this is al jazeera america. ♪ hello there, welcome to the news hour. good to with you have us i'm shiulie ghosh in doha with the world's top news stories. coming up in the next 60 minutes, the afghan taliban confirms that its spiritual leader mullah omar is dead. and israeli allows the forced feeding of hunger strike

prisoners. we'll have the winner of the 2022 winter olympics bid will be announced on friday. we're in both of the cities later in the show. ♪ the afghan taliban has confirmed to al jazeera that its spiritual leader mullah omar is dead, it has also announced his replacement, akhtar mansoor. we'll have the latest from kabul in a couple of minutes. >> reporter: mullah omar was the spiritual leader and military commander of the taliban. only a few photographs of him exist. the fbi offered millions of

dollars for information on his whereabouts. that remains a mystery in the final years of his life. communications from him came through the taliban's website, usually on holidays or anniversaries. it was never clear if they were really his words. as a young man he was a fighter, battling the soviet army's occupation of afghanistan during the '80s. his confident described to he became the self proclaimed emir of afghanistan. >> when the taliban was arising the need to have a leader eventually the taliban chose him because he had 30 people and he had some weapons to use. the second reason he was a famous [ inaudible ] person. >> reporter: his 30 fighters become thousands. the taliban took over afghanistan in 1996. under omar's command, the taliban established security and order in a country ravaged by

chaos and violence. stability came at a cost. the taliban strict interpretation of islam meant harsh punishment was meted out towards the people as he worked toward implementing his verse of a sharia based society. he allowed osama bin laden a refuge and freedom to operate in afghanistan. it was a close relationship. bin laden's son married omar's daughter. the september 11th attacks in the u.s. for which al-qaeda claimed responsibility shifted american attention firmly on to afghanistan. the u.s. demanded the taliban give up bin laden, omar refused in october 2001 a coalition launched a full-scale war with the aim of destroying al-qaeda. they quickly drove the taliban

from power, but failed to capture omar. after four quiet years still in hiding omar directed an increasingly violent war against the newly appointed development of karzai then his successor. roadside bombings became their hallmarks. the taliban made areas of afghanistan virtually impossible to govern. in cent years there has been political overtures, giving representatives a political office in qatar, and after years of saying they would never negotiate with what they called a puppet government taliban representatives sat down with afghan government officials. omar was nowhere to be seen, but an -- online message suggested support. there has been reports that he was dead but now the taliban has a new leader,. the new leader has been an

active and senior member for some years. he served as minister of civil aviation in the taliban regime until 2001. recently he has been asserting his position by writing an open letter to isil leader. he told him to back off from afghanistan. jennifer glass is live in kabul. jennifer what will be a new leader mean for the taliban? >> well shiulie, that's a very good question. if you listen to the afghanistan government this new leader is actually the old leader, because the government believes that omar has been dead for more than two years. there have been a lot of changes over the last couple of years in the taliban, most notably the fact they have moved more towards the political sphere. so it's unclear what kind of changes the new leader will

have if any. we are seeing though shiulie, lots of fighting around afghanistan in the north. the taliban taking dozens of villages and yesterday, taking in hellmann province so very fierce fighting. so even as they make a move towards the political sphere they still continue very very heavy fighting and how much this change in leadership now endorsed by the taliban spokesman, saying that omar is dead and there is a new leader how much that will change on the ground is uncertain. >> yeah although there were peace talks that were due to begin shortly, brokered by pakistan they have now been canceled. where -- what is going to happen with any kind of peace process with the afghan government? >> reporter: well afghan officials say they are still opt misic that they will go forward

at some point. they were delayed with the announcement of the death of mullah omar but we understand the first round there were representatives of mansoor at that first round of peace talks, people close to him, so i think afghan officials are optimistic that a next round will go ahead at some later date. the taliban have declared three days of mourning now that they have admitted that he is dead. but afghan officials are hoping anticipating that these peace talks will go forward, and we know that members of the peace council are hoping whoever represents the taliban in those peace -- talks will have a brood representation of the taliban. also the fighters on the ground that have been fighting so fiercely this fighting season in afghanistan. >> jennifer thank you.

jennifer glass in kabul there. the taliban were in power in afghanistan until 2001. neave barker reports on the rise and fall of the taliban. >> reporter: a conservative movement born in rural afghanistan, the word taliban means religious student. in the power struggle that followed the soviet withdrawal from afghanistan in the 1980s, they became the foot soldiers in a war that would lead to the creation of a new pure tancall state. among them a young osama bin laden. they wanted to rid afghanistan of corrupt war lords, vying for power, and to restore security, a message greeted with optimism at first but in reality meant strict laws. music and television were banned and girl schools closed.

violent punishments and executions were a regular occurrence and afghanistan ancient buddhist past was erased. by the late 1990s, the taliban controlled almost the whole country. but the 9/11 attacks on the united states in 2001 lead to u.s. air strikes against al-qaeda and the taliban who had given sanctuary to the airline hijackers. as taliban fight rs were pushed into the mountains, the regime quickly collapsed. in cent years as the u.s.-lead war continued key taliban leaders have been killed. and there are reports that the group has fractured. but their presence in neighboring pakistan has grown, such as here in the port city of core raw inch. the death of omar is being seen as a blow to their organization but the naming of ta new leader

ensures their network of influence remains. >> let's speak to a pakistani diplomat and now professor at the department of islamic studies at the american university. good to have you with us. we know that omar's death has been reported several times, but it has now finally been confirmed. what do you make of the timing of all of this? >> i find the timing curious to say the least. it was announced on the eve of this second round of these crucial peace talks where for the first time the taliban were included around the table with the united states and china were all participants, and there was some hope of a break through where peace would finally come to the region. i found the announcement very curious. now whether the peace process can once again get together to begin the process, i'm not very

sure but i -- i hope that happens, because if it doesn't, in a sense we're back to square one, and we are back to a time of uncertainty and violence. >> they have a new leader of course akhtar mansoor. do we know if he backs the peace talks? >> as i understand it [ inaudible ] were represented by the taliban. the taliban represented main stream taliban, the main stream movement. at the same time there were other elements that were kept out of this peace process, because it's such a delicate and sensitive issue, that had it become public there would have been a debate. there is no unified command. and now that the announcement is formal that he is no longer with the taliban, the vacuum will make -- ensure the fact there will be a scramble for

leadership conflict within the taliban, the society has always been very fractious in terms of leadership. you may recall the incident when the king of afghanistan in the 19th century escaped kabul, arrived in a british settlement and said i would rather be a grass cutter in the british camp than the king of afghanistan. so it's a bit like that for the leaders of the taliban movement and anyone filling the shoes of omar is going to find it a very, very difficult exercise. >> we know isil has tried to get the taliban to join with it, in its fight. is that a possibility, do you think? >> i think in a very brood sense these are common enemies, but in fact there's very little practical advantage for either. if people imagine as some

commentators do that isil are hardened fighters. they are support the taliban and teach them to fight, they don't know the history of afghanistan. the fighters in the hills and valleys are the best fighters in the world. they have seen [ inaudible ] many great thousand in the past couple of centuries. so there's very little -- beside they don't speak arabic and they would be like fish out of water in these areas. >> thank you very much for your thoughts there. now israel's parliament has legalized the force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strike. the bill was passed with this majority of just six votes. israel's medical association condemns the move. it considers force feeding a form of tollture -- torture. >> translator: israel is gen

continuing with crime against palestinian prisoners. it is threatening the prisoner's lives and this is even against the ethics of the medical procession. even the doctors association in israel called on their doctors not to deal with it. >> stephanie decker has more from west jerusalem. >> this hugely controversial bill is now law, and what it means is that security prisoners -- these are prisoners that israel has convicted or suspects of what it calls terrorism-related charges. also the bill allows for a certain amount of force to be used by jailers if the prisoners refuse to be force fed. it has to be said most on hunger strike are in administrative detention. that means they are being held without charge and that is renewable under a military court. most of the cases we have seen of hunger strikes are those that haven't been charged. and opposition members said to

solve this rather than force feeding hunger-striking prisoners, either charge them or release them. and a huge backlash from israel's medical community. they say this amounts to torture. it goes against their beliefs, and they are urging doctors not to do it. one doctor actually equated it to rape. we put this to one of the men involved in drafting the bill. he said this is about medical help. we don't want these prisoners to die. but if you look at the numbers on the ground no prisoner has ever died from a hunger strike but there have been cases where prisoners have died because they were force fed. the world medical association has called forced feeding of hunger strikers inhumane and unethical. it says that the autonomy of the person should be respected. it is done by putting a feeding

tube down a person's nostril or mouth and can be very painful, can lead to bleeding and could spread diseases. in the early 1900s in the u.k. force feeding was used on female protesters. the practice was used again against the irish republicans. and by the united states in guantanamo bay prison. al jazeera spoke to a former palestinian prisoner who went on hunger strike in israel's prison in 1980. he was protesting about jail conditions and here is how he describes his experience with force feeding. >> translator: they tied me down and brought a tube shoved it down by nose and pushed. i felt my head exploding. our stomachs were empty. it hurt. then they did it again. >> the spokesperson for the international committee of the

red cross joins now live via skype. your organization of course one of those that vehemently opposed this bill as it was going through. what do you make of the fact that it is now passed into law? >> our position has always been clear since hunger strikes started in 2011 here but also internationally, it is always to oppose force feeding. our position is in line with the world medical association's physicians on this. it is against medical ethics, and -- ethics, and --

[ technical difficulties ] this video is said to show fighters entering syria after

receiving training in turkey. kuwait says it has uncovered a network of isil members who fought in iraq and syria. state media is reporting five are cuekuwaitis. the iraqi government is denying allegations that it tortures prisoners. officials are being questioned by a u.n. committee, investigating suspected human rights abuses in its jails. imran khan has this report. >> the iraqis are facing very tough questions. they have denied the charges of torture in a statement issued to al jazeera, they said we do not torture people and there is no evidence provided to contradict that. however, there is a legal problem when it comes to the iraqi constitution. torture isn't clearly defined. some would say this has been a deliberate measure by previous governments to allow them to get

away with torturing iraqi prisoners. there's plenty of publicly available evidence on this. over the last ten years we have seen reports from amnesty international and other groups about these secret prisons. there's been plenty of testimony from people who have been inside the secret prisons, alleging they have been tortured. when abadi took power, he said he was going to clean house. we haven't seen a huge amount of that cleaning house going on particularly when it comes to the ministry of justice. the iraqis as i said have denied all of that but various human rights groups have pout evidence to suggest that those torture techniques are still being used. malaysia says part of a plane's wing is very likely from a boeing 777.

it is said the debris will be sent to a french city to find out if it belongs to mh370. >> reporter: on a tony island in the indian ocean this piece of what looks like a plane is getting a lot of attention. >> translator: we saw the plane. and as we were looking at it i told myself it's debris. >> reporter: aviation experts believes it could be part of mh370. >> it matched only one plane. it matched the platform in the rear of the wing. everybody says it fits to the boeing 777. and of course which plane is missing in this area? >> reporter: for hours after the plane disappeared this flight board just said it was delayed and as distraught family members gathered in malaysia and china,

what happened to mh370 became one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history. the 777 went missing with 239 people on march 8th last year. the plane lost all contact over the gulf of thailand around 40 minutes after takeoff. a massive search focused on two possible corridors to the north and south. but no trace of the plane was found. they concentrated off the coast of western australia. >> whatever wreckage found need to be further verified before we can further confirm whether it belongs to mh370. >> reporter: analysis of satellite data showed the plane continued to fly for more than six hours after contact was lost. and it entered the sea in the

indian ocean near a deep trench. >> it's hurricane type of weather down there, and many times wreckage can get dislodged. these are floating devices which can surface themselves and be drifted off thousands and thousands of miles away. >> reporter: australia says the search will continue and if the find if confirmed would prove the plane is somewhere to be found in the depth of the ocean. but for family and friends, the nervous wait for answers continues. the man convicted for financing india's deadliest bomb attack has been hanged. he was executed hours after his final mercy plea was rejected by the supreme court. a series of coordinated blasts in mumbai killed 257 people and injured more than 700 others. >> reporter: this body is

returned to mumbai his home city that he helped bomb in 1993. he was executed 840 mill only -- kilometers away after last minute pleas to save his life were unsuccessful the president rejected a mercy request. >> translator: this matter was discussed in the court in the country's highest court has given its decision. action was taken accordingly. so we should all be united on the issue. >> reporter: in march 1993 a dozen explosions in mumbai killed 257 people and injured hundreds of others. more than 20 years later his execution represents justices for victims. >> translator: he look the lives of so many people that there is no sympathy towards him now. i think we are very late but it is good the government is doing something. >> reporter: police are guarding

the family home and security has been increased across mumbai. 100 people were convicted of their involvement in the attacks, 11 people including this man, was sentenced to death. he is the first to be executed but those accused of playing a more direct role in the attack are still at large. he is the third person convicted of crimes against the nation to be executed in the last four years. his case has renewed debate about capital punishment in india. this man from the daelt penalty research project works with people on death row. he worked on his case and says that in india, people from poor and minority communities are usually the ones sentenced to death. >> i think this case shows the problem with the death penalty as answering a collective conscious, and i think that's highly problematic in a criminal justice system when they respond

to collective call for revenge. >> reporter: but for many of the victims and their families the execution events closure, the end of a 22-year-long wait. still to come leer on the program, questions over a police crackdown in one of venezuela's most notorious shantytowns. they are accused of destroying homes. plus athletes contesting in the world's most brutal footrace. and a contest to host the 2022 winter olympics reaches its final stages. we'll have all of the latest on those bids later on in sport. ♪

>> 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. open your eyes to a world in motion. ♪ welcome back. let's remind you of the top stories here on al jazeera. afghan taliban sources have confirmed to al jazeera, it's spiritual leader mullah omar is dead it has also chosen its

replacement, mullah akhtar mansoor. israel's parliament has authorized the force feeding of prisoners on hunger strike. the verdict in the retrial of three al jazeera journalists in egypt has been postponed until august 2nd. they are accused of colluding with the outlawed muslim brotherhood, charging they and al jazeera deny. burundi's main opposition leader has been named its first vice president in the newly elected parliament. the election could signal that the government and opposition are willing to work together. but he has earlier condemned the president's decision to run for a third term and demanded fresh elections. burundi's government says families who fled from political unrest are now coming back but the u.n. says more than a hundred thousand are still in refugee camps in neighboring

countries. the european commission is releasing almost $5 million to help them. haru mutasa reports. >> reporter: this woman says she went to a refugee camp in rwanda because she was afraid. she is one of thousands who fled during the recent violence. she and others have now started to return home. >> translator: there is no war, so i came back. the camp was not good. but i am scared. i heard some people are being harassed by those who stayed. they are angry we ran away. >> reporter: in many cases those returns come back to this. neighbors say thieves took advantage of the situation. they broke down the door and came inside. they then went through room by room looking for whatever they could steal. they look things like furniture and appliances. a voter's card is a reminder of the first election after the civil war, when the president won his first term. he recently won a third after

months of violence and despite a constitutional rule limiting him to two terms. government officials say people are coming back because security in burundi has been restored. >> translator: yes, a lot of people are coming back. many have walked from neighboring rwanda. the security has improved in the country, it's true after the elections people have started coming back. >> reporter: but the united nations says more than 100,000 people are still in refugee camps in the congo, tanzania and rwanda. >> so far what we are noticing is that those in urban areas, not in the [ inaudible ] refugees are now returning. so the government may have the definition that these are refugees but for us we'll take as refugees those who had asked for the protection of other countries as the refugees and for those, we are not having signs that they are coming now.

we are monitoring the situation. >> reporter: many people know the crisis isn't over. the proposed unity government between nkurunziza and opopposition leaders may not work. it may be a long time before everyone who has left returns home. a judge in the u.s. state of ohio has set a million dollars bond for a white police officer charged with the murder of an unaurmed black man. it's the first time a police officer in the city of cincinnati has faced such a charge. ray tensing stopped the man for driving with a missing license plate. video shows him questioning the victim before a sudden scuffle. tensioning said the driver was dragging him, but the video shows no sign of that happening. a police raid in the venezuela capitol of caracas has left at least 15 men dead. it was part of a government

crackdown on crime. virginia lopez reports. >> reporter: some have decided to leave before it happens again. others cope with their fear by talking to friends. it's been two weeks since the venezuelan government sent a massive deployment of security forces to this shanty. and people are still talking about what happened that day. >> translator: it was approximately 5:00 am we heard gunshots pop pop pop pop pop, and i got on the floor because that's what we always do. then the police kicked down the door. they took my three sons a laptop, and our generator. >> reporter: this video shows the moment a military helicopter came dangerously close to homes. intense clashes between the police and armed gangs who control the area left 15 people dead hundreds detained and a slew of accusations that the

plan had gone too far. >> translator: they destroyed whatever they found in their path. they took everything they could, dvds, even deodorants then they took my husband with them. >> reporter: neighbors describe a morning of horror with police forces overturning cars and destroying their homes. they say they planted false evidence and hook husbands and stons jail. these actions are only likely to backfire showing mistrust and fear in this community. but criminals can be seen openly wielding their guns in this area an area according to the government serves as a basis for gangs. >> translator: for the operation liberation of the people i have been personally instructed directly by the president commander from the prep phase, and he has instructed us to extend operations to all of the country. >> reporter: massive detentions and disproportion at it use of violence have been denounced by

human rights groups. >> translator: there is no gray area when it comes to human rights and these types of operations have never proven effective. >> reporter: this former bank robber questions not so much the method but the results. >> translator: i see the criminals outsplarting the police. the police have lost access to this area. they had to do this huge operation and the bands are still there operating. >> reporter: armed gangs have threatened retaliation. the first runners to cross the finish line in the ultra marathon in california. for the rest of the athletes the world's toughest footrace goes on. >> reporter: after running all night, finally daybreak first light for runners to bare witness to the unforgiving

environment in death valley. it's a 135 mile bad water footrace. it's early and spirits are still high. >> absolutely wonderful. this is the hardest race obviously, and i'm loving it. >> reporter: ultra marathon runners can be a peculiar bunch and this race has a few, but there are also stories of inspiration, like jason romero he is legally blind. death valley the hottest spot on the planet. today they are running under temperatures at about 115 fahrenheit. but as the day wears on the race takes it toll the strongest continue running as long as they can. they have been running or walking none stop for close to 24 hours now. they are pushing their bodies to the breaking point. it's just a matter of one foot

in front of the other to the finish line. under these conditions the human body breaks down but the mind says to push forward. in the front of the pack is this brazilian, trying to break his course record of 22 hours. he takes a quick break to cool down. i ask him what he is feeling at that moment. he says pain. does just dozens of others behind him. hoping their legs will carry them through another night of running. the cost of burials in japan has gone up as the number of people dying continues to rise. drew ambrose is in the city where the living are looking into cost-effective ways to rest in peace. >> reporter: these crips in japan look like something from a

movie. they store urns. they have also built sky scraper temples. you swipe your id card which prompts robotic arms to retrieve the family urn from the basement. >> translator: many are storing their ashes here. they hope their children will come to worship them here. >> reporter: finding the right funeral is hard because cemeteries are running out of space, and plots alone can cost $40,000, which is many baby boomers and elderly go on grave tours to find the right plan. there are businesses and showcases which help people make those decisions. at this exhibition you can even try your own coffin. this coffin maker has customers of all ages.

>> translator: i'm not sure if commercialized is the right word but we couldn't display coffins at events like this before. now we can. it's not to do with money, it shows people's attitudes are changing. >> reporter: this man and his wife are talking to a company that blasts the ashes of loved ones into space with the help of nasa. >> translator: adult children worry we're suffer when we are gone. we wouldn't worry if our ashes were in space. >> reporter: in the past talking about death in japan was taboo. social and economic pressures have changed the culture, but instead of a burden many see it as a journey of self discovery. drew ambrose, al jazeera, osaka japan. to see more you can watch the full program, japan when i die on thursday july 30th at 2230 gmt here on al jazeera.

now zimbabwean judge has granted jail to a professionals hunter over the killing of cecil the lion. he has been charged. he was a minnesota dentist who paid $50,000 to hunt the lion said he believed the hunt was legal and the necessary permits had been issued. in a letter he said: more to come here on al jazeera, we'll be reporting on the mission to change the humble potato's bad reputation in china. plus -- >> i'm here in kazakhstan

taking a close look at the bid for the 2022 winter olympics.

>> is a crime that's under reported... >> what do you think... >> we're making history right now... >> al jazeera america >> it's two days on this boat just to get there... >> unspoiled... unseen... under threat... ♪ welcome back. now experts are gathering for a conference in beijing to talk about the humble potato. china is the world's most populous country and is looking at growing ways to meet its food needs. the potato is the world's third most important food crop. when grain crops fail farmers

turn to the hearty potato which can help guard against illnesses. more than a billion people eat potatoes worldwide. 300 million metric tons are grown every year 50% comes from so-called developing countries. everything you ever wanted to know about potatoes there. rob mcbride now reports on the world potato congress. >> reporter: it has everything to do with potatoes. from every conceivable way of consuming them to better science for growing them. the chinese government is on a mission to convince the people on the wonders of the potato. >> translator: here in china we have good quality potato varieties that give high yields. potatoes will provide more options for us as a stable yield. >> reporter: facing ever-more pressure on farming land from urbanization and industrial pollution, it could be the

potato to the rescue. underpinning the great potato debate is a very serious issue of food security in a country that has a fifth of the world's population to feed. the potato requires far less land and water. look around traditional street markets, though and it's hard to spot what is seen as a peasant food only for those who can't afford rice. >> translator: it's like a substitute food. i have it if there wasn't any rice. >> translator: we will have it like an extra vegetable, but it's not the basis for a whole meal. >> now more westernized younger people they will eat a lot more potatoes. >> reporter: and that's part of the problem. potato consumption is on the rise largely thanks to increasing amounts of french fries in fast-food restaurants.

the challenge is getting the chinese to learn healthier ways of having their daily potato. >> translator: in mongolia we have been eating potatoes for a long time. there are lots of ways of eating them. >> reporter: hopefully this congress will have shown more ways of putting potatoes on chinese dinner tables. and the chips are down for the winter olympics. here is robin with sport. >> the 2022 winter olympics will be decided in less than 24 hours time. there are only two candidate cities left. city leaders says one city is compact but the location could

cost them. >> reporter: this city may have a small global profile, will change if it hosts the 2022 winter olympics. but they fear they have a disadvantage to beijing. >> translator: the members of the iic should come and look at our city because everyone who visits falls in love with our city. i think maybe when they decide they will feel the energy. >> reporter: with 40% of the population under the age of 24 it is trying to portray itself as a young vibrant city. there is plenty of natural snow which prompted their bid slogan keeping it real. they planned complex games. 70% of the venues are ready, that will increase by 2017 when they host the win ter university games. the $1.7 billion to pay for the winter olympics comes from the rich reserves of oil and gas.

falling energy prices could hit the kazakh budget. the human rights record is also a concern. >> we are very concerned about freedom of expression especially. freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom from torture, and freedom of [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: from the 1950s it was the winter sports hub for the soviet union, but since then it hasn't been very successful in the olympics. these teenagers plan to reverse the fortunes. >> translator: yes, i can win the olympic games and bring back to my country, the first and hopefully not the last gold medal. >> certainly it would be good. it would be -- press tee gous.

beijing is the rival. if successful the chinese capitol will be the first city to host both the summer and winter games. but this bid by china is facing controversy. >> the games of the 29 olympiads in 2008 are awarded to the city of beijing. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: it's a scene that china hopes will repeat itself when beijing won the bid to host the 20008 olympics. spending $40 billion getting ready for the summer games. like many fellow chinese, this woman was proud back then. but her house was demolished leading up to the games.

her protests lead to years behind bars and beatings. she thinks the international olympic committee has a responsibility not to award the games to beijing. >> translator: i don't think china has the right to host another olympics. we have raised the concern to the international olympic committee, but they always turn a blind eye to our suffering. >> reporter: last month a small group of tibet tans protested outside where china was presenting details of the bid. it's not all about china's human rights record. there is certain about where the downhill skiing would be held. there would be a heavy reliance on manmade snowy requires lots of water, putting lotsover stress on an area that already needs more water than it has. the government plans to spending

$4 billion and create 200,000 jobs. some of the venues built for the 2008 games will again be used like the birds nest. it could again host the opening and closing ceremonies and the water cube would be transformed from a swimming venue to that for the ice sport of curling. chinese government leaders say hosting the games would be good for the olympic movement and inspire more than 300 million chinese. >> translator: of course i support the bidding for the winter olympics. it's our country's pride. i watched every sports event during the 2008 olympics. and i will watch every event again. >> reporter: human rights groups say if beijing was granted the olympic games, they would be ignoring history. they say they will make the host city sign a contract pledging to

uphold human rights. if they do win the game the ioc is betting that china will honor its end of the deal. okay. let's get more incite and analysis from jeff who worked as an expert for beijing's bid. why would city -- any city want to host an olympics. >> it's not a charity. they don't take their billions from coca-cola and go out to nigeria to dig wells. this is big time business we're talking about. and if you can't come to the table with your money, don't bother. we already had norway pull out of this 2022 bid, boston pulled out three days ago when they found out what the tax bill would be like. it's absolutely unsustainable the way the olympic games are now if it continues the olympics

are dead. so in these meetings they are trying to reformat. but any say -- look at beijing, and i wrote their plan for the ioc last year can spend any amount of money they want, and they have it to spend. >> you touched on the bidding process a short while ago, do you think the bidding process is flawed? >> oh absolutely. they are not going out to austin texas to do the olympic games. they are finding the big rich fat cat cities. now that boston has been bounced out, the u.s. olympic committee is trying desperately to find an american city with deep pockets to host the summer games. the summer games, think of an amusive park for godzilla. it is the biggest logistical event on our planet and if you don't have the money to do it who has it in america? l.a. doesn't. san francisco there's no -- for

the games, so if some cities are not ready financially and with enough land to build it do not come to the table and play the game. >> i think beijing is favorites at this stage, but does amati have any chance of winning it. >> this time david left his slingshot back in the tent and i would bet all of my money on beijing. it's a lock. >> jeff live for us from montana. thank you very much for your time [ inaudible ] second innings on day two of their third ashes test. they bowled england out for 281. lyon picking up 3 wickets, 2 for johnson, the aussies are currently 92-5. the series is level at 1-1. the patriots [ inaudible ] formally filed a lawsuit against the nfl after a four-game

suspension was upheld. he was punished for the so-called deflate scandal. his attorneys filed a lawsuit in the u.s. district court, they claimed the commissioner was biased while serving as the arbitrator of brady's appeal. the days of arguing with the umpire's decision could be over in baseball. a computer has been used for the first time during a professional game in the united states. the robo ump uses cameras around the field to measure strike zones. it is certainly dividing opinions. >> that's your sport. thanks for watching. >> i like the idea. thanks very much indeed for that robin. and that is it for this news hour. we're going to hand over to our colleagues in london for more news. but for all of us here in doha bye for now.

the afghan taliban confirms the death of its leader mullah omar and announces his successor. hello there, i'm barbara sarah, you are watching al jazeera live from london, also coming up on the program, migrants pray for a way out of makeshift camps in france. the promise of peace in burundi encourages some to return, but the u.n. says most are still too scared. and with food supplies under pressure could the chinese