announcer: this is al jazeera. good to have your company. i'm david foster, and you're watching the al jazeera newshour live from london. these are some of the world event that we'll study in some detail in the next 60 minutes. talks to end the war in syria begins in switzerland. the syrian opposition is in geneva, there's doubt about it joining the talks. >> four people die in an attack on a shia mosque in eastern saudi arabia. the president of brazil declares

war on the mosquito, but is the zika virus really causing a surge in birth directs. plus... ..four miners trapped under ground for 36 days are rescued in china hello there, i'm robin adams, manchester united in f.a. cup action. we'll have the latest, and andy murray through to the final of the australian open. the action from melbourne park coming up as well. talks aimed at ending the war in syria starts in switzerland. after a fashion. the u.n. syrian envoy met a delegation from the bashar al-assad government. it all started the civil war in syria, five years ago, and since then, as we've been reporting daily, no way has been found to end the fighting.

human cost is massive, according to the u.n., 250,000 have been killed. more have been left as refugees. one obstacle that they have been deciding, who will, who won't representatives the syrian opposition, which is fragmented into dozens of groups, oven with conflicting interests and aims. diplomatic editor, james bays is in geneva. he's been following the day's developments. >> on this, the first day of the talks, only one of the main parties actually turned up here at the u.n. headquarters in geneva. the syrian ambassador to the united nations in new york, bashar al-assad is heading his country's delegation, and came here to set out the case to the u.n. special envoy. it was during their meeting that word came through from saudi arabia, that the main opposition block, which for days said it will not come to geneva, unless

its demands are met, said that they would finally make the journey here to switzerland. when he spoke to reporters, stefan de-mistura said he couldn't confirm the news until he got a written confirmation, but he had heard good signs. >> they raised important points of their concerns. they'd would like to see addressed from the government authorities regarding some type of improvement for the people in syria during the talks. for instance, really, the lifting of some matters. >> reporter: members have told al jazeera that they have been in touch with the u.n., u.s. and russia, who have given them reassurances that some of their concerns will be addressed, particularly with regard to the humanitarian situation, that's why they are coming to geneva,

they are prepared to meet the special envoy, mr de-mistura, but will wait for some time to make sure that everything they have been promised is in place before they take part in negotiations that main opposition, syrian opposition group that has been referred to, known as the high negotiations committee has been absent from the first day of talks. it will have conversations with the u.n.'s envoy on saturday, it says, after receiving assurances about demands to end strikes and lift the sieges on besieged towns. >> let me say this with all confidence. the opposition did not change its position. within minutes, we will issue a detailed statement, where we will announce that yes, we will go to geneva, be present, but we will not attend the talks at all, unless the regime fulfils our humanitarian demands,

specialising stoppage to bombings and starvation in besieged areas. today we received guarantees that the issues will be addressed in addition to political transition of power. we will not accept anything else unless we see the demands met on the ground. >> that syrian high negotiations committee is backed by saudi arabia. it was given the job of pulling it all together. the saudi ambassador to the united nations told me a short time ago that the opposition should take part in what is going on in geneva. >> we do not pretend to give them advice, it's their decision, they have to make the decisions. in my personal opinion, going and showing up and engaging positively is always more effective and more productive because we do not want the syrian regime to be able to pretend that the reason for any

failure is because of absence of the opposition. the opposition should be courageous enough, and steadfast enough to be there, and to present their requirements and claims and desires. >> let's bring in raj, a doctorate researcher at the london school of economics, focussing on the middle east. why was the opposition, the high negotiations committee prevaricating when it appeared that it would end up in geneva. >> i would say the question is whether the opposition can turn up at the negotiations without losing face. the momentum in syria has - is continuing to shift against the favour. so they were always going to geneva, from a position of weakness. until now, they are trying to get as much concessions as they can. they don't have concessions based on what we know so far.

what they have is a symbolic assurance from the u.n., and that is important at this stage, because they can take that back to their colleagues, their constituencies, they can go to the negotiation, speak to the opposites with some capital and leverage. the bombing continues, the sieges of cities and towns continues. what position of strength does that give the opposition? >> i don't think anyone expects the conflict to stop because negotiations are taking place. this will be a long drawn out process, and all the main parties to the associations said this will take months. there'll be hiccups along the way. let us not forget. i don't know any side. whether the bashar al-assad regime or the opposition is willing to offer concessions when at the moment there's no trust. these negotiations are about

building trust. >> let's call it the hnc. were they waiting for john kerry to say, as he did - you guys go, we'll make sure the conditions are met. simply hearing him say it is enough, even though he can't guarantee it will happen. >> simply saying it, absolutely. the hatians want to ensure that their opposites, the -- syrians want to ensure that their opposites, the syrians, are serious about the negotiations, the syrian powers are serious. this is about building a sufficient base, foundation, which talks can take place. these rebels representatives syrian communities, communities that are brutalized, that suffer a lot. they can't sit down and say we are sitting with your oppressor. >> what do you make.

story flying around. unsubstantiated at the moment, the pyd delegatiodelegation, th kurdish delegation. we don't know if it's left because it has other business and will come back, or whether it's left because it's unhappy. without them, what will happen. >> i don't think it both well for the future. ceasefires in and of themselves are difficult. they rarely work, and for them to work, we need the full participation of all the main actors. the pyd is a serious actor. they have been budding i.s. they representatives a vast number of kurds. if you want a ceasefire holding in the future, you cannot ignore the pyd, they are a major player, major ally of that as well. >> this is the first day, i am sure we'll hear from you again.

>> 96 refugees and migrants will be rescued from an uninhabited greek island after the dinky hit rocks and sank. the stranded groups from syria and iraq, and many families have been rescued by a vessel ent by the e.u. border country. it's been a deadly week in the agean sea since the crisis began. 80 died in the past few days. >> as a point of reference, there weren't this many deaths in the agean mediterranean until the middle of september. we are here at the end of january, 218 deaths on that route, and deaths in the central mediterranean, libya to sicily have been picking up rapidly in the last few days. >> angela merkel has been meeting italy's prime minister

matteo renzi, pushing for the rapid implementation of a 3 billion e.u. payment to turkey, so it can deal with more refugees. a payment has been blocked by italy. >> we spoke about refugee question, about the e.u. turkey agenda, which must be implemented urgently. we need progress. i pointed out the number of refugees on the balkan route. it's a high number. members of organised crime are profiting. we have to fight this illegality public opinion in germany has become less welcome to refugees in recent months, with a focus on how well they integrate into german society. we go to a language class in berlin to look at the

challenges. >> reporter: their struggle to get to germany is over. now the main task is to learn a new language. safely installed in a classroom, these syrians are glad to have let their country's troubles behind. >> i came here to have a peaceful life. it feels good. high security. i have the peace i'm longing for. it was hard to leave home and family. >> the refugee teacher is nisreen schmid. she came to germany 12 years ago, and said her experience made her want to help these people integrate. in recent months things are tougher. the attacks on women in cologne on new year's eve changed everything. >> there were a lot more people, german people that were excited at the thought of having refugees in the beginning to now. telling a german that more refugees will come in is like

slapping them in the face. a recent opinion poll seams to bare this out. for the first time, a majority of germans believe they cannot cope. for than two-thirds expect time will rise as a result. nearly three-quarters say tough laws need to be in place for dealing with asylum seekers. that is of concern for social workers. he gives advice to refugees and migrants in the cresburg area of berlin. most of the recent arrivals are looking to integrate into society. others want to pray on it. >> translation: there are people that want to live here and enrich our society, and we have people that are hostile through their actions. it's not only that money plays a role, but they are hostile and dishonest. >> mercosur's view on refugee

policy has been "we can do it." several senior members of her own party are openly disagreeing and demanding radical changes. whether they get them may depend on public opinion, and the first key test of that comes in six weeks time, when three states hold parliamentary elections there has been refugee children wanting to be reunited with families in the u.k., from the french port city of calais. a british judge ruled refugee children should apply for asylum in france before transferring the claim to britain. last week a judge ruled three children and a disabled man should be moved to the u.k. for their safety. an organization for the children said the recent decision will slow down any more cases.

>> we believe there's a few young people a that have the same criteria as the ones given access, to appeal in the same way. we'll continue to do that with a handful of children that this applies to four chinese miners have been hauled to safety after being trapped 200m under ground for 36 days. their mine collapsed so violently on christmas day it registered as an earthquake and left one dead. >> reporter: above ground for the first time this year. this minor is lucky to be alive. brought -- miner is lucky to be alive. brought to safety amid the crowds and cameras. the doctors rush him to hospital. something akin to a hero's welcome for the man who was simply doing his job.

and nearly died. he was not alone. three others were brought to safety. the four minors, the focus of so of much media attention in china. after 36 days dropped beneath the earth. they had been working underground recollects along with 25 others when the mine collapsed. 11 were rescued within hours, another died. the final 13 unaccounted for. >> are you all right? >> reporter: this was the breakthrough rescuers had this month, making contact and clearing enough space to send food, clothes and lamps through a small tunnel. getting them out. a harder job with the fear that tunnel could collapse or rocks fall and close it off at any moment. as the relief showed on the faces of those rescued, for the authorities halfway between beijing and shanghai, this is

another reminder of the dangerous nature and corruption that goes with mines like these. the course here is being investigated. but mine collapsesers common, with safety regulations flouted. four officials here have been removed from their jobs. in a country with a pore safety record for labourers, and a heavily reliance on its mine, this is unlikely to be the last accident we will see you are watching the al jazeera newshour. we have the story coming up in a moment. questions of the united nations over whether saudi air strikes and houthi attacks in yemen could amount to crimes against humanity. we talk to the saudi ambassador to the united nations. >> offto sri lanka, where people are returning to land which has been handed back after the civil war with the tamil tigers and paul laurie, the golfer,

could make history if he keeps up what he's doing. new claims of child abuse by peacekeeping soldiers in the central african republic emerged. soldiers from france and georgia, who were there under a european union mission are said to be identified by victims, there are allegations against troops operating directly under the flag. gabriel elizonda reports from new york. >> reporter: embroiled in scandal once again. six new allegations have surfaced of sexual misconduct against children by foreign peacekeeping troops in the central african republic. the incidents are alleged to have taken place in the capital bankee, at a -- bangui at a camp for displaced people.

four teenage girls, between 14 and 16, say they were sexually assaulted by european union peacekeepers. three said it was from a georgian contingent taking part in the mission. troubling allegations were made against french troops, the youngest victim, a 7-year-old girl said she was sexually abused in exchange for a bottle of water and a bag of cookies. >> these are, of course, serious accusation, and it's crucial that the cases are thoroughly and urgently investigated. we are heartened with the initial response receivered from the country -- received from the countries concerned. showing they take the allegations seriously. >> we will continue to follow up on the cases, and any others which emerge as the u.n. team on the ground continues its investigations. >> french and e.u. forces arrive in the central african republic,

with a mandate to protect people in a country mired in sectarian violence. on friday, the u.n. revealed five new allegations against police. >> it's hard to imagine the outrage of people working for the united nations, and for causes of peace and security, and what they feel when the allegations come to light. particularly involving minors, which are so - so hard to understand. >> reporter: with the investigation continuing and a report by secretary-general ban ki-moon expected next month, officials are brace are for more allegations to come to light. for now, troops accused of criminal activity they were sent to protect

the president of brazil says she's declaring war on the mosquito spreading the zika virus, there's no vaccine at the moment. dilma rousseff called on brazilians to fight mosquito infestations, it's a viruslinged to birth -- virus linked to birth defects, but not proven. it's spread to 23 cases across american. cases of microcephali are studied to see if it was caused by zika. micro-sev alley is a -- micro-sev alley is a condition where babies are born with smaller brains. there are professionals saying heightened awareness may have led to cases of microcephali being reported that would not have been. that echos the brazilian

government figures showing 270 of 750 original suspected microcephali cases have been confirmed. 462 have been rejected as false diagnosis. i had a chance to talk to a doctor, a paediatrician at imperial college london, who told me scientists are not sure whether the virus causes microcephali. >> what we know is that there seems to be an increased incidence of microcephali in brazil, and there's a possible link to the appearance of zika virus in brazil at the same time. there's no definitive relationship at the moment between zika virus and microselfally. >> when will we know. >> there needs to be further studies to determine that. we can't put a time line on when we'll know that. there needs to be animal studies, and seeing what happens

to pregnant animals, and studies of what happens when we see women that are infected and what happens to their infant. >> two-thirds of those cases which were studied were thrown out. that leads out of 4,000 cases in brazil. 1500-1600 cases, is that abnormally high. i'm not sure that the 400 cases were thrown out because they weren't led to zika virus. they were thrown out because they weren't quitive microcephali westbounding definitive -- definitive microselfally, the definition varies, at the moment, it's a head circumference less than two standard deviations below the mean, but these experts that

wrote the report claim it should be greater than three standard deviations. >> i understand the way of working it out. now that you put it like that. it doesn't alter the that is correct in 1500 cases is high? >> it's definitely high. what we see is 4,000 reported cases that have not necessarily been assessed yet. these are reported cases by personalities or health care professionals to the government saying that we believe this case is microcephali. they haven't necessarily been formally assessed to meet the gingts. >> if it -- meet the definition. >> in f it doesn't come -- if it doesn't come from the mosquito, the microcephali virus, from this infant. it could be linked to something

we have no idea at the moment. >> that's true. what needs to be determined is are the 4,000 cases microcephali, and it hasn't been determined. it may be that many of the cases do not meet the definition of microcephali, we may be looking at a smaller number, and then we need to say what is causing these cases more than a year offer sri lanka's president unexpectedly swept to power, military occupied land is being returned to displaced people. there has been criticisms for ignoring reconciliation after the bloody civil war with the tamil tigers. from java in the north, a former strong hold. we have this report it's a bittersweet moment. this woman and her brother had not seen the family home since 1990. during the war, the area was

designated high security, the family was expelled. the army moved in. both barely recognise the house they grew up in. >> translation: we were sad the first time we saw it. we kept on looking and then we left. the only thing left is the painting, everything else is gone. 6 years after the war the tamil tigers ended, the soldiers are pulling back. 700 hectares confiscated in the north were returned to owners over the past year. >> people will not live her soon. the land is overgrown and needs to be cleared, and then there's no water. the welling are contaminated or destroyed. they are glad after so many years, they got the property back. the first step was national

reconciliation. many say the government needs to do more. wi.d many members of the tamil tigers are in gaol. others, like this person were detained after the war ended. he's going through a government sponsored rehabilitation course. but she doesn't know when he'll be back home. >> translation: all this time my husband hasn't been with me. if we are alone she doesn't accept you. there are many like me who are alone and isolated. >> the war has affected everyone here. the tamil tigers demanded that one member of the each family join their ranks. so this child was drafted. a day after she turned 18. she was injured and detained at the end of the conflict in 2009. >> translation: life under the tamils was not different.

we were in the same situation. but because we were injured in the fighting. i wonder if they would have taken better care of us now. there's work to be done if they want us to reach real peace. it will take time to settle. it won't happen overnight. hundreds are stranded. some have been here for 25 years. for them, the pledges made by the president to restore sri lanka's democracy and unite the country will only come true when they end their lives as displaced people if that interests you, stay tuned for this. "talk to al jazeera" feature which is an interview with the president. you can see that saturday at 4:30 g.m.t. still ahead - well, the republican presidential hopefuls

scare off in a televised debate. the front runner boycotts the event. and why conservationists are angry at changes to china's wildlife laws. >> i'm andy richardson at the asian under-23 football champions, finding out if qatar or iraq can qualify for this year's rio olympics.

>> a critical first step on the road to the white house. >> you have to find common ground. >> i'm doing what's right for you. >> that's the kind of debate that we need to have. >> stay with al jazeera america for... >> it's going to be about getting people out to the caucus, which is not an easy thing to do.

>> comprehensive coverage that's... >> the focus will be on south carolina tonight. i'm david foster, this is the newshour, and these are the top stories. within the last hour it's reported that syrian opposition representatives agreed to attend talks under way in geneva, aimed at ending the conflict in syria the united nations promises a full investigation following claims of sexual abuse by european soldiers. brazil's president says she's declaring war on the mosquito spreading zika virus. with no cure, dilma rousseff calls on brazilians to fight

mosquito infestations. >> the capital sanaa has been hit by 120 air strikes in 13 hours. a tv channel linked to the houthis reported 19 civilians were killed. at al jazeera, we cannot independently verify that to be the case. >> in a separate incident houthi shelling cleared 13. five children were among the dead, and more than 60 were hurt. we have this report they lived in fear. children too young to understand war, but forced to cope with death. >> translation: my friend was killed by a shell. he was 11 years old. >> reporter: these are the most recent victims of forces loyal to ali abdullah saleh. tiaz has been under siege for months, there's no more

food. hospitals run out of medicine and supplies. emergency supplies had been delivered this week. the latest attacks targeted residential neighbourhoods away from the battlefield. the president's government says it considers the murder of civilians an act of genocide. more than 6,000 people have been killed since the coalition entered the conflict. half have been civilians. talks to end the fighting failed. united nations has more than 80% of the yemeni population, and now requires emergency help to civil. united nations said that air strikes on civilians in yemen could amount to crimes against humanity. they are responsible for widespread and systematic attacks on civilian targets, according to a group that monitors the conflict. for the u.n. security council,

3,000 civilians died in yemen since the saudi coalition went into war. one of the targets included schools, medical clinics and markets. they have been accused of mounting attacks against civilians that may be thought of as crimes against humanity. i spoke to the united nations earlier. i asked if his government accepted the deaths of any civilian death in yemen. >> i'm not saying that we don't be responsible, but this report is based on hearsay, was complied without the panel of experts setting foot on yemen. it was based on social history

reports and statements from the houthi, it can't be taken seriously as a credible report of event. the scope of the report especially with allegations against the coalition is beyond the mandate of the panel. the panel illustrates that their mandate was to deal with the obstruction to the peace process, and with the people who were designated as obstructors, or those that may be potentially designated that way. >> the report, and it is a leaked report, says the saudi coalition is responsible for 60% of deaths, 2,682. a pretty specific number. how accurate are you.

>> i gape, that casts daughter on how they get a specific number without seeing the cases or what they are talking about. i think the targetting by the coalition is precise because of two reasons, we have gel -- intelligence on the ground. and we have precision aircraft and weaponry that helps to minimise casualties and collateral damage, and making sure that we are targetting military targets. if you look at the shelling by houthis and allies, it's arbitrary. blind changes across the board in many other places, and i believe that it is this kind of

arbitrary shelling that has been responsible for the vast majority of civilian casualties. >> when you target a building in which you believe houthi rebels are hiding, in which you allege that they are positioning themselves so that they are in a civilian area, how do you know that there will not be civilian casualties, even if you take out a small number of rebels, innocent people will be killed. >> we would probably not be able to know definitively that there will not be civilian casualties, we'll try to make sure we minimise the collateral damage, by using accurate coordinates, and in many cases by alerting the population in advance. now, the houthis do choose to position themselves in civilian territories, and they do choose to create the circumstances that may lead to collateral damage,

and, of course, they must be held accountable for that. >> collateral damage is inevitable, it is acceptable, is it? >> it's not acceptable, it is inevitable in a situation of war. >> okay. when they say you have been targetting internally displaced people in camps, residential areas, mosques, markets, airports. you deny all of that? >> well, in sanaa, and the ports, are legitimate targets. but main of the other targets that they are reporting, based on hearsay, based on second and third-hand sources are totally wrong, and they are erroneous in reporting that. >> saudi arabia's ambassador to the united nations talking to me a little earlier. at least four people have been killed in an attack on a shia mosque in saudi arabia. it was during friday prayers at the mosque.

in the eastern al-assad region. 80 people were hurt. a suicide bomber blue himself up outside the mosque. a second person changed gunfire with security personal, but was arrested. he was said to be wearing a suicide vest. no one said they were behind what happened. security forces have one of the gunmen in custody. >> there was two shooters. one of them was trying to get into the mosque, but was stopped by the security officers. and when they found he has something wrong about him, they tried to capture him. he run away, and they caught him. they wounded him and cut him alive. the other one managed to get in and shoot at the people inside

the mosque. between the last time. and they managed also to help him with the help of people in the mosque. and they killed him at the end. so one of the shooters was killed. the other was captured, wounded, and hopefully he'll lead to the security force. >> the u.s. ambassador to the united nations added her voice to demands that egypt release a 20-year-old stupid. mack mood was arrested for wearing a first with an anti-torture slogan, he spent more than two years in gaol. he has not been charged. it was alleged the stupid was tortured. samantha power says they were trying to improve egypt. and should be released. >> the british prime minister warns that more needs to be

done. ahead of a summit to persuade them to stay in the european union. using integss including the -- incentives like delaying the time for paying foreign workers. the no campaign is slightly ahead in the polls. republican contenders in the u.s. squared off in their last debate before the monday vote in the state of iowa. it's a contest, the first in a contest expected to be a drawn out struggle for the party's nomination. alan fisher reports. >> reporter: the final debate before the first vote, and the biggest rain, the front runner, missing. donald trump's no show the subject of the first question. >> let me say i'm a maniaiac and everyone on the sage is stupid,

fat and ugly. now that we've gotten the donald trump portion out of the way... [ laughs ] >> reporter: cruz topped the iowa polls. it's a battle between them and the republican establishment. >> let's be clear what the campaign is about, it's not donald trump, he's an entertaining guys, the best show on earth. this is about a president who destroyed many things making america special. >> donald trump held his event at the same time attracting publicity, explaining the boycott shows he'll be a strong president. >> you have to stick up for your rights. when you treat it badly, us have to stick up for your rights. you have to do it. whether we like it or not, whether it's something we want to do or not, that's something the country has to do. iran, the way they treat us with this horrible deal, is one of the worst deals i have seen

negotiated under any circumstances, and we take it. >> the event provoked loud exchanges in the hall. >> now we move on to the topic of immigration. >> the event, one of the security parts of the debate. the question of nomination, if candidates switched position on the path to citizenship. when that battle was waged. my friend senator rubio chose to stand with president obama, harry reid and chuck schumer and support amnesty. >> the truth it ted throughout the campaign you say and do anything to get votes. you helped design george bush's immigration policy and campaign. >> reporter: this is a night showing how bizarre the campaign has been. on one channel all the candidates arguing their case, explaining why to get the votes, and almost every single other

channel the main contender putting forward his reasons for not being at the debate and why he should be the republican nominee. >> donald trump claimed he raised almost 6 million for charity, but the more important counting is votes here in iowa on monday now changes to china's wildlife laws are raising the ire of conservationists. they could allow captive breeding of wide animals for commercial use. here is florence louie. >> reporter: once running free, now in captivity. the siberian tiger and the south china tiger used to roam china in larger numbers. dozens of these two subspecies are estimated to survive in the wild. for the first time in 26 years, china is revising laws on

wildlife. conservationists say some of the rules are worrying. in particular, those allowing for captive breeding and other purposes. captive breeding is not at natural. they are going to damage the white population of the wight san malls. captive animals cannot continue to a healthy gene pool. in species which do not breed successfully in captivity. conservationist are concerned about wording. commercial use of wildlife resources. the gifting law makes it a crime to consume rare and endangered species. a black market exists in china and worldwide. animal parts are used for

traditional medicine, amulets and other reasons. they'll no doubt look for loopholes in the new law. >> conservationists believe allowing the commercialisation of wildlife resources will increase demand and worse. >> there are good points in the draft law, spelling out that animal's habitats are to be protected. on the hole it's vague and unhelpful and can leave some species more vulnerable than before. >> we are off to argentina in a moment to find out what they are doing to try to safeguard an ancient art form there. absolutely stunning. tell you about that in a moment. and we have the sport. former world number one martina hingis and her double's party win the first straight grand slam title.

robin with the sport. >> thank you very much. football first, and in the last few minutes, manchester united regarded a win over the county in the english continental cup. wayne rooney put them ahead in this fourth-round encounter. an equalizer was granted. they settled matters, 3-1 to united, and move on to the next round. egypt's friendly was disrupted due to tear gas drifting into the stadium. as you can see, the gas causing distress to the players, police

reportedly fired gas cannisters on the fans trying to force their way in. they named later it was fired accidentally. eventually they won 2-0 iraq is the third and final asian football team to win a place at the olympics. japan and south korea qualified after reaching the final of the asian under 23 championships. they hosted qatar, booking a place in korea. andy richardson reports. >> the first place playoff of a tournament is an unwanted footnote. this game between qatar and iraq had an added dimension, the winner qualified for the rio olympics. qatar have high hopes this generation of players will evolve into a world class squad in time for the 2022 world cup. with iraq's defense nowhere to be seen, happily they took advantage. wasted chances by the home team

ensured iraq stayed in the game, and in the 86th minute they level for iraq. the game moved decisively in iraq's direction in extra time. hussain putting them ahead. qatar could and probably should have taken the game to a penalty shoot-out. but it's finished 2-1 to iraq, the footballers heading to the olympics for the first time since the athens game more than a decade ago. >> iraq's 2004 olympics resulted in a famous run to the semifinals. they beat the likes of costa rica, portugal and australia before losing a game against italy. this team know what is expected of them. world number 2 andy murray

advanced to the australian open final. they overcame a cuff challenge to get there. >> reporter: a long rally, a last foreign counter between the world number two and andy murray, and 13th seed milos raonic, had all the atmosphere of a final. milos raonic looking to reach the first final. he was roothless, breaking murray, olding on to his serve to take it 6-4. >> andy murray looked sharper in the second, fighting back to level the match 7-5. the first seeing milos raonic back to his best. murray at his most resilient. he was under set. scrapping for every point. >> the tables turned again for

andy murray, taking advantage of milos raonic's medical time-out for an upper thigh problem. murray saved two break points to win the fourth set 6-4, two sets all. into the fifth, pressure mounted for the canadians so close to the major final. he dropped the opening game and received the warning after smashing his racquet. murray maintained his high level of play and composure, winning four games before milos raonic put himself on the scoreboard, but it was too little, too late, as the australian run came to an end. losing the final set 6-2 and the match. >> it's not thinking about what he was going through, and trying to, you know, use what - kind of what he's giving me on the court, and trying to make adjustments to my game, if needs

bee. >> andy murray faces novak djokovic in the final on sunday. >> martina hingis and englands so sony clinched a third straight doubles title, winning 7-6, 6-3, extending an unbeaten run to 26 wins. this is the first australian open title for the pair. >> britain's paul lawry has a 2-shot lead in the qatar masters, heading into the final round. the scot aiming nor a record third title here. that's back to david in london. >> thank you. i'll tell you about an ancient form of artistic drawing in argentina. it's on the verge of being wiped

out. u.n.e.s.c.o. is trying to save it, known as the sole of the capital city. it's an intangible heritage of humanity. if that's too much of a mouthful. let's hear what is described by teresa vo. >> reporter: the painting at this site is not fading away. it's a way of painting that is part of history. phillipa is a type of street art that eventually died out. >> translation: they are from the same time period in argentine history, they went through a similar process. in the 1940s, they were popular, and started disagree. in the '70s, it was bad for history. >> this type of art uses an ornmental design combining colours with lettering. >> it was created in the 19th

century by european immigrants bringing elements of art, mixing it with tradition creating a unique style. it became an emblem of buenos aires. >> for years, buses were decc orated until it was banned by the government in the 1970s. the reason given, it was distracting to drivers. many say that it was an attack by the junta against popular art. it's been said that it is part of the soul of buenos aires. and he manages a bus company and struggled to keep this type of art alive. >> buses appeared decades ago, painted like street characters, everyone wanted the nicest bus. they had the argentine flag among other things. >> the military government ban

was in part responsible for it no longer being used. but also that buses were more commercial. >> translation: when buses are owned by companies, they were not owned by the buses any more. it changed everything. >> u.n.e.s.c.o. demrar a cultural heritage of humanity. >> this is a way of putting the step out there. it helps us to promote an art that was disappearing. due to restrictions. >> it was on the verge of being wiped out. phillipa can be seen on the streets and decorates other things. people will work to keep the tradition alive. all sorts of stories, those that you see there as well as all the others. top headlines on aljazeera.com. goodnight from the newshour

team. see new a minute. [ ♪ ]

talks aimed at ending the war in syria begin in switzerland, the syrian opposition is in geneva, there's doubt about it joining in with the talks good to have your company, i'm david foster. also coming up, sexual offenses in the central african republic 200 refugees died off the greek coast this month.