this is al jazeera hello. welcome to the news hour. the top stories. agreement at last, the u.n. security council burys its differences and endorses a peace plan for syria. burundi's president tells al jazeera he won't allow thousands of peacekeepers into the country. uproar in the u.s. as schools are closed in one district over accusations of islamic indoctrination. >> reporter: i will have all the day's sport including moving

on from chelsea's play following the controversial manager's sacking world powers at the u.n. have agreed on a road map for peace in syria. the security council unanimously backed a plan for talks between the syrian government and the opposition along with a ceasefire. questions remain over just who will be taking part in those talks as well as the future of syria's president bashar al-assad. our correspondent reports from new york. >> reporter: a unanimous vote from the u.n. security council endorsing a clear and ambitious time line for syria with face-to-face talks and possibly a ceasefire within a matter of weeks.

it is a demonstration of the difficulty of the task ahead that his ministers were arriving in new york, talks with still underway. diplomatics reporting to the prime minister were fighting with their count parts. when it was finally passed, it was praised by the current president of the security council, the united states. >> after four and a half years of war, this is the first time we have been able to come together at the united nations in the security council to embrace a road forward. during that time one syrian in 20 has been killed or wounded. one in five is a refugee. one in two has been displaced. the average life expectancy in syria has dropped by 20 years. here in the corridors and offices of the united nations they face a tough challenge convening peace talks between the syrian government and the

syrian opposition next month in january. there are many unresolved issues, who should be in that opposition delegation and which groups should not be allowed to go to those peace talks or even take part in the future of syria because they're designated as terrorist groups. despite this, the man charged with leading the peace efforts says it is now doable. >> do you remember the name mission impossible? well, mission impossible is becoming potentially possible thanks to what we saw today. >> reporter: the hardest issue of all, the future of president bashar al-assad is still in dispute. the russian foreign minister again stressing it was not for the international community to decide his fate. >> translation: last year's bashar al-assad fate, we talked about that. recently just recently president putin addressed the nation in his annual press conference and

he elaborated on principle, that no other nation from outside should have a vision of what its leadership should look like. >> reporter: at one point as he spoke in russian, secretary kerry wasn't getting the translation on his headset. this on the day the two men as well as the rest of the security council finally negotiated the exact language of the resolution, but will those carefully agreed words still make sense to both men when they're put to the test in the coming months. russia's growing influence in syria appears to have been key in getting agreement on the security council. the view from moscow now. the former russian diplomat from

the russian capital. first of all, how optimistic are you about this deal and how much of a difference do you think russia's participation in it was here? >> well, what view if it is not american view because america has one view and russia has another, chinese another and so on. i think that it was very constructive discussion and resolution adopted by all participants, unanimously. it really shows a road map to the political solution in syria. i can emphasise on john kerry's report, remarks, during his speech in secretary council. he said absolute agree, it is a matter of fact, given the situation on the ground, that was the ground situation that

dictated all participants to one the way behaviour. i think that it is resolution is earned by the reality that we are facing now in syria, a tragedy for syrian people and syrian state that are under conflict to separate, dissolution, and i think it is good move. it is in the resolution of security council that obliged all sides to be patient and to be - for negotiations and pushing them to find a solution between them. not dictated from outside. from outside it cannot be dictated and lavrov said that

very clearly, plainly, and i think it is the main principle to give syrians a chance to solve their problems the question of bashar al-assad's departure, though, remains the biggest sticking point here. you mentioned the u.s. secretary of state john kerry's comments. he also said the sharp differences remain on that question. he is talking, isn't he, about the fact that russia's remains unwilling to back down on its support of bashar al-assad and this seems to be the main stumbling block in any comprehensive solution, isn't it. >> i don't consider that russia supports bashar al-assad as a personality. i don't consider that russia support regime in syria this way or that way. i think the main principle that should be governed by complying this resolution is to be

absolutely clearly make everything according to the united nation charter, international law and under united nations, security council, any elections, any changes in constitution, should be than banned. it is clear for all sides. these changes should be done under the international community. this time it is real international community, not netanyahu community, not russian or chinese international community, but it is international community that's supported by the security council resolution. i think it is a very serious step ahead in syrian solution, politically good to get your opinion. thanks for being with us.

>> thank you in greece hundreds of people have taken part in a rally to mark international migrants day. the demonstrators want the european union to open its borders to people trying to escape war and poverty. more than 990,000 refugees have entered europe sofa far this year. according the u.n.h.c.r. 2015 will break all reports for global displacement. the african union is proposing to send five thousand peacekeepers to burundi which it says is on the brink of civil war. our correspondent is live for us in the capital bujumbura. what do we know about the reaction then from burundi on this? >> reporter: well, the reaction from the burundi officials has been one of anger. they greeted the position by the peace and security council of the african union to send five thousand troops and policemen

whose mandate would be to protect civilians, and they say that burundi does not need peacekeepers. they don't want enforces on burundi soil and they say burundi is already contributing troops to other peace keeping missions run by the african union and other african countries and if the african union felt there were more need for troops, they could return the peacekeepers from burundi back to their country. we spoke to the spokesman nor the president who said that there would be very - they would be very interested to see where the african union forces would land, meaning they did not agree to the deployment of peacekeeperss in their country. the violence in burundi has continued since the president announced that he was going to run for a third time. the violence has affected all aspects of life here in burundi.

burundi is at a critical juncture. the fallout from the political crisis affecting the economy in one of the poorest countries in the world. unemployment is on the rise and so are the prices of basic goods. traders in the capital of bujumbura say business is bad. >> translation: there is no business to talk about. we rarely get customers. the prices of goods have gone up and most people cannot afford them any more. >> reporter: supermarkets where wealthy people and foreign workers once shopped are empty. at least 220,000 people have fled burundi since the conflict began demme april. this is one of the few foreign businessman brave enough to stay on here. he runs this mobile phone shop in the city center. >> translation: these are tough times for everyone. we hardly make any sales. i would say i'm doing much better than most traders.

we're hopeful of better times ahead. >> reporter: for the first time since the end of burundi's civil war a decade ago, the country's economy is said to contract, a result of the devastating toll by months of political upheaveal. the economy is suspected to shrink by 7.2% this year. government leaders are seeking to maintain the impression they are continuing to function despite the crisis, the mayor of bujumbura says all is not well. >> translation: it is difficult for hungry people to listen to the words of their leaders. we are meeting resistance from the people when we ask them to pay taxes or even take part in the community development matters. >> reporter: more than half the population suffers from malnutrition. rising food prices are adding to the pressure. diplomatic efforts are being made by the international community to stop burundi from sliding back into civil war.

for most people here, the end of fighting may not equal the end of their economic crisis. >> reporter: now with the position to deploy troops to burundi, the african union is sending the message that the violence in burundi has to be stopped and that it will not allow genocide to once again take place on african soil. one of the other key issues the peacekeepers are supposed to do is laid the ground for peace talks to the president and those who are opposed to him serving a third time in office. many in authority feel that those talks might make some of those very powerful today to be pushed aside thank you for that, live for us in the burundi capital. the international criminal court has sent two convicted war lairds back to the democratic of

congo to serve their p sentences. one was found guilty of using child soldiers in hes rebel arm in 2002 and 2003. he is due to spend 13 years behind bars. the other one was convicted for war crimes last year. he will be locked up for 12 years. rwanda's commission have said voters backed to lift the term limits that means the president could remain in power until 2034. a report from the capital. >> reporter: the results of the controversial referendum were exactly as expected. people at this preplanned event in the capital celebrated as the total from each district was announced by the electoral commission. in all districts it was nearly 100% of people voted in favor of

change of the con city duesal limits. the president has been in power since 19194. the changes mean he can run again in elections in 2017 and could stay in power until 2034. >> you want to be president again and that would be a disaster? >> i don't want. what is happening is people's choice. is the people why they want. >> reporter: since the referendum was announced 10 days ago, people were pressured into attending rallies but the government says they came freely. >> translation: we asked our members of parliament to change the term limits because they were an obstacle to us re-electing the president. both the e.u. and u.s. spoke out against the constitution but voting went ahead anyway. they lined up early and voted in

a quiet and orderly manner. supporters of the president say it's an expression of the people's will because they want to keep him in power, but very few have been openly critical about it. some opposition figures are in prison aaccused of inciting ethnic conflict. others have missing. the government denies having been involved. this man has campaigned against the government from london. >> it is a big shock to the world and to us that a referendum was arranged in one week to allow the president to continue being president for life, essentially. we think it's illegitimate. >> reporter: the president's supporters say he is loved for bringing stability and development to a country that has suffered so much violence. the referendum results show thathat

still to come on the program why a few wealthy americans could decide when u.s. presidential hopeful lasts the distance, plus the iraqi fields where nothing can grow, why farmers are blaming neighbouring turkey. street basic ball in cuba is not only growing popularity but also getting support from an unlikely source. that story coming up in sport first sunday's general election in spain is predicted to be one of the tightest races in history. nor the people's party or the socialist workers party are expected to win, but new comers are hoping to made inroads. >> reporter: the force, they think, is with them. the latest recruit for the anti

austerity group is smashing all records at the box office and they hope to do the same at the ballot box. yes, we can is the message of its young left wing leader. a university lecturer whose party is less than two years old, but aiming to break the back of spain's political establishment. the prime minister does look set to lose his seat majority. the people's party will still have the highest number of seats in the spanish parliament. he boasts spain has the fastest economic growth in the european union. close your ice and dream of what sort of country you want is his message. -- close your eyes. his nightmare is the new reformist citizen's party which has been stealing some of his core support in the electorate.

it is led by a charismatic 36-year-old who used his opposition to the independence movement to launch a career in national politics. our time has come is his message, a time of hope. struggling against the new tide is the party, broadcast, imaginings a few when they look back on pride, build a future for the majority. >> reporter: a new gen race of political leaders will be joining the congress of deputies to challenge the old two-party system, but what real impact will the young ones have on the political system here. >> these new parties have no past, so they are in a better position to try and solve one of the main issues, political corruption. we've never seen so many young people in politics.

that is also could be a healthy change. >> reporter: the political landscape is being remoulded here. the prime minister shared a christmas dinner with his people's party activists. if the polls go badly, though, for him it could prove to be his party to suffer the leaders of india's main opposition party have been granted bail in a corruption case. congress president and her son are accused of illegally acquiring real estate worth 300 million dollars. the property mainly belonged to a newspaper which was closed in 2008. the national herald was once controlled by the ghandi family. it is a family that has produced three prime ministers. the arrest of a union leader in south korea has brought more

protests. conservative president has been criticised for a crack down on union members and criticism of the government. a human rights activists are warning a law, which the government says is necessary, to pass a law. a legislation will be used to silence government criticss. >> reporter: no dictators, that's what the banner says. the protests movement has been launched by civil rights groups in malaysia in response to the introduction of a bill called the national security council law. >> this kind of legislation you don't see in other countries around the world who suffer more grave threats of security. so what is it that makes malaysia so special that we need

to have these, such an extreme piece of legislation, so as i said earlier, this is not about security; this is about power >> reporter: the law once passed would allow the prime minister to declare any location a security area if it believes national security is under threat. authorities would be allowed to detain people without warrants, impose curfews. the powers are similar to those under emergency rules. civil rights activists are concerned the new law could be used to silence government critics. something they say is already happening. in the most high profile example, a politician and his lawyer have been charged with attempt to commit economic sabotage. they have lodged police reports abroad urging international authorities to probe a debt malaysian fund of a graft and mismanagement. >> it's heinous. it is a joke. it is a blatant attempt to use,

and this is in law, to shut me up, and shut my client up. >> reporter: the new bill is also being introduced at a time when there are questions over why the prime minister received $700 million in his personal bank account. he says the money came from a donor and has denied any wrongdoing. the government is descending the bill as necessary to deal with security threats. >> it is also for the threats in eastern areas, not only because of the invasion but because the kidnappings that happened over the border. the government's response to these matters. >> reporter: the civil rights activists say malaysia has existing laws to deal with security issues. instead, they want a commitment to uphold civil liberties

the death toll from a powerful typhoon has risen. more than 160,000 houses were destroyed by the storm and the philippines president has declared a state of calamity in affected areas. the weather now with richard. is there any sign of a let up in the rain across the philippines? >> reporter: yeah. still widespread flooding there and rain comes in every day. it continues to pile up. if we look at the satellite, we see a great mass across the southern portions. the situation doesn't look that bad at least as this image. if you look terrain fall, 168 millimeters in 24 hours, but over a period of five days, we've in something like 600 millimeters. when you think of the december average is just about 60

millimeters or so, it has been torrential. the shares are going in across this area, but i don't think it will be as heavy. it is a case of flood waters continuing to subside over the next day or so. meanwhile, further towards the north, we've got a couple of key features on the weather chart here. you can see a lack of cloud across north-eastern parts of asia. we have a big area over main laned china and a marked flow coming in from the north-west of japan. with that slight flow, the air quality remains very than unhealthy in beijing at the moment. what is coming from the north, that is a coal producing area and as a result i think it will remain very unhealthy for quite some time. across japan fairly chilly conditions, icedy, snow twarth the north but the next few days should be improving rivers are a crucial

component on life on earth, of course, but the environmental group international rivers are saying they are in crisis. two-thirds of the rears have been in danger. many rivers such as the asian or colorado river no longer reach the ocean. it means that once productive wetlands have been turned into ecological dead zones. over the 40 years fresh water systems have lost 50% of their populations. more than a third of the remaining fresh water fish species are threatened with ex-tinges. -- extinction a river flowing through northern iraq is bare. farmers say a dam project in neighbouring turkey is also to blame. imran khan reports where iraqi farm workers are unmroild and

food imports have risen. >> reporter: this field should be full of crops, but as far as the eye can see nothing. the rivers that feed these fields have dried up. nothing can grow here. this man is a landowner and environmentalist. he blames dam building in turkey for causing this crisis and say iraq is powerless to stop this. >> translation: these dams in turkey and the lack of response from the government affected our crop. i will give you an example. when we had water, 30 acres of land would produce a tonne of barley a year. now that same 30 acres produce a chi low. -- kilo >> reporter: farmers have had to dig large wells to find water for their fields, but it isn't enough. they only have enough water to irrigate a third of this land. what the farmers are doing is building wells like these. it is a costly and time

consuming business. they need to dig deep into the ground between 30 and 150 metres to get the clean water they need to be able to irrigate these lands. not only having an impact environmentally but also economically. during the harvest season thousands of people worked here, now just a handful are employed. across this region unemployment has risen dramatically. >> translation: all the farmers here are desperate. i had to layoff 30 farmers who can't provide for their families. our markets are flooded with foreign products. >> reporter: to keep up with demand they are inp importing wheat and rice. turkish products are common in food markets. the collapse of iraq's farming industry is concerning to many here. given the challenges, fixing the farming situation and water issues doesn't seem a priority

still ahead on al jazeera, clocking off for good. the last coal mine in brittain is finally closed. in guatemala, child brides. david beckham in the news.

snow talks between the syrian government. there's no mention of bashar al-assad as disagreements remain over his future. the president of burundi has told al jazeera he doesn't want african union troops sent to keep the peace. burundi is on the primping of civil war and it is proposing to send five thousand peacekeepers without burundi's concept. hundreds of protesters against a labor leader. yoons are be cracked down-- unions. back to our top story. the international push to end the syrian civil war. the conflict has been raging for nearly five years now. over 250 thousand people have been killed around more than a million injured, mostly civilians of the at least six and a half million kern syrians are displaced. four out of every five syrians are living in poverty. two million children are out of

school because of the conflict. a middle east analyst says the u.n. resolution is the start of a complicated process. >> for the first time we are witnessing after four years the international community is also together united behind taking a decision in relation to the syrian conflict and trying to push for political resolution. however, there are two disadvantages of this resolution. first, there is no agreement about what are the terrorists group that should not be included in the opposition or how to deal even. there is no clear strategy to deal with these. specifically those organizations. what are the criterias through which they can make the difference between what is going to be acceptable and not acceptable. second, the role of the president bashar al-assad himself, still the russian federation is completely against the removal of bashar al-assad during the transitional phase and the opposition, they broke beyond any reasonable doubt some

kind of a deal until the first six months to create a new so-called government that could preside over the new transition. however however nothing is going to be guaranteed because all is going to be set upon the implementation of the deal. everyone is being so much positive about the crisis itself. however, the initial variable that needs to be taken into consideration in relation to meet a peaceful conflict and these are not set nor ready to be dealt with. specifically with the continuous battles that are taking place on the ground and as we have seen in the last month, instead of degrading the islamic state, it is increased in the aleppo province and >> dlib province president obama has outlined his strategy to fight i.s.i.l. he was speaking at his year end conference at the white house

>> we're going to defeat i.s.i.s. we're going to do so by systematically squeezing them, cutting off their supply lines, cutting off their financing, taking out their leadership, taking out their forces, taking out their infrastructure our white house correspondent has more now. >> reporter: in his annual end of the year press conference before leaving for two weeks of holiday, president obama addressed a wide range of issues. he wanted to focus on what he sees as his successes for the year but a lot of questions were about what has happened in the middle east. he has been on the defensive about what he has done. he talks about egypt. he said that the u.s. didn't topple the president, the egyptian people did. he talks about libya. he defended the air strikes that topple gadafi and he had this to say >> the problem with libya was the fact that there was a failure on the part of the

entire international community, and i think that the united states has some accountability for not moving swiftly enough and underestimating the need to rebuild government there quickly. the president was also asked if he thought it was possible that bashar al-assad will be in power when he left office. he wouldn't answer that question the race is on to replace president obama when he leaves the white house. whoever wins next year's election will likely have very wealthy backers. obama raised and spent more than half a billion dollars to win the presidency three years ago. it is expected his successor will have to raise even more as our correspondent reports. >> reporter: they're running to be president of the united states but also in a race for the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to pay for it. to start a finish line at the money race is wall street. big banks and their employees,

the largest contributors to campaigns. in just a six-month period here is who bankers have contracted. 636,000 to democratic party hillary clinton, 606,000 to republican jeb bush. by law in the u.s. the most an individual can contribute to one candidate is $2700. here on wall street wealthy banker types get around this by collecting individual campaign contributions from their equally wealthy associates and co worksers and then bundle all those contributions to together to deliver to their candidate of choice. >> they're hoping to support somebody who would be amenable to their interests or somebody who would have an open door or an open ear to what they have to say, policies they might support. >> reporter: others are getting in the act. marco rubio, bush's rival on the

republican side, was in new york for a private fund raiser with bankers. he has already received from bankers more than $150,000 in contributions. taking money from an industry responsible for the economic meltdown of 2007 is not something the candidates go out of their way to publicise. that was evident at a new york hotel where some streamed in to have breakfast with bush for a few thousand dollars. the event was off limits to the press. >> wall street. >> reporter: it did attract the attention of a small but vocal group of protesters outside who said they're being left out. >> this is the local system. it's being flooded with money and that is drowning out the voices of a lot of poor people >> reporter: there are two leading candidates who refused money, bernie sanders wants to

break up the big banks, donald trump doesn't need their money. it's likely the only thing the pair have in common. they are the exception not the rule. in american presidential politics awash in money from the wealthiest an arabic writing lesson at one u.s. school has sparked parental uproar and threats of violence. classes were cancelled because thousands of students may be indoctrine eighted. >> reporter: the halls here with empeople on friday. more than ten thousand students at 23 public schools were told to stha home until monday. some of the calls and emails were threatening and abusive. at the center of the up roar is this sheet of paper.

students were asked to copy what is known as the shada for the world religion home. this professes the acceptance of moham ed as god's professority. they say the threat and school closure are wider sentiment being fuelled by campaigns. >> when we are being fed fear day in and day out, we act as human beings, we act out of that fear and we act irrationally. it is a symptom of a much bigger problem because we're getting ready to choose our next president. this is a very important policy decision that we are making in a democratic society and when we are literally, our judgment is impaired by this fear rhetoric, we are not going to be making irrational decision. >> reporter: during the tuesday night debate candidates referred to islamic terrorism more than a dozen times, mentioning i.s.i.l. nearly 90 times and terrorism more than 70 times.

the centers for disease control in the u.s. has said americans are 40,000 times more likely to die of heart disease and owe piecity and cancer-- obesity and cancer than from an act of terror. >> right now in america we have 30% of republican primary voters saying that they want to bomb agorabar. it is a fictitious country where two people fell in love and rode on a magic carpet. we're doing with a situation where people are so fearful that they are responding in this way. >> reporter: that fear is what has attributed to the closure of the second largest school district in the u.s. on the day of the last republican debate. students returned to class on wednesday off investigators says the bomb and gun threats received via email were a hoax

illegal gold mines are being targeted by police in peru. dozens of mining camps have been destroyed and equipment burnt down. the camps are close to a forest reserve. the dust is settling on british coal mining off centuries of production. the last remaining big mine has closed failing to survive a long period of low prices and the shift to cleaner energy. a report from north yorkshire. >> reporter: emerging from almost a kilometer undergrounds the final shift in britain's last deep coal mine. in its heyday more than two thousand people worked here. now with little ceremony the last 451 miners are saying goodbye to a mine known simply as big k. >> i feel teary-eyed to be honest. it's a sad day. >> it's emotional for everyone. it has been coming for a while.

you think you're prepared but you're not. >> reporter: once the largest deep mine in europe is an 11 kilometer journey to the coal face. it's noisy, dangerous work. jobs the miners hope to hold on for life. 56 years after it opened is the ends of the road for the mine. it's coal powder and-- powder. there is 30 million tonnes of it still under ground. the price of coal has crashed. as the echt k tries to-- u.k. tries to reduce emissions, stations like this are closing or moving to cleaner forms of energy. they will still rely upon coal for leaflet another decade. coal imported from as far away as australia, colombia, russia and the united states, it's cleaner and cheaper than british

coal. the u.k. companies continue compete. the mine was semple to survive government closures. it was an era of defiant strikes that brought the miners valuable time until now. at the local working men's club, some of the newly redundant miners find distraction. this man's father sank the first mine shaft. years on, it is his job to cap and seal it. >> i feel let down by the government and the company. i feel bitter because i haven't been given a fair chance to supply the power station seven miles down the road. >> reporter: some are retiring but others are hoping to retrain. the community will fade as well. soon after the last miners have left and the conveyer belts have stopped, the shafts will be filled in with concrete, turning this area into a monument to a

bygone age the united nations says the physical and sexual abuse of women and children in south africa is rampant. it is urging the government to do more to tackle the problem, especially in towns from where our correspondent reports. >> reporter: she was raped by a traditional healer who said she needed to be cleansed of an evil spirit and that was the way to do it. she is only 13. in the township here on the edge of the city, the green door center is one of the few places rape victims can go for counselling. >> translation: he helped me by giving me clothes and soaps. we share experiences which stops me from getting depressed. >> reporter: this is one of the places the u.n. special group on violence against women went to on a recent fact-finding mission to south africa. it was found that physical and sexual abuse is affected as a fact of life.

she says the government must do more. does the government need to put its money where its mouth is? >> yes. this is very important. understanding that adoption of the law, the different services, is recognition of governmental responsibility to provide such services. if they're not there, then there is human rights violations. >> reporter: this man keeps the green door open despite a lack of support from government which helped set it up. private donors bring food, clothes and products for him to distribute. >> you do so much, but there is no support that is given to you. >> reporter: most of the residents live in poverty. there's so much crime. there are parts of the township so dangerous the police refusess to patrol.

minister of women says it is not as simply throwing money at the problem. >> as government, we have competing challenges. in my own view, the issues of violence against women cannot just be addressed on the basis of reaction. it is also developing programs which will make sure that women can power themselves. >> reporter: she wants to start offering sewing classes to help women learn skills to support themselves. it is likely he will have to rely on private donors, not the government, to make it happen smart is just ahead-- sport is ahead.

girls as young as 14 can now no longer get married in guatemala. the legal age of consent has been raised to 18, but activists say there are still plenty of challenges to reduce the risk of domestic violence, pregnancy and poverty. >> reporter: it's not the kind of life this girl wanted. the 17-year-old had plans to finish high school and find a good job. but that changed after jennifer got stuck over fight in a nearby town. her father accused her of being with her boyfriend and demanded she marry him to save the family's reputation. a month later she was married. she was just 15 years old.

>> translation: it's draining to have to stay and work in the house all the time. if i hadn't got married, i'd be studying. it's difficult to have the obligations of an adult when you're so young. >> reporter: all of her friends are married and some as young as 15 have babies of their own. across the country, the situation is all too common. in guatemala a third of girls are married by 18 and 7% are wed by the time they're 15 years old, but years of pressure by nongovernmental groups to protect the rights of girls is finally paying off. in late november the government raised the minimum age of girl to emergency 18 years. previously they could be wed as young as 14. activists say the big challenge now is defeating attitudes that see girls as male possessions. >> translation: the approval of this law is an important step,

but more important is applying the law and raising awareness at a community level amongst mayors and community leaders so they understand that girls have rights. >> reporter: jennifer hopes the law offers her sister the opportunities that she never had, the right to go to school and the right to choose her own future free from the bonds of child marriage with sport. >> reporter: thank you. less than two days after the manager was sacked, chelsea's players will take the field. they can't afford to be distracted as they face sundayer land. they are 16th on the table. he is expected to be in the stand as discussing shakeing charge. assistant coach takes the temporary reins. >> it's a pretty bad jib dement

on the players if they're going to perform a lot better than they have done recently. it seems to be the reaction sometimes from the players. the way to see which new manager is coming in. in the past hour the management have put up their first statement since his sacking. he has sometimes chosen to leave a club but only at chelsea has decided that he should leave. there are seven matches in total taking place in the league on saturday. leicester will try to extend their lead at the top of the table when they travel. they will be looking for their first match. a future will be confirmed after the game on saturday.

the spanyard's contrast expires at the end of the season. he has been on back to. the 44 year old has been link with news to manchester city, united and chelsea city. >> translation: we haven't talked about the subject for two months, not before the first day. after the game against hanover we will talk with the fans and media and everyone hells. we know that so it's one day more. i am sorry. i am focused on the players and the game. that's it. >> reporter: he is confident he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. a news conference in zurich after monday's verdict. platini did not attend his hearing on friday saying his case has been pre-judgmented. his lawyers trying to explain a

two million dollar payment he received in 2011. >> translation: mr platini is innocent. we have been showing this point by point thanks to testimonies and convincing elements and opinions from law professorers. >> reporter: kuwait has hosted some of the biggest names in world football in defiance of the f.i.f.a. ban for government interference. the new stadium has an all stars match between world and local 11. former madrid team mates combined for the world team. several players were banned by f.i.f.a. from taking part in this game which was one by the kuwait all stars. the former england captain did have a few things to say about the sacking of marinio. >> i loved him.

i think he is an incredible manager, greatly person, and he is passionate about the game. i hope he comes back to the premiership quickly. the english public love him. the fans love seeing him on the sideline. they love his character. >> reporter: the toronto roptors had a denial of a fourth straight win. in basketball, a score here. they were attempting to secure their first four game winning streaks in 2014. the raptors rallied for a game. people in cuba have been embracing the ease in relations with the united states, particularly through share passions like basketball.

on the streets of havannah the sports have its own unique style. >> reporter: it began with a group of friends on the street corner. it has grown into a vibrant well organized league independent of the pervasive influence of the cuban states. >> translation: our level is very, very good. which is why the authorities have been questioning our existence. we're now as good as them. that caused us some problems, but i have ideas to join with the basketball with them incorporating some of our ideas. >> reporter: the street league has received support from full court peace. a number of u.s. organizations rekind eling ties with cuba, this one promoting solidarity on the basketball court. >> translation: we are americans, they're cubans, but on the court we can be friends. >> reporter: the league helps keep youngsters out of trouble and for many cubans basketball

is how they express themselves >> translation: when i blah basketball, i'm in do you know with myself and how my body works. it forces me to develop my minds since basketball is the most creative of sports. we're always creating >> reporter: they use that creativity to establish court where there is adequate space. and to adapt the rules to a more aggressive game. this is street basketball, played for the players, the neighborhood with a passion of freedom in expression, free of the constraints that some feel can be imposed by the states. the state is beginning to notice the street scene. this, again, with young players from the national basketball score. >> translation: this league is very well organized. this is street basketball. while ours is state rope and organized. my kids study basketball and play with more technique. >> reporter: they're all learning from one another with

the passion and power of cuba street basketball scene, difficult to contain that's all the sport now thanks very much. unless you've been under a rock for the last few days, you might have noticed there's a certain film getting a lot of attention lately, the latest instalment of star wars. it has set a new opening night box office record in north america selling 57 million dollars in tickets. >> i was raised to do one thing disney expects the force to take in more than 215 million dollars in the u.s. and canada through sunday. that would give it the biggest opening weekend of all time, beating the 208 million record set by jurassic world earlier in year. we will be back in a couple of minutes with a full bulletin.

don't go away. n't go away. >> every day is another chance to be strong. >> i can't get bent down because my family's lookin' at me. >> to rise, to fight and to not give up. >> you're gonna go to school, so you don't have to go war. >> hard earned pride. hard earned respect. hard earned future. >> we can not afford for one of us to lose a job. we're just a family that's trying to make it. >> a real look at the american dream. "hard earned". tomorrow, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

a rare moment of unity the u.n. security council burys it's differents and endorses a peace plan for syria. -- differences. this is al jazeera live from doha. also ahead on the program, burundi's president tells al jazeera he won't allow thousands of peacekeepers into the country. overwhelmingly backing extra terms for the president will be live with the provisional results from the rwandan referendum. an up roar in u.s. as schools are closed in onetr