >> reporter: for more than 25 years this man has been in the jewelry business, one of the most popular items he sells are these silver pendants. they are slaped by hand into the borders of historic palestine. many still want israel to withdraw from territories it seized in the 1967 war. so too was the palestinian president. he is asking the u.n. security council to set a guideline. but this man tells me he is not

convinced that will ever happen. >> translator: israel pa-- want palestine to be in bits and pieces. i can't make a map of dots. >> reporter: the plan has angered the israeli government. prime minister benjamin netenyahu condemned the proposal, which is in part why abbas is seeking the resolution aimed at setting a time line for the end of the israeli occupation. >> translator: this step won't oert while. even a watered down version of the resolution is passed, nothing will change on the ground. >> reporter: palestinian leaders have been trying to secure a negotiated settlement with israel for more than 20 years. now they believe the best way to establish their own state is through a binding agreement that is recognized internationally, but it is unlikely this will pass the u.n. security council,

and some say it might even be impossible. you are with al jazeera, still to come on the news hour, how havana and washington's now agreement is bringing the u.s. in from the cold. and one of rugby's most famous faces will be on the move after the world cup next year. find out where he will be playing in 2015. ♪

>> television icon norman lear >> we hoped we were delivering real characters... >> creator of "all in the family" "the jeffersons" and "good times" talks race, comedy and american culture today... >> you're taking me to a place in this interview, i haven't been before... >> i told you this would be your best interview

>> ...and it is... it's the current one... >> every monday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera, only on al jazeera america ♪ welcome back, i'm shiulie ghosh. the main headlines now, india's government has condemned a decision by a court in pakistan to free the alleged master mine of the mumbai attacks. he has been held in prison for more than five years and has now been released on bail. russian president has given a defiant message on the economy. he said russia's currency will rebound and the economy will recover.

and and the armed group boko haram has killed at least 32 people in nigeria, and kidnapped more than a hundred others. let's talk about boko haram with the former director of the nigerian state security service. good to have you with us. i want to ask you about the death sentences that have been passed down to 54 solders for munty. what do you think about that? >> well, there are rules and regulations within the military that guide its operations, and before any military officer joins the force, we are sworn to abide by the rules and regulations of the organization. so the offense of mutiny is viewed very seriously.

and if you come to talk of the 54 officers that have been sentenced to death after court-martial, it's quite unfortunate that it has happened, and -- >> but in this case, mike -- in this case, these solders did not want to go and fight boko haram because nigerian troops are saying that they don't have enough equipment, that boko haram has bigger and better weaponry than they have, and that they don't even have enough food to go out and wage these campaigns and try to retake these towns from boko haram. that's a disgraceful state of affairs, if that's true. >> reporter: well -- well that argument is not accurate. because you see, i must admit at the inception of this crisis, the military was not very well equipped, but as time progressed, the federal government and the forces [ inaudible ] military. so i think there would have been other options left for the

officers to challenge the -- where they were not well prepared or equipped to fight the war. but be that as it may, i also still, this punishment has to be ratified by the army council before any punishment is administered. so i want to appeal seriously that the federal government and the army council looks into the case by granting clemency, [ inaudible ] because morale booster to the people in the field, and if the sentence is -- is -- is [ inaudible ] i think it's going to adversely affect the morale or the fighting forces in the field. >> okay, just on the subject of nigerian troops fighting boko haram, is nigeria any closer to solving the boko haram problem? just today we have heard reports

of another kidnapping. >> well, that's a -- you have been following the trend, agreed that the u.s. [ inaudible ] the boko haram occupied some territories of nigeria, and the past two months or so, these territories are being reclaimed by the military, and i think with the support of all nigerians, the international community, i believe that war will come to an end soon. >> okay. good to hear some optimism there, thank you very much indeed. now there has been fighting inside kenya's parliament over sweeping changes being proposed to anti-terrorism laws. the security amendment bill gives police the power to detain people without trial and restricts the media. nicole johnston reports. >> reporter: the new security bill didn't get a quiet reading

in parliament. those against it, tore it up. some people go so upset fights broke out. [ shouting ] >> reporter: it was also a shambles outside. police dragged protesters away. >> this bill is completely unnecessary. [ inaudible ] put give to themselves basically [ inaudible ] clamp on people's freedoms. >> reporter: the government says it needs new laws to fight terrorism. >> the bill will pass. anybody willing to move an amendment should be prepared to come and be [ inaudible ]. we are not willing to move amendment, we [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: under the bill, it extends the time meme can be detained without charge to up to a year. the printing material, quote, likely to cause fear or alarm.

and a covert operation can be developed without the court appealing it. more than 20 years ago, secret police beat this man up in this building for reporting on the trials of political disdense. >> this bill if passed, then i think all of the free dooms that we got under the new constitution would be like a flush in the toilet. it is [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: last year, nairobi's west gate mall was attacked. at least 67 people were killed. and this month al-shabab fighters killed quarry workers. kenyans want their insecurity to end, but many are storied political freedom would be lost

on the way. nicole johnston, al jazeera. at least a thousand rebel fighters in uganda have escaped their repatriation to the democratic republic of congo. they took refuge a year ago. many ended up at a government camp and are due to be sent back under a peace deal. and now some have arrived at a refugee camp seeking asylum. >> reporter: rebels in limbo. these fighters who just arrived at this refugee camp are afraid to return to their homes in the democratic republic of congo. they accused the government of not living up to the terms of a peace deal forged a year ago. they are refusing to go back until assurances are made that they won't be prosecuted. >> we would like [ inaudible ]

the international community to remember the argument which was [ inaudible ] nairobi between [ inaudible ] and the government. we don't say that we don't want to be back in our country. we can go, even tomorrow. but before going back to our country, we want our [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: m23 was the most prominent rebel group in east congo before it was repelled last year. it is in this region, the government says atrocities were committed by m23 fighters, and that it will prosecute those responsible for war crimes. this woman fled eastern congo and now resides at the camp. she says she and her family were victims of an attack by m23

rebels. her brother-in-law was killed, and she was badly beaten. >> my fear for m23 started when they came into my home and beat me up and hurt me so badly that i had to put a metal bar in my cheek. so how can i see them again and be happy? >> reporter: the group takes its name from the march 23rd accord in 2009. many later defected siting poor work conditions and accusing the government of failing to implement the terms of the deal. and now with many rebels refusing to go back under the terms of the latest accord, it seems history may be repiecing itself. opposition fighters in syria say they have regained control of parts of aleppo. both sides want to control the strategically important neighborhoods in the country's biggest city.

victoria reports. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: this is a crucial battle for opposition fighters in aleppo. the village connects the only road with towns to the turkish border. whoever controls this area controls the delivery of supplies to the rebels. >> translator: on the first day of fighting, we lost about 18 buildings under our control in the area. later we gained control over most of the positions in both the eastern, and the southeastern sides. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: syria's second city has been an urban battleground for more than two years. over recent weeks the syrian military has been closing in on rebel supply routes. opposition fighters have also lost territory to isil, and al-qaeda groups. they have been targeting the

government-controlled airstrip. they say intelligence reports confirm that russian fighter jets arrived there recently. and in syria's northeastern province, rebel fighters have gained control of the camps. >> translator: the victory we won, represents a victory to us on every corner of the country. >> reporter: in aleppo the u.n. as proposed a truce to suspend fights. but so far neither side has signed up for it. u.k. police are investigating three alleged murders into part of an inquiry of historic child abuse. it involves politically powerful people in the 1970s and '80s. a man has reported that three boys were killed. they made a public appeal for

victims to come forward. columbia's rebels have declared they will lay down their weapons as long as the military doesn't attack. 50 years of armed conflict has cost an estimated 220,000 lives. the historic shift in relationship between the u.s. and cuba is being hailed as the beginning of a new era. havana looks to gain economically and politically, but washington too could feel less isolated. >> reporter: a photo opthat sums it up. cuba's president welcomed with open arms to a new regional organization of every country in

latin america. it is the united states that has become isolated from its neighbors. the highly unpopular u.s. economic embargo against cuba, a thorn that has diminished washington's leadership in the americas. south american leaders gathered here for an economic summit in argentina applauded the announcement and what some described as the audacious move by president obama. and it could signal a new beginning. >> translator: i want to recognize president obama for his brave gesture, one that is necessary. he has taken what may be the most important step of his presidency. >> reporter: for ordinary cubans

renewing diplomatic ties signals the beginning of the end of a cold war that has marked their lives for generations. and while the economic embargo won't be lifted just yet, it will have an impact. >> translator: it will be an economic shock treatment in the positive sense. it will mean more trade, more tourism, and more investment sfrs the united states, which will help the people of cuba, who suffered an embargo for more than 52 years. the next summit of the americas will be held in april. and for the first time in more than half a century, leaders from every nation in the americas without exception will be able to sit at the same table. al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three journalists who have now been imprisoned in egypt for 355

days. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed were jailed on false charges of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their conviction. still to come here on the news hour, killing the film about killing the north korean heard. sony pictures cancels the release of the controversial comedy movie. and an outbreak of mumps is sweeping through the nhl. we'll have the latest from on and off the ice. ♪

♪ welcome back. let's get all of the sport now.

>> thank you very much. the fifa president is holding talks with several executive members over the possibility of a report over michael garcia's report should be published in full. garcia has resigned from his position. he cited the lack of leadership at the top of football's governing body. he says he has lost confidence in the independence of its ethics committee. earlier we spoke to lee wellings who says garcia's resignation will dominate the discussion into fifa's executive meeting. >> the timing was quite interesting, because it came on the eve of fifa's executive committee meeting which is taking place in morocco now. where they will need to vote on

whether to make his report fully published and fully transparent. but it appears he doesn't have confidence they will make that vote, and even if they do, too much damage has been done. originally they were looking at the friday date when they were going to take the vote, and see what dominic with the order and compliance committee feels about the situation. and that vote will be taken snft it's most likely to be on friday. what kind of situation are in here? if they say yes, that's not straight forward, legally, they are going to need to be very careful. if they say no, as usual people will say, well there is the latest fifa cover up. vladimir putin has been holding his end of year press conference, where he has been fielding questions on a range of topics, including the hosting of the 2018 world cup. the russian president says the

$15 billion u.s. dollars his government is spending on preparations for the tournament will be worth it in the long run. >> translator: we will see an increase in the number of children playing football. after the olympics we saw an infrastructure improvement in sochi, now it will be across more than ten industries in russia, transport froukture and the healthcare facilities will develop alongside it. so it is a pretext to help russia itself. [ inaudible ] real madrid in the final thf world cup on saturday. america's champions made a date with christiano by beating auckland city. but needed extra time to do it. [ inaudible ] cleverly set up the chance before finishing well. but auckland came back, the spanish right back, equallizing

in the second half. that meant the game went into extra time. the champions who claim a 2-1 win. some great goals in the match that decided fifth place between western sydney wanderers and algeria. that's the goal that put the african champions 2-1 up. and then the australian team with a free kick in the 88th minute. so the game was decided on penalties, and it was sydney who won out. japan's football bosses have backed the head in his job. he was named among 41 people by a court on monday referring to a game in 2011. the 56-year-old was then in charge, when they won a match,

and affordable relegation. anti-corruption prosecutors aledge the match was rigged, but japan says he is innocent until proven guilty and will lead the team in australia. >> translator: we hope you understand he is not a criminal suspect yet, and they are now looking into the circumstances before they decide whether they will go into a formal investigation or not. [ inaudible ] in the bottom three of the [ inaudible ] league ga after a 2-2 draw with second place [ inaudible ]. it all started well enough for the home side. giving them an 8-minute lead. kevin leveled it just before the half hour. and then in the 76th minute, [ inaudible ] was struggling again in the league, now they are making it 2-2 with 5 minutes to the end of the game.

in third place, the bottom club was given a 4-1 slashing, and made it 2-0 before halftime. and they were too strong [ inaudible ]. [ inaudible ] 1-0 [ inaudible ] scoring the only goal of the match for the team. ben carter will join french rugby club following the world cup next october in a deal that will reportedly make him the highest paid player in the world. he is currently at crusaders in his native country, but has missed several internationals over the past couple of years with injury problems. australia have fought back

against india on the second day of the test in brisbane. josh hazelwood recorded excellent figures. india were all out for 408. in reply australia are 221-4. the captain is 65 out. the nhl has sent a message to all of their 30 teams to remind them how to prevent the spread of mumps. at least 15 players in the league have the disease, and more are being tested. but games are still going ahead as planned for the time being, including one in minnesota which saw the wild lose out to boston in overtime just 20 seconds after going behind minnesota drew level. boston went [ inaudible ] and all the wild got back level again, ericsson won it for the bruins in overtime. it is only the second victory

for boston in eight games. the hawks are flying right now. they recorded their 11th win in 12, as they destroyed the cleveland cavaliers. the hawks were ahead by 4 at halftime. lebron james scored 21, but with his team down 20 at the start of the 4, he didn't play the final 12 minutes. they went on to win 127-98. there is more on our website, check out aljazeera.com/sport. there is also details there on how to get in touch with our team using twitter and facebook, plus we have blogs and video clips from our correspondents around the world. >> thanks very much indeed for that. now india has successfully launched its biggest-ever rocket, including an unmanned

capsule. they are trying to send a manned mission to the moon in the coming hears. the rocket is designed to carry heavier communication satellites into orbit. they joined russia and the european union in successfully sending probes to orbit mars. sony pictures has canceled the release of its film "the interview." north korea denies any involvement in the attack. it is ta comedy depicting the killing of north korea's leader. >> reporter: it was billed as a fictional comedy, but in reality nobody is laughing. the december 25th release as now been called off by sony pictures, the studio that made the film. it was prompted after a hacking group invoked the attacks of

september 11th, 2001, threatening violence directed at the premiere of the film. it's a highly controversial comedy where the main characters are asked to kill the north korean leader, kim jong un. it has been the talk of late-night tv in america. >> these guys play tv journalists, highered to assassinate kim jong un, apparently by smoking pot at him. >> reporter: in north korea the government has called the film an act of terror and intolerable. sony pictures now finds itself in the worst crisis in history, after emails were hacked by the same group in recent weeks. despite halting the film's release, sony pictures put out a

statement saying they stand by the movie and the right to free expression for their filmmakers, but the crisis could have wide ramifications. >> studios by nature are risk adverse, and risk managers. so the result of what has happened to sony is probably going to make them take a second, third, or fourth look at their projects to see if there is anything that is potentially controversial or sensitive to parties who would have the ability to do something. >> reporter: the incident has grown much larger than anybody could have imagined. now sony pictures running to the emergency exit on a movie comedy, that has become a real life drama. and that's it for this news hour. thanks very much indeed for watching. for me and all of the team in doha, bye for now. ♪

>> this is a group of men who ve groh rich secretive energy deals between egypt and israel. they have cost the egyptian people billions of dollars in lost revenues. >> so it was obvious that egypt was being ripped off. >> one of the men responsible was a confidant of ex-president hosni mubarak. >> did you steal your country's