announcer: this is al jazeera. welcome to the al jazeera newshour from doha, in the next 60 minutes - at least 20 are dead as al qaeda gunmen storm a hotel in burkina faso's capital. counting is under way in taiwan's presidential poll, which could see the island elect its first female president. >> iran's for instance says he believes sanctions against his country are about to be lifted. >> growing anxiety in latin

america over a mosquito born virus that causes defects. plus... >> i'm in the african nation, ready to host its biggest-ever sporting event the security operation at a hotel in burkina faso's capital is now over. that is according to the country's media. there's reports of a standoff involving gunmen at the motel next door. the fighters stormed the hotel on friday, this is in the city's central district, and it's popular with foreigners. imran khan has the latest. >> reporter: the splendid hotel in burkina faso's capital under siege. gun fire rang out as explosions

were heard from inside. masked gunmen stormed a hotel, popular with foreigners and diplomats. cars were set on fire and a cafe across the street was attacked. >> it was horrible. everyone was panicking. people were laying on the ground. there was blood everywhere. they were shooting people at point blank range. the noise of the explosions was loud. honestly, it was traumatising. i think these people are really wicked. >> french troops called in to help security retake the hotel. they rescued dozens of people. many have been res cute and are now receiving treatment at a hospital. >> we did our best to get out. i have an open fracture. they destroyed my vehicle as well. >> a regional affiliate says it is behind the assault. the group has attacked similar targets in the past. the most recent, a luxury hotel

in marley's capital. this is the first attack of its kind in burkina faso's capital, and a setback for the nation trying to emerge from political turmoil. the president was elected two months ago as the first new leader in decades. how he deals with this crisis is seen as a big test in office. >> a journalist based in dhaka told us about reports saying a second security operation is in progress in the capital. >> it has been an attack of special forces of burkina faso, held by american and french special forces over the splendid hotel. put apparently there was another attack in a neighbouring hotel, where currently there are some operations going on, apparently. >> voting descended.

counting is under way in the presidential poll. opposition leaders favoured independence from china, expected to become the first female leader. it is the economy and taiwan's relations with china that will be the focus of the election. >> a slight smile from the presidential front-runner as she voted saturday morning. the opposition candidate sticking to the message of independence. >> translation: i believe it was time for us to unite. we need a position to show that taiwan has a consensus on national identity. in his home district, they voted in the city where he is mayor, and repeated promises to maintain good relations. we'll stick to the 1992 consensus, which sees both sides recognise one china.

this is only the sixth presidential vote on the island since it became a democracy 20 years ago. >> millions that turned out to vote cast their ballot for their selection as president. it's more than that, it's a question about which direction they want taiwan to go, whether it will be more independent. directly tied to the relationship is the economy. the last eight years saw massive growth in trade and money from the mainland. like what is happening across the straights, the economy has slowed. right now you can't - taiwan is not in good shape. many are not satisfied about it. we hope the new president focuses more. >> i would like to see the first female president. it's not just the president who will be chosen. 113 seats in parliament.

more than 500 candidates are running. most stand firm on an independence platform and an alternative voice that ruled the only democracy has been changed for the last seven years. >> now, our correspondent adrian brown is live in taipei. i believe you were at the d.p.p. headquarters, a jovial mood behind you. what really matters is the mandate or the size of the mandate that will be handed by the voters. is it likely to be large. >> well, we do expect there was a large voter turn out in the last election, voter turn out more than 80% gives a clear indication of how lively the

democracy is. there is a paradox here, here is taiwan, where they have the enormous democracy festival going on. there is a lively sense of anticipation that they have ended the stranglehold on the kmt nationalist party. the hope is that they will secure not just the presidency, but the parliamentary majority which has not happened before. there are two stories, taiwan could have the first female president, the first female president in a chinese society, and we'll see the end of the dominance by kmt in taiwanese politics. really, ever since the end of the chinese civil war. when the nationalist fled to the island republic. the woman tipped to become the

next president is single. she's 59 years old graduating from the school of economics. and likened herself to the german chancellor, and represents china's worse nightmare. the d.p.p. has staunch views on independence. we saw in the report, when addressing the issue of taiwanese identity. she would defend taiwanese identity. the outcome. how china responds. the result of the election is going to define how relations will be between taiwan in the foreseeable future. >> how will beijing respond once one side gets into office? well, you know, beijing's position is this. it views the d.p.p. with deep

suspicion. it wanted the kmc to win the election because they basically subscribe to the notion that china and taiwan will be part of one nation. the d.p.p. are polar opposite. china will scratch its head, wondering how to do with it. we could be in for a period of instability. it was interesting that as the election was drawing to a close. china was holding the opening ceremony, asian investors. drying to divert attention away from the election. thailand wants to join the ban, so far they have not accepted their great application. how china responds in the weeks and months, we will wait and see. >> it will be an interesting time between china and taiwan.

doug bro adrian brown speaking from taipei iran is confident international sanctions will be lifted this weekend as top diplomats gathered in vienna discussing the implementation of a nuclear deal. in july, they will curb the programme. the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog is due to deliver its reported on whether iran honours that agreement. he believes that sanctions will be removed after its published. rosalind jordan sent this update from washington d.c. >> reporter: there seems to be growing expectation that implementation will happen on saturday. it comes down to when the i.a.e.a. issues the report, whether iran could comply with all of the terms. that includes rendering iraq's

nuclear reactor ineffective. that includes filling the plant with incident. reconfiguring the reactor, so it can only produce nuclear material used for peaceful purposes. it means implementing a lot of transparency measures, recording equipment, and making it possible to i.a.e.a. inspectors to come into the military and similar situations to take a close look of what will go on at any time under the terms of the deal. when the i.a.e.a. issues its report that iran complied with the returns. that means significantly that the sanctions will be lifted. the prior resolution will be rendered moot. there'll be a new resolution. itteeses some of the u.n.

sanctions that have been imposed on tehran. the question is can it happen on saturday, or might there be a need to wait until tuesday because u.s. banks are closed on sunday and monday. >> iranian officials want to access money that had been frozen as quickly as possible. basically to show their citizens that they are trying to do the right thing. in terms of coming back, trying to gain access to badly need money. if they can't get the deal done on saturday. a senior administration here in the u.s. says the deal will be implemented when it's time. not just because of a political pressure to make things happen that quickly. >> russia says a humanitarian council meeting to discuss the crisis in syria was unnecessary. russia's deputy ambassador

accused the west of politicizing the crisis and derailing opposition groups. an estimated 400,000 are living under siege in syria. >> regrettably siege and starvation has become routine and systematic in syria. with devastating consequences for civilians. the barbarity of this tactic cannot be overstated. by besieging towns and villages, the parties to the conflict launched a war on ordinary men, women and children, with callous indifference with their lives, health and wellbeing. a siege that denies people access top basic necessities of life is unlawful, unacceptable, and unconscionable iraq's top shia cleric is accusing a top cleric of not doing enough. as mohammed jamjoom reports

those comments may have come too late. >> after days of violent. a statement from the authority in iraq. two days ago. a regrettable attack on mosques in the houses of civilians. they will have dangerous consequences on people of this country. as we strongly condemn the attacks. we place full responsibility. >> in a sermon delivered by his spokesman. the ayatollah khamenei condemned the attacks. as well as the wave of retaliatory attacks. he blamed the government for not doing more to accept the people of iraq. >> the population in diyala province is a mixture of sunnis and shias, after i.s.i.l. was

pushed out. shia militias handled it. some found the remark disingenuous. they were more to blame for securing violence than any other. >> translation: it's just another way to save big words, and cover up the heinous crimes that are taking place. they know, they are responsible. all the iraqi government, iran, and definitely the shia religious authority itself. >> what is clear for now, the violence couldn't come at a worse time. >> a huge concern for the government is if this surge of violence continues, and if lines deepen, that could undermine efforts by the government and security forces in a fight against i.s.i.l. plenty more ahead on al

jazeera, including an economic emergency is announced in venezuela. >> throwing poverty and the threat of violence. the unprecedented exodus of rev guy status in europe. and we hear from serena williams, as the 6-time australian open champion prepared to defend her title. all that is coming up in sport let's get more on the top story, and that is the armed men in the capital. that is cynthia, an analyst at the international crisis group. burkina faso is not known to be a hot bed of international terrorism, why do you think it was targeted? >> i think, you know, it was

targetted because it's a strategic reason. there was many armed and extremists. i think it was targeted because of elections and the your government that is settling down. and the faithful transition moving forward. also, the country has a lot of soldiers, and the u.n. missions, so i think that's why it was targeted. >> it is interesting to note that during his time in office, the president distant witness, or the country did not witness a terrorist attack in burkina faso. why then has this attack occurred now?

>> yes, well, it was overthrown in october. there's been a few attacks at the borders. there was a few - there were a few consider figures who had connections with rebel groups in northern mali. they were especially useful in releasing western hostages, so we should assume that they were defending the regime and the groups, but so long as they would host them, they would face it and everything. and that the country would not be attacked. and as per understanding, it's over now. >> cynthia, we'll have to leave it there. >> thank you very much.

>> we apologise for the quality of the line. >> venezuela's president nicolas maduro declared an economic emergency referring to the financial crisis. he made the announcement before his state of union address. the oil dependent nation has been hit by the sharp fall in crisis, and we have this report from dakar. >> friday was a day of unusual announcements in venezuela. while the president delivered his state of union address, venezuelans grappled with an economy they know to be collapsing. for the first time in 17 years since the late chavez rose to power. he was faced with political and economic pressure. >> translation: today we are arriving at a parlour whereby in a democracy of liberties, the

opposition concurred the major city and is here today. >> hours before, the oil-dependent country declared itself to be in crisis. >> i declare article one an economic state of conformity to venezuela and its judicial order. >> reporter: with the world's cheapest petrol and the exchange system. the measure the government takes could be a reform of an economical system that many see as having failed. yet it was a disclosure for the first time in a year by the central bank that the venezuela inflation rate was 121% which to many shows how much it is hurting. what it means is unclear. the government said it will take measures that would help and not hinder people. many living in the country are afraid no measure will be enough

to recover the economy. in the living room of the middle-class family, the words are met with disbelief by a viewer that has seen it all before. >> it has to be really bad. it's only going to get worse. he doesn't offer anything concrete. >> reporter: because the venezuelan economy relies almost entirely on oil, it tightens the noose around the south american nation, as many predict, crude prices is dropping. it was a year of frequent and less well received announce mment women in brazil are urged to look after pregnancy after a mosquito plague has been

discovered. it can cause defects. we have this report from brazil. >> reporter: the corridors of this public hospital in nearby brazil are full of desdrought mothers, holding babies with one thing in common. they were born with noticeably smaller than normal heads. it's microselfaly a condition limiting intellectual and physical development and which in less than four months reached epidemic proportions in brazil. reachers say they believe the cause is a virus new to brazil. it causes dengue fever. >> i was shocked when i found out. she is my first baby, and this was unheard of in brazil until now. >> doctors believe the virus is promoting microself alley and

scarring of the retina in 4% of newborn babies. >> in december, we had 1,000 cases, and last week, there has been 3,000 reports. >> and that's just in the state. where a state of emergency has been declared, and where the army has been called out to combat disease carrying mosquitos. they thrive in rainy season and breathe in the smallest amount of clean water. but despite all the efforts, the virus is spreading, not just through, but throughout south and central america. in fact, disease control experts predict within three months it will have reached texas. >> there's no cure for the virus, terrifying pregnant women. >> i asked the doctor if what i heard was true. since i have been taking special precautions like using inspect

propellant. >> for 3.5-year-old, precautions are too late. his sister dotes on him. his mother worries about how she will take care of a child who will be seriously handy capped. >> my main concern is to go back to work. the daycare centers refuses to take him because he has microself alley, and say it is too much responsibility. a phenomena warning brazilian women to reframe from getting pregnant. while they struggle to deal with an epidemic that appears to be beginning the anglican church imposes sanctions on a u.s. branch for allowing clergy to perform same-sex marriage. servants voted to enforce sanctions. as paul brennan reports.

>> st. francis of elsisy church is a long way from england. these are devout christians, and on gay marriage, they are not sure what to believe any more. >> this thing of being gay and christian, we are told we are a girl or boy when we are born. it was not in the olden days. it's what kids are falling into this. there are voices in favour of same-sex union, we have to defend the voice of god in that mix and chaos. >> the global church is sharply split. the united states episcopal church supports gay marriage and appointed an openly gay bishop.

friday, it saw it excluded from doctrine or debate for three years. >> it's a disappointing time for many, there'll be heart ache and pain for many. it's important to remember that we are still part of the anglican communion. >> outside the cathedral they urged compassion, and they condemn homophobia and reject gay people. but it is a fundamental departure and the church must make the chances. >> unity will be costly, we have deep differences, and it will be painful as well as joyful and remarkable archbishop portrayed the split as more of a procedural problem. the episcopal court added unilaterally, without waiting for a sentence. but theres in no understating the deep split within the

church. the archbishop will lead a task group to heal the rift. >> it's not to reflect the culture of the day or the prevailing opinions. it's actually to present of the timeless message of the gospel. >> the rift looks set to widen this year when canadian anglicans are set to join the episcopal church for gay marriage time for a check on the weather with richard, and heavy snowfall affecting parts of europe. >> that's right. you expect to this time of the year. for some parts it's significant snow fall of the winter. the shots coming in. from the northern part of spain. it had heavy snow fall coming in the form of snow showers.

looking at the satellite, we see the line of showers across the north. areas of high pressure are taking controls. it's out to the east, where there's more significant area of snowfall associated with the complex frontal system. this is a typical shot from budapest. the current situation is there's snow a long way south, extending to the east of moldova up through ukraine, belarus and in towards russia, as i run the sequence, you can see how the area develops over the 24 hours. significant snowfall is likely. on the northern flank. there'll be a bit of heavy rain affecting parts of turkey and greece. as we move through into sunday we see the cold air, and notice oslo, minus 14 degrees. at least across the western areas, although it's chilly, it should be largely dry.

>> thank you. >> still ahead here on al jazeera. >> i'm caroline malone with a story of syrian students trying to get an education here and why they outnumber the lebanese students. >> in sport. some 3-point shooting swings the game as the chigago bulls host the dallas mavericks. we have the details in sport.

welcome back, you're watching al jazeera, the top

stories this hour. a security operation at a hotel in burkina faso's capital is over. that's according to the security minister. fighters stormed the splendid hotel ouagadougou on friday. counting is under way in the presidential poll, it could see the island elect a first female president. the opposition party has a significant lead, favouring independence from china iran says it is confident international sanctions will be lifted. the foreign minister is due to meet european diplomats in vena to discuss implementation of last year's nuclear deal there are more than 400,000 syrian refugee children register said in lebanon. getting them to school is a challenge. we have this report from

north-east lebanon. >> the public school catered to a few hundred lebanese students. the size has more than doubled. 500 syrian students enrolled at the school. chin with one lebanese parent are taught in the morning, and syrians in the afternoon. it was a shock moving here. in syria, everything was arabic. here you net english. >> they are taught the curriculum. this is a challenge for many syrians that studied arab back home. teachers are having to adjust as well. >> we have to focus on some logic, analysing, and this stuff. they are not - they don't know how to speak english, they will not know how to analyse, identify there are more than 400,000

syrians of school age in lebanon, along with u.n. and local communities are trying to get them into school. >> in public school classrooms like this one, there are nearly as many syrian students as lebanese. others are not getting education, putting an uncertain future into jeopardy. >> there are thousands of children not registered for school in lebanon. some of the syrians registered at the school don't turn up. they can't afford to pay. >> education is a key to a better live. it's our duty to keep them in schools. eventually they helped in making the process. >> the students may be treated equally, the staff have noticed how hard the student studied. >> yes, they are first in our class. i had to study hard.

the teachers are good. they helped me get there. as you know, it's a public school. in lebanon it's mostly private schools, anyone that wants to study, public or private will make it afghans make up the second largest group of refugees trying to reach europe. they are leaving to escape unemployment, and a difficult security situation there. as reported from kabul, the exodus of young qualified people is causing concern for the country's future. >> this is a 20-year-old afghan journalist. by the news of the state of iraq. he's an ethnic hazara, the first vision tips of i.s.i.l., and before them, the taliban. >> translation: we are disappointed. the government is not paying attention to us, it makes

everyone think of leaving. we are very concerned. >> reporter: last year a series of kidnappings and murders fuelled fears that the hazara were targeted. the overall security situation in afghanistan is worsening. most foreign troops ended combat operations in 2014, and left. last year was the bloodiest in years for african forces. recent taliban victories, and increase attacks and fears of a total collapse in security. increased violence led to an unprecedented prejudice of afghans. international organizations for migration said 2,500 pass through to macedonia. more than 190,000 afghans reached europe, and the reason people are leaving are lack of security and job opportunity.

>> afghanistan's problems are decades old. the economy is shattered. corruption rife, unemployment high. young afghans are leaving the country at an alarming rate. 70% of those that fled were young afghans. government leaders are concerned. many young people leaving will do long-term damage to the economy, and are promising to find solutions. >> translation: the government is working on long, mid and short-term programs to provide employment. the president plans to build projects in the cities and villages to create jobs. in the short term we'll provide small loans to prevent people leaving. >> many have hope and faith that conditions will improve. not all afghans want to leave, but the number of those that are are increasing every day

the u.n. accused security forces of sexually assaulting women while searching the homes of opposition supporters. reports of nine mass graves in and around the capital were investigated. four army generals accused of being behind a failed coup in may have been sentenced to life in prison. and are among 20 military officers on trial for attempting to unseat president pierre. activists in south africa want the government to speed up legislation providing poor patients access to affordable drugs. we have this report on the struggles faced by cancer patients this woman has breast cancer and says doctors at a public hospital can't hepar. -- can't help her. >> medication - sometimes they give it to me or just put me in

oxygen. according to the cancer association of south africa, more than thousands are diagnosed every year. private facilities managed the numbers. this is the nearest hospital. it doesn't have an oncology department. patients have to go to johannesburg. not every hospital has them. drugs in south africa are expensive and state-run hospitals have no or limited supplies. >> how many men and women decide. they can't it was the only drug to raise their children. >> countries like india and argentina used to outline law to limit drug patents. south africa is yet to do that. >> they are granted to

international drug companies that want to the protect their patent. it means south african based companies are - can't come to the market on the drugs for a longer period of time because they are waiting for the patents to end. >> the government has a draft policy that could make the drugs affordable. cabinet is working on fixing the patent laws. the issue is aagreeing. >> there are other issues that would not benefit the pharmaceutical companies, it would benefit the generic industry. i think a lot more attention has to be given. especially the wording, so that there is no incoherent understanding that comes from it. >> cancer patients hope an agreement can be reached quickly. they need affordable drugs that could save or prolong their

lives. prosecutors in france launched an investigation into a drug trial that left one wan brain dead and five others critically ill. 90 healthy volunteers were given the pain-killer. research has been suspended. >> reporter: it was a clinical trial that went wrong. with one person declared brain dead, the french health minister ordered an investigation. >> translation: the families are devastated. we'll make sure they are given all the answers. particularly as right now i'm not aware of any comparable case. what happened is unprecedented, requires vigilance in the coming investigation. >> reporter: the drug was trialled at the clinic in western france. it was meant to ask on the cannabinoid system, which deals with pain. >> the condition got worse over

the first few days of this week. four of the five other patients have neurological problems. one does not have symptoms, but is under surveillance a lawyer for the victim says there was an oversight. >> in 2016, with all the means we have, how could such an accident happen. at this moment i have no idea. has there been a human error. i can't believe in coincidence. dozens got smaller doses of a substance, and they are asked to undertake a brain scan. >> the u.s. president called the mexican leader to congratulate him on the arrest of joaquin guzman. he had been on the run since last july. he is in the same maximum security prison that he escaped

from, through a mile-long tunnel in his cell. >> the obama administration is under fire for immigration policies, this time not from the republicans. democrats called for an end to raids on the homes of people gu for deportation. they say these are breaking up families and showing fear. kristen saloomey has more. >> at a hastily organized meeting in a markus phillips suburb, immigrants turned up to learn their rights. >> fear was spreading, along with word in federal officials have been conducting deportation raids across the country, forcing advocates for the undocumented to act. >> my phone started to go off, the office, it's been nonstop. i think the clear has grown. >> this woman doesn't want to show her face, she and her three children washed her husband get arrested. he's in detention.

news has them worried that she'd be next. >> i told the kids to stay calm, everything will be okay. but they are afraid. they are afraid to open the door. >> reporter: according to the president obama administration. the wave of people crossing the border into the united states illegally, in 2014 and '15, many after fleeing violence in federal america. they are seeking to break apart families. the administration is rounding up people that have been processed, found ineligible to stay. the president took action to shield several hundred thousands from deportation. the obama administration long faced criticism from the republican party for being easy on illegal immigration, now the president is getting democrats calling him the deporter in chief. the democratic mayor announced

that the city will no longer cooperate with federal enforcement officials. the may jar says the raids are -- mayor says the raids are counterproductive. >> we are not safe in any city when the people that live her, whether documented or not, are fearful of the police. >> immigration advocates are lobbying congress, and candidates that criticised the raids. >> i think the democratic party absolutely lost faith from the latino community, when we go after women and children, and say they are for immigration. it doesn't make sense. >> advocates continue to call for immigration reform, and warn the undocumented not to answer the door the u.s. state of michigan is asking more help from the government in washington to tackle led contamination.

high levels have been found in drinking water in the city of flint. there has been an outbreak of legionaire's disease. health officials can't link it to contaminated water. >> still to come on al jazeera... >> i'm in india, where the government is encouraging start-ups like this to grow the economy and create millions of jobs in the next decade. >> a ner miss at the casey dellacqua black near miss at the dakar rally, details with joe in sport. parse

pass it's called start up india, a programme to encourage young entrepreneurs to build new businesses, the initiative aiming to encourage those young people shunning traditional jobs. as reported, obstacles remain. >> reporter: this store is a start-up success story. in a few short years, it has more than a dozen locations in and around englands two largest cities. as with a new venture, it wasn't easy, it's difficult in india, where slow bureaucracy can stop new ventures before they start. >> because i do know the kind of resources that you have are limited. and you - you want the resources to be used in productive work as opposed to bureaucratic. >> the government is launching its start up india programme to encourage and promote new

businesses, something entrepreneurs say they have been waiting a long time for. >> tax incentives and less bureaucracy are among the goals they hope the government will address, so that securing investment and growing business is easier, and encouraging and promoting stars in india may be enough to give the sector a boost. >> entrepreneurs say people's mind-sets about start-ups are changing, adding it's a different environment now than it was when he set up a business 12 years ago. >> the biggest difference is where people are accepting it more. not just from the point where i started out. even from the suppliers, and no one would take them seriously. not just them, but customers expect a lot from start-ups. >> analysts say promoting start-ups may be of national

appearance. india will need an estimated 140 million jobs in the next decade. >> in the large private sector. there's not employment. the gap is - it's by start-ups coming up over the next 10 years. back at the shop. this person hopes the programme will make it easier for his business to grow. for the government. it helps the small companies will encourage investment time for the sport. here is joe. >> rwanda will host the biggest event in sporting history. the african nation's champion kicks off. the counter began in 2009. as andy richardson reports, it's only for players from domestic african leagues. >> football is everywhere you look in rwanda. never before has the country

been home to a sporting tournament of this importance. 16 teems are here for the african nation championship. the 4th edition for players in the domestic lead. of a lower profile than the african cup of nation where foreign based players can be selected, is the domestic african leagues. >> the majority of players at the african cup of nation are not playing in south africa. there was space to provide a platform, that were excellent and cannot reach a national team. of al jazeera or others of that caliber. >> the opening game against the ivory coast, the stadium will be full of 30,000. the team does not have a great track record. the previous appearance saw them recording three straight losses. >> it has not stopped players,

targetting a spot in the semifinals. >> they were using examples like south korea. it's a big hope, the history of football. getting out of the stages. >> the emotions and energy. >> the players have the incentive of what they could achieve behind the tournament and rwanda. >> in england, spain, france - all the players, all the talent we have, they don't have to live a long time here. they - just when they are taken as urgent. they are moving directly so it is the reality we have to accept it. >> so while leaving rwanda may be the ambition of many players, this event gives them a chance to focus on football within their own borders. >> andrei richardsonins us now.

the tournament not as well-known as the african cup of nations. what impact does it have since established in 2009? >> there's no doubt when it first started at the ivory coast, back in 2009, there was considerable opposition from the leading footballing companies, it only had eight companies. it established its own identity. there are 16 countries taking part in this tournament. >> if you look at a cup of negotiates, 90% do not play in its domestic league. >> such as the academy system that we have now. this tournament, slipped through the academy system, or developed as footballers later in their careers, if we look at the tournament in 2011, for example, the algerian striker sidani was

joint top scorer and is playing club football. there's a platform for the players, and it's a reminder with credibility. african football is not a staging post for the players. >> we have in your report the hosts, what are the expectations about how far they can go and who else should we watch out for? >> inevitably the hosts have high expectations, as talking to the coach yesterday, he made a point of taking the training camp outside, to get them away from pressure and fans. they are realistically targetting getting out of the group. it's difficult to prenict. if we look at the ivory coast, they are the cup of nation's champions, of that squad, one player is eligible to play in this tournament.

it's difficult to predict. we look at countries with strong domestic league. and then you have 2012 african champions. they have a couple of players, including the captain who is back playing in zambia, they have a strong team, and they'll be another country to watch. >> andrei richards and we come back to him as the opening game draws closer. >> the top under-20 teams are hoping to book themselves at a place in the olympics. having won the opening matches, qatar and iran - they got on the score sheet first and hung on for a win. the hosts need a draw in syria. syria's footballers kept their hopes of qualifying for the olympics alive. they came from a goal down in the other group a match. the top three teams qualify for

the 2016 rio games. >> south africa's cricketers will build on the lead in england. they are 16 without loss. that is a lead of six runs at lunch. south africa made sure the tourists were all out. they removed jo for 110 and ended up with fig fires 5 for 78. england are 1-0 up in the four test series. >> it's two days to go until the australian open in melbourne. 6-time champion says she's ready, the 33-year-old, serena williams, has played almost no competitive tennis, brushed off concerns about fitness. and declared herself 130% fit. >> i had good preparation. i didn't have the match play. after playing for so many years on tour, i should focus on that and the fact that i have played

a lot of matches. that's what i'm trying to focus on now. >> the oklahoma city thunder flowed on the radar. they rolled over the minnesota timberwolves with russell westbrook grabbing a career triple double. >> noah left the game after dislocating his shoulder, throwing his season into doubt. his absence weighed on the team. came from behind with a crucial 3-pointer on the way with a game high 21 points. chicago blackhawks stretched their winning streak to 10 straight games after belting the maple leafs 4-1, after opening through for the stanley cup champions. another two netted for the first hat-trick of the season. kane was the outright top

scorer. the win moves the blackhawks to the top of the central division. stefan is closing in on a 12th title at the dakar rally, they hold the overall lead after the penultimate lead of the race. he has 11 titles. he leads 40 minutes and 59 seconds over last year's champions. fellow rider narrowly avoided an animal in friday's stage. >> it was a close call, wasn't it. >> thank you very much, joe. >> stay with us here on al jazeera, with another full bulletin of news at the top of the hour. head to the website for the latest news aljazeera.com.

ra.com. >> celebrity chef, marcus samuelsson. >> i've had the fortune to live out my passion. >> his journey from orphan to entrepreneur. >> sometimes in life, the worst that can ever happen to you can also be your savior. >> and serving change through his restaurants. >> we hired 200 people here in harlem... these jobs can't be outsourced. >> i lived that character. >> we will be able to see change.

. at least 20 dead as al qaeda-linked gunmen storm a hotel in burkina faso's capital. you're watching al jazeera. coming up in the next half hour - counting is under way in the presidential poll, which could see the island elect its first female president. >> iran's foreign minister says he believes sanctions against his country are about to be lifted. >> growing anxiety in latin america over a mosquito born