thousand miles. thajs -- thanks for watching. i'm stephanie sy. have a great weekend. ♪ >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello a warm welcome to the news hour. i'm jane dutton in doha. coming up, thousands of syrians flee the aleppo countryside, as government forces break through rebel defenses. burundi refugees sheltering in camps speak of killings allegely by government militia.

plus wiki leak's founder has been vindicated. i'm rob reynolds in california. will el niño solve california's water problem? ♪ we begin in northern syria where thousands of people are leaving villages in aleppo province, herding towards turkey. diplomatic talks on ebbing the war in syria are on hold, and now saudi arabia says it is ready to send in ground troops. syrian government forces backed up by russian air raids have stepped up the offensive to the east of aleppo. opposition fighters have appealed for help as their main supply route to turkey has come under pressure. and large numbers of syrians are making their way towards turkish

border. this report from zana hoda. >> reporter: the suffering is growing, tens of thousands of syrians are again on the move. those who have arrived to the turkish border are not being allowed in. they are from the northern countryside of aleppo. many arrived on foot. many came with nothing. there is no safe area for these people as the government pushes ahead with a mayor offensive in the province. >> translator: we left our homes because of the bombings by the russians, iranians, bashar, and the [ inaudible ] army. >> reporter: for now there is no indication that the gates will be opened. officially turkey has an open-door policy for syrian refugees. but strict restrictions have been put in place because of security concerns, and also turkey has been under a lot of pressure, dealing with the 2.5 million syrians in this country. but those trapped in the

battleground are also under pressure. villages and towns in the aleppo countryside have become waist lands. there have been hundreds of russian air strikes since the government's ground assault began earlier this week. [ explosion ] >> reporter: and there has been dozens of civilian casualties. the air strikes are not just targeting the front lines. neighborhoods have been hit. people have abandoned their homes. their livlihoods. the ongoing government offensive has cut through the heart of rebel-controlled territory in northern syria. this has severed the opposition supply lines, but they are still fighting back. a number of factions have created a joint command, and are calling on all men in the area to take up arms. the opposition fighting for survival in this corner of syria of groups described as the moderate rebels. and that offensive is continuing on the ground. there is fierce fighting. the opposition, like we

mentioned is fighting back, but it is still not clear whether or not they will be able to prevent the government from achieving its objectives on the ground. there was a military break through on wednesday. the government cut through rebel-held territory. they lifted the siege of two pro-government towns and they are using those towns as a launching pad to make further gains on the ground, but as of yet, they haven't made any significant gain, the government that is, because what their objective is, is to encircle the city of aleppo. what they want to do is cut the last remaining road into the opposition-controlled east of that city. that has still not happened, but what has happened on the ground is that the government severed the supply line of the rebels from the city to turkey. so the fighting is ongoing on the ground, heavy bombardment from where we are standing. we heard really the explosions

in the distance throughout the day. >> thank you for that zana hoda. senior russian diplomat has criticized saudi arabia's plans to send ground troops to syria. speaking to a russian news agency, this man said any ground invasion without the consent of the government would be illegitimate. rory challands is live from moscow. talk us through how this is going through down there, rory. >> reporter: well, over the last few days, the rebels in syria are taking an absolute pummelling at the moment from this government offensive supported by massive russian air power. zana has just showed us the report highlighting the humanitarian costs of that. in response, the rebels have walked away from talks in geneva. at the same time, over the last few days, the russians have

become increasingly aware of reports suggesting that turkey first, and now saudi arabia, might be about to send ground forces into syria. now it looks like, really, the gauntlet is being thrown down to russia here. a bit of pressure being applied to the russians by the u.s. and its partners. essentially what this would do, if it were true, is play the russians at their own game, because what the russians have done in their -- in their conflict, they have said they are primarily fighting isil, but what they are really doing is supporting the government forces. this flips that around, really. any saudis say they would be fighting isil, but actually what they would be doing is supporting their side in the civil war. >> what do the russians make of all of this?

we have heard from the official saying such incursion has been illegitimate, but they also said they are just watching the situation at the moment. when lavrov and kerry meet in a few day's time in munich, kerry is going to ask lavrov whether he really wants to push russia this far down the road. >> all right. thank you for that, rory challands. more than 200,000 people have fled burundi since the country slipped into political crisis. refugees told al jazeera that burundi's government is sending militia into camps to hunt down opponents. malcolm web reports. >> reporter: this camp is home to more than 40,000 refugees who fled ongoing violence.

when we visited we were only allowed to interview refugees who has been screened. the u.n. said it was for refugees protection. several others wanted to speak to us about security in the camp, but were not allowed, so we contacted them by phone after we left. >> translator: the camp is currently not safe. we live in fear of burundi government militia who are in the camp. >> reporter: we have spoken to mr. refugees by phone who say similar things. many name individuals who they say are agents sent by the government. they said incidents have been reported to camp officials, but many of the age engine engineer -- agents are still at large. many left thinking they were joining a militia, but they say

they later learned it was a trap, and most were killed. this man says he was able to escape. >> some of our group were tied up. we were loaded on to a truck and driven away. my friend and i jumped off of the truck. >> reporter: the foreign minister told us on the phone that the allegations are baseless. in the tanzanian capitol, the u.n. said any of the refugees should have been allowed to speak to us. and senior u.n. officials were not aware of these cases. >> if we had solid evidence, of course, it would be our duty to try to do something about it. but through the government we're not responsible for security and safety. >> reporter: here tan sa kneeian

police search their bags for weapons. the government says it is doing all it can to make the camp secure. >> the government has been very strict, in fact, whenever we have spotted activity that looks like a recruitment, we have actually taken serious measures. only last week, some -- some refugees were actually apprehended and taken before the court and charged. >> reporter: meanwhile a leaked u.n. report accuses the rwandan government of recruiting refugees to fight against the government in rwanda. rwanda denies it. the refugees say they just want a place to be safe. malcolm web, al jazeera, tan sa kneeia. speaking to al jazeera earlier, burundi's foreign minister denies the government

is sending militias into camps. >> i don't believe [ inaudible ] and i'm sure your journalist was able to reach out to the authorities in tanzania, because i believe that if there should be some activities of that nature, it would be the responsibility of the authorities in tanzania, and of course of the [ inaudible ] to address those facts. so i only heard from -- you know, of those allegations from your journalist. i have never heard anything of that nature before. in any case, in any case, anything that takes place beyond the borders of burundi is not the ponsablety of the government of burundi. the israeli army has shot dead a palestinian after the army said he through a fire bomb

at there. julian assange has spoken just hours after u.n. panel ruled in his favor. though appeared by video link at a press conference from inside the exwa dorian embassy. >> put simply, those arguments lost there is no appeal. the time for appeal is over. no appeal was lodged. it is now the task of the state of sweden and the united kingdom as a whole to implement the verdict. >> reporter: julian assange has won a clear moral victory, and

he says a legal one too. he says it is incumbent on brat tan and sweden to respect the findings of the united nations panel, and he should be allowed to leave the embassy behind me, and be allowed to walk free. the british police, and the british government, and the swedish government see things differently. philip hammond says it was a ridiculous conclusion. and the british police say if he leaves he will be arrested directly. so how much has actually changed? that is far from clear. still to come on the news hour, accused of disloyalty, another high-profile chinese political figure is removed from

his post. plus why affordable and economical are the watch words at one of the world's biggest auto shows. ♪ turkey's prime minister has promised to invest the equivalent of 8 billion euros in the kurdish dominated southeast to help restore security. he is revealing what he is calling a government master plan to rebuild the country's mainly kurdish region. and he said negotiations with kurdish separatists would only be possible when they lay down their arms. fighting started up in july shattering a ceasefire that began in 2012. security analyst and columnist says the government's plan needs to do more.

>> this was a speech designed to inspire people, particularly this was a speech to inspire those culturally and political wakened kurds in southeastern turkey to separate them from the pkk, and -- i mean, right now, i think ankara has a clear vision of suppression of the local kurds from pkk, but i think ankara also has a strategy confusion about the political end game of this program. to alienate the pkk with all of itself special, and economical [ inaudible ] or to deter pkk of performing some forms of armed violence, i think this is the problem ankara has been trying to concur.

seven new cases have alleged of sexual abuse. u.n. peace keepers were deployed to central african republic to restore order. in 2013 after a spike in religious violence. this comes after more than 20 allegations last year of sexual abuse by u.n. peace keepers. >> given the information collected through the initial fact finding, the united nations has decided to take immediate measures, including the repatriation of the soldiers who were deployed. this repatriation will occur after an investigation is carried out. in the meantime the soldiers will be confined to barracks. pro-government forces are continuing their offensive on houthi rebels and their allies.

our correspondent has been watching as government force repel houthi fighters. [ gunfire ] >> translator: you can see the artillery shelling. the national army hopes to take control of the base in the coming hours. however, they worry about the ied's and land mines. the base is essentially powerless, as they are under tight lockdown. the national army is hoping to capture this base, so they can control the road to the capitol sana'a. yemen's army spokesman has told al jazeera the offensive on sana'a has taken houthi rebels by surprise. >> translator: this is one of the last scenes before the big battle. the fighters there have to either surrender or flee. we're entering the last phase. after that, sana'a international airport will be under our fire.

three people are trapped under ground after a gold mine collapsed in south africa. 83 other workers were brought to the surface following the cave in east of johannesberg. a nepal border crossing has been reopened. traders from both sides of the border have removed protesters from the port. they say the country's new constitution discriminates against them. kathmandu has accused new delhi of preventing trucks from crossing. the blockades lead to severe shortages of food and fuel in nepal. pakistani international airlines have suspended all of its foreign and domestic flighting following strikes. kamal hyder has more.

>> reporter: employees of the airline are continuing to protest across the country. that has brought all flights domestic as well as international to a grinding halt as far as this airline is concerned. now the people here are protecting against the moves by the government to privatize this these airlines. the government says it is costing the national [ inaudible ] another $300 million annually to sustain this particular airline. however, after the killing of three of their colleagues earlier in the week, the problem has now become conflicts. hundreds of passengers are stuck overseas. now the government is trying to charter a foreign airlines to bring their passengers back. south korea's foreign minister has been meeting with ambassadors in seoul because of growing concerned about a planned rocket launch which north korea. meeting comes after north korea

said it intends to launch an observation satellite and after wide-spread international condemnation of north korea east fourth nuclear test in january. the governor of china's [ inaudible ] province has been dismissed. he is accused of disloyalty to the ruling communist party. >> reporter: he was the governor of one of the most important provinces in china. this is where the former paramount leader hailed from. he has been accused of violating party discipline. in that is an accusation you hear over and over again in today's china. he has also been accused of failing to rectify his wrongdoings. now this of course, follows events on thursday when the man who was the deputy governor of another very important province

in china was also removed from his post, accused of violating party discipline. in this case, i think it is connected to the president's ongoing crackdown on political decent, because he was a close associate of the former security czar here in china, who was jailed for corruption just last year. chinese police have admitted that they have detained three hong kong book sellers who went missing late last year. they all reemerged in mainland china. they work for a publishing house that has been known for its criticism of the communist party. the detentions have raised questions over china's commitment to hong kong's autonomy. civil defense authorities in southern japan are on alert after a volcano resulted close to a nuclear power plant.

a two-kilometer no-go zone has been expanded around the area. there have been no reports, yet, of major damage or injured? . india's flagship auto show has begun. the indian car market is undergoing a shift as faiz jamil reports. >> reporter: the crowds are out for the first day of the auto expo outside of india's capitol. here the focus is on the high-end and affordable, not low emissions or hybrid vehicles. in india it is a growing category. india's capitol is trying to get control over emissions to bring down pollution and eventually begin the winding down of sales of diesel vehicles, but the rest of the country is not. and adding more hybrid models would drive up prices and bring down sales.

taxes already double the cost of imported makers, so car miccers are not keen to make their cars more expensive. here many vehicles are suv, or suv style. india is the fifth largest car market in the world and growing, meaning at present the focus will be on that growth and not what is best for the environment. still to come on the news hour. and then there were two, u.s. democrat rivals tangle on debate. and a growing black market in basic goods. and in sport, the robot aiming to prove it's a hit in the golf house. ♪

hello again, you are watching the al jazeera news hour. our fop stories. thousands of syrians are fleeing to turkey for safety. these pictures show people trying to make their way on foot to the border.

the founder of wikileak, julian assange says he feels vindicated by a u.n. panel ruling. he has been sheltering in the ecuadorian embassy for more than three years to avoid extradition to sweden. burr ren deeian refugees have told al jazeera that government militias are hunting down opposition in refugee camps. zimbabwe's president has declared a state of disaster in rural areas which are in the grips of severe drought. large numbers of cattle have been lost to the drought. and it has worsened food shortages. more than eight people in nigeria have died from a new outbreak of a virus that is

transmitted through food and drink contaminated by rats. the disease can be treated but it's not an option for many. >> reporter: one victim died here a few days ago. several have been given treatment and discharged, but there are still patients suspected of carrying the disease, which is spread through ingesting rat waste. they include this man. he does not want his identity revealed because of stigma. his fiance died from the disease. he has been under observation ever since. >> it was a disaster, more like a disaster. [ inaudible ] i wept. >> reporter: he is not sure how

rat waste contaminated the food that lead to his fiance's death, and he thinks he will be cleared of the disease. but those who are suffering experience severe swelling and rashes. more than 15% of those who contract the disease die. the government partly blames the outbreak on a popular food that is often stored outside of markets where rats roam freely. rats get into the sacks where they leave waste, but it also spreads through inhaling tiny particles infected. >> >> reporter: the government says it is doing all it can to stop the virus, but it's having

difficulty getting the antiviral drug that stops it. >> we have all of our response teams contact tracing, diagnosis, case management. i do not think we have enough public health leverages. we might need assistance. >> reporter: those suspected of carrying the disease are hoping the outbreak will be over soon. but the government says good sanitation, hygiene, and [ inaudible ] rat conditions should help soon. hillary clinton and bernie sanders have squared off in their most contentious debate so far. there were heated exchanges on the subject of campaign funding. kimberly halkett has more. >> reporter: outside of the democratic debate hall, not a hillary clinton sign in sight. new hampshire is bernie sanders east territory, among young

voters here, he enjoys more than 85% support. >> the rich are getting richer. so i absolutely would like to see a candidate who supports radical changes in the economic structure. >> i just honestly don't -- i don't trust hilary, i think she has been very flippy floppy on a lot of issues. >> reporter: the issue of reforming america's economic structure is where the two hopefuls argued most. sanders criticized clinton for receiving $675,000 for making paid speeches to at least one investment bank on wall street, suggesting her corporate-funded political campaign makes her ill suited for the kind of reform he is promising. >> one of the things we should do is not only talk the talk but walk the walk. i am very proud to be the only

candidate up here who does not have a super pac. [ cheers ] >> there is this attack that he is putting forth, which really comes down to, you know, anybody whoever took donations or speaking fees from any interest group, has to be bought, and i just absolutely reject that, senator. >> reporter: but when pushed for transparency, to reveal whether promises had been made from corporate america, clinton dodged the issue. >> are you willing to release the list of all of your speeches? >> i'll look into it. >> she has to prove that she is as progressive as bernie sanders is, and he has a lot of arguments to say no, you are not. and one of those is taking money from major corporations and bankings, and financial

institutions at a time when many in the democratic party, especially the left-wing of the democratic party is really angry about that. >> reporter: clinton has little time to change the mines of new hampshire voters. clinton trails her opponent in some polls by as much as 30 points. hundreds of chileans have taken to the streets of the capitol angry over the recent signing of the trans-pacific partnership. the deal aims to slash tariffs and trade barriers between themselves. opponents say the tpp will cost jobs and hurt the sovereignty of asian pacific countries. members still have two years to approve the deal before it becomes legal binding. demonstrators in the u.s. capitol also protested the deal.

they say the tpp will take it difficult for patients to get access to life-saving medication. dozens of people in venezuela have marched in car rar cuss to remember an attempted coup by the late president chavez. 17 soldiers and 80 civilians died in the coup attempt. many people supported his move at the time, as the politicians in the oil-rich nation were seen as corrupt and disimportant from the concerns of poor venezuela. this comes as his successor is struggling to deal with an economic slowdown. in that has been partially blamed on the government's policies, including a complex exchange system. the trade ministry says it has been corrected in the latest attempt to bring down one of the highest inflation waits in the world, but price controls have only boosted illegal trade.

>> reporter: from this street corner, this man controls his turf and strikes deals. his business is illegal, but with venezuela's chronic shortages underground food trading can be seen as a solution. on any given day reselling sugar or diapers that he has bought from shop owners, he says he can make as much as ten times the minimum wage. >> translator: we work directly with the chinese shop owners. he turn around and resell the goods for more. >> reporter: government subsidies in place for more than a decade have created the perfect breeding ground for a black market. and with inflation, more and more venezuela are joining this illegal line of business. so much so that a new word has even been coined for this new breed of entrepreneurs, after a

native ant. they work hard and usually at a small scale. >> translator: i don't see it as a crime. i do see it as a deterioration of society, because in the long run, we are all harming each other. >> reporter: most of the items on this table have gone missing on market shelves. items for which many are willing to queue for hours. six out of ten people in these mile-long queues will resell the goods for as much as ten times what shops are allowed. >> translator: the problem is not these people. it's the model of absurd price and currency controls. >> reporter: one that has created a distribution system through as much as one third of basic goods get sold.

>> translator: i used to be offended by the term, but now i see women, police, and even the national guard doing it. >> reporter: with an economy strapped for cash the government is likely to slash imports as food becomes scarcer, experts predict this ant-like trade will be replaced by more sophisticated forms of selling contra band. and when that happens those will stand to lose their livelihood. there have been violent scenes in the greek capitol over protests against government pension reforms. the government says it has to cut spending to meet the demands of countries and organizations which are lending it money. john psaropoulos has more from athens. >> reporter: this is a parade of broken promises. everyone here has a story to tell. this small group represents

private day care centers. they were promised government money if they took in children who's parents couldn't pay. >> translator: to promise free benefits to parents, members of society, families and entrepreneurs that cannot be met is one more lie. >> reporter: pensioners have already seen their benefits cut dauzen times. >> translator: when we applied for our pensions, we did so under certain legislation, so we're entittled to receive that amount money. >> reporter: the government came to power a year ago, to be end austerity. now it is the enforcer of austerity. it says it loan will be greece's last bailout. but the proposed overall of so social security was the spark for this unrest. this general strike has brood support from the urban middle class and the countryside.

they comprise the one million taxpayers who would be called upon to pay 27% of their income for health coverage and pension contributions. effectively doubling their taxation. the head of the bar association says a lawyer earning $22,000, now spends 54% of that income on taxes and social security. under the propieced law it would rise to 69%. >> translator: all of these tax demands won't be met. the result will be a large number of professionals will leave the country. they will enter into a gray zone. the whole system will collapse because it's not realistic. it doesn't take into account people's ability to pay. >> reporter: widespread tax evasion would obviously undermine the very purpose of the law, which is to increase the government's revenue. so syriza may follow a well

trotted path. el niño will bring rain and snow to some port -- parts of the globe that are normally dry. and some that are usually wet. we take a look at the impact on the west coast of the u.s. rob reynolds reports from california. >> reporter: the last few years have been tough for california farmer jordan parsons. >> since 2011, we have had complete crop failures the last four years in a row. in terms of the irrigated stuff, we have seen acreage drop because our wells can't hold up. >> reporter: now for the first time in a long time, his fields are green, thanks to the el niño global weather system.

near san diego where surfers catch pacific waves, technicians take readings of ocean temperatures at the end of pier. but while rain and snow have increased el niño won't wipe out the effects of years of droughts, scientists say. >> it's really quite unlikely. even if we had a normal strong el nino, we would be unlikely to erase our ways out of years of drought. >> reporter: officials say the 38 million californians need to keep conservative water. >> we can't say that the drought is over yet. we're still in the rainy season. we don't know how much we'll end up with, so basically the message has been -- people have really stepped up to plate and tried to conservative, and we want them to keep doing so. >> reporter: farmers complain

about water set aside for the environment, and at-risks fish species. >> when we're going to pay for a fish over farmers in the valley? as a farmer, that's hard to take. >> reporter: more rain would be good news for california, but there's bad news as well. el niño down pours could cause flash floods and mud slides and already some areas are seeing severe coastal erosion. heavy january storms swamped parts of southern california, and south of san francisco, high tides and battering waves have left these residential buildings teetering on the edge. >> all of the storms have started hitting. the place is literally falling off of the cliff >> reporter: authorities ordered residents to leave before el

niño tumbles their resident into the sea. >> reporter: the global art market is worth $17 billion. but industry experts warn the art bubble could be about to burst over concerns about falling oil prices. neave barker reports. >> reporter: it's auction day at christy's a sale reserves for the super rich. working by picasso and other modern masters. >> this is estimated to be 7 to 10 million pounds, 11 to $15 million. >> reporter: this picasso broke records last year. >> $160 million. it's yours.

>> reporter: at this high end, art is an asset to be traded. but researchers have been analyzing the results of millions of sales over 30 years. they their findings show that art sales fluctuate like other commodities, and now we're heading for a big dip. >> a lot of people who have specialists at the art market have been expecting the market to cool down, and i think we're seeing it this year. we saw it top in may last year, and since then we have seen a bit of a cooling. will it collapse? i don't think so. will it hit a downward trajectory? i think we're seeing that this year. >> reporter: christy's sold $7.4 billion last year, a billion less than the year before. falling oil prices and the

slowdown in the chinese economy are worrying many. the problem for many of these galleries there is now too much art and not enough buyers. it has forced many galleries to reduce their prices and some to close their doors all together. >> it's really difficult, because obviously in london, property prices are so enormous, so it's difficult for small galleries to maintain a presence these days. and it's really sad, because there's no way they can sustain their presence and support younger artists, if they can't afford their overhead. >> reporter: art and money have historically gone hand in hand, but the entire art market could suffer. neave barker, al jazeera, london. just ahead on the news hour. why the first feature film on

ethnic minorities in bangladesh is getting an extra reception. and in sport why this team have high hopes ahead of the rio olympics. ♪

♪ hello again, a new feature film is offering an incite into the minorities in bangladesh who have long complained of being neglected, but it's unlikely to get a commercial release in the country where it was made. >> reporter: film festivals here

are a rare occasion to promote bangladeshi movies not just for a global audience, but bangladeshis themselves. the local cinema is in decline. >> the old cinema halls are dying, and the new film theaters have not replaced them in that way. >> reporter: at the same time, local movies have been receiving more recognition abroad. but the bangladeshi film with most international attention this year, won't be screened at home any time soon. my bicycle, the first movie in bangladesh about its indigenous communities is having trouble getting clearance from the censors. >> translator: we [ inaudible ] the film by asking around. my wife, my friends gave money.

the crew worked for free. it was sort of a crowd-funding model. >> reporter: he says his movie isn't getting clearance because of concerns that it portrays the military in a negative way. a long running battle ended in 1997, but army presence remains heavy in indigenous areas. it's difficult for any independent filmmaker in bangladesh to get their movies into theaters like this one. but the stakes are particularly high with my bicycle, it's a rare glimpse into the lives of the indigenous minorities. minority leaders worry their culture is in danger of disappearing. >> translator: our language survives through its use. we can't afford to print books

in our language. >> reporter: it's a state of affairs he hopes his film will help change, but for that to happen he did a board of cent fors who are a little less sensitive. now let's get the sport with andy. >> thank you so much, jane. in the last hour, the chic has been given a big boost in his bid to become the next fifa president. african football bosses have given him their backing. he cently signed a memorandum of understanding with his african counterpart. the vast majority are now likely to vote for him at the fifa election coming up on february 26th. byron munich manager claims he has not been distracted by his decision to move to

manchester city at the end of the season. he is to replace manuel at city, but still has a chance of winning three trophies, including the champion's league at buy earn. >> reporter: i know the situation is new, never in the history of bayern munich has a coach left. it's a new situation. boys it's four months. i can live with the situation without any problem. newspapers can attack me every day. believe me it's not problem. i will focus on my team like i did on the day i arrived. >> reporter: another chinese football team has been flexing hits financial power. this brazilian is moving with the free breaking the country's transfer record for the third time in three days.

one manager says english clubs should start worrying? >> china looks to have the finances to move the whole league of europe to china. and we are long enough in this job to know that is just a consequence of economical power, and they have that. >> reporter: peyton manning is still to confirm if sunday's super bowl will be the final appearance of his career. manning and the broncos will take on the carolina panthers in san francisco. it will be the 39 year old's fourth super bowl. he has won it once with the colts back in 2007. >> if you have any appreciation for the history of the game, and certainly you have watched super bowl, and played in super bowl, have a sibling that has played in super bowls, it does make it maybe even more special. so i'm grateful for the opportunity to be here. six months out from the rio

olympics organizers say they do have an adequate plan in place to protect athletes from the zika virus. the world health organization hooz declared a global public emergency. the australian olympic committee said it would totally understand if its athletes decided not to play in brazil. the virus is being linked to babies being born with undeveloped brains. >> nothing has changed beyond the fact that we have worked with local authorities to increase inspections and to oversee all of the venues in search for stagnant waters, and possible presence of the mosquito, and we have sufficient funds to perform this work. >> reporter: nepal won its only olympic medal in 1988, and it came in taiwan doe. it is still one of the country's most popular sport. and the national team has high

hopes ahead of those rio games. >> reporter: every morning sports enthuses ands come to the national stadium in kathmandu. among the runners are players practicing their moves. this man coaches children and adults, and some of his students have won international championships. at 11 his pupil is full of dreams. >> translator: i want to play taiwan doe and win gold medals. i have participated in a few games. >> translator: the indoor nepal championship was her first game. and she won a gold medal. >> reporter: nepal doesn't have much of a presence in international sport, but since winning an olympic bronze in 1988, this sport is an exception, with nepali players gaining recognition as international championships. with limited facilities, these

players have a disadvantage. >> translator: from the beginning nepali players have to face difficulties. it's worse for girls as the family and society throw obstacles. our training is poor. players abroad have better equipment, in door training facilities, we just play rough and tough, but we still play internationally and never compromise on our performance. >> reporter: the world federation has taken an interest in nepali players. nepal's government also has plans to make taekwondo into a national sport. >> once they put taekwondo into national sport, then they have a very good chance to win medals and championships and olympic games. so i believe we have give them a dream, and also the top level of athletes, we can invite them to korea to learn more in the

skill, so this project will really enhancing the development of taekwondo here in this country. the immediate goal for now is to win the south asian games about to start in india. >> translator: good job. good job. good job. all of you should win gold medals. i'll fully confident. >> reporter: the next goal? the olympics. now athletics world governing body the iaaf is investigating charges of a state-sponsored doping program in china. a letter claimed the former world and olympic champion sent the letter to a journalist in this 1995, but has only been published now. it details how she and her teammates were forced to take illegal drugs. the iaaf is seeking to determine

if that letter is legitimate. defending champion rory mcelroy has a mixed bay, including four bogeys, and four birdies in the homeward stretch saw him just about staying in contention here. six shots behind his rival. and a new rival for golf's best players. it is a roadblockaled . it produces the sort of shot even tiger can't manage these days. at his fifth attempt, eldrick hit a hole in one. >> that's your sport for now. >> thank you for that, andy. that's all from us on this news hour, but i'll be seeing you in the next couple of minutes for another bulletin.

thanks very much for joining us. ♪

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>> only on al jazeera america. a mass move, thousands of syrians flee the aleppo countryside and government forces break through rebel forces. hello, i'm jane dutton in doha. also ahead, fearful burundi refugees sheltered in the camp speak of killings and abductions allegedly by government militia. we have a really significant victory that has brought a smile to my