announcer: this is al jazeera. hello, welcome to the newshour. live from hour headquarters in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes - an air strike in the afghan city of kunduz hits a hospital killing nine staff. the u.s. military may be to blame. multiple bomb blasts rock the outskirts of abuja day four of raids inside syria - russia says it has undertaken 24 air strikes, it's

come under criticism. >> an attempt by russia and iran to prop up bashar al-assad and try to pacify the population just has them stuck in a quagmire. the aid group doctors without borders says it condemn in the strongest possible terms what it describes as the horrific bombing of the hospital in kuned us. this is in -- doned us. this is in northern afghanistan. nine people have been killed. the aid group insists that it had provided hospital coordinates to afghan forces in advance. victoria gatenby reports.

>> reporter: this is what is left of the doctors without borders trauma center in kunduz. staff say the hospital was hit several times during a sustained bombing attack. the air strikes started at 2 o'clock in the morning, local time, when most of the hospitals' patients, more than 100 patients, would have been asleep. u.s. forces conducted an air afghan government forces backed by u.s. air strikes and n.a.t.o. special forces have been fighting to regain control of the northern city from taliban fighters. . >> they came under attack. all were killed. we lost some doctors. we'll do everything to make sure doctors are safe. doctors without borders said in a statement:

afghan government forces backed by u.s. air strikes and other forcers fought to regain control of the city. the loss of kunduz was one of the biggest military victories achieved by talibanle fighters since 2001. thursday, the afghan army said it had retaken the strategic city. the taliban claimed that is not the case. they withdrew to other provinces before a counter attack. aid workers fear many more civilians will be killed or injured. >> translation: i live in kunduz province, there are injured people in the street. i urge both sides, the taliban and the government to stop the fighting to the wounded can be

taken to hospital and be treated. the doctors without borders is the only specialist trauma center in north-eastern afghanistan. the damage caused by a bombing attack is a blow to people who rely on the free life-saving treatment that the hospital provides we are joined live from kunduz province, the bombing of the hospital is proof of how civilians bear the pursuant of fighting between the taliban and the afghan government forces. >> it is heavy fighting, brutal heavy fighting is going on in the city of kunduz. civilians seem to be the biggest victim of this war. the residents of kunduz city saying the taliban told them to leave. but only those people that can afford to leave, have the money for it. because rent from kunduz city is

very, very expensive. let me step out of the shot. it's the main highway. there's one dreads of family. we see children that they are leaving. it is very, very dramatic scene here in northern afghanistan. >> so if people are bility leave the city. want those that are not. how are they coping with the fighting? >> only those people could leave. many people have problem with a shortage of food, no electricity, no water, heavy bombardment by n.a.t.o. and taliban and afghan government use artillery. many call us, telling us that they cannot take the injured or dead body to the hospital,

moving in kunduz city is almost impossible. people are stuck in between. people lost their faith on the afghan security forces. now they are telling us that 7,000 cannot re take the city. it will by shocking for them to take it, the taliban would not be able to take another. >> why has it been so difficult for the afghan government forces backed by n.a.t.o. to drive out the taliban. why is the battle so tough for them? >> kunduz city, a small city. surrounded by the residential area. the government is telling us the reason why they cannot retake it. the main reason there's a lack of leadership and coordination between the security forces. other reason they say that the taliban are hiding in a residential area. we cannot go after them, because

we are afraid of civilian casualty. whatever the reason is. it continues with this type of fighting. civilians pay the price. we hear that hundreds of dead body and injured of civilian are laying in the streets, in their homes. they cannot take them to the hospital. >> thank you very much for that update. live from northern afghanistan in other world news, three bombs exploded on the outskirts of the nigerian capital abuja. 15 have been killed. these are the first attacks close to the capital city in over a year. our correspond sent this update from the scene of one of the blasts. >> as you can see, behind me, forensic experts are trying to work on what happened exactly last night. they've been on it since last night when the attack happened. we were told it was a suicide bomber that detonated the

defies, and another device a few hundred from where i'm standing. now we are in the midst of bits and pieces of human tissue, bones, fragments, and properties destroyed by the blast. officially we were told that at least 15 people died in the two blasts or three on the outskirts of abuja. a few others here. two other people in the area. called - which i have seen several bomb attacks by boko haram. the last one is in may 2014, about 18 months ago. when 90 3r killed in this attack. >> we have forensic experts, the nigeria army, and police and security agents are here trying to sift through what happened. >> now, to south sudan. a number. of states will almost triple.

president salva kiir announced new space increasing the number from 10 to 28. the opposition leader accused the president of violating the peace agreement. >> let's bring in our correspondent. what does it mean exactly. what does it mean. how will it affect the peace process? >> well, that's the big question at the moment. the first thing from riek machar's perspective is under the terms of the peace deal signed in august, he was to gain political control of three states, unity, upper nile and junckerly state. if we have 28 instead of 10. two of the key states no longer exist. it leaves one for the opposition. juncker lace state. and it will be smaller.

i imagine the opposition will be upset. and i know they called for an urgent meeting. this is an announcement that took many by surprise. >> what is likely to happen next then? >> that's another good question. all at the moment is quiet. there are reports of disturbance elsewhere. president salva kiir is working to apiece some supporters. while the opposition has been upset. this is disgruntled. they will fall under the opposition, rather than the government they have been loyal to. he's made some of his own supporters happier. at the expense of the opposition. >> that report from juba. >> 39 civilians, and 14 fighters

have been killed in four days of russian air strikes, according to the syrian observatory for human rights. the kremlin said it targeted nine i.s.i.l. positions, including raqqa province. >> the russian defence ministry says it is destroying nil command and control centers. >> to avoid hitting civilian arguments. the russians only hit after targets are verified. >> the syrian opposition tells a different story. civilians and armed groups have been targeted. and the aerial campaign is part of preparations to launch a ground counteroffensive to recapture lost territory. >> translation: air strikes could affect the opposition, not much. the syrian government has hit the north for months.

it didn't stop the rebels. now there's information of a possible land grab. >> looking at the air strikes, it concentrated on front-round areas, surrounding the president's heart land. one target, an area captured by opposition forces. it was a stronghold in idlib. it's not only close, but also an important hub for sending government reinforcements to the province. further east, the planes in the countryside have been a battle ground. here the government struggled to maintain a grip on a legion leading to the sea, and the northern countryside of homs, it's a last rebel stronghold between damascus, and the west of the country. the kremlin made it clear, saying the aim of the air strikes is to help the syrian arm forces in their week spots.

the syrian opposition believes that is what the russian military is doing. it's not clear if they'll change the balance of power on the ground. if it is not accompanied by a ground operation. but there are those that believe the west, including the united states is quietly supporting russia's actions. >> washington doesn't want to end the war. the situation is more complicated. the west is colluding with russia, what is happening now is effort to end the revolution. >> russia's intervention could give the government an advantage. they believe that's the objective, using military force. whereby bashar al-assad could negotiate a settlement from a position of strength. >> u.s. president obama says his country will not be drawn into a proxy war with russia. air strikes are strengthening

i.s.i.l. and driving groups into hiding. the best way tore peace is for syrian president bashar al-assad to step down. >> mr voout rein had to go into -- vladimir putin had though go into syria demonstrate out of stringth, but out of weakness. because his client. mr bashar al-assad, was crumbling and it was insufficient for him simply to send arms and money. now he's got to put in his own planes and his own pilots. and the notion that he put forward a plan and that somehow the international community see it as viable because there's a vacuum there, i didn't see after vacuum there, i didn't see after he made the speech in the united nations, the 60 nation coalition that we have, lining up behind him. iran and bashar al-assad make up vladimir putin's coalition at the moment.

the rest of the world make ours. the top-line message i want everyone to understand is we are going to continue to go after i.s.i.l., we are going to continue to reach out to a moderate opposition. we rejected russia's theory that everybody opposed to bashar al-assad is a terrorist. we think it's self-defeating. it will get them into a quagmire. it will be used as a further recruitment tool for foreign fighters. we are joined by a syrian academic writer and analyst at the doha institute. strong language from president obama, who said russia's strategy in syria is a recipe for das is is -- disaster. we have heard this before. what can they do realistically about russia's bombing campaign.

>> i think they won't do anything about it, except for condemnation, and make strong verbal language against that. this is what they understood. here, where vladimir putin act with impunity and in ukraine they imposed tough sanctions. here, in syria, it's a bit different, and the americans have from the beginning shown a lack of interest in the syrian conflict, and the russians understand that well. this is why they tried now, with the military intervention, with a different agenda from what the americans... >> what is the russian agenda, is it about keeping bashar al-assad in power. there are a few reasons for this

intervention. the first is to address the balance of power, which tilted in favour of the opposition, and that means... >> has it. which opposition? >> especially in the north. >> which opposition? >> i'm talking about a range of opposition groups. islamists and other groups. if you are talking about the free syrian army it doesn't exist. americans make the distinction between the moderate opposition and i.s.i.l. this is a major difference between the americans. russians don't see difference between the opposition. you put all of them in one impact, and all are terrorists, and we have to deal with them the same way we did with i.s.i.l. ru russians came in.

number one, and russians are concerned about their own citizens that are fighting. besides i.s.i.l. reason number three is syria has become very much like a strategic except for the russians. we can use it in order to project their status as a super bowl in the arena. because we don't except americans can do much. >> you spoke about marwan. the political talks. russia's intervention, russia entering this conflict now, militarily, where does this leave the peace plan for syria. on friday we heard the syrian foreign minister say that that they now want to participate in the initiative. today we have the opposition and

rebels. the peace plan is not going to work any more. where does it leave. can they be a split solution. the first -- political solution. the first one sees that it is a geneva process. there's no political talks, it has contributed to strengthening the position of the regime. it's refusing to talk to the opposition in a substantial way. >> now they want to talk to the opposition. the other view is - says, no, that the intervention would make the russians have more leverage to put pressure on the regime in order to force the compromise. let's see over the next few weeks how things work out. would that save the political process, or would that contribute to ending the political process. >> do you think it will end the

political process. this makes bashar al-assad more difficult to bring him to the table in negotiation in my opinion. if he managed to score heavily or weaken the opposition, it makes the resumption more difficult. >> good to hear your thoughts on this. >> thank you now, kurdish forces in iraq. they have made gains in an offensive. they will retake the town in the northern province, it is held by i.s.i.l. imran khan reports. >> the peshmerga stand confidently for the cameras, beginning their strikes on the outskirts of the village and surround the town. in many ways this phase is the most simple. i.s.i.l. fighters largely abandoned the villages, and they fall to the peshmerga, this is

the head of the government, travelling to the front line to visit the troops. these territories were under i.s.i.l. control. now they are back in our hands. due to our well organized plan. >> well organised this plan might be, but they know from experience i.s.i.l. knows how to use urban areas. the prime minister announced they'd be able to take ramadi in anbar province. that has not happen. i.s.i.l. do now how to use urban areas. it will be a change for the kurdish peshmerga forces. the peshmerga wait until they have sufficient territory to launch an attack on the town, some time in the next few weeks. >> stay with us on the al jazeera newshour. still ahead - a gunman who killed nine people at a college in oregon in the u.s. had 13 weapons, all purchased legally.

plus... ..a frantic search for the missing as 30 people die in a landslide in guatemala and the rugby world cup so-called group of death might deliver its first big casualtyie. we look ahead to england and australia, in a do or die clash later in sports. first in australia, a fatal shooting of a police employee by a teenager is treated as an act of terrorism. the 15-year-old gunned down a civilian worker. the boy of iraqi-kurdish descent was shot later by police. >> it is a shocking crime. it was a cold-blooded murder. targetting the new south wales police service. it was doubly shocking because it was perpetrated by a

15-year-old boy. and it underlines the importance of families, communities, leaders being very aware of whether young people are becoming radicalized. it is also important that - to remember that the australian muslim community will be especially appalled and shocked by this a picture is emerging of the nine lives cut short by thursday's shooting in a community college in the u.s. state of oregon. the victims ranged in age from 18 to 67, the eldest being a teacher. the six guns used by chris harper mercer, and others in his home were bought legally. the killings are the latest in a series of mass shootings across series of mass shootings across the country as alan fisher reports from roseburg. >> reporter: the president says mass shootings are becoming routine, this was a day like no other. the flags fly at half staff.

the event cancelled. after the horror, pain and questions. sara was in the room next door when the shooting started. >> i feel numb, honestly. a mix of exhaustion, and it's like denial. this really actually happened. >> the shooter has been named as chris harper mercer. at the scene we find six guns, plenty of ammunition, and a hate-filled note. the local sheriff refuses to use the killer's name. >> i continue to believe media that publicise his name will glorify his horrific actions. >> police are going through the 26-year-old's social media history, online posts and apartment and want to know what drove him to violence. it brought calls from the president down for a look at gun law us. >> this will not change until politics changes, and politics of officials changes. so the main thing i'm going to

do is talk about this. on a regular basis. and i will politicize it. >> it now joins tuscon, sandy hook and others where mass shootings took place, and were left scarred the number of dead from a landslide in guatemala rose to at least 30. as many as 600 people are missing in a town, south-east of the capital guatemala city. david mercer has more. >> what has been said by the, they have talked which the municipal authorities, as far backs as 2008, they told the municipal authorities that this neighbourhood in this town was in a high-risk town at the bottom of a steep regime. they have told the municipality that they shouldn't allow people

to build, and warned them that they are in a risk zone. now there are hundreds of thousands in the municipality who are living in similar areas. but right now, as i say, the focus is not on blaming anyone, but on trying to pull people, trying to pull survivors from the slide, and there's also a big effort made now to provide emergency relief, food and blankets let's get an update on the world weather. flooding in the americas. this time in south carolina. it's an odd-looking set up. a change of season back to fall. but the rain stalled in one place. it is a huge swathe at the eastern side of the u.s., and up through canada. it made a big change, dropping

temperatures and a vast amount of rain, and the bottom end is a hurricane. it may have a warm front. it's indicating more moisture as a result of that. it rains and rains and rains. >> and this is the picture. it's not hugely at the moment. at the moment i say, because the floods have been seen from south carolina up to north carolina to delaware and beyond that. it's not the end. with that is a feral breathe. some are taking advantage and still condition. this is been wandering around the bahamas. it has no drive. it is not going anywhere. it's a big storm. here it is. its current statement, 200 k/hr, and it looks likes it is forecast to go up beyond

bermuda. however, the rain will rain for the next two days. that's 400mm potentially. >> city ahead on the newshour, can kyrgyzstan change course and overcome deep-rooted corruption. >> i'm in central kenya, where this has been turned into an alcohol rehabilitation center. >> in sport they admit to having the worst area in their career as they get ready to face southampton.

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

welcome back, a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. nine people have been killed in an air strike, a hospital run by an aid agency: it gave the attack coordinates in advance to the u.s. forces, says doctors without borders. who are accused of carrying out the strike. >> three bombs exploded in abuja. 15 have been killed. these are the first attack, the hit near the city in over a year. 39 civilians and 14 fighters have been killed in four days of russian air strikes in syria, according to the syrian observatory for human rights. the kremlin says it targeted nine i.s.i.l. positions. including the main stronghold, raqqa province. syria's western backed opposition rejected a u.n. peace

plan saying it will not work in the current form. >> more on the top story, and the air strike on a hospital in kunduz city. let's speak to richard, the director of the center for military analysis at the hudson interview, joining us via skype from washington d.c. doctors without borders say it provided the coordinates to the u.s. special forces. was it a mistake? >> well, it is not a mistake. i recall in 1999 in the war on kosovo, a u.s. bomber attacked a tart. serbian arms office, when had turned out to be the chinese embassy, so the... >> apologies for that. we have lost our connection

there with richard. hopefully we'll get him back later to talk about this air strike on a hospital in northern afghanistan. >> in the meantime. let's move on to eastern ukraine, where the pro-russian rebels started by joining tanks. this was the latest attempt, leaders from france, russia germany to end the conflict. the withdrawal is in line with the minsk agreement reached in february. michael is the spokesman for the o.s.c.e. special monitoring people and said it will take a lot of political will to end the conflict. >> we are in a position to monitor the process. we have unmanned area vehicles or drones looking down on the situation. but i must say that we are now actually into week four of a

relative calm we have not seen before. the worst we have seen in terms of ceasefire violations are small arms fire, mostly at training ranges. that, indeed, is good news in a cannes flict that last -- conflict that lasted so many month. they have voiced a desire to tall sides devote their full commitment to this peace process. why because 8,000 deaths and 18,000 injured, is taking a toll germany is marking unification with celebrations. frankfurt takes the center stage with a special service attended by the chancellor, angela merkel. germany in 1990, less than a year, after thousands crossed from east to west, following the

fall of the berlin wall. >> voters in kyrgyzstan are heading to the polls. it's a big test five years after the revolution removed a government. kyrgyzstan introduced proportional representation. 14 parties are vying for a share of the seats in parliament. the ruling party is predicted to do well. it's up against the south-styled socialist leading party, and a party, all members of the shaky coalition government. corruption is the number one issue for voters, followed by closely by unemployment and rising energy prices. robin walker reports. >> reporter: when it comes to central asian democracy, this is as good as it gets. with 14 political parties contest, it's been a vibrant campaign in kyrgyzstan.

for such a plural society, the campaign has been short on messages of tolerance and diversity. harassment of minorities, like gays and lesbians. is commonplace. in this movie, patriotic movements force their way into a private home, intimidating those inside. the same groups backing a law enjoying cross party support. >> i meet a candidate that tells me there is no space for gay people. it is a major problem. some claim that they had homosexuality throughout the history. this is not true. under communize and the era of genghis khan, we had no homosexuality. >> this support group for sexual minorities had its own offices attacked. but is willing to speak out. >> look at the platforms, none

are talking about minorities, none are talking about nondiscrimination principles. >> ethnic minorities have been vulnerable or voiceless. the governing social democrats say they support diversity. >> there should be no discrimination against people. regardless of their religion, ethnicity or views, the law requires the state to ensure their safety and this is what the law says, we should treat people equally. >> ultimately concern for the struggling economy may be foremost on minds. the biggest issue that voters care about is problems facing the country, corruption and unemployment. as many as a million citizens, a fifth of the population will be in search of work. all the political parties are promising they can fix the problems. >> whoever wins the vote will

have to deliver on the promises. or risk marginalizing more than minorities. . >> now, hugh williamson is director of the european central asian gigs. and says kyrgyzstan's parliament has to set and agree on new goals. >> kyrgyzstan is setting high standards of human rights, rule of law, promoting democracy and we hope the elections tomorrow will go off peacefully and be declared free and fair. on the ground. on the other hand, kyrgyzstan needs to measure its own progress by its own progress, not by those of the human rights methods of its neighbours. discrimination is a major problem. against gay people, as your report highlighted, and against

ethnic minorities. the parties need to settle on key goals, and they include rejecting in parliament the propaganda laws, the law which is against lesbian and gay rights in the country, laws that will restrict civil society which exists in the country. >> this week al jazeera has been speaking to people across turkey soee how they'll vote in the election. >> the ruling a.k. party lost its majority for the first time, and a coalition has failed to be produced. we go and find out if teaming up with the c.h.p. opposition party - if it's a viable option. >> in turkey monuments to the country's founding father are everywhere. the secular left-leaning party created by atta turk never managed to take advantage of his

popularity. towns across the south like milas are strong holds of the ataturk people's party going by the acronym c.h.p. supporters know the party is accused of behaving as if it's entitled to power. >> translation: the c.h.p. vote is constant. i don't think they'll get more than 40%. it needs to become a party of the people. >> in june's election, the c.h.p. failed to capitalize with satisfaction on the ruling a.k. party. they secured 25% of the vote, about the same as in 2011. now, some of its supporters are frustrated that there'll be another poll. >> no party. no leaders, including the air support came to ask if i'm hungry. whether i have money, our taxes are paying for the elections. they are a burden for all of us.

the latest poll suggests a result similar to june, falling short of a majority in parliament. a coalition between ath p&c hp - imagine a communist party. the c.h.p. was talking about democracy, kurdish rights, lifting immunity. the akp is against this. after the june election most supporters were opposed to the coalition with the a.k. party. if the scenario appears again, the c.h.p. leadership faces the challenge of persuading skeptical supporters that sharing power is a workable viable solution. bodies of 104 pilgrims killed in the hajj stampede arrived at home. the president and other politicians attended a

repatriation ceremony at the airport in tehran. it appears to have lost a large number of pilgrims. they blamed regional rivals for the disaster. >> 769 people were killed in a stampede near mecca. others say the number is higher. . >> now, israel is building new fences along the international borders. it was a security measure. others believe it will isolate the nation from its neighbours. scott heidler reports israel is often criticized for the separation wall between what it considers its land and the territories. the leaders say it was done in the name of security. now it upgraded new barriers.

the prime minister says it's for security and the sake of livelihood. to the extent that it is possible we'll encompass about the security fence, we will not allow ris rail to be -- israel to be flooded with illegal migrants and terrorists. >> reporter: they built a fence, taking three years to build. facing a refugee crisis, hungry and romania a look the at building security forces, now they are focussing eastward. the fairest phase takes a year to complete. the current fortification is taking place in the south. the government says it will undermine sovereignty, and shows

israel is more concerned about a security threat. >> they were coming from israel to jordan, the east bank to the west bank. they fear that the thing will resume. many say a physical barrier will not prevent attacks. there needs to be a focus on maintaining relationships. the borders will once again we turned into inward looking airport. and without that cooperation, the walls and fences could be felt more as israel sealing itself off from the region. >> one of columbia's warlords has been killed in a military raid.

the year-long manhunt ended after six attempts to capture him. he wasn't the u.s. treasury's king pin list and had a $5 million bounty on his head. he's long dominated the lawless region on the border with venezuela. we have the latest from columbia's capital. bogota. >> this was the biggest blow against this group. the president of columbia confirmed the death of victor navarro in an operation that end under way early on friday in the nearby region of catatomba. this is a lawless region near the border where is lot of the crops are grown. they were known more being a ruthless drug king pin.

cruel against his enemy, and planting land mines to protect the crops. the military was after him for months, and he escaped another operation against him back in august when he was also injured. he was known for his obsession, for gold weapon and young underage women, which he would brand with his face on the arms and legs. this is definitely a major victory for the columbian government and the military. and sends a message to any eventual f.a.r.c. leader who might be thinking to continue operations in drug trafficking when an eventual peace deal is reached. kenya's government started a campaign against what it calls the country's drinking problem. dozens die from consuming illegal home made bruce and

alcoholism is an issue, catherine wambua-soi reports from a football field in central kenya, converted into a camp. >> this is not an ordinary group therapy session. the men and women are getting free treatment and counselling to help with a drinking problem. a number of people suffered violent symptoms when illegal alcohol dens were shut in july. some fields have been turned into temporary rehabilitation camps. daniel was a policeman for 14 year. he lost his job. his wife and children left two years ago. >> it is so hard for me to stop drinking alcohol because i have to drink, i have to drink for me to survive. to do anything, i had to drink. i had first to drink in the morning. >> here they reflect, eat well and support each other. build their confidence. volunteer counsellors, medics and teachers run the camp set up

by the federal government. there are about 1,000 recovering alcoholics, hundreds are registering to get help. most are not employed. the concern now is what happens when they leave this place. >> so we are working to make sure they are strong enough. strong enough to prevent relapse. i know that you cannot prevent habit. and there are those that fall back. but we are looking forward and if we manage to save 100, that's a good number. after three months in rehab, we go back to the village center. where cheap alcohol is easy to get. roughly 40,000 have a problem. many after drinking home made brew laced with poisonous ingredient. this man became blind after drinking bad alcohol. his son is an alcoholic. on this day his nephews came to visit. they were drunk.

he says he tries to tell them to stop, but they will not listen. >> alcohol destroyed my life. i could not do anything, i couldn't even educate my children. it's sad to see people drinking so much, because they never help themselves. >> back at the camp, these people know too well how hard it would be to adjust to life when they return to the villages. at this will moment they just want to stay sober and positive still ahead - robin with all the latest sports news as we analyse a call from major sponsors for sepp blatter to step down as f.i.f.a. president.

time for the sport. here is robin. good to have you along. we'll start with the rugby world cup, england face a possibility of an early exit. the 2003 champions, by australians, in the so-called group of death. it's a do or die clash for england never knocked at at the group stage. the wallabies are former champions, unbeaten at the tournament. winning the opening two games, mathematically they could advance to the next round. >> for me, as a coach, it's something i want to give the team.

for someone that never played for australia, how much that means, and how much it should be cherished. that's the game that we want to build that atmosphere in the australian team, so supporters can see it when they watch a game or come themselves, they can see it from the team. it's a big day at the world cup. a total of three former world champions in action on saturday. 2007 winners, taking on scotland. they are sitting top of pool b. making 10 changes for the max against the springboks in newcastle. interestingly, scotland have two former boks in their attempt. they were part of the sa training squad in 2012. they are scotland nationals. they followed up the opening loss to japan with a victory over samoa. >> we haven't achieved anything yet. we are in the same position as the week before.

we need to grind it out, and this is our next step. hopefully, towards that world cup. in pool b the match between samoa and japan - both need to win to have a chance to reach the quarterfinals. japan won the last two outings between the side. in this one japan takes the lead 3-0 the latest score at the moment. our first confirmed quarterfinalist at the rugby world cup. [ performing the hake ]. >> all blacks thrashing georgia 23-10 to progress. >> would you say the game was great? no one saying is it was great, but it doesn't have to be at the moment. if you can understand that. you don't get gold medals for

winning the game, you just have to qualify. that's what we are doing knew. >> sepp blatter's is defying calls from sponsors to stepdown. coca-cola, visa and budweiser is calling for the president to resign, a week after the 79-year-old was placed under criminal investigation by swiss authorities, on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. sepp blatter denies wrongdoing. adam gordon is a writer for "vice sports", and sold al jazeera if the sponsors were to walk away from f.i.f.a., other would be ready to place them. >> this is an opportune time. they are not risking much calling for sepp blatter to step down. he has announced he's going to resign. f.i.f.a. is in trouble. they are not risking a lot by asking for substantive change. the corporate sponsorship is expensive and beneficial.

but it is incredibly beneficial. they get to put their names attached to a single lucrative sporting event in the history of the world everytime it's held. if someone were to walk away. let's say coca-cola and budweiser, deciding to disconnect from f.i.f.a., i would expect pepsi, say, or some other soda and beer company to step in and say, you know what, we know f.i.f.a. has serious problems, but this is worth too much money to us that we are not going to turn it down and they'll sponsor f.i.f.a. the problem is deeper than sepp blatter, and deeper than f.i.f.a. alone, it goes to the regional federation. if sepp blatter were to resign and walk away there would be a dog fight for power at the top echelons of f.i.f.a. whoever resumes control over the next 3-6 months would have control over the presidential election process. it's an enormous amount of power to be given for an ad hoc and

unprecedented in progress. >> team manager jose mourinho says he is suffering the worst period of his career, the premier league champions winning four out of 11 matches in all competitions, the latest against porto on tuesday. that was in the champion's league. later on saturday, they'll host southampton. they have not won at stamford bridge in 13 years. >> it's not like that one year they have really the best team, and the next year it's not like that. everybody is - can have a difficult start of the seen, and -- of the season, and maybe defensively maybe they lost a little bit. if you watch the - what they get in against them. and then that's a big difference than last year. maybe they expect they lost a little bit. still they are very strong. >> seven matches in total on saturday.

in englands top flight. crystal palace beat west brom to go third. the final score west ham behind in fourth. and sunderland - the hammers, would you believe had the best away record of the season. >> we start to thing a lit l bit for a couple of seconds, without liverpool or man city, it would be easier in sunderland, we better stop that, you know. before we start. but i am confident, yes, we are barcelona play the first spanish league match since lionel messi was ruled out for up to two months with a knee injury. the barca coach will be without nestor for the trip to europa

league. but last week's winners have an inform luis suarez scoring three times in the last two games. >> he's been very good for us since he arrived at barcelona. even when statistics suggested the opposite. he's a vital and key player for us. not only because of what he adds when it comes to football, but his character and attitude during tough situations. >> the los angeles angels denied the texas rangers clinching a title. a single from albert pujols secured the victory in arlington. the californians are in contention for a wild card spot. that is the sport. plenty later. thank you for watching. >> thank you robin, we'll see you later. stay with us on al jazeera, we'll have more world news including the latest from

nigeria, where there has been an attack on the capital abuja. stay with us.

a. >> in kunduz, hitting nine staff, the u.s. military may be to blame. also ahead, multiple bomb blasts outside of abuja, the first attack in nigeria's capital in over a year. south sudan's president orders the number of states tripled. opponents say that he's undermining a peace deal. plus separat