>> the news continues next from doha. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ good to have you with us as we begin another news hour. our top stories. talks get underway in syria. in new york world powers attempt to find common ground on the way forward. kurdish fighters in iraq appeal for more help in the fight against isil. and shell can be sued for oil spills in nigeria. the u.n. says that refugee

numbers are at record levels and millions more will soon be on the more. and the vatican says mother theresa will be named a saint. foreign ministers from around the world are trying to revive the syrian peace process. they are hoping to arrange a ceasefire and direct talks between the syrian government and the opposition. there are, though, major obstacles. one of them is which groups will be defined as radical. jordan will be compiling a list. and lastly, the future of syrian president, bashar al-assad, the opposition says it won't agree to a ceasefire unless he steps down. let's go to james bayes. these talks are now underway after a delay?

>> reporter: yes, that's right. and that shows the difficulty of all of this. they have a very ambitious goal to try to get in january, a ceasefire, and talks between the syrian government and some of the syrian opposition. that's going to be very, very hard to achieve, and as you say, i think we got an indication of that, the main meeting took place about an hour and 10 minutes after it was supposed to start, and that's because of ongoing talks between the u.s. secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart, sergei lavrov. what is all of the problem here about? what is all of the disagree and discussion about? well, it's about what they had hoped to achieve on this day of talks here in new york to try to push this process forward. the idea is to have this meeting, which is taking place in a five-star hotel here in

midtown manhattan, work out all of the details, and then move a few blocks away to the united nations headquarters, where they were going to have a meeting of the u.n. security council, and pass a resolution endorsing all of this process, but that resolution is what is causing the problem. they can't agree on exactly what should be in the draft resolution that they will vote on in just a few hours time. when i spoke to the british ambassador earlier he told me they are getting closer. he was hopeful they would get a resolution, but they were in his words dancing on the head of a pin. my understanding from other diplomats is the problem is about the transitional period that is planned after they have those peace talks to transition to a new future, and the language they used some are saying they how old use the

language of the geneva communique of 2012, and that talks about a transitional governing body. if there's going to be mutual consent from the opposition side, that means no role for president assad, others -- and by others, i mean the russians, they are arguing that perhaps they should use the language from the vienna communique, which refers simply to transition. so i think that rather detailed wording is what it is all about. and behind that is wording that may allow president assad to stay on for a bit longer. >> james many thanks. turkey is also attending those talks in new york, and like the other countries it too has its own list of groups that it describes or feels are terrorist groups, including the

pkk, a kurdish armed group. the kurds are an at nick group of at least 25 million people. the pkk has been fighting for independence for years. in iraq, an armed group called the peshmerga are kurds fighting isil, and then there is the ypg, always kurds fighting isil. >> reporter: as an indication of how difficult it is going to be on who should be involved in talking in syria on the turkey side, they wouldn't want the syrian kurds involves. the syrian kurds areal lyes with the pkk, and turkey has been involved in its own long-running fight with these separatists,

the pkk, 54 pkk fighters have been killed in fighting in a couple of cities not far from here. so that fight intensifying. but the problem is for the americans, the syrian kurds are and have been the most effective fighting force on the ground, and the americans have through third-parties been providing weapons for the syrian kurds. so the americans in the end would not probably want to cut out the syrian kurds from any sort of discussions on the final settlement in syria, so somehow, there is going to have to be some sort of agreement that would let these groups in, even though turkey would object to the syrian kurds having involved. >> kurdish soldiers are appealing for international support and more weapons to defeat isil. isil fighters are better armed and a are using stolen u.s.

weapons. the peshmerga have regained territory as our correspondent reports now. >> reporter: it's a symbolic day for peshmerga forces here. they have regained control of their town from isil fighters a year ago, many isil leaders were killed. the peshmerga are now using many of their weapons on the front lines. they say most of the captured equipment is u.s. made which isil stole from the iraqi army. >> daesh does not have the strength or morale to attack kurdish areas, because it is known that the peshmerga will crush them. >> reporter: peshmerga fighters

are eager to show their gains. but isil still remains strong in other areas on the outskirts of various peshmerga strong holds. isil has carried out many coordinated attacks across several fronth -- fronts. peshmerga forces say they have repelled several isil attacks across the region. isil fighters are using armored vehicle bombs followed by bull to dozers to fill trenches dug by isil. for now a push towards mosul remains on hold, but soldiers say they are ready. >> translator: there is a political decision now, peshmerga and the coalition was part of the iraqi military, already have a plan to liberate the area from daesh. >> reporter: they are helped by coalition air strikes and some

tribal volunteers, but it doesn't seem to be enough. >> daesh are armed to the teeth, and the peshmerga are the ones holding the dine, defeating daesh, and they are holding the line for the west, so it's now time that the west starts to do more than air support, they must be crushed here for humanity. it's that simple. >> reporter: but the competing interests of international powers involved in this conflict, remains far from simple. iraqi medical sources say that 11 people from two families have been killed in an air tribing on fallujah by u.s.-lead coalition forces. at least three killed were children. the coalition jets were targeting isil fighters in the center of the city. a siege by the iraqi army has lead to a shortage of food and basic necessities in the area. houthi rebels have returned

to negotiations with yemen's government in switzerland. they have been upset over the announcement of a humanitarian aid deal. meanwhile pro-government fighters say they have taken more techer to from the houthis. >> reporter: a rare moment of joy against the sorrow of yemen's war. celebrations on the streets of aden, mark the return of more than 260 piz -- prisoners of war. some of them barely into their teens were freed in exchange for more than 300 houthi rebels. >> translator: we suffered a lot. the houthis [ inaudible ] all kinds of abuse. we didn't get any prisoner rights. >> reporter: al jazeera can't confirm these allegations, but what is clear is that both sides are suffered. it was hoped the swap would help

u.n.-sponsored peace talks in switzerland between the warring parties, and perhaps it did to an extent. because the houthis and yemen's government agreed to allow desperately needed aid into the city of ta'izz. but details appear to have antagonized houthi eventtives. this ta'izz the situation looks no different than it did before the talks began. the ceasefire has been in place since tuesday on paper, but hardly in practice. the battles continue, and humanitarian agencies on the ground say they haven't seen any aid arrive. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: elsewhere pro-government fighters say they have now captured houthi camps in two provinces, destroying their vehicles and taking prisoners. as the fighting drags on it is estimated four in every five people in yemen now require aid. health services have been badly

disrupted. doctors at this cancer clinic in aden, are worried they will soon run out of supplies. >> translator: these children are suffering because we lack medicines. they need help and support so we can treat them and take care of them. >> reporter: the conflict has killed 6,000 people since march, half of them civilians. gerald tan, al jazeera. the yemeni ambassador to the up -- u.n. joins us live. thanks for being with us. the houthis refused to take part in the negotiations earlier today, why did they do that? how did you get them back in? >> actually they made three explanations to that. in their short press conference. the press conference was in violation of the rules of the

procedure in the talks in erbil, they invited all of their friends and -- and the press agencies covering the events, and they announced they were against -- that -- that -- the announcement of [ inaudible ] yesterday on ta'izz because they had some [ inaudible ] on it, and also they announced that they were not attending meeting this morning, because there was someone [ inaudible ] actually they never accepted to attend this morning meeting because they wanted just to signal their policy of pushing the -- the concentration towards collapsing, and threatening to collapse the entire process.

we think that by having the ceasefire and opening access to the humanitarian operations in ta'izz, we have managed to get the first success in this process. we think the second succession is the release of prisoners, and if the houthis are willing to cooperate with the government delegation, we can work with the idea of releasing prisoners, that will be a big starting point because this is part of the measure to establish confidence in the talks. before we can go further into implementing into [ inaudible ]. >> how are the talks going over all? is it a positive atmosphere? >> i mean, we tried that this positive atmosphere reign, so we

can progress towards achieving some results, but the houthis are [ inaudible ] they try to with their rebellious temper to show that they are -- they have the upper hand. they will accept to do that, or they will block -- block the entire process. the government is fully in power. from the beginning we have the prime minister and the minister of -- of foreign affairs, and the minister of civil war, and we -- we are working hard towards engaging and -- and asking them to be as engaged as we are in the talks so that we achieve some results to alleviate that difficult situation of the country, and for our people. >> are you optimistic that a deal can be done here; that progress can be made? >> look, sir, i told everybody

in the press that in the beginning by just having them sitting in the same room, by just having them for the third and the fourth day, talking and -- and -- and accepting the idea that -- that they are talking to implement 2216 is a real step forward. we asked them now to cooperate, and to put more -- more effort into implementing the release of prisoners and - and -- and -- and -- and secure the success of humanitarian relief operations into ta'izz. because as far as i know, all what we said from yesterday, there is no real achievement in -- in -- in -- in -- in the ta'izz issue. we need to send more humanitarian relief operations to ta'izz because there is a huge need in -- by our people there. >> ambassador good to talk to you. many thanks indeed for being

with us. you are with the news hour from al jazeera, much more to come. the rwanda president has cast his vote in a referendum that should see him serve three more terms in office. and in sport, this man has his eyes on a second coming as manager of chelsea. andy with be here with the latest, later in the program. ♪ nigerian farmers and fisherman have been told that they can sue the oil giant shell in a dutch court. a judge in the hague ruled that the multinational can be held legally responsible for alleged pollution this the ruling means other dutch-based companies around the world could be sued.

a lawyer for friends of the earth, which is the group backing the nigerians in the case, he says the decision is a positive step forward. >> this is a judgment or ruling which we are happy about, and the implication is, as we have always campaigned to create a opportunity for negatively impacted citizens of host countries of multi-nationals to have the opportunity to drag such multinational countries before the home-country court for the determinations of perceived wrongs committed against them in their host states. from statistics that are wheeled out every day in nigeria, communities suffer negatively from the operations of shell, mostly, as the biggest

multinational operator in nigeria, and magnitude of their operational negative impacts on communities, citizens, their environments, their livelihood is such in a huge quantity that, you know, it cannot easily be quantified, honest, because they are replete cases that have been against shell, in virtually all of the courts in nigeria for oil, operational pollutions. and of course some at the international level. polls are now closed in rwanda amid the referendum as to whether to change the constitution to allow the president to run for a third term. he has run rwanda since the 1994

genocide was ended. malcolm webb reports. ♪ >> reporter: public meetings about the referendum on changing the constitution have been impossible to miss. these people say they want the president to stay in power after he finishes his second term. he has been present of rwanda since 2000 since his group took control in 1994. and now politicians say millions of rwandans petitioned them to hold the -- referendum. >> translator: we already have 5 million rwandans supporting the change. >> reporter: we have been told that people are pressured into attending these political meetings.

the government say people come freely. and supporters say it is because they want him to stay. >> translator: we asked our members of parliament to change the term limits. >> reporter: for the last ten days, members of parliament and senators have been campaigning hard, not just here in the capitol, but also in towns and villages all over the country, where they have gathered crowds of hundreds of people like this. delivered speeches, sung and danced all in favor of changing the constitution to remove presidential term limits, but there hasn't been any visible campaign against it. some opposition figures are in prison. others have been killed or disappeared. the government denies it is responsible. john claude's democratic green party is one that is openly critical. he said his party had planned to

vote against changing the constitution. >> it is no provided to do the campaign. so we can't do it. [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: it's easier to find critics in other countries. peter was born in rwanda but campaigns against the government from london. >> the referendum has been arranged in one week to allow the president to continue being president for life essentially. and we think it is illegitimate. we think it be pass, because it is being held in a situation where people can't speak freely. >> reporter: he is popular among many rwandans. but others say public opinion on extending his rule is a lot more divided than the government suggests. malcolm webb, al jazeera. the president of the european commission has met

european leaders to discuss the refugee crisis. this as a new u.n. report warns that due to the war in syria, the number of people forced to leave their homes this year is likely to exceed all previous records. the number of people fleeing their country has now passed 20 million. with fighting and wars especially in the middle east, the number of people internally displaced has jumped from 2 million to 34 million. and worldwide displacement will reach a record high of more than 60 million people by the end of this year. the report touches on the impact these numbers are having on countries that make in refugees. turkey has taken in almost 1.9 million refugees, mainly syrians. our correspondent reports now. >> reporter: this child is two months old. his parents want to take him and

his four siblings to greece. they tell me they know the risks, and they can all die. >> translator: we have no other alternative. no chance to live here or in afghanistan. we can't stay here. we have to go to europe. we want to go to germany. >> reporter: entire families of refugees are waiting here in the tu turkish coastal town. some have been here for days. waiting for a call from their smugglers. they have to be ready all the time. outside there are more children and adults. they sit and wait. it's cold here, and the winds are strong. all determined to cross the aegean sea to get to greece which seems close but remains out of reach. >> why i am coming here, because we have lots of problems in afghanistan. we are faced with lot of challenges. they have not good for the younger generation to learn something. and we cannot guarantee our

life. >> reporter: every morning they hope the sea is calmer. greece is a short distance away, but crossing the aegean sea is risky. the journey to the greek island could take up to an hour depending on weather conditions, but this is a dangerous journey. the international organization for migration says more than 650 have died this year. many of them were children, and in the last two weeks, at least 15 children have drowned in the aegean sea. the rights group says they recorded deaths of refugees in other routes have reached 2,900. at meeting point on the coast, as the right moment came, the

first overloaded dingy sets off. carrying refugees happy to leave but risking it all. while others wait. at this small shop volunteers rely on donations to feed the refugees, but they feel helpless to persuade them not to take more risks. >> it is terrible. and so we bring them to hospital, because they were really hot, and they all sick, and one day after they will die in the sea. they drowned. >> reporter: back on the shore those who didn't make it this time, feel disappointed. waiting their turn to cease their chance between life and death. we're almost halfway through this news hour. still to come on the program, only a week in office and already there is pushback against argentina's new

president. plus he is in his 50s but has had to move back in with his mom. we'll take a look at spain's working poor ahead of elections there. and in sport, the down side of having the best seat in the house at an nba game. andy will be here with all of the details. ♪ ♪

>> these people have decided that today they will be arrested. >> i know that i'm being surveilled. >> people are not getting the care that they need. >> this is a crime against humanity. >> hands up... >> don't shoot. >> hands up... >> don't shoot. >> what do we want? >> justice. >> when do we want it? >> now. >> explosions going on... we're not quite sure -

>> is that an i.e.d.? hello again, adrian finighan in doha. our top stories, foreign ministers are in new york to try to revive the syrian peace process. the u.n. says the number of refugees and displaced people is likely to exceed a record 60 million this year. and polls are closed in rwandan on a referendum on presidential term limits. more on that. the spokesman for the united democratic forces, an opposition party in rwanda, says critics of the government have been silenced in the run up to this

referendum. >> they are either in exile, or in jail, or dead. and just two weeks ago our vice president who was in rwanda was kidnapp kidnapped. just lucky that when he was being bundled into the car, the population went around him and asked why he is being taken, and without any shame, they said it was a [ inaudible ] taken to police. they forced these guys to go with him to the police station. at the police station, went to the police station, they said he was not there. >> we put those allegations to rwanda's justice minister, and here is his response. >> the opposition have been saying whatever they want. they have been addressing

international media, talking to the people, nobody has denied them any opportunity to speak what they want and convince the people to vote the way they want. the international community of course we respect their views, but our primary obligation, our primary responsibility is to the rwandan people. the syrian conflict has lasted more than four years. the u.n. estimates more than 250,000 people have been killed and over a million injured, most of them civilians, nearly 7.6 million syrians have been displaced from their homes. a further 4.6 million are said to be trapped in areas under siege or hard to reach. in all more than 12 million people are in need of help inside of syria. and more than 4.5 million more have registered as refugees in neighboring countries. as talks in new york get underway, let's bring in a

syrian academic and associate analyst at the doha institute, he is with me here in the studio. it seems we have three main sticking points, who is going to event the syrian opposition, which fighting groups are considered so-called terrorists, and does bashar al-assad stay or go? in your opinion, which of those three is the most difficult? >> i think all of them are difficult in my opinion, but the most difficult might be deciding the future of bashar al-assad. because both russia and iran insist that bashar al-assad -- the future of bashar al-assad will not be discussed during these peace talks, that is left actually to the syrian people, in which means in fact that he is to stay as long as he can, actually, on syria.

but i think the other two points are no less difficult, because if you are going to ask the russians and iranance to name for example the syrian opposition in the peace talks, for the most part they will be naming those who are very close to them, and that won't actually lead us anywhere in this -- in this process. and -- >> it's going to need compromise from both russia and the u.s.? it has been said that russia is the key to the success of these talks. >> absolutely. especially since the russian military intervention in syria, russia has become the main actor in the syrian process. and also iran, because before russian intervention, the thinking was that iran actually is holding the keys to resolving

this crisis, but now we all know that it is president putin, actually who is the major actor in this whole issue. but let me go back to the question of naming the terrorist groups in syria. i think that is going to be a very difficult one as well. because russian and iran are calling for naming the armed groups in syria, all groups that are holding arms against bashar al-assad, to list them as terrorist organization, that is going to complicate things very much, the thing that americans and also allies will not accept that. >> you talked about the leverage that russia has over syria, is there any appetite as far as the syrian government is concerned for negotiation at this stage? >> i think if we leave it up to the syrian government, i don't think they are interested in starting the political process,

because that means they have to give something in this political process, and during for example, the geneva 2 conference in early 2014, the syrian regime, actually just undermined the whole process by insisting on first fighting terrorism and then we'll talk about everything else. so i think the syrian regime is trying now to embold the solution by using that same means, which has been from the very beginning, security solution, i mean to this whole issue, trying to defeat the opposition, trying to score heavily on the ground, and try to impose that actually on the table of negotiation. that is the plan of the syrian government. >> good to talk to you, thank you for being with us. the president of argentina is facing push back a week after

being voted in. he is being accused of looking after the rich at the expense of the poor. >> reporter: he has been president for one week, and there are already thousands on the streets protesting against some of his policies. >> translator: the government is benefiting the rich and not the poor. this is a protest to tell the new participate, we are on alert. >> reporter: he has started to unravel a system of currency controls, trade restriction, and subsi subsidies. on thursday the new government evaluated the currency as part of economic overhaul he says is needed to lure investment and jump start the economy. effected by high inflation and lack of growth. he is facing strong political opposition from those who support the center left policies

of the former president. people here say they mere that what they call the liberal policies will cause more inflation and hurt the working class. >> translator: for the middle class sectors they are announcing some tax exsech shups and for sure they will have to make announcements about how to help the poor. >> reporter: this week, he is hurrying up to fill up key government positions. he also named two supreme court judges without going through usual channels of confirmation. his critics accuse him of being undemmic. but this senator says the new president is not afraid of opposition. >> those that are saying that now there is a wave of right-wing politics in latin america, i think they are making a mistake in argentina.

we are proposing to continue taking care of prices. we're going to protect those who need us the most. >> reporter: but argentina's economic collapse in 2001 continues to be very present in this country. that's why many are wary about the consequences that the radical changes will bring about. the economic crisis in spain is being blamed for causing widespread dissatisfaction with both the ruling and opposition parties with just days to go before the election there, barn -- barnaby phillips has been speaking to people. >> reporter: giving up on madrid at the age of 26. rosa is preparing to go back to live with her parents on the coast. she studied hard, has two degrees, but all he is could find was temporary work and

unpaid internships. she feels betrayed by spain's leaders. >> translator: i'm hoping for a change, a change for all of the people that have been left behind. the politicians forgot about us. we need them to invest in citizens. >> reporter: at the red cross, they count the cost of the social crisis. they give food, medicine, and legal support to the vulnerable. they told us the number of people they help increased by 700,000 in 2015. >> translator: there has been a change in the profile of the people we help. before we supported many immigrants, and now most of the people we help are spanish. they come from homes that have spliped into poverty. >> reporter: the spanish economy is now recovering.

even the construction industry which collapsed so spectacularly a few years ago is now showing signs of life. unemployment is also falling, but many of the new jobs are badly paid and short-term, the spanish are having to accept that economic insecurity is now a way of life. jose is a salesman for pharmaceutical companies. after 30 years of work, he is only scraping a living. aged 50, he has also moved back in with his parents. this is not the career he once dreamt of. >> translator: i have lost quality of life, salaries have dropped and they won't be like they were before. i know i will never earn the money i used to. i don't go out, i don't have the same life i used to enjoy.

>> reporter: so spain is at a cross roads, the government says the worst is over. it deserves a second chance, but many spanish want to punish the old political parties for everything that has gone wrong. that makes the results of these elections very hard to predict. barnaby phillips, al jazeera, madrid. britain's first official astronaut has been speaking from space. it's his first time in orbit. >> the most unexpected thing, i think, was the blackness of space, because we always talk about seeing the view of planet earth and how beautiful it is, so you come to expect that, but what people don't mention that much is just when you look the opposition direction and you see how dark space is, and you realize how small the earth is in that blackness, that was a real surprise to me.

the vatican has confirmed that mother theresa will be made a saint in the roman catholic church. the second miracle was the case of a man who was inexplicably healed by multiple brain tumors. our correspondent reports now from nou deli. >> reporter: quite significant for india. once mother theresa is recognized a saint, we expect this to happen in september next year, in the year of mercy, she will be one of a handful of indian saints. we should say she was born in what is now macedonia, but gained indian citizenship in 1951, and just putting this story into numbers. there are around 24 million christians in india, and 20 million are catholic, so this is a much-anticipated amount of

news for those who are catholics in india, but we should say there is another side to this story over the life work of mother theresa, there were sections of indian society that did raise concerns about the religious undertones of her work. so that is going to be a talking point as well as we move forward. but lots of anticipation if she is declared a saint. australia's spy chief has warned that the backlash against muslims is dangerous. >> reporter: it should have been a special day out after taking her mother to see a musical, this woman was return togher car when from a balcony above men starting shouting racist abuse and throwing hard boiled eggs. >> one narrowly missed me, and i ducked, and the next one

narrowly missed my head. and another one hit the car next to ours, and the glass shattered. >> reporter: muslims in australia say they will being abused for people blaming islam as a faith for the attacks by isil. the anti-terror laws is what she says legitimize abuse. the con -- controversial group head a meeting lately. >> decaddallization has come to mean making muslims less islamic. it is nothing more than an agenda of forced assimilation justified by exaggerated fears of a security threat. >> reporter: speakers lined up to voice their concerns.

there are 5 or 600 people here sharing stories of harassment. the message is one of division; that there is an us, and then there is a them. in speeches and videos, participants were told that cooperating with government intelligence agencies was outright forbidden. many muslims think the confrontation approach is part of the problem. but too many innocent muslims are being caught up in a daing net. at the airport, ore mar was stopped from getting on a plane, he says he was going to saudi arabia to attend the hajj mill grimmage. the government formally canceled his passport. people he knew and played sports with had traveled to syria to fight with isil. they believed he was heading the

same way. >> it's just a harassment on innocence. >> reporter: in the 12 months to july this year, 67 australians have had their passports canceled on security grounds. in the wake of the attacks like those in paris, the overwhelming majority of australians say they want more action not less. al jazeera's 101 east program is focusing on the growing intolerance towards australia's muslim community. the great divide, you can see at this time, 0330 hours gmt saturday on al jazeera. >> reporter: still to come on the news hour. >> i'm tania page reporting from johannesberg, from a recording studio, trying to launch more african artists on stage. and a new world surfing

champion is crowned in hawaii. ♪

now to a haven for up and coming singers, song writers, and bands in south africa. the downtown music hub is a government initiative that aims to make high-quality recording studios accessible to all. tania page tunes in. ♪ >> reporter: this is a kind of folk music, one of the most popular genres in south africa,

he working in a factory at night, but during the day he enjoys his love of music. >> to bring my voice to the people. when a person listens to what i'm singing, you can [ inaudible ] proper, because now as we are working with this guy -- i'm working with the professional people today. >> reporter: the building has been associated with the music industry since the 1970s. the government bought it seven years ago, with the idea of making world class recording facilities accessible to the general public. the renovations aren't quite finished, but the studios are busy be -- with budding artists. >> our aim as been to keep our prices at a level where anyone can come through and record their music.

during apartheid this was one of the few places black artists could come to record. it's heritage has been magnified by the inclusion of the first music museum in south africa. >> over here, we have an icon here. >> reporter: he recorded at the studio. their music was among the albums banned by the apartheid regime, but it helped illuminate what many called the evil of apartheid. >> the music kept shining, kept the will of the people out there for everybody to feel, you know, to hear, and so on. so i think it was really very important vehicle. >> reporter: u2 and dolly pa partton have both recorded here. this is a music hub dedicated to

creating opportunities for south africans, and their unique sound. time now for sport. here is andy. >> [ inaudible ] has confirmed he is in talking with chelsea about becoming their interim manager for a second time. it follows the sacking of marino on thursday. chelsea are in a bad position and there are reasons for that. the 69 year old adding he wants to get as much information as possible before making a final decision. [ inaudible ] manager earlier this year was prior to that briefing [ inaudible ] chelsea back in 2009. a senior figure at the club said marino was dismissed due to a complete break down in his relationship with the players. moreno was sacked only seven months after guiding chelsea to

the world title. but this season they are just pint above the relegation. >> there was a decision taken to protect the interest of the club. while there is a huge sentiment for the individual who has done so much for the club, the fact of the matter remains that chelsea football club is in trouble, and the results are not good. there seems to be a palpable discord between the managers and players, and we feel it was time to act. after sepp blatters appear's in front of fifa ethnics committee on thursday, michel platini's case is now being heard. platini has decided not to at ten, but his lawyer are present. a verdict is expected on monday. kuwait's national football

team are banned from playing any fifa games. but that hasn't stop the government from building them a new stadium. they are taking on an all-star team. ah fifa has barred several stars from taking part. the nation is banned from all football activities due to government interference. kuwait were banned from international football in october for the third time since 2007. later that month, the international olympic committee imposed its own ban also for government interference. kuwait has ordered the olympic council of asia to vacate by april. and the president has been given a suspended six-month jail sentence for comments made in a tv interview. he is also an influential member of fifa and the ioc. >> translator: we saw that the

old approach had to be changed. we stressed that sport unions and clubs are partners in success, and we weren't come feeting with them. kuwaiti people to see hard work. jeremy lin took a rare chance to impress in the win over the raptors. he is making just his second start of the season and scored a game-high 34 points. eventually closing out the victory in overtime, 109-99. >> got a rhythm early and just tried to protect the basket, really. coach was doing a good job of just getting me involved and constantly going to me, so i got in a good rhythm, and thank god we won this game. lebron james got unexpected

up close and personal with a fan. lebron's 113-kilogram frame, colliding with the wife of jason day. she has to be stretchered out of the arena, but is okay. >> hopefully she is doing well. the guys said she is doing great now. but going for a lose ball, just trying to keep a possession going. and i hated the result of it. and this year's world surfing champion has been crowned after a three-way battle. nick fanning was bidding for his fourth world crown, but just a day after earning of the death of his brother, he was beaten by the defending word champion. the brazilian then went on to a final showdown, and it was d'souza who prevailed on this

occasion. becoming the first brazilian to win the masters. and even he felt the title should have gone elsewhere. >> i thought [ inaudible ] deserved it more than me. he is such a strong man. and three-time world champion, i guess people fighting for [ inaudible ]. >> plenty more sport coming up later on. but that is it for now. >> thanks indeed. here in qatar people are celebrating the country's national day. ♪ early this morning a parade was held in the capitol. the event commemorates the gulf state's foundation in 1978. i'm off to fight the national day traffic. it is going to take hours to get home. david foster here to update you in just a couple of moments.

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talks to end the war in syria underway in new york with major obstacles to overcome. ♪ hello from me, david foster, you are watching al jazeera, life from london. also in this program, kurdish forces in northern iraq ask for international help for the fight against isil. despite a supposed ceasefire, pro-yemen forces ceased two towns from the houthis in 24 hours. and rwanda votes on a referendum that could see the president stay