hello there. welcome to this al jazeera news hour. here's what's coming up. a vote delayed in nigeria's president election because of security concerns. tragedy surrounding an alleged recording of egypt's president planning to demand money from gulf countries. thousands protest against the take-over in yemen, but the new leader says in the pictures.

canadians fight a downhill battle for the right to go toe bag goning. nigeria has postponed the legislative and presidential elections to take place on the 14th. it's been pushed back by six weeks and will be held on march 28th. they've said the new date is because of security concerns especially in northeastern nigeria. let's get the latest now from yvonne in the nigerian capital. any more details about why this vote was delayed? >> reporter: well the election boss hear in the capital said to the assembled journalists that the decision to reschedule nigeria's election was based on

the heads of various security agencies. he was advised by security chiefs they could not guarantee the safety and security of millions of voters and several hundred elections staff deployed to places across the country, in particular the northeast of the country where we have seen deadly violence perpetrated by the group boko haram. he said other than the commission was very keen to go ahead with the poll but the security was so fundamental to the contribute of the vote they took the decision after hours and hours of consultation today not to go ahead because of those concerns about security even though administratively the body was and is actually ready to hold the poll. he did say that the locations would be rescheduled and take place six weeks from now. we're looking at march 28th for the presidential election and for the governorship races we're looking at april 11th.

>> any reaction so far to this decision yvonne? >> reporter: yes. some reaction. there are those who are asking the question what is it that the security services are going to be able to do to combat boko haram in the next six weeks, which they've not been able to do for the last five years that they've been fighting the group? there are those in the opposition who think this is politically motivated. they accuse the election boss of coming under pressure from president goodluck jonathan. the election is appointed by the president and all the key election figures in all of nigeria's state are also appointed by the president. there is suspicion and concern about that. civil rights organizations have also weighed in. they met with the election chief today, and they released a

statement saying the election boss told them that the security services had said words to the effect that the election should be delayed for six weeks in the first instance. note those words the first ins distance leading to anninger and suspicion among civil rights groups there could be an attempt again to try and delay the election after six weeks. civil rights organizations call for the resignation of the chairman of the independent electoral commission the service chiefs to resign because this they say these individuals are ab gating their responsibility. they say it's okay to go ahead from the polls and some say it's politically motivated. >> thanks very much yvonne. robin sanders is a former u.s. ambassador to nigeria. she joins us now from washington, d.c. welcome to the program, ma'am. what do you think of the decision to delay the elections? >> well i'm actually

disappointed in that decision because it shows that the situation in the northeast, that obama can dictate what happens nationally. i think most nigerians that prepare and understood the circumstances of the election thought it would go forward. i think that if the reasoning for doing that is security the security chiefs there knew that the elections were going to be on february 14th. so everything that they would put in place now would be what they would put in place even later. so i don't see how that's going to change. they can't possibly be waiting for the 7,500 african union troops to be there, because that will take sometimes five to six months to stand up a force that size. on top of that the u.n. hasn't authorized the mandate yet. there are a lot of administrative things that have to be done before the 7,500 troops get there. so i don't understand the thinking behind it.

i think it's a setback for the country. i don't see anything changing drastically in six weeks to make a difference. i think all of us looking at nigeria's future wonder whether or not this was the right thing to do. >> well if they had gone ahead with it on february 14th as planned, lots of people wouldn't have the voting because only 60% or less of the population has received the cards they need to vote. >> i always like to do a visual of nigeria, because it's a huge country. you're talking about 172 million people 68.4 million voters. they had about 20 million voter cards still not distributed. inek was committed to get it done. i also want to talk about the chairman of the election commission because i know him. he's a person of integrity. i worked with him through the run-up of the last election and

he was committed to getting all of this done. so administratively i think they could have pulled it off. you had about maybe 900,000 idps. inek was looking at ways to get to idps not in conflict areas so they could vote and had contingent es in place. administratively they had done everything they could do to be ready to ensure that people weren't disenfranchised, and i think with 68.4 million voters having the opportunity with maybe a few not, i think you still had a legitimate election with looking at a voter turnout of about 60% or 66% if you look at the numbers. >> ma'am, thanks for speaking to us. robin sanders is former u.s. ambassador to nigeria. meanwhile nigeria's central bank governor has been officially confirmed as in the north of the

country. there were no representatives from the current government. he's one of the most outspoken government critics and now one of the most influential leaders in the largely muslim north. he's seen as nigeria's second highest muslim authority. his new role puts him at the forefront at the fight against boko haram. a television station in turkey is broadcasting what it says is a leaked conversation involving the egyptian president that took place two years ago when sisi was defense minister. at one point sisi is heard making plans with his office manager to demand money from gulf countries. >> translator: listen, tell them we need ten to get deposited into the army's account. what did i say? >> ten in the army's account. >> when i win the election we will invest this money in the state. we will also need another ten from united arab emirates and

another ten from kuwait. we need to save a small portion of this money in the central bank so we can get accounts settled until 2014. >> why are you laughing? >> they will get fainted. >> nirtheir money is like rice. >> the recording was obtained and broadcast by a pro-muslim brotherhood station in turkey. they were elected to power in egypt following the 2011 revolution. it's been forced out and labeled a terrorist organization by egypt. an adjunct professor at johns hopkins university and a special in egyptian politics. he joins us from virginia. thanks for speaking to us. what are your thoughts about this leaked recording, and what are the possible implications of this leak for egypt?

>> i think, first of all, this leak shows how much sisi des pieses and respects those who supported him since he made his coup in july 2013 and it seems to me this can be a major blow to his attempt to cover the egyptian economy. it's asking for more help from the gulf countries. it's a very difficult time from sisi right now, because egypt is planning to have economic conference in march. this leak might affect the chances of getting money and investments for egypt. >> but there have been other leaks before and hasn't the egyptian government denied that these looks -- leaks are real? >> no one denied this before and it seems to be that these leaks are real. they're not fake actions of the government over the last i would say two months of an

internal investigation to find out who is behind it. sometimes these leaks reveal the conflict within the egyptian system itself. it's not secured from infiltration of fraud and forces trying to put sisi in a very tough position. i think there needs to be a point in the support for sisi's regime and will affect the ability to push the country forward. >> how vital is that support that egypt is getting from these countries mentioned in this recording? saab saudi arabia kuwait and the uae? >> without that support egypt would have been bankrupted and became even worse than now. i think this is you know the main support that came to egypt over the last two years came from the gulf and from kuwait. with that support, i would say egypt would not have became in

its position it is right now. if these countries view the policy against towards sisi this can lead to much much worse situations in the future. i think now it's a very tough time for sisi in order to gain -- regain the credibility and respect of these countries. >> thanks very much for speaking to us. >> thank you. husi fighters in yemen held rallies one day after taking control of the country but aunt-coup dmon strayings have been taking place. >> reporter: an attempted show of force by a mienlt now in charge of yemen. supporters crammed into a stadium in the stronghold city of sanaa to hear their leaders speak.

he attempted to justify the coup telling his followers as they applauded him that that was nvt a revolution. >> translator: this move comes to address the vacuum through which other forces meant to undermine our people. some political forces and collaborators within and outside yemen fayne to understand the yemeni people will achief they're demands to establish a dignifyied way of left. >> reporter: the houthi are a sect was forced out of office following the 2011 arab spring. he spoke as though he represented all yes, ma'ammens, ma'ammenisyemenis. >> translator: the historic significant moment taken by our people yesterday represented in

the constitutional declaration of a significant step forward. >> reporter: the supporters cheered, anti-houthi demonstrations. a student demonstration was fired on in the capital while thousands took to the streets. the u.n. special envoy that failed to get all sides to agree on a deal said he was disappointed in the houthi decision to go alone. the u.s. condemned the power grab and they that said the coup is considered a grave escalation that cannot be accepted in any event as well as a violation of the principles of coexistence and the threat of the country's sovereignty and security. as calls for protests continue the governor together with officials announced they would not obey any orders from sanaa. it appears they have now agreed on the formation of an

alternative governing body. they have played their hand but whose turn is it next? will the united nations implement a threat of imposing sanctions, or will the political parties come up with a proposed solution? there's much anticipation as to what gulf countries will take. thousands of yemenis will take to the streets until they topple the new government. still to come here on al jazeera. the battle for iraqs the second largest city and the sunni fighters getting ready to take back mosul from isil. in ukraine rebel forces in donetsk say they won't give up any territory.

. for the first time in more than ten years residents of the iraqi capital baghdad are being allowed to go out past midnight. four neighborhoods in baghdad have also been declared demilitarized zones. that means no one can carry weapons there including security forces. jane has more. >> reporter: this is baghdad's tahrir square and it's definitely a celebration. there are soldiers here politicians, poets, a biker gang riding harley-davidsons and there are even children up even way past their bed time. this is really the first time in more than a decade that people have been able to celebrate a small return to normal life. no longer do they have to rush home to get home before midnight with the end of this curfew declared by the iraqi government. now, it was imposed in 2003 by the u.s. military to prevent

looting. it continued for more than a decade because of the bombings of the the . the bombing haven't gone away. in the past 24 hours there's been two suicide bombers killing more than 35 people. but here in baghdad and downtown earlier, the streets have been packed. when you talk to people they tell you that yes, they know there's a risk of violence and risk of attack but they feel that it's time to try to get back to normal. part of this, of course, is just a few months ago, baghdad itself was under threat from isil. security forces have pushed that threat further back so the fighting is far from here. this is very much still a country at war, but on this evening certainly a city that's celebrating. >> a former iraqi ambassador to the u.n. joins us now from indianapolis in the u.s. welcome to al jazeera, sir. do you think iraq should be lifting this curfew now in

baghdad? that there were bombings deadly bombings just hours ahead of the lifting of the curfew. >> that's right. there were. i think many of us when we heard prime minister announce he would be lifting the curfew are holding our breaths to see. we recall the last time that the previous prime minister took measures to normalize life in the city by taking down the concrete barriers the t-walls. there were a series of bombings in the foreign ministry which kill over 100 people and in the finance ministry which killed tens of people. we're holding our breaths a bit, although it's much easier to reimpose a curfew than put up concrete barriers again. whether the bombings are connected to the lifting of the curfew it's too early to tell. but everyone i think is holding their breaths hoping for the best. >> why is the iraqi government

lifting this curfew now while the battle against isil rages on and while there's all these deadly bombings still? >> well i hope that it is a reflection of a belief on the part of the government that baghdad is not under threat as it was some months ago, as your correspondent was saying and hopefully it is an assessment of the security situation that it has improved sufficiently at least in the capital to try to ease up on the lives of people. you have to remember that baghdad used to be a very cosmopolitan city and people would routinely, especially on weekends, be out late at night at various clubs and what have you. there needs to be at some point a return to normalcy. hopefully the security situation justifies the decisions that were made but as i said even if the situation deteriorates a curfew is rather easy to

reimpose. >> how much has this curfew restricted people there? >> well it depends, of course, on the period of time. i remember in 2003 and 2004 things were fairly open. the curfew wasn't enforced that rigorously rigorously. you could be out a little bit past midnight and have no problem. of course by 2006 and '07 and '08, the situation was very different when we were in the midst of the civil war, whatever. but it has been -- i mean it makes life difficult and less enjoyable, frankly. people like to go out. i don't think that's unique to baghdad. i think that's true in cities around the world. people had been accustomed to doing so in the past and so it's a return to normalcy, which after all we in iraq are long past due being entitled to. >> once again, thank you for

speaking to us sir. >> it's my pleasure. thank you. hundreds of sunni muslim fighters from the iraqi town of mosul are prepares for an assault to take back the city from isil. the town is important because of its proximity to mosul dam. it controls most of the iraq's water and power supplies. we have the report. >> reporter: they hide their faces because their families live under the rule of the islamic state of iraq and the levant. these men are being trained a few kilometers outside the city they want to recapture. they call themselves the sons of mosul. some of them have never been in battle. christians kurds, arab sunnis have come together to fight an enemy that has destroyed their city's history and the lives of their people.

>> translator: mosul is a microcosm of iraq. people are waiting for us to liberate them and we're going to fight together. >> reporter: this general served in saddam hussein's army when it was dissolved in 2003 many iraqi sunnis like him found themselves without a job and without a playce in the new iraq. commanders and fighters here are bitter after the way they were treated after the fall of saddam. those grievances were exploited by isil but these men say the armed group doesn't represent them but neither does the shia militias leading the fight against isil on behalf of the iraqi government. the fight to push out isil from the city of mosul may be a while away. it's not just the question of being ready militarily. the battle for iraq's second largest city requires a political decision. these men may represent many communities, but iraq's shia are not among them. there is still little reckon sill lags.

some wants the authorities to speed up plans to create the national guard. the u.s.-backed plan involves establishing an armed force in each province from the area. >> reporter: they want the national guard to be created. the sons of city know who are good and terrorists. they won't treat everyone badly the way the army treated us in mosul. we were all terrorists or at least suspects. >> reporter: commanders here say the national guard is important in areas where the mainly shia army may not be trusted. defeating isil in the strategic and highly symbolic city of mosul may be the beginning of the end for the armed group. military progress without unity could be the start of yet another conflict in iraq. al jazeera, northern iraq. the united arab emirates is sending a jawed ron of f-16 planes to jord tan to help in the fight against isil. they'll be used in air strikes

targeting the armed group. late last year they suspended involvement in attacks as the jordanian pilot muath al kaseasbeh crashed over northern syria and was captured by isil. the parents of a u.s. hostage that isil claims was killed in a jordanian air strike say they're hopeful she's alive. they insist she was buried under rubble after a raid in raqqa. they have offered no proof. she was working with doctors without borders in aleppo when she was captured in august 2013. the crisis in eastern ukraine is the main focus of a security conference being held in germany. after meeting russia's president vladimir putin to discuss a new peace plan angela merkel joins other world leaders at the talks in munich. she has renewed calls for russia to defuse the situation. we have more now from munich. >> reporter: in the heart of

bavaria they're trying to find a way to end the diplomatic deadlock over ukraine. it's a mere three-hour flight from here and europe feels threatened. ukraine's president took center stage with this dramatic display. >> the passport and military i.d. of russian soldiers russian officers. this is the best evidence for the aggression and for the presence of russian troops which lost his way. 100 kilometers from the border. he had full tanks of ammunition. killing my soldiers and killing ukrainian civilians. >> reporter: german chancellor angela merkel arrived here at the back of the visit along with french president francois hollande in moscow. they wanted greater autonomy for the east and a larger demilitarized zone. as much as it's difficult to find a long-term solution it's

difficult to find common ground again western allies. some talk of an emerging rift between the u.s. and europe over the way forward. this is when the u.s. smulling over the idea of increasing military support to ukraine. the obama administration has so far provided no lethal aid. it's said to consider to supply kiev with anti-tank missiles a position when the german chancellor is firmly against. >> translator: i'm of the firl conviction that the conflict won't be solved militarily and this is why we focus our efforts on a diplomatic solution. statement at the same time our u.s. partners decided to have sanctions. we hit russia with our economic divide. >> reporter: from the russian point of view the ukrainian conflict can be solved through direct negotiations with the separatists in the east. >> translator: russia is against combat and we would like to see the removal of heavy weapons.

>> reporter: diplomacy and negotiations are set to begin on sunday. petro poroshenko says there's a hope for a deal. many here warn this could be the last chance. while leaders talk peace in germany, ukraine says pro-russian separatists are gathering on key towns and a coastal city. kiev said fighters have intensified the shells of government forces on all front lines. when the minsk agree was reached, they held this much of eastern ukraine. they hold hundreds more square kilometers of territory, and as charles stratford reports from the doenetsk region they're not willing to give it up. >> reporter: the ukrainian army used to be in control here.

those fighters say if a truce is declared, they will never retreat. >> translator: we need to keep this position because there's a large contingent of enemy forces in nearby cities. there were many ukrainian soldiers here but we defeated them. >> reporter: the fighters say they're preparing to push forward a kilometer to where ukrainian soldiers are dug in. the separatists who controlled a few days ago are busy consolidating their position here and removing bodies of ukrainian soldiers and civilians. fighters lead us to a house they say ukrainian soldiers used during the battle. they say they will take this dead ukrainian soldier away later in the day. the separatists and the ukrainian military exchange their dead and prisoners increasingly regularly now. on the walls of this room hang pictures which children drew in support of the ukrainian army.

artillery shells are stacked outside among the destruction. >> translator: we didn't capture this land or seize it. we liberated it. this is our land. >> reporter: there are very few people living here now. it's not exactly known how many civilians were killed in the fighting, as is frequently the case in this war, it is the old who are often the most reluctant to leave. >> translator: i prefer to stay here because i don't want to be a burden for anyone. i want to live and die her. >> reporter: there are very foou buildings unscathed by the conflict. burned-out shells of heavy weaponry stray dogs roam the streets. the occasional family have returned to try and salvage their belongings. it's estimated that the separatist fighters have captured hundreds of square kilometers of land since the failed september peace deal. no matter what the next attempt

at a truce may offer, there is no sign they will withdraw. charles stratford, al jazeera, eastern ukraine. coming up after the break, the economy and food shortages, venezuela targets a supermarket chain it says isn't helping the situation. in sport how new zealand's rugby 7 took a step closer to the olympics thanks to one boy.

>> these people have decided that today they will be arrested >> i know that i'm being surveilled >> people are not getting the care that they need >> this is a crime against humanity >> hands up! >> don't shoot!

>> hands up! >> don't shoot! >> what do we want? justice! >> when do we want it? >> now! >> they are running towards base... >>...explosions going off we're not quite sure... >> fault lines al jazeera america's award winning, investigative series... on al jazeera america these are the headlines this hour. nigeria has postponed the presidential and legislative elections because of security concerns particularly in the northeast. the electoral commission says the vote which was due in a week has been pushed back by six weeks to march 28th. a tv station in turkey is broadcasting what it says is a leaked conversation involving egyptian president abdul fatah of sisi. he's heard making plans with his manager to demand money from gulf countries.

houhti fighters in yemen have held rallies a day after taking control but there's also protests. there are warnings that libya could go bankrupt because of the continued fighting there. we have a report now on how the rising violence and falling oil prices are damaging the economy. >> reporter: it's these flames that kept libya's struggling economy from collapsing but the gas flares from the oil fields could go out soon. britain, france germany spain and the united states are warning that libya could face bankruptcy. a joint statement says in light of low oil production and prices libya faces a budget deficit that has the potential to consume all of its financial assets if the situation does not stabilize. the national oil corporation oversees some of the africa's largest oil reserves and provides most of the revenue for libya's economy. it go ahead to a state-owned bank abroad and against

transferred to libya central bank. it pays the salaryies of 1.7 million public employees on both sides of the conflict. it's the only place officials of rival parliaments work hand in hand. since last year they had two groups backed by the militias battles for power. one is in the capital of tripoli and controls most part of libya. this led to a deteriorating situation. it continues to affect oil production which has falling from 1.6 million in 2010 to over 300,000 barrels a day now. >> when the supply is down the demand rises up. in the case of libya, there is a tragic story. when the word needs it we can

export it. libya has the potential to export more than 1 # -- 1.6, 1.7 million barrels a day production than before. >> reporter: in the city they have pledged aleej generals to the i siel isil and levant. the international community is not only concerned by the economic impacts of the attacks on oil fields but also the groups that are attacking them. the u.n. mission to libya hasn't been able to bring all sides together. it says the recent attacks on the oil fields south of the seaport are undermining the political process, which all sides recently agreed upon. on the ground these plumes of smoke are being replacing libya's gas flares. venezuela's president nicolas maduro ordered the state to take over a private supermarket chain. the company that owns the stores is accused of creating shortages by hoarding basic goods. we have the details.

>> reporter: people are lined up around the block. venezuela's national guard supervises to keep order. all this simply to buy groceries. there's a desperate shortage of provisions. now the government is taking over a leading supermarket chain whose stores were occupied by soldiers over the last week. >> translator: this network of supermarkets goes immediately under the control of the government. starting tomorrow the network assumes control of all the services of this chain waging a war against the people. >> reporter: the venezuelan president did not say if the take-over of d.i.d. supermarkets would be permanent. they're accused of hoarding products thus driving demand and prices up. its director was jailed on friday. >> translator: before whether you needed a product, you would go and buy it.

now we have to hunt like people before who had to go out and hunt. >> translator: the lines for milk and everything is missing in the day. they start early in the day in the supermarkets. we check whether something new has arrived. we try to see what we can buy. >> reporter: it's not just food. the xeks tifs from the large ers pharmacy chain are also being investigated for alleged hoarding. venezuela is in the middle of an economic crisis. its revenues have been severely hit by falling global oil prices. inflation is high and many staple goods are scarce forcing thousands of people to wait in line. environmentalists say an oil spill from a tanker near the galapogos island is a catastrophe. it ran aground last wednesday

and leaked more than 560,000 liters of oil. it's threatening the delicate eco-system on the islands famous for their giant tortoises and rare species of birds and plants. taiwan's transasia airways has canceled 90 flights after one plane crashed in taipei on wednesday killing 39 people. the pilots mistakenly turned off a working engine after the other engine failed. following the crash dozens of pilots are taking proficiency tests. the regulator ordered that the airline conduct engine and fuel system checks on the remaining arc aircraft. at least six have been killed in a an attack in bangladesh. violence is spreading across the country following a political crisis. the opposition is demanding that the prime minister step down and hold free and fair elections.

polls have closed in india's capital territory of delhi, and millions turned up to rote. ♪ local elections. going into the polls the prime minister's party faced a tough campaign from the none man party. we have the report from new delhi. >> reporter: they've arrived since morning. under tight security hundreds of polling stations akrond delhi have been open for the region's roughly 13 million voters who will decide between the bgp and common man party. voters say they want a government that will take care of their basic needs. >> translator: we vote so our roads will be fixed and we'll get cards and clean water, but none of it ever gets completed. >> translator: the roads are in bad shape. there is water and electricity problems. these are things we want the government to fix.

>> reporter: for the bjp winning the election is symbolic and important. this is where india has the seat government ands a test of the momentum of the bjp's national election history. the party says the election is not a referendum but an opportunity for delhi as a territory to develop. >> the action is delivered to the states and since we have a prime minister who is focused on developing the country, bringing it back on track, being able to do everything for aspiring indians in terms of their dreams. >> reporter: the bjp brought in a nationally recognized former police officer as its lead cannot. with a reputation for being tough on crime, the bjp is hoping she will have the common touch to counter the other party. it's been struggling to get votes ever since it won a minority government in the last election but left office after 49 days. >> this again, i think, region

with skw revise the hope that the party had first generated in a country that looked this idea of clean politic, this idea that politics will no more reason may the stronghold of only those who are privileged. >> reporter: both parties have accused the others of vote buying and violating the election code of conduct, but none of that is expected to affect who will form the next government. the dark horse in this election is the congress party, which led the last national government as well as several past state governments here in delhi. last time it won enough seats to keep any party from winning an outright majority and could play kingmaker in this election after votes are counted on february 10th. al jazeera, new delhi. hundreds of people have taken to the streets of pashawa in packkistanpakistan. they're demanding a complete report from a massacre in

students. the parents of the students killed called for saturday's rally. protesters have marched in the streets of the capital calling for the abolition of the presidential guard. they forced the president from office last october, and one of its officers is a current interim prime minister. dominick king reports. >> reporter: saturday morning and protesters are on the street. they want the presidential guards to be disbanded. these people feel it is still loyal to the former president. he was forced from office last year by the military after a popular uprising. >> translator: it's the people who forced him out of office not the presidential guard. they work with him. if the guard wanted power, why didn't they launch a coute deat that? it's not going to be stolen from

us. >> reporter: during the protests sha saw him ousted at least 24 people were killed. at the time, the presidential guard was criticized for its response. the man imposed as interim prime minister back in november is lieutenant colonel isaac zita second? command of the presidential guard. in september he called for it to be dissolved. members called for him to resign last week. on thursday both sides appeared to pull back from that. many people in bur keena fas seo still fear the military. >> reporter: our democracy has been attacked and our outfits dirtied. they have aemented to defy our people. do we accept that? >> for the moment they have to accept. the officers that took power

last year will stay there for most of this years. elections are due to be held in october, and none of the current members of the interim government can be candidates. dominick cain al jazeera. al jazeera journalists have spend time behind bars. charges al jazeera deny. peter is back home in australia after being released earlier this week. the other two are still in prison. al jazeera demands their immediate release. coming up more of sports. it's been a year since the russia city of sochi hosted the winter olympics. we'll tell you why it's now being left out in the cold.

>> start with one issue. education, gun control, the gap between rich and poor, job creation, climate change, tax policies, the economy, iran, health care... it goes on and on. add guests from all sides of the debate and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get the inside story. these are straight forward conversations. no agenda, just hard hitting debate on the issues that matter

to you. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". weeknights at 11:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. welcome back. time for the sports. >> thank you very much. a couple of nations where the democratic republic of congo clinched third place beating the host of the neither side could break the deadlock so the match had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. they won 4-2. all of this went ahead despite the violence that occurred during ecuador/guinea's. they've been fined $100,000 by the confederation of african football. >> translator: it's not a gold

medal. the gold medal is in play tomorrow. you have to put things this their place. we haven't reached that stage since 1998 since my predecessor is not with us. it's a long time since we reached that stage. that makes us happy. >> our reporter robin adams has watched the match. >> they returned after thursday's violent scenes that left 36 fans injured, 14 of them hospitalized. there was increased security for the play of game dween the democratic republic of congo and host equatorial guinea. they couldn't bring in bottles. 2,000 fans made it to the game. there were no problems at all for the police and security personnel. also in attendance at saturday's game was the fifa president and his african counterpart who on saturday blaming the world's

media for the current violence. >> translator: the press always drama ties particularly the western press. when something bad happens in europe it's an error. when it happens in africa they talk about corruption. it's irrelevant that the semi semifinal is a match. the western media are here to perpetuate colonization. venue for the africa cup of nations final 2015 competing in the ivory coast. they haven't looked in 23 years, and it's been a longer wait for ghana. 33 years, and a full house expected about 35,000 feet above the stadium. there will be increased security there as well. a number of matches in spanish league with at let toke madrid flash rivals at real madrid 4-0. the title race is wide open. he's back from suspension for this one, but couldn't res cow

the team. real leads by 4. in the english premier league tottenham moouched into the top four after beating bitter northern london rivals. they're against arsenal to give the gunners the lead but two second half goals from harry cain turned it in tottenham's favor. they're moving into fourth. chelsea extended their lead at the top of the table to 7 points beating aston ville ra 2-1. second place man city was held to 1-1 draw. the men now go four league games without a win, and steven jones final league ends scoreless. the top four teams in this year's rugby 7's world series will qualify for next year's rio olympics where the sport will make it's debut.

new zealand moved to second in standings after a victory on saturday. they beat england in the final. there's two tries. 27-2 27-21 victory. south africa retained the top spot in the world standings. he's one cyclist to win. he began the fourth and final stage forty seconds behind the leader but sprinted to vikt eye on saturday. it is the return to the winner's podium. it's been a year since sochi hosted the winter olympics at an estimated $51 billion. it was the most expensive games ever held. as peter sharp reports, the overspent and recent sanctions against russia have seen the olympics leave a costly legacy.

>> reporter: a dazzling opening ceremony at russia's winter olympics. president putin splashed out $50 billion making these the world's most expensive games. that was a year ago. the olympic torch has been extinguished and today what's left of sochi looks tired and empty. for sale signs on homes no one wants. apartments originally built for olympic athletes and guests were expected to be snapped up by the private sector after the games. they lie empty. >> translator: all was this was for the olympics and no infrastructure for people was built. if you're buying an apartment, you will need shops, supermarkets and restaurants. you won't find it here. >> reporter: it's the same with the olympic theme park. virtually deserted when we were there. it had plans for refurbishment and expansion because the money dried up as the sanctions came in. it's up in the mountains 70

kilometers from seo xhee where the winter sport took place. the games changed life forever in towns above the snow line. >> translator: this was a small, quiet village. now it looks like a city. it's changed dramatically. >> reporter: but not all for the best. they spent $12 billion to carve a railway through the mountains. it was the most expensive item on the shopping list. at the end of the list russian railways operating free service during the games hiked their ticket prices again and again to try and recoup costs putting the price of a ticket far beyond the means of most local people and faced with empty trains the company canceled virtually the entire service. it was an olympic legacy that the people has not been quite expecting. the influx of tourists on the slopes never happened as relations between russia and the west soured.

in the current political climate, forget looking to markets in the west. sochi's future lies in attracting tourists from the east. >> we have the middle east big market. occur key turkey is a big market and the asian market which is growing and growing. there's outbound tourism. those are markets which sochi might be very very attractive for. >> reporter: there are attractions. putin's $50 billion price tag for the games also included a few extras. russia now has the first formula one circuit and a seven-year contract to host the event. thanks to the olympics sochi has a spanking new airport. it needs flights from places like beijing, tokyo and hong kong from the east to bring new life and market to a struggling destination. peter sharp, al jazeera in sochi. that's it for me. thank you very much sana.

winter in canada can be long cold and difficult to cope. many people get out and enjoy the snow. tobogganing is a popular outdoor activity, but several cities say it's too dangerous and have banned it. we have the report from hamilton near toronto. >> you're going up the ramp. >> reporter: it's as canadian as well winter itself. all you need is a toboggan and snow-covered hill and you're off. it's the most popular in the northern land and it's a family affair. >> look out! >> spending time with the kids and having a good time. going fast. you guys ready? >> yeah. >> you ready? one, two, three. >> reporter: maybe so but here in hamilton sliding down a hill like this is illegal. several years ago the city lost a lawsuit brought by a man broke his bag tobogganing.

the local bylaw is an attempt to not have that happen again. >> we have close to 500 parks in hamilton some of which present an optimum environment for toboggans. they have hills and some more dangerous than others. it's basically an uncontrollable consideration for us. >> reporter: there's a growing backlash led by local music laura cole who wrote the protest song "you can't toe bag bog -- toe bag gone in the hammer anymore." >> on social media and on stage she says it's about much more than than restricting winter fun. >> i think it's a bigger issue than that. it's a culture that we have to stand for and we have to stand for our rights. you know we choose to slide down hills. the song says it. >> there's no denying tobogganing is risky. two young canadians have died

this winter in accidents on the hill. head injuries are a particular problem. >> imagine the skull, the hard part and the brain sets in. >> reporter: this neurosurgeon says helmets should be mandatory. >> every brain is precious and there's no time to waste. if you have kids itching to go tobogganing, as a parent you should do everything you can to keep your kids safe. >> reporter: potentially dangerous, yes, and illegal, but on i acold canadian winter's day like this there's really only one thing you can do. al jazeera, hamilton. a painting soemd for $300 million. that's the highest price for a piece of art of the it's a portrait of two ha heatian women called "when will you marry."

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how treacherous the migrants journey can be. >> we make them take a trip of death >> it is heartbreaking when you see the families on top of the rail car borderland continues only on al jazeera america this is al jazerra america i am richelle kerry in new york and here are today's top stories. >> this is the best evidence for the aggression and for the presence of russian troops. >> the ukrainian president shows off russian passports taken from fighters as the crisis in ukraine dominates the munich security conference. in nigeria elections are postponed until next month because of security concerns as thousands of more troops are ready to combat the growing threat of boko haram. bombs killed dozens in bag dads hours before a deck laid-long nightly