azeera america presents only on al jazeera america >> you're watching the al jazeera news hour. i'm david foster, and these are some of the stories that we'll be looking at in the next 60 minutes. in the french alps 150 people are believed to have died. flying from barcelona to düsseldorf 16 german teenagers were on board.

and security force who is are loyal to the houthi rebel simply won't follow his orders. now chile's rumbling volcano is forcing thousands of people from their homes. >> we have sport. it's seventh heaven and new zealand's cricketers final. >> now the search has been called off for the plane that has crashed in the french alps. all passengers and crew on board are believed to have died when the plane lost altitude rapidly on its way from barcelona and

duesseldorf. well 16 passengers were from one school in germany returning from a school trip in spain. there have been candles lit in their memory in germany. scattered over a vast area in accessible, long valleys very difficult for people to get there. the french authorities though, have managed to recover one flight recorder from the scene. bringing the bodies down from in area will take some time, and we're understand that could be made harder with storm forecasted to move in overnight. this is where the entire operation is being coordinated

from. jacky rowland is precisely where the rescue operation is being operated from. and dominic kane is in duesseldorf. let's begin with jacky rowland. too cold too dark and too difficult to get there at this time? >> yes david, it was a difficult enough task to begin with. obviously now absolutely black raining as well. there is no way that search operations could continue. whether forecasting suggesting that there could be worse weather and possibly even know in the coming hours, which will make it more difficult for searches to uncover bits of wreckage and also signs of more bodies of the victims. let's look back now at how this disaster happened.

>> in a remote alpine valley, the plane is strewn across the hillside. no one could have survived a crash like this. and in this difficult terrain retrieving the bodies of all those on board will take days. you can just about make out the rescue workers struggling up the hillside as they try to locate the many pieces of the plane. crucially they have found a black box flight recorder. it should provide vital evidence as to why this disaster happen. at a duesseldorf airport relatives and friends have gathered to receive more information and to absorb the terrible news. the a rival board tells the story. flight 9525 never showed up. it was traveling from barcelona to duesseldorf but crashed in in the french alps. the weather is threatening to

further hamper what is already a difficult search operation. heavy rain and strong winds are forecast, and possibly even even snow. this is thought to be footage of the actual plane that crashed an airbus 320 filmed on a briefs flight. the french president françois hollande was hosting the king of spain on an official visit. that has now been cut short. >> we will do everything in our power to understand the cause of the accident and recover all the victims from the crash sight. the accident has taken place in an area that is especially difficult to access. >> german wings is a local airline owned by lufthansaer. it makes short journeys and has an excellent record with no crashes. the passengers on board are thought to include german,

spanish, and turkish nationals. >> we're all deeply shocked and shaken about our company german wings crashing in the alps. now our prayers are with the loved ones of the passengers. >> 150 deaths have left so many families grieving across europe. in one town in germany has been hit especially hard. 16 teenagers were on the plane returning from a spanish language exchange program. one community changed forever in a sudden moment of tragedy. well, this is a very remote and small community. nevertheless everyone is really pulling their resources. the town hall is remaining open all night. a local high school has opened its doors and basically given the schools sports hall to the

emergency services to use as required. and in fact, local people are preparing to open their doors and open their homes to relatives of the victims. some of whom are expected to travel to the crash site. also traveling on wednesday will be president françois hollande and the german chancellor angela merkel and the president of spain all coming to the scene of the strategy. >> can you confirm that the aircraft sent up no distress signals at all even though it was eight minutes from the moment it got into trouble and the moment it hit the mountainside? >> that is correct david. there were confusing and contradictory reports to begin with. initially we had been told that there had been a distress call. that was categorically denied by civil aviation authorities. there was no distress call.

there was absolute silence from the plane during those eight moments that descended those eight minutes when it descended from a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet until it crashed into the mountainside. that's one of the big mystery this is puzzling investigators why the plane went silent. one black box has been recovered, but it will be a couple of days before investigators are actually be able to analyze sift through the contents that have device in order to get more information about what caused the plane to come down. >> jacky, thank you. jackq rowland in the french alps. the plane on its way to germany. düsseldorf was the place where it was expected to land. dominic kane is there. jackie in her report alludeed to fact that one community not far from where you are has been changed forever.

>> that's right david. when reports started coming in, that the plane from barcelona to duesseldorf came down, and particularly inside the town, one school, where 16 students and some teachers had been on a week-long cultural visit to spain, and were on that plane to come back here. a few hours ago when the local mayor spoke to the media he confirmed people's fears. >> the information is that on the boarding list of the plane that has crashed there were 16 students of our high school and two teachers. the director of the school has received confirmation from spain that the students and the teachers actually boarded the plane. >> referring back to jacqy in

the french alps saying that president françois hollande will be going there, as well as anglega merkel i wonder if the german authorities will be sending in their own investigative team into that part of france? >> well, david we understand that 67 german nationals were on board the plane and certainly the german foreign minister and the german transport minister has gone to the crash site, and chancellor angela merkel will be going there tomorrow. the parent company of germanwings, lufthansa will need to explain what make this plane come down, and we know that a crisis management team has been sent. so there is definitely a desire

here in germany from the government's point of view to be at the heart of finding out what's happened here. of course the jurisdiction as far as the investigation is concerned lies with the french because the aircraft came down on their territory. but certainly the germans will want to play a key role in the investigation, if they can. >> it will be a long night both in germany and in france. we thank you, dominick kane, one of our team of reporters on the ground after this air tragedy. >> the governor of yemen's third biggest city has reside. he said security force who is are royal to houthi rebels simply won't follow his orders. well houthi took over much of taiz on sunday and they already control sanaa and say they want to push south to aden, where

yemen's president hadi is trying to hold on to power. now in taiz itself, several protesters died when houthi forces open fired on them. u.n. special envoy to yes then isyemen is warning that the push towards civil war. >> they wore hats with the colors of the yemeni flag. they chanted their disapproval of the houthies in taiz province. by day's end several protesters were dead and injured. since the houthi's arrived they made it clear that they were not welcome. the governor of the province resigned. his reason, forces loyal to the houthis refuseed to obey his orders. the shia houthies have been in control of yemen's capital sanaa since september. president and and was abd rabbuh

mansur hadi was forced to move to aden. now the houthies are getting close tort president. they say they're not after the leader. they insist they're fighting religious armed groups. tribal leaders tell al jazeera they're managing to keep the houthies out. >> the tribes are so peaceful, and the gang of houthies have drags us into war. even if they kill us all. >> the houthies offered to negotiate. but with no success so far the daily battles continue in the mountains. >> we are defending our land, our country. >> the houthis are saying the same thing. the warring sides are slated to go to qatar in a few weeks for talks with fast-moving events in yemen the situation could deteriorate even more before then. al jazeera. >> the u.s.-led coalition, which is fighting the islamic state in

iraq and the levant isil, said it carried out eight more airstrikes in syria and a further six in iraq. iraq's defense ministry said that isil suffered heavy losses from the strike east of the city of fallujah. the media in that area reporting that the prominent isil leader and six of their bodyguards were killed in that action. well, thousands of people have marched through the afghan capitol demanding justice for a woman who was lynched by a group of people. the 27-year-old was killed earlier this month after being falsely accused of burning a copy of the holy book the qur'an. organizers of the marseille that 3,000 people took part, calling it one of the biggest demonstrations in the history of kabul. 18 were arrested, and 13 police were suspended as part of the investigation into the killing itself. talks which are aimed to establish some kind of unity government in libya are said to resume in wednesday, but the

fighting continues. the u.n.-backed leadership continues to operate in tibruk in the east of the country while the capital of tripoli continues under the control of its rival. it has the support of the libya dawn militia based of misrata east of tripoli. the support of that group's key to any deal on the national unity government. >> it has long been criticized for acting as an independent state and it has been labeled as an extremist stronghold. misrata denies all that. but there is no doubt that this city in libya is not only powerful within its own borders it's influence extends far beyond. misrata extends to the east of tripoli. to a large extent the government

of tripoli rely on the libya dawn alliance to stay in power and the political power of that alliance which seized the capital last year. misrata has thousands of fighters instituting one of the largest armed groups in the country. ever since misrata, just like all of libya's armed forces, didn't disarm, nor did they unite with other forces. but recently violence has escalated, and there is a growing realization among the tripoli government that there is no military solution to this conflict. >> within the gnc there were some voices who i considered as extremists to a degree. fortunately, there are a lot of people who recognize that the

only way to make peace in libya and to move towards democracy is to have a dialogue with all sides. >> but they also have a red line. the libyan dawn alliance is at war with general haftar's force who is back the government in the east of the country. misrata and it's allies have accused haftar of being a dictator and. >> haftar only makes statements. he said the same thing about bengahzi. but he has not been able to take it. we tell him take bengahzi first and then talk about tripoli. >> rival factions are now talking, not face to face, but the international community is trying hard to bring about unity.

al jazeera misrata. >> still to come on this news hour poking fun of bangladeshi politics we meet the bangladeshi cartoonist who is credited with giving voice to the people. waiting for treatment we're in south africa where millions are affected by the preventable disease tuberculosis tb. and a collision course new zealand meets south africa. who made it through to the big one. we've got lee with that and the rest of the sport coming up. moroccoen authorities say they dismantled what they're calling a terrorist cell which is planning attacks across the country. the threat level in morocco has been raised. >> these are members of morocco's counter terrorism unit

storming buildings in different cities across the country. they say it was a major operation launched simultaneously to arrest members of an armed group affiliated with isil. they confiscated weapons ammunition phones, and laptops the government says the group was targeting military officials. >> we were determined to continue our preventive measures but at the same time develop our security approach. this is exactly why we created the central bureau of judiciary investigations. >> the newly created bureau is responsible for fighting organized crime and terrorism. >> because since we faced the first attack in 2003, we we are cautious that we're facing a new

challenge and terrorist threat. the solution was to adopt a security approach taking in a account the complexity and involving aspecters of the criminal group. >> they have led a coalition against isil. they have recently wrapped up their security measures. that's because hundreds of more rockmoroccoens have fought against isil. killed and pushed by the attackers. many have crossed the border to join isil, and many people are worried that the fight against the armed groups might be used to clamp down on human rights. but officials say that won't

happen. >> once we get information about terrorists we make sure that we inform justice and our job is supervised and controlled by the justice. >> the buildings and streets government buildings and airports are part of the security measures implemented across the kingdom. the authorities say they have broken up cells of recruiting and sent fighters to syria and iraq. but the biggest concern here is the growing number of moroccans fighting against isil and the risk that they make it back to the country.

>> now to chile where the second level highest level of alert where the volcano erupted already this month. thousands of people had to be removed from their homes close by. lucia newman is close to the volcano in villarrica. >> we're told that one of the most dangerous things is not the lava that we saw spewing out of here ten days ago but rather if such should happen again the danger that the glacier and the snow at the very top of the volcano could melt very, very rapidly, unleashing tons of water that would bring with it rocks, boulders, everything in its path. this is at 100 kilometers per hour and this is extremely dangerous for the 85,000 people

living around this volcano. the last major eruption was 44 years ago so people seemed to be incrediblous. saying that it's not going to happen. in fact, all around here people are building homes at this very moment as i speak. they just don't seem to believe that anything will happen to them. >> every year 9 million peopl to call consumption despite there being a vaccine for it. it is second only to hiv/aids as the greatest killer in the world. every year 1.5 million people die because they have tb. and it's something that could be cure: although there are a growing number of drug-resistant cases in 2013. 480,000 people will developed tb that could not be treated with standard drugs.

in south africa it's the leading cause of death in their country. erica wood reports from a township in cape town. >> every day, he goes to his local clinic to be monitored for progress and take his medication. >> i take 16 tablets a day. >> he has extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis. the only regime available takes two years to complete. it's highly toxic and is not even guaranteed to work. he once he got his diagnosis he was convinced that it was his death sentence. >> you just crash in front of you. you wait for the day you're going to cough blood and then you die. >> but he has a good prognosis because he has specialized care through a pilot program being

carried out in his township. this there is the highest number of drug-resistant tuberculosis. the reason where why tuberculosis is able to get such a hold here is because people live in such close confines. it has gotten so bad that officials want it cleared as a hubble healthhealth emergency. the community based care is better, more accessible and cheaper. if you're depending on a hospital system, you've got only a limited number of beds. you often got long waiting lists. people even know they have drug-resistant tb, but there is a waiting list.

>> they have improved vival rates because patients can get their medication, counseling close by to the clinic. >> okay. a lot of people have the perception that as soon as you diagnose the disease that it's a big crisis. but remember your most infectious when you're not on treatment. >> reporter: the community-based care will take government commitment. but dr. hughes says without it south africa will never get on top of its t.b. epidemic. >> everything sounds fine. >> the patients will never have the same chance that goodman has had to survive. >> still to come on this news hour we neat the meet the farmers asking for better working conditions in mexico. and could hong kong's open space spaces soon be a thing of the

past as property developers look to meet growing demands. to beijing.

>> 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...

>> this is the al jazeera news hour. let's go through some of the top stories. the investigators are on the scene of a plane crash in the french alps. they've been able to recover one of the recorders. the airbus crashed into the hillside. it was germanwings flight began to lose altitude soon after reaching 38,000 feet and came down after eight minutes of a steep descent. six crew, 144 passengers on board among them two babies and 16 german high school students. crash investigators are there. we'll talk about what they're looking for. with me, they've got one of the

flight data recorders. will they be able to determine from that immediately what went wrong? >> yes, very quickly. the flat data recorders have quite a lot of parameters that are recorded. it's highly likely that that combined with the voice recorder which i'm not sure if that has been found yet. >> it has been mentioned. >> the combination of those two they'll put that together. i would be very surprised if the next week or two the investigators have not got some sort of indication of what happened. >> what cause as plane that is in this serious trouble going down, rapid speed. >> there was about eight minutes minutes. >> they said they haven't had distress call. >> that's right. when there is an incident like this they aviate the aircraft,

and the last thing they'll do is communicate. they'll only do that once they're happy the aircraft is under control. >> there is no switch you flick while you're fighting to control the aircraft, like an automatic mayday? >> there is one that you could put a code in if there is a hijacking of the aircraft. >> but nothing automatic or anything like that. >> no, nothing like that. >> the software program that follows particular flights i think it's called flight 124. >> flight radar 124. >> flight radar 124 it bottomed out, but then by but by then it was too late because of the

mountains. >> when i looked at the flat rate of 24, the information from earlier today, it looked like the aircraft was begin to go level off at that altitude. the reason why the pilot it's would want to level out is if the aircraft is undergoing decompression, the loss of cabin pressure. the pilots have been trained to get to 10,000 altitude where there is oxygen-rich air for the passengers to breathe. >> is it quite possible that in the confusion and state of mind that they were trying to stop a massive jet rocket hurdling to the ground that they would have been unaware of leveling out at 8,000 feet in a mountainous area is as bad as being down at sea level. >> for the experience of the pilots, they should have. they should have clearly known that they had high mountain terrain ahead of you. the first thing they would have

wanted to do is to turn the aircraft and go towards the coast where the terrain is a lot lower. that's one of the things i would have expected them to do given the experience. flights radios across the alps are quite common, and the pilots would have flown them several times before. >> you're pretty sure this is not a plane that would have exploded in mid care, ending these people's lives instantaneously, that they were aware of everything the whole time. >> if the aircraft disintegrated in midair the debris would have been strewn across a large area. from the looks of it, the area is relatively small. it looks like the aircraft hit terrain when it exploded. >> it hit the ground in one piece. >> it looks as if, and the radar suggests that is the case. >> well, thank you for your your expertise.

thank you for joining us on this news hour. now utah is now the only u.s. state authorize the firing squad. the new rules said that a firing squad will only be used if the state cannot lawfully obtain drugs the day before the procedure. utah is three to four years away from its next scheduled execution. let's go to a long time leader in the fight against the death penalty who serves as the director of the death penalty. >> i think there are three separate factors in play. the first is that the market has spoken. american pharmaceutical companies have determined that they don't want their life-sustaining drugs to be used in life-taking enterprise like

executions. in addition, that is meant that supplies from american manufacturers have pretty much dried up. in addition europe has taken a consistent position that the death penalty is violation of international human rights law. because it's a human rights violation europe has forbade the european pharmaceutical companies from exporting drugs to the united states and anywhere else for the use of executions. because of that there is a shortage of available drugs. at the same time that's happened the states have been experimenting with different drug port protocols and that has sustained botched executions. there was a bad execution where the defendant was gasping for breath and described as flopping around like a fish. in ohio there was northbound botch where a person took an

extended period of time to die and another botched execution in oklahoma. the combination of drugs being unavailable. and states unable to administer lethal injection in a humane way way. >> after a number of delays it looks like the nigerians will be going to the polls on saturday to get themselves a new president. currently the current president goodluck jonathan said he'll get another term but he's facing opposition from some who want more women on the ballot. we go to the capital of abuja. >> reporter: this woman ruins a restaurant in abuja is voting in nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections. women make up just under 50% of registered voters. but very few female candidate will be on the ballot papers.

there are just under 1,000 seats up for grabs but only a couple of hundred women are running and only a handful are on the tickets of the two political parties likely to win both seats. >> the men, they will never give a chance at all to come out to to--they will never agree for a woman to come in front of them. >> despite that she plans to vote for as many female candidate as she can. >> it costs a lot of money to run for office in nigeria. many people think the place for a woman is in the home. these are the main factors were stopping women were participating in politics. only one woman is running for president out of 14 candidates. on sunday she took part in a televised debate with president goodluck jonathan. despite the low numbers of women running, she's confident things can improve.

>> women themselves are proving that they're capable in all the affairs of life. we've seen nigerian women rise to the ceos of companies several ministers and so why should they be kept out of politics? >> the election empire thinks more stringent measures will need to be put in place to increase the number of women candidate. the critics say making it the law will not necessarily produce the best candidates. >> the trials have begun in an anti-corruption campaign "blood diamonds" accusing angola rulers

of murder and for sure. charged with defaming several military generals after pulling a book will supposed human rights abuses. he was sentenced to nine years in prison, but he said he won't be silenced. >> i'm an active citizen. i'm prepared to face those consequences. that's why i say it's a privilege to go to the court and challenge these seven generals and basically tell them no matter what the outcome is i will win. >> farm workers in one of mexico's most important agriculture rein regions are on strike. we have more from the valley in the north of mexico.

>> reporter: the bus is taking fruit pickers to the fields to the valley that is usually packed this week they leave happen empty. without tens of thousands of workers who are on strike. like many, they came from south of mexico hoping to escape extreme poverty. 30 years later he say that he and his family don't own enough to survive. >> we're here protesting out of necessity. food prices keep going up, and the waging just stay the same. >> the farms pay really low. $8 a day. we want $20 and to be treated better. >> the dirt floor shack lacks the basic necessityies. >> we don't have electricity or running water. in the night we have to just use candles. >> when the protests started early last week things did turn

violent, and there was even looting. since then it's been calm and peaceful, but things are still very tense here. across the road from where the farm workers are gathered there are vans of armed police just watching them. >> meanwhile fruit ripe for harvesting is rotting away. >> this is what we've suffered through the strike. we lost half the crop we would have harvested. >> he says he and the other producers in the region don't get paid enough by mexican or american companies to give their workers the raise they are demanding. >> in 14 years i've had the fruit farm i've never seen something like this. and it depresses me. i feel like not planting and doing something else instead. >> with the rest of the harvest under threat it's vital for both sides to find common round of negotiations, which will happen on wednesday.

john holman, mexico. >> from mexico to florida's famous golden beaches. they're under threat were rising sea levels. they've been trying to address the issue of climate change. it's more difficult than you might think in the u.s. sunshine state. let's hear from jonathan betz. >> from south florida shores, christina has watched the seas change on the surface the oceans are rising. and beneath nature is dying. >> i cannot believe that everything is gone. >> you're surprised. >> yes absolutely. >> warmer water is killing florida's coral reefs. where color and life once bloomed, now gray emptiness exists. yet she said in florida state government the words climate change are not to be spoken. >> they said to you point blank do not use these terms. >> yes, that was said, that they were not to use those terms in any setting.

ultimately what it came down to, we're the government's agency, and we're portray the message that the government wants us to portray. >> working to protect florida's waterways. >> they said if you know what's good for you, you will not use the terms "climate change" ; "global warming"; or "feasibility." >> now fema has stepped in and demanding that states plan for climate change when planning for disasters or risk losing funding. governor scott has repeatedly resisted say interesting is no policy against mentioning climate change. >> first of all, that's not true. there is lots of conversation abouts this issue. from my standpoint, like every issue, my goal is instead of talking about it, let's do something about it. >> like spending millions protecting the environment, and defending florida from storms. north carolina, louisiana and

tennessee have all passed laws in recent years discouraging climate change from being considered in policies or classrooms but critics say they're avoiding words and reality. dangerous in a state like florida, particularly vulnerable to rising oceans. >> now they have to walk this tightrope. they can't talk about climate change and it makes them difficult to think write documents, make proposals and plan. >> frustrated, she left her job with the state in december. fixing the problem became too difficult because no one could talk about it clearly. jonathan betz, al jazeera, miami. >> take a look at hong kong and you might think there is not enough room to walk around let alone build anything new. but private developers are eyeing up the city's few open spaces to mitre growing demand, and it's a trend upsetting people who love green spaces. this is rob mcbride reports.

>> it is house hunting hong kong style. a lucky draw for hopeful owners of a latest development. for the winners a chance to buy an unit for $1 million in a block that has not been completed yet. hong kong is relying heavily on private developers to meet its target of it half a million new flats in the next ten years. >> they have plan to increase the supply, so there will be sufficient supply. >> the question is where to build. environmentalists fear hong kong's country parks until now free from development will suffer. >> this belongs to the whole of people. >> all right home to hong kong's airport, which is about to get its third runway and to its adjoining new town currently

being expanded, the island is seen as a prime target for development. that's before the government has exploded redevelopment options in existing urban areas according to green groups. >> the government is having a new town planning, like we need massive, large peace of empty lands for you to do everything, start from zero. >> the government is well aware that any talk of building in hong kong's green spaces is highly inflammatory. it has to balance that with the pressing need for new homes in a city which is facing a housing crisis. they got married just two weeks ago. both are working professionals and have been saving for several years, but have no choice but to move in with her parents in their small argument. >> all we can do is go on saving, but i have no idea how long it will be before we have

enough to buy our own place. >> like many of their generation it will still be many years before they have the down payment even to enter for a draw for a flat. al jazeera hong kong. >> it's not just a doodle, it's funny and it's serious. al jazeera has been taking a look at the role con door players play. bangladesh wise-cracking street you are urchin who has been adopted to speak the truths of those in power. we catch up with the cartoon's creator. >> the street urchin he is an unlikely candidate for the affections of his countrymen. but he was drawn to the straight-talking ways of the street children he knew during

his childhood. and recognized the potential as a social commentateor. >> many people have called me after a slip is released saying they were thinking the exact same thing that they're glad this he came out and said what they were too hesitant to say. >> he has been a huge success since he made his first appearance in 1978. he realized that the powerless street urchin could get away saying things that most people couldn't. >> i used to make these cartoons for the magazine for police officers. i would poke fun at their flaws and they would enjoy that. they never got angry with me for that. >> he got his start in comics while making political cartoons in the 1960s. during bangladesh's independent struggles. but his training was as a fine artist. and today galleries and collectors seek out both the

strips as his paintings. for long-term fans, he should be considered a national treasure. >> what is special is that his character is not only a vehicle for humor but also for protest against all our society's injustice. >> these days he's focused less on cartoons and more on paintings. compositions that reflect the hustle of bangladesh, yet he continues to exert a strong pull, not just for the public but for the artist himself. al jazeera. >> okay, we've got the sport after the break. we've got lee with us, and he'll be talking about this man who a lot of people seem to want to poach from his club. he says he's staying where he is.

that's what drives me >> six sometimes new zealand reached the semifinals. and this time in front of their own fans in auckland they managed to reach the final and they did it. south africa would also never reached a world cup final and batted first. the top score of 82, but south

africa typically ignited with 65 runs. until the innings frustrated their big hitting captain smashed 59. but south africa chance is missed. they should have been run out. then came the crucial moment which summed up south africa's agony and they can't shake off the take. they would take it in un unforgettable style. south africa inconsolable. >> for the fans of new zealand

that's for them. the support has been overwhelming, and i think there has been a lot of talk about us just making the semis not taking on. i know it means a lot for the team. but you can see the emotions in the stands today. it means a lot to last of people in new zealand. hopefully we can repay the faith in the finals as well. >> to make a difference in a nations and we didn't do that. it hurts quite a bit we had our chances and we didn't take them. >> now officially confirmed as uefa's president for the third time. they would defend uefa.

the presidential election is in may, and president blatter is at the center of the tension. >> certain people are perhaps trying to turn us against each other, seeking to divide and rule. they're trying to isolate the supposedly arrogant and selfish europeans. again, do not believe everything that you hear. yes we know we're in a privileged position. yes we know that we make mistakes, and we're not necessarily any better than anybody else. however, we're willing to work with you hand in hand for the good of football. and for the good of fifa. >> well, mr. blatter faced the congress and organization of those who criticized him. four years ago blatter promised not to seek a fifth term for the job. but there was polite applause when he made the appeal for the unity of solidarity which exists for the foundations of football.

he said that the boycott must be ignored. >> sport should be united when it comes to boycott because boycott has never given any results. >> they have agreed to a new contract with atletico madrid to extend the deal to the year 2020. the success has led to speculation the 44-year-old sees a bright future by staying in madrid. >> soon there will be the opening of the new stadium. we're very excited about this opening. i think the club is absolutely growing. i shoes to be where i am, that's for sure. in our lives sometimes it's difficult to chance. sometimes because they don't let

you. sometimes because you can't. but i'm choosing, and i choose atletico because i think the club is still growing. >> now formula one driver has been putting himself through tough training for the second race of the season in malaysia, and his preparations have been slightly unusual. the mercedes driver has climbed the steps to the top. >> the steps to the towers, and it's been unreal. please all watch on sunday, cross your fingers for us, and have a great weekend. >> lee, thank you very much, indeed. we look forward to that. the cricket world cup semifinal. that's about it from me in the news hour. i'll be back in a couple of

minutes with more.

>> monday. >> visibility was 3 to 5 nautical miles. >> weathering the storm. >> we want to show people how to replace property against the worst mother nature has to offer. >> experts forecast how to stay safe. >> i'm standing in a tropical windstorm. >> in extreme weather. >> oh my god. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" where technology

meets humanity. monday, 6:30 eastern only on al jazeera america. >> the scattered remains of a passenger jet in the frenchable, 150 people are believed to have died. the german wings flight was flying from barcelona to duesseldorf. 16 german teenagers were on board. >> i'm david foster, you're watching al jazeera. the governor of a major city resigns saying his own security forces are guilty of mutiny. thousands of people