lear that space, and to defend it. >> taiye selasi, thank you for talking to al jazeera. >> thank you. . >> welcome to the news hour, live from al jazeera's headquarters in doha. these are the main stories that we're covering in detail over the next 60 minutes pap new political force in sanaa a co-significance comes together to take on the houthi rebels in yemen. [ gunfire ] the battle for tikrit, iraqi forces say they'll liberate the town from isil control within three days. cyclone pam crashes into the

island nation of vanuatu. at least eight are killed. and unveiling an indian icon, a new statue of mahatma gandy is revealed in central london. >> first to libya we're getting reports of heavy clashes between isil affiliated fighters and militia backed by the tripoli based government. it's happening 130 kilometers east of the coastal city of sirte. what are the latest clashes you're hearing about.

>> now reports on the ground from sirte city, that there are clashes that belong to the islamic estate where they're positioned there to retake where there are now two dead and a number of others soldiers injured in the clashing. now the clashes have switched from the area to inside the city of sirte and around to many

positions, a number of positions in and around sirte between the group's islamic state and iraq and levant. >> strategically, talk us to about sirte and how important it is. >> it is really important because we're getting reports that the affiliates from the former regime have been joining the groups thought to be belonging to the he's lack am state, and the levant. when we spoke to an infantry brigade, there is one reason why these groups are joined by the affiliates that we're we the confrontation between libyan operation forces and the armed

groups belonging to islamic state in iraq and the levant. and these groups belonging to the islamic state in iraq and the levant, they have taken control of many governmental facilities. >> mahmood, thank you for that update reporting from libya. yemen's houthi rebels who have taken over the capitol say they've reached an agreement with iran for a new economy. and the president and his klose aids remain in the city of aden after escaping house arrest last month. we have reports on the political stand off. >> there is a power vacuum in yemen, and iran appears to be capitalizing on it. since the shia houthies forced the president from the capitol iran has found a willing partner partner.

aftera houthi spokesman said that iran is pledging to expand a port, help built power plants and provide yemen with enough oil to last a year. the houthies say that will boost the economy and bilateral relations. a spokesman for the exiled government said that the only ones getting a boost from this deal are the houthis. >> the iranian interference is merely about military support to some militias and militia groups. iran has never supported any country economically 37 the most important point is the $8 million consumption a consumption of the $8 million a day use of oil. iran cannot support a country. >> the beginning of direct

flights between yemen and iran bring fears of the weapons being brought in. the president is in aden clinging to power as yemen appears to be slipping towards civil war. al jazeera. >> crossing over to the editor of the yemen post. he's joining us from the capital of sanaa. tell us about the aid to boost the yemen economy. tell us about the new coalition has been formed, and whose interest does it serve? >> this commission is the biggest that has been formed in yemen over the last three years since the up rising of 2011. this is very major but again this collision is not against any specific party or faction

from what they announce. according to one of the founders of the coalition but it's very powerful and a majority north of the alliance, which are opposing those who are taking by force. they are not announcing any news or opposing sides. they're only calling for the return of the government into the right hands and the removal of militants from the capitol and other major cities. >> when they say they're very powerful, how do you justify that? what do you mean by that? and what will we see coming out of the coalition? >> these tribesmen are in

control of provinces in yemen especially the provinces that have oil and gas . this is the biggest biggs and the influence on the street is very powerful. that's why i feel that there will be a strong influence because of their presence and readiness to move hundreds of thousands of people at any given day. >> and the houthis hakeem, who have taken over the capitol they're saying they've reached an agreement with iran to boost the economy in yemen. it's a very divided country, but how are the yemenis feeling about this new collaboration to

boost their economy? >> as of now yemenis have only see talk from the iranians. there is a lot of talk of iran supporting yemen when it comes to electricity and other economic support but there has been no implementation on the ground. blackouts in yemen electricity are cut more than 70% of the day. iran is supposed to fund that. iran is supposed to fund billions of dollars in the first year alone. how iran plans to do that from my point of view is because many of the issues, they will help with that, that's a fund that they'll be giving to yemen directly. >> thank you for speaking with us. you nuclear talks with iran, and

important gaps remain before any deal with be reached according to the u.s. secretary of state. john kerry said this at the economic development congress. he also defended the obama administration from congress who sent a letter to iran. >> let me make clear to iran, to our p5+1 counterparts who are deeply involved in this negotiation, from our point of view this, letter, this letter was, in fact incorrect in its statement abouts what power they do have. it was incorrect in its assessments of what type of agreement this is. and as far as we're concerned the congress has no ability to change an executive agreement per se. >> iraqi forces have all thed their advance on tikrit, the

army said that the city would be freed within 72 hours. the iraqi army is now staying on the outskirts of tikrit. the control of tikrit is seen crucial in the battle against isil. we have the latest from baghdad. >> reporter: essentially what iraqi militia commanders say is that they need this time to get in reinforcements into tikrit. they managed to take back part of the city, but still isil remains control of half of it. even in areas where it is not in control any more, they have left behind booby trapped buildings explosives almost everywhere, and neighborhoods ringed by snipers. that's really why it's taking so

long. it's the iraqi military with militia members, and they're calling for mill reinforcements as well as explosives experts. they need them to go neighborhood to neighborhood essentially, street to street, and clear some of those explosives before the iraqi troops and the militiamen can move further in. the military commander say that's expecting to take a few more days. but then again, of course, the worry is who is going to maintain control of the city, which force will be able to hold it after they drive out isil. isil has been engaging in battles in other areas as they're driven out of tikrit, near kirkuk there have been battles over the past few days with peshmerga forces. in samarra there were attacks on an army post. isil managed to capture more than ten iraqi soldiers, according to security sources. that's not the only place. in the north. in the town of gwar,

40 kilometers from erbil peshmerga kurdish commanders say that isil has blown up part of a bridge. a bridge that was previously blown up by peshmerga forces but then repaired. it was blown up initially to halt the advance of isil fighters towards erbil. but the fact now that isil has destroyed the remaining part of that bridge could indicate that they're coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously by kurdish forces and u.s. airstrikes. >> sierra leone's vice president has sought political acelomate theasylum from the u.s. embassy. vice president said he was putting himself in quarantine for 21 days after one of his bodyguards died of ebola. it's a finey nation in the south pacific flying more than 2,000 kilometers from the coast of new zealand vanuatu is a

small fishing community that makes most of its money through tourism and agriculture. but friday night the archipelago of 80 80 islands hit by winds of 200 kilometers an hour. at least eight people have died. >> reporter: venturing out of their homes to assist the devastation left by cyclone pam. vanuatu, a group of islands in the pacific were hit by winds up to 270 kilometers an hour on friday. the category 5 storm the most severe on the scale uprooted trees, tore apart homes and stores. residents could do little but to wait. >> i'm in the bathroom with up against the door.

i'm just holding on to dear life here. this is not fun. all i can do during this is think about people in vanuatu who have absolutely no shelter. this is going to be a horrific humanitarian disaster. >> pictures of the devastation in the capitol slowly emerge the real concern are for those living in smaller villages and on the outer islands. aid groups say it's possible that entire villages have been wiped out. >> it's been a destructive cyclone, hitting a country that has using a lot of traditional chances and housing, which means that they're quite vulnerable to this. >> there are reports that dozens of people have been killed in the northeast. vanuatu's president, away to

conference in japan is not sure what ale return to. >> i come to you with a heart that is heavy. i do not know what kind of impact cyclone pam will have had on vanuatu. >> the u.n. is deploying a rapid response team to bring rave operations. >> there are destructive winds rain flooding, landslides, sea surges and very rough seas tropical cyclone pam will hit several eye glands cyclone pam is forecast to pass north of new zealand next. vau nnuatu has bore the brunt. >> still to come on the al jazeera news hour we report from zimbabwe where there is some good news for patients

going to public hospital. plus... >> i'm barnaby phillips from croatia. we have reports of you have how croatians are fighting in ukraine. >> the new formula one season gets under way in australia. >> first dozens of men from the former yugoslavia is thought to be fighting in eastern ukraine. the largest group are serbs fighting on the separatist side, but there are a small number of croatian who is are fighting for ukraine. >> this is where a young man was brought up. [ gunfire ] this is where he is now. in the badlands of eastern

ukraine fighting for the russian-backed separatists. there he is on the right. and here he is a group of serbs fighting for debaltseve. >> greetings from serbia, they say. we spoke to them in eastern ukraine threw the internet. why, i asked him was he fighting in a war in another country? >> we serbs owe a great debt to russia. it has saved our country many times. and when the fascists from the west are doing i wouldn't sit back and watch on television. i will stay here until our victory, and i don't care if i'm locked up when i go home. >> we travel from serbia to neighboring croatia and this is the capitol of zagreb. from this country, too, men have gone to fight in the war in ukraine. only these croates have joined the ukrainian government army. the croates are with a battalion

that has links to the far right fighting in mariupol. they say they're not worried. the numbers are small. i asked the foreign minister, are these men breaking the law to going to ukraine to fight? >> no, they would be breaking laws if they were joining terrorist organizations but ukraine army is not considered a terrorist organization. >> but our information is that they're fighting for the battalion, which is almost a freelance group with the ukrainian army. >> which is still not--it doesn't fall under the category of terrorist organization. >> i met with many who are in touch with the fighters and are sympathetic to them? should we think of these fighters as mercenaries? >> they're paid less than 100 euro as month.

i wish them good month. they'll need it. >> some of those who have gone are veterans of the balkan wars of the '90s. some are extremists from the margins of society. but ukraine's war is causing ripples here in the former yugoslavia. >> chinese fighter jets have been put on alert after a bomb dropped by myanmar. they say it was for rebels who have threat who are trying to take over the kokang region. >> this is the worst spill over of fighting. tens of thousands of people have already been displaced, and more than a hundred people killed. but this latest incident was serious enough for the chinese air force to step up operations along the border area. it is serious enough for the

chinese prime minister to summon myanmar officials to complain and would like to know who is responsible for the intrusion in chinese territory. this comes a week after a shell from myanmar landed in chinese territory. there were no casualties, but there is suggestion of heavy bombardment in the area. the kokang region has been under a state of emergency since february. the few independent reports coming out from there but these two latest incidents suggest there is very heavy fighting going on in that area. now this is not the first time that fighting in myanmar has spilled over into china. in 2013 three chinese citizens were killed when there was

fighting between myanmar and independent army that spilled over into china. this makes china increasingly worried. not only does it not want to deal with a refugee problem people displaced from the fighting crossing over into its border but it will complicate its position of non-intervention and not meddling into its neighbors affairs. >> a ferry has sunk killing 30 people. rescuers have pulled 167 people from the sea and brought them to safety. a further 126 people remain unaccounted for. zimbabwe's healthcare sector has suffered from years of neglect, and much of the infrastructure is in disrepair. $100million of new equipment bought with a loan from china should help some patients. >> reporter: this is the central hospital and president robert mugabe is here to see what

$100 million of chinese money can buy. he said that he hopes the new equipment will boost people's confidence in zimbabwe's medical facilities. >> we must not allow whatever else happens the system to break down again. no. >> zimbabwe's economy is in trouble. it's suffering from falling foreign investment and chronic unemployment. mugabe faces travel bans and sanctions in the west over human rights abuses and ladies and gentlemen election fraud, so he has turned to china for help. >> this is better for us. agriculture, manufacturing

mining as well as social sectors. >> china is already africa's biggest trading partner and has been investing heavily in the commodity's sector because it needs minerals, timbers and metals for its growing economy. some accuse china of exploiting africa's resources but others see china's investment as a lifeline. >> they have used the money to buy ambulances, x-ray machines and incubateors, equipment that is needed but it comes at a price. [♪ singing ♪] and it's one that zimbabwe will be paying back for years to

come. >> a statue of mahatma gandhi has been honored with a statute in london square. it's just a few meters away from winston churchill. [applause] >> reporter: immortalized in bronze. mahatma gandy's statue. >> i hope as gandi takes up residence in this great scare at the heart of our politics and democracy, that we can all be blessed with the wisdom of gandhi today tomorrow, and generations to come. >> the statute is based on a visit to england in 1931 at the height of his fight for indians.

>> even as he reached the struggle he admired britain valued many of the things that it stood for and cherished this friendship. >> britain dominated india's economy for 200 years but now the situation is very different indeed. indian companies own iconic british brands. in recent years india has overlook british trade favoring the likes of france and germany but britain wants to change all that have, and this, of course, is much more than a statue of a great man. this is a british charm offensive. >> this is not just about honoring a great man. it's about lucrative trade agreements. >> not at all. it's about his values. if you look around parliament, you you will see statutes of nelson mandela, winston churchill, abraham lincoln.

>> gandy's philosophy influenced the globe. tolerance that eventually led to assassination by the hands of a hindu nationalist. but he went on to inspire the likes of nelson mandela. gandhi also has powerful critics, especially those bent on preserving the empire. winston churchill said that he ought to be laying bound hand and foot at the gates of delhi and then trampled on by an enormous elephant with the new advice roy seated on his back. today churchill and gandhi are awkward neighbors. nevertheless his statue stands as a cautionary reminder that all power fades, and empires rise and fall. al jazeera london. >> still to come on the al jazeera news hour. we ask what u.s. president barack obama could have done to

prevent the rise of isil. and peace talks or political tactics, why an israeli opposition leader is offering an opposite olive branch to palestinians. and in sport we'll see a byrd hitting an eagle in florida. we'll be here with andy who will explain that and much more. all that is coming up in sports. >> that's what i wanna hear... >> strength... >> give me all you got... >> respect.... >> now... >> bootcamp >> stop your'e whining... >> for bad kids... >> they get a little dirty... so what... >> dangerous... >> we have shackles with spit bag... >> they're still having nightmares >> if you can't straighten out your kids... >> they're mine >> al jazeera america presents camp last resort on al jazeera america >> this is the true definition of tough love

>> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy... >> this is another significant development... >> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live... >> the new al jazeera america primetime. get the real news you've been looking for. >> now everybody in this country can hear them. >> at 7:00, a thorough of the day's events. >> at the end of the day, we're going to give you an intelligent, context driven, take on the day's news. >> then at 8:00, john seigenthaler digs deeper into the stories of the day. >> this is a complicated

situation. how significant is it? >> and at 9:00, get a global perspective on the news. >> they're sending their government a message. >> organizing themselves. >> people say they're finally fed up. >> weeknights, on al jazeera america primetime. >> here with the al jazeera news hour. these are the top stories. there are heavy clashes between isil-affiliated fighters and the militia-backed tripbly government. it is happening in the coastal city of sirte, a spokesman for the libyan dawn forces say that fighting broke out when isil fighters tried to cut off their lines of reinforcement. [ gunfire ] iraqi forces have halted their advance on tikrit as they wait for reinforcements.

at least eight people are confirmed dead after cyclone pam devastated the island nation of vanuatu. emergency teams are being rushed to the island after 270 kilometer winds caused widespread destruction. so ferguson, missouri, has been at the center of racial tension in the u.s. after the shooting death of an unarmed teenager last summer. now the shooting of two police officers in that same city has highlighted the fact that those problems have not gone away. kristen saloomey joins us now from ferguson, are they closer to finding the person who is responsible for shooting the two police officers? >> you investigators say pursuing several leads but they have more questions than answers, and they can't say for sure how many suspects they're looking for whether they are

minute or women or whether they're connected with the demonstrators. i'm standing about where witnesses and police say that the shots that struck those two officers came from, we're just about over 100 meters away from the police department. at the time of the shooting it was just after midnight, demonstrators had gone home. a few were milling about, and the police officers were lined up shoulder to shoulder in front of the police department. now at a press conference yesterday the chief of st. louis county police who is handling the investigation, was asked if someone could accurately target police from this distance using a handgun, which is what police initially said that they believed the shooter was using a handgun, not a rifle with a scope. did he say that he thinks that it could have been that the police could easily have been

targeted, i should not say easily, but they could have been targeted from this area, and that it wasn't absolutely necessary to use a rifle with a scope or anything to target police officers from this location. he said that while he can't say for sure the shooters are connected to the demonstrators he said, quote the location does not seem to be a coincidence, but he could not rule out the idea that the shooters were from the demonstrators. >> they continue to come out and demonstrate. how much longer are they going to do so? what do they want? >> well, many of the activists we spoke to say they're still not satisfied even after the resignation of the police chief which happened just before the shooting here at the police station. they want wholesale change, they say they're not going to stop

demonstrating and calling for changes until they get it. they want the mayor of the city to step down. this is a police department that has 53 officers, 50 of whom are white, in a city where 70% of the population is black. so they also say that they want to see more black police officers, and they want to see more black reputation in city offices and elections are coming up local elections are coming up in april and many are focused on those elections as well. they want to see changes in the surrounding communities as well. they say what is going on in ferguson is not unique to this area. other departments in the county also have similar problems, and they want those addressed as well. >> kristen, thank you for that update from ferguson, missouri. when opponent incidents of president bashar al-assad started their protest in 2011 isil did not exist. now as the syrian civil war enters it's five years questions

are being asked whether the u.s. administration could have done more to prevent its growth. roslind jordan reports. >> reporter: no one in the west pro addict what had isil would become, but they should have. at the time of the fuss was on the aftermath of the air spring. in 2012 in the middle of a full-blown civil war the syrian military was accused of committing human rights abuses that brought this warning from u.s. president barack obama. >> a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. >> reporter: a year later obama said he had proof chemical weapons had been used. he tried to build public support for military intervention. it didn't work. >> the united states had just come off two major wars in the middle east, and there was very little appetite for a third. >> reporter: inside syria isil forged in the aftermath of the the 2003 invasion of iraq was

there, operating in mainly sunni areas. then it was on to northern iraq, where u.s.-trained iraqi troops dropped their guns and ran. when isil fighters came within 40 kilometers of the kurdish capitol of erbil the u.s. air war began but it was the beheading on camera of american journalists. >> no question it had an effect. that plus the strategic element i think that can't be overlooked as well, the idea that this--here's a country iraq where the united states fought a decade long war and now a new group of insurgents are taking territory. that had a powerful effect on americans as well. >> since the start of the conflict, the official syrian opposition has begged washington to give it better weapons to fight the assad regime, but to no avail. it's only now that they have

started training the fighters, not to fight the president assad, but isil. >> either the regime will have to leave them alone or they'll have to fight the regime. it's possible in the abstract that the regime would leave them alone for deacon friction purposes with the united states. i think it's very unlikely, though. >> it's too simplistic to suggest that had the u.s. interveneed in syria's civil war earlier that it could have prevented it's spread across the region but it's clear that the president's efforts to limit it's own footprints have not worked. >> across crossing over to the envoy to iraq. the former u.s. ambassador wrote that america is losing the war

in syria. he said that the current u.s. strategy in syria is not working, merely working to inject small amounts of aid. do you agree with that? >> well, i think that the fact four years after democrats they went out to demand freedom, the fact that we have 6 million syrian who is have been displaced from their homes. terrorist organizations are in the country and it's-- >> all right if you can hear me i'll just have to stop you right there, because we seem to have technical issues with you. we will--all right, we will try

to return later in the news hour if possible. moving on in the head of the u.s. central intelligence agency says that the cia is being revamped to combat isil and other threats to u.s. security. we have more on that story from washington, d.c. >> reporter: an assault on staff, the newspaper charlie hebdo in paris. gunfire in a cafe in copenhagen, and the killing of children in a school in pakistan, the head of the u.s. central intelligence agency said these are attacks that show... >> they're difficult to track and difficult to thwart. >> reporter: that's why he says he's overhauling his agency. critics say that the cia has been too focused on hunting down

those involved in the september september 11th attacks and al qaeda. so the cia will now combine its operations and analystcal staff into ten different missions around the world. >> this will integrate our great strength in analogy, support and digital innovation and apply them more efficiently and effectively. >> reporter: but this former cia intelligence officer fears concentrating the agency's analysis and operations will make it more susceptible to having intelligence manipulated for political gain, the promise of what president harry truman envisions when the creative body was created. >> truman wanted an analysis

group in the issues of our country, and they would be free to report directly to him not to the pentagon or the state department and tell him like it is. that's what we did on vietnam. now, presidents aren't required for heed the advice of intelligence. once you corrupt the structure so you don't have an independent analysis unit any more, then you you, as president you're sacrificing your best shot of finding out what the real story is. >> and potentially turning the u.s. global war on terror with now it's sights on isil into what many fear will be a cia business model intelligence focused on not preventing but instead justifying war. kimberly halkett washington. >> we're crossing back into bull gear y andinto bulgaria. let me ask you how confident you

are that the international strategy to fight isil in syria is going to succeed with the international coalition basically conducting these military airstrikes. is that the way to combat isil in syria? >> well, that is part of the problem. and part of the solution, of course. i would focus primarily on the situation in iraq first because in iraq you have all the necessary ingredients to defeat isil. you have the national unity government, you have political security reforms and spirit of reconciliation emerging. if you look at these factors in iraq, these factors should show the way for what should be done in syria. however, without resolving the problem of isil in iraq it will be very difficult to resolve it in syria. it's not just going to take airstrikes for troops on the ground. it will take very serious and very substantial political reforms because isil is the product of marginalization of communities. it is the product of dictators

not responding to the wishes of the people. it flourishes in a space where the states are weak and where institutions are weak. what we're seeing in iraq are the outlines of how to handle that problem. i hope this is going to be a lesson learned for the international community as well. >> but at the same time human rights watch is documenting numerous atrocityies against sunni civilians by pro government militias and security forces in iraq after they retook some areas. now as you're aware there is an impending battle. how confident are you that the government will protect civilian from the sectarian killings that human rights watchers are documenting? you say there is a spirit of national reconciliation. >> the government has very quickly developed a substantial track record of trying to address these problems.

and to some extent succeeding. a few weeks ago there was a very big massacre of 100 civilians in the province of diyala. this started rather quickly. soon after one of the more important sunni tribes in iraq senior leaders of that tribe were killed. that led to a strong and outspoken message by all segments against such movements. one of the first things that prime minister abady did after he was elected prime minister was to order the stop on the shelling of civilian areas. it has been just a few months since this government has been in place and i think that, again, what they're doing is going to help resolve this problem. obviously there will be difficulties, but one of the most important challenges ahead is to make sure that in the areas that are freed from isil people are free to return, their houses are protected and in iraq receives the international

support to rebuild those areas and those communities. it's not just about the physical recon instruction of buildings. it's about putting in place social services, health services creating job opportunities, this is where the united nations and iraqi authorities are working very closely. reconciliation is a top that can has gone through a painful transition were dictatorship to democracy, however the beginning of that process is seen today in iraq where strong sectarian statements or radical sectarian statements are increasingly being seen as part of the fringes of the political spectrum reconciliation unity dialogue are the topics of the day. this very much points the way to what a successful strategy for resolving the problem of isil looks like. >> all right we'll have to leave it there, thank you very much for speaking to us from bulgaria. >> thank you. >> still to come on the

al jazeera news hour. the start proves to be too hot to handle, we have more cricket action on the way stay with us. your kids... >> they're mine >> al jazeera america presents camp last resort on al jazeera america >> this is the true definition of tough love

>> israel's opposition leader herzog has promised to restart peace talks with palestinian leaders if he's elected president of israel. he's met palestinian officials more times than any other israeli politician in the past year.

and isaac herzog, the leader of the opposition who heads the left of center labour party said's committed to making peace. >> i think it's a mistake that we already assumed that it's over. it's part of the tragedy that evolves in front of our eyes. >> it is not true. i'm telling you absolutely. it is possible. absolutely possible still to make peace with the palestinians. >> reporter: in the days leading up to israel's general election on march 17th, herzog is running a tight campaign against his closest rival, prime minister benjamin netanyahu. labor gained momentum after it forged an alliance opinion polls suggest that zionist union bloc could win more seats than the right-wing likud party but is falling short of securing a majority. a professor of political science in the occupied west bank, he

said no matter the outcome of israel's general election, little will likely change. >> of course there are preferences, and netanyahu is the worst for palestinians with his coalition right-wing orthodox whatever, coalition. of course the left is better for palestinians for their daily life. but to reach a final settlement that the palestinians can live with, i don't think that any of them would-- >> view shared by palestinians. this man said life under occupation seems to get worse with every passing year. even with the new israeli prime minister a final settlement is unlikely. >> israeli politicians are like two sides of the same coin. nothing will change for us. >> president mahmood abbas has publicly declared that israel's

election does not interest him. but what does is the decision by prime minister benjamin netanyahu's government to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue belonging to the palestinian authority saying that whoever is elected as israel's next leader must change that. al jazeera ramallah in the occupied west bank. >> let's get an update with all the sports news with andy. >> hamilton and his mercedes team looks to be the combination to beat. the defending world champion is in poll position for sunday's grand prix. qualifying a half second quicker than rosberg. >> a new season starting in australia, and mercedes looks to be the team to beat.

their driver ericksen did not bet fast the qualifying session. the youngest driver to compete in f 1 at 17 years old, he came to up inter ter rosa in testter rosa. and the brazilian is the last mercedes driver to take pole in austria in june. rosberg will start second on the grid as part of the mercedes one-two. his teammate louis hamilton was a half second quicker with his 39th career pole. >> huge effort by our crew.

i feel blessed to have this car and today we found a new balance, and today it's about pushing the laps. it's fun when are in qualifying. >> winning 16 of the last 19 races and they're in primary position to add to that on sunday. al jazeera. >> four games currently under way in the english premier league. manchester city with a win. and they're ahead. city are in burnley. their manager denied reports that he's set to leave the club at the end of the season. >> i always try to finish my contract when i sign at the beginning. if i'm not happy, i would try to finish the contract before. but i'm very happy.

>> cricket world cup co-host australia will face pakistan or ireland in the quarter finals. mitchell stark here a little too much for scotland to handle. he took 4 4-13, and scotland would bowl out for 113. michael clarke put himself at the top of the innings to bring himself back. the window never really in doubt. they're wrapping up a seven-wicket victory. >> win games and confidence is going to be high. we're training well. so personally, it is not

suitable. >> offering decent resistence in this game. captain brandon taylor in 138 in what is his final international appearance. fifth wicket partnership 196. an unbeaten 110, and they score the winning runs. they finish up with the sixth winning victory. they'll play bangladesh in the quarterfinals. >> when you take it to the knock-out stages, you want to have it under your belt. it doesn't matter how much runs, but once you get going it gives you a good feeling that i think is important. that's one of the main reason i would say that it was a good game for us. and all the batsmen were under pressure and their bowlers

they exploited it. they're using the slow deliveries really well. a good game. >> ireland is trying to take a big step retaining the six nation rugby title aiming to win their fourth straight match. this time against wales, but they're losing 59 in cardiff. england take on win the scotland in an hour's time. the scots have not won in twik twikingham since 1983. >> yes, it's great motivation, and it gives you that extra bit of spark going into the game. >> nba eastern conference leaders the atlanta hawks have avoided a second straight defeat. the only team to have secured a place in the playoffs with their 21st win on the road this

season. the top scoring with if points. atlanta would secure this 96-87 victory. >> now to the championship in florida, american jonathan byrd, he missed the cup but did have the consolation to hit the hole in one. the prize nothing for byrd but one lucky spectateor will have their mortgage paid for for a year by a tournament sponsor. for more you can check it out at www.aljazeera.com/sport. we have plenty more coming up. that is it for now. >> thank you very much for that. do stay with us. interest is a full bulletin of news coming your way in just a moment. stay tune.

report: "mining sacred lands". thursday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

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only on al jazeera america . >> support in the pipeline. agreements for financial help from iran. you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up. [ gunfire ] on the offensive. the iraqi army said its getting closer to driving isil fighters out of the city of tikrit. fears dozens of people have been killed as vanuatu is hit by a