this is al jazeera welcome to the news hour. these are some of the stories we're covering in detail over the next 60 minutes. no let up in the fighting and suffering for syrians even as talks seem to be heading in the right direction. france announces why it may soon recognise a palestinian state. burundi tops a string of crises for africa leaders to discuss as they meet in ethiopia. how south korea is cashing in on

a business on the rise. drones. delegates representing syria's main opposition group is travelling to geneva. the opposition is yet to commit to direct negotiations with the government. a glimmer of hope that peace efforts may be getting off the ground for the first time since two earlier rounds of talks collapsed in 2014. the conflict began almost five years ago and it has killed at least 250,000 people. millions of other syrians have been forced to flee, many of them like the refugees you see here, have risked their lives to reach europe. the war has allowed the islamic

state in iraq and the levant and other powers in. going to james bays who is live in geneva. i suppose the fact that they are happening now is some sort of progress. >> reporter: i think it also justifies the u.n.'s decision, which i think was a difficult decision, to go ahead with a start to this process as planned on friday. talks on syria with only one of the sides here, the syrian government. the meeting lasted for over two hours with the head of syrian delegation. i think the u.n. felt we have to keep the momentum of this process. we don't want to do anything that will make the main opposition block come here by maybe by starting things it will encourage them to come here. clearly that has worked. they are on their way, but let's be clear what that group of

opposition members, some of the key political groups, some of the key armed factions, what they're coming here for. they say at this stage they are not coming to take part in negotiations. they are coming to see whether some of the concessions they say have been offered to them are actually going to be realized. yes, they will have a meeting with the special envoy, staffan de mistura, and we're not clear whether that will be on saturday or sunday, but then they need to see some things they have been promised not just the u.n., but also from other international players in this has spokening to that gropg, and they say they-- spoken, and they say they want to see what has happened. i have to say, what they were demanding is going to be very difficult to happen before talks start, which is a lifting awe of all the sieges and stopping of

all the bombardment of their forces on the ground. the other thing they were asking for was a release of those that have been wrongfully detained and are being held in custody in syria particularly in prisons in damascus. in some ways that seems to me to be the thing that the syrian government, perhaps, could most easily do if pressure is put on it in order to get this process going. >> reporter: the start of the syria talks, but on day one just one side was present. the syrian government delegation headed by the country's ambassador to the united nations meeting with the u.n. special envoy, staffan de mistura. it was during this meeting that news emerged that the main opposition group said it would now travel to geneva. mr staffan de mistura said he had to wait for confirmation but

he was optimistic >>ive good reasons to believe that they are actually considering this very seriously. therefore, to be in a position on probably sunday to actually start the discussions with them and in order to be able to proceed with the syrian talks. >> reporter: one opposition member already in geneva later confirmed with that her colleagues would be here in a matter of hours. >> we just want to let you know that, yes, we are coming. we're going to start discussing with the u.n. about our two important fights, humanitarians and the political detainees. this is important for us, so we're preparing the files, the team is coming tomorrow and you're going to hear all the details later. >> reporter: the decision to come to geneva has been a difficult one for the high negotiating commission. they say they've been given assurances, not just by the u.n., but also by the u.s. and

russia, that there will be measures soon to aleaf yat the humanitarian situation-- alleviate the humanitarian situation and some concerns they've raised in the coming days. they say they will speak here to the special envoy and then take stock of the situation before actually joining any negotiations what are the prospects, then. either there or at some point that these two sides will be actually sitting in the same room together and hammering this out? >> reporter: well, i think the same room bit could be literally weeks away, and that's if there is no collapse of these talks. i have to say diplomats, when you speak to them privately, they say they don't have high hopes about this process. the idea of the talks to begin with was so-called proximity talks, which you get them both to geneva, maybe to the u.n. headquarters, maybe

simultaneously meeting in two separate rooms, shuttling between those rooms and trying to find some areas of agreement as they work through a very long agenda, starting off, i think, with some of those humanitarian concerns, trying to lift some of these sieges and then moving to the really knotty issues and the role of bashar al-assad. i don't think we're near that yet. first the opposition are coming here to take stock and see whether some of the words thai mored in-- they've heard in riyadh to persuade them to come here will be in some sort of measure that they're happy with thank you for that. france says it will recognise a palestinian state if a final push for talks on a two-state solution fails. french minister says he will look at holding an international conference to revive talks

between the israel and the palestinians. palestinian liberation organization says it welcomes the french call for an exclusive and serious international involvement towards ending the israeli occupation. if france recognised the palestinian state, it would be the third permanent member of the u.n. security council to do so after china and russia and a substantial majority of the 193 member states of the united nations have done the same. the vatican formally accepted palestinian as a state after a historic agreement earlier this month. in 2014 sweden became the first e.u. member to recognise palestinian state. palestine has a no member observer status in u.n. the flag was raised there for the first time last year as i symbolic gesture. i'm joined by a senior adviser to the palestinian president. thank you for being with us. i want to ask you first of all

about france's call for a further push for talks. what do you make of that, what are the prospects for that right now? >> the french have really chaperoned and supported and advocated an international forum or conference to replace the sole role of the u.s. which lasted for 22 years and produced absolutely nothing in the peace process except eating our land and water and separating ghaza and almost taking over east jerusalem. they got all our support if there is any chance for an international forum to start pushing seriously for an end of occupation and a peace proceeds, we will support it. france from the very beginning was clear that it's not going to

be easy and if the united states does not go along, it might produce difficulties for that process to move on. therefore, the french foreign minister has committed himself that if france fails to conclude such a conference, then france will honor its commitment to recognise the state of palestine. if france recognises the state of palestine soon, then i think anywhere between eight and tenure peen countries will follow france-- ten european countries will follow france. they're waiting for the french move. i think that will bring back the momentum and international, particularly european, recognition of palestine. it is symbolic but it is part of an international drive to support the right of the palestinians and particularly to

stand against any further sediment projects by the israelis. -- settlement projects by the israelis the israelis for their part has maintained the issue of settlement is a precondition that they're not going to get into before talks take place. they want all of the issues to be on the table from the beginning without any preconditions. what do you say to that? >> they're liars because they have used that argument to expand settlement way beyond anything that we have ever experienced before, and when we signed the oslo agreement there was 160 thousand colonial settlors in the west bank and gaza. today there are 650,000 of them in the west bank alone. they controlled 2% of the territory of the west bank. now they control 62% of the

territory of the west bank. this is really a trojan horse, this excuse of going to negotiations, that the israelis never respect or commit themselves to any agreement they sign. i think the drive we want to see now, supported by all the countries of the world, is a drive to stop that absolute crime against our land, stop the settlement project. without that, there would be absolutely no palestine to be talking about in the next five years when you talk to a lot of palestinians, though, they say part of their frustration in all of this is not just with israel, but with the palestinian leadership themselves and the feeling that they don't believe that the leadership there has done enough to stand up to israel. what do you say to that? >> nothing about settlement or

about what? about the israeli occupation in general, about settlement, about all of the issues. >> well, the view about what to do about the occupation had been really sequestrated by the so-called oslo process. we have given support to a peace process that should ends the occupation which should have been finished in five years. now that this has not happened, we started to move in other directions. there is actually an intensive international legal and political campaign against the settlement project and there is the boycott move all around the world in order to put pressure on the israelis in order to ban

done the settlement projects and eventually abandon occupation of the west bank. this is the strategy we are following today after the utter failure of the american chaperone peace process good to speak to you. thank you. a senior u.n. fish has choked back tears after discussing alleged sexual assaults on children. -- official has checked back tears. >> reporter: embroiled in scandal once again, a total of six new allegations of surfaced of sexual misconduct against children by foreign peace keeping troops in the central african republic. the incidents are alleged to have taken place in the capital at a camp for displaced people in 2014. fourteen age girls between the ages of 14 and 16 say they were

sexually assaulted by european union peacekeepers. three said the abusers were from a georgian contingent taking part in an e.u. mission. troubling allegations were also made against french troops. the youngest alleged victim, a year-year-old girl, said she was sexually abused in exchange for a bottle of water and a bag of cookies >> these are, of course, extremely serious accusations and it is crucial that these are urgently investigated. we are heartened at the initial p responsibilities we have-- initial response we have received from the organizations which show they take these allegations very seriously. we will continue to closely follow-up on these cases and any others that emerge. >> reporter: french and e.u. forces arrived in central african republic with a mandate to protect people in a country mired in sectarian violence.

on friday the u.n. also revealed five new allegations against their own peacekeepers and police. >> it's hard to imagine the outrage that people working for the united nations and for the causes of peace and security feel when these kinds of allegations come to light. particularly involving minors which are so hard to understand. >> reporter: with the investigation continuing a report expected next month from ban ki-moon, officials are bracing for more allegations coming to light, but now troops accused of criminal activity against a very civilian population they were sent to protect africa eheads of state in

ethiopia have begun a summit to talks talk about instability and security issues. at the top of the agenda is the ongoing violence to burundi. a report from our correspondent. >> reporter: justice like in 2015 security matters will be high on the agenda of this year's african union heads of state summit. they meet here to discuss the growing threat of terrorism, formation of a transitional unity government in south sudan and the ongoing violence in burundi. this man says much has been done to make africa a more peaceful continent >> if you go back to the 90s, the number of regional national conflicts that were active were over 20/30.

now we are have less. the african union established a peace and security council that has been effective. >> reporter: the au is seen by its critics as weak, unable to deal with the problems or the implementation the decisions arrived at after lengthy discussions. >> the level of leadership that many countries have been providing for the au to come together and act head on, on many of the issues facing the continent, have been lacking of late. many countries have been looking inside or basically focusing mostly on regional issues rather than the internal aspect of things. >> reporter: many officials will also tell you that there needs to be more political will and financial commitment by member states. one of the main talking points of the african union is alternative sources of findings. almost 70% of its budget comes from external partners like the

u.s. and the european union. the idea is for the au to look towards the private sector in africa and to put more pressure on states to pay their membership fees. last year only 19 of the 54 member states made their contributions to the au's roughly half a billion dollar annual budget. that's only 2% of the entire budget. >> how committed are members states to the discourse and to the idea of this african union that symbolizes and how will they walk the talk. >> reporter: this year more resolutions will be passed, but without the goodwill and real commitment of member states to move the decisions forward, we may still be telling this same story come next january still ahead on the program,

rescued after more than a month trapped underground, but will more chinese miners surface. plus the first major restoration in 15 centuries at what is believed to be the birth place of jesus. tear gas turns what was meant to be a friendly match into a sour affair. all the details in sport still ahead, but first malaysia's top prosecutor says he will cooperate with the swiss authorities who say $4 billion declares may have been stolen from state owned companies. the people minister was cleared previously in the scandal that has engulfd a state investment funds. there were allegations of

corruption and money laundering. money was illegally moved to swiss accounts of former malaysian officials. rescuers in china have pulled up four miners who were trapped 200 metres underground. their mine collapsed 36 days again. it's in the pingyi province where 30 miners are still missing >> reporter: after more than a month of searching a moment to celebrate. four miners are winched to the surface one-by-one in a specially made capsules. masks were placed over their eyes before they were taken to the hospital. >> at the moment they're all in a stable condition and they're conscious. only one has suffered a broken leg. there are still a lot of uncertainties. our hospital is working with experts to make a treatment plan for the miners based on the development of their conditions. >> reporter: the miners were found 20 metres underground.

they had-- 200 metres under ground. 11 of their colleagues had been rescued within hours of the collapse. another died. 13 miners are still unaccounted for. rescuers were spurred after this break through finally making contact with the trapped men. they had been sending down food, clothes and lamps through a narrow bore hole. getting them out was a much tougher job. further collapses and rock falls a constant fear. it is another reminder of the dangers associated with mining across china. collapsed are common. safety regulations are often ignored. four officials have already lost their jobs. the chairman of the company which owns the mine drowned

himself. another casualty of an industry badly in need of reform and tough regulation storms have battered the east coast of australia causing widespread flooding. this was how it looked in sydney a day earlier on friday when severe storms rolled in, including lightning that hit city tower in the middle of the city. there's damage as well in suburbs where trees crashed through houses and cut power. the worth from rob. australia's worth looking stormy. >> reporter: it is. most has moved to queensland. on the satellite picture suggests that if we look at it. the brightest white tops just north of brisbane. they had a few storms not far from sydney. bundaberg has 93 mm.

it is not the only area of interest. low in the south has been getting showers in melbourne, affecting tennis and the cricket. the rain has been in tasmania and the first tropical cyclone for the season. they're battling fires on some of the oldest forests in the world. you would think given the amount of rain that has fallen east, that might have helped the situation. 138 millimeters in devonport in the last few days which is typical of the area. we've talked about those areas. let us then move slowly north and look at what is coming into port hedland. that is a late starter. because of el nino, a delayed start. this is port hedland in preparation.

i think it will be north. it will be the rain that is the worst here japan's central bank has introduced negative interest rates for the first time as it troos to boost the economy. the surprising move means banks will now be charged when they dmoft some of their money with the central bank. this will encourage them to lend to businesses rather than sit on their cash. the economy is still recovering, but volatile markets are slowing progress. south korea is holding its first ever expoe devoted to the drone industry. the military sector dominates a worldwide industry that analysts believe will grow rapidly. a report from our correspondent. >> reporter: it's ray dies for these pilots, time to get down to business. 80 teams video v-- vying for the

title. >> translation: it kept rising so it was difficult. >> reporter: it has only been an oshgd sport here for four months. everything was snapped up in a few minutes. it's all happening just a few metres from the first drone show. the largest such expoe organisers say ever to be held in asia. south korea wants in a fast growing industry. >> translation: it has been here in the military sector, we hope to support the industry. >> reporter: this enables flights. the military still dominates the drone injury as it does the global one. what is changing is the ever easier access to this technology, encouraging start-ups to enter the fray. for instance, a drone in its final form can mimic a small

bird. >> we use these to develop things. the price is affordable to the farmers around the world right now >> reporter: the consumer sector is one of the fastest growing. it could be worth more than 4 billion dollars a year by 2025. it is not hard to see why. these have been getting cheaper, and just about anybody can fly them. the problem on the horizon though is an increasingly heavy set of regulations, meaning that the use could be limited in dwindz areas. there are concerns over legal liability, privacy and safety. here in south korea the real threat of north korean drones. evidence several have been crashed in several years. there are no fly zones as a result. some drone makers worry that there will be it will be a civilian industry that will be

slow for take off. restrictions on leisure use are set to be loosened still ahead when we come back as the u.s. finds more energy sourcing at home, how will its middle east relationships change. brushing up on an ancient form of art which is making a comeback in argentina. plus. >> reporter: i'm at the asian under 23 football championships, finding out if qatar or iraq can qualify for this year's rio olympics. olympics.

you're watching al jazeera. the top stories. delegates representing syria's main opposition group are travelling to geneva where the u.n. is having talks that it hopes will end the war. france says it will recognise a palestinian state if a final push for talks on a two-state solution fails. french foreign minister says he will look at holding an international conference to revive talks between israel and the palestinians. violence in burundi is topping the agenda at the annual meeting of the african union in the ethiopian capital. leaders will discuss burundi's refusal to accept an african peace keeping force. one of the priorities of the talks in syria will be getting aid to besieged syrian

civilians. in madaya thousands are still at risk of dying from starvation. this is a disturbing report. >> reporter: residents of the besieged town of madaya are still starving to death. three weeks after aid agencies were allowed to deliver supplies. government forces control the region to the east. its ally hezbollah controls the lebanese side. the syrian government called images of starving kids and adults that captured international headlines nothing but lies and propaganda. these pictures show hezbollah and bashar al-assad forces shelling madaya. residents here join the rebellion in 2011. fighters have been trying to secure the border since. people living in nearby districts say they've been ordered to leave their homes by hezbollah. the starving are all around.

40 kilometers away in one area outside damascus doctors say this man was one of nine who died from malnutrition in two weeks. the town is also being shelled by government forces. doctors without borders estimates up to two million syrians are trapped in seizures by the government or by opposition groups elsewhere in syria 15 people have been killed and dozens more injured in russian air strikes targeting rebel positions near the northern city of aleppo. in the west opposition fighters say they've taken control of several check points around hama. the city is in a region where control is divided between government and opposition forces. let's look at who controls what. government forces are said to have the upper hand after recent gains in the north-west province of latakia. the rebel held territory in the north is understand siege by the

military. the opposition's southern stronghold is also understand pressure after the army captured one town this month which is on a crucial supply route. despite losing 10% of its area last year, i.s.i.l. has still got areas. three times as much territory is controlled as they did a year ago. let's bring in the chair of contemporary middle eastern politics and international relations at the london school of economics. good to speak with you again. i want to ask you first of all about these talks in geneva that are taking place. what do you think are the prospects for anything realistic coming out of that? >> the talks are really the beginning, very long, complex and difficult process. it is very uncertain-- a very uncertain process because the

divide among the combatants is very deep, the regional powers have the upper hands, the-- hand, the rules of the game have been changed, the syrian army have made major gains in the last four or five months since the russians have intervened on its side, the americans are not's deeply committed as the russians are. we need to tell the viewers this is the beginning, the beginning of a very difficult process. if you ask me what is the likelihood of break through in the effects five or six months, i would say probably less than 20% at this particular moment we just showed you a brief set up of where things stand so far as who controls what in syria. you said that the syrian government has made some gains, but there does seem to be a real sense of stale mate there. could that, perhaps, be a push for all of the sides to get back

to the negotiating table on this? >> well, i think you're absolutely right. we should not really exaggerate the advances made by the syrian army in the last four or five months, even though in the north the syrian army has made some strategic gains against the command and against the rebels. now they say an army is two or three kilometers away from the turkish borders. in the south the syrian army has made some major gains, as you mentioned, in particular. even in damascus, the syrian army is pushing very hard, but the reality is neither side has the upper hand, neither side can deliver a decisive blow, but the prospect in syria, the reason why it is very difficult to see any kind of a political settlement because the balance of power does not favor any side and both sides still continue to believe they can really

basically deliver a decisive blow. if you ask me who does have the upper hand in syria, i would say the syrian parties no longer control their own destiny. it is the regional powers and russia. russia is the kinding maker, advice advice rt-- vis-a-vis the syrian regime. this is the sad reality in syria today let's talk more about the regional powers. what more can they do to bring some kind of april settlement here some-- a settlement here? >> i don't believe anything would come out of this geneva 3 unless the divide among the regional powers, particularly turkey and saudi arabia on the one hand and iran on the other hand. what you have is really a fierce regional wore by proxy inside syria. also i don't believe-- war by proxy inside syria. also i don't believe that the

syrian regime will make any compromises. why should bashar al-assad make compromises if he thinks he is winning. where is the u.s.? the americans are not as invested in the syrian conflict as russia is even though america has spent diplomatic capital in trying to bring everyone to the negotiating table in geneva thank you for that. to beth le hem where one of the world's most famous churches is getting a renovation in more than 1500 years. it is being worked on by an italian expert. our correspondent is looking at the work completed so far in the occupied west bank >> reporter: what is believed to be the birth place of jesus christ has survived many things, even an earthquake. history and the weather have taken their toll.

for the first time since the sixth century, it is being completely restored from ceiling to floor. the latest focus has been the mosaic, physicaling the old, has uncovered something new hidden underneath the wall plaster. >> translation: we were lucky to discovery an angel, a beautiful angel, that has the top part of its head missing. we have restored this. this will give a different vision of the church than before the restoration. this will be a beautiful end result. >> translation: are shown what the mosaic looks like before the italian team of experts start work. centuries of smoke and varnish have dulled their image. >> reporter: the roof and the windows were restored first as rainwater was leaking inside the church. so these are essential repairs, but the fact that they're even taking place at all, some have described as a miracle.

this holy site is administered by three churches. they each over see different parts invisible tightly guarded lines that it crossed can turn violent. >> translation: it happened before. in some cases there were serious scuffles over who cleans which area. >> reporter: just like this, priests and monks fighting with brooms following a communal clean five years ago. someone may have brushed a little too far. sensitivities that boil down to the ypd that if you clean it or take care of it, it's yours. those centuries old rivalries have been put aside in a rare moment of consensus over seen by the palestinian authority. perhaps the idea dawning that the results will benefit all. the roof no longer leaks, the mosaics shine and in time once the scaffolding and the sheets are removed, the church of the nativity will be seen as it

hasn't for centuries the zika virus is rapidly spreading with several new cases confirmed as well as more suspected outside of latin america. brazil is at the center of the outbreak with 4,000 cases. the mosquito-born virus is linked to severe birth defects in babies. the first case in peru has been noted. guatemala is on high alert after 37 confirmed cases, 20 of which are in women of child bearing age. a surge in u.s. oil production in recent years has been one of the big factors pushing down price is and it's also having an effect on relations with middle east oil suppliers, particularly saudi arabia. >> reporter: 70 years ago this was his first trip outside his

country to forge an alliance with u.s. president. >> understanding each other's problems brings east and west together for a better world. >> i think we signed a bargain in exchange for stable supplies of oil and this has continued until this day. >> reporter: when an oil embargo triggered by the war, the u.s. launched what the president called project independence >> by the ends of this decade, americans will not have to rely on any source of energy beyond our own. >> reporter: what happened instead the u.s. increased its reliance on foreign oil to a peek of 60%. in the past few years the explosion of american crude production has cut that dependence to less than 30%. nearly half the imports come from its friendly neighbors, canada and mexico. meanwhile, the increased u.k.

confidence in its energy security is evidenced by three recent decisions. lifting a 40-year ban on export aring american i will, preparing to sell off more than one tenth of the petroleum reserve and a blow to canada, obama put an axe to the key stone pipeline project, a decision dictated, he said, by environmental concern. obama has also said that military assets will be rebalanced away from europe and the middle east and towards asia and the pacific, but perhaps not just yet >> i think the pivot to asia is maybe not as quite as important on the forefront of our agenda as we made it at the time. >> reporter: energy expert says the rise of i.s.i.l. and the arab springs failure will force the u.s. to concentrate on protecting its old interests >> i don't think ewe have options in the middle east right now. now we have iran back into the equation. if they come out with their

isolation with the lifting of sanctions, they've always been a player, one against our interests >> reporter: so even if the u.s. does envoy a greater sense of energy security than it has in decades, the geostrategic ties with the middle east are not soon likely to fray traditional form of decorate art in argentina is seeing a resurgence, for decades it has been on the verge of disappearing. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: painting does not fade away. this is a way of painting that is part of the country's history. it is a type of street art that eventually died out. >> translation: it is from the same period.

in the 1940s it was very popular and then they started to disappear. in the 70s it was banned. >> reporter: this type of art uses an ornamental design which has brilliant colors with specific lettering. >> reporter: it was created in the 19th century by european immigrants who brought in elements of art, mixed it with local influence. it started as a way of decorating street carriages but it later became an emblem of the country. for years buses across argentina were decorated and it was banned because it was distractive to drivers. this man says that it is part of soul of the country.

he manages a bus company and has struggled to keep this type of art alive. >> translation: when buses appeared decades ago they were painted like street carriages. everybody wanted to have the nicest bus. they had the flag as well. >> reporter: he says that the military government's ban was in part responsible for it no longer being used, but also that buses became more commercial. >> translation: when buses are owned by companies, buses don't belong to the drivers any more, so that changed everything. >> reporter: this year this man has declared this as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity >> translation: this is a way of putting this type of art out there again. it certainly helps us to promote an art that was disappearing. >> reporter: even though it was on the verge of being wiped out, it can be seen on the streets on

furniture and decorates many other things in the area. people like this man will work to keep the tradition alive still ahead on the news hour: >> reporter: i'm andrew thomas in sydney. i will be explaining the science behind a tiny wearable technology that could one day alert people to when they have been in the sun too long and in sport, find out if the l.a. lakers could fight their way out of a losing street. street.

welcome back. australia is well-known for its sun, surf and stand life style and it's that over exposure to the sun rays that is raising skin cancer. scientists are taking the fight of deadly melanonas into the future. >> reporter: doctors see the creation of cancer from places like this. today this woman avoids the beach. she sits in the shade and always wears a hat and applies cream. she didn't when she was younger and at 19 she was diagnosed with a malignant cancer on her arm. >> there were quite a few times i would go out for only five or ten minutes and not be in the sun long, and before you know it

you've been sitting in the sun for hours and you've been burnt. >> reporter: this is material made from silicone rubber, it is thin transparent wearable patches. >> the silicone in the material that we use, you probably know it from your contact lenses, it is durable. that is the point of this patch, you can take this patch, slap it on your arm and forget about it. >> reporter: the real innovation is coating the patch with an equally flexible layer of zinc oxide. exposed to different light, including dangerous uv light which is invisible to the human eye, the properties change. at the moment this equipment is needed to measure that change. the scientists think soon the patch will be able to transmit

wirelessly to a smart phone information about the amount of uv it and therefore the skin around it has had. it will warn people when their uv exposure is getting high >> getting an s ms on your phone has to be an alert to let you know you've had too much uv. >> reporter: there are dangers >> we don't want a sensor which will delay people's willingness to put sun protection on right from the word go go >> reporter: as an additional, wearable technology is seen as helpful. they hope this can be mass-produced cheaply within five years as a wearable technology to alert people to when they need to wear more or get out of the sun. andrew thomas staying down under we've got the latest on the australian open and all the other sport.

>> reporter: thank you very much. the women's australian open finals underway. world number one and defending champion is facing 7th seed kerber. she has taken the first set. ms williams has taken the second one. it has gone into the decider where kerber is leading five four. the men's final will take place on sunday. novak djokovic will face full-time runner-up andy murray. this will be the sixth grand slam final between the world's top two players. novak djokovic is aiming to win his second australian open title while murray is hoping to make history by overcome and lift his first trophy. >> i don't estimate him. no question about it, i have tremendous respect and add mirroration for everything he has achieved in his career. he is one week older than me so

we grew up together. we have very similar styles of game. it's nice to see that our rivalry keeps on going and we keep playing for the biggest titles. >> many people are expecting me to win on sunday and i will just believe in myself. hopefully i will execute it and play well, but the previous disappointments, but it's one tennis match. it doesn't matter what happens in the past, really. it's about what happens on sunday. >> reporter: football man chess tear united - man chess chess terror-- manchester won.

there were second goals to ease pressure on the manager. >> we drink a nice bottle of wine, probably the most expensive wine because i have received it, because i have always - i always get expensive wine when we beat the opponent out of the six top six. >> reporter: the play in the south city of aswan, police fired gas to control fans trying to force their way into the stadium. they claimed it was a fired accidentally. game was halted with six minutes with egypt eventually wing two

nil. iraq have become the third and final asian football team to win a place at this year's olympics. japan and south korea had already qualified after reaching the final of the asian under 23 championships which take place later on saturday while iraq beat qatar to book their place at rio. >> reporter: the third place play off of any tournament is normally an unwanted footnote, but this game between hosts qatar and iraq had an added dimension. the winner would qualify for the rio olympics. qatar had high hopes that these would evolve into a sport for the owe l olympics. wasted chances by the home team ensured that iraq stayed in the game, but it was levelled for

iraq. the game moved desooifly in iraq's direction in extra time. hussein putting them ahead. qatar could and probably should have taken the game to a penalty shoot out but it finished two one. the country's footballers are heading to the olympics for the first time since the athens games, more than a decade ago >> translation: we achieved the target. it was a very difficult match against a strong appointment while the host of the tournament. i think they will be great team players for the nation team. >> reporter: iraq's 2004 olympic appearance saw them lose a

bronze medal game againstity lee. -- against it larks y. >> reporter: in the nba the l.a. clippers beat the lakers. the lakers were without coby bryant who will be retiring at the end of the season. it was the clippers chris pole leading to 105 to 93 win. steven jarrod was in the crowd. >> i think it is a very emotional time for his and his family. he will be trying to cherish every last moment and enjoy his final time at the club where his heart is. i wish him all the best. >> reporter: golf now. garry woodlands shared the second round lead at the farmers insurance open in california.

he moved to a joint top. the pair have one stroke lead heading into the third round. the big names continued to struggle. the defending champion and world number two ja kon day who has been fighting a virus missed by three shots. of course, a quick update on the final of the australian open womens. ms williams has suffered a huge upset. she was beaten by kerber in three sets and denied the american her 22 record title. that's it for me thanks. quite an upset for ms williams. >> reporter: very unlucky that is it for this news hour, but we will be back in two minutes for a full update.

l update. >> 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.

no let up in the fighting and suffering for syrians, even as talks seem to be heading in the right direction. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead, france announces why it may soon recognise a palestinian state. burundi tops the string of crisis for african leaders to discuss as they meet in ethiopia. serena williams understands by ke