this is al jazeera america. i am thomas drayton in new york. closer to iraq, the violence grows. the iraqi army says it is making gains against the opposition. de voters in afghanistan risked lives to cast their ballots in the run-off election. dozens are dead after a military transport is sot down in eastern ukraine. the certainlying intention

5sefies for three teenaged settlers in the occupied west bank thought to be kidnapped by palestinian fighters. one of the missing is an american. good to have you with us. we begin with the latest on the turmoil in rash. the iraqi military saidicited holding back the advance of sunni rebels on the capitol of baghdad. the pentagon sent an aircraft air year to the gulf where it will await possible orders from military intervention. several cities across northwestern iraq are under rebel control. the groups have set their sights on baghdad. rebel fighters have managed to get only within about 50 miles of the city. imran khan is on the ground in baghdad with the latest. >> reporter: nouri al maliki has gone on the offensive. on friday, he was in the city of samora where he delivered a message to all iraqis.

>> i seriously and firmly say by the name of god, even if other heads were turned into bombs or our bodies were for vehicles to move on, we will not stop fighting them. let them not to be deluded. >> the prime minister also declared through a statement on his website that the cabinet has granted him unlimited powers to deal with the sunni rebellion. some consider it unconstitutional but his allies are showing public support for his policies. the iranian president says iran is willing to help if asked. >> if the iraqi government seeks assistance from us, we will review it though there has been no request for help so far, we are ready to provide them with the help with an international law and upon the formal request of the iraqi nation and the government. >> not all are in support of prime minister nouri al maliki. the association of muslim scholars has released a statement. no statement, they say that the sunni rebels have the right to

march on baghdad and seek regime change. however, they say that they must respect, the sunni rebels must respect, the holy shrines and not attack them. >> over in diala province, sunni rebels have captured the town. they mounted the offensive from here. iraq's air force has launched more air strikes. this time in salahadin provinces. the army said it's killed hundreds of fighters. however, there is no way to independently verify those claims. imran khan, al jazeera, baghdad. >> neighboring iran has close political ties since the ousting of saddam hussein in 2003. today's president suggested the possibility of joint cooperation between the u.s. and iran if the american government decides to intervene. >> if we see that the u.s.

engages in an operation, one can think about cooperation, we have not seen that the u.s. is doing anything. >> rhouani said thee of thit wa requested any assistance. >> questions raised about possible u.s. intervention. on friday, president obama insisted he would not send u.s. troops back to iraq. randall pinkston is joining us from washington. good to see you again, randall. with respect to the u.s. military options in iraq, what does it mean that the carrier is being deployed? >> well, thomas, first of all, that deployment is certainly a powerful symbol of the potential of america's military power to the extent that military power can solve the problem. as a practical matter, the carrier and two other naval vessels will give the president enhanced options should he decide to order any kind of military strike. taking a look at the uss george h.w. bu bush, it is nuclear powered. it has 6,000 crew action a floating military command center. it can launch jets and

surveillance aircraft and rescue helicopters for missions over iraq. we should note that the uss bush has been part of a demonstration for the use of carrier based drones. last year, the bush was the first ship at sea to launch and land a drone. but we emphasize that these were tests of unmanned aircraft. we have not been able to reach navy officials to find out if, in fact, they have put drones into operation at sea. the other two ships being deployed to the arabian gulf are the guided missile cruiser philippine c and the guided missile destroyer truxton, both the philippine c and the truckston are equipped with tomhawks capable of hitting stationary or move target did on land. the 35,000 troops. but to repeat, the official reason for the deployment is to protect american lives and

interest in iraq, so far, no announcements of any military strikes being directed against isil. thomas? >> very important to point out. you've got to wonder, though, how is the legacy of the iraq war, which president obama promised to end affecting how he responds this time around. >> reporter: one can only imagine that the president certainly thought he was done with the iraq war when the last american combat troops were pulled out some three years ago. the president does say he does not intend to do a 180. he does not intend to send more u.s. troops into combat. he and even his critics say that there should not be any american boots on the ground, that america has already given extraordinarily -- sacrificed, made extraordinary sacrifices to give iraqis a chance to determine their own future. the president says he wants to help the iraqi security forces but he is imposing requirements for iraqi's prime minister and other iraqi leaders.

>> unfortunately, iraqi's leaders have been unable to overcome too often the mistrust and sectarian differences that had long been simmering there so any action that we may take to provide assistance to iraqi security forces has to be joined by a serious and sincere effort by iraq's leaders to set aside sidtarian differences, to promote stability and account for legitimate interests of all of iraq's communities. >> the majority shiia must have some 40 of power sharing with the minority sunni and, of course, the kurds. thomas? >> president weighing all options. randall pinkston in washington. randall, thank you. earlier, i spoke with jamie terebet, the baghdad bureau chief. i asked her what's the evened goal for the sunni-led rebels? >> when you look at the people involved, someone like ibrahim,p

who was a member of saddam's officer, you know, army and was on the run and never captured by american troops. these are the guys secretary donald rumsfeld were the dead-enders, the last remnants of this regime. they are coming back. they have their eye on maliki. everyone in that government has been making it difficult to be a sunni in iraq today. >> this doesn't bode well for the prime minister in his handling of the situation when we see military forces take off their uniform and flee. >> absolutely. the idea that the prime minister of a country has to does for his citizens to volunteer to take up arms because his own forces that billions of dollars went in to, to train and equip, they walked away. what does it say goabout a government? with a does it say about his leadership that he has to rely on his ordinary citizens to

fight because his army refuses to. >> terebet said the rebel groups are well funded taxing civilians for providing security. we invite you to stay with al jazeera for corporate grouping coverage of the crisis in iraq. we will have updates throughout the day. tonight, we will take a velook the forces involved in iraq at 8:00 p.m. eastern on al jazeera america. a car bomb attack in a syrian town has left eight people dead. it happened about 40 miles from iraq. the oil-rich area has seen heavy fighting among rebel faxes and opposition fighters. ukrainian army is launching airstrikes against pro-russian separatists in the eastern part of the country after they were delivered a mainly blow by opposition fighters who shot down a military transport plane. all 49 people on board were killed. ays kim vinnell has the story from luhansk.

>> it is an il-76 military transport plain. they have kern's 149 people were killed, military personnel as they came if to rotate troops out from the airport. the airport in luhansk is the last major site in the control of or controlled by the ukrainian army, checkpoints are controlled by separatists. what we have seen today is the ukrainian army moving. we have seen airstrikes outside luhansk targeting checkpoints, ukrainian ground troops move in. we are hearing they may now have control here we have seen the ukrainian military move forcefully taking over maripol yesterday pushing toward the bord border. the government he said was in the control of separatists.

>> kim vinnell in luhansk. more than 150 attacks grass afghanistan. dozens were killed. about 7 million people we want to vote, a turn out of about 60%. already, allegations ofly fraud have surfaced. this report. voters began queueing in kabul. they could twiss two a world economist or abdullah abdullah a former foreign minister but for jamil doni is. h, it is about much more than choosing the country's next leader. >> as an afghan, i could see that this is the second leanly it mat leader we have experienced in the history of the country. and we hope and all after gangs hope that we would have a bigger democracy. >> before the polls open, the attacks begin, first, rockets were fired at the capitol,

kabul. fighting broke out in a number of provinces. several were injured. there were some reported deaths. by the time the polls closed, 150 attacks across the country were reported, 160,000 military and para military forces were deployed to keep voters safe. according to the interior minister, managed to deflect most of the violence. despite this, many people chose to stay home. >> security forces say they have learned from the first round and have more checks and restrictions in place. the lower than expected turnout is more to do with security. >> a record number of voters turned out for the first round in april. but people weren't just choosing a president. they were also electing provincial leaders. >> that's not the case this time t seems many stayed away from the second round bays the choice for president is seen as having a limited impact on their lives. still, others were determined to

vote. >> in order to have democracy action we have to make sacrifice the yes, there is violence but people need to know their vote matters. we as a country have to choose a country who will serve us and solve our problems. >> problems put into sharp focus in an election marched by violence. . >> mark jacobson is a senior advisor with thestr trueman project. he spoke to us about the significance of today's election. >> you have had two successful elections. the first round. looks like the second round has gone well despite some violence. from the outset, you will have the new president who will have to prosecute the war, deal with the economic situation andhome bring the taliban to the peace table. >> both candidates have said that they would sign the bilateral security agreement, which is the last step in securing these 9800 u.s. troops

and probably several thousand non-u.s. groups in afghanistan to train and advice the ansf. what i think will be the challenge creating a sustainable afghan security force, not just one effective on the battlefield but one that can be supported financially from the afghan government. >> target, that goal is probably still at least a decade out. it has been two days since jewish teenagers went on a hike. the israeli government is holding the palled stenian authority responsible. palestinians havedined any involvement. they have just outside hebron. emma haywood has more. >> across the occupied west bank, the israeli military certainlying for three teenagers missing since thursday. as time passes, concern is deepening for their welfare. so, too, is the intensity of the

military operations to find them. the israeli prime minister firmly believes they were taken against their will. >> because of the nature of the situation, i cannot say what we know, not at this moment. i can say the following: title agers were kidnapped by a terror organization with all certainty. there was no doubt about it. they were kidnapped by a terrorist organization organization. >> it's not clear who has taken the two 16-year-olds and 19-year-old. there have been several arrested made, though. they disappeared close to an israeli settlement where they were studying. israel has insisted that the palestinian president must do everything to help bring the three back. but the denied it has a part to play and, instead, high lighted the wider conflict. a government spokespan said: why is this the fault of the palestinian authority in we have

nothing to do with this issue if a natural disaster hits israel, would we be responsible? this is the first serious incident to test relations between israel and the newly formed palestinian government which includes hamas. a speedy release of the teenagers may prevent any possible crisis from escalating. emmahaywood, al jazeera. >> dimping toxic sludge on native american lands. coming up on al jazeera america, a new development that has a new york tribe claiming victory. how life in the iraqi capitol has changed after the latest round of violence violence

president obama delivered a commencement address at the

university of california in irvine today. he took time in his speech to bring up the issue of climate change, blasting republicans for not doing more and urging graduating college students to take on global warming as a cause. >> today's congress is full of folks who stubbornly reject the sementific evidence about climate change. they will tell you it is a hoax or a fad. one member of congress actually says the world is cooling. you have to remind everyone who represents you at every level of government is a prerequisite of your boat. >> he announced a billion dollars to rebuild and protect against natural drafters. >> after a 30-year fight, a native american fight in new york state is celebrating a small victory. ford motor company] used part of their land to dutch toxic paint sludge. part of the land has been

reclaimed. >> in the mountains of new york, a healing of the earth. the tribe has called these mountains home for thousands of years. they have been fighting for decades to have thousands of tongs of pollution cleaned up by one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world. from 1955 to 1980, ford motor company] built more than 6 million cars at its plant in in general. with large scale production came large scale pollution in the 1960s and 70s, ford dumped millions of gallons of sludge containing arsnic and led. we pushed ford motor company] hard after many years of working back and forth, they did finally, agree to come in and to remediate this site. >> ford motor company] paid more than $15 million to remove 42,000 tons of toxic soil from this site alone. now the tribe wants ford to use this as a model for how it removes the rest of the toxic

paint sludge. >> ford has agreed in word only at this point. we know about their words. we've got to make those roads come real. they have agreed to a medicine garden at every site that gets completely remediated. ford tells al jazeera it has no plans to build other medicine gardens but that it has been working cooperatively with the federal epa to develop a final remediation plan for the upper site. the largest dump site is not yet underway. the tribe fears time is running out. many of its members have cancer and other health problems they a attribute to the toxic sludge. >> in rimwood, in general, i would say we have lost 30% of our elders, the compressions has robbed us of our elders which is robbing us of our culture. if you have no one to hair it with, it dies out. >> the tribe is now pushing for a comprehensive health stud.

>> i don't think new york state department of health has been stepping up to the table to deal with this. we think, cat borrow eyes the effect on the population even generations since their initial deposits of really toxic material here with this paint sludge. >> the rimapo say healing can't begin until ford takes responsibility. >> ford can never make enough money to give back what it has cost us. we have lot a lot. family members and that's the they're priceless. >> the tribe says it continues to pay a heavy price for ford's pollution. ♪ you know who you are. ♪ kaelyn forde, al jazeera, hillburn, new york. >> the u.s. is holding more than 2 million people behind bars. statistics show an avenue three out of 4 convicts return to prison within 5 years.

one program in seattle is giving women the support they need to get out of prison and stay out. alan schau fler reports. >> brandy rotter, ending a fi5 year sentence, the barbed wire part of the scenery. the prospect of freedom, frightened. >> who wouldn't be nervous? i have been in here. this is what i know right now. >> she has an e-mail pen pal on the outside, chris anderson, part of a program linking prisoners with volunteer meantors to smooth the transition. anderson and others commit to two years of contact starting a year before the inmate's scheduled release. >> she is young enough to be able to turn the page and start all over and old enough to know what she wants to do. >> the mentoring is poart of a broader practical, the if project created by seattle police detective kim nobuki. creative writing sessions and more. the most recent federal

statistics date to the 1990s. of the women who walk out of prison action more than a third will be back within a year. by three years, the late is nearly 50%. i think we spend millions of dollars keeping people locked up and we don't always go after some sustainable solutions. and i think the solutions lie in the people that are locked up. >> everybody always tells you, you know, you are not nothing pretty much. you are just a felon and you are never going to amount to nothing. >> this relationship is the opposite. they have traded e-mails all monitored by corrections officers almost daily for eight months writing about dealing with the system, looking for work, education. and anderson visits the prison once a week, helping rudder plan her future. >> i missed you, too. >> the outsider and the inmate, each helping the other. >> when was the last person that you had in your life who played a similar role who helped you this way? >> nobody.

i can honestly say, nobody. so, she's great. >> i have learned a lot about what happens to people in that system, and it's helped me to feel more compassion and more empathy for people in all kinds of different situations. >> yeah. >> while brandy rudder may be nervous about life outside, she also has new confidence in herself. >> i have no doubt whatsoever, i want to go to school. i want to have a clean and sober life. i want to live on my own. there is so much i want to do, and i don't think i would have had that without this. >> 25 inmates here are connected with mentors now, with plans for another 25 next year. alan schauffler at the washington collections center for women. >> a programming note for you. this week's episode of "the

system" with joe berlinger takes a look at the parole system here on al jazeera america. watching and waiting, straight ahead on al jazeera, how residents in baghdad are reacting to a rebel offensive pressing towards their city. how hot is too hot? world cup soccer played in the humidity of the amazon rain forest. >> some prisoners try to get it right >> i'm trying to go to school and get a nice job >> you're only 22, you can turn this around... >> and some just don't >> he actually told people in the halfway house, that he was amazed that they had given him parole >> the system with joe burlinger only on al jazeera america

on aljazeera america starts off at 7 with fault lines hard hitting...

truth seeking... award winning investigative journalism >> we're going to be taken to a place where they're going to make plan for an attack... >> at 7:30 it's techknow where science and technology meets hope and opportunity >> this could go in a human body? >> exactaly >> and at 8, primetime news. award winning journalists report from here at home and around the world. only on al jazeera america welcome back to al jazeera america. let's get you caught up on the top stories we are following right now. the skraivenian army is law firming air strikes against separatists in the east. it comes after opposition fighters shot down a military transport plane early today in luhansk. all 49 people on board were killed. polls are killed in afghanistan's presidential run-offee elections. dozens of people were killed in taliban attacks aimed at intimidating voters. this election will be the first time pour in afghanistan has

been democratically transferred. a precautionary move as the u.s. weighs option in response to the violence in iraq. iraqi military continues to fight back against advancing sunni rebels. several cities across northwestern iraq are under rebel control. so far the violence in iraq has not reached baghdad. officials have stepped up security afternoon the capitol as a precaution. to the streets of baghdad about their concerns. >> >> abahi is 63 years old and retired. he has eight grandchildren. he says the security crisis in iraq caused by the sunni rebellion makes him nervous. our psyche logical conditions are bad. we wash the news all the time and we hear a lot of rumors. we hear fighters progress and retreat. i don't know what to do. we feel trapped.

we worry about the arbitrary arrests, displacement. we don't know what our fate will be. >> a quick look around on the streets and not all shops were opened. a sign, perhaps, of people's anxiety. but there were no immediate signs of increased security and the government is assuring people the capitol is safe. >> life in many parts of baghdad appears to be normal but there is fear that this crisis could renew sectarian violence. >> this marketplace, shoppers were getting on with their daily lives. violence in the rest of the country has increased the prices of food. some items more than doubled. many people hearsay say they are not scared by threats of the members of the islamic state of iraq in the lavant. others worry about the performance of government forces. ? this is not the first time our

province has fallen you would hands of isil. the new problem is that there is a bay trail among the forces that could lead to the cleaves of the state. >> others. >> translator: i don't think isil will come to baghdad. it's impossible. they don't have the ability and power. >> hopes and fears aside, iraqi is facing the biggest crisis since forces are drew if 2011, a crisis that could lead to a civil war. >> we invite you to stay with al jazeera for more coverage of the crisis in iraqi. we will have updates throughout the day. we will take a deeper look at the key players involved. >> that's tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on al jazeera america. >> hundreds of people have frosted against what they call a culture of sexual harassment. today they gathered in cairo. it follows outrage across egypt over a graphic video posted

online showing a woman being sexually assaulted in tahrir square. nadin balao reports. >> taking a stand, protesters gathered in cairo to say no to sexual harassmenharassment. they called the rally walk like an egyptian woman. >> what i am aiming for is to be able to walk on the street as a woman without feeling i am in danger, without feeling all of the looks i am receiving are tailing a part of my body. >> it's a daily reality for all women in egypt. it's a problem we have to face on a daily basis and it's really frustrating, the fact that honestly, men, harassers get away with no kind of, you know, punishment from the government. >> landmark study by the united nations last year showed how serious the issue is. virtually all of the 2000 women survey surveyed, over 99% said they had been subjected to harassment.

nearly half said on a daily basis. 85% of cases, people around the them either didn't notice or did nothing to help. during celebrations following the inauguration of al high school sisi, a 19-year-old woman was assaulted. the video was circulated on the internet, angering many egyptians. in an unusual gesture, the president spoke out, visiting the victim in hospital. >> you ai apologize you and pro as a state we will not accept such incidents will take place in the future. we will stand strong in the face of any harasser. i came here today to tell you and every egyptian woman that i am sorry. >> on paper, they are in place. a law has come into effect that criminalizes sexual harassment. offenders face fines. some people argue much more needs to happen.

>> police, we need proper training to deal with sexual harassment, those kind of situations. they should help implement those laws. >> rights groups blame it on a patriarchal society where women are subordinated. but that's no longer an excuse. they say violence against women simply has to stop. >> rahil raza is the leader of muslims for tomorrow who and she joined us to discuss enforcing laws for women. >> in a country where 9 out of 10 women have been assaulted. there need to be harsher punishments for perpetrators of these crimes. they have been getting away with these assaults. it's a good step to have a law. there has to be justice shown in a way that makes sense and there

has to be a larger plan, long-term plan of education, of changing the ideology of those males for woman women are second-class citizens. >> the territorial dispute over the south china sea is drifting towards the west. china's war ships left for drills in the pacific ocean. chinese easy vessels practiced hit can targets with live ammunition as part of their exercise. two missile frigates and two helicopters were involved. officials say they hope to improve the fighting spirit and high-sea combat capabilities of soldiers. vietnam is calling on the u.s. to get more involved in the dispute with china. both countries have been squaring off over drilling rights in the gas and oil-rich south china sea. tensions escalated last month when china moved an oil rig near the paraseille islands. sups then, high-sea skirmishes have become the normal. going out with the vietnamese coast guard for a firsthand

look. >> reporter: a flot illa gathered. after first light, the order was begin. we were advancing across the sea. just have youible, the rig at the center of the dispute between us and it, a formidable chinese fleet. >> the crew tell us they normally get within about 15 kilometers before the chinese vessel intercept them. before now, they have used water canon, rammed them to stop them getting to the rig. we will wait to see what happens this time. >> this area. >> the prerecorded announcement starts telling the chinese they are not welcome here in three different languages. >> we are being pursued bywin chinese coast guard boat. when the second joins the chase, it is tile to depart. the crew fearing they could be cut off and rammed. >> if we don't out run them, they will ram us. our policy is always peaceful action. if they are too hostile towards us, we have to withdraw. back to a safe distance, the

chase is over for another day. >> we will to do this as ordered. our goal is for a peaceful solution and for the chinese to take back their rate. >> patrol boat 400 three three goes back to weighting for its next order for its next encounter. rob mcbride, al jazeera, in the south china sea. >> this week, the italian coast guard has rescued more than 300 mile grants from troubled sea vessels, the latest in more than 50,000 my grants who arrived in italy this year alone. some politicians say the influx is putting a strain to the economy. al jazeera's report from the were. iache where italian fact rears getting a boost from migrant labor. >> moving forward with their new life. one of hundreds of my grants who have turned the town of riachi to an example of immigration. he collects rubbish for a living using donkeys. to locals, it's an ancient tradition. to him, it's a fresh start.

>> i have been different parts of the country, you know. it's different because the people here, they are very kind. they used to play with everybody. they don't discriminate that you are from africa, from asia, you know, they used to welcome everybody here. >> ruling unemployment forced young people to look for work elsewhere with an aging population, this town seemed destined to disappear. it's mayor decided i am dpraings was the answer. he started a scheme that allowed economic my grants to leave work, study and open their own businesses. >> our parents used to tell us that even the last of lasts are worthwhi worthwhile. so we gave them existing houses that were abandoned by immigrants and they blended in, in the local population. >> the state gives riachi $40 a

day for each person to pay for their basic needs. the mayor says payments often come late. so, he printed out makeshift bills that work as credit for shop keepers until the money arrives. >> these migrants come from every corner of the middle east and africa. about 200 of them now live and work in riachi. >> that's about 25% of the population. >> these locals have seen the town slowly change from an insular society to a multi-cultural one. >> the old residents all left looking for work. thank god they came in to replace them. . >> riachi was bullet 16th century on top of a hill to fight off foreign invaders. now it's outsiders helping it to survive. al jazeera, riace. >> a big weekend for colombia. voters go to the polls on sunday

to pick a president. the run-offly they will have a huge impact on the country's future stability. president santos aims to continue peace talks while the right-wing candidate says negotiations should end. colombia has been at war with the rebel group for over 50 years. when you host the world can you be in brazil some will had been played in a rain forest. two big deals are finding out what it's like as they square off in the amazon. fans are acclimated to the hyatt heat and humidity. it's a matter of time until we see how players from italy and england do. how do players prepare for these kinds of conditions, gabriel? >> well, those players you are talking about from italy and england are in the amazon arena you see behind my. i can tell you for england, they prepared by going to miami

warying training by wearing as much as three layers of clothes and gloves to get ready for this heat. it's 93 degrees farenheit here with extreme humidity as well. italy, they used a special chamber back in italy that simulated the conditions here of the heat and humidity. i can tell you, i do not know who is going to win this match that's going on right now. i won't predict that. but i can tell you those players in there right now are sweating a lot. >> another training day for the nationale ball club, one of the local teams in the city of manous where temperatures in june hover between 30 and 40 degrees celsius with more than 80% humidity. >> it's difficult and we train every day in this heat. the coach knows when opposing out of town players are suffering from the temperatures.

>> they start the game fast and after 30 minutes, players can't take it because the heat jumps on your back. >> all of these players were born and raised here in manous or the amazon region of brazil. they tell me over time thevenl able to adjust and adapt to the pup issuing heat and humidity. >> that's a lus rethat the professional ballers here for the world cup won't have. >> eight teams will play here at the am zonus arena in the group stage games of the world cup. the consequences of the heat on the body of athletes was a subject of research as doctors had local players swallow tiny transmitters with temperature measuring devices during a game. the findings revealed body heat of players reached over 40 degrees celsius. >> scary was how taribio bassos described the results. >> there are argument let's that have more vul nub ability and might suffer nausea, vomiting, did you seeiness and the

neurological damage that could happen is the most worrisome. >> players at the local national real wondering how foreign ballers will cope. >> in europe and other places, the climate is very different than here i don't know how it will affect them. but they will have to deal with it appeared play good football. >> in this city, the only thing that will prove stiffer competition than the opposing players is the thick mugy heat hagnging over them. >> now, the team u.s.a. will be playing here in this very arena on the 22nd of june. u.s.a. will also be facing this extreme heat and humidity. there is noing really to compare it to in the u.s. the temperatures here, the way i could compare it is it's a combination of the heat, perhaps, in phoenix combined with the hugh humidity or more in louisiana. there is no real way for team u.s.a. to completely prepare themselves. they are going to have to deal with the heat and humidity.

it's something else. it's a lot of travel. u.s.a. team is based in sa sao paolo. here in minous, it's a 4 hour flight, the equivalent of new york to denver. they will face all sorts of difficulties in this tournament. they have to play here in minous and hesefe, 2 other cities in brazil that are hot as well. so the u.s.a. team has a lot of work cut out for them. not only having to face opponents such as germany but, also, the conditions. >> we will see how they adapt to the conditions. gabriel alezondo. thank you. let's talk about the we think now. rebecca stevenson joining us. it's that combination, heat and humidity that will hit you hard frpts it does. you can't cool off. the humidity is so high. the moisture in the air doesn't let the moisture on your skin evaporate and cool you off that way. a lot of heat in brazil. as we look at south america, there is a lot of different climates going on here. now, we are talking about how

hot and humid it is in the amazon. if we go to argentina, there are several different climate features in argentina. we are talking about flooding right now. this is in the northwestern portion of the country. a lot of flooding here we have had all kinds of different problems. now, this is a typical area along that northwestern area. it's wetlands, the time of year we see flooding very sfreblth, but it's just so much rainfall coming down with the thunderstorms rolling through. you can see the storm track is mainly focused toward chile. then it picks up over the and easy mountains. if you go farther south to the southern tip of argentina, it's a little dryer, especially on the leeward side of the and easy. in the north, it turns into wetlands, southern brazil has been ferpingsing flooding. but let's talk about the united states because we have flooding problems, too, brought to you by thunderstorms rolling through. they have been getting very active in to the plop states.

most of the rainfall in the last 24 hours has been moving off the east coast. minneapolis, 5-10ths, a half an inch of rainfall in the last 24 hours. here is where the storms are right now d. ne the wind reports will roll in. quite a few strong gusty winds, 50 to 70 miles an hour that you see on the spots of orange. the winds picking up. even albuquerque getting wind gusts to 40 miles an hour. we have issues with dust and wind picking up sand as well. >> can cause significant damage, short gusts of winds. rebecca, thank you. next on al jazeera america, a major health scare for mothers giving birth. why severe blood loss is more concern for women in sfrikdz. fighting back against one of the world's biggest oil companies.

a scomplafrnling. the united nations has marked today as global blood donor day.

blood donations are especially important to women giving birth around the world. according to the world health organization, eight women die every day from childbirth related xlipingsz. severe bleeding is the cause of 31% of math only deaths in asia. it's responsible for 34% of math only deaths in africa. assays anna kabal reports, south sudan has win of the highest maternal death rates in the world. >> if she had attempted to deliver this baby at home fblth she had have died. she suffered massive h hemorrhaging. doctors had to work for hours to stem the blood loss. most mothers in south sudan don't have access to a clinic like this. for many women, becoming a mother is one of the most dangerous things they will ever do. the greatest threat to a new mother's life is blood close. flew clinics are able to store blood for emergencies. this one, if a mother needs a trans fusion, they have to rush

out in the community. in this cause, the catch for internally displaced people to try to find a family member with the same blood type prepared to donate. >> we are trying to increase awareness of the importance of donations. one has been family members are willing to donate blood to these mothers. we are engaging in a sensetization process about the important of giving womblood to women. >> blood reserved for staff has been donated to these mothers. there isn't enough stored blood to meet demand. >> women at this clinic who need blood are brought here where hopefully they will be able to get a trans fusion. there are cultural problems with getting donors in south sudan because most people aren't prepared to give blood to someone who isn't part of that you are family. even if they were, there isn't a facility in the entire country that is capable of storing blood on nularge scale. >> at the teaching hospital,

they have just four fridges in which to store blood for transition. most of the blood here has been donated specifically for people who are planning to have surgery. almost none of it is available for meermingency cases and hospital add miles per hour straight s are calling for a central blood storage facility. >> there should be a national flood trans fusion center. >> center is responsible for conducting the awareness about blood donations checking blood, screening the blood and storing the blood. hospital blood banks will get blood there. >> there is no accurate data [about how many mothers in do you think sudan die giving birth because most deliveries happen out in the bush. out there, there is no one to record fat all the at this or give medical assistance either. russia's second largest oil

company, luke oil is facing protests from rural areas in the north. people are blaming lax safety standards for damage to the environment. chore -- rory chalans reports. >> it's a short season here only a couple of months to prepare for the long, harsh winter, the indigenous komi have lived like this, relining on surroundings for their food. vasulli checked his net he wases for the day's first cash. there isn't much. what there is will go into his family's fish soup tonight. >> from olden times, we have hunt the and finished on our traditional lands. then they arrived. we didn't mind them but if they drill oil, they should respect nature. how are we supposed to fish after they have left? by they, he means russian oil joint luke oil.

it arrived in 1999, attracted by the abundant hydro carbons. the company's presence can be seen everywhere. but its relationship with the komi people isn't as good as the bill board suggests. this is why leaks from rusty pipes often they are discovered by hunters and fishermen in remote locations. for this one, we found just a few kilometers from one of the villages. >> i don't want them to pollute our nature we care about our children. all they think about is money. >> we are not going to go. our parents and grandparents are buried here i will fight to the end of my days. >> 200 people from 13 nearby villages have gathered to protest against the expansion of the oil giant. they say luke oil covers up spills and its efforts to clean up are insufficient. people are desperate to be heard, but no other journalists came. the tipping point for this protest was a new illegal

facility built without the required consultation with komi communities. >> several times, we have asked luke oil for their response to the komi people's complains in the north of russia and here at the oil company's moscow headquarters, but so far, there has been no comment. natural resources remain the backbone of the russian economy and oil production has spread to the country's farthest corners. a few benefit from jobs at the plants, but with environmental damage so commonplace, often indigenous people feel the costs outweigh the gains. rory challands russia. >> a disease killing thousands of trees across the midwest. a new way scientists are trying to save the ones that haven't been infected.

a does heedly bug that comes with summer's heat is attacking

ash trees in the midwest. as andy rose deben explains. >> these trees have been here a long time. >> priscilla walker's ash trees are marked by death for city workers in evanston, illinois. she said the trees are victims of the ash bore and are at risk of fighting down? >> i grew up with the these. >> the flying adult isn't the problem. it's their larvae that borrow. you can see the trail they leave behind. the bug first showed up in michigan in 2003 and reached evanston by 2006. since then, roughly half of the city's 4,000 ash trees have been infected and cut down. one by one, it's likely they will all have to come down. >> on the chem point in time, i don't think there is anyway around that.

>> discan you knowing? >> it is very discouraging. >> by the time they figured out what was killing ash trees in michigan, it was too late for millions of these trees there but it did give other midwest communities a heads-up about what was headed their way. >> a nearby chicago, the fought goes on like a nurse hooking an iv line into a patient, chicago city workers are innoc lathing tens of thousands of ash trees with a liquid called prism age developed about four years ago. it can save these that already have the bores. >> we know that if there is no treatment, the bug will kill all ash trees. so really, inoculations were the decision we made to try to sustain our urban canopy. >> john lough isn't bitter. he says the u.s. has certainly unwittingly 70bugs overseas but ash trees are a tough loss >> the ash tree was very, very useful and an urban tolerant tree.

it was a tree that really survived well in the city. >> chicago is lucky. the city has enough budget money now to rededicate to the fight with triage and plant other varieties of trees. >> evanston, too, will replace ash trees with different trees but like most communities in the midwest, cash-strapped budget did won'tshire for saving the remaining ash trees. >> how frustrating is it seeing your neighbors right there can innoc late these things and keep them? >> that's hard to answer. i mean it is extremely frustrating. i wish i could do more, but like i said, you know, there is no budget for it. >> my brother and sister used to play around here and have fun and everything. >> priscilla sift sure she's got the budget for replacing her own ash trees. a couple of wimpy saplings won't replace the memories. andy rosgen, chicago. >> thousands gather to celebrate the queen's birthday in britain. a military parade saluted the 88-year-old monarch and the

trooping the colors ceremony. more than a thousand soldiers took place. her actual birthday was in april. the holiday has been celebrated in june for more than 200 years. thanks for joining us. i am thomas draton. thanks for watching. >> we are in the farthest north reaches of wisconsin, in america's midwest, 200 miles from the nearest major city. it's home to the chippewa people, native american tribes who've lived here for generations alongside farmers and miners. but today, tourism is among the primary industries. >> right now we are on the coast of lake superior, which is frozen over solid.