>> welcome to the al jazeera news hour. i'm martin dennis in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes: >> macedonian police fire stun grenades to stop refugees crossing the border from greece. >> north korea's leader kim jong-un orders troops along the border with the south to be ready for war. >> the terror, the confusion, it was something unbearable. >> it's two years since chemical attacks in syria killed

hundreds. we speak to survivors still waiting for justice. >> in istanbul, that red brick ruin is the former home on the market for $4.5 million. >> in macedonia, police fired stun grenades to drive back greek refugees. thousands of people are trying to enter every day. on thursday, it declared a state of emergency on its borders. >> they spent a cold night in no man's land, waiting to cross the border between greece and macedonia. their passage was blocked by riot police.

rocks were thrown, then this. tear gas filling the air with police using stun grenades to try to keep people out. in the ensuing chaos, there was panic. most refugees here have escaped conflict and few would have expected this. >> we walk in front of this. in macedonia, they shoot the people. >> the too many, say the authorities, who have declared a state of emergency in two border regions. the local train station is a transit point for many. most want to try to reach

serbia, hungary, then other parts of europe. the international organization for migration has called for restraint and urgent humanitarian aid in macedonia. by bolstering the borders, macedonia may create a backlog of desperate men, women and children, unsure where they can go next, knowing they can't go home. >> why are so many people so desperate to get into macedonia? >> well, as emma reported, it's one of the major transit points for those trying to get further north in europe. refugeerefugees first land in neighboring greece trying to make their way to wealthier european countries. a small town just three kilometers from the border with greece was the focal point of friday's violence. it's on the main route heading

north. 44,000 refugees have raved in macedonia since the beginning of this year. the vast majority of them are syrians, escaping the civil war. let's talk now to our reporter on the greek side of the border. tell us what you can see from where you are. >> well, i have to say that the situation that's here at the border is very, very tense. at this moment, more than 3,000 people are waiting to cross to macedonia. the border was closed yesterday when macedonia declared state of emergency. the border is secured by a couple of hundred policemen he. >> can i just ask you whether

you've seen any evidence of people having suffered as a result of police or soldiers using stun grenades? >> yes, yes, yes. incident happened this morning, a group of about thousands, refugees and police used so-called shocker bombs. five or six explosions were heard and 10 people were injured. that is official information from authorities, and four of them are hospitalized. we saw the people who are injured. they have inhaled black smoke. i can say that we can feel the tensions in the air off of that refugees reacting on every move from the macedonian side, because they think they're going to open the border any minute, because and at this moment, that is not happening, and nobody

knows when the border will be open. they closed the border when macedonia declared a state of emergency. they are trying to prevent people from entering the fields illegally, of course. the border is secured by a couple of hundred police. yes? >> this is not deterring the thousands of people trying to secure their route north and the fact that there's been a state of emergency imposed in parts of macedonia and that the borders are closed and stun grenades used. this isn't putting people off? >> no, no, people are coming all the time. as i said, this moment, the information is that more than 3,000 people are at the border, but a lot of people rented apartment rooms in the hotel in the place around the border and they are waiting for the moment

that the border will be open. so they are not staying out in the open, because at the border, there is tents, people are sleeping outside on the floor. there is no food, no water. greek authorities have secured nothing for them. there are only some volunteers from medical and doctors of the world trying to help the people, providing them with food, but that was not because the number of people is too, too big. >> ok, thank you very much for giving us the scene live on the greek-macedonia border. >> south korea's defense minute city is urging north korea to stop provocations. tensions have increased between north and south following fire on thursday. north korea's leader, kim

jong-un has held an emergency meeting of the north's central military commission. according to state media, he's totaled the army's front line troops to be fully prepared to launch operations. the south korean president says she expects her military to be prepared to immediately respond to any further provocations from the north. harry fossett has the latest. >> south korea's visit visited the military command post friday. the message being conveyed, her personal command of the situation, as north and south korea engage in one of their sporadic military faceoff. >> the military should be alert for further provocations. if the situation occurs, i want you to take action first and then report later. >> it followed a late night meeting of the north korean ruling party commission, in which kim jong-un ordered front line areas into a so-called

quasi war state and commanders ready to launch surprise attacks against the south. >> the general staff of the korean people's army has responded unless south korea stops broadcasting against the north in 24 hours. >> these loud speakers are the source of the so-called warfare. south korea started broadcasts nearly two weeks ago for the first time in 11 years in response to what happened earlier this month on the souther side of the demilitarized zone. south korea said northern forces planted land mines that maimed two of its soldiers. >> landmine explosions and shelling by north korea are illegal and grave provocations. we urge north korea to stop its acts. >> the closest civilian area to

where south korea said the north fired projectiles thursday. hundreds were told to leave their homes near the border and only here is the advisory in place. >> north korea's provocation is likely to continue. we advise residents to stay in shelters. some went out to conduct daily business. we advice them to come back to the shelter in the evening. >> some stayed behind. >> living in this area, i've seen many drills and heard explosions, but this time, the sound was louder and there was an announcement asking us to evacuate. compared to the past, i'm more concerned. >> seeking refuge in this shelter is starting to feel like a bit of an uncomfortable habit here. just last year, a north korean anti aircraft shell fell here. north korea had been firing propaganda balloons launched by south korean activists. this time, residents have a deadline ticking down towards 5:00 p.m. local time saturday. south korea said if a military strike follows, it will counterattack strongly.

al jazeera, south korea. >> greece's ruling a syriza pary has split, coming just hours after mr. tsipras resigned at prime minister and called for new elections. we have more from athens. >> approximately two dozen members of parliament from the syriza party have said the group is going to be called the consolidated anti austerity front. this is a play on words, because it is an echo of the communist resistance during word war two,

which after the war fought a civil war against national forces, and that was called the national freedom front. the far left wants the name of its new party to sound like the continuation of the communist fighting formations of old. it wants to suggest to voters that they are the true leftists, the true inheritors of the world war ii communist generation, and they are the ones that will carry the torch forward against austerity, in this case in the upcoming election. >> we can talk to a former member of the european commission task force and political analyst. he joins us live from the greek capital. first of all, tell us how the political landscape has changed

now with prime minister tsipras resigning, prompting therefore new elections and within the space of doing that in a couple of hours, half of his party in parliament split away to form their own movement. >> as you just outlined, these are many changes. we also have to put in place an interim government until these election are going to be held. on top of that, one has to ask how are they being held? how do you explain to the greek public why we need these elections. these are the third after two general elections and the referendum in july. we have election fatigue on the horizon in greece now. >> what is the reason? what is the reason being put forward as to why the country needs to go to the polls yet again? >> is narrative is he needs a new freshman date, because the working relationship with the international creditors has

changed, but he also needs to solve an internal party problem, as you've just outlined in terms of people given internal dissent, who are leaving and forming new political parties. hence, he said i need a new mandate. i was not elected prime minister on the base of the mandate from january 25. i cannot exercise that today. hence, give me a fresh start and he wants to test how popular is he, what kind of trust can he garner in the greek population. >> he does seem to retain this as a matter of popularity on a personal level, doesn't he? do you think he can carry this through, this very deeply polarized period in greek politics? >> yes, i think he can. he is known to have taken political risks in the past, and he has always sub seeded. lately, for example with regard to the referendum, he knows what he's doing. we have to take very seriously that in all likelihood, syriza

is going to be the strongest party. hence he will ask to be the prime minister most likely in a coalition government. >> thank you for talking to us here at al jazeera. live from athens, thank you. >> we've got more to come here on the al jazeera news hour, including sri lanka's new prime minister gets enough support to form a coalition government, but faces a tough challenge oh honor his campaign pledges. >> i'm in islamabad. we'll take a ride on the city's bus system to find whether it's helping the transit problems. >> i'm going to be cheering on my teammates. >> the sprinter ditchedding opinions ahead of the world athletic championships in beijing. find out more in sport.

>> israel's army says it's killed four members of the armed group islamic jihad in an air strike in syria, a car reportedly targeted but said that five civilians were killed. it was the second straight day of israeli strikes inside syria. it carried out a series of attacks on thursday, after rockets from syria landed in northern israel. israel says they were fired by islamic jihad. the syrian army said one of its soldiers were killed in one of these israel strikes. >> in syria, 15 people have been killed in government areas over eastern aleppo. the planes targeted the town in the aleppo countryside. it's under isil control and is a regular target, but activists say the syrian government is deliberately targeting civilian neighborhoods. >> it was two years ago that up

to 1500 people died when rockets filled with sarin gas struck the syrian town. the government denies being behind the attacks. survivors worry they'll never get justice. zeina hodor has this story. some people may find the images in the report upsetting. >> the dead and the dying, there was no blood on their bodies, no visible injuries. the attack was different than what syrians had seen before. rackets land in the suburb in the morning of august 21, 2013. >> it took seconds before i lost my ability to breathe. i wasn't able to breathe or even to scream to alert my friends, so i have to like pound my chest really hard, just to try to take a single breath. i felt like somebody was tearing up my chest with a knife.

>> this 29-year-old survived. hundreds of others didn't. two years later, he has a new life in the united states, but he remembers that day clearly. >> it was a scene from judgment day. dozens of people, men, women, children, running and falling on the ground, suffocating. the terror, the confusion, it was something unbearable. i just didn't know what to do. >> muhammed abdullah did. he wanted to document the evidence of a crime he believed the world should see. >> i asked the doctor about what i need to know, so he showed me, he showed me the dark. the dark blue of the color that changed. the eyes and the things coming out from the mouth. >> even though he has covered the war for many years. he said he can't forget what he saw that day. >> i'm a photographer.

for me to see dead body with blood, it's normal. when you see them, you think like they are, like the first thing, you think that they are sleeping. then he realize after like one or two seconds, your reality becomes what's going on after the shot. >> reality faced him before. he was an activist where he used to film the suffering of people living under siege. since the attack, he has tried to raise awareness even at the u.n. and u.s. congress, but he said it has all been in vain. >> i feel like i did nothing. i feel like after all this talking, all the people that i met, not just me, like thousands of syrians here, we feel like there is no hope. >> the u.n. did conclude that sarin gas was used in the attack but said it didn't have the mandate to blame anyone. there is now a new resolution to investigate chemical attacks in syria, but the attacks before april, 2014 won't be included. yet again, denying justice to

the people of dhouta. >> we have more now from a chemical expert. >> i think the fact that the international community has sort of sat on its collective hands for the last two years certainly hasn't helped. i think when we see the 5.5 million refugees and 1.5 million coming into europe, that should galvanize the international community to do something. we must find a solution and virtually every syrian i know got outside syria and inside syria would like to help syria and it is up to the international community to act to do that. i this i that there is some hope. they say the u.s. and turkey are talking about north syria. it would make a huge difference to allow relief work to continue in syria to get aid in there.

it's up to the international community now to act, otherwise, this is going to drag on and we could well be fighting islamic state in the streets of london, new york and paris if the international community continues to sit on its hands. >> the turkish president erdogan is likely to call for elections november 1. he says he'll meet the parliamentary speaker monday before form ally announcing the poll date. his party failed to get a simple majority in june elections. talks to form a unit government have failed. >> sri lanka's party won 106 seats in monday's parliamentary election, seven short of a majority. he's made a deal with an opposition group to build a coalition. we are in the capital. >> taking orders, prime minister of sri lanka in the building

behind me, the first parliament and now the presidential secretariat. he has his work cut out for him. his alliance that won the election in parliament putting forward a five-point plan, essentially all that have includes developing the economy, fighting corruption, ensuring freedom for all, as well as investing in infrastructure and improving education. before getting on with that, the prime minister will have to stabilize government. he does have 106 seats, but needs obviously the simple majority, the magic number of 113 in order to make sure his government is safe and stable. he does have the support of the president and he has been pivotal and instrumental in bringing over his sri lanka freedom party and the united people's freedom appliance of the former president who have agreed to create a national

government to take his country forward for at least two years to start with. >> haiti's legislative elections will be reheld in 20% of districts. violence during the first round august 9 left at least two dead. dozens of voting centers closed. the recoat will be held in late october. >> thousands of dead fish washed up on a river bank six kilometers from the site of last week's huge explosion in china. the government denies the death of the fish is connected to the chemical blast which happened at an industrial area. there are fears highly toxic sodium cyanide may have leaked from a warehouse, but chinese state media said tests for toxic levels of the chemical were negative. >> turning to weather now, flooding in parts of europe. >> yeah, that's right, we've had such a long hot summer in many

parts. you know it is going to end in a quite dramatic way. that's been the case against some parts around the southeast. you can see the area of cloud, another area of clouds running down through the balkans area. we've had heavy rainfall reported down across parts of macedonia, for instance. 24 hours under this frontal system. heavy rain has been reported and from bulgaria, the second city of bulgaria, we've had rain causing flash flooding. at least two have died as a result. you see that looks pretty severe around the main urban area. obviously strong winds to bring the trees down. as we look at the forecast, there is some cloud around that medium, but not showing up all that much. i suspect there will be quite vicious storms affecting this area over the next day or so. in the meantime, we've had

reports of some particularly -- i want to go to that there, heavy rain across parts of india. the even have eastern states of india and bangladesh. may not have been evacuated from the moments as the moon soon rains have taken hold. looking at rain coming down across eastern parts of india and bangladesh, it does look like there is going to be very heavy rain. you move on through towards sunday, doesn't look at though there's going to be a great deal of change across this region. >> we are in pakistan, where every week, thousands of people from the countryside come to work. until recently, there was no public transport. as nicole johnston now reports, all that's changed. >> there's a new way to get around islamabad, commuters seem to love it. the pakistani capital finally

has a public bus. 68 of them, in fact, taking people along a 23-kilometer journey from islamabad to a city. the station is spotless and there's free wi-fi. the half a billion dollars project took 13 months to build. once you get inside, nice, cold air conditioning. the front of the bus is reserved for women. >> the major problem is traffic and for the women, there is no respect, normally there is guys and boys who are really very bad. it is completely clean. >> the view doesn't bad, either. in fact, many parents are taking their kids on it just for fun. >> at peak hour, the bus is usually packed with people heading home from work or going into the city for fun and

shopping. what's unique about it, though is all types of pakistanis are using it from the poor to the very well off. >> since the metro opened three months ago, transport officials estimate the number of cars on the road in islamabad has dropped by about 30%. >> there are a few small problems. people aren't sure about using the automatic ticket machines. there are long lines for the counter. june the bus service is marvelous. we all love to go on it. the other taxis and vans are too expensive. the taxi costs $6. the metro is 20 cents. >> lahore has a metro bus. karachi is next, all part of a plan to up date transport. >> after 10 years or so, we can transform this metro bus to the

metro train. >> the bus means poor people who couldn't afford to travel around the capital now can, as long as they can find a seat. nicole johnston, al jazeera, islamabad. >> we've got a lot more to come on this al jazeera news hour, including low on staff and supplies, in iraq, the country's health care system is struggling to survive. >> afraid to speak out, ecuador's journalists are being forced to tow the government line. >> in sport, find out if one of cricket's all time greats can end his test match career in style. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself, and that's what we're doing at xfinity.

we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

hello again, are with al jazeera. i'm martine dennis, and these are our top stories. police in macedonia have fired stun grenades trying to disburse thousands of immigrants trying to cross the border. 25 members from greece's ruling party have announced they are forming a new party. the split comes hours after alexis tsipras resigned as prime minister. south korea is urging north korea to stop its provocations. tension has increased following an exchange of fire on thursday.

all right. more now on the refugee crisis in europe. an ally sum researcher and lawyer with the european counsel on refugees, and joins us live via skype. what kind of legal architecture exists at the moment in terming of dealing with mass migration as we're seeing at the moment. >> hi, martine, and thank you very much for calling. so the situation that currently prevails in macedonia is that international obligations remain binding as in most countries that -- that have signed and ratified the convention -- >> sorry, what was the refugee convention oblige government's to do? >> in practical terms it means

that claims launched on the country must be examined by that country. so people who enter macedonia in search of protection should be able to access a procedure, have access to adequate accommodations, and receive a final outcome under the claim. >> a problem that seems to be the case right now is that so many of these refugees are not even able to lodge their request for asylum, they are not even having their paperwork processed. >> exactly. there have been quite a few changes in the legal framework that has happened since june approximately. so given a recent amendment in the asylum law in macedonia, which currently allows people to expension their intention to seek asylum in the country, and be given freedom of movement for

72 hours to render that claim, this has made it much easier to enter the country for people who are seeking protection. this has brought quite a significant rise in the number of people who have come to the borders with greece with the view to entering macedonia, which has also translated in to quite a large movement towards the northern border of the country with serbia. >> given that we are experiencing the greatest movement of people since thinged of the second world war, do you the existing legislation and convention are adequate for the volume of traffic that we're witnessing at the moment? >> this is -- is quite a sort of far-reaching legal question, but one could probably submit that the legal framework, per se is

not necessarily detached from handling and protecting large groups of persons in need of protection. it's more about the procedures in the ways in which member states would [ inaudible ] obligations under international law. and there could be ways in which europe, the european union, and also countries such as macedonia could revisit the approach they take with regards to giving international protection. >> okay. thank you very much indeed for shedding some light on the current situation. thank you. >> thank you very much again. now iraq's top shia cleric has warned the country faces possible partition, he says government reform measures needs to be introduced immediately. it is believed he has played a major role in the recent

anti-corruption drive by the prime minister. thousands of iraqis are expected to gather on friday to pressure the government to speed up reforms. people are tired of power cuts and food shortages, as well as violence. and the health system is breaking down. >> reporter: at baghdad's hospital this doctor doles out medical care and dispenses hard truths. >> living in a city with violence, daily violence, a city with -- living in a city with low infrastructures, and trying your best to give the best to those patients not easy. >> reporter: while this government-run facility is cleaner and better stocked that many other hospitals and clinics in iraq's capitol, it is certainly not immune to a

healthcare system that many consider decayed and diseased. things are getting worse. even storing medicines at the right temperature is difficult. the medication stored inside here must stay constantly refrigeratored, that's why these cooling units have to keep working, and at a time when there's so many power cuts, this hospital and others are relying on back upgenerators. patients find even on a relatively slow day, wait times are long. >> translator: if i had a critical condition and needed immediate surgery, i would have to wait a month to get my turn. >> reporter: going to a private hospital would be far too expensive for this couple. the ministry of health isn't the only institution in the country struggling to deliver medical aid. the united nations recently announced a funding gap, forcing

80% of front line health services in iraq to shut down. one million people are effected. >> it means all of the kids who were going to be immu nighted, aren't going to be immunized. >> reporter: three million people are displaced inside iraq. >> it's painful. it hurts. the people who need us the most right now, we are walking away from them. a clinic that yesterday was providing antibiotics, and said is closed, because you don't have the funding, you have nothing but shame. you are ashamed. >> reporter: another blow to a country who's people need more help and are receivingless and less. 43 people in yemen's third largest city have been killed in saudi-lead air strikes. ta'izz has been the focus in

cent weeks. prohadi forces have managed to take back control of some parts of the city as they push towards a houthi-controlled north. britain's foreign secretary will formally reopen the u.k. embassy in iran on sunday, the iranian embassy in london will be reopened at the same time. britain withdrew its ambassador in 2011 have crowds stormed the compound to protest sanctions. this is a sign of warming relations after iran and major world powers signed a deal on tehran's nuclear program. the speaker of brazil's lower house of congress and a former president have been charged in the country's largest corruption scandal. he is accused of making a $5 million bribe on contracts linked to state oil company

petrobras. on thursday thousands of supporters and opponents of the president marched across the country. her approval rating is at an all-time low hoda abdel hamid has more from rio. >> reporter: the people came out in support of president rousseff, not necessarily because they see she is doing a good job as the leader of the country, but many of the banners say no to the coup. because they see that the impeachment made by the opposition really t tan -- tantamount to destroying democracy in this country. they are asking the speaker of the lower how to step down. wage -- he has been waging a campaign against the president

recently. he has always been implicated in this corruption scandal. >> translator: it's marvellous he has been charged. for us it's very important to the government can start working for the interests of the poor. >> reporter: even though they are no match to the anti-government protest, the people here are a cross-section of society. many will tell you this country has been through a very difficult time during the military dictatorship, which was not so long ago, so they say unless rousseff is proven legally guilty of something, then she should be allowed to finish her term, and anyone who wants to oust her should run in 2018. ecuador's government has ordered journalists not to report on a volcano that erupted after more than 70 years.

it says the ban is needed to guarantee public safety. but journalists say it's just another example of restrictions they are facing every day. >> reporter: after 31 years in a news program, this man says he now watches every word he says on air, afraid his radio station will be fined by the government, says his son. >> translator: if the government disagrees with our content, we have to publish a rectification exactly as they send it to us with their view on the issues, and that includes saying we are liars. >> reporter: they said their station could even lose their operating license given by the government if they anger the president. >> translator: they are shameless, sick, clowns, psycho paths, manipulative and dishonest. >> reporter: he doesn't trust

the private media, and constantly lashes out against it. a private tv station has eliminated investigation on corruption to prevent punishment. >> translator: there is censorship applied through the law. it's not that you violate the law and you are punished, you are punished even if you don't violate the law, and telling the truth doesn't exonerate you from penalties. >> reporter: the law has gone after and fined 143 news organizations, only one of them are public. the rest are private. any information aired or published is subject to scrutiny by a panel named by the government. this woman directs a government-sponsored radio station. she says the private media responds to private interests. the end game now is to make journalism independent, rig gous

and responsibility. >> translator: obvious i will the private media doesn't like it. >> reporter: critics say the communications law hasn't helped improve journalism, instead they say small newspapers are disappearing or are being used as propaganda tools by the government. this newspaper was forced to close. journalists say the new regulations mean their outlets can be discredited or immediately punished, even if they can prove they are telling the truth. still to come in this al jazeera news hour. surrounded by sewage, why these people in south africa are forced to live in dangerously unhygenic conditions. and in sport tiger woods is

back on target just a week after missing the cut at pga championship. ♪

♪ some areas of south africa are facing a sewage crisis with rivers of waste flowing through several communities. many treatment plants simply aren't coping with increased demand. tania page sent this report from the free state on the bank of

the duval dam. >> reporter: the treatment plant is filled to the brim. it's operating at double capacity because it hasn't been upgraded to handle the number of people living here. excess is pumped on to the road, forming a shallow river, dead animals and some living float by. cows have been wallowing in it. nearby people are trying to make a living recycling rubbish. >> because we are going to think about that water. >> reporter: the river of waste flows through the farm land to the dam to where water is treated before being supplied to 10 million consumers. almost half of the facilities are releasing unsafe levels of ecoly bacteria.

>> we need to standing up and fight because your human righting are being violated here. >> reporter: of the 824 treatment plants, roughly half failed inspections and 30% were ranked critical. overall the government says the water and sanitation situation is improving. >> even though we are looking -- we are seeing that -- progressive upward movement, but we cannot be satisfied that we are where we need to be. what kind of assistance do they need, and what do we need to do? >> reporter: a planned upgrade of this plant can't come soon enough. these cows are eating grass growing in the dirty water. but activists say what is worse is there are plans to replace the cows and farmland with 2.5 thousand new homes. that will put more families in harm's way. her backyard is regularly

flooded by sewage. and she has photos to prove it. >> the politicians say they will come and fix it. but they don't do anything. >> reporter: while the government insists it is doing something, progress is too slow for families who have to walk past pools of sewage every day. tania page, al jazeera, saut south africa. now andy is here with sport. >> outgoing word athletics boss says sports still has credibility despite widespread doping allegations. there are reports that he tried to hide positive tests as sensational journalism. >> reporter: the final hours before a world championship outside of the olympics, there's no bigger stage for an athlete to perform on. >> it is the most intense area,

and, well, by now you know that moment has come, and it's tough times. you don't feel like talking to anybody, you just have to concentrate on your target. >> reporter: in beijing such talk is secondary to allegationings of doping. the allegations could have hardly come at a worse time. the outgoing head of world athletics, forced to deny that the iaaf tried to hide evidence of positive tests. >> translator: i think is this just sensational journalism, which is trying to take advantage of the situation. but the credibility of the sport has not been stolen. >> reporter: usain bolt has never failed a drug test but in

the spring we'll be taking on rival justin gatlin. the american has recorded the quickest times this year, but gatlin is also an athlete who has served two bans for doping. his teammates, though, are still standing behind him. >> he is just doing his job. he's back running, and running fast. that's a you problem, you just keep bringing it up over and over and focusing on that, when there ares on the of other great athletes that event the usa. >> reporter: of the ten women who finished the 1500-meter final at the london olympics, three have since had their results quashed for doping offenses. >> what we're seeing now is a demonstration of a really unfortunate thing where people in the final kept clean athletes

like myself from advancing to the final. >> reporter: the race to restore athletics credibility in the eyes of the viewing public will be every bit as important as the races for gold in beijing. for the beijing organizers, the doping narrative is one that will be keen to leave behind. another major sports event hosted by china, despite the country having very little success in track and field. last week beijing were ordered the hosting brights for the 2022 winter games. less than a week later, china was awarded hosting rights for the basketball world cup. air pollution is another controversy beijing is having to

deal with. one athlete refused to run in a marathon because of his concerns over air quality. >> beijing's reputation for smog is well deserved. we see pictures like this coming out of the chinese capitol on a regular basis. but these are wintertime pictures. during the summer months its air quality is no worse than many other major cities in the northern hemisphere. over the weekend those levels are rise, i expect for most of the athletes that won't be a major problem. the risk of pollutants the winds will be quite variable. but i think for the athletes taking part in the marathon, the main concern is going to be the temperatures, well on into the 20s, but even here, the humidity looks nice and comfortably low.

one of kikts greatest suffered a blow in his final match. he should get the chance to bat one more time in this game, sri lanka 140-3 in reply to india's 393. england have already regained the ashes, they have an aunsailable 3-1 series league. tiger woods is finally showing signs of life on the golf course. he shot his best score in two years. carting a 64 in his opening round. a round that included 7 birdies. [ cheers and applause ] >> this time out, the current world number 286 is just a couple of shots behind the

leaders. his last tour win was at the bridgestone invitational back in 2013. >> i fell very good out there today. i hit a lot of good iron shots, made some puts. it could have been 2 to 4 under par, and finally turned it into 6. finally got something out of my round. and it was nice to get something out of it today. australia have left their former captain out of their squad for the rugby world cup that starts next month. they have a warm-up match against the united states coming up on september 5th. 13 dep -- dub bu tanths have been named. >> it was a interesting conversation. and credit to james and the

others their attitude with the disappointment i had was brilliant. but they still want to play their part if possible in supporting the team going forward. plenty more on our website, check that out, aljazeera.com/sport. that is it for now martine. >> andy thank you very much indeed. now it's 75 years since one of communisms most famous evoluti evolution -- revolutionaries was executed. he made his first home in a sprawling mansion here istanbul. it's now on the market for more than $4 million, but it comes with a catch. >> reporter: surrounded by the mansions of capitalisms

millionaires is the crumbling former home of one of communisms great revolutionaries. newly exiled from the soviet union, he arrived here in 1929. now his former refuge on an island near istanbul is up for sale for $4.4 million. but in a twist that might make an old communist smile, whoever buys this prime real estate won't be able to use it as a private home. >> translator: we owners wanted to restore the house as a private residence, but it was designated a public cultural facility. perhaps the cultural ministry could buy it, but it's a very difficult restoration. >> reporter: it's estimated the restoration would cost around a million dollars. he spent four years in turkey before travelling further

through europe and on in to mexico. it was there that he was murdered with an ice pick on stalin's orders. this is an historian, expert, and follower. >> translator: he wasn't the kind of person to get sad. we should be upset at the state of this beautiful mansion. he did consider coming back. in a letter to turkish authorities he writes upon my return. i'm sure if he did come back, and saw it in this state, he would be saddened. >> reporter: but it has changed little since he was here. cars are banned. but elsewhere in the world, life has moved on, like the political philosophy he championed his house could soon just disapp. bernard smith, al jazeera, istanbul. we have lots more to come

here on al jazeera, so don't go away. ♪ >> 10 years after hurricane katrina. >> it was like a nuclear bomb had gone off - everything smelt like dead bodies. >> one constant. >> music has been the essence of this city. >> inspires a community to rebuild its city. >> we gonna bring this city back one note at a time. >> and overcome hard times in the big easy. >> we are bigger, we're better, we're stronger.

[ gunfire ] macedonian police fire stun grenades to stop thousands of refugees crossing the border from greece. ♪ hello, i'm martine dennis in doha, also to come on the program, north korea's leader orders troops along the border with the south to be ready for war. the terror, the confusion, it was something unbearable. >> it's two years since chemical attacks in syria killed