here at caltech. be sure to join us next time: dive deep into these stories and go behind the scenes. follow our expert contributors on google, facebook and more. sh in is al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton in new york. let's get you caught up in the top stories. the ricky military says it's holding back the vans of sunni rebels from the capital baghdad. the pentagon is sending an aircraft carrier to the gulf. the israeli army is searching for three teenagers. potential fighters downed a military lane this the east -

separatist fighters are being searched for. squoo good to have you with us. the security situation in iraq is distraug international response. today the u.s. sent an aircraft carrier to the arabian gulf. several cities in the west and north are under rebel control. the iraqi military is attempting to stop rebel advances towards baghdad. neighbouring iran is monitoring the situation and says it's ready to intervene if necessary. rebel fighters managed to get within 50 miles of the capital. imran khan is in baghdad with the latest. >> in the last 24 hours, prime minister nouri al-maliki has gone on the offensive. he was in the city of somaa, a holy site and delivered a message. >> i seriously and firmly say if

our heads or bodies were turned into bombs or vehicles, we will not stop fighting them. >> reporter: the prime minister declared through a statement on the website that cabinet granted him unlimited powers to deal with the sunni rebellion, a decision that some consider unconstitutional. but his allies showed public support for his policies. the iranian president says iran is willing to help if asked. >> translation: if the iraqi government seeks assistance, we will review it. there has been no request for help. we are ready to provide them with help within international law. and upon the form of request of the iraqi government. not all are in support. the influential sunni group, the association of muslim scholars released a statement. in that statement they say that the scoouny rebels -- sunni rebels have the right to march on baghdad and seek regime

change, but they must respect, the sunni rebels, the holy shrines and not attack them. >> reporter: over in dearticlea sunni rebels captured a town of al-abdin mounting it from this town. the iraq airforses launched strikes where it says it hit rebel convoys and hideouts. the army said it killed hundreds of fighters. however, there's no way to independently verify the claims. let's look at the response from the white house. randall pinkston is in washington. has president obama weighed his options - what is america's goal? >> president obama says that he wants the iraq - the momentum of the islamic state of islamic state of iraq and levant to be hamented. the i.s.i.l. managed to overrun a huge section of the country,

including mossual, the second-largest city. fall uma, tikrit and ramadi. it's a stunning defeat since forces are estimated to be 10,000 fighters, more than 50,000 iraqi soldiers, who got out of the uniforms, abandoned the post and equipment, leaving it for the enemy to take. >> what we want is for the iraqi fors to retake the territory. when we talk about actions, one of the things potential action should do is bolster the capabilities that the iraqis provide in space, for them to bring their army back together. and take the political steps to build the climate to do so, that is important as well. throughout the day we heard iraqi officials say they are taking back the territory. at this point it's unclear about the progress they made or can make without u.s. assistance. >> you talk about action.

way does it mean that the u.s. deployed an aircraft carrier. >> initial reason given for the deployment is to protect u.s. interests in iraq as a practical matter, of course, the process of those vessels will give the administration enhanced options should the president decide to order a military strike. the u.s. s "george h.w. bush", with the crew of 6,000 is a command center, launching jets, helicopter, and missions. the other two ships are the gooded muss il cruiser "philippine sea", and guided destroy "trux tonne", both are equipped with toma hawks, long-range missiles capable of hit stationary or moveable targets. in addition to the land-based assets and 35 troops in the middle east, the ships will add options for military action, but

we must stress that the reason for deployment is to protect american lives and interest. >> there are several options on the table. randall pinkston in washington. iran says it will provide support. chris hale is a former ambassador to iraq and says it will be ideal for iraq to handle the situation op its own without international interventionism. >> the last thing we need it that type of interference, we don't want to see the iranians stepping in to help the iraqis. so our hope is that maliki's army can handle this. our hope is that really, sunnis in the western part of iraq will understand that their future is better served by participating in a process in baghdad than in joining with so-called rebel forces. this is part of a broader problem in the middle east. a broader problem that engages

syria as well. it's really high time for middle east leaders to step up and understand that this is not in anyone's interests. we'll have more on the crisis in iraq in a few moments when we take a deeper look, we'll be looked by an iraqi journalist and jim walsh comes up at 8:15. a search has intensify for an american teenager that went missing. he was part of another two teenagers. they were heard from outside of hebron. emma haywood reports. >> reporter: across the occupied west bank the israeli military search for three teenagers missing since thursday. as time passes, concern is deepening for their welfare. so, too, is the intensity of the military operation to find them.

the israeli prime ministerformly believes they were taken against their will. >> because the nature of the situation, i cannot say what we know, not at this moment. i can say the following - our teenagers were kidnapped by a terror organization with all certainliy. there's no doubt about it. they were kidnapped and kidnapped by a terrorist organization. >> it's not clear who has taken the two 16-year-olds and 19-year-old. there have been several arrests made though. they disappeared close to an israeli settlement, where they were studying. israel insisted that the palestine president must do everything to help bring the three back. the palestine government denied it has a part to play and instead highlighted the weeder conflict -- wider conflict. a government spokesman said:

>> reporter: this is the first serious incident to test relations between israel and the newie formed palestine government, including hamas. a speedy release of the teenagers may prevent a possible crisis escalating. at least 49 died on saturday when pro-russian rebels shot down a ukranian transport plane. now the army is launching airstroocks in the east. >> reporter: pro-russian separatists claimed responsibility for an attack on a ukranian military transport debt. all 49 on board for willed. a defense military spokesman said claims were leaked about the plane's attempted landing, will be vetted. ukranian authorities making clear where they believe the weapon to shoot down the plane

came from. >> translation: we are talking about russian weaponry. there are a lot of reports that the weapons have russian roots. we'll have evidence, pictures approving that they are using russian weapons. ukraine's president says those responsible will be brought to justice, and sunday will be a national day of mourning. separatists, meanwhile, are suffering losses. on the road to luhansk, the bodies of three pro-russian fighters trying to avoid a military advance. ukranian sold rers retook one area, launching an air strike before the ground troops moved in. ukranian military are in control, but there was a battle here last night. they are in control of another checkpoint on the other side of the barricades, the river. separatist fighters had been in control. but the ukranian military accept

spiritist fighters to regroup and launch an attack at any time. >> soldiers are on edge. telling this driver that the past would be suicide. those living nearby are afraid of what comes next. >> they were shooting. i know, i heard. it was scary. >> translation: the column of tank passed. a.p.c.s. it's true. we are tired of this. >> reporter: it appears government soldiers are advancing on strongholds in the east. separatists in donetsk took over two base and control a military warehouse. ukrainian troops will have a fight op their hands, should they enter the city. violence marred elections in afghanistan. with more than 150 attacks across the country killing dozens. some voters had ink-stained fingers cut off by the taliban. 7 million went to the polls, a

turn out of 50%. there's been allegations of election fraud. if successful it will demonstrate at democratic transition of power. next who are the men that could run the nation. profiles of the two candidates in 20 minutes. next - a deeper look at the crisis in iraq. no u.s. troops on the ground, but it doesn't mean they won't be involved. temperatures heat up at the world cup. >> right nous we don't -- now we don't call it a big movement. >> film-makers in bangladesh hope for the same success as barclay goodrow. -- bollywood.

joop time to take a deeper look at the situation in iraq. over the last week fighters from islamic state of iraq and levant, or i.s.i.l., seized control of huge parts of northern iraq. the map shows the area in control. we begin with an indepth look

from courtney kealy. >> reporter: fighters from i.s.i.l., islamic state of iraq and levant, seized tonnes of military equipment and hundreds of millions in cash this book when they took mosul, iraq's second-largest city. their sights are set on baghdad. >> this is not a surprise. >> steve cook says the group's roots lie among sunni muslim foreigners coming to syria to fight bashar al-assad's regime, led by shiites. the fighters turned their sites on a she ate- -- shiite-led government - iraq. i sil moved into the anbar province last winter. >> they had been building for some time and are getting to the point where they are ripping the country apart. >> friday's prayers, the highest religious authority, the grabbed ia tolla -- grand ia tolla

issued a statement and called on everiable-bodied iraqi man to fight against i.s.i.l. government forces collapsed. a former u.s. army officer and advisor on iraq says that as the fight moves to baghdad the iraqi army will be able to council on support from shia militias and perhaps the iranian rebel guards. >> the iraqis do not have a semblance of air power. no attack helicopters, no jet fighters. nothing like that to support them. >> reporter: president obama ruled out sending u.s. troops into combat. as the pentagon weighs its option, the aircraft carrier, u.s. s "george h.w. bush", with a large warship, with a crew

6,000 has been moved to the arab gulf. it's believed it's too little, too late. >> clearly the white house ignored iraq. they want to pretend it hasn't existed. it's a problem. iraq is not something the administration wanted to deal with. >> reporter: forwards that the country may fracture long haunted u.s. policy makers. two years after the last american combat troops came home, the u.s. have few options as the country plunges into civil war for the second time in a decade. it's a fluid situation, we are joined by jim walsh, a research associate at mit, and in the studio a former baghdad bureau chief for the "new york times". as we look at the situation, the insurgents, what are we up against? how powerful are the insurgents, ali? >> they are powerful.

they have taken advantage of the resentment by sunnis in iraq by the maliki government and are cooperating with the local insurgents in cities they have taken control of. they are getting stronger than when they first moved in. i think if the retaliation or action against them is going to take longer, they will gain more and more ground. >> they are gaining more grouped. are you surprised by the support they get in mosul? >> to some point, yes. when i talked to friends in mossual. getting feedback from them on the latest developments, i began to understand the big pictures. for the past two years, the people of mosul have been under a lot of pressure from the nouri al-maliki government, and looked

at as suspects. it is their cans to get rid of all of this, feeling that they are the owners or leaders of the city. i'm not saying that the insurgents will give them that. it's the reflection, the first momentary reaction in the first few days. later when they feel the insurgents can implement their own view of syria, it may happen again in mosul. it may change. now they are gaining ground and getting support from the people. jim walsh joins us. how does syria factor into all of this? >> it factors in insofar as what you have is a mobile group of sunni extremists going from one conflict to a second to a third - whichever is promising.

we are seeing them move into iraq and advance forward. i'm a little more course about the prospects of this. they have expanded quickly, they haven't faced resistance. a lot of the troops that shed the uniforms and joined the other side were sunnis. this is a majority shia state. and with the aya tolla calling for mass resistance, it's unlikely that the group will achieve their able toive. it is to -- objective. it is to restore shia shrines. they have enjoyed successes. they got a bunch of money and arms as they expanded. as they expand, it's more territory to cover. i do not expect them to be victorious. i have to say, will they be pushed back? yes. this happening both ill for the

future. >> also both ill for the prime minister. this is a rebellion against the prime minister in how he's handling the situation. you mention the troops, taking off the uniform and fleeing. >> absolutely. this was a huge mistake. you can see why president obama was reluctant to embrace maliki. he played the shia card to hold his political consensus and hold on to power. you sow what you reap, reap what you sow, rather. the fact that they repressed sunni minorities helped to create conditions that allowed the extremists to flourish. they'll be pushed back. the problem is when they do push back, and you have shia militias, it will not be a pretty scene when they retake the cities. this will further feed sectarian violence. this is creating a situation

where this is a sunni shia war. that can be an infectious disease. in the short term they can push back. in the long term it does not look good. >> what does this mean? >> i don't think they'll get to baghdad. it's too much for them. they got the momentum, they got mosul, and it was a huge victory. they moved to parts of kirkuk, they reached the home town of saddam. they haven't been salt get to samara where the shrines are. i don't think they san reach bag dad. it's a difficult story. baghdad has a shia majority. it will be a huge fight. squoo looking at this from

western eyes, why should we sit and take notice? >> you have an issue in the region. first of all we have syria. this will affect syria a lot. they are getting a lot of - they have the money and the military equipment from iraq. if they gain ground and establish their own state in mosul and, you know, a couple around it. it's going to be harder to push them back. and iran will get more lef rim in iraq. the government in baghdad will see that they have no ally except the i-iranians. if the u.s. does not step in, it will be complicated. >> if the u.s. doesn't step in, let's talk about the option on the table and the options weighing now, what can it do, what will to do? >> i wonder about that. there's no zest or enthusiasm for getting involved in iraq.

i think the problems are home ground. it's not a function of obama weakness or other reason. these problems flow directly from the way maliki governed, playing the sectarian card, which is coming back to haunt him. this is an area where iran and the u.s. share an interest. we support an interest in iran. we want the government to succeed, but without persecuting sunnis. folks talked about training. when the battle is engaged, it's a little late to train. the iranians are reluctant to put boots on the ground, we are reluctant to put boots on the ground. i don't know where this is going. by the way. while this is happening the kurds are taking, understandably taking this as an opportunity to grab a piece of territory, and the i cannies are not going -- iraqis are not going to want to

fight a war against extremists and kurds. if they are successful it raises a possibility that turkey will be involved. for those that worry about the region, we worry about a contagious sectarian war. we have it in syria and iraq. i don't think there's a lot of good options. >> we are saying no to the american troops, what do you make of the carrier being repositions? >> it makes good sense, it's a prudent move. it gives the president option. a carrier is symbolic. it can shoot off missiles, do a little of that and this. it's not going to turn the side tore change the fundamentals on the ground. it will give the president options. the fact that there are americans in iraq that we should protect - it helps with that. but i think it's not going to make a big difference at the end of the day. having resources. shifting assets closer gives the president more option should the

thing go bad. >> what do you make of the possibility that iran may get involved? >> i don't think iran will get involved with boots on the ground. they are not going to get in. it's sectarian enough by now. if iran get involved, it will be a totally different scene and get more complicated. iran - maybe we'll send aid to iraq and some advisors, get some sort of aid to the government. coth they'll send troops right now. iran is interested in having a stable iraq, yes. iran is interested in stopping the extremists. what do they want the u.s. to do? >> the president says, or was clear when he said he was really to cooperate with the americans. that's a rare moment.

if they - the americans decide to, you know, go with air strikes, i think the iranians will help. i don't know how. maybe they will help the government underground to gain more ground from the insurgents. >> will this affect political change in iraq? >> i think so. if the americans decide to go with air strikes and help iraqi troops to gain - regain the cities that are governed by the insurgents. that will help a lot in the short term. forming an iraqi government without maliki, because he will take the blame, and they'll gain more leverage in iraq. that will help a lot of moderate sunnis to get together. the presence has been very good as moderators, when they were in iraq, at the time of george bush. now america is sort of away.

they don't have a lot of influence. i think going back with more influence, you know, by playing an active role in this crisis will help a lot. >> in the final moments, a deeper look. political change, how is this playing out? >> i don't think it looks good. i hope ali is right. the odds are against that, it seems to me. these are home-grown problems that the u.s. has little leverage over. iraqi has to get its house in order. the government is under crisis. it can't get a quorum to act in the face of extremists marching forwards them. so, you know, unless - i agree, having nouri al-maliki move on would be great. who will replace him. you know, as someone who is a political scientist, a lot comes down to politics, can iraq get the governance in oar, its house in -- in order, get it house in

order and create a society where it's not just sunni versus shia. they are yet to demonstrate it. as of today you have to be a sceptic. i'll let you have the last word. >> i agree it's a home-grown problem. you can't solve it without breaking the current equation. we have a situation where you have people in their positions for years, and caused what is happening now. okay. saying that the u.s. has no leverage at all in iraq, i think it does. they have an opportunity to get in, get involved. i'm not calling for troops, i'm saying for air support, air strikes. and this will help the u.s. to get back with more influence in the country. maliki is not going away without pressure. no one can pressure him with the issue going op in the country

without someone to step in and trying to change the currency and the political second. who is going to replace him? he was no one when he was chosen. he was an emptiman. he was a replacement for the former prime minister. we have a lot of candidates, a lot of people who can work and reach out to sunnis. people - you have a lot of options. the issue is trying to change the basics that we think are unchangeable. now we can. it takes a different approach. the hours and days ahead are difficult. we'll have to leave it there, a deeper look. gentlemen, good to have you with us. thank you. coming up next - a rare presidential visit to a native american preservation. a look at what they call unkept

promises by the white house. plus... >> i'm gabriel in the city of monousk for a first match in the amazon. the football players will not only have to compete against each other on the pitch but the hot and muggy textures as well.

>> we have to move out of here right now >> i think we have a problem... >> we have to get out of here... >> they're telling that they they don't wanna show what's really going on... >> mr. drumfield, i'd like to speak to you for a minute...

>> this is where columbia's war continues... >> ...still occupied... >> police have arrived... you see the blast scars from a bomb that went off... >> welcome back to al jazeera america. the u.s. sends an aircraft carrier to the gulf. it's a precautionary move as options are weighed in response to the violence in iraq. the iraqi military fight back against sunni rebels. several cities are under rebel control. >> the israeli military is intensifying a search for three teenage settlers missing from the wing. one is american. it is believed they were kidnapped by palestinian

fighters. they were last heard from on thursday. rescue workers and foyer fighters are clearing the area around kiev. the protests were a rehabilitation to the shooting down of a military trp plane by pro-russian separatists. 49 service members on board were killed. it's day 3 of world cup action in brazil. we have action from today's matches, italy defeated england by two goals to one after a stunning header. costa rica upset uruguay. coming from behind to pull off a victory. columbia put on a dazzling display of skills. the ball handling and skill were no match for the european side. two teams fighting for survival in the opening round of the world cup were not just playing

each other. they were battling heat and humid city. we are joined live to hear about the conditions for the ind yap, italy match. it was hot. >> it was. it's a good way to put it. one word sums it up. it was hot. people in the city, in england and italy woke up to the front page of the local paper saying they were expecting 93 degrees farenheit and that's what it was. it was an incredible amount of humidity. it didn't stop the fans. we saw them out at the port, one of the main tributaries in the amma zone region taking photos, out there sweating at the arena. amma zonize arena. it was spectacular. it was very hot for the players, and we sensed that in many parts

of the match. the show went on. >> reporter: another training day for the nation article football club. a city where temperatures hover between 30 and 40 degrees celsius, with 80% humidity. >> it's difficult, and we train every day in the heat. >> our coach hopes and knows when opposing out of up to players are suffering from the temperatures. >> they start the game fast. as they say, the heat jumps on your back. >> all of the players were born and raised m manaus. in the amazon region, so they've been able to adjust and adapt to heat and humidity. that's a luxury the world cup will not have. eight teams will play here in the group stage games of the

one. consequences of heat on the body was the subject of research as doctors had players swallow tiny transmitters with temperature measuring devices, bodies reached 40 degrees celsius. scary was how a lead researcher described the results. >> translation: there are athletes that have more vul mer nibilityy. in this situation the neurological damage is the most worrisome. >> players at the local national wonder how foreign footballers unaccustomed to the heat will close. >> translation: in europe and other places the climate is different. i don't know how it will affect them. they will have to deal with it and play good football.

the only stiffer competition to the players here, will be the heat hanging over them. >> the team u.s. a is going to be playing here in manaus next week, if it wasn't tough enough against portugal, they are going to face the heat and humidity as well. there's nothing to prepare team u.s. a, comparing anything to the u.s. it's a combination of the heat of phoenix and the humidity of the gulf coast of the united states. but clearly the - they'll have to prepare themselves to get ready for this. maybe they'll look to the match here against italy and england to try to get some sort of bearings on how to perhaps prepare or what they have to expect. we'll see how they handle the conditions, that report from manaus. for more on a not brazil,

let's turn to meteorologist rebecca stevenson. it's hard to believe they are a couple of weeks from their winter. >> it's true. we are getting closer and closer. start of september, june. we are looking at winter time approaching for southern marc, south america. and brazil. you have hot textures because you are close to the equator. we compare the temperatures to places in the u.s. we were looking at comparing it to the safety. let's do that. first, hooging at where we have manaus. dew .70. around 60. when the dew point is around 60, that's how much moisture is in the air parcel, and it's uncomfortable at 60 degrees. now add 10 degrees of moisture, and it feels like 81. in the south-east we compare this. 70 there, but 73 for a dew point in miami.

it's not nearly as hot as it is closer to the equator. it feels like it's 88 ders in miami -- 88 degrees even though the temperature is cooler than that. when we compare it to the dryness in the north-west. it is sitting at 99 degrees. when we add in humidity. a lot of times we talk about humidity and thunder storms breaking out. we do, in the north plains. dakotas towards kansas and iowa. we have a tornado report, but into the north-west corner of iowa, and a report of a tornado touching down. a big down point with the storms. wind gusts recorded at 36 miles per hour. this is just the reporting stations. when you look at the intensity of yellow and oranges, that's where they are gusting 40 to 50

miles per hour. gusts indicate where we have wind damage reports of gusts 60 to 70 miles an hour. >> hitting fast. it cools down fast. yesterday president obama became the fourth sitting president in u.s. history to visit a u.s. reservation. he and the fayed which went to the -- first lady went to the standing rock reserve various. he made several promise so native americans rrival for the sioux the policemen to restore -- pledge to restore sacred land is something they want fulfilled. this 13-year-old is used to being turned down as he tried to sell candy to raise money. he is not the only one here asking. this is the pyne rig indian reservation, the poorest place in the united states. this is the home of the lako iraniansing asioux indian, where

there's 80% unemployment and half the people live below the poverty line. these are peel with a billion in the bank, money they refused to take. >> it's difficult. people understand that. it's hard. we know it's hard. it will be hard. life will be tough for us. we'll stick with our values. and what we believe in. >> reporter: they say this is the real home, the black hills, a 2 hour drive from the reservation. the u.s. supreme court greed three decades ago saying in 1877 the government stole the land, ordering they pay $100 million. that's money that's been in the bank, earning interest. the sioux say to take it would be to give up the claim for the land. >> that's where our ancestors went to pray. it's sacred to them.

still to this day it is. they want the land back. >> that seemed possible in 2008 when candidate president obama promised to negotiate with the sioux to find a way to give them back some of the land. they say the repeated requests have been met with silence from the white house, adding administration officials won't say what, if anything, they have done on the issues. if he had it hard he would have the right to help us get our land back. >> reporter: ellen no longer believes the lapped will be returned -- land will be returned in her lifetime. >> our ancestors fought for it. we'll keep fighting for it until we get it back. >> a fight of 140 years. a small glimmer of hope vaieding. they'll tell you that is nothing new.

they are a people used to disappointment. up next - the afghanistan people have spoken. one of these men you see will be the next president of the country. coming up, how each could affect u.s. relations with kabul. plus, happy birthday to the queen of england. a royal celebration ahead.

polls are closed in afghanistan where there was a presidential run off between abdullah abdullah and ashraf ghani. some voters had ink-stained fingers cut off, targeted by the taliban for exercising their rite to vote. the taliban has been blamed for

150 attacks. dozens have been killed or injured. the ruts will be announced next month. 7 million afghans participated. results will not be announced for some time. both say they are confident of victory. we have profiles of both men. >> reporter: in the air and on the campaign trail with abdullah abdullah. the presidential hopeful led a busy campaign across the county, travelling to several provinces in a single day. wherever he goes he's growth by large crowds. at this rally in gus ni he told supporters that he's confident that he'll win. >> translation: most of the afghan people voted for my team in the first round and will vote in the second. we'll be in your service. we know your demand and promise to help you - whether it's electricity or security, we will

help. last week a suicide bomber attacked a convoy he was travelling in, killing six people. that has not deterred abdullah abdullah. he largely kept to his schedule in the run up to the poll. this is not the first attempt at the presidency. he challenged president hamid karzai as an independent candidate after he resigned as foreign minister three years earlier. he came second in the poll and has been an outspoken critics of his former boss. >> in an interview with al jazeera, he said this time around the bid for afghanistan's top job is going better than expected. >> as far as the campaign is concerned, apart from the suicidal attack on the convoy. it is going well. it is unbelievably more that everybody's anticipation throughout the country. and the momentum that the

campaign has picked up has surprised a lot of people. and so as far as campaign is concerned, we are not complaining. his win is far from certain. seen as an ethnic logic, it's unclear whether the pashtuns will back him in saturday's run off. young and old, ashraf ghani is looking for broad support at the campaign rally in kabul. the presidential hopeful urged voters to cast a ballot for him as afghanistan's next president. [ speaking foreign language ] . >> translation:. >> translation: a head of state is not a slave master, his role is to serve the people. the title i'm looking for is a servant of the nags. it means i vote for all the people. if you vote for me, you can

question me. >> reporter: the former world bank economist is seen as a techknow accurate, follow a u.s.-led invasion of 2001 ashraf ghani served as a special advisor to the united nations envoy to afghanistan. his overseas diplomatic credentials are im peckable. so much so at the end of 2006 he was tipped as a possible success sore to kofi anan as u.s. secretary-general. the presidency was his goal. he gave up u.s. citizenship to run in the poll, but received 3% of the vote. he fared better, in part by aligning himself with powerful warlords and a message of economic growth securing nearly a third of the vote. ashraf ghani clearly has support here. with the momentum building behind his rival abdullah

abdullah of winning are slender. not only d abdullah abdullah receive a higher portion of the vote he's been more visible and received self high-profile endorsements. ashraf ghani told al jazeera he is certain he'll win. >> reporter: are you hopeful for saturday's elections? >> yes. >> reporter: what are you hopeful for? the momentum? >> we built up momentum, we are confident of victory and serving the people. >> reporter: victory will be decided by voters, and that is far from assured. what does this mean moving forward, a fellow at new america think tank and author of "no good man", a book on the african war. good to see you. 60% sa decent turn out. what do the men offer. do they have different platforms? >> they don't. they are remarkably similar to

one another. they have pledged to sign the bilateral security agreement with u.s. forces. they have not offered specifics in terms of how to chart a path forward. they are both in an afghan government na is not strong, constrained and surrounded by war lords. >> will ethnic divisions play a factor because we know abdullah abdullah is not pashtun. abdullah abdullah comes from a minority and has support in the north, amongst the group. ashraf ghani has support among the cities. and urban pashtuns. >> it's safe to say whatever wins will have a short-lived victory. they have a lot on their plate. they have a lot on their plate. they are taking over a country that is at war. a country in which war lords control the countryside. and the taliban insurgency is raging. president barack obama said he's going withdraw all troops by 2016. what does this mean for the

president? >> as long as funding comes in, the afghan army will continue fighting. that will keep staying at a same level. as long as that continues. that'll be okay. we are not going to see the taliban match in kaboom. can a -- kabul. can a shift see a change in the situation? >> no, where the warlords and the taliban are, that's where the pol tickets are fought out. who have is in the presidential palace doupt have much power. >> will the next leader have better relations with the u.s.? >> certainly. both pledged to sign the agreements, they want to move away from the adversarial arrangement. in the hopes of having stronger relationship. what do you foresee - more violence? >> there's no kags that the violence -- indication that the

violence will abate. what we see is the taliban and afghan clinging to the cities. some say the taliban is the greatest threat to afghanistan. some say the economy in this situation with money laundering - what is the real threat to afghanistan. >> it's interesting. afghanistan needs to pass an anti-money laundering bill. if it doesn't it runs a risk of being blacklisted. it's a greater risk or threat. >> i want to get back to the u.s. role. what role do you see the u.s. playing? >> they'll continue fighting warlords and there's be about 2,000 special forces soldiers on the groundle there'll be drone attacks and essentially the worst of the violence will continue because of that. stereo looking back at the numbers, 60% turn out if they are accurate. what does it say among the afghan people?

>> they braved taliban threats. that's extraordinary. with all the grim news coming out of afghanistan. the fact that people are trying to vote and are looking for a change i think is positive. >> we'll see in the weeks ahead. fellow with the new american think tank and author. changing in the face of movies in south-east asia. [ ♪ music ] how a director from bangladesh hopes to boost the film industry in his own county. and a reward for humanitarian work, a new honour bestowed upon actress angelina jolie.

ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america thousands gather to celebrate the queen's official birthday in prit an. a milt -- britain, a military parade saluted the queen in a trooping the queen ceremony. the holiday was celebrated in june for 200 years.

a crusader of human rights, angelina jolie can add dame to her list of accolades. she was in london co-hosting an international summit on sexual violence in conflict. lights, camera action as the shanghai film festival gets under way. al jazeera's sat down with director mustafa faruqy, a man challenging convention with a latest movie. >> reporter: mustafa didn't think he'd end up an ambassador. by taking the movie to vest false, he's a representative of bangladeshi film to the rest of world. faruqy and others are calling themselves the bangladeshi new wave. >> we don't call it a big movement. i smell that it is crowing. if you look at the pipeline, if

you look at the - if you met us in the pipeline, who are making telephones for television, if we look at them, i can see, you know the possibility, the talent there. >> reporter: faruqy is at the center of a film industry search. the films are praised for the modern approach for depicting society. mainstream bangladeshi films are different. full of song and dance. copying from the bollywood formula that is successful in india. >> they can't match the boxes favourites of melodramas, they have drawn larger crowds. the teacher is bright thank to e emergence of a savvy audience that is more tuned in to what he and his colleagues are trying to do. films by faruqy are luring middle class back to the

theatre. many are ignoring movies, turning to what is offered on cable television. >> translation: me and my forehand didn't watch bangladeshi movies. what is special is the way our culture is shown. it's made us start to go to cinemas, connecting with our generation. >> faruqy is taking his latest movie and story to the shanghai film festival, where he'll compete with oscar-winning directors. faruqy hopes to be gipped by other bangladeshi faces. >> we should at bangladeshi films saw a heyday in the '50s, and '60s, now it has a resurgence, winning awards on the asian circuit. >> that will do it for this hour.

i'm thomas drayton in new york. i'll be back later. stay tuned. "consider this" starts now. we'll leave you with a look at the empire state building in new york city. thanks for watching. a political earthquake up-ended the republican party, what does eric cantor loss lose many for the tea party. autism gets a boost from google. we talk to the cofounder of autism speaks. why have whistle blowers on wall street paid with their jobs. diving into history, we talk to fabien cousteau in an undersea lab for a month. i'm antonio mora, welcome to "consider this", here is more on what is ahead.