london next. ♪ announcer: this is al jazeera. hello everyone, i'm felicity barr, welcome to the newshour, live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes, more needs to be done. defence ministers in relation to i.s.i.l. discuss ways to step up the fight the talibani attack a university four refugees camping out in calais must be allowed into britain, a court in london rules.

>> and all the day's sport, including reigning champion novak djokovic is through to the third round of australian open, aiming for his sixth title in melbourne hello ministers from seven of the countries fighting the islamic state of iraq and levant have been meeting in paris. >> on the discussion was how best to capitalize on gains against the group. it's lost about a quarter of territory in iraq and syria. defence ministers from the u.s. and france hosted the meeting with australian, british, dutch, german and italian counterparts. missing from the table is russia, it is bombing i.s.i.l., but was not invited to the talks. the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry met his russian counterpart in zurich, ahead of

talks. let's speak to jacky rowland, who has been following the conference in paris, what, if anything, was agreed at the meeting? >> essentially the ministers were looking at ways to accelerate and intensifying their campaign. that means in particular targetting i.s.i.l.'s resources, such as oil facilities. also its communications, commands and control positions, and also there was talk as well, the french defence minister referred to the need for the west to better counter i.s.i.l.'s message, its ideology, and its propaganda. interestingly, still no talk at all of sending any coalition ground forces to iraq or syria. the u.s. defense secretary made it clear that the collision would very much -- coalition would very much be relying on

local forces on the ground. >> we are, as indicated, enabling local motivated forces wherever i.s.i.l. has spread as the only practical strategic approach, not only to defeating i.s.i.l., but also of sustaining its defeat therefore seven favoured countries, if you like, at this conference in paris, they are talking about a bigger conference with 26 member countries of the coalition taking part. >> yes, 26 members of the coalition, and the iraqi defence minister as well will be invited to participate in the talks in brussels in about three weeks time. in a sense, the u.s. defence minister - sorry, the u.s. defense secretary gave an indication that there is an impatience to speed up the campaign, there is an impatience

to see more results on the ground, and he said that he would be expecting those various defence ministers to come to the table with proactive suggestions, ideas of the contributions they can make to the fight. obviously there are a limited number of countries carrying out air strikes, notably the u.s., france and the u.k. the germans are flying recognisance flights to identify targets, and others are involved in the training of those local forces that we were talking about just before, but really, the u.s. secretary of defence indicated that the table is wide open for individual countries to come forward with ideas of how to speed up that fight. and the fact that this meeting is taking place indicates a kind of tacit acceptance at least that the i.s.i.l. forces on the ground are proving tougher and more stubborn to uproot

territory than some of the coalition leaders expected. >> thank you jacky rowland with the latest from that conference in paris. secretary of state john kerry has been in zurich meeting the russian foreign minister sergey lavrov, both disagreeing who should be at the negotiating table to bring an end to the crisis in syria. scheduled talks are expected to focus on the set up of a transitional government. they were due to take place in geneva on january 25th. there are doubts over whether or not they will go ahead. >> we discussed a number of measures which have to be taken in order to provide a ceasefire. obviously apart from i.s.i.l. and al nusra, they are our enemies, they cannot be subject to a ceasefire.

>> paul brennan has been following developments in zurich, in talks lasting three hours, the outcome was inconclusive. john kerry left without commenting, and sergey lavrov gave a brief statement that was general in his content. all he said was he hoped talks would take place as soon as possible. he didn't say he only said they could take place before the end of the month. it doesn't bode well for the prospects of geneva convening on january 25th. and it looks likely that the geneva talks will be postponed. the sticking point is the question mark over who will represent the syrian opposition at those talks. there was an agreement between certain groups in riyadh last month, who they would send. some of the delegates have been branded as terrorists by the russians and the syrian regime.

then the russians put forward an alternative. and the syrian opposition group said if you impose those delegates on us, we'll walk out. the two sides are far apart. it will be for the u.n. to broker agreement between them, because it appears john kerry and sergey lavrov have not brought hem any closer. >> let's bring in the diplomatic editor james bays live in new york. what is your best guess then, will the talks happen on the 25th, you thing? >> i think there's a possibility of a delay, if there's a delay, only a short delay, it's the position that the u.s. and russia will accept. foreign minister lavrov saying he expects the talks to take place. there are 11 days left in the month. maybe not the 25th. it will happen before the end of the month. it will happen some time before next week. it's the realities of the calendar.

in the end, yes, the syrian opposition have problems with the names russia has put forward. i'm told that a few of the names, maybe three of the names could be taken from the russian list and added to the list that came up in riyadh, that's something the opposition would not right. others are pushing to accept this. and don't underestimate the fact that if the u.s. and russia try to push something through, and trying to force people to attend talks, these are the most powerful countries in the world. and they can strong arm people, they could, for example, say to the opposition if you don't come to the talks in geneva, you have no role in the future of syria. that's a big proposition to put to the opposition. in the end it is probably likely they will attend. worth recalling the words in the last few hours of frederica mogherini, the e.u.'s high representative, she says the window of opportunity for the talks will not last forever,

that's why the u.s. and russia are pushing hard for this to happen on the 25th or afterwards. they feel it could derail, also worth reminding you that the talks were decided upon which the international community, in the shape of what is called the international syrian support group. all the regional players coming together for a series of movies. they decided on the date of 25th january. the problem is there. if you want a new date you probably have to bring the support group together to discuss it. i'm told it would be almost impossible to have another meeting of the international syria support group, because it would be almost impossible to get all the members of the group to sit around the table because of tensions between iran and saudi arabia. they almost have to stick to the decisions made by the support group, and that's why russia and the u.s. push hard for a date

next week, and that's why in the end it's more likely than not to happen let's take a look at what is happening inside both syria and iraq. a day after the ship s of aid arrived in madaya al jazeera has been hearing from the people there. they want the siege to be lifted. first of all, i have to say thank god for what we have received. it is little. it will not be enough. what the u.n. brought us may last 15 days, if it continues, we will go back. the world must do something about the horror. >> any hope can't feed the children for what they've been

through. we are hungry. there's not enough help. we thank the world for everything. all we want them to do is lift the siege and open the road so we don't have to be stuck here. the hardship is here. >> the situation is still miserable. we hope they hope the road, they lift the siege, the sooner the better. >> i.s.i.l. fighters have destroyed the christian church in iraq. >> satellite photos showed the monastery reduced to rubble on a hill among i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. fighters have destroyed buildings they consider contrary to their interpretation of islam. >> iraq's prime minister vowed to go after the fuelling sectarian divisions in his country. scott heidler made the pledge

during a visit north of baghdad on tuesday. government-backed shia fighters attacked businesses and mosques. civilians are getting caught up in the crossfire. al jazeera's mohammed jamjoom reports from baghdad. the streets look calm. the mood is tense. many schoolchildren are back in classrooms, and take rice are selling bread once more. remnants of violence are easy to spot. from the wreckage of a cafe attached by i.s.i.l., because it was frequented by militiamen, to the burnt-out remains. the sunnis are accused of siding with i.s.i.l., the displaced are not able to return to their homes. >> this family is so scared they asked us to blur their faces and not reveal their names. the last thing they wanted to do

was leave. we were ordered to go. we were forcefully displaced by the militias. i took my children out of school and i have the family living in a room that i can barely afford. >> for the timebeing they moved to baqubah city, and have no idea when or if they'll be able to go back. >> many houses owned by sunnis were firebombed in the last few months. members of the community were killed to. we have nothing but the mercy of the god. >> this is in diyala province, and has a population of sunnis and shias. since i.s.i.l. was pushed out shia militia have been in charge of security. anger from sunnis that feel aggrieved and marginalized has been rising. when iraq's prime minister visited on tuesday, he vowed to restore security for all residents, for many.

the promises ring hollow, and they were accusing the government of not doing more to rein in militias, and protect sunni citizens. >> in diyala, there has been many violations in towns and villag villages. we see the attacks. of the go is not able to control the action or reaction. as it battles i.s.i.l., and confronts a growing humanitarian crisis, iraq's security and government are stretched thin. the threat of rising sectarian violence makes a volatile situation that much more dire and still to come on the newshour. dawn raids to break up a sophisticated human smuggling ring in turkey and term ni. >> protests -- germany. protests in the arab spring are met with tear gas.

>> in sport. i'm andrew thomas outside sydney's cricket ground. i explain why a tournament for women marks an important moment in the professionalisation of the women's game first, 20 people have been killed on an attacks at the pakistan university. the head of the group has condemned the incident. >> reporter: security forces knnow patrol the field alongside this university. snoop gunmen took advantage of thick fog to scale the walls and open fire on teachers and students. >> we heard the gun fire, we said stay in the room. go out.

then security came. >> classes at the university began for the day. 3,000 student study here. hundreds of others were at the university. 600 special guests were there to mark the death of a man the university was named after. he was the founder of the rural anti-taliban political party. the university is in the same region where fighters attacked a school in 2014. killing 134 children. that attack was link the to the pakistan taliban. reaction spurred the officials to crack down on the taliban and other fighters. hundreds of suspects were killed or arrested. in this latest attack security combed the campus for hours, looking for people. thousands of families and

students have been left to mourn the dead al jazeera's scott heidler has been inside the university campus, and he sent this update. >> the attack happened at a time when there was dense fog over the area. the attackers using the rear wall of the compound to enter. the attackers came in to the guest house of the university where a member of the university was present. ironically you see his body on the sofa, killed next to this spot. after, the attackers got into the boys hostel. because of the firing by students in other blocks they barricaded themselves in, looking all the doors. security responded with action by coming into the compound. they were followed by the elite

commando units of the military. there would have been heavier casualties, had there been a response were the security forces. however, there'll be question marks as to whether intelligence should have been better performed. pakistan is facing a change, because they are taking on soft targets and the university is one. all the educations and learning institutions have been closed until the security threat is over, and this happens is year after the deadly attack on an army public school leaving 140 students dead a suicide bomber killed 7 people after detonating a device in afghanistan. >> police say the target was a mini bus carrying employees of the tv channel. the interior minister says 24

people were hurt. no one claimed responsibility for the attack. >> tunisian riot police have imposed a curfew after a jobless man committed suicide two days ago. unarrested spread to three other cities. the arab spring uprising commenced when a tunisian seller took his life. police in turkey and journey broke up a sophisticated human smuggling ring. syria refugees were sent to europe. 25 were arrested in early morning raids in both countries. the federal police chief says the traffickers were responsible for the deaths of refugees. >> those who cram pore than 1,700 people into the holding

space of a run down cargo vessel ready for the scrap heap, getting themselves to safety while leading the people to their own fate. they risk, or accept in case of an accident the death of the people on board. >> the dutch prime minister called for action against people smugglers, at a summit. they had harsh words for migrants and refugees that arrive in europe. >> they want to do two things, to kill the business model. the cynical people that use money, through which many die. secondedly we have to kill the idea. in the european union they should tell someone. you go here to germany or the netherlands. >> the european unions detain a swedish man on international

security. he has been accused of running a human rights group. flowerens louie has been following developments peter is a swedish national. a cofounder of a non-governmental organization known as the chinese urgent action working group. he disappeared with his chinese national girlfriend and emerged 10 days after, held by chinese authorities on suspicion of endangering national security. he appeared on state tv tuesday night, apparently confessing. in his statement he admitted that he knew he had caused harm to the chinese government. and hurt the feelings of the chinese people. in his group, according to a statement by the chinese urgent action working group, they

promote the rule of law in china, and do that by chinese people, helping to train chinese lawyers. >> that is part of the police provision son soaring activities, and went on to say the group gathers, distorts and fabricates information to hurt china. they accused a group of provoking confrontations with the government al jazeera spoke to the swedish prime minister. this is what he told us. >> we are working through all the chances that we have. an important message is sweden needs to have contact with citizens. >> the 46th world economic forum

is under way in davos in switzerland. around 1500 business leaders, 40 prime ministers and heads of state attend the meeting in 14 days. china, reporting its lowest rate in a quarter of a century. this report from davos. >> you are guaranteed two things in davos, snow and economic news. on day one the news was bad. a fall in the market. we have talked about economic recovery, now it's a situation potentially worse than the financial crisis of 2007. the organization for economic cooperation and development reckons we are out of ammunition to fight for downturns. it's time for a change in thinking. we continued to rely on the central bankers. they have run out of ammunition. they have been the heroes.

it's a time for the finance minister for the trade ministers, for the environment minister, for the innovation and education ministers. it's a time to go structural. it's a time to go green, institutionalist, social time, to do all the structural measures that we did not take. here in europe, where the brakes were strongly applied, it was a struggle to move again. >> we shi have worked harder in -- should have worked harder in europe to cut debt and restructure more aggressively than we did, and made a mistake in not boosting demand more strongly. we introduce austerity too soon in the u.k., the eurozone has meant much. we don't get momentum. so the davos talk goes on. how bad are things really, what do we do now.

opinions are as abundant as the snow. some may struggle with a slowingal that says committed to improving the state of the world. to be fair, what the world economic forum tries to do in davos is to bring people together. get them talking. that includes those that may be struggling with international relations. >> think of russia, it's become involved in the war in syria, fallen out with turkey, and accused of adopting a cold war mentality, finding partners here is an important business. donald trump mentioned that russia should be treated with report. we believe that isolation, that many try to impose is going to become a thing of the past this years as many understand that russia wants to be a table player in the world. >> with oil taking a dive below

28 a barrel, and so much of the global economy dependent on its health, russia with the hopeful tone knows 2016 will be tough, and to think it's only january and the falling oil prices dragged the russian currency to a record low. the ruble is trading around 80 to the dollar. revenues are suffering because of dependence on oil, plunging to 12-year low. rory challands sent this update. >> royal is the lifeblood of the economy. it is the epitome of a petrostate. nearly 70% of export revenues come from oil and gas. and the money that the government makes from all this, goes to contribute 50% or more of the federal budget. yes, there are other factors at play, russia is hit at the moment with western sanctions. because of its role in the

conflict in the war in ukraine. but the oil price is the main thing here. and if there were no western sanctions, the rouble would be taking a hammering, what are russian leaders doing about this. the tale end of 2014, the last time the rouble got this bad, the central bank held up its hand, saying look, trying to support the rouble is point s, it's too expensive and it's not working. instead, they tried to stem the slide by hitting the country with punishing interest rate hikes. a group of analysts polled by bloomberg says if the ruble is worse nan it is at the moment towards, say, 90 rubles to the dollar, the central bank will have to start spending foreign currency reserves once more. now, looking further than that, the government also at the moment, is in the middle of a

painful readjustment of 2016's budget. the agreed budget assumes that oil is trading at $50 a barrel. now it's around the 28 a barrel mark. ministries, and government agencies are asked to come up with more budget cuts, and 10% or so. this is likely going to be passed on to ordinary russians, looking at a painful 2016 still to come on the programme... >> he is the master at the art of the dill. >> sarah palin throws her support behind donald trump. plus... [ singing ] ..an asian influence - the south african children learning mandarin. and in sport, find out why there has been even more cuts ahead of this year's olympic games in

riyadh. riyadh.

>> 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.

a reminder of the top stories, u.s. defence minister called for a meeting of all 26 countries. the alliance looks to fight the campaign against the group. a group has claimed responsibility for an attack killing 20 people. police in turkey and germany have broken up a sophisticated human smuggling ring. 35 were arrested during early morning raids in both countries. let's get more on the main story. let's look at i.s.i.l.'s territorial gains and losses. by mid 2015 i.s.i.l. held large parts of syria and iraq. over the year the group lost ground on multiple front. kurdish forces retook parts of the north-east. in iraq, government forces have largely pushed i.s.i.l. out of

ramadi. the group did make some gains. few were of major strategic value, looking forward, the two cities that matter the most are proclaimed capitals, raqqa in syria, and mosul in iraq let's explore this further with rashad ali, a senior fellow for the institute of strategic dialogue and a counterterrorism advisor, thank you for being in the studio. looking at the press conference after the meeting in paris, the french defence minister talked about combatting i.s.i.l. in people's minds, is that a new focus that you detect, or is it something they try to do beforehand, but not successfully. >> there's a lot of talk about if among different governments and different attempts to do so. one of the things that is unique about i.s.i.l. is the branding. the branding is that it walks the walk and is a caliphate. that is the one thing that drew thousands across europe to it. the way that al qaeda has not

been able to do so. it has what it believes is the caliphate. part of the branding in this instance is dismantling and decimating that faith. part of it is only going to get rid of the pull from one side by destroying the state itself. >> how do you do that. are you an advocate of the bombing in iraq and syria. >> they are different, diverse. on the one hand you have the russian regime siding with bashar al-assad, which is responsible for killing hundreds of thousands. russians are responsible, killing more than 2,000. in that sense there's a conflict of interest which is perpetuating the problem.

and the regime does not want to get rid of i.s.i.s., if you don't have me, you have the likes of i.s.i.s. and others in opposition. we had that the opposition groups have been bombed by the russians, the result is that i.s.i.s. has taken turkey in various parts. there's a direct conflict of interest there with, i guess, what we would see as clearly people have said we are never doing to deal with i.s.i.s., that's a huge strategic issue. when the coalition comes together like this, if it doesn't focus on the primary cause, which is the bashar al-assad regime. we'll never deal with it. >> how much of a difference does it make that iran is back in the

international fold. the fact that we had the historic deal, and that iran is now a country that the west, for example, is talking to? >> well, i think many of the commentators point out in the biggest core of the strategic problem is the fact that the u.s. policy, obama's policy has been focused around reintroducing iran, meaning we'll sacrifice syria to iran, in order to have this autonomy with iran. at the same time, we put in money, troops. it's sort offing people in madaya. they are re-entering the oil market. they had 100 billion. so actually i think tactically speak, it will make matters 100 times worse. >> from a basic point of view

for your i.s.i.l. fighters, i wonder if there's a difference that i.s.i.l.'s finances are not in the best state, we see reports that wages have been cut by half. what was interesting is they talked a lot about the perks of the job, the money, the chocolate they can eat. it was a strange strategy. >> sure, they had a number of different pools of people one was coming here, the lifestyle, the pseudowelfare stayed they brand the system. we had a list that comes over, and provides an area for the young girls and husbands who are fighters, it's been reduced to half. some of that falls away.

when looking at the fact that the economic resources have been weakened. the oil reserves have been separated. those things tangibly make a difference, there's a tangible difference on the economy and propaganda value, and they are important. but the other side of the ideology aspect that is not tackled, and is difficult in a secular society, is how do we demonstrate the fundamental pool that this is an authentic state. they are the rel inheritors, and the saudi regime is not upholding the image and the vision. being able to separate that out. making the political and secular arguments are difficult. it's something that comes from civil society, in terms of arguing fundamentally that

i.s.i.s. is a reality. we see the problem with reintroducing iran in the arena, we stand for human rights, whether it's the case for saudi regimes, or the iranians, the way it tops the list of per cap it a, or i.s.i.s. we mention that we clearly demonstrate as much as we dislike the extremities. some are against the ottoman state. some in their own region. making those types of arguments is one for the muslim communities to do. this is where the difficulties arise. you are putting yourself in the line of fire. >> it's fascinating to talk to

you. thank you so much now, conservative politician sarah palin backed donald trump was the president. she is the highest profile to endorse a candidate. palin ran for the vice presidency eight years ago. >> we are ready for a change. we are ready for a change and our troops deserve the best. a new commander in chief whose track record proves he is the master at the art of the deal. he is one to negotiate. only one candidate's record of success proves he is the master of the art of the deal, he is beholden to no one but we, the people. how refreshing. he is perfectly positioned to let you make america great again now, british court has

orders four syrians living at the calais refugee camp should be brought to the u.k. to live with relatives. three un accompanied teenagers and a mentally ill 26-year-old fade intolerable conditions. it could set a precedence, allowing other refugees waiting at the camp to come to britain. u.k. government insisted they seek asylum in france first. with me is a member of the citizens u.k., a group bringing the case to court in london. thank you for coming into the programme. how many other children are in a similar state in calais, in that they have relies tifs living here -- relatives living here in the u.k., but have not been able to come across. are we talking about a precedent of hundreds. >> today, more than 200 children in calais are in the same place, and potentially thousands of

them. today it's a huge victory for the families, because they'll be united with children. >> why is the system, as is it stands not suitable. why couldn't they apply for asylum in the country they are in, that is france. why can they not do that, why can the french hand the case to the u.k., which is how it's supposed to happen. >> it is supposed to happen like that. last year zero cases went through. i am french. the french administration is a problem. and is looks like the english administration is a problem. they are not in a hurry to get the children through. i was, myself, in calais a few weeks ago. i can tell you the children don't want to stay there. they've been through anning off journey in lebanon, france, greece. and are talk in the jungle.

it's not a detail. we call it the jungle. people are treated like animals there. if you go to the camp in calais. you have tear gas in the air. french police use it to much it's thick. people are crying all the time. imagine a child living in that environment. i, myself met a few children willing to make the journey, one, as he talked to me showed his wrist and arm. you had that huge scar. he told me he injured himself, it's not the first time. but he will go through. many tried. it's a huge victory for the families, because the children won't have to face that kind of danger. >> let's be clear about this.

gus it set the precedent that others will follow in their footsteps, that it will happen, that the prejudice authorities have to convoy the ruling. what we can say is during the next 24 hours in the americas month process it quickly. thousands of children fleeing from death or execution. >> great to have you with us in the studio. >> thank you. >> schoolchildren in south africa will speak converational manderin as a programme gets under way in some schools. people are questioning why local language are instead. >> welcome to amanda rein

chinese class -- mandarin class in south africa, these children are learning a popular language. [ singing ] >> what is that about? >> it's about two lit the kids singing together, walking together. the 7-year-old admits it's not as easy as it means. you go on to say it. >> reporter: the government is piloting the project in 30 schools. >> children are like sponges, they came to absorb, they can remember for a long time. children here have to learn two south african languages in

school. >> south africa has 11 languages, people want a tried to learn and speak. manned rein is not forced on children. all schools that have the language, now an african language. and this would be starting from grade one introduced as next year it will be grade 2, it's a whole system. it does one african language. >> china is africa's biggest trading partner. some are not impressed with the introduction of mandarin. we don't have the chinese language, looking at it as a

form of colonisation. >> others have priorities, like proper facilities, the ghost admits there are huge challenges. exposing children to other language could mean more opportunities for the future. >> in a little under 30 years, the world's oceans could contain more plastic than fish. that is a stark warning from the international forum. the use of practice can be used 20 times, and is expected to increase further as the population grose. plastic use is expected to double again most of the world's plastics are used once, 10% is recycled. 30% escapes collection systems. 8 million tonnes ends up in the ocean each year.

the equivalent of a dump truck of plastic. that is expected to rise for four trucks of plastic going into the ocean each plant by 2050, by which time there'll be as much plastic in the ocean as kish. josh is from an association, a group behind the report. we also, for instance - could there be value in the fact that we exploit solutions behind that plastics, which leaks out of the system, and end up in the ocean, can stop the great. it might be a good solution going forward. >> all the ports in a few minutes time, including the 2-time grand slam winner who will not add the australian open to her collection this year. this year. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

hello again, all the sport with sanaa thank you very much. we start with tennis, and raining champion novak djokovic is through to the third round of the australian open in melbourne. the world number one raced to a lead up against french qualifier, the 19-year-old fought back. novak djokovic was too strong, closing out the much 6-1, 6-2, 7-6. >> he's a powerful player, a big forehand.

he is aggressive every time he had the opportunity, he was firing shots from both corners, from the back of the court. and deserved a credit and applause at the end of the match. >> they are playing in his 65th straight slam. advancing. the swiss has not won a grand slam since 2012, and insists he has not made a decision on when he'll retire from the sport. >> in the women's draw urk defending champion serena williams had few problems in her second round match. the american beat the 90th ranked taiwanese in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. the champion taking an hour to wrap things up, with an ace the 7th of the match. williams will return to the next round.

she plays a russian who beat venus williams. >> there was an upset. 2-time winner vkikova was beaten by an australian with less than 200 days to go since the rio olympics, organizers made budget cuts. part of a 500 million cost-cutting initiative. brazil is suffering from the worst economic crisis in decades, affecting several aspects of the olympic preparations. only around half of the 4 hoy 5 million tickets for locals have been bought well, for more on this i'm joined by the olympic author and posterior sore of political science, intending 4 months in rio de janeiro. there has been further cuts and more to be expected.

do you think this will affect the games. if we talk about the athletes, they feel the pinch, they won't have television in their rooms and that sort of thing, they'll be unaffected. spectators will expect a different kind of experience. some of the bleachers will be cut back. some will not have bleachers. the swimming venues as well. spectators will be effective. also, we should think about the international olympic committee, the honchos flying in from switzerland, they will not be affected. they'll stay in the five star hotels. everything will be fine for them. the bigger question is whether the wider funding be affected, such as cleaning up the water before the olympics. that will not happen.

it plight effect how it's working. what are the feelings among locals. what is the reaction towards that. i talked to all manner of people. dicks. every day people on the beach. it was difficult to find someone exited about the 2016 olympics. that said. many people mentioned there was a similar dynamic around the world cup. some are holding out the work that it's the olympics. brazil is football nation. we can expect an uptake. there are a number of sports that don't have a strong record. >> olympic author and professor and political scientist. thank you for that.

>> being an international cricketer can be financially lucrative. traditionally only if you are a man. for the first time the professional women's league is played in australia. andrew thomas has more in global terms, cricket is a fairly nearby sport. it's -- nearby sport, played professionally in few countries. traditionally only by men. in this january in australia, a competition of 20 twenty20, the fast paced short form is featuring a league for women, bringing in and paying the best women cricketers in the world. >> in south africa we get good money. this is good for us. we are hoping for more of these tournaments in the future. >> people are looking for consent. now women's cricket is starting to provide the content.

you'll see a lot more women's cricket on the telecast. the crowd is small, the weekend games are attracting numbers, and the league signed a tv deal. >> some averaged over 300,000, to put in perspective, it's 3-4 times more than the a league, a men's soccer league in australia. absolutely brilliant. on saturday at the sydney cricket ground, there was a stream of spectators. >> why are we here? >> to have fun. >> to see the women play and pore women one sign of how far the women's cricket came is our camera was not allowed in the ground. >> this is as far as we can go. we are not allowed to go in there. the rights to film the action has been brought by an

australian tv channel. that's common for the men. the fact that there's money at stake for the women shows how seriously it's taken. the australian broadcaster with the rights is paying more than $10 million to broadcast the women's and the men's tournaments, running in parallel. ratings for the women's games have been better than expected. those playing women's cricket, of course, have always taken it seriously. this tournament has a punishing schedule of matches, and the women train hard on the few days they have not got a match. it's a timetable like the men's, exactly how the women want it that's if for me. i'll hand you back to felicity. >> thank you indeed. a reminder, you can find sport and news on the website. usual address is aljazeera.com. that is it from me, and the newshour team. join david foster in the next couple of minutes for more news. thanks for watching, bye-bye.

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