a prominent human rights lawyer in china gets a suspended sentence. he could now be released from jail. with the world news from al jazeera. also ahead a governor pleads for help. >> i will be back. thank you blatter gets the boot. he is vowing to fight his f.i.f.a. suspension. cecil's revenge. a crack down with american big game hunters in an attempt to

protect lions. a leading human rights lawyer in china has been found guilty in a trial over online posts. she received a two-year suspended term. he was arrested over posts that criticised china's government. he has been held for 19 months but is due to be released. >> reporter: he had been facing anything up to eight years in jail for the crime of posting tweets on social media which poked fun at china's government as well as raising questions about china's policies in tabet and other regions. he had spent 20 months in detention and it is possible, i suppose, that the judges felt that that was punishment in itself and served as a warning to other human rights activists

who held the same views, but certainly this verdict won't have harmed the image of china's government on this occasion. a short time ago amnesty international issued a statement saying it's clearly positive that he will not have to spend another night in jail, but the verdict was still a gross injustice. you don't normally hear amnesty international using the word positive in a sentence about human rights in china. we should also remember there are many other activists who remain detained in the country who have yet to go on trial since, really, president xi jinping came to power. there has been a sustained crack down on civil society in this country that has seen more than 300 human rights activists, lawyers and journalists rounded up talking to william nee, a chinese researcher with amnesty international. we don't often here amnesty use the word "positive", in the same

sentence when talking about human rights in china. this verdict won't have harmed china's image, will it. >> yeah. i mean, we don't often heard the word "positive", in relation to chine appear and human rights. that's because there is a crack down going on right now in china, across the board. this summer over 250 lawyers were rounded up and detained, 25 are still in detention. there has been a crack down on labor rights activists and currently there are about six who are in criminal detention. given this context, it's that many people are worried that the famous lawyer might get eight years. so the fact that he has been found guilty but given a suspended sentence is a good, a slightly positive given the context, but it's important to indicate he should never have been detained. he committed no crime. the evidence they had against

him was very flimsy and probably most workingly, since he has now been convicted of a crime, he may not be able to practice law. there is a definitely a need to consider the-- continue to monitor the situation the question is, of course, how is this sentence designed to muzzle mr poo. as you say, he won't be able to resume work as a lawyer and he remains a convict legally. >> yes. he won't be able to work. he has taken on cases challenging the former re-education through labor system. he took on many important civil rights cases, new citizens movement. he has been a very important legal voice and also a very important critic, which is why the government probably went off his social media posts to make a point that this type of criticism of our policies won't be allowed let me get a brief final

thought from you. freedom of speech was on trial here, do you think? >> yes. freedom of speech was on trial. he was the most prominent activist of freedom of expression and he was persecuted for exercising that right william nee, thank you for talking to al jazeera. >> thank you at least 85 people are still missing under a giant flow of mud and construction waste which buried 33 buildings in southern china. it happened in the port city which has seen a building boom in recent years. an update from hong kong. >> reporter: search operations are continuing today, a second day. some 3,000 rescue workers are now involved. they are using an array of different earth moving equipment, also equipment used to detect signs of life below the surface. the coordinator of the operation said that in the past 24 hours or so on six separate occasions they have detected what they think were signs of life.

they have dug down below the surface, explore tree digs looking for any survivors, but as yet they have found none. it does seem difficult to believe that people could still be alive under this suffocating wall of mud that has swept through the buildings, but they have to work on the basis that some structures may still be intact, there may be air pockets and two days on from this tragedy there are survivors there. certainly, there are a number of people who are at the scene or nearby the scene waiting for news of their loved ones. there's still some question over how many people are missing. 85 is an official total, but a number of people who lived in that area who were eyewitnesses to what happened numbers of families were completely swept away, all of them, so leaving nobody on the surface to report them as missing. so there is some question about what ultimate the toll will be from all of this in afghanistan the taliban has taken control of a district

in southern helmand. the entire province was on the brink of falling. it is getting stretching the afghanistan forces. >> reporter: in afghanistan's southern helmand province, fighting is intense as taliban has success in claiming the police hours, government office and other buildings. it has left soldiers and citizens begging for food. like the last suicide attack that killed half a dozen troops outside bagram air base, it is just proof that taliban is back. high profile attacks, including the motorcycle bombing as the 29th attack of the taliban since the beginning of the year. a 27% increase over the same period last year. at the same time the taliban has shown it can also take key

terrain outside of its traditional strong holds as it did back in late september and early october when it briefly held the northern city. >> the taliban's advances in some parts of the country, even temporary, unare score this is a tough fight which is far from over. it is also a dynamic fight. >> reporter: ash carter was in afghanistan last week to meet with his top commander there. the afghan security forces are still struggling he said. >> we're trying to build an aeroplane re plane while in flight>> reporter: a report to congress offered a harsh assessment of the afghan army's lack of progress. it said despite being far better and armed and trained than the u.s., they remain reluctant to pursue the taliban into their traditional safe havens and concluded that they currently

cannot ensure security and stability without further improvement. >> right now they're very static, they've taken a lot of casualties. >> reporter: one big factor, the u.s. is no longer providing air strikes for offensive operations. one of the findings of the investigation into the mistaken bombing of the doctors without borders hospital is that the mission never should have been authorized. u.s. air power is supposed to be used only to protect u.s. troops on the ground or afghan troops in extreme distress >> u.s. forces are helping afghan forces from the air, not as much as in the past, but that's part of the plan, which is to get to the point where afghans are able to provide their own air support. >> reporter: the u.s. has been training afghan pilots to fly the a29, so afghanistan can provide its own close air support. the first group of pilots is only now finishing training at the base in georgia

we're getting reports that afghan forces are advancing on the district of sangen to take control from the taliban. our correspondent is there from the capital of kabul. bring us up-to-date on the latest? >> reporter: now is the fourth day of the clashes between the afghan forces and taliban in the district. this morning we spoke to some government officials. they told us that last night afghan special forces arrived in zangen and they have conducted an operation. the afghan forces that were under the at all siege were freed and they were supplied with food, water and ammunition and their operation is still continuing. the afghan government official also claims that they have

recaptured three out posts from the taliban, but the town itself is still under the control of the taliban. the afghan government forces are pushing in to clear the area, but it's not clear when this operation will end. it's total ly - they said they have also used afghan air support. we have received reports of british troops being deployed to helmand especially based in cam bastion, but they're there for an advisory role. winter is approaching in afghanistan and taliban has already evens tied their offence-- intensified their fencive. they will keep putting more pressure athe afghan government

and we see they're getting more ground especially in helmand thank you for that. in the u.s. a grand jury has decided not to return any indictment in the case of a black woman who was found dead in her prison cell. sandra bland was arrested in july for allegedly failing to use her car's indicator. the 28-year-old hanged herself with a plastic bag after lee days in jail. her family and others have questioned that account. time for a short break. when we come back it's boom time for cheap petrol in the u.s., but there are fears more oil companies could go bust. after a string of failed missions, a spacex reusable rocket touches down successfully. more on that. stay with us. a h us. a

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welcome back. a leading human rights lawyer in china has been found guilty in a trial of onlights posts. he has received a three-year suspended term. he was imprisoned 19 years ago because of comments criticizing the government. also in china rescue teams in the south are searching for 85 people after a land slide on sunday. afghan government forces are advancing on the district of sangen in the southern province

of helmand. the taliban took control of the area. two of footballs most powerful men have been kicked out. president blatter and european boss platini have been banned for eight years. blatter is planning to fight on. it relates to a $2 million dollar made to platini from blatter. it was found both men abused their positions. blatter and platini plan to appeal their bans. more from zurich. >> reporter: blatter once again the center of the attention. the 79-year-old swiss fighting to get into a press conference as he fights for his very future in football. on monday the suspended f.i.f.a.

president and the uafa chief platini were given eight-year bans over a two million dollar payment made by blatter to the french man in 2011. the 40 year with f.i.f.a. seemingly tarnished forever. the swiss isn't going quietly. >> i will fight for me and for f.i.f.a. suspended eight years for what? >> reporter: for years the two big figures at f.i.f.a. had a plan. long serve president blatter would pass the job to his friend platini. blatter reneged on the deal and the friends fell out. an agreement from the past has returned to haunt them. platini supposedly carried out work for blatter a decade ago with no contract and payment made in 2011, the presidential election year. the committee set up by blatter at f.i.f.a. delivered the plan.

it was said: >> reporter: platini refused to even attend the hearing. his lawyer suggested the investigation had already decided he was guilty and was seeking a long ban. blatter's demise was relatively slow. for 17 years he clung on while his executive committee was corrupt. he finally resigned. he wanted to hand over on his own terms. if platini is to have any chance of running for the f.i.f.a. presidency, he needs to clear his name before the deadline on january 26. that will involve going through

the f.i.f.a. appeals committee and the court of arbitration for sport before he can begin that process he needs a full written statement of the decision from the ethics committee. a process that in itself could take weeks. one is a footballing legend, the other f.i.f.a.'s great political sir wire, both brought down by football's greatest ever scandal eight people have been killed in air strikes in the yemeni province. they were carried out by the saw decoalition in a fight against houthi rebels. yemen's government have fought their way into the province surrounding the capital. it is closest they have come since houthi rebels seized it. u.n. sponsor erred talks ended without agreement but will resume next month.

burst's parliament has voted against letting in african union peacekeepers to help growing unrest. they want to send troops to stop the country from heading towards civil war. the president decided to run for a controversial third term. his government has called the deployment plans an invasion. rwa temrex da's -- rwan debrox a president could stay in office until 2034. his outstanding leadership led to the victory apparently. it is not a view shared by everyone. >> reporter: the president has not said whether he will run in the next election in 2017. almost everyone here says they

want him to. he has been president since 2000 but effectively in power since his rebel group ended the genocide and took control in 1994. the conference is meant to give hundreds of people to air their views >> it is an opportunity to observe first hand how important matters are handled in our country, rchl wanda. that is, transparently, inclusively and respectfully. >> reporter: most of the people who speak are full of praise. >> translation: we have agreed that only you, president, should continue to lead us, that we can remain on the course that we have been on. >> reporter: the whole event is extremely well planned and core graphed. the struck struck has been put up and the staff are very disciplined. there is even video links

connecting this venue with other venues all over the country. this man says he is grateful for the president bringing stability after the genocide. >> translation: we had died but the president resurrected us, not just us but also the rest of rwanda. >> reporter: nobody says anything critical and that is because it is said he is such a good leader. this man fled to the u.k. in the 1990s. he is critical of his rule. in 2011 the british police told him the government was trying to assassinate him. he was put on protection. again the country denies it. >> as i said, they live under extreme fear because they know the costs of expressing

alternative view or alternative voice. so they rather express the government denying to be safe. >> reporter: for many in rwanda political freedom aside, the president's rule is better than the violence in the path. critics say a small group reap the benefits and by extending the term may bring back violence of the 1990s panama's supreme court has issued an arrest warrant for the former president. he is accused of ordering illegal wire taps on politicians and business people. he says he has done nothing wrong. he is a victim of what he called political persecution. haiti has postponed the election. it was to take place on sunday

but has been moved to january. it was called after two candidates won in a field of 54 but neither had a majority in the october contest. accusations of election fraud caused those results to be delayed. violent protests followed in the capital. tens of thousands of migrants in south africa live in overcrowded hostels left over from the ap apartheid area. more from the province and our correspondent>> reporter: a bed for less than $3 a month. this man who is unemployed and has a wife and child to support, this is the only option they have. they share this small area with two other families. >> translation: we wish for a bigger space to live with family in a better way. living here in the situation like this with children, we are

not even able to do good work. >> reporter: about 22,000 people live at these hostels outside der bin, enduring cramped, poorly maintained housing. after months of violence, police patrol the area 24 hours a day. their resources are stretched. over the past 18 months more than 15 people have been killed in and around the hostels. people say hit squads are responsible for the deaths. some believe the killings are politically motivated. former community leader richard nuzam a says he feels for his life. >> translation: i had a gunshot and i did not realise i was shot. i saw a lot of people around there. some of them they were shot. >> reporter: the hostels were both understand apartheid--

under. they were designed to keep black workers in urban areas segregated from white people. the hostels linger. >> the hostels in a sense represented the worst aspects of apartheid. violence against black people in the most degrading, dehumanising sense. the anc has for a long time, even prior to 1994, has a policy of wanting to get rid of the hostels, but they became politicised. >> reporter: the government says it wants to convert these buildings into descent buildings. it hopes to provide 1.5 million residential units. there are fears that tensions around the hostels, if left unchecked, could escalate lions in africa are to be placed under the protection of

the u.s. endangered species act. that means it will be harder for big game hunters to bring trophys back to the u.s. calls for change gained momentum after cecil the lion was killed in zimbabwe. as crude oil prices reach an 11-year low, purchasers are enjoying lower prices. >> reporter: less than two years ago the oil folds of north dakota were proving an about bonanza for job seekers and purchases alike. the boom is turning into a bust for workers. >> i think it is the best time for someone to come now because this is pretty slow. by the end of this month, no more construction. >> reporter: the number of active oil rigs in north america

has declined by more than 60% in the past year. the oil glut is also taking a toll on companies that found themselves unable to cover their heavy capital costs with cash flow. dozens of them have filed for bankruptcy protection this year and if prices fail to recover in 2016, the casualty count could outnumber the drillers who failed after the 2008 financial crisis. even as saudi arabia driest global prices lower by keeping up its own output, american companies are barely slowing down their production >> the average production this year will still be above nine million barrels per day, so the drop off is not viewed as precipitous. presumably, the expectations over time we will probably see a slow reversal of that drop off. >> reporter: for more than 30 years the u.s. has banned all crude oil exports on grounds of

national security. obama has signed a declaration that will change that. as one u.s. senator from the oil producing state of texas contends >> by lifting the ban, we can offer our friends to diversify our energy supplies and enhance their energy security and avoid putin the opportunity to use oil and gas and energy as a weapon>> reporter: while the u.s. is the world's top crude producers, it depends on imports from canada and saudi arabia to satisfy all its needs. so long as those countries keep their taps open, the glut is expected to reap big savings for american motorists and make life difficult for its drillers private airspace firm spacex has successfully returned a rocket to earth. the falcon 9 took off from

florida almost four hours ago. it landed about 10 minutes later. it w all the news, of course, o our website. there it is there. the address, al jazeera.com. shelter. in places that feel for. a different kind of border war. "america tonight" on the plight of those trapped between haiti and the dominican republic faced with alarm about what comes next. thanks for joining us i'm joie chen. border wars and migrants on the move. we've seen how that has played out.