>> thursday's crush, and the death toll rises. >> hello, from al jazeera's headquarters in doha. also ahead, u.s. train syrian rebels hand over equipment to a group linked to al-qaeda. pope francis has arrived in philadelphia for the final leg of his six-day trip to the united states. and what lies beneath, how scientists are trying to find out about the true state of the

world's oceans. >> saudi arabia said that the death toll from wednesday's hajj has risen 769, another 934 that were wounded. the country's house minister announced the new toll in the last hour. officials are still trying to identify the nationalities of some of those who were killed. saudi arabia's king has ordered a review on how the hajj is organized. some pilgrims have blamed the stampede on road closures and poor management. the country's most senior religious scholar said that the stampede was beyond human control. let's go straight to our correspondent. what was the update from that?

>> well, during the press conference, the saudi membersh membershipster said that the final number of the dead has risen to 769 dead and 954 injured. and the fact that he said this is the final death toll means that--it could mean, rather, that the condition of those injured is stable. he went on talking about the logistics and saying it was a big challenge for them. more than 2 million gathering in a small geographical area. and poses a great challenge for any country. he did say that there were no registered respiratory disease. no one has registered during the hajj. less than 500,000 people went to

hospital and medical centers in the kingdom during the pilgrimage. he went on to say that they did all that they could, and provided the best of their abilities, their medical teams and efforts to make the hajj season in terms of the health, successful for the pilgrims. >> from what you were saying there he was talking in very practical terms. did he make any reference to what the senior scholar had said earlier saying that the stampede was beyond human control? >> absolutely not. he didn't--the only reference he mentioned was in regards to the stampede when he made the numbers--grand mufti.

and he said that the country or rather the officials in saudi arabia are not to blame. simply because they did what they could, and in terms of using their ability. he did--i think this is interesting. he did say that the kingdom of saudi arabia had a lot of people for its religious priority for its economy, and for the unity and the blessing that it has. that's why it's at the center of people at a place where it forces people, this is in reference to the criticism that triggered after the stampede to work saudi arabia and full management and. >> following what the grand mufti said, many people in the west would not accept that plain

and simple. they would be asking lots of questions. put it in context for us. is this generally accepted within the muslim community? >> well, the muslim community is more than 1.5 billion people. it depends on who you speak to. in terms of the pilgrims here in saudi arabia, i spoke with several pilgrims after the stampede. there is division how you get mixed views within the pilgrims themselves. some say that saudi arabia is doing what it can, and the fact that they are progressing and developing the hajj from a season to another season proves that--for example, they have the expansion of the mosque to allow more people in. and the context where they made it bigger, a five-story building including a ground floor.

they would give you an example of that. now the other side, they're saying that the kingdom is oil-rich and it is their moral and religious duty to do their best to make the hajj very simple for the pilgrims. now you have mixed views. now a third will blame it on the uneducated and lack of awareness on the him grips themselves. going in the wrong direction, not following instructions, and sometimes it leads to these tragedies. it's not black and white. i think both the pilgrims shared the responsibility of making hajj season without tragedy. >> the pentagon admitted that

u.s.-trained fight necessary syria have handed over equipment to a rebel group linked with al-qaeda. they surrendered 25% of their u.s. issues pick up trucks and ammunition to al nusra front, which washington regards as a terrorist organization. the equipment is part of a $500 million program aimed as training rebels each year to fight the syrian regime. in july the first group of 54 u.s. trained fighters were attacked. the second group of 70 fighters were sent into syria last week. well, professor of international relations at the london school of economics. he said this is a big embarras embarrassment. >> this is not about the quality or the quantity of the weapons. it's about the symbolism, it is about the embarrassment for the

obama administration. it exposes the business failure of one major league element of barack obama. it shows that al nusra front is one of the most powerful factions inside syria. it exposes the weakness of the army, the al nusra front, as well as isis and so-called islamic state. all in all, it's not a good day either for the obama administration or the moderate opposition inside syria. russia has been saying that the u.s.-led coalition against isis is not effective, it is not working. now obama and putin are meeting in the next few days in new york. this goes to show that the barack obama does not really have a strategy for syria. this is really the final nail in the coffin of the narrative of barack obama and syria.

>> the pope will land in philadelphia for the final part of his u.s. tour. he'll meet with victims of child abuse. he's also expected to deliver speeches regarding immigrants and the most vulnerable in society. we're live in philadelphia. we can see that there are crowds behind you. obviously this is going to be one of the venues waiting for pope francis. where exactly are you? >> we are outside the cathedral of st. peter and paul, the largest catholic church in the state of pennsylvania. we're expecting the pope to arrive here in just a few minutes to preside over a mass which will be done in latin, spanish, and english. and he will give a homily speech from the author in spanish. what you see here is a ponoply of people. i see people from poland,

indonesia, nigeria, so you can see that to the universal appeal of the pope is evidence even here in the united states. and many of these families live here, but some have come to attend this conference. and i might say this is a huge internet taking for the archdiocese in the city of philadelphia. just a few years ago this archdiocese was beset by many of the problems that the church faces. there were criminal indictments against members of the clergy for abuse. there were financial irregularities, deep debt, schools were closing, and embezzling $1 million, those were the challenges that they had. now they've been able to raise the $45 million to put together this occasion. and this is the official reason why the pope is in the united states in the first place. later today he'll be speaking

from the--from a lecturn that was used by abraham lincoln further down from here, and he will speak again and again. he'll be highlighting the past, present and future of hispanic communities, both in the united states and in the rest of the americas. so you can see that the. cast that the pope has pre-presented over this event is very, very exclusive. >> he's also going to an event later in the evening, i understand. so a very long day for the pope. he's going to be speaking at benjamin franklin parkway. >> this is benjamin franklin parkway right here. at the other end is independence hall where the declaration of independence was signed more than 200 years ago, and the u.s. constitution was put together. the events this evening, this will be a really festive occasion.

that's where you see the huge crowds with a concert highlighted by the italian tenor. also the colombian rock star juanez. the pope will be ready to enjoy that event as well. >> yes, going out on a high note. thank you very much, tom ackerman watching events with pope francis in philadelphia. thank you. well, still to come on the program, why iraq's while defeating isil is stalling. plus a symbol of identity. displaying interests of a boat that will take the region a step closer to splitting from spain.

>> the top stories on al jazeera. saudi arabia said that the death toll from the stampede at hajj has raise on it 7 of the. another 934 were injured. officials are still trying to identify all of the nationalities of those who were killed. the pentagon has a admitted that an u.s.-trained syrian rebel group has surrendered u.s.

equipment. pope francis arrived in philadelphia from new york for the final part of his six-day u.s. tour. he's going to be delivering speeches on immigrants. he'll also meet victims of abuse. bringing national unity and defeatist, bu defeat isil. >> seven weeks ago iraq's prime minister announced the battle to retake ma ready di city from isil fighters. security forces still have not taken the capital of anbar province. also in that time a crucial piece of potential legislation designed to unite iraq's militias and army with the hope of defeating isil has stalled. the spokesman of the shia militia said that the proposed national guard law at this stage is ineffective and will destroy

iraq and not united. >> we want an elitist force to answer to the prime minister. we havwe don't want an elitist force to divide iraq. >> if the bill is passed in its current form, it could lead to the division of the army bisect and by province. >> there are several signs of iraqi unity, but there is a very real near that the national guard law could mean that a kurdish, sunni and shia army that could potentially face each other. there are also political problems with this as well. sunni politicians say that the shia militia are opposed to the law because the militias want to take over the army. others are skeptical that the national guard law will be discussed over the next session

of parliament because of the political positions of the various parties. >> the law promote sectarian divisions. if these differences continue, it might lead to a political clash in parliament. >> isil fighters are taking advantage every iraq's political differences and have held on to territory for over a year now. the syrian conflict and the chaos if is causing in the region also benefits group. iraqi politicians know that isil needs to be defeated, but they're divided on how to achieve that. al jazeera, baghdad. >> well,age alleged member of the m 13 armed group is to be prosecuted for destroying the buildings in timbuktu. the city in northern mali is listed a as an unesco heritage

site. it is the first time that th they will here a case of crime. >> they're destruction of the historical monument. they're about the identity of the entire population and their historic rules. >> the inhabitants of northern mali deserve to see justice done. >> well, the leaders are pledging to irradicate poverty in 15 years. this is one of several goals adopted at the united nations on

friday. it is now called sustainable government goals. one in nine people around the world are going hungry. that's 795 million people. it wants to end poverty and push for food security. 100million youngsters cannot read or write, and more than 60% of them are girls. one in five don't have access to modern forms of electricity. the u.n. wants access to affordable and sustainable energy supplies for all. another goal is to preserve the world's oceans, but that's hard to do when carbon dioxide from fossil fuels seep in the sea making it difficult for marine life. scientists are trying to work

out what the long-term impact will be. from here they led to discover new lands from australia to america. the fishing boats still come and go, but what they bring to market is changing. >> these days they're exploring what lies beneath. week in, week out, fair weather or foul. the team monitor the waters of southwest england and feed the results into a global network of data. to get a grip on what is happening in the world's ocean,

scientists must understand the difference between natural change and change brought on by humans. to achieve that, it takes long-term consistent observation. these waters have been monday forked for more than 100 years. temperature change, planktin levels, and now species. >> we are measuring the sea bed and life and we're looking at how things change naturally and how they might change with climate change. >> a crew conducts a maintenance check and monitoring ocean conditions. it takes data below and above the surface every hour. >> i think over 100 years we've noticed there have been

.8 degrees sent grad .8 degrees grade temperature rise it allows us to look at the end. >> it allows them to look at what the effects are for the future. >> if it's dealing with the energy, there is less for growth and reproduction. that will effect its success into the long term, and also the success for generations to follow. >> the work being done by laboratories like this across the world may not provide a solution with climate change, but at least it will help us to come to grips with what lies ahead. >> banning the sell of

volkswagen cars, the latest development in a scanda in a scandal. 11million cars contain the software that enables the trick of the emissions scan. preparations are under way for catalonia's regional election on sunday. the vote is seen as a referendum on independence. catalonia's president said that he's proposing a former split from spain, but the government backed by government institutions is warning of dire economic consequences if catalonia decides to split. we have reports now from the region's capital barcelona. >> the culture of catalonia, distinct from the rest of spain, suppressed during decades of dictatorship, it's a region that still feels its voice is often

ignored by madrid. will sunday's regional election seen as a referendum on independence change all that? >> i will be voting yes. i think it's a great opportunity for us to be heard. >> the spanish state has thrown its full weight behind the opposition warning of the dire consequences of catalonia independence, possible expulsion from the euro and the european union. >> we don't want to leave the european union. we want our pensions to be guaranteed, and we want a future for our children. >> the industrial power, tourists, the hot spotters accounting for a fifth of spain's gross domestic product. theis catalonia rich enough to

survive as an independent state? >> would stain be able to bring heavy costs for the break up? yes, the answer is yes. that would not be great for spain either because it has a lot of debt that would have hard times watt catalonia's contribution. >> if catalonia does become an independent state, then maybe this will be its army. in red and blue, the football club has a place where for years the banned catalan language was freely spoken safe from general franco's police. when barcelona play here at their home ground, the fans go wild. they scream for their idols like lionel messi. but something else helps.

they boo the spanish national anthem. and they cry for independence. the spanish football federation say that barcelona may be banned from the national league, la liga. another scare tactic, perhaps, or an added layer of acrimony between two increasingly distant sides. >> china and the united states have agreed to fight corruption and terrorism. u.s. president barack obama has been holding talks with his chinese counterpart xi jinping. mr. obama said that they also had candid discussion abouts beijing's territorial disputes in the south china sea. the under world of yakuza

game and the strength and influence crime croup that used to dominate japanese society. rob mcbride reports. >> in the shadowy world of the yakuza, it threatens to be the biggest upheaval in years, and it centers on this man. the boss japan's biggest crime syndicate seen here being released from prison several years ago. unhappy with the way he's running the organization, it is reported that a rival faction has broken away. this writer has studied the gang for more than 40 years. the fear is that it could have an impact on other groups given the fractious nature of the yakuza under world right now. >> the yakuza's influence on politics and the economy has

been diminishing. this has been happening in this kind of climate, and there is a danger that it could lead to a turf war between the gangs. >> part of the problem is the link between organized crime and the economy. the yakuza's heyday was in the bubble years of the 1980s. in leaner years times are tough with the number of members falling to an all-time low of less than 60,000. and they're designing to make things tougher. any companies found doing business with organized crime business face being prosecuted and publicly named. this is part of a countrywide attempt by law enforcement to crackdown on the gangs. but they've seen such efforts come and go. >> the police say they're going to destroy them since 1965. but the fact that they exist

shows how sloppy their methods are. >> and despite the yakuza's current problems, it also shows that they have a knack for survival. rob mcbride, tokyo. >> we have plenty of our top stories at www.aljazeera.com. >> the science of fighting a wild fire. >> we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity but we're doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science, by scientists. tonight: trash. it's everywhere. >> what's the out put of this facility? >> landfills overflowing. >> it just smells so bad. >> but some of our trash ... ... could be recycled. >> why isn't it be