in washington, i'm ray suarez. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ welcome to the al jazeera news hour i'm sami zeidan in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes. satellite images reveal scenes of devastation in northern nigeria. a state of emergency in mozambique. the u.s. announces further measures to loosen trade and travel restrictions with cuba. and flying to the faithful.

how pope francis gets a warm welcome in the latest leg of his tour. ♪ now the united states and britain say they are working on a special initiative to help tackle the boko haram armed group in nigeria. the killing of hundreds of people last week was a crime against humanity. amnesty international has released images of what it says is the devastating images of those attacks. this was on the 2nd of january. all around you can see streets and clusters of buildings. here is the same time from january 7th. an estimated 3,000 homes schools, and clinics have been

destroyed. it's a similar scene three kilometers away. another thriving town and this is how it looks five days later after the attacks by boko haram. at least 20,000 people fled the area. amnesty international's daniel eyre says it has received disturbing testimony from survivors. >> witnesses are telling us that boko haram attacked more than one week ago. they went house-to-house pulling people out of their homes and shooting them in the streets. we have also had reports from eyewitnesss that that as they tried to flee the town boko haram fighters were waiting for them in the trees and surrounding bush. and civilians were being shot as they tried to flee. >> let's go to the nigerian capitol. what more is emerging about this new u.s. u.k. initiative?

>> well basically, this will be a welcomed development for many nigerians. how the government takes it it's another thing all together. for long the nigerian government was asked by nigerians to receive whatever help they would receive. some western countries offered to help nigeria. seven or eight months after people are yet to hear any positive development about the whereabouts of these girls and whether or not they will be rescued by the security services both here in nigeria and the ones offering help from outside of nigeria. so this is a welcome development to many nigerians, especially those who have suffered so much. >> talking about security forces where are they? this is not the first time that remote areas have been attacked.

where was the army? >> well the army says it is doing everything it can to bring the situation under control. but what is happening on the ground sort of puts that -- shows that definitely that -- that is not enough. as we speak now, the -- the boko haram fighters are occupying a larger territory in northeast nigeria, especially in the states. boko haram is chasing them out of their barracks. sitting civilian populations and killing thousands. people are wondering what exactly are happening. >> why are areas in the north being attacked by people who claim they are an islamic group? >> that is one question that is bugging the minds of many nigerians. they have attacked mosques and

church. when it started five years ago, they weren't targeting any other group except the police chiefs and local emoms who they say ideologies are different from them. and eventually they are now attacking even the muslims they say -- they want to protect, or the islam -- the sharia law they want to impose in the north of nigeria. so people are beginning to understand this is a different thing all together it's not about islam or sharia or setting up an islamic state. otherwise how could someone rape kidnap kill, name and even burn properties. that's the questions people especially the muslims are asking. three countries affected most by the ebola outbreak are

now recording a drop in the number of new februaryings februaryings -- infections. more than 3,000 people have died of the ebola virus in sierra leone, and over 1800 in guinea. most have happened in liberia where more than 3,500 have lost their lives. and the country is now reporting a drop in the number of people being infected each week. more than 21,000 cases have been reported since march. more than 70 people been killed in southern india from severe flooding. and in mozambique 25 children have been killed and more than 40,000 have been forced from their homes. our correspondent reports.

>> reporter: strong river currents like this one have forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes in mozambique. dozens including children have been killed. >> translator: we have unconfirmed reports that more than 25 children and their godfathers were washed away by the water, but we're not able to cross the river, so we're unable to confirm this information. we have also heard reports that two elderly people were washed away. >> reporter: for days strong winds and rain have hit the country. more than half of malawi has been declared as a disaster zone. it started around midnight. they came to wake me up they lost a lot of things their houses their goods, their freezers really a lot of stuff that they lost. >> reporter: governments are struggling to deal with the

scale of the disaster. many hectors of mozambique's main export crop cashew nut has been destroyed. many remote areas have been cut off. mozambique has been hit by massive floods in the past. each weather system lasted for weeks, and opening the gates of overflowing dams worsened the damage. it took years for the reconstruction of infrastructure and rehabilitation of people who lost everything. mozambique's government has issued an alert. and there are warnings of heavy rain fall and flash floods over the next two to three weeks. now the oil price cash is having a dramatic effect on the global economy. it's arguably good news for consumers, but bad news for

producers? june brent crude peeked at around $111 a barrel. and it has had a 55% drop in six months. it's the biggest oil-producing nations that are hardest hit. venezuela needs the price to be around a massive $117 per barrel to break even. russia's average break-even point is around $98 per barrel. we'll cross over to nadine barber to see how the drop in oil prices is affecting jobs in the energy industry there, but first let's go to peter sharpe who is in moscow as we heard the russian economy is starting to struggle. tell us about the pinch and how it's being felt there. >> well really it's all a result of russia's total failure

to reduce its dependency on exports of gas and oil. for every dollar knocked off of a barrel of oil, costs russia $2 billion. and russia still depends on more than half of its annual income on revenues from gas and oil, and of course it is playing mary hell with the economy. late last year putin signed off on a budget that assumed, that assumed, quite wrongly, that the price of oil would be near $100 a barrel it's nowhere near that. and the finance minister stood up and said look we are going to have to slash expenditure on every department within the government except for, wait for it the defense ministry no surprises there, and then he said that might not be enough. and standard & poor will be

reevaluating their debt. >> so perhaps more bad news coming. thanks so much for now. bp has announced it will layoff 300 employees in its north sea operations. nadine barber joins us for that. >> reporter: sami, the announcement came in the building behind me. employees are not talking, they have seemingly been told not to talk to the press. it is very worrying for people here. the company employs around 11,000 in the u.k. 4,000 in the north sea industry. the 300 may not seem a lot, but they come off of losses at

chevron and shell as well. and the city doesn't see prices raising any time soon. this city has done well in the past decades, for the economy of scotland as a whole it has created a debate. some people like the unions walling on the westminster government to do more to protect what is a crucial industry here. others are saying that westminster, seeing it in the larger picture, that the fall in the oil price will benefit the u.k. economy has a whole, and therefore is not willing to promise what the government here in scotland is demanding in terms of safeguards for jobs in the future. sami. >> thanks so much. french president has vowed

france will protect all religions. these comments come as funerals are being held for five of the victims of the attacks. jonah hull sent this update from that memorial service. >> reporter: you can see behind me a fairly large crowd gathered outside the townhall of this suburb of paris, north of paris where the cartoonist 57 year old, better known as you said as tiu, he lived here for 30 years in this commune, an ethnically diverse commune of paris with a very large muslim community. and therefore, perhaps an appropriate place for a

cartoonist on this sort of a magazine that of course poked fun at all faiths religions, and positions of power. his funeral service taking place as we speak. others as well happening in paris today. turkey's prime minister has compared the israeli leader benjamin netenyahu to the men who carried out the attacks in paris last week. his comments are in response to a statement made by israeli foreign minister. he called turkey's president an anti-semitic bully for criticizing netenyahu's attendance at the paris solidarity march. lots more still ahead on the news hour including we meet the people who walked six days across afghanistan to escape the taliban and get to safety. and detroit diversifies. changing gears to attract small businesses with big dreams. history is made in the

united states as two men compete. what is known as the world's toughest climb, and they have done it with their bare hands. ♪ let's take you first to iraq where sunni tribes are recruiting more fighters to join the battle against the islamic state of iraq and the levant. the government is slowly starting to supply the tribesmen with weapons and ammunition. but the operation to recapture territory from isil is going to take longer than expected. >> reporter: southwest of bagdad an expected battle with isil is taking shape one recruit at a time. this is on the outskirts of fallujah city. leaders from some of the biggest sunni tribes have sent their young men here to be trained by iraqi security forceses. it is a strategic location

between bagdad and the wholly city in the south. but even more strategic are the troops. part of a tribal force iraq needs to take back shoe -- sunni areas. it has been a struggle to get the leaders on board, but with weapons and promises of police call power an increasing number are agreeing. >> translator: we want more weapons and ammunition. we have fought almost a year with every old rifle we have. we have not received any help from the government since then. but the army is now helping us by giving us more weapons and ammunition for the battles to come. and we are grateful. >> reporter: it's a small part of what are expected to be 7,000 fighters eventually trained by the u.s. but they hope this significant

anifies an area of cooperation. >> we are working closely we the iraqi government the minister of defense and the iraqi security forces for them to work with tribal fighters not just to arm them but to train them so they can provide important functions? iraq, and also very importantly in conjunction with the iraqi security forceses. >> reporter: while the iraqi prime minister is asking the u.s. for more air strikes and increased training, the united states is making clear there is still a lot more training and planning to be done before any major offensive. that includes plans for humanitarian assistance that would follow any military operations to help the hundreds of thousands of iraqis displaced from their homes. any major fight is likely months away but u.s. officials who

worked hard to support this new prime minister and attempts to reach out to the sunni population say they believe this long fight against isil is now on the right track. russia's pressing ahead with plans to host peace talks between the syrian government and opposition groups. previous attempts have collapsed leaving many syrians wondering if they will ever get to go home. bernard smith reports. >> reporter: these men were with tens of thousands of syrians at the protests against their president, bashar al-assad. enthusiastic and determined. but that was nearly four years ago. >> translator: at first we only had one goal to topple the syrian regime but now we don't know who to fight. we are stuck between isil and the government. now it's not just a struggle against assad, but against a

million similar regimes. >> reporter: he was a fighter with the free syrian army. mohammed an activist. one spent a year in jailed and was tortured. >> translator: we are frustrated and depressed. algeria sacrificed a million people in its war against france. >> reporter: tens of thousands of syrians used to wait and plan for life in a free democratic syria, now all of these syrians are putting down roots. these men and hundreds of thousands like them are becoming part of syria's lost generation, stuck in turkey jobless, feeling humiliated they say because they struggle to feed their families. >> translator: i think the international community doesn't care. during the past two years, nothing has changed and we

haven't seen the international community do anything. >> reporter: there is a resigned air here. huesam says when his young son asks when they will go back to syria, he feels a pain in his heart because he doesn't know thence -- the answer. in libya there has been renewed fighting in the eastern city of benghazi. the fighting has forced out residents. the u.n. envoy opened talks between the rival factions in geneva on wednesday. the palestinian president has asked for financial aid during a meeting this cairo. they froze the payment of $120 million of tax money at the start of the year, after abbas signed up to join the international criminal court. they tried again to get a u.n.

security council resolution. >> translator: the u.n. secretary general was asked -- we asked them to protect the palestinian people. we are being under killing and direct destruction by the israeli government intentionally, and we ask the united nations to provide protection, the necessary protection to the palestinian people or to stop israel from these awful practices being done against us. canada's foreign minister has pressed for the release of al jazeera journalist mohammed fahmy at meeting with his egyptian counterpart in cairo. the nationalist spent more than a year in prison in egypt. imran khan reports. >> reporter: political pressure builds on the egyptian government as canada's foreign

minister visits cairo. canada has come under criticism for not doing enough to pursue mohammed fahmy's case who holds canadian citizenship. >> by meeting directly with the minister, and engaging in constructive dialogue we will successfully resolve this issue. >> reporter: so far the ordeal has lasted more than a year. the strain it has placed on his families is clear. the wife of baher mohamed says the lack of clarity and information is a big worry. >> translator: yes, indeed we are frustrated. the court said nothing about when the coming hearing will take place. no practical steps have been taken to release my husband and the other journalists, nothing has been settled. they only have accepted his appeal and that was it. >> reporter: on january 1st, egypt's appeals court ordered a retrial, but so far no date has been set. the deportation of both peter

greste and mohammed fahmy is possible but depends on their countries, australia and canada respectively reaching an agreement with the egyptians. a "washington post" journalist who has been held for six months in iran is going on trial. police arrested the man along with his wife and two associates in july. his colleagues were released within weeks while his wife was freed on bail in october. the charges have not been made public. given the recent easing of diplomatic relations with cuba the u.s. will be publishing new regulations for their citizens. this will affect business as well as travel. so to what extent will this normalize relations between the u.s. and cuba? >> reporter: well according to u.s. officials this is going to greatly enhance the economic relationships between the u.s.

and cuba and make it easier for cuban americans to provide support to their relatives. right now they can only send $500 at a time to their relatives. that amount is going to be increased four fold to $2,000. there's also going to be an allowance for increased business activity. u.s. banks for example, will be able to establish financial relationships with their counterparts in cuba. people who travel there will be able to use credit cards that are issued by u.s. banks. there are going to be basically people who are allowed to travel to cuba right now, but who first have to get permission from the u.s. government won't have to do that starting on friday as long as they are following the basic rules into one of 12 general categories. this of course is coming just about six days before a series of meetings between the u.s. assist important secretary of state, and her cuban

counterparts on the normalization talks, and the process which was announced in december by u.s. president barack obama. >> rosalyn some restrictions are being eased, but there are still some left. tell us about that. >> reporter: well let's put it this way. i'm a u.s. citizen, if i wanted to go on vacation cuba, i cannot book a flight get a visa and go. and this also does not mean that large corporations from the united states will be able to move in whole scale and start establishing a beach head to use the phrase in the cuban economy. there are still restrictions on that kind of economic activity. however, the u.s. says that it feels that there is a joint benefit for establishing this liberalization of the rules, and so that's why they are going ahead with these rules now.

rosiland jordan there in washington, d.c. thousands of people turned out to welcome pope francis to the philippines. he was treated to a rap tuous welcome. >> reporter: pope francis was welcomed welcomed. organizers would be grateful if a lost hat is the worst the weather does. rain storms are forecast for the weekend. millions are expected on the streets on friday and sunday. in between he'll visit the area worst-hit by typhoon haiyan and deliver a message on man made climate change. he also focused on the philippine's poor. a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line.

but right now the church and state are at loggerheads on how best to serve them. this woman has three children and saw a fourth die. and at 23 has decided to use contraception for the first time in her lime. >> translator: every year i gave birth. my mother-in-law told me about family planning. >> reporter: last month a health bill came law, but it was fought every step of the way by the catholic church. the thing that strikes you about this place, along with the overcrowding and poverty is the sheer number of children. for some that events attention between pope francis and the church's teaching on contraception. some say no matter the new law,

priests still tell children it is against the law and dangerous to their health. >> smoking is dangerous to your health. >> reporter: you are comparing smoking to taking contraception. >> well it may be less but you have to inform people. the vatican reaffirmed the church's teaching on contraception. but for now that will be set aside as the pope visits for the first time in 20 years. up to 50,000 police and soldiers will be on hand. 6 million people are expected to the mass. harry fawcett, al jazeera, manila. coming up on al jazeera, the nominations are out. we'll have the latest on who is in line for the top honors. and the uaefootballers make history at the asian cup. details coming up. ♪

real reporting that brings you the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight. >> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. >> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong. >> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. ♪ welcome back. you are watching the al jazeera

news hour. here is a reminder of our top stories. the united states and britain say they are working on a special initiative to help tackle the boko haram in nigeria. the recent killing of hundreds of people last week john kerry says was a crime against humanity. wide-spread flooding in northern africa have killed 70 people. more than 70,000 people have been displaced. and in neighboring mozambique, 25 children have died in the floods. pope francis has arrived in the philippine capitol to a rapturous reception. it is the first visit to the country since 1995. let's get more on the drop on the global price of oil.

daniel lak has more from toronto. >> reporter: the plunging price of oil in the world is having its biggest impact in the part of canada that actually produces energy. a couple of thousand layoffs have been announced. suncore is laying off people. and in toronto stock markets are reflecting this. energy stocks are huge here and the stock markets are off by so far 5% since the beginning of the year. financial institutions are also expecting problems. on the other hand some economists say that falling energy prices have an upward effect on some parts of the economy. cheaper fuel prices at the pump are good for the motorists, good for the retail sector good for

the manufacturing sector. in the end, though falling oil prices are probably bad. budget deficits are expected to reappear, and in other parts of the country there is even talk of recession. an energy consultant joins us live from london. good to have you with us. >> thank you for having me. >> listening to that story there, the whole problem with dropping oil prices started with frac-ing in north america. it is coming back to bite the country now? >> it's by default. the entrepreneurs, investors, and those involved in new technology [ inaudible ] we have had in mobile phones come communication, so much improve in technology and obviously in oil-exploration production that

has always happened. so we have had the new ideas and also people who are prepared to put money in and that is all in the united states oil production which has fallen since 1970, so go up to almost 4 million barrels per day. that's huge compared with other countries out of the 19 million barrels per day oil consumption in the world. so there we are. this is only one case of course the united states but other producing countries have also used technology in order to improve their production. oil fields which were coming down their production they arrested them and some of them are going back. so because of all of these things we have now extra supply. the demand side has not grown that much. chinese who were buying all of the time they are buying less oil, so out of all of this we

have an imbalance, and that is what opec organization has said that there is imbalance, and now who is going to reduce the supply and that is the main issue, of course. >> is there a standoff here between some of the traditional oil producers, and some of the newcomers in the market to see who will blink first in the face of dropping oil prices? >> well exactly that is what it is. but we have had this experience we should remember also in the past in 1986, 1998, 1999 and so on and also in 2008. i think in especially 1986 there was again the same story, extra supply and that was because the price of supply which was 2 or $3 had gone to 30$30 a barrel. so opec countries reduced their

production by 15 million barrels per day, whereas the canadians, north sea, all over the world, they increase production and i think they both blinked together. so at that time, the vice president gorge bush and the king they had meetings and politics and business decisions reached. oak, opec has to reduce production, and many of those companies had gone bankrupt so this extra oil companies -- the oil was not on the market. even if they can still make money, they have so much to pay to the banks because of the money that they had to borrow that they just can't meet it. other companies will buy them. other companies are reducing their investment so supply will

get less but not immediately. it will be many months maybe a year or so. so i think they will reach the stage with some sort of help either with politicians at the top, to reach a compromise. okay. we have to reduce output. you would also make a promise, this and that and i think at the end it will be opec that has to blink first. the frac-ers and so on are spread around are different companies, and they are private economies, the smarl -- small large. there have been tases for instance in texas, when there was too much oil, those producers got together and reduced supply but now the world is different, and that is who will blink first, i think it is both will blink. but the opec count thinks be the

first. >> all right. we'll have to see what the next oil manager looks like. thank you so much. >> pleasure. taliban fighters and government forces are fighting for control of the afghanistan's northeastern province. the conflict has lasted for nearly a month. jennifer glasse reports. >> reporter: some of these refugees walked six days to get leer to safety. last month the taliban attacked villages near the pakistani border and they were caught in the middle. >> translator: the taliban took over our areas, and then the government started shelling. we couldn't stay there anymore. >> reporter: some of the villager did fight back and were no match against hundreds of taliban fighters including some pakistani. >> translator: the government didn't want the people to leave.

but the people who's houses are destroyed had to leave. >> reporter: and they had to leave everything behind. now they are living in crowded conditions with anyone who had space. here four families, 20 people in all share one room. >> translator: our children are hungry, our men are not here. some are wounded. the aid given has been taken by opportunists from other villages. >> reporter: but in the provincial capitol, officials say they are doing their best. the displaced say it is not fast enough and not getting to them. >> translator: they should register everyone by name and give aid. they should not give it to the elders of the tribe. >> reporter: john mohammed's brother was killed in the fighting. he says they barely got out alive. >> translator: we walked out of our houses without anything. we didn't even have time to bury

our brother. >> reporter: nearly 1,200 afghan families have been displaced. some want the government to donate land for a camp for them. local officials say it could be risking whying them in one place in case the taliban want to take revenge. let's bring you some breaking news coming in to us here. the nigerian president has visited now the boko haram heartland, this comes after those reports of hundreds of people being killed in two attacks last week on two nigerian towns. so to recap, the nigerian president is visiting the boko haram heartland. we'll have our correspondent at the top of the hour and get you more details. driver's from indonesia's

search and rescue team have increased efforts to find more debris from the crashed airasia plane. so far only 60 bodies have been recovered. high rates of unemployment in detroit means the city is out to diverse its job market. the city is now attracting a different kind of entrepreneur and employer. allan fisher reports. >> reporter: it's a place where businesses are born. a community of workers, job creators and dreamers. it gives a start to small businesses like this one, which makes custom jeans, or this which uses all blacksmith techniques. here rent is cheap, advice is not far away the community supportive and it's working. >> if you were able to open up space and allow people to come

in and be curative and think about fulfilling their dreams with low-risk to failure. low risk to -- the barriers are lower, see what can happen and that's really the point at a very affordable cost. >> reporter: for years detroit relied on heavy industry for jobs, but downsizing hit more than car workers. now detroit is diversifying. it still wants big employers, but a wider job base. eric williams says it's about changing a culture. >> you are talking about making it something that kids in men try school or high school thinks about as an option. and also trying to encourage small businesses to grow up around them so they actually see -- they have role models. >> reporter: one of the businesses is staffed by the

former homeless who make coats to help the homeless. it is now planning a slicker version for commercial sale which means nor jobs but it was the support in the early days which made it a success. >> that constant worry that i'm sure a lot of other businesses worry about when they first start out, can we make rent can we even afford to be here wasn't even on the docket and it was because of that that i didn't have to worry about those things. i could just focus on doing a good business. >> reporter: there are 20 companies here which have created 80 jobs in just three years. there is a waiting list to get in and plans to make more space to meet demands. for those here a job is a job, a fresh start, a new opportunity. alan fisher al jazeera,

detroit. we have got the sport in a moment including a former world footballer of the year preparing for his come back. ♪

♪ welcome back. let's update you with that line we were telling you about from nigeria, where it's reported that the president has visited the boko haram heartland. let's cross over to the capitol. what is the latest? >> reporter: basically president goodluck jonathan landed here

more than 30 minutes ago. he visited the military the main military containment in the city and thereafter and he is expected to visit people affected by the violence. the refugee camps, or camps for internally displaced persons. these include the recent arrives from the towns where hundreds have been killed. >> i understand you have been speaking to some of those survivors, tell us what you have been hearing. >> reporter: well it's more like a horrific description of what -- what was going on. one particular child saw parents and elders shot before his own eyes, and then they were taken back when the elders were isolated from the children they were asked to lie down and shot down by boko haram. the children were taken back to

what looks like a camp inside. there when they started burning and looting parts of the town the children ran into the bushes. one other man was talking about being chased by boko haram. they were leaving their homes when boko haram was approaching that particular house. he and his neighbors fled into the bushes. he said they followed them with trucks and motorcycles, hacking them down and shooting those that they could, and that's how he escaped. >> harrowing picture. thank you. hong kong's chief executive says he has a plan to generate more affordable housing. many people say the housing shortage is one example of how the wealth gap is widening between the rich and poor. sarah clark reports from hong kong kong. >> reporter: it's a city well-known for its bright lights

and towering skyline. it's also one of the most expensive places in the world to buy property. >> at this moment our housing market right, ranked number one in the world. that's why affordable is concerned, and also the most expensive apartment. >> reporter: alongside the majestic skyscrapers, is this affordable housing development. the wait time to get in are at least three years and the apartments are small. >> normally 20 or 30 people they are living in a space around 600 square feet. so the space is too tiny. they don't have space to do homework. they don't have any room for activity. and some of them they don't have air. >> reporter: this man lives with his wife and daughter in a makeshift tent under a bridge in

one of the most densely populated districts in hong kong. he is one of thousands of residents who live on the streets. >> translator: it is very difficult to live here, but i have no choice but to live here. >> reporter: hong kong's chief executive is under pressure to ease the crunch. he has devised a scheme that too is regardedly many as unrealistic. >> i would still regard it as unaffordable at all. >> reporter: this is a 23-year-old university student, she says renting an apartment is a challenge. >> some of my friends they do not want to purchase they would like to rent first, but the rental cost is really high too. >> reporter: unaffordable housing has been a major issue for people living in this city. with property prices rising over

100% in the last six years, many don't expect the problem to be resolved any time soon. sarah clark, al jazeera, hong kong. >> all right. let's catch up with all of the sports news. thank you very much. one of kenya's star athletes have been appearing before a hearing of kenya's athletic's commission. he is facing a possible two-year ban. alice mccoury is the sports editor in kenya, and he has been telling al jazeera that the doping story has caused the country a lot of harm. >> the effect is that now everybody is looking at kenyan athletes with a lot of

suspicion. and the kenyan government also is trying to come in forcefully and clean the kenyan image and do good pr to get the sport back on track. the colts are due to play the patriots for the playoffs for the super bowl. but mcnairry has been charged over an incident that is alleged to have happened in the early morning of december 1st last year. his attorney is denying all allegations against him. and footballers have qualified for the quarter finals of the asian cup. the three-time continental winners beat qatar to advance. they fined them in the final group game to decide who will top group c

>> brilliant goal. it was a special movement of the center forward. he make great turn. at level of some of the best center forwards i work in my life. it was a brilliant goal in one on one. the [ inaudible ] will be weary of the uae. they had the fastest goal in the competition's history, taking just 14 seconds to score. bahrain equallizing in the first half. but it was it was this goal that gave the uae their 2-1 victory. guess is who is coming out of retire to play football again in former brazil striker, the three-time player of the year. he will now feature for the fort

lauderdale strikers. he is part owner of the club. and has promised to shed the unwanted kilos and return to the pitch soon. >> it is easy to get in shape. you have to train, just that but to play soccer game is -- yeah you have to be -- yeah in very good shape. so i will try for myself. that is another challenge, and i'm sure it will help the league help the team and help soccer in america. and a well-known cricket player is on the way out. brent lee has announced his retirement. he will finish his here at the end of the year. [ inaudible ] leads think first round of the abu dhabi

warp i don't know-- championship. 64 and a 1-stroke lead. world number 1, was 5 under 67, and 3 shots behind. two men in the united states has completed what is known as the world's toughest climb. they reached the summit of el captain. [ cheers ] >> reporter: a fate seven years in planning 19 days in making and one never achieved before. friends tommy caldwell and kevin joer ganson reaching the summit of what is known as the dawn wall of el captain in yosemite national park. it is called the dawn wall for a season. a vertical sheet of nearly

smooth granite. some have climbed it before but not like this. they scaled the summit without any aids. harnesses and ropes. during the time the pair slept in camps. and sometimes taking days off. any falls along the way, and they had to start again. hard enough with ten fingers, tommy caldwell managed with just nine. >> if anybody deserves it it is totally him. he persevered his whole life in everything he did. he keeps doing other things like this. so it's not the first time. >> i would really say relief is a stronger emotion than pride. i have been proud of him for a long time. you know the whole world is just -- learning about the

person that i have known for his whole life. >> reporter: a free climb previously called impossible is that no longer. absolutely brilliant achievement. more sport for you later. >> thanks so much robin. and the u.s. the oscar nominations for 2015 have been announced at the ceremony in hollywood. we are pleased to announce the best pictures -- >> leading the pack are birdman. and the imitation game has eight nominations. and veteran american actress meryl streep not her 19th nod with "into the woods." we're back at the top of the

hour with another bulletin of news. do stay with us here on al jazeera.

>> the ufers facing new terror threats just a week after the paris attacks. investigative journalist jeremy skahill is here. charges of hypocrisy. and glen close's family struggles with mental illness. i'm antonio mora, those stories and more straight ahead. >> the fbi revealed a plot by a suspected terrorist on the u.s. capitol.