♪ >> thank you for joining us. the syrian army backed by russian airstrikes said that troops have fought their way in the southern-rebel held town. the new offensive focuses on a strategic location on the main road. syrian rebels say the assault was supported by the heaviest russian bombing campaign so far in the south. it's part of the government's first major offensive since russia joined the fight at the

end of september. moscow's strikes on syria have killed more than 2,300 people so far. 792 of the dead, that's more than a third, were civilians and the 180 were children. russia has denied its air campaign in support of assad's government is hitting civilians. we have been following the story and we have this report in turkey. >> it all started with intense airstrikes by russian fighter jets paving the way for government troops to advance towards the opposition stronghold. the rebels say that despite the losses they're regrouping, and they're planning towards a counter offensive to push the government troops out of the area. the hold in the areas are crucial for the government and for the rebels because it's in a strategic route that connects

sanaa and the capital of damascus. for the rebels it's been a stronghold where they can send rebels and fighters and provide and boost the presence of the opposition. this is why the president bashar al-assad has always been concerned about rebel groups present. now, there are different factions operating there. the al-qaeda affiliated al nusra front, but there are factions affiliated with the syrian army. some from trained and equipped by the americans. we don't know whether they'll pull out further south, if they're trying to look for different troops to go to areas which are strongly under the control of the opposition. but this is quite a delicate moment for the syrian opposition and for rebel groups. >> for more on this we're joined by a politics and international studies lecturer, madam, thank

you so much for joining us here on al jazeera. this particular town in question has sort of been fought over before, but we're seeing now a real push by the syrian army, with the help of russian attract. you think this is the first real change and real advantage that we have seen, that we've seen coming from the russians? >> well, it's quite an interesting timing because the facts on the ground are being established prior to the meeting in geneva in january. and by moving it to this area in the south, the syrian government is attempting to retake an area that was the very first that began the civil war five years ago. >> which does show perhaps a different side of the syrian government. it had been offensive, now we've seen it go on the offensive, and highlights that russia always claimed it was part of an anti-isil coalition is very openly supporting the syrian

army. >> well, assad has admitted it is not attacking isil in this particular instance. so far it has not made a public statement about this. but it has discredits it's sorry that it is only attacking isil. nonetheless it has been a push into regions that are heavily manned by al nusra front, and by a number of other islamic extremist groups. it does indicate that if they continue in this push that with russian air cover the syrian army is able to regain an area that has alluded it all these years. >> how much of a change in the civil war would it be if the syrian army did manage to regain not so much the smaller towns. >> the city is the big prize, indeed, until they reach that we can't say that this has been a game changer. but should they go that far that establishes the link which is

the focus of the assad government, which is the important supply route, the road through the south, damascus and up through aleppo. >> i suppose one of the many reasons syria is a mess right now is there are so many groups that all want different things. i know this is a leap, let's say that there are serious gains and advances. would we ever see the possibility of the western anti-isil coalition taking action? of course, it's not just anti-isil, they're all for stabilizing syria and they want that. do yo--they want assad out. do you see that happening? >> i'm not sure this particular event would indicate that we're going in that direction. however, it has certainly caused an outpouring of different attacks against the russians by the united states accusing it of major civilian killings that it has not said before that the

russians are attacking schools, medical facilities. likewise there has been more public awareness and promotions with the idea that there are chemical weapons being used in the same area that the russians intervened back in 2013 to reduce the holding of the government. so we're seeing certainly the rhetorical conflict rising, and that is usually an indicator that there is going to be more happening. >> affiliate lecturer from the department of politics and international studies the university of cambridge. thank you very much for sharing your views with us. >> iraqi forces say they're tightening their grip on ramadi after recapturing the city from the islamic state in iraq and the levant. sweeping and clearing operations are under way on the northern front. but isil says its launched a counter offensive. we have reports now from northern iraq.

>> more iraqis have been forced out of their homes in the fighting between isil and the military. these civilians have been living under the isil controlled offensive of ramadi. >> currently the forces of the anti-terrorism units are inside a secure complex in the center of ramadi. they've freed more than 52 families who were used by human shields by the gangs of isil, and we gave them first aid and food. we thank god we freed them. now we're transferring them to secured locations. >> on wednesday a large number of sunni fighters arrived in northern and eastern ramadi. they'll help iraqi troops in sweeping the area for troops left by isil and secure their defensive positions. what's not clear is how many soldiers and civilians have been killed in this latest offensive. media access to the city is limited. but many were left for the

soldiers who helped them. >> when the security was gone from anbar province life was dead. even if they tell you we were living we were not, this is not true. god bless the soldiers who came and rescued us from this place. from the beasts. they are beasts with no humanity. they have no islam. >> thousands of people have been displaced from ramadi, a city that is mostly in ruins now. housing, electricity, water, services have been badly damaged. as the iraqi forces strengthen their positions isil fighters are said to be launching attacks from their forces in the area still under their control. in addition to the job of creating buildings with explosives they face the threat of isil suicide-bombers. al jazeera, i erbil, northern iraq. >> turkish police have detained to men suspected of plotting a

suicide attack on new year's eve in ankara. they have seen this explosive device for the tied with bearings and metal sticks put in a pack back. in the course of the raid the police found an armed suicide vest and bomb-making equipment. they are said to be turkish nationals from the islamic state in iraq and the levant. the primary suspect in an west bank arson attack which left members of the same family dead will be charged in the coming days. the youngest was an 18-month-old baby who died immediately in the attack last july. his parents died later in hospital. the only one to survive was their son ahmed. the indictment is expected in five days. coming up in this news hour allegations that the u.s. has been spying on prime minister

benjamin netanyahu. a case against the plantation giant accused of contributing to indonesia's forest fires is thrown out of court. and in sport cristiano ronaldo misses a penalty and then scores price for real madrid in the last game of the year. >> late voting is still under way in presidential and parliament elections. the international community hopes it will bring peace to the conflict-ridden nation. in 2013 a largely muslim alliance known as seleka overthrew the government. that was followed by backlash by mostly christian militia known as the anti-balaka. an attempted cease-fire wa took

place after displacing many people. >> well, there are three front runners, the former president as well as it's most prominent muslim candidate, we go to bangui, these elections have been delayed several times. as an overview how has it gone so far? >> well, i think it has to be said that on the whole and given the circumstances it's actually gone quite smoothly. there were lots of concerns that these elections were being rushed, as you said, delayed five times, concerns over the

training of electoral staff and rewe saw evidence of that today with polling stations opened late. they did open. however, some polling stations that we know of, they didn't have any voting material, and you would think that here in the capital it would be best organized a breakdown in communication voters who hadn't received their voting cards, believing they still would be able to vote. we saw some people being turned away and a few arguments erupting there. on the whole, a smooth day given the circumstances, and the fact that there have not been reports of bloodshed has been an important major achievement. the police are here to make sure that voters feel safe, security is tight. pk 5 in bangui is an enclave. the officers' presence is reassuring. they say if they dared to leave the area they could be killed.

>> we want a president so we can live in peace. so we can walk and go wherever we want. so we can leave this neighborhood. we're stuck here like prisoners. if we get a good president we can go anywhere. we'll feel good. we'll sleep well, and we won't hear gunshots any more. >> central africans are voting to start over. many have lived in fear since the abuses committed against the civilians as they fought their way. the christians fought against it. >> with the muslims we've been together since we were young. we've been overcome by what's happened. that's why i decided to come back and vote in my neighborhood so muslims and christians can be

together. >> last week an leader dropped his call for an autonomous state. security has been improving. >> during the referendum, there is a gun battle between hard liners from within the community and u.n. peace keepers. the fight percent trying to intimidate people from voting. now we're told some of those who were shooting then are now voting. >> but there were problems. this man has been told he can't vote because he's not on the list. >> what d does this have to do with it. i'm not happy. >> there were delays at the polling stations and in two parts the parliament try election was canceled because there was no voting material. >> what do these people want is a new governance, a new way of handling this country, but i'm hearing rule of law, democracy, they want to be--they want the

leaders to be accountable. >> whoever wins has a huge task t expectations are high, and there is hope that the mistrust and violence is behind them. >> and as you can see in that report, some pretty smooth voting. >> please, go on. >> sorry about that. as you can see in that report, some relatively smooth voting happening around the country wrecked by inter-religious fighting for many months. but we have to go further in this history of this country.

people really desperate to get back to normal. but they needs to also build a new normal. this is what has come out of my discussions with the u.n. here including the commander of the u.n. peacekeeping force. this is really a country that has never really been united. if you talk to people on the street here they say we're central africans, and up there as in the north and in the east, the muslims. there is not really a strong sense of national identity. that comes down to the very reasons for that rebellion that parts of the country have been ignored and neglected. there really isn't any infrastructure, there has not been courts operating for a long time. some of the children have not been in school for years and years. some pretty basic fundamental state building that needs to take place. >> from the capital of bangui. thank you. a bit more about this, thank you

so much for joining us on al jazeera. we're hearing from tanya, really painting a picture of an area that has to be one of the poorest parts of africa if not the world. what can they do to change their needs? >> this is a first day of hope, and it is a big change to what has come before. it is directly made influence that many of the actors involved have had to achieve this momentous occasion. it comes off the back of the constitutional referendum that is held on the 13th and 14th of december where the central african republic people have voted in favor of constitution, for the president, so when we're voting towards it, we're voting towards a procedure that would help establish dempsey. o dempsey--establish democracy.

there is no good time for a state that has been fractured and splintered. we're grasping a moment even if it's not a perfect moment to bring a transfer of power. >> what are the chances that whoever does win this election will actually be accepted by all the groups? >> to be accepted by all of the groups-- >> the main ones. >> the main ones off the back of the period of such intense conflict it is an insurmountable feat. we have to set our targets. set our goals quite clearly. the dilemma is 15% are muslim. 50% christian. that's half catholic, half other christian denominations. that means that the muslims can feel that they're not included, and a voting procedure is not going to achieve that inclusion. it has been a winner takes all presidency. the fact is to focus not only on the presidency, but also on

reconstituting parliament, finding reputation for local levels and not just the person in charge. >> so when it is decided or we get the election results and we know who the person in charge is, what steps should be taken to try to stabilize car and to make it thrive in one way or another? >> well, recently pope francis visited the central african republic last month, and hi his emphasis was inter-religion dialogue. the idea is to bring politics away from those questions, but there is still a role for the state to play and the new president in showing that they're listening. part of the problems of the previous regime was in a it was seen as corrupt and centralized. therefore not listening to any other parts of the country. >> dominic, the lecture in african studies from oxford

university, thank you. >> thank you. >> staying in africa, the government said that it's fixed electricity supply shortages that have caused years of frequent blackouts. the ministry of power put out a statement saying that extra money would be spent on generating extra electricity. the power cuts have been a hot political topic especially among those who have suffered 24-hour blackouts. after four days of storms the rain has stopped in the u.s. states of illinois and missouri, but the flood crisis is not over with waters expected to rise for at least another day. at least 13 people have been reported dead in missouri alone. hundreds more have been evacuated from their homes. and the state governor has deployed the national guard to help with the rescue efforts. the floodwaters are moving down the mississippi river, and the water level is expected to reach its peak on thursday. well, earlier we spoke to

the missouri, one of the communities affected by the flooding. >> we're just west of st. louis here along the interstate 44, the major interstate coming out of st. louis. as you can see the river has overflowed it's banks. it's six or seven feet now at this major intersection and starting to lap up on businesses here. there have been plenty of evacuations. they are sandbag here. the governor has declared an emergency. the national guard not only to help with the sandbag in a major population center, and to secure the area. all of this water is coming from the west. it has now crested at a peak of 35 feet. it is now 20 feet above flood stage. now all that water is heading eastward that will empty into the mississippi. so all this water will empty

into the mississippi, which is expected to crest at a record stage tonight and tomorrow morning anywhere between 13 to 23 feet above flood stage. so it will head down to major cities like memphis and new orleans. 13 people have died in missouri from the flooding, including five foreign soldiers who are here training with americans on an american base. their car was swept away on december 25th in the last day of the last of the five bodies were found. we don't know their nationalities or their names but they're among the 13 dead in missouri. the governor here is telling residents to get out of their homes as the waters come up. they don't want to see any more deaths. the water and the floods continue to rise. >> that's the situation in the united states. meanwhile, the south american nations of brazil, argentina, paraguay and uruguay are

experiencing their worst flooding in half a century. more than a thousand people are in temporary shelters after being forced to evacuate from their homes in brazil on tuesday. 100,000 are displaced in total in the four countries. the uruguay river is 11 meters above it's normal level. heavy rains have been linked to the el niño weather event which is at its strongest levels reported in this century. now with go to the capital of buenos aires, which is in the grips of a heatwave. tell us what is going on, and how people are coping there. >> well, as you just said we just came back from concordia in the province where there are thousands of people that have been evacuated from their homes. we were going around the city, and there are shelters that are packed with people. most of them poor people. that have lost everything that they own, their living with

whatever little they have left. there are children, there is no water. the government is trying to give them their food and basic needs, but the water is not going down any time soon. we spoke to authorities there. they're telling us that now they're getting ready to cope with the possibility, there is lots of humidity, lots of heat, mosquitoes, and snakes, for example, that thrive in swamps-like conditions that we're seeing in this part of the region. >> and there's i teresa, you're painting a dire picture for everyone involved. so what are the latin american governments trying to do about this situation? >> well, the argentinian government has created a special committee to deal with the situation that is probably going to last for a couple of months at least. that's what experts are saying. the bolivian government has

invested millions of dollars also to prevent for prevention and to cope with the ongoing crisis. bolivia and peru are also affected by el niño phenomenon. the experts are saying what needs to be done is infrastructure. start building infrastructure. but also prevent people were living near areas that can be flooded. also have good evacuation plans to get people out of those areas. but also this is latin america. there are lots of people living in poverty. the cheaper areas are generally those areas that are flooded. this is an ongoing crisis that will probably last for months. >> we have the latest there from buenos aires. thank you. >> meanwhile, foreign fighters in colombia are fighting forest fires. the government has declared an official red alert, and helicopters have been drafted in. changing winds are making it difficult to predict the spread of the fires.

warm weather brought on by the annual el niño weather event is being blamed with the rise in temperature around 4 degrees celsius. still more to come. including north korea's kim jong-un loses another top aid as a senior official dies in a car crash. >> this is the dead sea of canada because it's waters are extremely salty. i'll be reporting on new research that shows how salt lakes like this one can help the country cope with climate change. >> and in sports the huge hurdles still ahead for organizers of next year's rio olympics.

>> at 9:30 - "america tonight" - top investigative reporting, uncovering new perspectives. >> everything that's happening here is illegal. >> then at 10:00 - it's "reports from around the world". >> let's take a closer look. >> antonio mora gives you a global view. >> this is a human rights crisis. >> and at 11:00 - "news wrap-up". clear... concise... complete. >> hello there, welcome back. here is a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. syrian government forces backed by russian bombers have fought their way into a key rebel-held town in the south of the country. late voting is still under way

in presidential and parliamentary elections in central african republic. followed by the latest cause for security concerns and religious violence. 21 people have died in the states of missouri and illinois after storms triggered wide-spread flooding and rivers are still rising. >> there are reports that the u.s. has been spying on israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's private communication. but his communications were mourn forked during his conversations with iran. >> the israeli government suggesting that it may file a former complaint with the obama administration because of allegations published in the wall street journal that the white house has continued to spy on the prime minister benjamin netanyahu and other top israeli officials. the journal's story suggests that the obama administration continues to spy on the israeli

government because of concerns that el would find a way to derail the negotiations over that country's nuclear program. even though the white house has not formerly condemned or rejected the story officials named suggested that they had to continue doing things like this for national security purposes. it's something that one israeli official said that friends just don't do to each other. >> u.s. presidential candidate donald trump is promises to spend $2 million every week on advertising. the billionaire businessman has been the frontrunner in the republican race. despite his outspoken views on race and immigration. so far he has yet to air a single tv ad. that with his lead crumbling in the first voting state of iowa,

he has decided to change his policy. comedian bill cosby has been charged for a sexual assault that allegedly took place in his home in 2004. allegations that he denies. prosecutors say that new allegation has come to light in the case. the federal office of justice in switzerland has frozen around $18 million belonging to football world governing body fifa. the assets held in 13 separate bank accounts were frozen on the request of prosecutors in the u.s. the swiss have handed over bank documents to the american authorities to be used as part of the investigation into alleged bribery of high-ranking fifa officials in exchange for tv rights. an indonesian court has thrown out a case of a

plantation giant accused of causing the thick smoke that has blanketed the region for months. the company is accused of illegally burning forests for its crops. >> ahead of the verdict an environmental group stages a protest to remind everyone of what is at stake. indonesia's people and it's forests. a company was accused of starting fires last year that affected 20 hectares of land in the western island of sumatra. the ministry of environment and forestry brought the lawsuit seeking $570 million in damages. but the courts found the evidence lacking and ruled in favor of the company. >> it has been proven in court that our clients have done

everything in accordance with the law. >> it has suspended the licenses of several companies. >> we're going to appeal this decision. it's not only to bring justice to the people of indonesia who have been suffering, but for the dignity of this country. >> forest fires and resulting haze that blanket indonesia and neighboring countries have become an annual occurrence. this year's fires caused flight cancellations and school closures. more than a dozen people have died and half a million fell sick to respiratory illnesses. the world banks estimates this year's fires will cost $15 billion. some say small-scale farmers who use slash and burn methods to clear land are to blame. others believe its plantation owners who use the tactic to clear vast tracks of land who are responsible.

but many agree it's lax enforcement of the law in indonesia that allow the problem to continue. >> because of this, the company, and then the people will say oh, we can burn as much as we want because the government gives us permission. it is not a good idea. the. >> court's verdict is not the only thing that concern environmental groups. the pictures show several hot spots have been detected in some parts of sumatra island. they worry once the dry season starts in march these fires could grow bigger. the yearly phenomenon that has grown into a disaster for the region is unlikely to go away soon. al jazeera, indonesia. >> there were scenes in china where rescue workers found eight

more survivors who were trapped under a collapsed mine for five days. a torch could be seen signaling for help. when a camera was put down part of the collapsed mine shaft in china the survivors were found. so far 11 people have been rescued. the workers have been trapped 200 meters underground and are now being dug out. >> the senior north korean official has been killed in a car crash. the country's state news agency is reporting the death. >> very few details have been release about the circumstances surrounding the car crash. north korea's state run news agency announced the death. >> the member of the workers part of korea and deputy to the supreme poem of the democratic

republic of korea died sadly in a car accident at the age of 73. >> as secretary of the ruling party, he was one of north korea's most senior officials. he was an experienced negotiator who played an important role. he helped defuse tensions after an explosion injured two south korean soldiers at the border of north korea. the south korean government paid tribute to his skill during those talks. >> he achieve high level agreements in august. >> he was north korea's leader kim jong-un's close comrade, but his death is raising questions about what is really happening inside north korea's secretive

government. the funeral will take place on tuesday. it's not clear what it will mean for korea and it's neighbors. >> india's capital city is introducing a new plan to clean up air pollution starting on january 1st. private cars will only be allowed in new delhi on alternate days according to whether their license plates end in odd or even numbers. well, as the earth's climate increases, scientists look for ways to reduce emission.

from canada, we have this report. >> farmers have long known not to plant crops on the shore. but there is a spa like the real dead sea, and it's been here for decades. >> people from all over and they would come and heal themselves in the water. it was very much a health place. >> saltwater lakes are well-known in this part of the world new research is showing that a lake like this with saline waters may be performing a valuable service.

researchers say such alkaline lakes, and there are hundreds here, absorb at mor atmospheric carbon. best of all it's a entirely national process. >> we don't have to do anything but make sure that we don't drain them. lakes have been under appreciated in the carbon budget just because total areas, they're not huge. the rates they're processing carbon is far faster than the ocean. >> they bodies of water are crucial in not just here. the caspian sea, the largest salty lake in the world has similar chemistry. environmental activists say this is the kind of science that

should transform our approach to the world's carbon problem. >> we need goods to apply science to figure out how to achieve this. if we can use the applied science to set out what we need to achieve, then we can hand over to the economists and social scientists to figure out the detail of how we get there. if may be figured out how to apply. in the salt lakes of the north american prairies could just be part of it. al jazeera, little man atu lake. >> condemning last week's violence in corsica while visiting the island. visitors vandalized a muslim where two firefighters were attacked earlier.

they said there is no place in corsica for violence or racism. >> the giant apple has agreed to pay $350 million to italy following a talks fraud investigation. the company said that it failed to pay over $960 million in tax between 2008 and 2013. the move is part of an european effort to make multi nationals pay what they owe in countries where they do business. apple structures itself to pay tax in countries where the rates are low. 50% are managed through businesses in ireland where european headquarters are located. ireland has some of the lowest levels of corporation attacks in the e.u. according to a report, apple used such arrangements to avoid paying $9 billion in u.s. taxes in just one year.

apple reject that it is acting illegally and says it pays every tax dollar owed. here to does this, head of taxation at the u.k. association of chartered certified accountants. thank you for joining us on al jazeera. >> they come from different stand points. apple paid $30 million tax across between 2008 and 2013. so the starting point, i think apple did the right thing. bu >> what i find pricing is that did they not know that they had different starting points back in 2008? >> i think the tax authorities

across europe are highly aggressive. quite often they'll slap ase assessments. the model has been completely different from the bricks and mortar that we're used to. and the tax policies have been catching up. >> they also have do you see a slight change. do you think it will make life harder for these big companies that choose to pay their tax where they have to pay less of it? >> we've seen that in france, spain, google has divested a lot of its activity. we've seen that in the u.k. where the diverted tax has been reduced.

u.k. going after 18 period. so they'll catch up with ireland. so this is a two-prong attack with tax authorities getting tougher. >> are they making it up as they go long? the do you think we don't have a system in place that is considered to be fair by ordinary people, considered a fairway to tax these corporations? >> yes, there is a part of that strategy to go up-to-date. hopefully they'll start to see that happening. >> thank you for joining us. >> thank you.

>> to the ukraine now where there is a slice of generosity from army veteran. veterano pizza is own bid two soldiers who fought in the region. now they're giving free pizza to injured or active service men. their aim is to help service men to merge back into civilian life. >> many people like the cafe very much. we have many visitors. i thought we were going to shut down as we were so tired. we slept here for two weeks and cooked pizzas for hospitals, railway stations and the restaurant. >> in this hour, after a big win against leicester, liverpool

looked to make it back-to-back wins against sunderland. and then unholy dispute, why this priest is in the bad books with the roman catholic church. h.

>> and now it's time to get all the sports news. >> thank you very much. we'll start with the latest from football in spain. real madrid ended 2015 with a home win in the premiere

division. cristiano ronaldo missed a penalty, but redeemed himself in a second-spot kick. a full set of nine matches on wednesday. they began the day seconds in the table. they're currently in action the goal is still goalless there. barca ending 2015 having won five trophies in the year. >> i would like to make a vow that at the end of the season we don't have any half-season awards. they're already in the history of the club and no one can take them away from us. >> now the football manager does not expect any of his players to be overly confident when they kick off against sunderland in an hour's time.

sunderland is struggling in the relegation zone. >> we will go up against sunderland. we don't want to go and show how football should be. we want to go there and win. that's what we have to show. there is no reason to doubt and the mentality team. i know nobody in the team is like this. >> in. >> in test cricket defeating south africa in 221 runs. mark graham reports. >> when play resumes south africa needed another 280 runs to win while england needed another six wickets. with only two runs adds, they got the prized wicket of the world's top dense man with the

third four of the day. and with dismissal, the chances of saving the match were all but over. wickets continued to fall. but the home side only adding nine runs to languish at 143-8. while they did their best to hold the inning together he ran out of partners. >> i was pretty happy. really short turn around there. the shortest. we have to be careful.

it's important that we get ready again. >> it was only england's second test since 2012, and south africa's fourth defeat from the last five tests. >> it's been a tested test for us. we hope we can continue to turn it around. >> the world's highest ranked team only had a few days to rediscover its form. >> now international olympic committee president thomas barr said that sports organizations must work hard in 2016 to clean up their act. the germans didn't name anyone in his news message but the comments follow a year in which fifa has been plagued by a corruption scandal. there have been allegations of

bribery and doping cover ups in russian athletics. as the new year approaches, rio de janeiro's troubled preparations. adding to concerns of the city's polluted waters, we have this report from rio. >> in a city of beaches and carnivals. having a good time is a way of life. rio de janeiro has experienced hosting an international sporting event. it hosted world cup soccer behalves in 2014. add to that the pride of making history. this is the first olympic games to be held in south america. >> it's going to be wonderful, and rio is going to welcome them with open arms. >> with more than half of the budget comes from private money, and the city is taking full advantage of using existing

venues from previous sporting events like the world cup. the city said that the construction is on time and on budget unlike the world cup when some stadiums were finished only days before the games began. >> there are two kinds of olympics. games that take the benefits out of the city, and the city that takes the benefits out of the games. we're taking full advantage having the olympics in rio. >> in 2015 the city held 20 test events including the triathlon. but the environmentalists are raising concerns about the site expected to hold most the competitions. here at the bay athletes may have to compete while smelling raw sewage and seeing garbage floating by their boats. the city promised it would clean up the bay significantly, but now officials admit that their efforts may not come close to satisfying the athletes. the sailing event may have to be held elsewhere.

they'll make way for access into the area. now that 344 families who used to live here have taken the buy-out, she has decided to move. but feels a sense of loss. >> it's not that anyone is against the olympics. it's that they destroyed people here, the community, everything. >> another big concern is drug gangs and spill over of the violence inside the city's pa villas. the city said that things were calm during the cup and they expect things to be the same in 2016. if you expect to go to the sporting event, tickets are available, and many of them cost $30 or less.

>> well, let's go to the match that is still goalless. that's the sport four now. back to barbara. >> thank you. now before we go, a priest in the philippines is in hot water with the country's roman catholic church. after providing a hover board at christmas eve mass. here is the video of the reverend traveling up the aisle singing a christmas song has proven to be a christmas hit on youtube. but church officials are taking a dim view especially since they publicly are trying to promote a frugal lifestyle. and the priest has now apologized. there he goes. i bet all the children in that church loved it, and will want to go to christmas mass again next year. that is it from me, barbara serra and the rest the team. maryam nemazee will be back with the rest of the day's news. i'll see you tomorrow.

thank you for watching. bye bye.

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>> russian airstrikes fight their way out of a rebel-held town in the south. ♪ hello, i'm maryam nemazee. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, allegations that the u.s. has been spying on israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. >> i'm tanya page reporting on the voting in central african republic where voters hope will bring