announcer: this is al jazeera. hello there, this is the newshour, live from london. coming up... ..turkey launches air strikes on kurdish separatists after an attack kills several turkish soldiers. austria warns it will not allow people to cross its territory for much longer pictures of russian soldiers fighting in syria. we'll look at the evidence >

voting for a new president - an election overshadowed by corruption claims in sport - it's been a dominant day for lewis hamilton. his closest rival went up in smoke, lewis hamilton celebrated yet another win hello there. warm welcome to this hour of news. breaking news out of turkey. the armed kurdish group p.k.k. said it killed 15 turkish soldiers, fighters from the kurdistan workers party used mines to attack an armed convoy close to the iranian and iraqi borders. turkey's president recep tayyip erdogan said forces would respond in a different and determined manner. it's reported that turkey's air force launched retaliatory air

strikes. now to bernard smith, joining us on the phone. what else do we know at this stage? >> the p.k.k. have claimed responsibility for this. there is no official confirmation of the number of soldiers killed. the p.k.k. says it's 15. they said they ambushed vehicles, two armoured vehicles carrying soldiers out on patrol. the government has said that the vehicles were hit by land mines detonated by the p.k.k. fighters. there are reports as well that turkish jets, military jets, retaliated, hitting a number of p.k.k. targets in the area where the attack took place, which is close to the turkish border with iraq and iran. this is certainly, perhaps, one of the attacks on the turkish

security forces since the ceasefire - 2.5 ceasefire collapse in july. already 70 members of security forces have been killed and hundreds of p.k.k. fighters killed since then. >> joining me on the phone from turkey. to discuss this further, we'll talk with a turkey analyst from chit ham house. we have seen another attack. what does it tell us about the situation? >> basically the ceasefire between the turkish state and the p.k.k. party is over. the warfare between both sides is intensifying. we are seeing more and more turkish police officers and soldiers targeted - now close to 100 so far, fatalities. the situation is getting worse and worse, and more violent on the ground. >> we heard president recep

tayyip erdogan saying his forces would respond in a different and determined manner. what does that mean? >> probably it means more. intense air campaign against p.k.k. targets against northern iraq and south-eastern turkey, potentially more soldiers and security forces targetting p.k.k. operatives across turkey and in the south and east of the country. but so far what we can expect is more violence, casualties on both sides. >> where is turkish public opinion on the renewed fight against the p.k.k. turkish public opinion is unhappy with the casualties among the security forces and military. there's a growing schism and authorisation between turks and kurds over the violence. also, this comes with the context of early general

elections that will take place on 1 november. so the likelihood is more intense political climate emerging in turkey. what was at the heart of this renewed fight against the p.k.k. was it about carving support in light of the fact elections are happening. what was at the core the. >> part of the reason is election polics, but the other issue is the turkish government, president recep tayyip erdogan sees it as a threat to turkish security and integrity, the kurds have been fighting the turkish state for 30 years, demanding autonomy, if not independence. there's a fear among the policy makers that the growing prospects for autonomy by the nationalists in northern syria, as well as in iraq, may spillover the border into turkey it said. >> turkey is under pressure.

it's involved in a fight against i.s.i.s. and decided on a double handed approach, p.k.k. being sproved in the fight against i.s.i.s. has it bitten off more than it can chew. >> the primary focus has been against the p.k.k., kurdistan workers party in south-etern turkey and northern iraq. i think the military focus will continue against the p.k.k. it's viewed as a greater threat to territorial security and integrity. >> thank you for your thoughts austria says it will re-establish normal border controls, which were relaxed to let thousands of refugees cross from hungary to germany. after days trying to stop the syrian refugees travelling on, hungary put on buses to take them to the border. mohammed jamjoom reports from

the austrian side of that border. >> reporter: having suffered so much the welcome was unexpected. almost shocking. >> translation: now i'm feeling like i get my freedom. >> reporter: two days ago this man walls among hundreds of refugees locked in a stand off with riot police at a train station in hungary. despite their demands refugees were ultimately rounded up and taken to a holding facility. the next day this man and his cousins walked 11 hours to austria. now the man that fled his war-ravaged homeland in syria is overwhelmed by the generosity on display. >> we get food, water. i like the people, the country. and if my family want, i will

stay here. but my family in holland, that's why i'm going. >> reporter: as medics provide care, volunteers distribute clothes to the cold and toys for the children. all here are waiting to get on the train to vienna. everyone that we spoke to in nickelsdorf said their treatment in austria is so much better than the way they were treated in hungary. if they get on the train, there's another place they can get water. >> austrian lawyer explained why he had to come here, telling me not just about how proud he is, but how sad he feels. >> the experience - sometimes i feel very small, especially when i cannot understand that people

are angry with little babies who freeze and stay a night in the cold and rain here. this goes over my understanding. >> reporter: on a day like today kindness trumped hostility. officers were there to protect not persecute. as refugees were led on to trains, instead of being forced off. desperation for a few merciful hours was left behind more than 10,000 refugees are estimated to have arrived over the weekend in germany, the end point of a long, sometimes dangerous journey. we'll wishers turned out to welcome the latest arrivals in munich, from where rob reynolds filed this report. >> reporter: destination germany, another train carrying refugees pauls into munich's

central station, men, women and children tumble out, many escaping the war in syria. even the youngest gets a warm welcome from a volunteer. they appeared weary, as they made their way to a reception area. we asked how they felt to be in germany. >> thank god we are in a country as developed as germany. >> reporter: this wan said she made nearly all the journey on foot. i wa. >> she said her dream is to stay in germany and end her life in germany. because it is a land, a country of blessing.

and humanity. >> reporter: volunteers help to bridge the language barrier. germany by itself can't do it all. we need all the help we can get, every voice counts. >> reporter: as refugees took a first step in a process that leads to refugee status. european politicians fretted over their next moves. germans stream lining rules for asylum and allocating funds for shelters. austrian president called for an mergieummit meeting saying his country's decision to allow thousands to enter was a temporary measure. germans, who turn up at the station seemed happy to see the refugees, and glad that their country had thrown open its doors. >> i have strong feelings about all this. i reached out my hand, and it

made me cry. >> germans are also helping out by donating essential its. german volunteers say so many people came forward to offer clothing, toys, blankets and other s to the refugees, that they have to turn away some donations, because they don't have room for them all. weeks ago, during the greek debt crisis. some of the policies were seen by many as harsh and unyielding. now, the country at the heart of europe showed the world its heart the catholic pope used his sunday address at the vatican to call for every european parish to take a refugee family feeling danger. pope francis spoke at a peekly mass saying there were two parishes taking in a family in the coming days and called for

the larger community to do all it can to help. >> faced with the tragedy, tens of thousands of refugees, fleeing death from war and hunger, on the road in the hope of a better life, the gospel calls us and asks us to show solidarity to the smallest and the abandoned and give them hope. i appeal to the parishes, religious communities, mon aft ris of all europe to show the true meaning of the gospel, and take in one family of refugees. the u.n. refugee agency put a figure on the numbers making the mediterranean crossing. 245,000 arrived in greece. syria took in around 119,000 sea arrivals. 2,800 people are dead or missing after attempting the dangerous crossing the u.n. refugee agencies, u.n.h.c.r. spokeswoman melissa

fleming explained how the refugee statistics are tallied. >> we work closely with the coast guards, authorities in the front line countries - greece and italy, but also in countries where refugees are arriving in europe. we get the figures on a daily basis, put them into statistics. unfortunately, we have to add to the statistics, that there are many, many deaths crossing the mediterranean - almost 2,600 so far this year, and those deaths, unfortunately, show that it's dangerous to cross. many of them, unfortunately, don't have a name, and people still, maybe for that reason, keep coming. we had a day last week where 14,000 arrived in greece, greek islands in. these are islands in that are used to receiving tourists, not tens of thousands of refugees. so obviously - the only way to move from the greek island to the mainland is if you have a

registration document. that's how we know how many people are coming, what nationally they say they are, and we have the same procedure in the former yugoslavia republic of macedonia. they need transit documents to move through the countries, serbia, and, to a certain extent, up until now in hunk ril. -- hungary a research professor at the peace research institute in oslo specialises on the plight of international migration and joins us via skype. thank you for being was. one of the big challenges i see is europe needs a strong long-term policy so these situations don't keep happening. governments have a shorter term mentality, what do you think they need to do. what are the fundamentals they need to put in place, moving forward? >> what we are dealing with is

an urgent situation, and we are dealing with what we heard, leaders emphasising that these are exceptional measures. when the counter crisis has reached such a stage, we need to face the longer term, additional choices, and how we manage the needs for protection, for the hundreds of tourists affected by conflict and violence. >> if the members that we heard about arrived in europe are overwhelmingly large, it's small in comparison to the number of refugees in the region. the sir jans, for instance -- syrians, for instance, are many why are european governments seemingly slow to react to the scenarios. are they waiting to see if this particular influx, if you like,

wean, whether that will -- wanes, whether that will be a new trend over the weeks and years to come. >> we have had equilibrium for a long period of time. european leaders held on to the idea of the refugee convention, the principle that re should provide protection to the people that need it. at the same time we have not provided that protection to many people. they are making it difficult and dangerous to reach europe and apply for asylum. european leaders say we protect human rights and the rights of protection, but on the other hand, we don't provide protection to large numbers of people. in that way public opinion has been relatively anti-immigrants, and many countries have not reacted as much as they could

just to the interrupt you. part of the current policy from europe, and they keep saying it every time there's a meeting, is to hit the smuggler, to stop the people smugglers. do you think it's the rite direction of travel, the right impetus. >> no, what the strategy so far is to make it difficult and dangerous to reach europe, that is how we've been able to uphomed the principles while not receiving -- upheld the principles. it's having a terrible human cost. that is one of the things that has changed. that has become more simple. even though people have drowned, it's only during the past 25 month that is it reached the proportions that pushed the agenda in such a direction.

>> joining me there from oslo and skype. thank you for joining us with your thoughts. >> thank you still ahead on al jazeera, what did happen to the 43 mexican students that disappeared. an independent investigation rubbishes the official version. and a town surrounded by i.s.i.l. in sport, a costly defeat for the dutch football team now, diplomatic efforts to end the war in syria seem to be going nowhere, with rush re and the u.s. -- russia and the u.s. hardening their positions. u.s. secretary of state john kerry spoke to his russian counter part on saturday to express concern over reports.

pictures of activists show russian fighters backing syrian forces in the country. we have this report, beginning with some of those images. >> it's no secret that russia is helping syrian president hang on to power. but if it's willing to go as far as sending in troops to fight along side government forces, that's a big question and fear among opponents. >> it's speaking about the readiness of most of the forces on the ground. politically, the public opinion in moscow. >> the photos circulated on social media reignited long-held suspicions that russia is planting itself more firmly on the ground in syria. >> there's no doubt that there are russian military in syria. special coordination between the two counties, security forces.

russian neighbouring forces. >> president vladimir putin denies that he's preparing to send troops to fight in syria. the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry is worried enough to call his russian counterpart. secretary of state john kerry told him a build up of troops in syria would escalate the war, lead to death and refugees, and hamper effts to battle i.s.i.l. >> in my opinion the leaking of pictures was done on purpose. it was massive and needs to put pressure on the gulf countries. critics find vladimir putin's denial hollow, considering recent developments, including requesting permission from syria's neighbours to allow russian military cargo planes to fly within their air space. in 40 years of civil war, russia made one thing clear - it will be a staunch ally of president

bashar al-assad right now, people in guatemala, are voting to chose a new president. it's an election overshadowed by scandal. president molina stepped down and was arrested. who could his replacement be. the ruling conservative patriotic party has a candidate, but the corruption scandal will not help their campaign. the opposition has members of the center right party under investigation. their candidate has been leading the polls. independent candidate has been edging ahead. daniel schweimler joins us live from guatemala city. given all of this controversy, what has the turn out been like. >> the turn out is very high.

at the moment, as you may see, it has begun to rain in guatemala city. people are enthusiastic about voting, if a little syndicate about the 14 candidates on the paper in front of them. those doing the best in the opinion polls, apart from those being investigated, jimmy morales, distant from politics, who has not been tainted by the scandals that we see here in recent months. they are doing well. people want to see the electoral process go forward and someone emerge from what has been a mess here in the last week or so, and are putting their faith in the process, though they don't always talk to the people, have a great deal of faith in the people they have to choose from. >> on that night. it's a crowded field. what are the candidates offering? >> well, first and foremost they are offering honesty and they

are free of corruption, which is not surprising given what has gone on. this is what we have seen bandied about all over the place, election campaigns and slogans, all politicians say that. their goal now is to convince the electorate, that they are honest. it's something that otto perez says, i will clean up the country and be honest. it's what he said and proved otherwise. the main aim, really is honesty and free of corruption, and that they'll kick the system here. >> daniel schweimler, thank you now, an independence report condemns the mexican government's investigation into the disappearance of 43 students a year ago, saying the bodies were not on a rubbish dump as claimed. the protesters were attacked in the southern city after demonstrations on buses in september.

the report from the inter-american commission of human rights cited an expert on fires. the mexican attorney-general will ask the experts to work on that investigation. john holman has been following that hearing in mexico city. >> the biggest point from the investigation has to do with the fact that the mex can government is trying to draw a line under this event, the disappearance of 53 students, saying they have been killed and bodies burnt. the independent court came out and said basically that that categorically is not true, that it is not scientifically possible that in the open air, in the time, the hours available to the people to do this, the bodies could have been burnt so badly that not any part of d.n.a. evidence was left over. it's huge in terms of the investigation. it throws open again.

who knows where the students are, or what became of them. the other point made was something touched on before. they made it clear that not just the police, but the mexican federal forces were present in the hours - the four hours in which the students were attacked by local police, and did nothing. they didn't intervene, they knew what was happening at the time still ahead in the newshour... ..why the rejection of what is in the box means a set back for democracy. >> a government crackdown threatens livelihoods. and in sport - find out who was feeling the force at the italian

formula 1 grand prix. me welco back, a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. the p.k.k. says it killed 15 turkish soldiers on an attack in a convoy.

turkey confirmed an attack took place, but has not given a figure for the numbers of casualties. austria's chancellor says she'll allow refugees crossing to thermoie should be faced out. pickets released by syrian tivists show fighters backing syrian forces. secretary of state john kerry spoke to his russian counterpart on saturday to expression concern about reports of an increased presence in the country. across europe, people are trying to help refugees. on sunday, a convoy of 140 cars crossed into hungary, to pick up people wanting to reach europe. charities saw an increase in donations in due to movg

pictures of a young syrian boy watched up on a beach in turkey. online the plight of refugees has dominated. hundreds of thousands calling on european leaders to act. online activist has been promoting the refugees. he joins us live from brussels. welcome. tell us about refugees welcome the hashtag. where did the idea come from, how did iget started? >> i didn't start it. i think it started from germany. we started to support it, and tried really to have it spread across countries in europe. >> and how do you think social media, particularly in lights of what is happening across europe. why is it to powerful. is it a novel way to protest, do you think?

>> i think social media is the only tool that the citizens have to counterbalance sometimes the belief that the media can be drawn in for electoral leaders, no matter the reasons. the fact is social media is the only tool we have to normalize this narrative, and try to not only create our own narrative and show that there is a silent majority, and actually organise through social media, not only to pick up refugees, but also to, you know, to know what is needed and mobilize people on this specific place to provide whatever the needs are. >> i'm wondering about what happens to traditional methods like protesting, marching, going

out on the streets. i know there's going to be a march on saturday. that came from social media. does one feed into the other? >> i think protests need to reinvent itself, and social media is the perfect channel to do so. it will be difficult for media to ignore something that is happening under their nose. so social media today, when it is used in a dangerous way and adopted by a country can change the outcome of a protest. there's different adaptions of the media across europe, across the world. in all these places, the reality is completely different. >> have we seen anything on this scale before, i'm thinking back to the occupy protest, which had a lot of traction, is this the

biggest reaction that we have seen, mobilization through social media, do you think? >> i think for the case of the refugee struggle, it's the first time i have seen this. each country has its own rooms for supporting refugees based on what is actually happening in the country, and greece is taking taking on the refugees, and doing on excellent job of what is happening, and what the people from the islands in are doing. so, again, social media is in some of the cases. only to put some of this information, amplified, making it seen by other media organizations, and at this point

you'll see this matter to be, you know, taken by the media. this is when we can actually, you know, provoke a change of perception about what is going - about what is happening on the remote places like the island of cos or lesbos in greece, or all the places that need more attention and visibility on what is happening on the ground. >> ben there, an online activist joining me for that interview. thank you. hoda abdel-hamid has been following the plight of refugees off the greek island of refugees in lesbos. >> reporter: refugees pour into the island of lesbos, earlier we saw a rubber dingy carrying 25-30 people making it to the coast. through the binoculars, there's a rubber dingy stranded in the middle of the channel. they are waving for help.

no one has arrived. so far night is settling in, there's little current or wind. it may take a while for them to reach the island. we see further away another boat that appears to have left shortly the coast of turkey. when they arrive here, they are happy. you hear them laughing and cheering and kissing each other, it's probably the last thing they do. we are 50km away from the capital, the island, where they have to go. they are not able to go on public transportation. they'll have to walk through the night. there's little assistance, there's a few volunteers giving them water. it will be a long walk. once they reach there, they may be surprised at the chaos that? the city. thousands and thousands of

people are back at the port trying to figure out how to get the registration paper that allows them to board the ferry and continue the journey to western europe. it's a slow process. people are tired, drained, they have been sleeping for days, weeks by the sidewalk. where they can find empty places, some have set up tents. refugees are angry, and afraid that they are running out of money, and they keep saying "we need to go", greek ahorities are clearly erwhelmed. there's a few more aid organizations arriving. greek authorities have problems at the moment, and have been asking help from the e.u. that has not arrived yet. but the situation is potentially explosive on the island. >> hoda abdel-hamid reporting

there now, the australian prime minister agreed to take more refugees from syria, but it came with continues. tony abbott made the announcement on sunday after mounting pressure. the acceptance of syrian refugees will be at the expense of people resettled in australia from other parts of the world. the refugee infake is about 14,000 -- intake is about 14,000 per year. >> we are disposed to tak more people from the troubled region under our refugee and humanitarian programme. and we are open to providing more financial assistance to the un h.r. c in the weeks un h.r. c in the weeks at least 20 have been killed in saudi-led air strikes in northern yemen. people say the war planes attacked a wake held for a local man, and comes as saudi-led

forces carried out other air strikes on the capital sanaa well, the republican gardens special headquarters were amongst the targets. they are controlled by houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh the bodies of five bahraini soldiers killed in yemen has flown home. their coffins were carried by an honour guard. they were killed on friday in which 45 united arab emirates died. part of a coalition fighting the yemen houthi rebels people living in the iraqi city of haditha have been left trapped, with nowhere to go because of continued fighting in their region. they are surviving on food supplies especially flown in.

hoda abdel-hamid has more on how continues are worsening. >> reporter: this is the only way to reach haditha. the roads around the town are too dangerous for the civilians and military to use. th government needs to airlift supplies into the air. this air base is the only life line. many left because the armed group launch offensives to capture one of the last remaining centers that has not fallen to its forces. those who are still in the town are largely cut off and have weekly deliveries of humanitarian aid. >> translation: one sack of flour costs around $900. most of the time we sleep without eating, because we can't afford to by food. they prefer to stay in their homes, joining iraqis. they have not been easy.

>> translation: we are thankful. but there was a lack of electricity. we ask the government to help us. >> reporter: haditha has been a target for i.s.i.l. it is surrounded by desert. but has not been easy to defend the town. in an offensive i.s.i.l. used 39 suicide car bombings. >> translation: the enemy has tried to advance into haditha and attack it. i.s.i.l. has not been able to establish an if the heeled on the region. i.s.i.l. links the air base to an important structure. the haditha dam is the second largest in the country, contributing a third of iraq's electricity needs. and it can be used as a war, if i.s.i.l. decides to open its

gates and flooding neighbouring areas. when the area was at risk of falling, the u.s. expanded an air campaign. u.s. assistance has been a main reason i.s.i.l. has not been able to capture haditha. it is important to the u.s. it's close to the air base where the military advisors are training sunni tribal fighters. >> reporter: u.s. air travel allowed forces to hold haditha. for now, the ground troops are in no position to use the area as a staging ground to take on i.s.i.l. the armed group controlling most of anbar province an informal summit has been held, in the french capital, ahead of the climate change conference to be held in november. france's foreign minister says strong commitment is needed to address global warming. >>ast year was the hottest year recorded and 2015 may, in

fact, surpass that record. june was the hottest month recorded and in your country we saw massive heat waves and high temperatures. our iranian friends who joined us saw temperatures as high as 70 degrees celsius. we see a number of climate phenomena that our different populations endure. >> thailand's military appointed reform council rejected a new constitution. if it had passed, it would have paved the way for an everyoned um and an end to -- referendum and an end to military rule. elections will not be held until 2017. wayne hay reports. >> reporter: a return to any form of democracy seems to be slaping further a -- slipping further away for tlai land. outside parliament, a few protesters want their voices heard.

it's not allowed under the military government that seized power in a coup last year. inside it was something of a farewell badge for so-called national reform council. handpicked by the army. the last task before they were disbanded was to vote on a new constitution, one seen by many as a way for the army to consolidate and legitimize their power. >> delays and time-buying tactics are par for the course. the people want to remain in power. and call the shots. >> reporter: the that righter charter was thrown out. the reform council voted against it. the process is back to the beginning. the draft constitution is condemned as undemocratic. which its rejection, the military government has an excuse to delay the election again and stay in power. given those who wrote and voted on the charter were chosen by the army, and yet still rejected it, provoked suspicion, the process was a delay in tactics. the longer the army and its

supporters tried to stay in power, the greater the risk of conflict. >> it will not be resolved. relying on the rules of the game. that means it will tend to lead to either violence or maybe now a new constitution will need to be written. this will take another six months, this version will stay in the boxes, and thailand's political uncertainty goes on. still ahead on the programme. all the sport, including - could the defending us open champion be on course for another title win?

the nij ear yoon government is -- nigerian government is planning to exploit prices. it's losing millions in revenue from illegal mining and wants the miners to pay tax. we have a report from northern nigeria. >> reporter: this man has worked the mines for 17 years. he dropped out of school because he says his parents couldn't afford the expense. soon he may have to look for another job because the authorities are planning a crackdown on illegal mining. and he is not amused. >> this is my life. i don't know anything else. if anyone wants to take the job

away from me, he must give me a home, decent wage and comforts of life. >> most of the gold prospecting is small-scale and crude. the turnover for people like him is huge. a good day can produce hundreds of dollars, those are the dollars the government wants. for a long time enforcement against illegal mining has been weak. but not any more. now the authorities want him and hundreds like him to pay taxes on their earnings. >> if the miners are paying taxes, the resources that we have - the miners coming in, given their own - there should be development in some part. >> the federal government says tight regulations are under way.

gold processing units like this litter the north-west of nigeria, and are mostly unlicensed. they hardly pay taxes. the challenge is to get them to pay. >> we can pay more taxes. more than the foreigners. because the foreign aid - we want to stop the reigners coming to nigeria for the mining. and leae with nigerians, to enjoy, eat with. >> reporter: for now, that is not what the government wants to do. it wants to stop illegal mining, and bring investors with the capacity to produce revenue, and jobs in the camp. >> which means more time is ahead. for small-time miners. investigations continue into

the thursday gin suicide attacks in cameroon. it killed at least 19 people. the regional governor visited the site of bombs, in which 140 were wounded. a blast targeted a camp of soldiers fighting the boko haram. the other bomb was detonated at this marketplace. >> translation: a man came, suspicious to the security committee, because he was covered up. they tried to reach the defense forces. one had the courage to capture him from behind. his device was triggered and he took the full blast more than 35,000 moldovans are taking part in an anti-government rally in the capital. protesting against a billion dollar bank fraud, they demanded the president's resignation and early elections. the bank fraud caused a rapid devaluation of moldova's

currencies, leading to price rices, and affected the e.u. financial support. it's been suspended until the matter is cleared up the united nations says the humanitarian situation in somalia is alarging. four years on, after the devastating famine, a study found there was 2.3 million people in distressed situations. more than 850,000 are in need of emergency aid, and nearly 215,000 children under five years old are malnourished. 40,000 of them are close to death. the head of the u.n. peacekeeping operations in central african republic is to speak out against sexual abuse. committee members and military personnel will be met. u.n. troops have been accused of rape. a soldiers is being investigated for allegedly molesting a

teenager last year. now andy with the sport. >> thank you. netherlands are in danger of missing out on qualification for next year's european championships, beaten 3-0 by turkey in the latest group game. their heaviest defeat since 1986. after finishing third at the world cup, the dump men from for the qualifying campaign, losing to i.s.i.l., and the latest loss leaving them fourth in group a. top of the group is iceland. a draw enough for them to qualify. that's the first major championship. the czech republic was there. the third-placed team go to a play-off. the dutch are in forth and rely on turkey dropping points if they are to stay in with a chance. >> whales on the brink of reaching a major tournament. a win over israel would have guaranteed the qualification,

held to a 0-0 draw. they need a point o from one of the final two games. >> shared the disappointment. we want the same guarantees. there are other players in the camp, that are fantastic. it's been a great effort. new territory, tryg to handle it well, didier drogba retired at 37 he's scoring goals at club level, scoring a hat-trick for the montreal impact in the m.l.s. the chelsea striker putting montreal ahead in the 27th minute. equalizer there to level the match at 3-3, and completed the hat-trick four minutes later with a header, winning 4-3 serena williams has taken another step, winning all four

grand slam titles, settling up a u.s. open quarter final with her sister venus williams. beating madison keys in an hour of play in the last match. the world number one three wins away from the so-called serena slam going through after beating qualifier in straight sets. the 35-year-old has won the us open title twice, the last win was back in 2009. men's world number one novak djokovic will be in action. novak djokovic playing roberto in the last 16. the early action in new york. that saw defending champion marion cilic go to four sets. he is through.

cilic plays jo-wilfried tsonga in the last eight, beating fellow frenchman in straight sets. yet to drop a step now, lewis hamilton tightened his grip on the formula 1 world title race. the 7th win of the season coming at the italian grand prix. the big concern after the race. officials investigating whether the team broke the rules. sarah coates explains. >> reporter: a minute's silence before the race to remember form original formula 1 drive justin wilson, killed in an indy car accident two weeks ago. the dangers of motor sport is apparent. they made racing look easy. the champions starting from the front. his 11th poll this season. qualified second, his race was over before it began. stalling on the line to put

himself last. out in front lewis hamilton seemed to be doing all the right things. the mercedes group were worried about tire pressure. >> we need to pull a gap. pull a gap. don't ask questions, just execute. >> a breach carrying a time penalty. >> he was investigated after the race. it's not a good day for team-mate nico rosberg. his title hopes look to be going up in smoke. lewis hamilton crossed the finish line with a 25 second lead to claim his 40th career victory. >> look at the crowd. it's incredible. unbelievable ban here. i don't know if my team can hear us. this team is remarkable. what we have achieved is special. i'm grateful for them. >> lewis hamilton leads nico

rosberg by 53 points in the standing, with just seven races remaining. sarah coates, al jazeera. australian all-rounder shane watson announced his retirement from test cricket. he was dropped in the first ashes test against england. he won two ashes series and named australia player of the year that is the sport for now. back to julie in london thank you. competitors from all over the world are in the u.s. si of san diego for the annual sand sculpting championship. organizers dumped 300 tonnes of sand on the city shore front for competitors as far afield of russia to work their magic over the four days of the event. the theme is the 2016 olympics. pretty impressive. that's it from me for the newshour. back in a moment with more from

the days news. see you then.

tonight, silicon valley is a major growth engine for the u.s. economy, some say it represents the future. does it come at a price. is the tech industry harming u.s. workers. later in our panel. racial stereotypes are condemned as demeaning. some students say conforming to racial stereotypes helped them. are they right. cops in los angeles great to wear body