>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello, there, welcome to the news hour. coming up in the next 60 minutes, regaining control, ukraine's military pushes out prorussia rebels from the east, as one of its helicopters is blown up at a military base. president obama visits soul in the concern that china is planning another nuclear attack. and a suicide bombing in pakistan's largest city. and 60 years of using the sun's

energy, we're look at why solar power is becoming increasingly popular decades after it was first used. ukraine's military have mounted a second phase of an aggressive military operation to regain control of the besieged city slaviansk. one of its helicopters was blown up outside of the city. and the prime minister has accused russia of attempting to start a third world war. sergei lavrov warns that it will face [ technical difficulties ]

>> now both moscow and kiev have both of their troops along the border. nato has warned that up to 40,000 russian soldiers are camped on the russian side. in just a moment we'll be talking to peter sharp in moscow, but first let's cross to hoda. what happened with the helicopter incident? >> well as is often the case here in ukraine, there are two narratives to the story. if you listen to the ministry of defense there was a transport helicopter that was on the ground in the base just behind me, it's an airfield on the outskirts, according to the ministry of defense a sniper hit that helicopter and the bullet would have pierced through the fuel tanker and that's what caused the huge explosion that

actually some of the men confirmed they heard. what they did not confirm is there was some sort of gunfire. the minister of defense said there was a sniper. it's difficult to see how that would have happened because on my right where the supposed attack happened is open field, and it's very difficult to see how a sniper would have taken some sort of position and hit that helicopter which is just behind a little hill here. nevertheless this sorted of isolated incidents happen, and this rising tensions happen, especially here in kramatorsk and nearby slaviansk are having an impact. the ukrainian border guards have set up base near an abandoned farm. they would be the first to face any russian troops that cross

into ukraine. >> translator: i don't think anyone will come, but if a situation comes about, we will be the first to meet them. >> reporter: russia already has tens of thousands of troops stationed across the fields that separate the two countries. there was some troop movements not very far from here. moscow said that they were military exercises, still the ukrainians are not taking any chances. they have been digging trenches along the border. moscow's sudden military exercises are in prones to ukraine's crack down on armed pro-russian protesters. ukrainian soldiers say the russians have moved closer, but there is nothing they can do for now except monitor their movements from the sky.

>> reporter: this girl lives in ones of the villages. she feels at home in both russia and your next question. >> translator: my sister lives in russia with her two children. i always go to visit them. is it scary? of course it is. >> reporter: the border has never really existed for people living here, it has now become a barrier, perhaps a symbol of an ever-growing divide. >> and we have been hearing of a second front in the military operation opening up. what does that look like? >> reporter: certainly we haven't seen any sign of that yet on the ground, but that has happened also in the past. first the government in kiev comes out with quite alarming statements and then in the immediate aftermath nothing happens, and then you wake up in the morning and there is some

sort of operation. i don't know what phase 2 means at this stage. there was a statement by the acting presidential chief of staff who said that the ukrainians trips would surround the city of slaviansk. that is not happening. sources said they moved in and out of slaviansk quite easily this morning. but basing on what we have seen over the past ten days now, since the government began talking about the anti-terror operation, it seems to me that they have had some false starts, that it is difficult for them to really apply on the ground. yes, we saw yesterday some sort of confrontations on the outskirts of slaviansk, but it was at the check point that was attacked. the ties were burnt, again, the circumstances are quite merky according to who you listen to

of what really happened there, but it seems to me the government is timidly advancing and then retreating. what phase 2 means, we'll have to wait and see. >> okay. thank you very much. we have peter sharp joining us now from moscow. peter in the middle of all of this crisis, the high-level diplomacy continuing. and we have putin and angela merkel talking. >> yes, they are talking about the supply of gas. 40% of europe's gas supplies come from russia but pass through the ukraine. and with the crisis there worsening day by day, angela merkel was interested in talking about securitying those

supplies. some eastern europe countries rely 100% on russia's gas supplies. but ukraine has defaulted for 14 months now for payment to russia. and russia has in the past been threatening to just pull the plug on the supply. if that hand it would be a rerun of the gas war of 2009 when russia did exactly that, and for 18 days there was a very, very limited supply of gas flowing from russia through ukraine, and europe was struck very, very hard. so there is real concern about this. so much so that the kremlin announced a few hours ago, that they are preparing a meeting in the next few days, between ukraine, the eu, and russia.

it's that serious that they are going to be talking about that anyway. >> thank you very much. now u.s. president barack obama has warned north korea against carrying out another nuclear attack. he made the comments whilst in south korea as part of his asian tour. he is opening the visit will improve relations between south korea and japan. harry fawcett reports from seoul. >> reporter: president obama landed in a country still gripped by grief. it is just nine days since the ferry capsized. more than 300 people dead or missing, most of them children. the u.s. president suggested a moment of silence, before presenting his counterpart with a flag that was flying over the white house on that day. then it was back to business. >> the united states and south

korea stand shoulder to shoulder both in the face of his provocations and in our refusal to accept a nuclear north korea. threats will get north korea nothing other than greater isolation. >> reporter: but for the u.s. dealing with north korea means dealing with two allies. obama came from his meeting with japan's prime minister in a week that nearly 150 mp's visited a shrine that honors war criminals. repeating a pilgrimage made last september. such behavior has infuriated south korea. >> what happened to the comfort women here in south korea, for example, have to recognize that this was a terrible, egregious,

violation of human rights. and certainly the japanese people recognize that the past is something that has to be recognized honestly and fairly. >> reporter: truthfully facing up to history is a form of words used repeatedly by president park. the fact that president obama chose to use a similar phrase is something that will go down very well here in soul. perhaps in return president park held out the prospect at least of improved tied with japan. >> translator: i think what is most important that we go back to the [ inaudible ] by the prime minister, and that truthful actions with being implemented from the japan side, that is very takt. >> reporter: the obama administration has been viewing the four-nation tour as

demonstrating its commitment to asia. but it's not just friends who will have noticed ukraine's current plight, a country that gave up itself nuclear weapons in 1994 return for of guarantee of its security. >> translator: giving up weapons in 1994 becomes the original region of what is happening today. >> reporter: with president obama in the region, new satellite images show increased activity at north korea's test sight. the u.s. defense official is warning that the search for the missing malaysian airliner could go on for years. the flight went missing on march 8th. a drunk passenger on a plane

bound for the indonesian island of balli triggered a hijack alert. south careen officials looking for bodies at the site of the sunken ferry have started using a diving [ inaudible ]. the air-filled structure can be submerged up to 130 feet. families have been urging officials to extend the search hours. 100 people are still missing. russia has dismissed allegations of chemical weapon used by the syrian government. it says reports of chlorine gsa attacks by president bashar

al-assad are not based on fact. the un says at least 1 million people are in urgent need of aid. >> reporter: aid workers manage to cross into the rebel-held eastern city from the government-controlled west earlier this month. it was the first time since june humanitarian assistance crossed through this line. since then the only border crossing has been closed. aid agencies have been facing obstacles to reach those in need. >> for the past two months, we have been repeatedly requesting authorizations from the government to access areas that are directly affected by the fighting in aleppo. however, today there is an additional challenge. there are roads that link both sides of the government and the opposition-controlled area in

aleppo together that have been blocked. are roads around the city that lead -- that connect the city with other major cities in damascus that also these roads have been blocked. >> reporter: a new push by the rebels has threatened to cut off half of the city that the regime controls, the highway in the southeast links aleppo to damascus in the south. this has forced officials to use a dirt road to reach the city. the opposition denies it is response bld for preventing supplies from reaching shrivelians. >> translator: it is the regime who closed the corridor inside the city. the regime wanted to besiege rebel territories, but now it is under siege. >> reporter: people living in the area say prices have increased, but on average 75% of aid distributions across the country occurred in areas

controlled by the state. from turkey's border, it's about an hour's drive to syria. but they have been allowed to cross into the area. very little aid is reaching the people living in the cities where the battles have been over supply lines. coming up in this news hour. iraq's oil police. we meet the men responsible for keeping the country's black gold flowing. plus -- >> reporter: the pakistani city's largest prison. after jailbreaks in parts of the country, we look at what is

being done to prethat from happening here. and find out how the world's greatest olympian performed in his comeback to professional swimming. ♪ the trial of three al jazeera journalists in egypt has been adjourned until may 3rdrd. they have now been in jail for 118 days. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed are fullsly accused of providing a platform to the outlawed muslim brotherhood now declared a terrorist organization. the fourth al jazeera journalist in defense is being held without trial since last august. he has been on hunger strike for the last 95 days. al jazeera rejects all charges and continues to demand the immediate release of its staff. at least four people have been killed in a suspected suicide attack in pakistan's largest city. it happened in the southern

city. 30 others were injured this government officials were apparently the target. kamala harris sends us this update. >> reporter: a deadly attack outside of a mosque in the port city, cost at least four lives and wounded another 30. the explosives were said to have been planted on a motorcycle. however, no one has yet taken responsibility for this attack. this happens less than 24 hours after a senior police officer, was targeted by a suicide bomber just outside his home and comes at a time when the taliban in pakistan has said that it will no longer continue with the ceasefire.

the government insists that the talks with the taliban will continue despite the ups and downs. officials in charge of the city's prisons are becoming increasingly worried about the number of jailbreaks. taliban and al-qaeda linked fighters have freed hundreds of inmates across pakistan in recent months. our correspondent takes a look at what the main prison is doing to protect herself from becoming the next target. >> reporter: the new arrivals at pakistan's oldest and largest prison. anyone from petty criminals to corrupt politicians are held here, so too are taliban and al-qaeda fighters. the jail was established in 1899, but over the past year, it has been on high alert, groups which have claimed responsibility for a series of jailbreaks in other parts of the country have threatened to attack the facility.

all taliban and alchi day-related prison breaks follow the same pattern. suicide bomber blast through the greats, follow-up fighters kill any remaining guards, and then free prisoners. the 115-year old jail is still in need of major modernization. most inmates are held in the original barrack-style cells, and guards rely on outdated equipment. this is the inspector general of prisons, he says he is confident the facility is secure. >> we are very [ inaudible ] because we always take outside threat very seriously. that's why we have geared up number of security measures, which is -- the deployment of different forces as well. >> reporter: the central jail is

in the heart of the mega city which has a population of 20 million. in recent years the taliban and al-qaeda linked group have increases their influence over the capitol, which is why so many members are being held here. >> translator: this prison is at double its capacity. security forces are carrying out an ongoing operation here arresting many people, including the taliban. >> reporter: threats coming in which have always too often been a reality. now over to steph who has the weather, and you are going to take us over the border into afghanistan. >> that's right. and the weather there hasn't been very good over the last month. we can see the area of cloud

working its way across. and to kaboul this is the wettest month of the year. we have seen rain and thunderstorms for 15 days of this month so far. but we have had this area of cloud here that has worked its away cross. the heaviest downpours have been in the north of the country, and that's why -- where we have a problem with flooding. the system will move to the east and things will calm down, it will get a lot warmer, though. now over to the u.s. where we have severe weather as well. but here the weather is not calming down. the recent batch has been out of this. that's what has brought very large hail and also damaging winds as well. but that one is moving away towards the east and by the time we get to saturday there is just really this area of cloud across eastern parts of canada.

behind it, you might think it looks fine and dry, but things are going to change as we head through saturday afternoon and into sunday. then we'll have a lot of thunderstorms develop, and many are likely to be severe. with hail, damaging winds, and maybe a tornado as well. the u.s. president has blamed israel and the palestinians for the recent breakdowns in peace talks. he said neither side had the political will to make the tough decision ls needed. he was speaking at a press conference in seoul, and even suggested that a pause in negotiations might be good. palestinian authorities agreed to form a unity go with hamas. >> the fact that most recently president aboss took the unhelpful step of rejoining

talks with hamas, you know, it's just one of a series of choices that both the israelis and palestinians have taken that have not help resolve this difficulty. you know, there may come a point in which there just needs to be a pause and both sides need to look at the alternatives. >> despite the announcement from israel, the u.s. says it still has not given up on peace. rosiland jordan has more from washington. >> reporter: back and fort from the u.s. to the middle east, secretary of state john kerry tried to help the israelis and palestinians cut a deal on

peace, but kerry says the matter is out of his hands for now. >> if they are not willing to make the compromises necessary, it becomes very elusive. >> i think that what has happened is a great reverse for peace. as long as i'm prime minister of israel, i will never negotiate with a palestinian government backed by terrorist organization committed to our destruction. >> reporter: the israelis also accused the palestinians of rejecting the u.s.'s proposal. and blamed the president for refusing to even talk about recognizing the state of israel. hamas and fattah leaders insist they are sticking to their plan. >> translator: we say that with national will, god willing, that

we will hold steadfastly and try to overcome these threats. >> translator: we truly hope that the americans understand that the unity of the palestinian people is sacred for us. >> reporter: some analysts say the u.s. should look at why its efforts to broker peace have failed. >> this morning obama seemed pretty pessimistic about the prospects of more negotiations. is this at odds with kerry's seeming determination to push on with the process? >> actually, laura, i don't think it is at odds with what secretary of state kerry said on thursday. there has been this growing sense that no matter how much time, money and effort is put into trying to broker these talks between the israelis and the palestinians, there is a realization neither side has

actually been able to essential i will ignore their domestic political concerns and make incredibly difficult concessions. many people will argue that the u.s. is at much at fault in this situation as are the palestinians and israelis, by not publicly pushing especially the israelis to make these difficult choices. however, what you hear from the president is the sense that you can only put so much time and energy into something and simply ignore the facts on the ground, which is that neither side is willing to actually do what is necessary to agree on some sort of framework for continuing these talks and for the other point of actually trying to deal in some way with the fact that hamas does exist, and hamas does represent about half of the palestinians in the occupied

territory. so unless and until there's an agreement on all sides on how to deal with these very politically difficult issues, it's basically a concession by president obama that for now, perhaps the administration is backing away. >> there is so much appetite there in washington for the administration to refocus on other foreign policy challenges. >> well the administration will argue that it has the responsibility to multi-task, it can't ignore what is happening inside iran just because of the ongoing political tensions surrounding ukraine. they always will argue there is never an either/or situation. however, given that multiple generations of u.s. presidents have tried to deal with the question of a two-state

resolution for the mideast conflict, and have yet to actually come through with a solution, really does beg the question is now president obama administration simply going to be the latest one to have to make a good faith effort and then have to walk away not having achieved its goal. it's one of those situations where they still have about two and a half years in office, but i think there is a growing realization that they have to simply say, we can't do anything given the current political and legal strengths surrounding these negotiations. >> thanks very much. still ahead discontent on the streets of tehran. plus a controversial film that has new york's muslim

worshippers fearing a backlash, and in sport the pacers are outrun in the nba playoffs. andy will be here with that story. ♪ vé

♪ hello again, welcome back to the news hour. our top stories. ukraine's military says a helicopter has been blown up after being hit by rocket fire. the military has mounted a second phase in an aggressive operation to regain control of a besieged city.

barack obama says north korea will be isolated even further if it carries out a nuclear test. and at least four people have been killed 30 others injured in a suspected suicide attack in pakistan's largest city. that hand near a mosque in the city. government vehicles there the area were the paper rent target. now returning to the crisis in ukraine, and tension in the east is threatening stability. the self declared land lock state between ukraine and moldova has been trying to form its soviet roots for years and reunite with russia. >> reporter: the regimen proudly describe themselves as the army of christ. they played a decisive role in the civil war when the state

broke away more than two decades ago. today they are prepared to defending a country as yet unrecognized. >> translator: we raise our young people in the spirit of patriotism, loose for the motherland so we grow up as defendingers of the land. >> reporter: the president insisted his country's future lay in moscow's orbit. >> translator: it indicates what could possibly be the start of a civil war when brother attacks brother. moldova and kiev moving towards europe. here we are moving in completely the opposite direction. we respect their choice but stability's sake and for the long term strategy of resolving conflict, we must respect the people who live here. >> reporter: outside the russian

embassy, fall long queues of people every morning to get a passport. they feel it's the key that will unlock jobs and the future for them. what happens here next is very much in moscow's hands. will they recognize its as an independent state or will president putin issue a decree and make it part of the russian federation. work crews were outin force preparing for the 70th anniversary of their liberation from german and romanian occupation. they have always seen a threat from the west and salvation from the east. the price of petro in iran has jumped over night. it's part of a president lead by the president to try to cut government spending and reduce subsidies on a rangeover goods.

caroline has more. irans have some of the cheapest oil in the world. but the price went up from 12 to 20 corrects a liter. >> translator: they should give the gasoline subsidies to us, the taxicab drivers. >> reporter: the iranian government still has a far bigger bill to pay. at the moment most iranians can apply for these handouts. the president has tried to persuade people to go without the $14 a month by appealing to the wealthy on state tv. but on wednesday 95% of the people said they still need the money. the economy has been hit hard because of sanctions over iran's nuclear plans. inflation went to almost 40%

last year. people are likely to feel a pinch with higher petrol prices, and they say they are not prepared to give up the aids they have come to rely on. joining us from dubai is the director of an oil and gas company with extense rif drilling operations in the middle east. thank you for being with us. why does iran need to make these cuts and how desperate is the situation? >> nice to be with you. unfortunately years of mismanagement of the iranian economy, coupled with sanctions have brought iran to the precipus now. and the president needs to have reform. >> so he has managed to raise the price of gas, but not managed to cut back on the aid handouts, is this going to be enough of a change for the

economy? >> the first phase that was implemented in february didn't go very well, he phased some of the cash handouts by giving people food handouts -- food cards, essentially. this time around it's across the board subsidy reform by weaning off people from very cheap oil prices -- very cheap petrol prices. he has to do that in order to pay the government's tab. the coffers are very low but hit hard by sanctions. and iran's chief source of revenue is exporting of oil. >> he may have to do that. he may have no other option, but do iranian's see it as a necessary evil? >> i think the iranians know that years of mismanagement has brought them to this point. they are definitely very upset. the average iranian doesn't make

much to live on, and therefore having the price of gas go up 60, 70% will hit them hard. so it's going to be very unpopular, but it's a necessary pain they have to endure unfortunately. >> can we all expect the situation in iran to improve as it starts coming in, as it appears to be doing so, from the cold? >> well, there's long term structural issues that need to be addressed. first of all iran has to sell its oil back on the free market without the imposition of sanctions. that will increase its revenue as sanctions are gradually lifted. the iranian economy will improve, and hopefully inflation will be tamed. but there's a long way to go until that happens. >> thank you very much for joining us. there has been another setback for mountaineers wanting

to climb the world's highest mountain in nepal. sherpa mountain guides have been on strike demanding more money and better conditions. 13 of their colleagues were killed during an avalanche last week. here is more from kathmandu. >> reporter: the world's tallest peak is off limits this season. 13 sherpa mountain guides were killed a week on everest, so the question being posed now is what happens next to those that directly and indirectly depend on everest and tourism? the sherpas have made their decision. they will not work until financial protection for them and their families is in place. if the sherpa's won't guide the mountaineers to the top, everest is essential i will closed. teams at base camp are packing their bags and returning home.

while foreign climbers lament their misfortune this year, they do sympathize with the sherpas, they have been given an extension of five years to compensate the thousands they have spent on getting to everest. the con see kwenlss of closing down everest will not be known for sometime. how far and wide this move effects the country will probably be calculated in the coming months. but the immediate effects will impact the sherpa community who depend on this small window of opportunity to survive for the rest of the year. the pipelines and infrastructure are under constant threat of attack, and losses run into the millions

imran khan reports. these men are responsible for keeping the oil flowing, they are the iraq oil police. the commandinger here briefs his charges. here and across iraq, they mounth defensive operations as well as intelligence gathering on potential threats. it's a dangerous job. this poster commemorates those who died in the line of duty from this unit alone. the iraq oil police were formed in 2007. after the american invasion in 2003, iraq's energy infrastructure was in chaos. gangs would smuggle oil from pipelines such as this and sell it on to foreign countries. that has come to an end now, but the kinds of threats that the iraqi oil police face now have become much more dangerous. the oil pipelines facilities are attacked on a weekly bases.

the oil police essentially controlled from the oil and defense ministry from bagdad. the brigadier general in charge is well aware of the threats his force faces and says they need more help. >> translator: we are facing a fierce assault, especially during 2013 and going through this year. the enemy considers oil as weapon in this open war, so the enemy strategy is to bomb and attack facilities. i continue to ask for more weaponry and more vehicles, but so far none have been received. >> reporter: looking to the future, iraq knows that energy security is important, which is why it's one of the big issues during the election campaign. all political parties are aware that securing iraq's future depends on securing its oil pipelines. violent clashes have erupted

between the police and civilance in rio dejannero. the former mobile phone giant nokia has stopped producing mobile phones. it sold its mobile devices division to microsoft. it is expected to focus on other areas. the september 11th, memorial museum in new york will open in just a few week's time. but a film will be shown called the rise of al-qaeda. some of manhattan muse limbs are worried it will lead to a backlash. >> reporter: muslims are too worried to talk too much. [ inaudible ] has resigned from

an advisory board on the museum. he is concerned about how a 6:30 film describes al-qaeda and its relation from islam. they are worried about backlash to the film. >> this is a group of religious leader who are directly impacted by 9/11. they are not naive or idealistic, and they come from a variety of perspectives, but everyone thought the film fell short, and that it presented risks to an audience that is supposed to being educated about the 9/11 story line. >> reporter: the film is called "the rise of al-qaeda." critics who did see it say it theed not do enough distinguish

between the radicals to the rest of muslims. the museum which opens in just a few week's time here bills itself as an end -- educate center. but museum officials refuse to make changes, speaking exclusively to al jazeera, they say the film buzz exhaustively vetted. >> we are using the words that are used to describe this particular stream of thinking and action within the broader muslim community. >> reporter: nevertheless critics fear that is exactly how the film will be seen, and the cohorus of objection from musli groups is growing. australians and new

zealanders have gathered to remember thousands of australian new zealand soldiers who were killed in a battle. australia has some of the strictest rules on tobacco. a number of countries are raising complaints with the world trade organization. >> reporter: there are cigarette factories in australia, but since december 2012 all cigarettes made have to come in packages that the australian government controls. but this applies to imports too. what it means in practice is that cigarettes come in packaging like this, grab coloring, pictures it chooses, the brand name relegated at the bottom. what cuba and the dominican republic say is their products

are disadvantaged, and that is against world trade organization rules. three other countries are also bringing case against australia, indonesia, your next question, and honduras. now these cases, or their appeals can drag on for years, and some in australia's government say that is really what this is all about. australia's tobacco market is pretty tiny, but if other countries follow australia's lead, that could have a huge impact on tobacco exporting countries, if there can be some uncertainty as to whether this falls within world trade organization rules, other countries might be put upbringing in similar rules.

in sport, we'll be hearing from the man tasked taking on one of football's biggest jobs.

♪ oil and gas still dominate the world's energy supply, but the sun's power is becoming increasingly popular. it has been almost 60 years since the first solar power cell was created.

rob reynolds has more. >> reporter: another solar panel goes up on a roof ton in los angeles. l.a. is the number one u.s. city for solar energy. officials want 20% of the city's electricity to come from the sun by 2020, and california is committed to having a million solar roof tops by 2016. as california goes, so goes the world. solar power is at least really taking off says the head of europe's leading solar energy research institute. >> translator: it's in a very good state today because costs have come down so much. >> reporter: the sun has been the principal source of energy for 3.5 billion years, but it was only 60 years ago that people figured out how to turn sunlight into electricity.

in a 1950s news reel, bell lab announced the first photovoltaic cell. >> men have at least harnessed the power of the sun. >> reporter: the reflewables 100 policy institute through itself 60 birthday party last week. >> this is one of the biggest break throughs in the history of human energy technology, and it is the cornerstone of what is going to help us move forward to a safer cleaner more secure world. >> reporter: 90-year-old physicist was the last living member of the team that achieved the solar energy break through. >> it the beginning it was very difficult. you had to educate the public to what can this do? and nobody ever heard about this device. >> reporter: the power of the sun together with wind and other renewable sources may be the key

to controlling climate change caused by industrialization. but experts say solar power development must be speeded up. >> 10% solar coverage, we need 10,000 [ inaudible ] and at the moment we are installing 50 [ inaudible ] per year. >> indeed, man has at least dipped his hand into the sun and drawn down a spark to warm the hearts of men. >> reporter: solar energy is all grown up, but still has a long way to go. rob reynolds, al jazeera, california. and now let's get all of the latest sport. >> ryan gates says he hopes to bring passion and imagination back to manchester united football. he has been speaking publicly for the first time since stepping in as manager. he is to take charge for the final four gamesover the season. he has been at the club for his

entire player career. >> it has just within a whirlwind week for me, but one i have enjoyed and one that has -- has been different, has been chaotic. i'm just getting a little taste -- i mean it's my fourth day on the job, and it's -- you can never imagine what you have to do, and the things that entail becoming a manchester united manager. i want the players to play with speed, tempo, be brave, imagination, all of the things i expect of a manchester united player, work lard -- hard but most of ul enjoy it. villanova has been fighting throat cancer since 2011.

the 45-year-old was forced to step down last year. he lead the team to the league title during his one season in charge. the newly elected president of africa's most successful football club has spoken of his hopes of the club in egypt. domestically games are still being played behind closed doors due to security concerns. >> translator: for sure, the absence of supporters and uncertainty with the league and the country has had a big effect. i hope this will change. we have started talking with the football association and the other clubs. we want our league to be run as they are in europe and most of the world. michael phelps says he has yet to decide to complete in the next olympics.

this event in arizona saw him coming up against a 20-month retirement. phelps finished a close second behind his fellow american. phelps will compete in the 50 meter free style later this friday, and says the support he has had so far has been overwhelming. >> i'm having fun. and i really do mean that. there's nothing like being able to come here and swimming in front of packed stands where they are cheering us on, and helping us get into the race. and being back in the with ryan is fun. in rugby, the brunbyes played in a grand final rematch. they really took over in the second half. producing that flying effort for

the australian side. more points called on in the same corner. the bunbies went on to win 41-23. the atlanta hawks have taken a 2-1 series lead in the nba playoff series with top seeded pacers. the pacers struggling to regain the form they showed for so much of the regular season. 98-95 the final. game four is saturday in atlanta. >> it's a great position to be in. we have more home games coming, which is great, but i mean i -- every game in the playoffs it's all monster. the boston bruins have put the red wings on the brink of nhl playoff elimination. the bruins had a 3-2 victory in

a 3-1 series lead. the minnesota wild have leveled their series at 2-2, beating the colorado avalanche in the western conference. spurgeon and coyle each scoring once. the l.a. kings have avoided first round elimination, recording a 6-3 victory over the san jose sharks. the kings trail that series 3-1. plenty more, of course on our website. you can check that out, aljazeera.com/sport. also details on how to get in touch with our team on twitter and facebook. more sport for me later on. but that's it for us now. >> do stay with us here on al jazeera, because i'll be back with another full half hour bulletin of news.

>> on the next talk to al jazeera >> oscar winner sean penn shares his views on privacy rights, press freedom and his controversial relationship with hugo chavez >> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america

russia's military escalates tensions further with military exercises dangerously close to ukraine. the old kgb boss of putin joins us next. the fbi accused of forcing muslims to spy on their communities using the no fly list. the fda clamps down on e-cigarettes. an nfl cheerleader is switching sides in a legal fight. welcome to "consider this." here's more on what's ahead.