>> hello, welcome to the news hour from doha with your top stories. the u.s. secretary of state is in nigeria for talks with the president as boko haram attacks a major city in the north. >> greece votes in an election that could push the country into a new battle over its international bailout. >> demonstrators are killed as egyptians mark the four years since the revolution that out of the add president. >> the hugs, hand shakes and

talk of a new friendship, what barack obama's visit means for india and the u.s. >> hello we begin in nigeria where the army has been battling suspected boko haram fighters who launched an attack in born o states capitol. amnesty international warns of grave risks to hundreds of thousands of people who are facing boko haram there. the united states secretary of state john kerry has now arrived in nigeria. he's there for talks ahead of the country's presidential elections in less than three weeks and will meet with the main contenders, president goodluck jonathan, as well as the former military leader.

in the capitol we'll talk about kerry's visit in a moment, but tell us what's going on out there in the town. >> just over an hour ago, we were able to speak to one eyewitness on the ground in the city. a member of the civilian joint task force. those are ordinary nigerians supporting the lil father in the fight against boko haram. the last update that is at least 20 soldiers were killed. he saw this firefight with boko haram taking place himself. earlier, the same source said civilians had been killed. he counted at least 10 bodies, including children, said about 300 to 400 boko haram fighters had tornado the city and that fighting was ongoing in some places. there was also very well abrasion and job reaction from

the military in certain areas where they repelled attacks by the group. this corroborates what the military has been surveying on twitter, is that they are in control of the city, number one that they are repelling attacks by the group and driving them out. the only area of confusion seems to be about the curfew. the military had said there's an immediate occur fee in place until further notice, but the source we've spoken to says no, there is no curfew in place. amnesty international, they have now waded in to warn that hundreds of thousands could be at risk and many are trapped inside the city. >> for john kerry's trip to nigeria, what message is he going to be carrying to the authorities there? >> it's symbolic visit, to say there shouldn't be any violence. there are concerns about violence taking place and obviously the stability of nigeria is key to the region.

also it's a major oil producer, but it's more than concerns, because there already has been election violence. last week, president goodluck jonathan's convoy was stoned by individuals in three states in the north during campaigning. the opposition have been in touch with al jazeera to say their offices have been burned down thee people killed in the capitol of river state in the south. there are already reports of violence taking place so many see kerry's visit as a main way of warning that the key contenders there are 14 presidential candidates, that they must call for peace must not incite any kind of violence through emotional speeches. now last week, finally both the main candidates, jonathan the incumbent and the main opposition candidate did sign a peace accord promising to run

issue-based campaign, but many people know that people here are not voting on the issues, they're voting on personalities they did promise not to in cite any kind of violence. john kerry's visit in a way is trying to remind individuals and everything running in this election that maintaining peace is the key thing. >> ok, thank you. reporting from nigeria. >> there's less than a couple of hours left for voters to get to polling stations in greece. the snap general election could mean a major political shift but opinion polls suggest that many voters are undecided. we have been asking people in athens what their last-minute thinkingies who are you going to vote for? >> why? >> because the others of fixed. >> taxi drivers of a good barometer. >> sir, who will you vote for? >> what do you want to tell me?

>> who will you vote for? >> alexander defender greece. >> why? >> why? because i want my country free, free from the europe union. >> 9.3 million are eligible to vote with 18 parties ranging from the ultra nationalist to the communist party. austerity measures are affecting the polls. pensioners who have to travel to their hometown to say vote were told the state pensions would be paid early to help with travel expenses. it didn't arrive. there is as party leader greeted like a conquering hero at the ballot box close to his home. >> the message is that euro is not the future of austerity

it's the future of cooperation. >> the current prime minister still believes he can win. >> in this election, there is an unprecedented large number of people still undecided. they will judge the result. i am optimistic, because i believe that no one will risk the european course our country has taken. we will win. >> outside the polling station in downtown athens, one worker wasn't convinced by either of them. >> i will vote for the river party, because i don't think i'm represented by the others. i think they'll do well for our country. >> the results of this election won't just be felt across greece, but other parts of europe too. anti establishment parties are gaining momentum. a firm victory here will send a message to those parties that there is as change in politics across the euro zone. >> days before the election,

pablo iglesias, the leader of the anti austerity party currently leading in the polls in spain jointly forces with this campaign. the anti establishment movement is gaining momentum. the question across europe is does that mean they will become the driving force in politics. >> greeks have endured five years of austerity in order to secure 250 billion euros in rescue funding. cuts combined with higher taxes has compacted a high social cost. homelessness and hunger are on the rise, according to the eu statistics a third of greece now lives below the poverty line. greece's jobless rate trimmed since the country's debt crisis began in 2009. health spending fell by a quarter between 2009 and 2012, and it's not even improved since

then. let's cross to athens and speak with barnaby phillips. tell me how turnout has been today. >> we don't have any official word on turnout. the electoral commission told us everything was going smoothly in the middle of the day. i think there were some 20,000 polling stations around greece, all able to open on time, bar a handful in the far north where there has been heavy open? in the mountains. we've heard of a couple of skirmishes in the greater athens area rewarding far right and far leftist groups, but nothing serious. my impression walking round the city center throughout the day is that the elections are going very smoothly. let's not forget, greece has had plenty of practice with all the political instability this country endured.

the authorities are very adept as organizing elections well and seem to have done so again today. >> barnaby it seems that the party doesn't get enough votes to win that election, what kind of coalition are we talking about? what could be emerging? >> if siriza wins and doesn't get enough votes and that seems the most likely scenario as you were saying, it will look round at potential partners. they are there. they range from the party that sue was talking about in her package, a centrist party that indicated that it would be willing to go into a coalition. it sees itself perhaps as a more sensible to use its words bull walk against the leftist tendencies and sees itself as a party that could help guarantee greece's continued place in the euro. that's one candidate.

there is the independent greeks on the right. that seems an odd marriage between right and left, but they also have a strong greek nationalist standing up to germany, standing up to angela merkel and that could work, that could marry quite well with some of the opinions. we'll have to see the results. it's important to say that even within siriza itself there are a wide range of opinions from markist on the left to social democrats on the right and alexis cipris is going to have a mighty job holding his own party together negotiating with a range of coalition partners is going to be even more difficult. >> we'll leave it there for now and talk to you later on. barnaby phillips reporting from athens in greece. >> u.s. president barack obama condemned what he called the brutal murder of a japanese

hostage by isil. japan's prime minister said that he was left speechless by the "outrageous and unforgivable video of the apparent killing." isil threatened to kill another japanese hostage unless $200 million ransom was paid. from tokyo harry foster has more. >> japan's prime minister all but confirmed the news sunday morning. he believed isil murdered one of the two japanese hostages. >> a picture that we believe shows him has been distributed. it is an extremely painful situation. unfortunately at this point, we are releasing the validity of this picture and believe that its credibility is high. i have no words to express that must be an extremely painful moment for the family. >> he had traveled to syria after a string of personal, financial and emotional problems. he talked of becoming a private military contractor, and posted often gruesome images of his

travel through syria's battle fields. his father left distraught. >> i am just overwhelmed with sadness. i cannot find words to express it. i have this hope deep in my heart that this is not true. if i'm ever reunited with him, i just want to give him a big hug. >> he expressed regret that the respected freelance journalist who his son had come to regard as an older brother now faces the same fate, having traveled to syria at least in part to seek his friend's release. >> a new video shows a still image of him holding the dead body of his fellow captive. a voice purportedly his blames japan's prime minister and said that he will be released for exchange from a prisoner.

>> the prisoner took part in a suicide talk in 2005. her own belt failed to detonate. japan's government is so far not commenting on whether it would consider the deal, having consistently said it would not give in to terrorists' demands. we are asking for cooperation with the related countries including jordan, but cannot disclose the content of the coordination. >> his mother expressed prayers for his return. >> his face looked extremely nervous. i think he feels gravely about what is to come. >> his friend and fellow journalist is holding out some hope that a prisoner swap could work with jordan officially making the decision and japan distancing itself from accusation of giving in. >> it's so painful to see him looking to pale and thin. i'm just glad he's alive after the first deadline passed.

even though it takes a very long time since there is now no deadline i want him back in any form, whatever the consequences. >> isil has again showed willingness to kill its foreign captors. the hope is that somehow his fate will be different. al jazeera tokyo. >> as isil fighters will be among the main suspect in a double bombing in baghdad which has killed at least 11 people, a roadside bomb exploded at a bus terminal killing seven and four others were killed when another device exploded at a restaurant. there's been no claim of responsibility so far but isil does carry out regular bomb attacks in iraq's capitol. >> rebels in syria say they've taken over one of the syrian army's largest military bases the base gives the rebels control of the damascus highway a main lifeline for government forces. action visits say the army shelled the area following rebel

takeover. you're watching the al jazeera news hour. here's what's coming up. under attack in eastern you a crane, shells hit a residential area in a government-held port city. >> we'll see the welcome given to the new president of zambia. coming up, ecuador yell guinea tightens security at the africa cup of nations. >> first at least 11 people have been killed in violent protests across egypt on the fourth anniversary of the revolution which toppled president mubarak. a female activist from the leftest popular alliance party was skilled saturday. witnesses say she was protesting peacefully when hit by bird shot fired by police. egypt's prime minister said that

her death is being investigated. >> in alexandria, a protestor was killed there during skirmishes with police. in cairo, two policemen were injured by a bomb explosion the police targeted outside a sports club in the area. >> egyptians brought an end to the mubarak government in just 18 days, but the four years since then have been chaotic. simon mcgreg gore wood reports. after 30 years of rule, mubarak was swept from power by protest. in marsh 2011, protestors stormed the hated state security service and demanded his arrest and trial. heading the supreme council of the armed forces, egypt was led for 17 months after the fall of

mubarak during which time he was charged with conspiracy to murder protestors. in november, parliamentary elections went ahead. the muslim brotherhood and its conservative allies won. the process of writing egypt's new competition was soon bogged down in legal challenges. presidential elections did go ahead in june, 2012, and the muslim brotherhood's mohamed morsi became egypt's first democratically elected president. difficulties ran deep. in november, he was accused of granting hips too much power. in june 30 2013, there were massive protests against him. the military gave morsi an ultimatum, resolve his differences with the opposition, or else. july 3 the military deposed morsi from power. even some u.s. officials called ate coup. general al sisi was the new military man in charge. there was an immediate crackdown

on dissent. muslim brotherhood supporters staged huge sit-ins demanding their president's return. the scene was set for confrontation. it came on august 14. egyptian security forces moved in. hour own team of journalists was caught in the deadly crossfire. over 800 were killed that day. in may running virtually unposed, al sisi, egypt's former field marshall won the presidential election and like mubarak before him swapped his uniform for a presidential suit. the charges of complicity to murder against must be remember were dropped in november. there were no significant protests. egypt's first democratically elected president mohamed morsi remains in jail, charged with inciting violence and spying. for all the turmoil and death of the last four years it seems

little has changed. simon mcgregorwood, al jazeera. >> cultural influence in the arab world egypt has a pitch vat roll role despite turmoil. it maintains peace treaty with israel to this day and the u.s. suspended aid to egypt briefly because of human rights abuses but now has resumed the annual $1.3 billion in military as well as economic aid. europe has criticized egypt on human rights, yet key countries like france and the u.k. are increasing their investment size and it also has good relations with wealthy gulf countries the u.a.c. and kuwait, giving $20 billion to egypt since mohamed morsi was deposed. let's cross over to the united states and speak to an associate professor of middle east studies at the university of oklahoma. four years after that revolution

that we saw in egypt how would you describe relations between the united states where you are and egypt? >> right now relations between the united states and egypt are back to business, as usual. that hasn't also been the case throughout these four years. as your report mentioned as you stated it's been a tumultuous four years. at the beginning of the uprising against mr. mubarak the united states continued to support mr. pub wreck. hillary clinton was secretary of state at the time and in the first several days she emphasized and articulated the u.s. belief that it was a stable regime. the u.s. was caught off guard. it's also debatable whether the u.s. helped push mr. mubarak or encouraged him to leave at the end of those 18 days or not. in any case, the relationship has been tumultuous. the united states made peace with the fact of a post mubarak egypt. many in egypt believe they

supported the muslim brotherhood. i think there's no real evidence that have. the relationship fell or became rocky after the popular lead back to military coupe in 2013 where there was critical words stated about egypt and so on. in the last few weeks the relationship seems to have become business as usual despite the human rights abuses -- >> that's just it, despite the words -- despite the words and rhetoric we also saw on saturday the story we've been covering, the protestor killed just 24 hours ago. did you ever feel that there was a real serious reaction to egypt from the united states? >> no, quite bluntly no. there were critical words stated. one will remember that mr. obama incident resulted his summer vacation when the august 14

massacre occurred and had critical words for human rights abuses. at other times state department officials have criticized either the limitations on press freedoms or journalists such as the al jazeera journalists or americans in egyptian jails but really there has not been a prioritization of human rights and democracy and rule of law. really the prioritization has always been and will continue to be unfortunately what are called the strategic interests. >> that's exactly it, so the united states -- >> peace accords -- >> that was my question to you because for the united states, it matters tremendously that egypt keep the peace agreements with israel. >> that's very right. i think that's certainly very high up there. i don't think though, if one were to pose a counter factual that egypt would, you know, unilaterally do away with the peace treaty, but nevertheless, these strategic interests

mainly the egypt-israeli peace treaty free movement of vessels through the canal overnight rights these kind of military relations, these unfortunately trump human rights, rule of law how one treats prisoners and so on. >> how do you see the egypt unfolding over the next couple of months? >> well, i think that there's really very little reason to be optimistic. by all accounts, people from the left human rights groups and egypt civil society organizations and so on, people will say and have said that this is the most restrictive political space the least freedom over the last 20 or 30 years, whether in terms of a protest law that doesn't allow protests an n.g.o. law that really limits the limits of

g.g.o.s to operate and so on. of course, the repression against not only the muslim brotherhood, but leftists and activists and youth who really began the uprising against mr. mubarak. i'm not terribly optimistic. there will be parliamentary elections in march but whether those will be able to bring about a parliament that can hold the president actable and limit his power is an entirely other question. >> thank you very much for speaking to us from oklahoma. >> at least 30 police command-s have been killed in the philippines, the biggest single day loss for philippine forces in combat for many years. they were searching for a tear suspect. the deaths are expected to

threaten a peace agreement signed last year with the liberation front. >> the ukrainian government independent communications proved russian backed separatists were responsible for attacks in ukraine in mariupol. amateur video saw shells fired into a residential area. since april, more than 5,000 people have died in fighting in eastern ukraine. a ceasefire agreed four months ago has often been broken. we have more from mariupol. >> there were military points like this one around the city. the rebel leader has said that the people here have nothing to be afraid of, but there is as great sense of fear and uncertainty. he has vowed to take control from the ukrainian military. we're hearing intelligence reports from the soldiers here that say that they expect attacks later today and expect that the rebels are just over a kilometer away that in direction. >> ukraine's president petro

poroshenko has cared a meeting of the defense council to discuss the response to the latest fighting, sergey lavrov blames the fighting on ukrainian government forces. >> still to come, we'll have the latest from nigeria as the u.s. secretary of state's visit coincides with more boko haram attacks. >> a slow response to the ebola crisis is the word health organization spend doing much money on bureaucracy instead of the needy. >> semifinalists iraq gets ready to face south korea in the final four of the asian cup. details later in the program. borderland. six strangers. >> let's just send them back to mexico. >> experience illegal immigration up close and

personal. >> it's overwhelming to see this many people that have perished. >> lost lives are relived. >> all of these people shouldn't be dead. >> will there differences bring them together or tear them apart? >> the only way to find out is to see it yourselves. >> which side of the fence are you on? borderland, tonight at 9 eastern, only on al jazeera america.

>> beyond the verdict and on the streets >> there's been another teenager shot and killed by the police >> a fault lines special investigation >> there's a general distrust of this prosecutor >> courageous and in depth... >> it's a target you can't get rid of... >> the untold story... >> who do you protect? >> ...of what's really going on in ferguson >> they were so angry because it could have been them >> fault lines ferguson: race and justice in the u.s. one hour special only on al jazeera america >> the top stories object the al jazeera news hour, the u.s. secretary of state is in nigeria for talks with president goodluck jonathan about the presidential elections in three weeks. the visit coincides with the army battling boko haram.

there is less than a couple of hours left for voter to say get to polling stations in greece. >> at least 11 people have been killed in violent protests across egypt on the fourth anniversary of the revolution which toppled president mubarak. more now on the latest fighting involving boko haram. the nigerian armed group has vastly expanded attacks over the vast year. at least 10,000 people are estimated to have been killed in 2014 alone. it controls large parts of northeastern borno state bordering chad and cameroon. boko haram has taken over areas

of two other states. in early january fighters seized the multi-national military base, hundreds of people were killed in the city, some estimate the death toll at 2,000. twenty people were killed after explosives strapped to a girl dead mated in a market on january 10. the next day at least three were killed and 43 injured after two suicide bombs detonated in a market. let's cross over to nigeria and speak to a human rights lawyer. thanks for talking to us. a year after the president good luck jonathan announced a state of emergency it seems boko haram's attacks continue and the state of emergency has really had little effect on the group. why is that? >> well, declaring a state of

emergency is one action, but people want to see the government take concrete steps. simply declaring a state of emergency without actually taking concrete action, take concrete steps getting the military to get into battle and defeat boko haram without doing that i certainly don't see -- >> they are carrying airstrikes on the outskirts of the city now. that's what we understand. you are saying that's simply not enough? >> well, we want to see as such, but we also want to see forces well equipped with equipment going into battle and getting the insurgents out. carrying out attacks is good, but we need to see this supported by troops taking concrete action to say bring

this to an end. >> as a human rights lawyer, that must be quite disturbing for you to see also. there are reports about the nigerian military being criticized for some of the tactics they used when they go into areas controlled by boko haram. amnesty international reported that last year, in one month alone, 600 people were killed by the military. >> well, certainly there's been concerns about the military tactics, about innocent civilians being victims of the military's tactics. a well equipped disciplined army would be able to go with adequate arms and confront the real insurgents and get them out of the way. >> are you confident that the nigerian military is able to do that? are you confident the military can do that? >> at this time, we are worry that had we do not have an army that is well equipped ready to do battle and bring this

insurgency to an end. >> not only do battle, but minimize civilian casualties. >> well, certainly that's really when you do have a well eskimmed army that are disciplined. they know the way to look for in is your generalities and how to apply both the military strength that is there but also the battle of winning the minds of the people who can give them information and those are citizens who in several reports against the military have been brutalized by that the military as well. >> let me ask you about john kerry's visit to nigeria. what would you like to see coming out of this visit? he's apparently there to discussion election-related violence. >> well, yes there's been threat of violence. there's been his speech, there's been several activities on the part of politicians.

there are suggestions from top government officials about postponing elections. we would like to see secretary of state kerry make the point that it is important that the politics know they will be held to got for the violence and we would like secretary of state kerry make the points that these elections need to hold. nigerians want elections conducted on the base set by the election commission, but there are challenges that the commission has emphasized that it has the ability to overcome within the three weeks that remains before elections are held. we would like to see the message sent to politicians that the world is watching, the world would like to see elections held in nigeria. those who are making plans to scuttle elections should be prepared to be held to account

for doing this. >> thank you very much for speaking to us. >> barack obama started a three day visit to india where he's broken the deadlock over a long stalled agreement on nuclear power. the u.s. president also hailed what he called a new era of friendship between the world's two largest democracies and the prime minister broke protocol to receive barack obama as soon as he got off his plane in new delhi. from there, we have more. >> president barack obama's first day in india was full of symbolism from a 21 gun salute and guard of honor led by a female air force officer to paying respects at the mahatma gandhi memorial in new delhi. this was about putting the message across about the commones of the shared values to both india and the united states share. the afternoon ended with a tea drinking session with the prime

minister of india. we then heard the big ticket items talked about between both leaders from the taxation of india nationals in working in the united states and how they can recover that money in the short term to a renewal of defense cooperation between both countries and the widening of potential when it comes to green technologies that works for both sides in terms of what america wants from investment and what india needs by way of energy. the big issues here were counter terrorism, deepening ties between india and the united states to potentially secure countries like pakistan and afghanistan and the nuclear energy deal, both saying this was the lynch pin of the relationship going forward. a deal has been reportedly been signed by adnin yet to be worked out. this comes as the prime minister is expected to be joined by

president barack obama at the republic day parade monday. >> the world health organization is being criticized for its slow response to the ebola outbreak in west africa. more than 8.5000 people have died from the virus. our science editor has more on what the u.n. body's critics are saying. >> the world health organization was established in 1948, its stated role to provide leadership and technical support to the world says government on matters critical to human health. its slow response to the ebola outbreak in west africa has put the way its run under the microscope. >> muck criticisms, its structure. the w.h.o. has a big bureaucracy, six regional offices, more than 150 country offices and the headquarters in geneva. it has a $2 billion a year budget and has been criticized for spend doing much of it on administration and management. with the jobs of some country

representatives allegedly going to people with political connections. >> if you're the minister of health or a senior official in the ministry of health and you can get one of your colleagues or yourself indeed into a w.h. ooh job you're multiplying your salary several times so there's a big incentive to not necessarily put the right people in the right place. >> the w.h.o.'s been working on reforms for the part few years. at an african regional meeting its general director said ebola infected countries must help guide the changes. >> we look to you for further guisance and advice how we fast track reform to make it a relevant credible and performing organization. >> the w.h.o. saw its overall budget cult by a third in 2011. one reason given for its slow response to the ebola outbreak. where it gets its money is criticized, because a few rich countries, the u.s. and britain

and organizations like the bill and melinda gates foundation are providing a large part of the budget. with that money comes influence and decisions not necessarily based on the best global holt outcomes or priorities. >> if those countries decide to do something, they can bring about a change in the organization. if they are happy with the status quo or not sufficiently motivated to change it, then the organization stays. >> among reforms considered are the creation of a rapid response team to deploy when an outbreak like ebola occurs. setting up a special fund dedicated to public health emergencies and rules to assure all staff are properly qualified for the jobs they're doing. these and other measures if adopted by the world's governments, it's hoped that the w.h.o. will be better equipped when another out. >> broke occurs. >> let's find out what is going

to be adopted and speak to a spokesman for the w.h.o. joining us from geneva, thanks for being with us. your response as a w.h.o. to the criticism that you were in fact too slow to respond to the ebola outbreak. 8,605 people were killed. >> thank you very much for having me on your program. the truth is that w.h.o. responded from the very beginning in the same manager it would respond to any outbreak, as it has been done in the past, so we have teams of experts to guinea as soon as the first case has been confirmed. now, where we were wrong like everyone else, was somewhere in may, when everyone thought that this outbreak is going to go down while in fact, transmission chains were continuing. then while the situation escalated in june and july, and the virus was going into different areas of free countries, w.h.o. realized that we do not have sufficient

capacity to respond on our own and this is basically when we had to call for a greater u.n. involvement and a u.n. mission has been called in. we are really now looking and member states who are discussing just behind my back in executive boardroom, looking how to make sure w.h.o. is better equipped next time. >> how is it they are going to ensure that? what are they discussing right now? >> well, there is a number of proposals on the table and some of those have been outlined by our director general in opening speech. it is about, as you said in your introductory report, to have a dedicated fund for rapid response to have a greater possibility to recruit people faster so we are not too slow in recruiting people. it's also hormonosissing w.h.o. response across all levels of organization but it's not only about that, it's about member states. what is being said today all day

long is all countries should really be prepared and this is what has been basically odds by national health regulations that countries need to have capacity as well to respond quickly to any port of path ogens such as ebola. we are looking at reforms in order to be more capable next time to respond faster and with sufficient capacities and resource to say any outbreaks. >> will there be reform from where you get your money? one of the criticisms is that some of the countries, as well as organization that is provide money to you along that comes influence, as well. is that going to change? >> well, one of the things is really is to be able to have a dedicated fund for rapid response. right now a lot of fund that is are being given to w.h.o. are ear marked for different

programs of our work, but what is really important that is we have a fund to act fast to recruit fast, and work with our network, laboratories or what we call global outbreak alert and response network to be able to get on the ground enough skilled and people with experience who could be really the first responders. >> thank you very much for joining us from geneva, from the w.h.o. >> now the first person diagnosed with ebola in britain has made a full recovery. pauline said shies very happy to be alive after discharged from a hospital in london. the nurse volunteered at a treatment center in sierra leone and diagnosed with ebola on her return to the u.k. in december. >> turkeys president is making a rare visit to somalia welcomed in mogadishu by his counterpart.

he is launching a development project financed by turkey and negotiating further investment. he has also visited ethiopia. >> zambia's president has been sworn in. opposition leaders say his election was neither free nor fair. we look at the many challenges facing the new president. >> it wasn't easy for him. he became the acting president of zambia when the incumbent died in office last year. he managed to keep the country relatively stable. now he hands over power to zambia's sixth president despite complaints by the opposition that the vote was manipulated. >> after months of uncertainty many people are relieved that it's been a relatively peaceful transition of power. >> general zambia has a history and i'm sure will attend this trend of being a peaceful nation.

you can tell, look, in politics, there are misunderstandings. eventually -- markets, gas stations and life will continue. >> he was the defense and justice minister and now begins what could be his toughest challenge yet. >> he will be in office until the general election in 2016. that's when the term of the late president was supposed to end. some wonder what can he do in such a short amount of time. he says he will do a lot. >> zambia's new president is under a lot of pressure to deliver on that promise. >> they want to see, you know, the income, which is coming from the new investment is coming.

that should translate into improvement the. they want to see the creation of jobs real jobs. >> the swearing in ceremony showcases zambia's regions and tribes. whether people voted for him or not, the poor who are the majority want to live in a country where they benefit, too. >> sports news is coming up, including an australian becoming the first teenager since roger federer to reach the finals of the grand slam.

>> hello again time for all the sports news. >> thank you so much. the first quarter finalists will be decided in the africa cup of nations in a few hours and see time. congo will meet burkina faso. congo need only a draw progress to the knockout rounds for the first time since 1992. >> the other match will see the host nation equatorial guinea looking for a spot in the final. let's go now live to that city and our correspondent andy richardson. do the hosts have a realistic chance of making it to the quarter finals? >> i think they do, and we've got quite an occasion building up here. it's a darby match effectively playing their neighbors in the country they cohosted in 2012. equatorial guinea have looked

pretty impressive picking up two draws. you of to remember, they are comfortably blow a strength side in this competition. they didn't come through a successful qualifying campaign. they had a few weeks notice to get a team ready. a deliberate decision was made not to pick the controversial imports that equatorial guinea used in the past. much has been written over the last decade that this country has a very poorly based domestic league but has been importing players, naturalizing them over a residency period of four or five years and putting them into the national team. beck hear chose to know only choose players with blood linking to this country. many are born in spain, but either their parents or grandparents are from the former spanish colony. he says that has helped unit the players. in the past that has been a problem. they looked united in a press

impressive performance against burkina faso, but they have to win. no other results will do for them. a draw will be enough to see the other through to the next eight. >> there have been talk of a scuffle between fans and security. has security been fight inned for this match? >> it doesn't look like it. we had a bit of a perfect storm i think before that last game. the kickoff was at 5:00 p.m. local on a weekday so a lot of people coming from work. fans arriving two hours early. on that occasion, fans were arriving minutes before the game even after the game started and there was a lot of frustration with the slow progress into the stadium. all supporters are being given sanitizing gel for their hands on the way in as an effort to prevent the possible spread of the ebola virus but it does slow the progress into the stadium. there's a bit of frustration some fans were throwing racked

and stones at the police who responded with smoke bombs water cannons that sort of thing. it eventually deescalated before it got too serious. we'll see. we're still a couple of hours away from kickoff but the atmosphere here feels pretty good. >> let's talk about the other match, congo are atop group a but had problems in their match against burkina faso. tell bus that. >> they have. the other game that's going to take place simultaneously to this one is in a small town 220 kilometers away and the congo team bus broke down on the way there. they ended up having to get a replacement bus the players strained on the roadside for a couple of hours. the coach their french coach hasn't been happy throughout the tournament, sake the hotel facilities and train facilities here haven't been up to standard. this is just the latest episode

on the way to their first game on the ground here, he was complaining what should have been a 10 minute trip was an hour long journey because they didn't have a sufficient police escort. let's not forget what an achievement this is for the congo team that can make it through. they have not been in the finals for 15 years not been in the quarter finals for well over that since 1992. to have the chance now to go through to the last stage is quite and achievement for that country. a draw will be enough for them. burkina faso have to win to have a chance to make it into the quarter finals. >> we'll catch up with you a bit later, thank you. >> the country has faced incredible turmoil in recent times, but iraq's football team overcomes adversity reaching the semifinals of the asian cup. we have a report from sydney. >> we're down to the last four of the asian cup. not many expected iraq to be months the semifinalists, the

patrons of this iraq social club are confident their team can pull off another surprise and repeat their asian cup triumph from 2007. >> if do you manage to win what is this area going to be like tomorrow? >> people will come here like it's going to be a celebration. i hope for the iraqi support -- >> as for the team itself, the doping accusations surrounding one player has been dismissed by the a.f.c. the coach saying they're focused on the semifinal. one man who almost certainly would ever played in the semi is bass. he picked up a serious knee injury while playing. he says the coach appointed just over a month ago deserves huge credit. >> the coach we have now everyone knows about him in iraq and he knows the players.

i think it would be really good for the iraqi players if we named him two years ago. i think he has done a really good job for them. >> the south koreans have been beaten in the last two finals. they've reached for the first time since 1988. >> not only south korea from the four top-seeded is still in the challenge, but if you go over the street and look at melbourne park roger federer is out of the tournament. >> as you can see the south korean press out here in full force are all expect ago south korean victory in the semifinals. they haven't won this particular competition 61960 and in an asian cup full of surprise's, it

will have the iraqi team believing anything is possible. al jazeera sydney. >> roger nidal is through to the quarter finals of the australian open overcome ago slow start before pulling apart his african opponent kevin anderson. he pretty much wrote off his chance of winning a second title in melbourne. >> the first australian male has reached the quarter finals in melbourne since 2005. he won in five sets. also becoming the first teenager since roger federer to reach multiple grand slam quarter finals he made the final eight at wimbledon last year. >> that's all your sport for now. back to you. >> thank you very much for that. thanks for watching the news hour on al jazeera. we're back in just a couple minutes. we'll have a full bulletin of news all the days top stories coming your way. do stay with us.

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