hello, and welcome to the al jazeera news hour. i'm live from al jazeera's headquarters in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes. a shift on syria. russia says it's ready to provide air support to the opposition free syrian army. the u.s. secretary of state meets the palestinian president as israeli police say another palestinian has been killed for attempting a knife attack. one of the strongest ever hurricanes crashes into western

mexico flooding streets and battering buildings. and the vice president of the mall dives is arrested accused of a plot to assassinate the president. there are signs of significant diplomatic shifts over the war in syria. russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov is ready to provide air support to the free syrian army, one of the opposition groups it's accused of targeting. russia wants syria to prepare for elections for the parliament and for the president. foreign minister lavrov said he and the u.s. secretary of state have discussed launching a new political process between syria's government and the opposition. the co-editor of jabalia, an online magazine on middle east

politics is the former head for the u.n.'s special envoy of syria. now that russia has taken on i military roll, they want to increase political pressure. >> the americans, russians, saudis and turks held a meeting in vienna the last few days and agreed to reconvene again within a week probably in an expanded fashion including perhaps jordan, qatar and potentially also iran. as kerry and lavrov stated at the end of the meeting, they agreed on virtually everything except the one issue that's been at the center of the dispute from the outset of the syrian crisis, and that is the fate of syrian president bashar al assad. what's happening now is that russia is quite clearly seeking to take the initiative based on its military intervention in syria that began a few weeks ago

seeking now also to take the political initiative, and it's an open question of how long that can be sustained because it will reflect, i think, very closely the progress that they and the syrian army make on the ground in syria. >> in a surprise move jordan agreed to coordinate its military actions on syria with russia. now, this is being seen by many as a shift in the alliances engaged in the conflict. here's what the russian foreign minister sergey lavrov had to say. >> translator: an agreement has been reached forming a mechanism to coordinate actions fighting terrorism in the skies over syria on a day-to-day professional basis. >> joining us now from amman, the jordanian capital is the former deputy prime minister of jordan. good to talk to you. can you tell us why jordan has

decided to extend this cooperation with russia? >> well, i really do not see that cooperation with russia as something that goes against the role that jordan is currently playing within the u.s.-led international coalition against is isis. jordan is a bordering country to syria. like iraq, like turkey did, like israel did, like america did, it needed to coordinate military operations in order to prevent any kind of conflict in the skies and to ensure any russian operations on the southern front do not cause unnecessary complications for jordan knowing that that front is only a few kilometers from populated jordanian areas. that is one. second, i think -- >> sorry. i was going to ask, is it a kind of cooperation intelligence hub almost that it's providing similar to the one that the russians have in baghdad

involving the iraqis and indeed the iranians? >> we don't know that yet. all we heard is they agreed on a mechanism for coordinating military operations. i think it has to do mainly with conducting the air operations in syria, particularly on the border. i think there are a lot of values added to the cooperation. jordan has been trying to work with the region and other countries to work out a political solution to syria. it does recognize the important role that it has even escalated since the russian interventions in syria a few weeks ago. i think both jordan, russia and many other countries are in agreement on the need to tackle some terrorist organizations, particularly isis. so i think in that way jordan with this area could positively influence the russian operations in terms of target identification and could build on the good contact with russia. there have been open channels to push for a political solution

that would take into account the long-term interests of jordan and syria in terms of finding a political solution that would not create a vacuum through which a terrorist organization could dig deeper roots and thus present even a higher threat to the whole region. >> you say that the no conflict for jordan both working with the russians and with the americans, that the russians and the americans so far have had different strategies in terms of whom they're attacking in the syrian conflict. the u.s. air strikes have been directed solely and exclusively on isil targets. of course, the russians have been accused of targeting many different groups within the opposition. >> i think really it depends on the scope of that cooperation. i think the scope from what we see as a constant jordanian policy is to target isis and terrorist organizations that pose a threat to jordan.

we might note that kerry indicated he sees no problem with the jordan coalition with the front. we're talking about a very potentially dangerous situation given that jordanian air forces also take part in the u.s.-led air strikes against isis. particularly i think it is a mechanism, a, to ensure the confliction and to influence the target whether it comes to prove that. >> how does jordan feel about the position of president al ass assad? this is the major dividing line between the sides involved or engaged in the syrian conflict. those who think that he should be part of any future solution, and those who think he most definitely shouldn't. >> i think at the heart of jordanian policy is to try and ensure a transitional period that would prevent syria from falling into chaos, which would again be used by terrorists to ensure that you can work out a

democratic system whereby all syrians get a fair chance at living in their country and preserving the territorial integrity of syria. that said, i don't think assad is the issue but the way assad leaves. assad has no role in the future of syria, but the big question is, how do you get to that future through a transitional period that will have less damage as possible. i think particularly jordan is in agreement with a lot of different prevailing opinions in the international community. assad has no role in the future of syria, but managing the transition is key if it involving assad. i think after speaking now after five years of the crisis given the conflicting agenda of everybody that's a party to the conflict, i know we know by now the only way to get to that is an agreement in which the regime is involved with a view to

preserving the regime's institutions, the country's institutions, the military and other apparatus so it does not fall into the abyss following that. >> thank you so much indeed live from amman. >> thank you. on the ground russian air strikes in syria enter the fourth week. moscow claims it is targeting isil, but rebel groups fighting bashar al assad say russia is actually bombing them. on friday several residential areas in italy was destroyed by russian air strikes. >> reporter: syrian state tv continues its propaganda message to try and convince people that russian air strikes are targeting what the syrian and russian governments call terrorists. but the pictures on the ground tell a different story. this is what's left of the town on the outskirts of idlib after russian war planes bombed several residential areas late on friday.

it's unclear how many people were killed. in hamaa opposition fighters with the army of conquest announced the capture of several villages after defeating government troops and forcing them to retreat. the alliance of opposition fighters launched what it called the battle for hamaa this week after capturing idlib earlier this month. opposition fighters also say they've taken several towns and villages in the south of aleppo province. they say they've been targeted by russian air strikes rather than the so-called islamic state group. on friday isil announced it was in control of the main road connecting aleppo to hamaa. how russia reacts to this will demonstrate the military priorities. despite russian air strikes now entering the fourth week, isil fighters appear to be largely unaffected. armed groups opposed to

president assad's regime, however, have suffered losses not only at the hands of the russians but also in continuing battles with isil. it's widely believed that russia's intervention in syria is changing the face of the conflict and there are calls for it to get more involved in iraq, too. the iraqi prime minister coalition partners are complaining that u.s.-led air strikes aren't effective enough against isil. here's the report from baghdad. >> reporter: this is what many across iraq want to see, russian air strikes against isil like these in syria. it's too soon to say how successful moscow's aerial campaign has been, there's growing frustration with many iraqis with the u.s.'s year-long efforts to help retake the vast territory isil still controls in iraq and say russia's approach is needed here to win.

the head of the government's parliamentary defense and security committee and is one of the most vocal about the fight with russia in iraq. >> translator: our interests are well-matched with the russians. >> reporter: it's not just politicians who want to see moscow take a more meaningful role in the fight against isil. so too do the leaders of iranian-backed shia militias, which could explain why they signed an intelligence sharing agreement that included syria and iran. washington has made it clear it does not want russian jets in iraqi air space targeting isil, and they have distributed prime minister putin's involvement as a historic mistake. they're in the delicate position to appease his political and security allies while trying to keep washington on his side.

whatever the case, it would appear that the threat of russian involvement in iraq has already worked to his advantage. >> translator: the iraqi government has given assurances to the u.s. that they will not ask for any help from russia. the u.s. is not promised to increase the number of coalition air strikes across iraq and also give counterterrorism forces badly needed armored military vehicles, tanks and advanced weapons in the coming day. >> reporter: the u.s. insists it's on course to degrade and destroy isil. in recent days the coalition has intensified strikes in the north and ramadi in the west providing air cover for iraqi forces who managed to retake some key areas. rarely as isil faced such multiple offenses than it has in the last month. it would appear that the threat of a russian role in iraq stirred the u.s. into action. the question is how long will it last, and is it enough to lead to any meaningful gains?

al jazeera, baghdad. israeli troops have shot dead a palestinian man who they say tried to stab a soldier. the shooting was at the checkpoint in northern janenes in occupied west bank. 56 palestinians and 8 israelis have been killed this month in a series of attacks in both israel and the occupied territories. the u.s. secretary of state says israel has agreed to maintain the tradition of only muslims being allowed to pray at al aqsa mosque. john kerry made the comments following the meetings with the palestinian president ab because in jordan. access to the site has been at the center of rising tensions in israel and occupied territories. >> we have to join together in calling for an immediate end to violence. we must stress the importance of avoiding provocative actions and rhetoric, and we must work

cooperatively. it's the only way to go forward, is to work cooperatively to restore calm. by restoring calm we can get back to the critical effort of achieving peace. >> human rights activists in israel condemn the beating and wrongful arrest of a palestinian man by israeli soldiers caught on security camera. he spent five days under arrest before his alibi was checked. they went to meet him at the cleaning product factory where he was arrested in the occupied west bank. >> reporter: he's at work. outside in the street there's a standoff between young palestinians and the israeli army, so he stops in the doorway. what follows is not often caught on camera. >> translator: he came to me without any question. he hit me and i fell. around five soldiers and they beat me without any questions.

i was telling them i didn't throw rocks i. i was at rock. it was as if i wasn't even speaking at this point. they were hitting me and trying to drag me outside. >> reporter: there's an illegal israeli settlement a few meters up the road, and the confrontations were taking place around this area. he was working in this storeroom as the cctv shows when the israeli soldiers stormed in and started to beat him. he was then handcuffed, blindfolded and arrested. the next day he was taken to hospital to treat his wounds. he said it took three days it was he was questioned. he still has brucing now more than two weeks later. israeli human rights group that released the video of the attack allege the police initially refused to check thiz alibi, and it took six days for him to be released without charge. >> it's the culture of impunity that we see here. the soldiers probably expect that consequences for violence,

such violence against palestinians will be remote if even that. in those you can imagine all of the other instances that suddenly take place all the time against palestinians, but they're not caught on video. >> reporter: the israeli army says it's investigating the incident. its initial findings are that theed soldiers' actions are unacceptab unacceptable. >> translator: a person feels that he's not a human being. this is not humane treatment. if it was humane, then they wouldn't do that to a person. >> reporter: palestinians say these kinds of incidents and worse happen all the time. and that it's only rarely when this kind of hard evidence surfaces that the world wakes up as to how they are treated. stephanie decker, al jazeera in the occupied west bank. do stay with us here at al jazeera. we have a lot more to come including activists in europe

fear hundreds of syrian pro-government militiamen cube using the refugee crisis to enter europe. i'm david mercer in guatemala and i'll tell you how the tax system here affects families like this leading to one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world. in sports find out which team is celebrating a second straight trip to the world series. series. shia muslims in pakistan are demanding government leaders tighten security after the latest suicide bombing. friday night's explosion at a shia procession in the province killed at least 22 worshippers. eight children were reported among the dead in jacobabad. hundreding have been killed in sectarian attacks over the past

decade. shia muslims have been tarlth targeted for what's thought to be the first time in bangladesh. a group linked to isil is claims responsibility for the attack in raqqa. a 12-year-old was killed when homemade bombs were thrown into a crowd of worshippers. more than 100 others were injured in a traditional procession. millions have gathered in kabula to mark the climax of the morn ritual of assure ra. they march through the streets chaunting. it's the on tenth day of the first month of the islamic calend calendar. it mourns the death and battle of the prophet mohammed's grandson. after days of haggling nearly 200 countries agreed on a draft plan to tackle climate change, but there's still bickering as to where the money to implement the plan will come from. friday was the last day of talks in the german city before a

bigger u.n. summit next month. we have the report. >> reporter: they're here to talk about climate change, but there's another c word that's causing a headache in germany, compromise. the meeting was supposed to smooth the way before next month's summit in paris. negotiators were asked to draft a workable plan, but france seeing problems ahead. >> the point is that the negotiators didn't make compromise here. they just stretched it with different options, and now they're clear options, polarizing options in some cases more closer to a bridge and compromising others. >> the rift between richer and poorer nations have been evident. richer nations want to stop the earth's temperature from rising by what scientists consider dangerous, 2 degrees he celsius. poorer countries say it's too

much. the rise should be restricted to 1.5 degrees. that goal requires tougher cuts to carbon emissions and will cost a lot more money. leaders in the maldives have been local. they warn their low lying islands in the indian ocean could disappear. the former president once held a cabinet meeting underwater to illustrate the point. >> we are actually trying to send our message to let the world know what is happening and what will happen to the maldives if climate change is not checked. >> reporter: 2015 is so far the warmest year for the planet on record. we have yet to find out if it's the year something concrete is finally done about it. now, a freight train has derailed in the u.s. state of texas after water flooded the tracks. this happened south of dallas.

the train was carrying cement. the two train drivers this to swim to safety. hurricane patricia has caused flooding in parts of mexico, though it now weakened to a tropical depression. it has forced more than 50,000o50,000 o out of their houses and the damage is minor because it hit sparsely populated areas. meanwhile, the u.s. space agency, nasa, released the pictures showing the extent the storm. patricia is described as being the strongest hurricane to ever hit the western hemisphere. we can go live now no mexico city, the mexican capital, and talk to louisa newman. patricia is now moving away from mexico and time to assess the damage. what can you tell us? >> reporter: absolutely. well, it's been far, far less as

you've just said than what we expected. this storm or this hurricane came into mexico as a raging bull. it was expected that it would cause catastrophic damage, but a mixture of the fact that it came in so quickly and it very, very rapidly hit the mountains along the pacific coast of mexico meant this took a lot of the wind literally out of the hurricane. we know that there has been a lot of damage to crops, particularly in this the state of halisco. corn crops, and farmers lost a lot of their means to make a living. there's been some damage to some of the seaside resorts and thoelths l hotels, but by and large very, very little compared to what was expected to happen. there was no storm surge, which also could have caused a major catastrophe even after the hurricane had passed. so the mexicans are now giving their thanks and they say indeed they've been extremely lucky. >> now they have to deal with

quite a bit of flooding, aren't they? we're looking at pictures, louisa, of streets completely submerged. >> yes. yes. there's been flooding. there's expected to be even more flash floods and could be some mudslides as well as this storm makes its way towards texas. this sort of thing that could be expected in a large, huge storm, but not the kind of thing you think of of a category 5 hurricane. in other words, houses haven't been completely flooded. people so far at least, we have not heard of any reports of fatalitie fatalities. so there will be mopping up, and they have have to do that. it's not something that they can't deal with as had happened in other hurricanes here in mexico. i don't know if you remember there was one in cancun where some of the guests were caught four to five days inside the basements of hotels unable to leave because want constant rain and strong winds.

thaepts not the case this time. >> indeed are mexicans congratulating themselves and it's safer with no casualties? >> yes. they're congratulating themselves because the government has taken a lot of the measures necessary to evacuate people ahead of time. the precautionary measures were certainly taken, but really it just had to do with luck. hurricanes are very fickle. you know more or less when they're going to hit and where they're going to hit, but then when they go and how they react has a lot to do with nature, atmospheric pressure, air currents, and again, i can't stress this enough, very, very good luck. it didn't hit the most populated areas, and that has made all the difference. >> live in mexico city. thank you. the vice president of the maldives has been arrested over an alleged plots to assassinate the president. he's being questioned after an explosion on the president's boat last month.

the president wasn't injured but his wife and two aides were. now the former attorney general of the maldives says it's unlike that any investigation will be impartial. >> i'm not sure if an investigation can be fair and impartial, because the investigation so far conducted in the maldives regarding the political detainees has not been fair at all. therefore, it's very difficult to see that this particular investigation would be free and impartial. the army and the police are on the road today and they're expecting some demonstrations or protests from supporters, maybe the youth of this country. it is believed that he has supported the youth, and therefore, some disturbances are expected today. we've got a lot more to come

here at al jazeera including the opposition vowed to boycott sunday's presidential poll in the ivory coast five years after the last disputed poll left 3,000 people dead. i'm in the far south of argentina. this family created their political dynasty and made some enemies. in sports, find out why the weather is set to play a big part in deciding the outcome of the united states grand prix.

>> where we are standing right now will be the panama canal.

>> this will be flooded. >> we have upgraded for bigger ships. >> now we go for weeks without water. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> can affect and surprise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> awesome! >> techknow - where technology meets humanity. hello again. you're with al jazeera and these are the top stories. russia's foreign minister says the kremlin is ready to provide air support to the free syrian army. one of the opposition groups russia has been accused of targeting. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is do you to saudi arabia to discuss a peace plan for syria. flooding and landslides are feared in mexico, though hurricane patricia weakened to a tropical storm after hitting the

pacific coast. it was initially the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the western hemisphere. u.s. secretary of state says israel has agreed to maintain the tradition of only muslims being allowed to pray at al aqsa mosque. john kerry made the comments following his meeting with the palestinian president in jordan. al aqsa compound in jerusalem is at the center of rising tensions. right now let's talk more about russia's apparently shifting position with regard to the war in syria. we can talk to alexander who is a political analyst and president of the institute for strategic assessments. he joins us now via skype from mosc moscow. thank you for taking the time to talk to us. what is behind the russian decision to offer up air support for the free syrian army when once we thought it was one of the targets that russia was actually going after in the syrian war?

>> my feeling is that the russian political leadership started to comprehend what a difficult conflict we're engaged it. it's very conflicted and maybe it is -- it became more and more clear that air force was deployed in syria by russia. it's not enough to change tee decisively the state of the fields. >> right. and, of course, president assad himself made a visit to moscow this week. >> yes, he did. it was very short. it was mentioned to him that russia is going to look around at some other groups, fighting groups in syria to try to find

out the political outcome, political settlement of the situation. >> russia is positioning itself as the driver almost of a new political process in which it envisions parliamentary elections as well as presidential elections. can you tell us more about what russia's vision is of this process and what they would eventually like to see in syria? >> you see them with the reacti reaction, presidential election do youly assessed. russia demonstrates it's capable and decisive and it is ready to protect russian national interests.

right. thank you very much in deed. >> we talked to you live via skype from moscow i should say on a rather slow line. a lot of delay on the line. thank you very much indeed for persevering. now, a female suicide bomber killed three people in the nigeria. the attack happened, and it follows two bomb attacks in northeastern nigeria on friday. so far no one has claimed responsibility. tanzania is facing the first real challenge since independence 50 years ago. it was underway before the presidential poll on sunday. they're facing a coalition of the four main opposition parties, and analysts say this alliance is a formidable threat to africa's longest reigning political party. they've tested the election

atmosphere in the biggest city. >> reporter: we just need to come to political rallies in tanzania to get a feel of the intensity and excitement around this. it's a hotly contested election. there's a political rally, and a lot of people are saying that this could go either way. people want change. they want their lives improved, and this is what the eight presidential candidates are promising. they're talking about free primary and secondary education and about cutting taxes for small business owners and dealing with rampant corruption in the country. a lot of people have said that they hope the leaders stand by their word. they hope this is not just political rhetoric, empty talk to win elections. a referendum on changes to the constitution in the republic of congo is hours away. a yes vote on sunday allows 72-year-old president gessu to

run for another term. he's already been in power for more than 30 years. tension is high after four people were killed on tuesday in protest against the vote. our correspondent has more from the capital. >> reporter: government officials in congo say the referendum on sunday is a good thing. they say this new constitution to try to push ahead and push forward will help the poor and the human rights example. there's an clause that does away with the death penalty. the atmosphere in some parts of the capital is tense. that's what you see on the major streets. you see a heavy police presence and you have the police vehicle stations on major roads and you have water cannons driving around throughout the city in potential hotspots. there are people milling around waiting to see what happens next, and you see those shops there. they were looted during days of protest. some of during the chaos and

sold some things. the opposition says it's difficult to come onto the streets because some admit they are scared and are worried about being shot at by police. they say it's hard because the internet has been blocked. they can't mobilize people on social media and can't send a message to tell them where to meet because the government blocked them. the government says the nothing to do with cutoff of communication in the city and the opposition is being dramatic. that said, the government has a lot of people that do support the president and support his new constitution. the people who want to stroet yes to it have been on the streets for a few days also marching and protesting with big signs saying they want to vote the constitution in. opposition is concerned there's violence with the present trying to hang onto power. the government says the referendum will go ahead on sunday. they encourage as many people as possible to come out and vote. >> sunday's presidential election day in the ivory coast where the current president is expected to win.

many supporters of the former president are warning they'll stay away from the vote. this is a country used to voting with violence. as tonya page reports now from the biggest city. >> reporter: he's a hero to his supporters. they have squeezed into and onto every available space. performers entertain everyone until he arrives. it's expected that he will win a second term. he hopes without the bloodshed that stained his rise to power. >> i can assure you that we'll be peaceful, and it will go very well because people want to forget and forgive what happened in 2010. they don't want to go through killing each other anymore. >> reporter: 3,000 people were killed when he refused to accept who won the 2010 election.

eventually the forces overpowered his. despite alleged crimes by both sides, only bagbo has been held to account. there's some violence in the buildup to this election, but all the presidential candidates are calling for calm. he's widely expected to win, but he isn't leaving anything to chance campaigning until the last moment. his opponents accuse him of using influence to influence the election commission adding them to the rolls and sending his security forces to intim mags. he says he's the candidate who will bring reconciliation. he leads the party now, but his hard liners have joined a boycott. the incumbent says it's irrelevant. >> they want to break from it, because they can only one 1%. >> reporter: he thinks that the election is a joke, and the result may not be accepted.

>> translator: we're hearing there might be some trouble, but this this will be good if it happens. we have a lack of leadership now that bagbo is in prison. >> reporter: many say they won't vote, but apathy is better than anger if it means a peaceful election. tonya page, al jazeera, ivory coast. bulgaria, serbia and romania will shut their borders to refugees if germany and austria do. bulgaria's prime minister has warned that the three countries will not become buffer zones for refugees after they held talks in sophisophia. the warning comes as thousands of refugees continue to enter europe. turkey is demanding the eu deliver on its promise of $3.2 billion to stop the flow of refugees. fishermen off the turkish coast fear the worst for this 18-month-old baby when they

pulled him out of the water. he was found 3 kilometers from where a refugee boat sank. he survived and is recovering in hospital. hundreds of syrian pro assad militia are believed to be taking vanning of the refugee crisis to get into europe. activists and human rights lawyers say they go undercover and supply the assad regime with intelligence. we have the report. >> reporter: in areas popular with the ar rab community in germany, syrian refugees have a growing concern. militiamen are arriving among the refugees fleeing the war. he says he's been imprisoned, tortured and abused by assad goth militia. he was kept under custody for months, and now he sees some abusers in germany. >> he's b. >> translator: if i see people i know and sure about, i will follow them where they live and

inform the authorities. i can't just let something like that pass. i will follow up with concerned authorities. these people must be brought to justice for what they did. this isn't just about me. more than 200,000 people have been made prisoners, many, many, people were killed by them. >> reporter: human rights lawyers acknowledge the threats. >> translator: of course, there's a danger, and they're a threat to the opposition and activists. they go undercover and supply the assad regime with intelligence. german prosecutors have filed charges against them. there were three cases before the courts. syrian refugees who have any evidence about the presence of individuals in germany should contact the federal prosecutor general, the police or one of our representatives. >> reporter: activists are collaborating on social media to

identify members and assad forces. they record online profiles and current locations, but they say the alleged criminals delete the online identities as they're discovered. they're trying to help. >> translator: we're in constant contact with german authorities on this subtle. we inform them about gathering evidence and we're prepared to cooperate to help them in these cases >> reporter: the u.n.'s refugee convention addresses criminal-seeking asylum and similar ones exist under eu law. it does not apply to those committing war crimes or crimes against humanity or serious non-political crimes. activists estimate hundreds of members have entered europe. some were sponsored in public areas and aren't trying to hide. syrians that say they have suffered at the happied of alleged criminals are determined for justice. the u. nuchlt's envoy to

yemen will start working immediately with the government and houthi rebels on peace talks. he gave the u.n. security council an update on the current situation on friday. he said both sides have agreed to sented delegations, but a date is yet to be agreed. speaking to al jazeera after the session, he also warned that anybody committing human rights violations would be prosecuted. >> translator: there are sanctions and there are acknowledged international laws, there are violations that must be dealt with. in the future cases the violations will be death with and have implications observed by the international community. those who violated human rights are held accountable. at the same time let me say the current comba impasse is because of the war. the longer the war the more an impact will go on. the moment this war comes to an aend and people sit at the table, you can quickly see positive and progressive signs.

a political dynasty is comes to an end in argentina after eight years as president, christina fernandez retires in december. her late husband nestor had four years in power, and supporters say they rescued argentina from economic ruin and restored human rights. as daniel reports from the southern heartland, their opponents accuse of them amassing a fortune through corrupt business deals. >> reporter: this is patagonia, the wind-swept mineral-rich region in southern argentina where the former president was born, and he and his wife christina made they're fortune here. they bought up properties like new luxury hotels in the mountain resort. the transaction is now being investigated. >> translator: in this case an investigation was done properly, i have no doubt that the

president will have to go to court. the problem is the judges are compromised and this type of case never advances. >> reporter: while the supporters praise their achievemen achievements, the traditional authorities investigate how the fortune grew so large. the anti-corruption process says the figures don't add up. they all got engaged as a result of an astute business. this luxury home has been the focus of many of the questions asked about them. questions that are likely to remain until the president chooses to answer them, perhaps long after she left office. opponents all point to these unfinished building projects in the hometown. government contract granted to the couple's long-time friend. he's being investigated for money laundering and tax evasion. >> translator: they take control of the state to fulfill their personal dreams to develop their

strength and their own power structures to enrich themselves so they can continue with the same politics. >> reporter: they haven't made it to court, almost several ministers that served under them have been prosecuted for corruption. they include former finance minister and the transport minister. the vice president is under investigation for bribery. government leaders argue the accusations are politically motivated and orchestrated by critics in the opposition media. >> translator: the opposition has never had ideas of its own. it's never tried to show the people its plans for the provinces, the cities or the country. all it's done is throw mud at the project. >> reporter: international monitors say argentina suffers from serious corruption with all sides accusing their political

opponent of wrongdoing. the full story is rarely revealed. al jazeera, patagonia, argentina. there's an awful lot of elections taking place on sunday including the guatemalans that go to the polls to elect a new president. one of the biggest challenging is tackling poverty. the country has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world. david mercer reports now from the guatemalan highland. >> reporter: it's a game enjoyed by youngsters around the world, but despite their smiles these guatemalan children face a bleak future. all of them chronically malnourisheded, forever stunted both physically and mentionly. their mother says it's impossible to break the cycle of poverty. >> translator: i take my son to the public hospital, but they don't have the medicine the doctors say he needs. i wish we had the money to buy the medicine outside the

hospital. we don't. it's very hard. >> reporter: a few minutes down the road families line up to receive food assistance. but the rations come from foreign governments and private groups. here, too, the guatemalan government is absent. with the second round of presidential elections on sunday, politicians are putting their stamp anywhere they can. the big question is how they will bring the change to the people who need it the most. two and a half hours away in guatemala city there's evidence of a growing economy, but the number of people living in poverty is also rising. analysts say what's missing is the state's role in redistributing the wealth. >> guatemala is one of the worst tax collectors in latin america together with paraguay. under 6% is collected, which is far from brazil closer to 30%.

>> reporter: earlier in year a multi-million dollar tax corruption scam led to months of protest and brought down gaut malala's president. for families like hers, responsibility to provide basic services for the country's most vulnerable should be a vital task for the country's next president. david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala. time for sports news. >> at lot is going on. we'll try to make it across the best of it. we start with the latest of the first semifinal of the rugby world cup between south africa and new zealand. after five minutes cano touching down in the corner. but penalties put south africa ahead 12-7. the halftime score. we will have live reaction from london's stadium at the conclusion of that game for you.

real madrid is taking on celtivigo. they have competed all expectations and are level with real going into that. the goals from rinaldo have put real 2-1 up. there's about a minute left in that game. real will go three points clear at the top of the table with a win. chelsea are having another difficult day in the english premier league. their manager is being sent off from the bench and his team is losing. the defending champions could go down to 15th in the table. they're 2-1 down. just before halftime seemed to push marino over the edge. west ham goes to second if they win. in crick kret pakistan took control of the second test against england. they finished day ten of the lead. england's problems begin with the early dismissal of joe roots

on day through this dubai. england all out for 242. pakistan won the second innings already a hundred runs ahead. our captain finished on 87 out. pakistan 222 for the close. six wickets from a play not known for bowling gives west indies a shot. he played career best figures of 6 for 29 on day three in columbo. but then he failed in his role and finished the day on 20 for 1. there's a further 224 runs to win the match. the kansas city royals will play the new york mets in the world series. the royals closed out the american league championship series against the toronto blue jays. game six could have gone either way. batista hitting a two-run homer

to level the score at the top of the eighth inning. fans and players then have to sit through a 45-minute rain break, and the momentum was shifted back to the royals when the game got going on. eric with the rbi single to put kansas in front 4-3. that was how it finished. the royals in the world series for a second straight year. they haven't won it, though, since 1985. >> everybody is fired up, you know. our club does not mind being tied late, because they know that our bull pen's strong, and then that our bull pen will hold the fort until we can score a run. >> that's baseball. we put up our best fight today. you know, you got a great team over there. they'll represent the american league really well. yeah, it's -- anytime you lose something and you're trying to get to the top, it's

disappointing and it sucks it out of you a little bit. >> final practice is under way ahead of sunday's united states formula one grand prix. bad weather could affect the day's schedule. the circuit of the america's track in texas has been hit by the edge of the weather front caused by hurricane patricia. if and whether the race does go ahead, lewis hamilton has a chance to wrap up his third world title. marcus remus broke his own record. this effort would have been good enough to win gold the athe last olympics. the german had his left leg amputated below the knee after a wake boarding accident jumping 8 meters in doha. he wants to compete at next year's rio olympics but yet to have the all clear to do so by athletic. the first indigenous games

are taking place in brazil. angry proo protests were unscheduled for the opening ceremony. >> reporter: indigenous people from 23 countries and 24 groups from the host nation, brazil, gathered in the sports arena to kick off the inaugural event. wearing headdresses made of green and white paris feather, there's practice sglilian indigenous people join others to mark the start of the game. the logo and brand names from sponsors seen at sporting events were absent from the ceremony. hailed as an alternative to other more commercial and competitive games, the spiritual and cultural character of the event was highlighted in the opening speeches. >> this is an outstanding example of how sport can unite people and promote peace,

respect for human rights and the rich indigenous cultures and the wisdom from all over the world. >> reporter: close to 900,000 indigenous people live in brazil. they make up half a percent in the country, but these games are broader than brazil. groups from the americas and several others from as far away as new zealand came to celebrate and exchange cultures under the motto now we're all indigenous. racing with 100 kilogram logs is one of the key competitions the game. events are reaching agreements on rules that weren't ease for cultural differences. for the next ten days all those gathers will showcase aspect it is world that know little about them. many hope the problems, too, will get noticed. this group demanded that land rights for indigenous people of

the host country. brazil's president dilma rousseff was present but silent at the inauguration. >> translator: they have done nothing for us and don't fight discrimination. these games are about promoting themselves and president dilma rousseff didn't even have the courage to speak out. >> translator: not everyone is happy. we've come to tell the brazilian government what we suffered this year. they want to take land already granted to us. >> reporter: the festive as atmosphere is dampened by reminders indigenous people in brazil and around the world are ignored, despite being the original owners of their land. >> just to tell you quickly, chelsea lost and real madrid has won. >> thank you very much indeed. do stay with us here at al jazeera. david foster is going to take you through the next couple of hours here. he'll have all the latest. please stay with al jazeera.

fight against i.s.i.l., russia says it could use its air power of u.s. backed fighters in syria. ♪ good to have your company and watching al jazeera live from london with me david foster and coming up, in the program there are fears of flooding after mexico's pacific coast is hit by the strongest ever hurricane. the vice president of the maldives arrested and accused of a bomb on the president's boat last month,