>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello, welcome to the news hour, i'm jane duetton lye from our headquarters in doha. russia's foreign minister confirms that military and humanitarian aid has been flown into syria. tens of thousands of people in japan are forced from their homes as once in 50 years rainfall triggers severe flooding. refugees are held in camps in hungary, as they prepare to strengthen their border

security. the oldest film festival in world, venice, which this year is pioneering a whole new era in cinema. ♪ russian's foreign minister has confirmed that military and humanitarian aid have been flown into syria, pictured recently released by syrian activists show russian fighters supporting syrian forces. >> reporter: there is a major russian buildup in syria's western port, and an at airfield. the sitting opposition says it is to help president bashar al-assad and his forces. sergei lavrov admits they are delivering humanitarian supplies and humanitarian aid, but denies any military build up. >> translator: we have helped and will continue aiding the

syrian government for all necessary for it to prevent a accept tigs of the libyan scenario, and other side events that have occurred in this region, because of an obsession by some of our western partners with ideas of changing unwanted regime. >> reporter: officials say russia is sending ships, armored personnel carries and naval equipment to syria. russia is also sending more naval else haves to the mediterranean. russia has maintained a military base at the city and port along the mediterranean since the 1970s, and after the collapse of the soviet union, it was eager not to lose that spot. meanwhile in eastern syria, fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant say they are make gains. it also took control of military

positions including a rocket regiment close to the airport. isil fought government forces in at least three neighborhoods. most of the city is under isil's command, but government forces still control several areas, but are struggling on multiple fronts. the government relies heavily on iran and shia ma i will shas. it also depends on russia for military and political survival. territory in syria regularly changes hands between the various sides in the civil war. let's take a look at the latest estimate of who controls what? the islamic state of iraq and the levant told the territory highlighted in red. various opposition groups show those areas shown in yellow. one of the major groups fighting against the syrian government is the al-nusra front, it holds territory in the northwest.

the ypg has substantial control along the border with southern turkey. the power base for the syrian regime remains in the country's west. a retired lebanese army general joins us live from beirut. let's talk about these claims made by russia. we know russia has been there a while, but possibly not the extent of their involvement. are you surprised? >> i think that russia said is -- i mean the interference of russia in syria, it's a game changer so far. it is like diplomatic, and military message to whom it may concern, but it depends on what level they are going to intervene. is it at a strategic level or operational or tactical? are they going to fight within the urban areas? but it's something like taking

shape in syria. but i don't think so far that it is very easy for russia to interfere. maybe russia is willing, but is it capable from many dimension. >> what do you think russia is capable of if it wanted to go in further and provide more support to president assad? >> i mean, if the russian are really willing to interfere, they are going to help this regime for many reasons. first they are having the right to ex-more energy on the coastal area, first. second, it's like a naval base since the mediterranean is like an american lake. so it's like a presence, because as we say, the absent is illusive. so they want to be there. they are positioning themselves. moreover maybe it is like a response, a replay of what is going on in europe, while nato

is deploying forces, so now russia is like positioning itself especially after the signing of the p5-plus-1. it is like positioning itself. it really deserves a place on the negotiating table. so the question here, are we a little bit closer to a political negotiation in syria? i think it's a bit early to talk about all of this. >> how will other military forces involved in syria be viewing this message? >> i mean it depends on what you are talking about. for isil it's like fighting the crusaders, because you have some chef -- chechens fighting. so it's like fighting your enemy far away from home. so they will fight as like crusaders, but for israel, we're starting to see some negative message from israel.

it's like having russia in your neighborhood, it's like little bit difficult, not really acceptable. moreover, turkey -- turkey will be sandwiched from -- you know, from the east as well as from the syrian border. would all of these countries allow russia to have a freehand in all of this? what about iran that really invested like more than 30 to 40 years as a strategic cooperation with russia? so we have to wait and see. maybe we are having -- like the beginning of some signals and messages. >> all right. interesting to know what the u.s. says. thank you for that. let's get more now from our white house correspondent, patty culhane. what is the major concern over russia troops in syria? >> reporter: now officials are

going to have to give concrete statements. we haven't heard yet from white house officials but we expect the press secretary to start speaking to the press in an hour and a half's time. what they have said is it is simply wrong to help president assad, because of what he has done to his people. they are concerned there could be an accident or miscommunication where the u.s.-lead coalition could run into a fight with the russians, because the coalition is not directly targeting the syrian military. but analysts say the entire u.s. strategy in syria depends on assad being weakened. he needs to be weakened to point where his backers, russia and iran start looking for another option. because the others have said he cannot be a part of any sort of negotiation. they are also hoping, and this is again, behind the scenes, is

that they need his inner circle to become so concerned about their fate that they would be willing to turn on him. because they know they need some remnants of the sir gan government to survise, but assad cannot be part of it. >> thank you patty culhane. floods in eastern japan are affecting hundreds of thousands of people. the flooding has lead to a leak from the fukushima nuclear pant. rachel has more. >> reporter: another natural disaster strikes north of tokyo. this time it was an in-land sea of water which hit the area just after lunchtime. taking everything in its wake. the muddy wall of water uprooted trees and shook houses from their foundations. in this city, rescuers couldn't keep up with the desperate pleas for help.

only a lucky few were moved to safety. as it unfolded on television, the national broadcaster urges people not to give up hope, but do whatever they could to survive. >> translator: we have had heavy rain in the past, but i have not seen this much water in decades. >> reporter: the river broke its banks after a second day of unusually heavy rain. some areas in the region recorded double the usual september rain in just 48 hours. it's the kind of rainfall that happens once in half a century. the typhoon has moved off of the coast, but the rain lingers across the area. >> translator: these heavy rains are unprecedented. we can say this is an abnormal situation, and there is imnext serious danger. serious disasters such as landslides and flooding have occurred and are still happening. >> reporter: the prime minister has urged local governments to

be as ready as possible for the disaster. >> translator: the heavy rains are unprecedented and likely to continue. the government will prioritize people's lives and make every possible disaster measure. >> reporter: more than 800,000 people have been urged to evacuate their homes, while the rain has eased, it is for cast to continue into tomorrow. rescue authorities are now waiting to see what daylight brings. plenty more coming up on the al jazeera news hour. we look at a project in south sudan leading a way to ensure forge aid helps the people who need it most. i'm in karachi, and coming up, we'll be investigating the water mafia, and finding out how gangs control the water supply for milons of people. and in sport find out why roger federer is playing the best tennis of his career.

the latest from the u.s. open coming up. ♪ record number of -- my grants are streaming through the border of hungary as europe remains bitterly divided on how to cope with the crisis. >> reporter: in a journey of many hardships, the passage through hungary on the road to austria is among the most forlorn. >> translator: from serbia to hungary, to budapest, people have to face the police. they hold you for three days. everyone is going through the

forest, homeless, sleeping on the floor, getting loss. >> reporter: human rights watch has described the conditions as horrific, calling it unacceptable that people are being treated like animals on the doorstep of europe. it's a charge the hungarians deny as more than 3,000 enter the country daily. they have been on the road for days, fleeing countries at war or lives of desperate poverty. most of these people are heading to germany. there the chancellor continues to hold the door wide open. on thursday she said refugee families would integrate into german society while their children who learn the german language pass. germany has already registered 450,000 this year, 105,000 in august alone. but not all want to stay in

germany. on wednesday denmark became the latest flash point when it briefly was pebded train services carrying hundreds of people heading to sweden. europe's refugee crisis is spreading northwards, and it's getting bigger. >> for my son and my wife and my life, because in syria, don't have life. >> reporter: the latest e.u. plan to share out 160,000 refugees between states would be the block's biggest formal gesture yet, but with thousands arriving on the beaches of greece each and every day, it's nowhere near enough. jonah hull, al jazeera. barbara is a researchers for amnesty international. she has just returned from hurng ri where she saw the conditions first hand. she said the only help is coming

from volunteers. >> the moment people enter hungary, they find themselves in the middle of a field, and the government doesn't provide any facilities there. the only one who are helping are volunteers, and as of friday, [ inaudible ] expected to bring about 150 tents to place people there. the biggest problem is usually at night when most people are arriving and there is simply nothing for them. we encountered people who were shivering from cold, who was terrified by the idea that they would spend the night in the field. those who have their own tents sleep in them, but many simply don't. the next state from this collection point is the register center, about 700 meters away. the authorities, especially the police are escorting people in buses, but even back then they didn't have enough buses. sometimes people would be

walking, being escorted there by the police, and registration center also has only limited capacities, about 1,500 people, which of course isn't adequate for the number entering hungary on a daily basis. china's premiere says the country will achieve its growth target, but it will not be easy. adrian brown has more from beijing. >> reporter: the chinese premier appeared a very nervous man as he addressed this economic forum. among those in the audience ceo's from around the world who are trying to understand china's economy right now. the speech today was significant, because it really was the first time he has addressed the problems in china's economy since the country's stock market began falling back in june. of course in august, the

government made the decision to devalue the chinese currency, and since then it has fallen by more than 4% against the u.s. dollar. but the premier said that china's economy was still a sound bet. yes, there were going to be ups and downs, but that was to be expected. but he gave a pledge that china will achieve economic growth of 7% this year, but he also hinted that it was going to be very difficult to do that. so overall, the premier was suggesting that, you know, china's government is in this for the long haul, and said, you know, have faith in us, we have still a country that has an economic growth rate better than many other developing economies right now. on the day that the premier was speaking, new figures came out that show china's inflation rate sat 2%, which is basically the same as the interest rate. that mean there is a lot of cheap money sloshing arrange the

system at the moment. and there's a reason, the chai that's government wants to shift its economy away from one based on manufacturing to one based on consumption, in other words he wants chinese people to buy more stuff. analysts say this is a high-risk strategy, but it's one the rest of the world hopes will work. people in singapore vote in a general election on friday. the same political party has been in power for 50 years, but this vote is expected to be the most keenly contested in the city state's history. rob mcbride reports. at 95 this man has had to wait much of his life to vote in elections where he has the choice of more than one candidate. as a veteran of world war ii, he flew for the nationalist chinese army against the japanese. he has witnessed the founding and development of singapore, but unlike many of his generation, he says he welcomes

the change. >> people thinking, should -- should move on and they should -- they should have competition, they have contests, that sort of thing. >> reporter: but it will be the younger voters who will have the most impact in this poll. this election will see the highest proportion of young people voting compared to previous elections, many for the first time. a younger generation born well after independence who don't necessarily have the same loyalty to the ruling party as their parents, and with very different priorities. for many moving out of the family home into their own apartment is the biggest concern. >> i think everyone is really concerned about housing, and how they are going to be able to afford a house and move out before they are 50. >> reporter: jill and her boyfriend, both work, but they live at home with their families. at least now, concerns like

housing and other election issues, they can share with other voters, thanks to social media, another big influence in this election. >> honestly, i don't know, man, it's a scary choice for everyone. but i think change is good. people in singapore need some change, and they need to step out of this -- this double that they -- they have. >> but i think certainly we're looking at a very different political entity. the people, the actors, as well as the voters. >> reporter: this election may not produce a huge change, but the way this and future ballots are conducted is changing forever. south sudan has received billions of dollars of aid since it gains independence four years ago, but there are concerns about where the money has gone. in the first of a four-par series, natasha ghoneim reports from juba on one project that has been hailed as a success

story? >> reporter: this south sudan's first and only paved highway. since it was completed almost three years ago, it has become a vital trade route. it is the quickest way to reach the port in kenya. about 50 kilometers in, drivers can start at this tiny store, for a drink, or even a diaper. >> translator: before the highway was built i used to make 50 pounds a day, now make 200 to 300 pounds a day. >> reporter: this highway was funded by the u.s. agency for international development or usaid. they designed the project, hired the contractors and oversaw each mile of this highway until the end. >> we have a responsibility to american taxpayers.

oftentimes the governments around the world would prefer that we give them the money directly. it's more efficient and effective to go through a local non-government organization, or a partner to make sure that the resources get to the people who need them. >> reporter: south sudan's auditor general says the americans have the right approach. >> it is not enough to write a check and go away. >> reporter: he is trying to track where every dollar of government money is going. that includes billions donated to south sudan by other countries. >> i haven't seen much of the kinds of things that we would expect, in terms of infrastructure, agricultural investment, human resources, children school's, health infrastructure, i haven't seen it. and if i haven't seen it, it means the money hasn't gone there.

>> reporter: he can't say what happened to the money donated. his mandate doesn't give him the authority to investigate that. his advise, donate money, and oversee the project, to ensure that every dollar reaches its intended disnation. for years criminal gangs have controlled part of the water supply in karachi. the water mafy has stolen millions of gallons of water and sold it on the black market. >> reporter: on though outskirts of the city, hidden from view is an illegal water station. the owners have tapped into underground pipeline owned by the state. all day trucks fill up with stolen water and sell it across karachi. >> translator: we sell containers of water for $4, and then they resell it to the

people a whole tanker for $25. >> reporter: the water mafia thrives on the frigs of the city. armed gangs control this neighborhood so what is here? >> reporter: [ inaudible ]? >> reporter: this is one of karachi's illegal water pumping stations, and what is so shocking is the water comes from a sewage well. it is piped through here, powered by a couple of motors, and sold on as drinking water to the people of car raw chi. car raw chi only has enough water to meet 50% of its needs, and the water board estimates around 30% is wasted or stolen. this is a powerful business worth millions of dollars. water barens with 20 to 30 tankers make thousands every day. over 200 pumping stations have

been raided, however. >> this illegal money is also supporting other illegal and terrorist activities in karachi. because this area is infected with these terrorists, with these gangs. >> reporter: over70% of the stolen water is sold to industrialists. five years ago this fabric dyeing plant here was closed, because there wasn't enough water. now the owner buys from the black market, just to keep his clothing business open. >> they are holding us from our necks, basically. and this is all because a few big people are involved in this, and -- who are the caretakers and who are the people who are making money, good money out of that, from these people. of course the mafia, because cannot operate such a big operation like this. >> reporter: despite the crackdown the leaders of this

underwater world are still operating. and the cost of illegal water in karachi has now doubled. somewhere, someone is still making a lot of money. nicole johnson, al jazeera, karachi. still ahead on the program, travel upstream. this power producing lake in zambia is running low. in sport we'll hear from new england patriots quarterback, following the deflategate scandal. ♪

>> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy... >> this is another significant development...

>> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live... hello again, you are watching al jazeera. here is a quick reminder of the top stories. russian's foreign minister has confirmed that russia is supplying military support and humanitarian aid to the syrian government. pictures show russian fighters supporting syrian forces. at least two people are missing and more than tens of thousands are stranded after

landslides in plan. it has lead to radioactive water leaking from the fukushima nuclear plant. hungary says it is declaring a state of crisis as refugees continue to make their way into the country. it will go into effect on september 15th. austria is also overwhelmed. italy is one of the first places refugees land in europe when they made it across the med tarn, and efforts to support the new arrivals there are made more difficult, because many are from african nations. they are not fleeing conflict, and not likely to be granted refugee status. >> reporter: the most of the 120,000 who have arrived in italy by sea, this dock has been where they made their first steps in europe.

but for days the port has been quiet. bad weather has prevented the boats from attempting the crossing. those wanting to move on through italy don't linger here for registration if they don't have to. those who are here, are mainly waiting for verdict on their ally sum applications. a process who can take many months. or for this man who arrived 15 years ago, and now works for a currier company, he has remained here to make a better life. >> translator: if you want to help africans and stop some of them coming to europe, and avoid economic migrants getting mixed up with refugees, then you have to satisfy their needs at home. >> reporter: this is the refugee center, nearly 3,000 live here waiting for applications to be processed as well as redistributing refugees away

from strained countries like italy, the plan is to set up hot spots like this to speed the process. >> translator: of course there have been inefficiencies by the police, but italy has been left alone. since the tragedy in april in which 800 died at sea, and after the picture of the young boy on the beach, something changed, now the italian police is ready to do its job in a better way. >> reporter: catania was hardly a rich town in a poor part of italy. the plan is now aimed at relieving some of the pressure on places like this, but they are just plans. what nobody disputes that this lull in numbers has been entirely temporary, based on the weather. the interior ministry says 20,000 can be expected to come here in the next few weeks,

whether italy and europe are ready or not. more border crossings between venezuela and colombia have been closed. the standingoff between the neighbors began three weeks ago. venezuela began a crackdown on smuggling, and started deporting colombians they said were living in the country illegally. >> reporter: this was the last major border crossing still opened between venezuela and colombia. that has changed on tuesday when the president ordered the closure of this crossing between the popular state in venezuela and here in colombia. behind me you can see mr. venezuelans also trying to go back to their country. they have been waiting for hours to do so. now for days, there haven't been many deportations of colombians from venezuela, but colombians continue to move back to their

country of origin, essentially saying that they fear reprisal in venezuela because the government is blaming them for the chronic shortages in the country. the new closure also seems to have closed the door on the possibility at least for now of a meeting between the two presidents, and on wednesday the colombian president had some of the hardest words yet against the venezuelan government. >> translator: the revolution is self destroying. it is destroying itself because of its resolve, not because of colombian, nor the colombian president. >> reporter: no easy solution to end the economic consequences will continue to be harsh for the people living here, who are used to moving freely through these borders. in the u.s. a judge has ruled that the trials of six police officers charged in the death of a black man will take place in baltimore.

freddy gray died in april after suffering a spinal injury as he was being driven in a police van. hups of people gathered outside of the courthouse for the pretrial hearing. a judge in zambia has seen the level of a reservoir drop to the lowest point in years. and communities around the lake are suffering. >> reporter: the golden shores and waters of this lake, for local communities, the lake is part of their every day life. it's dam provides zambia with thousands of megawatts of hydro power. >> the cycle normally is that in february, the lake gets to its minimum, and then begins to rise, but in february the lake didn't rise. it just stabilized and instead of coming up, it kept going

down. so we have lost probably another two or three meters since the beginning of this year. >> reporter: steve thompson has owned this lodge for 12 years. he says only once before has he seen the lake so low. >> in the lake gets too low, then they will not be able to generate power, which will affect the whole of zambia. and that's the big issue. >> reporter: the dam is just under 40% full, impacting the hydro plant's ability to generate power. >> south africa has its own issues and challenges with regard to electricity supply, so it's been importing some power, and in the short-term no quick fix. structurally they have challenges with regards to the electricity sector, and that will take time to resolve.

>> reporter: the power companies have introduced nationwide power cuts and rationing. the demand for electricity continues to grow, and businesses and residents here rely on its waters to keep things going. >> reporter: local businessman says without electricity, his print shop will come to a stand still, but his worries don't end there. at home he quickly collects water before the supply is cut for the day. >> [ inaudible ] that's all we can say about the [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: for paul and this community there are few things more valuable than this water. they say without it, life would be impossible. students at india's top film institute have begun a hunger strike escalating their protests against the appointment of a new

chairman. they have boycotted classes over what they say is a political app point. . faiz jamil has more from western india. >> reporter: it's day one for these students on a hunger strike, but all of the students here at the film and television institute of india have been protesting for months. you can see what they have set up here. many of them even braving the elements in the day and nighttime to get attention to their cause. what they are protesting is the appointment of the chairman of the ftii. they say he is just a minor actor and lax the qualification and prestige to lead one of india's top institutions and that his appointment is more based on politics given his proximity to the central government. the government says he is completely qualified and refuse to hear out the students. the students here, though, say they won't let up. they have been marking the days

that they have been missing classes higher, and there have been many days of loud rallies or other days of silent protests. some have even been arrested by the police. but they say they won't give up, and today's protest and now the hunger strike is just the next step of their protest to have him removed. the venice film festival is the world's oldest but is having to embrace new technology in order to survive. online video streaming sites are now offering other ways for people to watch movies. >> reporter: the venice film festival has had a sinking feeling that cinema is dying. but this year they are riding the wave of change welcoming films from the online streaming site, netflix. their first-ever feature film is the harrowing tail of a child

soldier. and it's a strong contender for a prize. >> mark this victory! >> reporter: the other a documentary charting change in ukraine. when released the films will scream in cinemas and online in the same day. but netflix's move into the film business is controversial. some u.s. cinema chains have accused to play the film, accusing the company of stealing their audience and destroying the industry. >> when i see young people with two sets of head phones watching a movie, it gets me upset because i think they are missing something that is very important integral of what the film experience is. >> reporter: here they know the way people watch films is changing, and they don't want to be left behind.

and crowd funding is revolutionizing the way fall are financed. this film from award winning director was part paid for by fans. >> we want to make anomalies without the interference of the big studio process. >> reporter: the producer says it provides endless possibiliti possibilities. >> we asked for 200,000, and we ended up are 406. it was a miracle for us. and we chose this, because charlie has a specific vision, and it's our job to protect these guys, their stories and ideas and dreams for the project. >> reporter: so the feature is one when audiences choose when and where they see movies and even dictate if they get made at all. film and art critic richard fit williams joins me live from

london. it seems like you and me might get more involved in the production of movies. >> very much so. this is a question of the consumer calling the shots. i think even a few years ago, we would have been amazed the world's oldest film festival would be showing films linked to the distribution of netflix. but big names, harvey weinstein, imax are behind it, and the chains boycotting it. it's a seismic departure from what we are used to. >> do you think it is good? >> i think it is a desperately sad departure. >> why? >> well, if you want to see a film, appreciate it, cinema after all is part of the world of dreams, you need to see the film, not at home with perhaps noisy children or visitors or

the like, but you need to see it in the cinema. and the most crazy thing live, so have a blockbuster, a star wars type movie, and you can stream it at home and walk in and out of the room. movies are special and should be shown in a special way. the window between these distribution and the fact you can get them on dvd is shrinking. >> you like me are used to seeing it in cinemas. >> i know -- >> maybe this is the way to go? >> this is one of the ways things are going. i have to confess that. you have big names like jeffery cats'emberg was saying this is the way things are moving, but that doesn't mean necessarily that the cinema experience will remain as unique as it has.

if you just see it at home, there is a certain amount of excitement. that might mean you do watch it as opposed to not then you subscribe. but the cashe of seeing a film in the theater could remain. but if the cinema chains are going to fight for this, there is going to be a lot of blood spilled in hollywood and other countries. >> what do you think will be next? >> well, in the past i went from 3-d to sin that are ma there was were changes. there will be no piracy, but some form of satellite beaming you the cinema, perhaps a film in some unorthodox way. as the film comes more into your home, i would hope films come more into people's lives, because i believe they have got

important messages, but that usually can't be absorbed in a movie house in a wide screen. sam quipped a wide screen makes a bad film twice as bad, but we get the opportunity to see and judge as we should in the cinema first, but what will happen? a battle is going to happen. >> from your lips, richard, thank you very much. >> thank you. still ahead, could these be the remains of one of our ancestors. scientists make a startling discovery in south africa. the australian woman's football team pull out of a lucrative tour to the united states just days ahead of their first match. we'll tell you why in a moment.

hello again. scientists have discovered a new human like species that may have lived about 3 million years ago. they say it will reshape our understanding of how humans developed. >> reporter: it was unveiled in front of the world's leading scientists and media. this is one of our earliest relatives, a new species of primitive hominid. >> it walks on two legs like i do, the feet are like you and i, your and mine. but if it was standing next to us right now, you would not think it was a human.

it would have a tiny head the size of my fist. the tissue would be small and primitive, and have high shoulders like an ape. >> reporter: the fossils at a unesco world heritage site in south africa. there are 15 partial skeletons. but what is more significant is what it legals you about he behavior. scientists say the remains were put there deliberately suggesting a burial ritual that's something until now scientists thought only we did. >> we don't see any evidence of symbolic behavior, but the emotional and social basis, some recognition that a dead member of their own group, their own species a special in some way, that seems to be what we're seeing here. it's in some ways maybe one of

the first steps towards humanity. >> reporter: it's revolutionary in other ways too. common things was the early hominid's brain grew bigger before or at the same time as their body became more like ours, but in this it's the other ways. it could have emerged around 2.8 million years ago, and it could have walked the earth as recently as a hundred thousand years ago. south africa's deputy president was clearly as delighted as the scientists. it confirms south africa as one of the world's richest sources of answer to one of our greatest mysteries, where and from whom did he come? sports news now. >> thank you. it's women's semifinal day at the u.s. open. serena williams will take on her

opponent soon. and roger federer is close to ending his three-year grand slam drought. >> reporter: roger federer hasn't dropped a set at this year's u.s. open so far, and against this frenchman he was again barely challenged. the swiss showed off all of the qualities that have listed him to 17 grand slams, prevailing in just 87 minutes. at 34 years of age, even federer is surprised by the ease of his victories. >> at my age to run through five opponents, is considered abnormal. so in some ways for myself to come out and play well -- and i have played so well over the last one and a half years, i don't feel like i'm as old as i

am. >> reporter: his 38th grand slam semifinal will be an all swiss affair. his opponent was just as dominate beating kevin anderson. he has beaten federer just one time in the last three meetings. >> i think about two years for sure. i get closer to him. my level improved a lot, i'm playing better tennis, so i was always really close to him. >> reporter: with romanian's best known gymnast for support, this player secured another piece of history for her country. despite a 90-minute rain delay, she beat her opponent in three sets to book her first semifinal appearance at flushing meadows. she's play on thursday for a

place in the final, this player getting the better of patrick. confirmation of thursday's order of play, serena williams is on first. she has won all four of their previous matches. now the head of football federation strayia has confirmed the women's national side won't be taking part in a tour to the u.s. with the continued strike. at the moment they receive just under $15,000 a year. australia were due to play two matches against the united states later this month with 60,000 tickets already sold. so they are looking for an increase to around $28,000 u.s. a year. as i said the annual salary at a

moment is $15,000. that breaks down to a daily wage of $106. and $350 per game. during tournaments, the team are given an extra payment of $880 for reaching the semifinals, and if they reach the finals that figure would go up again to $1,100. >> what happened today was quite extraordinary, because effectively we have been told, and we were told this earlier in the week, that unless we meet our wage claim for some $120 million, the bulk of which will go to male professional players in the next [ inaudible ] period, unless we agree that, then they would not be participating against the usa. staying with football, malaysia's sports minister has labeled the crowd trouble at the world cup qualifier as an international embarrassment.

the match at the stadium was called off just before full-time after local fans launched flairs and fireworks from the stands. players from both teams fled the pitch. the match was abandoned and reports on the incident sent to fifa by the match commissioner. >> translator: the matter is based on provision under the sports development act. it empowers the sports commissioner to instruct anyone to reveal any information. we already requested a full report on the incident that happened on september 8th to be presented in 14 days. the 50th season of the nfl gets underway later. the new england patriots p pak -- taking on the steelers. that man the nfl commissioner

originally banned patriot's quarterback for four games, but that was overturned by a judge last week. >> i'm excited to -- i'll be excited to run out there thursday night. it has obviously been a long seven months for everybody, but i think now the goal is to focus on what my job is, and what i need to go out there and do to help our team win. a sports site is claiming floyd mayweather was given an exception after taking a banned substance ahead of the fight with mani pacquiao. he is aiming for an 49th win. in contrast to mayweather's last fight, ticket sales have been

slow, with thousands still available. >> i'm pushing myself. i believe in my skills and my talent, and i have been in there with the best, and the result is always the same. an iranian dressage rider has the chance to make history on friday. she will be competing in the rio 2016 qualifying event in germany. if she reaches the rooired standards, she'll become iran's first representative in the sport at the olympic games, as well as becoming the first woman from the middle east to compete in dressage. she is based in the u.k. but says she receives plenty of support from the iranian government. >> i'm so happy. i'm so happy to ride for my country, iran, which has always been my dream, and for now living my dream, it's incredible, but i'm also pleased to be representing women in

iran, not only iran, but the middle east, and it's a great feeling. after 11 years on tour, veteran surfer has announced his immediate requirement. bizarrely he did this just moments after posting a perfect score of ten on wednesday. he made his announcement straight afterwards, saying he would take no further part in this event or the tour for the rest of the season. one man not quicking is the australian who continued his strong return to the water after fighting off a great white shark in south africa. for more check out websi website -- aljazeera.com/sport. >> it takes a brave man to go back to the water after that. >> absolutely. >> london is up next with

felicity barr. thanks for watching.

russia confirms it is sending military supplies to president assad's forces in syria. the u.s. warns of the risk of a confrontation. ♪ hello there, i'm felicity barr. also coming up, authorities struggle to retain control of europe's refugee crisis continues to worsen. one hundred thousand people forced from their homes in