lth announcer: this is al jazeera. from al jazeera's headquarters in doha, this is the newshour. with me, elizabeth puranam. in the next 60 minutes investigators reveal a loud noise was heard in the final moments before a russian passenger plane crashed in egypt. >> a climate of fear in burundi as a government deadline to hand over weapons ends. [ singing ] dancing to a special tune in

sierra leone. the country is officially declared ebola free and saving the world's frogs - how scientists in panama are trying to stop a mystery disease first to egypt, where the head of the joint team investigating the plane crash last week in the sinai said a noise was heard in the last second of the cockpit voice recording. the administration bolsters british and u.s. suspicions that a bomb brought down the russian airliner, killing 224 on board. egypt is continuing to resist the bomb theory, saying that all scenarios are still being considered. paul brennan has the latest. >> reporter: it's been seven days since metro jet 9268 fell out of the sky, taking 224 people to their deaths. flowers were laid at the crash

site in the desert on saturday. after a week of leaks and rumours, an u.n. official statement from the egyptian crash investigators. >> the debris is scattered over a wide area, more than 13km in length. which is consistent with an in-flight break-up. some parts of the wreckage are missing. and it is hoped to locate them in the incoming days. >> reporter: the lead investigator confirmed that metro jet flight 92168 was 19 minutes and 14 seconds into its journey, reaching on altitude, and climbing. it was travelling at 281 knots. the autopilot was engaged. everything was normal than catastrophe on the cvr, the cockpit voice errored.

-- recorder. >> a noise was heard in the last seconds of the cvr recording. a speck toral analysis will be carried out to identify the nature of this noise. >> reporter: a team of 47 investigators are working on the inquiry and air bus advisors brings the total to 58 people. there was no reference whether the debris was tested for explosives, or how long it will take to analyse the noise heard before the plane broke up. the travel ban and the effort to bring tourists out of egypt continues. the chaos at sharm el sheikh in previous days calmed down. thousands of tourists are told to wait in the resort and not come to the airport until a plane is available. not everyone is fleeing. the foreign minister of hungary has been in cairo, assuring his

counterparts that hungary will not be off limits. >> these decisions can have consequences. currently no one provided us with any kind of evidence that would have made me to put a travel ban on egypt. until - i'm not provided with any such evidence. i will not make that kind of decision. you can be sure about that. >> reporter: there's much we cannot be sure of. questions to be answered. missing records to be found, complex analysis conducted. if it was a bomb, those responsible must be identified let's take a closer look at what we know about the plane crash, french investigators suggest that a sudden explosion was to blame. the pilots on the black box can be heard chatting normally with air traffic control until the

explosion. u.s. satellite picked up a warmth on the plane, pointing to an explosion. reports suggest they intercepted intelligence from armed groups in the sinai, supporting the bomb theory. parts of the wreckage of the plane suggests that there was damage on the inside of the aircraft, possibly from an explosion. live from the u.s. is katherine stone. director of the fort dorsey programme, international policy studies at stamford. good to have you with us on al jazeera. if the crash was caused by a bomb, as the u.s., the u.k. believe, how is russia likely to react here? >> so i think we have seen the beginnings of the reaction, which is, first of all, to stop sending more people to egypt from russia. for vacation, and then to get as many people as we can out of egypt. and then the second issue, of

course, is how or whether this is related - russia has been doing in syria. >> has russia... >> there the question... >> has russia made itself more vulnerable... >> pardon me? >> has russia made itself more vulnerable to attacks because of its involvement in syria, if so, what does the incident mean for the military actions in syria? >> sure, so i think the answer is clearly yes, they have made themselves more vulnerable. i think vladimir putin knew that when he sent in troops, but - pardon me, started the military action in syria. i don't know that he would have envisioned this necessarily, of course. there are one of two possibilities, one is withdrawing, and the other is intensifying. what will happen is we'll see intensifying of russian actions

in syria, rather than a withdrawing once the period of mourning is over. i do think it's significant that, you know, the russians, after initially saying we can't assume this was a bombing, it could be a mechanical failure or a tail strike, that they moved quickly to stopping russian tourists from going to the sharm el sheikh area. i think things will get worse, and more intense with their efforts in syria, rather than pulling back especially after this what about russia's relationship with egypt. given it happened on egyptian soil? >> right. so egypt has developed more, a tighter relationship with russia in the last 10-15 years, even more recently than that. but not so tight that they would, as we have seen, walk in

lock-step with egypt, saying "wait a minute, we are not sure if this is a bomb." russia departed from egypt yesterday, saying we think it could be, and if it is, we don't want to send more citizens. that's domestically tough for the vladimir putin administration, it is important to make it, you know, this national trad di, not listening it -- tragedy, not linking it to syria, but mourn of the victims and do what they can to prevent any further tragedies like this happening to russian citizens. >> on the domestic front russia had a p.r. campaign to garner support for what it's doing in syria. could the incident see the support from the russian public wane? >> so it's an interesting question. i think the easy answer is no. i don't think it will see it wane. if anything, we might see

support in intensified further, that we have to get the guys, they are very bad. you have to remember as well, that russian television, where most russians get their news, is pretty fightly scripted by the administration and the russian government. what they see all the time is success in syria, or that's what they have seen in the last month or so. if this turns out to be a terrorist attack, one can see easily how the russian government could spin that into, you know, what we need to do is protect ourselves more, getting rid of the group i.s.i.s., and defeat them in syria, before they creep up into the north caucuses and into russia itself. so vladimir putin's approval rating when they went into syria at the end of september bounced up over to 90%, which is incredible, even if that is inflated and it's 60 to 70%, it's incredible.

i don't think we are going to see people come out on the streets protesting russian actions in syria at all. and i think the message will be tig tightly defended by the russian government, that this is why we are there, why we have to stop the terrible group, the rebels in syria. >> katherine stoner-wise from stamford university. thank you for your time. we appreciate it, thank you let's go to syria where activists say fighters from i.s.i.l. released 37 christians held hostage since february. the group of mostly elderly people were among 200 abducted from a town in syria's north-east. a syrian human rights network said talks are continuing for the release of another 124 people in captivity. >> and at least 20 people have been killed in suspected air

strikes on zouma. this video is said to show the aftermath of strikes which killed six children the u.s. defense secretary used a keynote speech in california to criticize russia for helping syria's president. ash carter said moscow's aggression is dragging the war out. >> in syria, russia is throwing gasoline on a dangerous fire, prolonging a war fuelling the extremism that russia claims to oppose. at sea, in the air, in space and cyber space, russian actors have engaged in challenging activities, most disturbing, moscow's nuclear sabre rattling raises questions about russia's leaders' commitment to strategic stability. their expectation for norms.

and whether they spect profound -- expect profound caution nuclear leaders showed with record if the nuclear weapons a search in hebron and the occupied west bank - several palestinian homes have been raided and the officers of an anticorruption group too. a palestinian has been arrested over the death of a soldiers. another looking for suspects of another gun attack where two israelis were injured. to burundi, where a government-issued deadlines for civilians to hand over illegal weapons passed. the senate threatened to quote pulverize opponents that don't put down their arms. that races fears of a government crackdown. we speak so a freelance journalist who we are have not gaming. many people are fleeing the

capital, concerned about more violence. tell us about the mood there? >> the mood is very - there is a lot of stress among the population, the people are afraid. they are trying to leave the city. most of them in the suburbs, the suburbs known, you know, to have a lot of opponents in their midst. they are fleeing. the army is searching homes, everyone is expecting the worst. >> the people that are fleeing. where are they going to? >> there was a first wave of refugees that went to rwanda, congo and tanzania, and the people that are leaving the capital, they are leaving the countryside. most have relatives, that's where they go. they'll leave the homes behind.

sometimes the husbands stay there to watch over their homes. >> tell us more about what the government has been saying, that has people so worried because i understand that the government is saying that they are just defending themselves. >> yes, they can say that they are defending themselves. you know, this government, i can say it, you know, has been terrorizing the population for the last couple of months. this was already the case before the president declared he was going for a third term. the situation is bad. a couple of hours ago there was a grenade attack in the city where more than 10 people died. the violence continued. >> remind us why we are seeing renewed tensions in burundi now. >> i forgot to say there was a

deadline the government issued a state line that rebels should lay down their weapons, of course, you know, they are not doing this. this is the first thing. the second thing was a couple of days ago the president talked publicly, and after, you know the government followers or sympathizers to get to work. it has a negative and worse meaning because it brings back the memory of the genocide in rwanda in "94. >> i know the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon, human rights watch, and the international groups are worried about the rhetoric used by the government in burundi, what is the disagrees add reaction to

what is going on, and is the community able to do anything? >> there has been several reactions, the other day a famous politician, michel, call on the government to act for burundi. except for words, nothing is done. the government things they'll bet away with it. >> a freelance journalist joining us from the capital more to tom. the leaders of china and taiwan meet for the first time in six decades. and corruption and poor services boils over in iraq as

flooding brings baghdad to a stand down no jose mourinho, and no points for chelsea, premier league champions. details of their latest defeat coming up in sport. sierra leone has officially been declared ebola free by the world health organisation. the virus has killed almost 4,000 people, and over 11,000 across west africa. although there were some celebrations, many marked the occasion with a sombre tone. we have more from the capital freetown. >> reporter: there was a party in sierra leone as people celebrated the end of the worse ebola outbreak history. the streets were packed and the people cheered. for these ebola survivors, it was not a chance to celebrate.

there was over 4,000 ebola survivors in sierra leone. this man lost nine of his family members, including his mother and children. >> this brings my mind back from what i am going to do today, for me. it's a painful and sad day. >> people now want to get back to their normal lives. >> we have been suffering, we have no jobs, and we ask help to bring back the economy. >> the official announcement ending the outbreak was made in freetown. after 42 days without a new case can the outbreak be over. that's double the time of the incubation period for the virus. sierra leone has been declared free. liberia had one, involving in a second 42 day countdown. liberia is free of the outbreak, but elsewhere the situation is giving concern. guinea is reporting cases and

sierra leone's president warned people not to relax just quote yet. sierra leone's health workers risk their lives battling the virus day in and out. many shunned by family and friends. they did not give up. >> this is an epidemic. we have already taken on board to treat patients. i see no need to run away. >> reporter: medecins sans frontieres or m.s.f. has been fighting the outbreak since it began. the doctor ahead of the mission in sierra leone worries how the health system will cope post ebola. >> i feel relief and concern also. i'm a bit afraid for the future. because the system remain week. >> reporter: he adds that had the international community responded faster, the outbreak could have been spot.

for survivors like this man, it's too late well, the ebola virus hit sierra leone hard. it had more cases of the virus than neighbouring liberia and guinea, where the first outbreak was recorded in march 2014. more than 12,000 children in sierra leone lost at least one adult caregiver. more than 3,000 lost both parents. in total, 4,000 died and that's a big impact on village economies. in guinea and liberia, across the border, ebola is a threat. the world health organisation warns that for sierra leone, this is the end of the current crisis. let's bring in a doctor, a paediatrician and professor of global health at the mt sinai school of medicine in new york. good to have you with us. what do authorities in sierra leone need to do to ensure the

country is ebola free? > i think the biggest issue here is that we think it's a success story, it's painted as a success story, and we are happy, to see 42 days free of disease after all this time. let's be honest. when they were in charge, they were covering up the disease. the primary client is the government. it took a remarkable response by the u.n. secretary-general to create a different body to get services to all the children and those to be able to respond to the disease. here we have an epic failure to deal with the disease, preferencing politics ahead of health, that left the legacy, devastation of thousands of orphans, and, meanwhile, they are doing this, right now with cholera in syria.

they are unable to prevent these terrible endemics or pandemics, and respond proactively in a way to protect children, the most vulnerable of all, and we are not seeing a change in their ability to do so. i think we are concerned that we are looking at and can celebrate the end of ebola here, in this fragile country and be wary that the health system is broken. there's thousands of children without caregivers e stigmatised, they haven't been to school, vaccinated and the world health organisation, sadly, whose primary client is the government. while it is wedded with the government whose interest may be economic and trade, we can't rely on it to protect the interests of children, the most jul nerable of all -- vulnerable of all. we have outbreaks in burundi,

iraq, and syria where there's conflict. and it's being covered up too. we have to be aware of this in our ability to respond, and to be very careful that we are doing adequate surveillance of ebola and polio and cholera, and mindful of the organization that is not protecting the children and those that are most vulnerable. >> who is then protecting the children, the most vulnerable now in sierra leone, as mentioned thousands have been over fanned. who is looking after them. >> that's a good question. we looked at agencies like medecins sans frontieres, providing the service. when the secretary-general created a special way to get around because it was banned. they were able to provide finance and funding to the

agencies on the ground that can look after the kids, who can support the families, can do the long-term, you know, support and services that are required. not just to come and go, but to be there. that is what worked. that is the model we need to replicate in other disasters. let's face it. whether we talk about burundi or syria, there's no shortage of conflict and crisis. >> joining us from the mt sinai school of medicine in new york. thank you for your time. thank you now, it was a handshake 66 years in the making, the leaders of china and taiwan met for the first time. the talks lasted less than an hour, they are being seen as symbolic show of reconciliation, we have a report from singapore, where the historic meeting took place. >> reporter: security was tight in anticipation of the leaders' arrival. armed personnel at the ready,

the government taking no chances for the leaders of china and taiwan. president xi jinping was the first to arrive, then taiwan's leader ma ying-jeou. if anyone doubted the importance of the meeting between the two presidents, take a look at the press corp that arrived. over 500 from across asia pacific and the rest of the world. they'll be looking at every handshake and smile, wondering what the impact will be on china and taiwan. neither officially recognises the other as head of state. china sees taiwan as its rogue province off the chinese coast. taiwan regards itself as an independent country. by 1949 and after a bloody war, mao tse tung and its communist brigade declared the people's republic of beijing. on the other side they created their own republic of china of what is now taiwan.

the talks were a surprise to many. on the sidelines of a summit in beijing, president xi jinping dismissed contact with taiwan. their leaders said talks would happen if the taiwanese sought benefit. he has much at stake. >> if president ma ying-jeou is able to carry off the meeting it would solidify his legacy, his position historically, and perhaps his post-presidency political life, if he's able to set himself up as a cross-street broker. >> it's an uphill test for ma ying-jeou and his party, who have elections in the new year. president xi jinping spoke before the talks, and he was positive. >> translation: 66 years of development of the cross-strait regulations indicates no matter how much wind or rain both sides have been through, no matter how long we have been kept away from each other, no force can keep us apart. >> reporter: the meetings lasted less than an hour.

this is what ma ying-jeou had to say afterwards. >> translation: both sides should stick to one china policy, but we have to recognise that although there is one china, we are agree to disagree on its definition. there are different interpretations. >> reporter: political commentators agree, it was a symbolic meeting. while emphasise smiles saturday. the upcoming elections in taiwan could see the anti-china opposition taking power. then it would be back to the drawing board for both stay with us on the newshour, still to come, polls are about to open in myanmar for an historic election. we are live in yangong. police and protesters crash in india-administered kashmir and valentino rossi's world championship hopes may have

bitten the dust. details in supported.

you're watching the al

jazeera newshour with me elizabeth puranam, a reminder of the top stories. the head of the joint team investigating the plane crash in the sinai said a noise was heard in the last second of the cockpit voice recording. this supports suspicions that a bomb brought down the jet killing 224 on board the israeli army says it arrested a palestinian man who is accused of shooting a soldiers. the arrest made during the raid of several palestinian homes in hebron and in burundi, a government-issued deadline for civilians to hand over illegal weapons past. security forces have been carrying out a major operation in the capital to search for those that did not comply with the order polls have opened in myanmar's historic general elections, the first openly contested vote in 25 years after

decades of military rule. we'll go live to florence louie, on the outscares of yangon. give us a sense of what we can expect in the coming hours? >> in the coming hours we expect the queues to be longer. before, the polling station opened 10 minutes before. queues started to form half an hour before, in an hour and a half or an hour, we expect the opposition leader and former prisoner aung san suy kyi to turn up and vote at this polling station. they are probably going to be a crowd of well-wishers. we have spoken to a lady, an attorney, who grew up in myanmar, and she doesn't have the right to vote, but is here to be able to take in what is happening on this day, and to watch aung san suy kyi cast her

vote is that enthusiasm, the cues that you mentioned a sign of how significant today is for democracy in myanmar? >> absolutely. now, this has been described as a landmark election. the opposition leader described this as a golden opportunity for people in myanmar, an opportunity for them to be a part of change. it's also seen as a test of the general's commitment or the government's commitment to continue on the path of reforms. as you mentioned this country was ruled by the military for nearly 50 years, it was in the last four or five years that the military handed over power. what happens after the election is a crucial test of whether or not they will allow the reforms that they started to continue. the people will look at how the election is carried out. whether or not they'll be clean

and credible. whether or not the results, whatever they be, are going to be allowed to be implemented. in 1990 the m.l.b. won by a landslide. they were not allowed to take power. these are the things that will be closely monitored. it is still going to be a hybrid form of government. no matter who wins enough seats. the constitution guarantees the military 25% of seats in parliament. >> thank you for that. our correspondent florence louie covering the historic elections in myanmar from the outskirts of yangon now, india's prime minister narendra modi announced 12 billi billion of aid for indian-administered kashmir. he wants to restore the former muslim state to its former glory. there was fighting by civilian and protesters, leaving one dead, despite the visit.

we have this report. >> reporter: police confronted protests before the morning rally. almost as soon as the flags and balloons appeared on the street, police swooped in and contained the protesters, as some tried to run. they, like others, want self-determination on whether indian-administered kashmir should stay with india, merge with pakistan or be independent. local politicians and protest organiser was taken away by police, along with some supporters. al jazeera interviewed him before narendra modi's visit and said the announcement of aid will not subdue the conflict in kashmir. >> this is subject to justice, leading to resolution after resolution. it is all right, the occasion, but you need to dissolve the political dispute. >> reporter: at the rally the prime minister delivered as expected, announcing more than $12 billion spending for victims

of the floods and economic development in the region. >> translation: my dream is that this money should be used to make a new kashmir, an advanced and progressive kashmir, don't think the $12 billion is the final package. it's the beginning. >> reporter: security has been stepped up, hundreds detained before the rally. part of the area was empty in the afternoon. news of the aid, development and jobs by narendra modi didn't temper the frustrations felt by some locals at the security clampdown for days, before the ral yip. >> they say -- rally. >> they ademocracy, what is it, that you shut people in and bring in people from other parts of the state? >> reporter: short and sporadic protests continued through the afternoon, leaving the promise of economic aid at odds with some people's political feelings. >> mooedy and state -- narendra modi and state officials hope

the aid package will boost support and confidence among people in the region. the fact that so much security was needed and to stop protests shows that any announcement here is a tough sell. a young man has been rescued after being trapped for 50 hours under the rubble of a building in pakistan. he was found a short time after authorities expressed little hope of finding more survivors, the 4-storey factory collapsed wednesday, killing 40 people, dozens are missing as rescue efforts enter a fourth day. >> reporter: now, officials in brazil are testing the toxicity of rivers after two mine dams burst. residents have been told to throw away muddied clothes. rescuers are searching for around 23 people still missing after thursday's disaster.

at least one person has been confirmed dead. streets and houses are covered by thick mud. authorities in the area say this is the state's worst environmental disaster egyptian state media says 18 people died in flash floods. heavy rain struck the northern province where bad drainage left roads under water. alexandria has been hit by heavy storms, flooding the streets and halting the traffic iraq has also been hit by flash floods. areas of baghdad have been swamped by water. the country's crumbling infrastructure is failing to cope and iraqis blame corrupt politicians. we have this report. >> reporter: for the second time in a week iraqis have to wade through streets to get anywhere. trapped in their homes after roads were swamped with floodwaters mixed with sewage.

municipal ities say they are doing all they can. they are failing to cope with the downpour. iraqis in flooded homes see it as an example of crumbling infrastructure and insufficient public services. >> translation: the rain is flooding our homes and streets. we want a solution for our problems swiftly, our children are ill due to hard circumstances. >> reporter: more than 50 people have been killed since rain storms struck several areas last week. before the latest deluge, iraqis protested against an inefficient government taking care of them. for days, protesters called on the government to sack corrupt officials. security forces fired warning shots. when demonstrate juniors tried to enter the green zone. >> where is the oil money, 1,000 billion iraqi skinners. >> people in kabul and basra continue to protest against corruption and lack of services.

>> the people of iraq are not treated fairly. we have seen nothing serious from all the politicians. economy and services deteriorate. people are suffering, and the politicians do not respond to requests. >> the prime minister responded to the pressure, announcing reforms to deal with corruption and incompetence. reforms are blocked. they announced them without seeking approval. that angered iraq's cleric. the ayatollah khamenei warned politicians against rocking reforms. >> we have to affirm that the need to protect the constitution and the law must not be used by the legislative or other authorities to circumvent or delay debts. >> activists are calling for more against the corrupt public officials. public outrage and promises seem far from materializing into improvements on the ground now, 7 more people died from

their injuries, a week after a nit club fire in roman -- nightclub fire in romania, taking the death toll to 41. days of protests triggered are continuing in bucharest. people are demanding early elections and an end to corruption. many blamed lax government safety which led to the resignation of the country's prime minister. for is to be replaced a german political party staged a mark protesting immigration policies. the afd parties is opposed to german chancellor angela merkel's approach to welcoming refugees and migrants. there were counter demonstrations by supporters. more than 760,000 asylum seekers arrived in germany between january and october sunday marks two years since a powerful storm on record made land fall. the philippines - the typhoon

killed many, displacing more. the country is recovering. we returned to see how the people are coping. >> reporter: this was once this woman's home. here is where she nurured her four children for many years, until typhoon haiyan swept it away. many politicians promised her a new home. she is still waiting. >> translation: where will we be? where will we end up now? will we have a home? there's questions when it comes to government choice of beneficiaries. we have to fight from local governments down to community leaders. >> at least 6,000 people were killed and millions displaced. the president aquino budgeted 3.9 million in funds for recovering efforts. 21,000 homes need to be rebuilt. two years on. only around 500 houses are

complete. >> thousands are jobless. others say they feel grateful some groups stayed on to help them. the recovery of the haiyan survivors is considered a big step. aquino presidency. desperate for help. >> unfortunately, an open letter addressed to me never got to me, i never saw it. not in any paper, nothing, not in any media have i managed to see it. >> by the grace of god goes... >> reporter: election season has begun, some survivors worry that their stories will be used to further political ambitions. no flowery speeches can hide the truth that two years on thousands of survivors are living in the shelters with no electricity or running waters. both national and local government agencies put the blame on each other. relief efforts marred by

politics from the beginning. >> my husband has done his best. and the lg is doing its best. i believe a lot has been done. we can always do more. >> here in this mass grave is where hundreds of unidentified bodies were buried in haste by the government. families desperate for closure, marking crosses for the loved ones hoping in death they are given dignity. two years on, this masquerade deteriorated, parts removed to make way for new construction. for those grieving, this is a grim resting place, for loved ones whose stories have been forgotten still to come on the programme - the world's best tennis player continues his love affair with the courts of paris. raul will have those details in a moment. moment.

it is time for the sports news, raul. >> thank you very much. chelsea's players say they are behind their manager jose mourinho. that's according to goalkeeper who was speaking after the english champions recorded their 7th league defeat of the season. this time it came at stoke city. there was no jose mourinho for this game. he was serving a one match stadium ban after abusing a refugee. with or without their manager. they are still struggling. a winner scored in the second

half. the champions lost for the third successive time. chelsea, 16, three points off relegation. better news for a former chelsea manager, his liverpool level with arsenal after beating watford. manchester united are fourth after a victory against west brom the final of the asian champion's league is evenly poised after the first leg of a contest, the united arab emirat emirates. it produced plenty of goals. they are unbeaten in all competitions and hoping to add to the 2013 title now, jose lorenzo, that gentleman there starts from poll for the final race of the motogp season in valencia. he is 7 points behind championship leader and team-mate valentino rossi. jose lorenzo was the fastest

during qualifier, setting a lap record at the circuit. valentino rossi was due to start the race from last place on the grid, after being punish the for kicking world champion mark marquez in the previous race. the italian fell at turn 8 and was 12th fastest in qualifying so, let's have a look at the grid for that final race. there's 26 riders starting in valenc valencia. jose lorenzo at the top. the yamaha rider with 305 championship points. go to the back and you'll find valentino rossi, 312 championship points. in order for valentino rossi to win his eighth world title he needs to pass 24 riders and finish second. any less and jose lorenzo picks up the crown. after breaking the lap record in valencia on saturday, jose lorenzo is feeling kst. >> i think that my best lap in all my life. i couldn't believe when i saw

it, i couldn't believe the biggest lap i made. at the maximum i made 30.9. in the second i improved one second. >> novak djokovic in tennis makes it 21 victories in a row. the last man to beat the serb was stanislaw wawrinka in the french open in june. stanislaw wawrinka provided novak djokovic with the 21st consecutive win in the semifinals at the paris masters, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. >> it's a challenge. we played in shanghai. i played an unbelievable max. i hope to play as well as i did there. it's different conditions, coming indoors. playing terrific tennis, i've seen it play. it will be a tough one physically, mentally. >> in the final he'll play andy murray, the scot reaching a

first paris final after a straight-sets win over david ferrer the new president of world athletics described the latest allegations to hit the sport as abhorrent. sebastien co-made public comments following a french investigation alleging systematic chorus. saturday for more were charged including the i.a.a.f. president's son jack, accused of soliciting bribes. he was arrested by french authorities on sunday and is accused of leading a system of corruption, the i.a.a.f. cancelled an awards ceremony scheduled for the end of the month there's three different investigations, french police station charged four many, jack, his son, advisor and anti-doping she have. the i.o.o.f. charged four men,

the former president. athletic federation and the head of the walkers and runners. there's investigation by the world doping agency wada, that began in december, it will be handed down monday. the findings will be damming. richard mclaren, a co-author says you potentially have a bunch of old men that put extra money if their pockets for extortions and bribes, causing changes to results and final standings of international athletics competitions. this is a different scale of corruption to f.i.f.a. or i.o.c. somewhere to salt lake city now, sri lanka's cricketers rapped up a 3-0, 1-day international win over the windies. the series was lost going into the third one-dayer, and was about salvaging pride. marlon samuels did that, an

unbeaten 110 giving the tourists score respectability i, windies making 206/9. the innings interrupted by rain. sri lanka was 180/5 in the 33rd. the revised tart of 162 meant the -- target of 162 meant the sri lankans claimed victory for a 3-0 series win. >> test match - south africa beaten by 108 runs in the first test in ma harley. the proteas bundled out for 109. the man of the match took 5/121 in the second innings opportunities for young sports men and women may be few and far between. the palestinian territory is using a programme to teach a group of blind boys karate.

here is the story of a blind karate competitor dreaming of one day representing his country. >> i am 15 years old. i live in gaza city, and was born blind, so was my older brother and younger sister. being blind used to make me sad. i got used to it. i adapted my life so i could cope. in the beginning i spent most of my time at home doing nothing. i decided to challenge my handicap and set goals. i went to school and studied. i want to continue studies and get a university degree. our school is a special blind school, it's helping us a lot. we are able to study and continue life as normal. one day i heard about special karate training programme. this training programme will help me defend myself, so i joined them. first i was shocked and didn't

really understand how i can practice karate when i can't see. when i started training i felt i could make it. i proceeded. the instructor faced problems, but he decided to take on the challenge. we are nine blind boys, we are all friends and help each other as if we are brothers. the coach constructed a special way of string dealing with hearing, touching and sensory direction, and that allows you to know the four directions and decide when and where to move. the instructor played an important role in training us, becoming like a father, brother and friend. we thank him a lot for what he has done for us. karate gave me confidence and determine. no more street harass: i feel i can face the world now, i want to continue until i get the black belt. my hope is to continue to

representatives palestine in international competitions what an incredible young man and story. that is all. now, finally in this bulletin, around the world frogs are disappearing at an unprecedented rate to stop the lose. the smithsonian institute built a laboratory in panama. david mercer went to visit the high-tech premises. >> inside this laboratory, an hour outside panama city, scientists are working overtime. for the investigators, the motivation is clear - a chance to save frogs from extinction. with a deadly fungal disease, threatening amphibians, the work is vital. >> we are in a race against time. the fungus appears to be spreading eastwards. we have to rescue frogs before the fungus gets to them and use them to establish healthy

populations. >> the new sit of the art lab allows referencers to look at ways to -- researches to look at amphibians and get them back into the wild. >> reporter: a third of the world's amphibian species are in danger, many have been wiped out. scientists say programs like this are essential to their survive until. -- survival. a lab brought new challenges. researchers have to raise the insects themselves. maintaining temperatures is essential, giving amphibians the newtry jnts they need to drive. >> female frogs need a lot in their diet. we need to make sure they are well fed. which collapsed from a few days to a month. >> the lab is home to three

species of frogs. more than 300 individuals are separated according to species and gender. little by little staff increase the population, key to the frogs long-term survival. >> translation: studies tell us that with 40 individuals, 20 males and 20 females, we guarantee the genetic variability will not be affected in 20-25 years time. this will be important when these animals repopulate areas where they disappeared. >> reporter: searching to clues to fight the killer fungus and bringing threatened species back from the brink. part of an effort to save the frogs before it's too late and that does it for the newshour. i'm back in a few minutes with another full news bulletin. thank you for watching. atching. sha

this is al jazeera america live in new york city. two police officers are under arrest charged with murder for shooting into a vehicle and killing a six-year-old boy. more signs pointing to the possibility that a bomb brought down that airliner over egypt. ballots in myanmar. first election in 30 ar