g and inspiring memoir. thank you so much for talking to al jazeera. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ welcome to the news hour. i'm sami zeidan live from our headquarters in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes. rival protests across yemen after a saudi-lead coalition launches attacks against the houthi rebels. i'm lauren taylor in london it appears the german co-pilot of the plane that crashed into the alps wanted to destroy the

plane. last minute talks on trying to reach a deal in iran's nuclear program. nigerians are voting in an election soon but how has the fall in oil prices affected ordinary people? we'll tell you what they say. ♪ we begin in yemen, and the latest on the saudi-lead air strikes on houthi targets. less's bring you up to date on the latest. the strikes have destroyed iranian made missile launchers in the capitol. egypt has confirmed it is sending four navy ships to the gulf of aden to help secure the region. several other countries in the region are joining in the campaign. the strikes are to help support this man, president hadi. he was driven out of the capitol

last month by advancing rebels. and let's kick off our coverage with this report from mohamed vall. >> reporter: this is a show of support tr saudi-lead air strikes. the city fell to houthis earlier this week. popular protests like these against their prosense have continued but there's a different scene in the capitol sana'a. houthi supporters march against the air strikes. >> the choice is very simple. they abide by this process and become legitimate players in yemenese politics but they

certainly won't be allowed to take over the country. >> reporter: saudi arabia said it had launched air strikes against the houthi rebels with the aim of reversing the houthi coup. reports suggest 100 yets from saudi arabia and the gulf coalition were involved in the air strikes. the saudis say they have only targeted houthi military positions in strategic locations around the country. they say they want to restore yemen's deposed government. at least four other gulf nations have joined the campaign. they have sent fighter jets to saudi arabia for this purpose. egypt has also expressed its readiness to join. the u.s. which is in the middle of nuclear talks with iran have announced support for the saad -- saudi-lead action. iran's support of the houthis

have triggered fear in saudi arabia and the majority of the gulf countries that it might be trying to spread its influence in the region. >> translator: it's necessary for all military action to end as soon as possible and for dialogue to resume towards reaching a solution. we believe these military actions can only plunge the region further into turmoil and will have no benefit for any of the countries who enter into such actions. >> reporter: the houthis have taken parts of yemen by force over the last few months. they held the president in house arrest until he fled to aden earlier this month. the houthis then began to march towards aden. it's not clear yet how far the saudis and their arab allies are going to go in their campaign and whether the air strikes will be followed by a ground invasion. saudi arabia plays a major

role in the regioned a modern and powerful military force. last year it increased its defense budget by 20% to over $80 billion. the kingdom is contributing as many as 150,000 troops and it is sending 100 war planes to the operation from its 675 fleet of aircraft. a founder and ceo of the institution for the near east and gulf military analysis says the saaddy army has enormous capability. >> saudi is a regional power, it has a formidable force. it has air power, similar naval capability. they have the latest when it comes to man forces. so it is, you know, a major power, and you add to it this alliance which includes a

nuclear power like pakistan. so i think the houthis are facing something that is too big to deal with. the united states says it supports the saudi's coalition military action but the national security council is stressing that u.s. forces are not taking part directly in the action. so what role are they saying they are taking then kimberly? >> reporter: well, they are saying officially that there has been an active role in terms of support. that means that the united states has been offering military support in terms of intelligence logistical support as well as coordination but the national security council spokeswoman on wednesday night did point out there is no direct military action being taken by the united states right now. this seems to be supported by both republicans and democrats on capitol hill members of

congress, but there is also a lot of criticism. it has been very recently that president obama hailed that yemen was an example of counter terrorism sucks is in terms of the u.s. effort there, and this was reiterated on wednesday at the state department. but now that we see this turmoil on the ground and thissest saaser baited sectarian conflict taking place, it really seems to contradict some of the statements coming out of the obama administration as well as here at the state department. so some tough questions we do expect when the state department spokeswoman briefs again. and this is coming at a very awkward time given the fact that secretary of state john kerry is in switzerland right now, meeting with his iranian foreign minister counterpart for those talks the u.s. is leading to bring about limits to iran's

nuclear program. but you have the u.s. doing that on one hand, and then also supporting this saudi-lead effort. so a lot of contradictions that i suspect reporters will be pressing hard on here at the state department. hilary is a former white house and state department official, good to have you with us. our reporter there, talking about the apparent contradictory dynamics going on in terms of u.s. policy towards yemen. how do you view this? is the u.s. having to re-eval rate its approach in yemen? >> well one would hope that policy makers here in washington would reevaluate u.s. policy fundamentally. we have seen the united states washington essentially make beat in the middle east that it could

arm, fund and train various groups in various countries to kill their compatriots in the name of war on terrorism campaigns, and somehow that is going to work for washington. in that policy has failed catastrophically. so one would hope that policy makers here would fundamentally reevaluate u.s. policy towards the middle east and fundamentally in particular reevaluate a policy of arming funding and training fighters to kill their compatriots. >> but we're talking about the houthi advance, they according to reports have been supported and armed and funded by iran rather than the united states correct? >> well but the problem really lies with the u.s. policy initially in yemen, which was to arm, train, and fund first under president saleh, and now under hadi the yemenese to kill

their own come patriots in the name of a u.s. war on terrorism. in that isolated those leaders. that's a free for all where anybody, whether it's iran or any other country could come in and arm various other groups. this is a recipe for chaos that we have seen in country after country. it's not unique to yemen. the attempt to make it a unique sectarian conflict i think is seriously mistaken. we have had this same problem in iraq, afghanistan, and syria, this is about fundamentally changing alignment of power in the region with the united states desperately trying to hold on after all of these miss takes. >> thank you for your thoughts. >> thank you. iraq is calling for dialogue in yemen. and syria also says it is very

concern about the situation in yemen. jordan meanwhile is confirming it is supporting the saudi-lead intervention in yemen. >> reporter: well an official jordanian source has confirmed that jordan has indeed participated in the saw di-lead military operation in yemen that began overnight. the reason the source said was because jordan supports the legitimate government in yemen, and supports yemen's security and stability and also in a show of support and appreciation for the historic relationship between jordan and saudi arabia as well as the rest of the gulf arab countries. the source also said that the stability of saudi arabia and the gcc countries is a high national joer danian interest and that jordan supports the legitimate government in yemen

formed and that includes all of the different parties in yemen. u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been speaking with gulf ministers to discuss the military operation in yemen. he is in the swiss city where he has been meeting with iranian counterpart over the nuclear program. our diplomatic editor is there, and joins us live. are these talks being overshadowed by the fighting going on in yemen, james? >> reporter: in some ways yes, in some ways no. in terms of the full round table talks and there were two and a half hours of them here no it's not on the agenda the situation in yemen. they have been very strict throughout the long series of talks not to bring in the wider regional issues but on the sidelines, yes, you have an u.s. delegation, an iranian

delegation living in the same hotel. so i am sure some talks have some up. they said we believe there is urgent need for dialogue without external interference. john kerry as you say has found time as well as doing all of the talks to speak on a conference call to the gulf cooperation council ministers expressing support for the military operation, but also saying ultimately there needs to be political dialogue. >> does it look like the parties are getting close to reaching an agreement on iran's nuclear program, though? >> reporter: i don't think i can say that because it has been such a long drown outprocess. but the deadline for the next stage, which is the framework agreement is the 31st of march.

i have to say right now, both sides here the u.s. and iran are founding pretty confident, pretty upbeat about the prospects in the latest comments to reporters. they say the talks that took place here a week ago were the most successful -- made the most progress of any round of talks. now it's the u.s. mainly here although there are other representatives from other countries. but the u.s. foreign minister with the iranian foreign minister, the sign that things are getting close will be when all of the other international ministers arrive here. and we're getting early warning that that might be close. we're getting it from french sources, the french known to be hawks in all of this quite concerned about what sort of deal iran will get if there is a deal at the end of this. and the french minister is on his way to new york where he'll be presiding over the u.n. security council. and the word is when we leaves new york he'll be flying here to

geneva, so that suggests we're getting very close to the end, but that's when the hardest decisions need to be made. >> all right. thanks so much james bayes. chile deals with two natural disasters, flash floods and fires on opposite side of the country. and the sri lanka president tries to renegotiate deals with china, and in sport the final lineup for the cricket world cup is confirmed. details still ahead with robin. ♪ it's now thought the germanwings plane was deliberately steered into the mountainside. a french prosecutor who listened to the voice recordings says the plane's co-pilot crashed the plane on purpose after locking the captain out of the cockpit.

he is a german citizen with no known links to terrorism. the sharp news comes as relatives of those on board traveled to the scene of the crash. charlie angelo reports. >> reporter: as search teams prepare for another day of combing the vast crash site analysis of the black box has already started to reveal the plane's final moments. listening to voice recordings prosecutors say the pilot was locked out of the cockpit during the flight's final moment. the co-pilot apparently conscious was at the control and appears to have deliberately crashed the plane. the passengers are heard screaming just before the plane's final impact. >> translator: the most likely interpretation we can make at this point is that the co-pilot deliberately refused to open the cabin door to the captain. he then activated the button

that triggered a severe loss of altitude. we do not know why he about have itted this button but can be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to crash the plane. >> reporter: airbus say there are safeguards in place for situations when crew need to enter the cockpit. seen here in an training video, an emergency access pin can open the cockpit door but not have access is denied by the pilot inside. >> translator: of course this is a big, big shock for us here. i can only repeat that we are shocked and very sad. i think in our worst nightmares we would never have imagined such a tragedy to happen in our grourp. >> reporter: search teams have started retrieving body parts of the flight victim and dna testing is underway. the families of some victims will be asked to give dna sample to help speed up the grim process of identification. this tragedy has been felt

throughout europe. in germany a moment of silence was held in parliament to remember the 150 victims, particularly the 16 school children from a town in western germany. a town still struggling to comprehend its loss. well let's bring you the latest pictures coming in to us live from near the area where the plane crashed. these are the buses that have brought some of the families of the victims to visit the site an appalling task for anyone perhaps they wanted to come to be close to where their family members died. in the meantime the prosecutor has said that they have started work on identifying the remains of the 150 victims from tuesday's crash, and as the relatives start to absorb the news that is the co-pilot it is reported actually deliberately flew the aircraft into the mountain. let's bring in charlie angelo

who has the latest. charlie, tell us a bit more about how many people have chosen to come to the area and how that is all working? >> reporter: well lufthansa put on two flights containing familiar list of these victims. i think we know of 67 individuals who game from germany. 14 spaniards came from bus, obviously uncomfortable about the thought of flying and they arrived about 9 gmt today. they should be winding their way up here it's a few hours. and they will be kept very much apart from the press. they are grieving on hand are counselors psychologists, translators, medics all at their disposal, but what they are really going to be wanting is answers, especially about these

revelations about the co-pilot. there has been talk about taking some relatives to the crash site as close as possible. it's two hours by foot. and you'll see the helicopters coming in and out and having to air drop in the search teams, because it is just so remote so mountainous. so they may be either walked in or flown over to see whether their loved ones were killed. >> and in the meantime i suppose absorbing the news that this was a deliberate act, tell us what information we are likely to get in the next day or so about possible motivation. >> reporter: well, obviously there's a lot of questions about who he was. he know he was 28-year-old german, he had been flying with germanwings since august 2013 and had clocked up 630 flying hours. apart from that very little is

known. he lived in a town which is near frankfort. police are currently outside of his home obviously guarding it in case there are any kind of reprisals or attacks, but apart from that we have very very few details about this individual. prosecutors did go into a little bit more detail about the final moments of that flight. and they said it was obvious this co-pilot was not incapacitated. he could be clearly heard breathing. that rules out the possibility that he had fallen unconscious. and what is very strange is he didn't make a single sound during the last eight minutes of the flight. and that's despite repeated calls from the captain to open the door despite calls from air traffic controllers, and despite the plane's own altitude alarm going off, telling the pilot to pull up immediately. and the prosecutor added that

it's unlikely that the passengers realized what the situation was, because their screams could only be heard in the final moments of that flight. >> all right. thank you very much. plenty more coming up from europe this news hour including the reburial of richard iii, he is finally lead to rest 530 years after his death. ♪ now at least four people have died in flash floods in one of the driest regions in the world, chile's desert that's happening while other areas are struggling with wildfires. >> reporter: earthquakes, volcano rup shuns, and now this.

this natural disaster-prone country is now battling floods in the world's driest desert. this the northern city torrential rain has turned the streets into rivers. the river which 24 hours ago carried almost no water overran its banks. hospitals are partially underwater roads are blocked and communities cut off. further north authorities have ordered the evacuation of at least 30,000 people. the president has declared a state of emergency and gone personally to the flood-stricken areas to oversea relief efforts. and while residents are struggling to hold back the water, here in southern chile which is normally famous for its green lush vegetation and wet weather, the worst drought in 50 years is devastating the region.

food for thought for those who don't believe in climate change. back in the desert the freak floods have prompted major copper mines to reduce operations to a minimum as a precaution. and given the weather, authorities fear the worst is not over the rain that these dry regions used to pray for, now turning into a curse. sri lanka's president is on his first official visit to china since taking office in january. he is trying to renegotiate more than $5 billion worth of chinese deals his predecessor signed. >> reporter: the visit by the sri lanka president comes at a time when china has expressed concerns regarding the future of their investments here in sri lanka, which is seen the coming in of a new government. now china, the biggest single foreign investment project has

been suspended, pending a review by the current government, and this has lead to a lot of concerns. now a sri lanka team of journalists has been sponsored by the chinese government, has spent over a week in beijing, and some of the key messages coming out, has been sort of overall concerns that china hopes even with the shift of government that there won't be a shift in investment and economic quality, that they hope the stability of investments will be held and the confidence of investors won't be broken. i spoke to one of the journalists on the visit, and he said that was very much the overriding message which they heard during all of their meetings with representatives of government and companies. sri lanka and china's relationship go back many centuries, even the convention center you see behind me built by the chinese as a gift during the 60s. but china has elevated this tie

to a strategy partnership with the visit of the chinese president here last year and this visit is very much expected to try to allay concerns as well as make sure that the future of this relationship stays firm. still ahead on the show find out where venezuelans will now be allowed to do their grocery shopping once a week. and -- >> we live in a world where people starve, why shouldn't we be allowed to use our traditions. i didn't wake up in '95, i didn't wake up speaking italian. and in sport, normally returns for f1's driver to get up to race again. ♪

>> al jazeera america, weekday mornings. start your day with a view of the world.

catch up on what happened overnight with a full morning brief, a fast paced look at the stories shaping your day. >> sending a strong message to the rest of the world. >> stories with impact. news with importance. >> people gotta have water. >> get a first hand look with in-depth reports and investigations, and the latest from the worlds of science tech, health and culture. no matter where you are in the country, start weekday mornings with al jazeera america. beginning monday open your eyes to a world in motion. ♪ welcome back. let's recap the headlines now. iran is calling for an immediate end to saudi-lead air strikes on houthi targets in yemen.

saudi arabia and itsal lice launched a complain to support the president who was driven out of the capitol last month by the advancing houthi rebels. investigators say it appears the co-pilot of the germanwings plane crashed it deliberately into the french alps. the pilot was locked out of the cockpit just before impact. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is in the swiss city to meet with his iranian counterpart. they are trying to reach a deal on how to limit iran's nuclear program by the mar 31st deadline. the operation in yemen comes a day after houthis made new grounds. they managed to take control of the air base from forces loyal to president saleh.

the hewthies also seized the airport sunday in ta'izz north of aden then moved south adjacent to aden. a spokesman for the houthis in yemen says despite the air strikes, they will not back down. >> translator: the aim of this aggression is to dent the resolve of the yemeni people and push them from their demands. however, these attack cannot dent our resolve. we are capable of standing up to this aggression. we will not call for outside intervention we are not seeking for support of iran or any other force. we are confident of the will of our people. >> we're joined by a professor of middle east history at qatar

university. is this going to succeed in containing the houthis or will arab countries find themselves in a much bigger bloodier battle? >> we have to wait for at least 24 hours this operation. because according to the recent reports, the list of targets basically -- and they are major and different places in yemen, targeting houthi bases, and bases of troops loyal to ali abdullah saleh. basically, the -- the operation is just -- is just started just a few hours, and the second element is actually -- the -- the -- how much other countries are actually involved in this operation from we know there is also other operation coming from the -- >> sorry to interrupt you, we have to go to another sorry

developing. let's listen in to angela merkel speaking about the announcement concerning the co-pilot deliberately crashing the germanwings plane. >> -- the french and german investigation authorities reported it after the day's status of the investigation, they should assume that the co-pilot consciously, intentionally, caused this crash. this news affects me the same way as most people. something -- it's beyond any -- any imagination. we don't know all of the backgrounds. therefore, it's a important that the further investigation is conducted, that any aspect should be thoroughly investigated. yesterday, talking with the french president hollande and the spanish president visited

the site of the accident and the rescue forces. we thank them for their extremely difficult work and we have promised our governments will do everything so that to help -- to help to claire -- to clarify all of the seconds of this crash. today's news is once again an horrible load for the relatives of the victims. it is -- it is -- in the hours of suffering, we especially think about them. i would like to repeat my promise that yesterday -- yesterday during my visit towards the citizens and especially to all of the families and friends from all of the countries who lost their -- their loved ones in this disaster. the federal government and the german authorities will do everything possible to support the investigation, the inquiry.

we -- we view this -- we have [ inaudible ] all of the people who lost their lives, and we are obliged to all of the relatives who very much suffer now. we owe this to the victims and relatives who are suffering now. >> that was the german chancellor angela merkel there offering her sympathy and support to the victims of the relatives of that plane crash as well as offering her shock to what has transpired. it appears the co-pilot deliberately crashing the germanwings plane. a crash that killed 150 people on board. let's bring you back to the situation in yemen. we had of course the beginning of saudi-lead military operation. i have got here inside the

studio a professor of middle east history of qatar university. and we are talking about the situation in yemen now, and i'm wondering whether a new era of arab military action is emerging. would you go that far? >> i think in -- as we see the progress so far, it seems there is sort of minimum agreement on how to deal with the situation. there is the agreement that they have to put more control on -- on houthi progress. this is one element -- >> will it transpire into greater arab unity, though? >> i'm not sure this will happen taking into context the political political situation in the arab world in this last few years. but there is an attempt to solve problem -- part of the problem in yemen.

i think this is strong determination. you can see it from the different countries involved in this operation. what is interesting also is that that effort is being done so far, is moving beyond even the -- controlling houthis is trying to give an example how, you know, some initiatives may succeed. because, you know, gcc, they want to improve, you know, to the world that, you know, we are, you know, serious. we can do something. let's -- let's work with other countries like the united states we can solve the problem in yemen. and i think that's obviously the story we are seeing develop and last a few hours. of course there's another element also it goes back to the, you know, regional players and how they see the situation -- >> tension between iran and other countries. >> iran and even -- even outside the region. i mean we see a country like france support the effort

turkey support the operation, however, the e.u. announced that they are not actually in favor of this operation. they actually criticized the operation, which i think basically -- in the next few hours we'll see -- >> see where the world is standing. >> exactly. >> let's head back to lower restaurant -- lauren taylor in london. the co-pilot of the germanwings airbus has been blamed for deliberately crashing the airplane. nadine barber explains. >> reporter: this is the actual airbus a320 involved. the key question is why an

airport apparently operating normally would desend for eight minutes and crash into the alps. the cockpit voice recorder was recovered, and that saw attention turn to the front of the plane. the recording suggests the captain left the cockpit most probably to use the bathroom. the co-pilot then locked the door and crashed the plane deliberately. how is that possible? this is an airbus training video. here they explain how a locked cockpit door can be opened by entering the security code. >> captain? >> obtaining no response she decided to use the emergency procedure. this triggers the timer for 30 seconds. >> reporter: after that time if there's no response from the cockpit, the door unlocks itself for five seconds.

but there is a way for the pilot to lock the cockpit if there is anything wrong outside. >> i don't think this is the normal procedure, i prefer to lock the door do you agree? >> yes, i do. >> the captain moves the switch to the locked position. be careful, automatic door opening, the code pad, and the buzzer are inhibited for 5 minutes. >> reporter: but of course in the germanwings plane the co-pilot doesn't respond to the intercom or loud knocks on the door. some airlines have a so-called knock of two meaning if the pilot leaves the cockpit for a time another person has to replace them. but lufthansa doesn't apply that rule. >> translator: the co-pilot through a deliberate act refused

to open the -- cockpit door to the captain. aviation security procedures worldwide were tightened following the 9/11 attacks in the u.s. in other news in europe now a passenger bus has hit a land mine in eastern ukraine killing four people and injuring 20. officials say the bus driver had driven through a field to avoid a check point before running over the mine. [ gunfire ] there's also been a heavy exchange of gunfire just outside of donetsk. romanians have been snapping up personal items belonging to the late dictator.

$55,000 worth of goods were sold at auction. he lead one of the most repressive regimes in eastern europe, and was executed alongside his wife during the 1989 revolution. undiscovered for 500 years the bones of king richard iii have now been reburied. he was the last english king to die in battle in 1485 and his remains were identified using dna from his descendants. neave barberker reports. >> reporter: a 21st century burial for a 14th century king. >> as we return the bones of your servant richard to the grave, we beseech you to grant him a peaceful and quiet resting

place. >> reporter: royals and celebrities joined people of all faiths to witness the end of richard's 500-year journey from car park to cathedral. there was also this specially written poem read by the actor benedict who is due to play the king on screen and is a disimportant cousin. >> my skull emptied of history. ♪ >> reporter: visitors queued for days to see the king. he was the last english monarch to die in battle. and veterans of more recent wars were around his coffin. there is an air of quiet sol lomness. this reburial comes in style and

substance with all of the glitter and pageantry as befits a king. the simple okay and ewe coffin was made by the canadian-born carpenter, who's dna helped identify the remains. >> the whole sequence of events remains -- stirred an interest in history, and anything that makes people read more about their history or the history of other countries is a good thing. >> reporter: this is the car park where his bones were discovered. the scientists involved could scarcely believe their luck. >> i'm looking at the analysis and i go oh my goodness there is actually a match here. i did get up and do a little dance around the lab. when i was getting the first

results. >> reporter: in many ways history has been unkind to king richard, his name blackened, his bones forgotten, shakespeare called him a poisonous hunched back toad. but his story is the story of england. neave barker al jazeera, lester. and 150 homeless people have been treated to a private viewing of the sistine chapel in vatican city. it's the latest gesture by pope francis to recognize the poor. the pope recently had showers installed and public toilets for the homeless close to the square. and that's the news from europe back to sami in doha. thanks lauren supermarkets in venezuela are introducing sweeping new measures to try to combat food shortages. people have been assigned specific days to do their

shopping. virginia lopez has more from the capitol caracas. >> reporter: private supermarkets have introduced a new system to try to curb food shortages and the hour-long queues. the idea is that venezuelans can limit their shopping to just one day according to their id. on a monday people's who's id ends with a one or two, would be allowed to buy the items that have gone scarce like milk sugar or four. the government is also planning on introducing fingerprint scanners. these fingerprint scanners would control what they have called speculative shopping or hoarding. the idea is to basically stop what has become a rampant contraband problem with people shipping out close to 40% of what the country imports across the borders to brazil and columbia, and even to the

caribbean. people in venezuela who's id ends in three and four have hit the jackpot. they have come to discover two of the items that have gone missing from most shelves, soap and fabric softener. meet the women breaking stereo types and succeeding in an aggressively macho short. ♪

♪ welcome back. now the u.n. security council has voted to reduce the number

of peace-keeping soldiers in the democratic republic of congo. 2,000 soldiers will be cut from a force of 20,000. but the president had wanted a decrease of at least 7,000. the government is eager to start ending the u.n. mission which has been in the country for 16 years. nigeria's president and opposition leader have signed a peace accord which encouraged non-violent voting in saturday's election. ballot sheets are on their way to polling stations across the country. it's expected to be the closest race since the return of democratic rule in 1999. now it's time to catch up with all of the sports news with robin. >> thank you very much. india unbeaten throughout the cricket world cup, were

outplayed in sydney as kate riley explains. >> reporter: defending champions india heads held high unbeaten in 16 straight matches, but they were up against an australian side intent on winning a fifth title on their own turf. the aussies battled first and were in early trouble, when david warner was removed for 12. in came australia's saving grace as it were. it was far from a sew loaf fort aaron finch also chipped. india may have fancied their chances of chasing the target down conditions were in their favorite a 76-run opening stand, but no fear from them. it was this man who had australia a little nervous.

india eventually dismissed for 233. >> once we came back into the game, i restricted them to 237. i felt it was a good score. it needed good backing and good partnership. >> my opinion was we had to try to bowl indy ia out. india will be returning home empty handed. our correspondent is in delhi, and she says fans are still coming to terms with the world cup exit. >> reporter: people across india called in a slow thursday. we heard personal stories of businesses allowing employees to watch the match at work just so they could continue to be productive. and we heard of students who took the day off of school to

watch their superhere yous. markets like this that are usually seething with traffic and people of all kinds and activity have ground to a halt. there is absolutely -- well not much going on. roads that are filled with traffic are an absolute breeze to drive on and we anticipate they will be perhaps for some days, as india comes to the realization that it has lost the semifinal. india has not been able to make it to final appearances and victories in a row. >> we were expecting india to win and go to the final. >> i think they bowled fairly well, but [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: a time of contemplation and disappointment. football now, world champions were given a fairly decent work out.

the germans got going, and australians responded just before halftime. and they found themselves trailing just 5 minutes after the break. a 2-1 lead and it was up to lucas to come up to the bench. there is more international football to look forward to on thursday. qatar hosts algeria. ivory host also in action to host angola. and the host of next year's european championships, france hosts brazil. >> translator: i want to have a modern compact team which is aggressive, but without forgetting the essentials of brazilian football. we have very little time to prepare a team for all of this but even with one training session we can try to optimize and prepare for the match.

>> reporter: the formula 1 driver has been given the green light to return to the track after his preseason crash. he is blaming the accident on a staring problem. he will feature this weekend's malaysiian race. >> they give me medication to go into the helicopter and do some tests in the hospital and then -- yeah everything -- it was normal. i didn't wake up in '95 i didn't wake up speaking italian. i didn't wake up -- >> cage fighting as we all know is a controversial sport known for its violence, and it still draws millions of fans world wide. it is also attracting a growing number of women.

our correspondent met malaysia's first professional cage fighter. >> reporter: is mixed martial arts too violent for women? don't argue with this woman about it. she is smashing stereo types as malaysia's first professional female cage fighter. >> people do say, just another female fighter. just another eye candy for the show. in that really hurts. >> reporter: the 28-year-old has earned her fair share of critics in malaysia a country increasingly known for its conservatism. >> i may not be the perfect muslim, but i try my best and sometimes to me what i do is just a job. >> reporter: and success is inspiring other women to take up the sport like this woman. >> she is really tough and strong, brave. she's super woman. >> reporter: in the malaysian

state they brain at the tribal squad where women are breaking other boundaries as well. like ann's training partner nat. a lot of people would say being a fighter does not go with being a mother. >> that's not true. i'm a mom. i'm a wife. and i'm a fighter. >> reporter: have you seen mom fight? >> yeah. >> reporter: what do you think when you see her then? >> it's crazy. >> we're like yay, mom, win. >> reporter: self-defense is one of the main reasons women take up mixed martial arts. ann started four years ago after being followed home in our car. she has become an unwitting role model for women across asia. the promoters say 35% of fans are women, and that more women are signing up to get into the

cage. >> there's definitely a lot more male fighters still, all around the world, so i think we're in the early stages but fighters like ann are really good inspiration for other female fighters to consider this as an opportunity. >> once you are in that cage it reveals your true self. are you a fight or a flight kind of person? and for me i'm a fighter. >> reporter: and a winning one at that. it looks very interesting. catch her program, 101 east, malaysia's woman warrior on the air 2230 gmt thursday on al jazeera. that's it. that's your sport. >> thanks so much robin. stay with us here on al jazeera. we have another full bulletin of news doing up in just a few minutes.

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only on al jazeera america [ shouting ] protests across yemen after a saudi coalition launches attacks against the houthi rebels. ♪ welcome to al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up families of those killed in the germanwings air crash arrive at the scene as the french prosecutor says it was a deliberate act. last-minute