>> mourning in kiev over the victims of a downed military plane as the battle for ukraine's east continues to intensify. the death toll from one day's fighting is more than 200. pro-russian separatists have suffered heavy casualties. you're watching the al jazeera news hour. also coming up, iraq's government is on the offensive holding back an advance by sunni rebels north of baghdad. on the run from pakistan's

northwest tribal region as the army targets fighters there. >> reporter: the rivalry between brazil and argentina is as historic and undisputable and it's based mainly on their competitiveness on football. fans in argentina, not only for the big world cup match. >> hello, and thank you for joining us. they came together to mourn the dead. 49 people who lost their lives when their plane was shot down in ukraine. they called on their government to do more, to bring stability to a country rocked by division and violence for months now. meanwhile the defense ministry said more than 250 separatists have been killed in what it calls a counter terrorist

operation over the weekend let's go to eastern ukraine. the 49 soldiers were shot down, and separatists have also suffered heavy loss. >> that's right. they held a press conference today, and in the past 24 hours more than 100 people were killed as the ukrainian military moved in to take control of two towns just north of luhansk. now, he didn't clarify whether that number or how many of that number were separatist fighters. only as the peaceful people of luhansk.

250 separatist fighters have been killed. obviously the death toll is climbing and people across the country are divided over this conflict. we have this report. >> ukrainian capitol, large crowds are back on independent square. they're here to mourn the 49 victims of an airport shot down by russia by pro-russian separatists. they're urging ukraine's fledgling government to do more. >> we need changes. >> the eastern city has experienced nothing but change in recent weeks. the ukrainian flag now flies high over city hall following the recapture of the town over the weekend. but the violence continues to

take a civilian toll. here locals were gathered to remember the leader of their church killed in the process fire. when this factory's billionaire owner sided with kiev, they formed their own security control. >> things have been getting tougher here when all this started in kiev we were watching it calmly on tv. we never thought this could happen to our peaceful city. >> of course, we want there to be peace and calm. we just want to work and earn a living. >> in a situation where violence is very much on the door steps of these people's ordinary life, they've taken their situation here into their own hands making sure that the repeat performance

of the scenes seen here in the last few weeks would not happen again. for now this city is in government hands. the battle for the east is far from over. al jazeera. >> let's go back to kim. so afte after a couple of bloody days in eastern ukraine, what is the mood like in doneskt where you are. >> well, people are very nervous here. fighting is ongoing. we know that they are still being she woul being shell shelled nightly. people believe a military may be

imminent. they took out two national boa border guard bases, and they say they're prepared for a fight. they will stand until the end, even if it means losing their lives. i think the residents in that city it's a very nervous time, indeed. >> kim, thank you. >> meanwhile, talks between ukraine and russia over gas supplies are resuming ahead of moon's deadline for kiev to pay its debt. russian provider gas said unless it pays $2 billion it will have gas supplies cut off, and that could have an impact on the rest of europe. >> reporter: after the soviet union broke up gas import prices paid by ukraine from set in after negotiations and remained below the market rate paid by the rest of market. in 2010 the price drops to $315

per thousand cube be meters and allows russia to continue carry its station in sevastipole. then gas price drops to $268. then crimea's parliament voted to join russia. with relations with ukraine and russia at a new low, a warning that ukraine's gas could be cut if it did not pay its debt. now russia has offered to lower it to $385 pointing out that it's 44% higher than the previous subsidized rate. >> we put forward proposals. $268 per 1,000 cube be meter of gas. as soon as this is confirmed

we'll pay off the didn't. another price we're willing to consider, 326 u.s. dollars. >> reporter: why does this matter for other countries? well, european union gets 30% of its gas from russia and half of that passes through ukraine. back in january 2009 a similar disagreement led to moscow to turn off the taps to ukraine and 18 countries reported reduction or cut off of their gas supplies. >> airstrikes are under way against fighters in northwestern pakistan. army commanders say more than 50 uzbekistan fighters were killed. hundreds of families, meanwhile, have been leaving the area, worried about the escalating violence between the army and the taliban. erik wood has our report. >> reporter: leaving behind their homes and fleeing violence between the government and

fighter groups. crossing into pakistan in search of safety. >> the situation there is very bad. our schools are closed. the hospital is closed. the government is giving us great trouble. >> this is the town he fled. the street is strewn with rubble after becoming a target for military airstrikes. the latest defensive follows a brazen five-hour attack on karachi's airport last week. that siege left 36 people dead and shut down the country's busiest transport hub. the pakistani said it carried out attack along side fighters along side the m. from uzbekistan.

it worked to overcome use back stan's government and then extended its movement. many groups have long based themselves along pakistan's northwest. it's mountainous and remote making it difficult to launch effective offensive campaigns especially from the ground. the taliban is vowing saying many killed were not fighters but innocent civilians. erica woods, al jazeera. >> for more on this we're joined in the studio but former pakistani high commissioner to the u.k. thank you so much for joining us here on al jazeera. >> my pleasure. >> just paint us a picture, how crucial is this defensive is? >> this is th the last bastion

of taliban. it took some time to decide to go in. first tried dialogue, which failed. and then the government on the 10th of june decided they would have to go in. >> so the attack on the karachi airport. >> we decided we should go in and have it out, and this is probably the time that we have to go in because they were creating a lot of mess in the country we had come to a point where we would not take it any more. >> it seems that it's going to be a decisive offensive. we've seen people runaway from the area. other fighters who may be trying to cross into the border of afghanistan it's going to be difficult for the army to strike that balance of how far they

will attack. >> the army will keep the peop people. they're not going to target the civilians. now they're targeting a ground operation. it has got to be the final operation because that is the place where we've got to get the taliban all the way from the country and create massive as in karachi. >> you talk about a final solution to all of this, but how are you going to how is the government going to insure that it happens, the time scale is

huge. >> it will be a hindrance. the time has come to do or die. it's a decisive moment. >> how damaged do you think the government will be because if waited for this operation. there have been talks that it has not been successful. had this been done a few months ago. it tried to give dialogue a chance. it tried to give benefit of double. when they didn't, then it was decided we have to do it once more so that this nuisance goes away. >> sir, thank you.

>> thank you. >> israel said it will do whatever it takes to find three missing teenagers considering all military options. not far from the world cup stadiums teams from argentina and brazil having games of their own. and ecuado he can ecuador in the world cup. we have all the action here later. >> now they say they havthe military said its holding back an advance north of baghdad, but it still controls the key citie.

give us a you're opinion of the iraqi commanders who say they have recaptured some of the towns. >> yes, well, a suppose man for the commander in chief as prime minister spokes person said villages in the province north of baghdad. tikrit is the capitol of that province. it remains under rebel control. around less than 300 fighters from this islamic state were killed in air strike airstrikes

in the outskirts. the government is saying that we are gaining momentum, and we are clearing some of the areas that they were captured by the rebels. the government forces back by shia fighters are engaged east of the country. also the northwest. the predominantly shia town. so the government is fully fledged with the fighting of those forces. however rebel forces say they're reinforcing, and it could be imminent tha, but we'll have to wait and see.

>> the rebels made no secret of the fact that they wanted to go to the iraq capital. from the mood you're engaging do you get the sense that they think that that threat has now gone away. >> no, it hasn't. people are very worried, indeed. the government tried to insure the people that the capitol is very secure. we saw a suicide-bomber in the sisterly of the capitol who killed around 12 people. the governments will reinforced its positions we heard reports that rebels are engaged in fierce battles in areas close to the capitol. in one of the areas there was

less than an hour drive. people are very worried. there is also a sense that this is shifting towards a sectarian sentiment, and it's building up slowly. we were told the reason is that there are thousands of volunteers heeding and answering the call. so people are very worried, indeed. >> in baghdad, thank you. >> now syrian state tv said the army has regained control of t of an area. it is located near the only border crossing near turkey. where president bashar al-assad's alawite group has a significant presence.

the israeli army is searching door to door in hebron city as it looks for three missing teenagers. the teens were allegedly abducted while hitchhiking last thursday. benjamin netanyahu is blaming their disappearance on hamas members who control the gaza strip. >> the israeli army has all but locked down hebron city. in the occupied west bank tense door to door searches seem to be non-stop. hunting for three missing israeli teenagers. they were last seen hitchhiking near an illegal settlement where they lived. it's a painful shock for settlers in the community. >> everybody is confused. it's difficult for them. we're all waiting ferrocenes. >> the government in israel

accuses the palestinian group hamas of taking the young men. the group, which controls the gaza strip is considered a terrorist organization. prime minister benjamin netanyahu said all options will be considered. >> israel will act to bring home the three kidnapped teenagers. israel will act against the kidnappers. we will do whatever needs to be done to protect our people, our citizens, our children, and our teenagers were the scourge of terrorism. >> hamas dismissed the statements. >> the statements are stupid. they are meant as part of a secret service war. israel is fully responsible for the escalation o in the

occupied west bank. >> reporter: whoever did take the three teenagers has not yet come forward or issued any demands. it's not clear if they're dead, alive or where they are being held. that determination wil will decide what the israeli military does next to get them back. >> countries in the football world cup e are beginning their matches. switzerland was one of the most impressive world qualifiers and has beaten ecuador, 2-1. argentina will take up its campaign later in rio de janeiro. we're live now. considering how much rivalry there is between argentina and

brazil this will be a pretty exciting game. >> all eyes are on this game. messi will be taking part. right now i'm outside of the vip entrance where argentines with hefty pocketbooks are starting to come in. the game begins in three and a half hours. people are paying up to $700 for each ticket. in the meantime there are thousands of others just roaming around the stadium. they don't have any tickets. they're trying to buy them on the black market. but there are a group of argentines who are here in brazil who are not even be trying to get in. they are here to show that there is another side to the world cup. >> on cop copacabana beach.

high above in the flavella, or slum, they're preparing for another game their trainer played on the team that won the 1978 world cup. they're all proud to be slum dwellers, and they work for multi media outlet called "the powerful throat." >> the idea is to come to the world cup. this is historical. >> as they lead to meet their brazilian counterparts. they sing ♪ look our crazy ♪ look out great ♪ today the slums will show ♪ what the television ain't

♪ thei ♪ >> both teams insist it's only part of the story. >> we come here to exercise our right. >> after discarding the official fifa football, the game begins. >> the rivalry is as historic and disputable. but far away from the stadium people are able to clear both sides. with every goal a jubalent

message no one is born a thief. they are here to send that message with a powerful voice. >> reporter: as you can expect the police are out here in full riot gear. 3400 security forces, including 150 just at the entrance of the metro. this is to keep out protesters. a group of protesters have pledged to gather on the outskirts of the stadium and make them to complain to protest against the high costs of holding the world cup in brazil we saw a short while ago a contingent looking like they're going off to war. it's very unlikely that these protesters will get anywhere near this stadium.

>> voting is underway to choose colombia's new president. plus. >> we're looking at this machine. designed for war zones finding its way into civilian hospitals and looking why this is apparently the future. >> and it's seven in a row this season. we'll have that and all the other sports in just a few minutes.

>> al jazeera america presents the system with joe berlinger >> parole

>> someone is going to get out and do something heinous it's goanna happen... >> when is enough...enough? >> i'm not sure why you didn't learn from your last incarceration >> 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 >> hundreds are mourning the loss of ukrainian service men who were killed when their plane was shot down in the east. more than 350 separatist fighters have been killed over the weekend. in pakistan airstrikes have been

launched against uzbekistan fighters. more than 50 fighters were killed. and iraqi commanders say that they recaptured two towns from fighters of the islamic state of iraq. isil till controls key cities of tikrit and mosul. colombians are voting tha for the president that will decide the fate of the farc peace talks. both have opposing views on the farc rebels. maria, good to see you. it's interesting. usually in elections farc is such a big issue. how do the candidates differ?

>> they're both ministers of the previous government. santos was a defense minister, and s uaga was a minister from the right. now he's taking a distance from the far right coming towards the center because of the negotiation with the rebels. when we look at the candidates the difference remains the issue of the peace negotiations. people who look at santos believe he can bring peace to columbia and the negotiation is the solution to end 60 years of war. on the other hand, looking at a man who is tougher, who said, well, perhaps there could be some negotiations. they would have to go to jail.

there would have to be a cease-fire. they would have to stop kidnapping children and killing people. now both candidates, however, depends on how the endorsements of who candidates who lost in the first round. a representative of the heart that he must have some sort of deal some short of negotiations with the farc rebels. and a. >> the selection obviously to choose the next president, but the former president of colombia has also played a leading role in this election. tell us how.

>> an amazing role, barbara. he is perhaps the most popular politician in columbia. he has been a key person. he has been on the radio. we were with him at a radio station just a few days ago where he would address people in a very personal and direct way, in such a way that he continues to connect with voters. that neither of the candidates have been able to. so in fact, he has had a key role in this election. >> well, you will be monitoring that election for us. we'll cross back to you when results start coming back in. thank you.

>> let's go to libya and bengahzi where four people have been killed. some of the heaviest fighting since the offensive against militias in may. security courses in yemen have told al jazeera eight soldiers have been killed in a military hospital. four others were wounded during the attack on a must belonging to the hospital. gunmen have not yet been identified. >> now hundreds more migrants in the middle east have been requested. they arrived in the port o port

of pelermo. >> in sicily this has been a daily routine. on sunday, more than 700 migrants disembark. they were asked by the italian navy as they tried to reach italy on rickety boats. >> during the capsizing one of the migrants suffered chemical burns as he swam in the boats' gasoline. he was particularly shaken as he told us he lost his child and wife in the shipwreck. >> with reception centers overwhelmed many are taken to temporary shelters like this gym in catania. >> hundreds of people.

strangers, no good, i beg the government to help us. >> now that's why we're being displaced. we have no option. >> while these migrants are hoping to be brought to a migration center many others are just left wandering the streets. once in sicily many of the migrants are left to their own destiny. the train station in catania is one of the places they gather hope to go catch the next train to other parts of italy or europe. but with no money or documents they're just stuck here. with thousands more migrants expected to arrive through italy throughout the summer season this is turning into a humanitarian crisis that seems to have no end and no solution. al jazeera, catania. >> egyptian security forces have seized supermarket chains owned

by muslim brotherhood members as part of a crackdown on the organization. meanwhile former u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton warns of division and unrest. she made these comments after general al sisi was sworn into office. >> i was appalled that there was no political element to this resolution. we went through the muslim brotherhood. we went through the up rising, the military to remove the muslim brotherhood, and now the military is back. and egypt faces an enormous amount of internal opposition, and i think extremism so we'll watch. >> the trial of three al jazeera journalists accused of supporting the outlawed muslim brotherhood is due to resume on monday. they have now been held in prison for 169 days. ings inspection prosecutors have demanded the maximum penalty for them.

they want 15 years for mohamed fahmy, bader mohammed, and peter greste for seven years. al jazeera rejects the charges and continues to demand the release of its journalists. meanwhile al jazeera arabic wors correspondent abdullah elshamy has been held without charge since last august, and has been on a hundreder strike for four months. he insists he will not break his fast until his release. >> an u.s. congressman said washington is poised to take action against a nigerian rebel group. 57 have so far managed to escape. two of them were in the audience of their congressman steve stock man said that washington is ready to act. >> pending approval of the government on nigeria and our

government we plan to take action, but i don't think we can go into specifics at this time. it was classified briefing. we stand ready to help. as long as our government and nigerian government approves we'll take action. >> africa leaders are meeting in the senegalese. only 3% of people have access to electricity, but new technology means that more are no longer living in the dark. >> reporter: looking forward to not choosing candles tonight. she lives in a remote part that does not have electricity. >> i have got this light. when i used it for the first time to see in the dark my husband was surprised, but he loved it. now we can see at night.

>> reporter: she said that the small rechargeable lamp has made life easier for her family. when it gets dark her children can do their home work. she also saves money on average she uses two candles a day. that's $0.40 of the household budget. the next day people in the village meet to discuss how everyone can get more lamps. one lamp costs $5.50. those with money to spare contribute. nearby he henrietta is charging her lamp. she said its like riding a bicycle. >> when i first started using it was hard. i was pregnant. but now it's easy. >> reporter: the lamps are cheap and healthier than commonly used fuels like kerosene, candles and

firewood. >> it's overcoming bad energy. and with a if now we can keep this income within the community and invest it into energy. first of all you will have a huge impact on the health. an impact on the productivity. >> reporter: still recovering from a civil war that ended in 2005. families who fled the fighting are coming back, but they're starting from scratch. with no electricity. many will walk two hours in the nearest town to charge their mobile phones 37 you can come in, get your haircut and charge your mobile phones. so while they are shopping, they leave their phones here charging in the corner. when it's fully charged they come and collect them. u.n. officials say a little pedestria peddle power is healthy. >> many things are recycled

these days, and now blood has been added to that list. it's all thanks to a machine that has been developed by british scientists. we explain how it works. >> reporter: it is one of the issues' medics have always faced, how to minimize the amount of blood lost during major surgery especially wit. that's where a name hemostat is getting medical population excited. >> what this system will do is it will take the blood and then suck it into the bag. once it's in the bag the bag will start to filter out all the water-like solution so you're left with the clotting factors and the red cells, then they can be given back to the patients. >> the very important bits. >> the very important bits that the patient requires to continue

carrying oxygen throughout the body. >> it first caught on in th the early years. it is not a new idea. what is new is to be able to do it all so creepily. a new units can be behalfed on the 3d printer. >> it's a very small footprint. you can move it to the location that is required. it's very effective. >> why is it so oh effective? >> basically because you're recycling the whole blood species, you don't have to add other elements like platelet therapy, so it can save costs and time. >> but it was originally intended for war zones, places where spare blood i is short

supply. but it is also used for jehovah's witnesses whose religion for bids them from using other people's blood. this machine could revolutionize the operating theater. >> sound amazing. still to come, swimming with the biggest fish in the ocean. but at what cost? plus from humble beginsing we visit the argentinian city where world cup football star messi group up.

>> we go to sports news. we have the latest from the world cup. [♪ music ] >> thank you very much. we'll start with the latest. switzer hand scored an injury time winner against ecuador. it was ecuador that drew first blood after 22 minutes. it took the swiss after the break to draw level, and then another header after 48 minutes. it was another switzerland that grabbed the winner three minutes into stoppage time. final score 2-1 too switzerland. and live in rio. quite a day there. the switzerland got off to a winning start, and they brought

back memories from last year's world cup. >> yes, as he appointment out switzerland is a good side. there were a lot of people who said switzerland did not deserve the seed, and they ar the style of football they play they're very good team. they came back to qualify as well. and let's give credit to the referee who allowed the play to continue, that's what enaged them to get this win. >> plus we'll come back to you in a few minutes time. france begins their campaign against honduras in just a few minutes. but the big fixture we'll see

argentina take on bosnia who make their world cup debut. the fans have been flocking to the stadium, and will be cheering on their respective countries. there is expectation on the team as well as messi. >> you say huge expectations across argentinian with good reasons, great players, and they're playing on their home continent, but especially here not just messi who was born and brought up here, this is a hotbed of football talent. half of the argentine squad is from this area.

so expectations here very high. these are people who know their football. they know what problems may lie ahead. messy left rosario when he was young, so not a lot of people here actually saw him play. but we did meet some of those people who shared their childhood with messy many years ago. this is rosario, a city rich from its soy crop currently embroiled against drug traffickers. it's this hotbed of talent that produced messi. >> he was from the rosario league, which is very competitive. this is a rich football area.

these pitches produce huge amount of talented kids. >> messi born in this humble neighborhood was one of them. a precocious talent despite his tiny stature. they are now all exchanging memories of the young messi. >> we always played football, but we played other games, too. we built huts and climbed trees and spent all day on our bikes, but it was football most of the time. >> reporter: he shows us where 16 years ago the boys wrote their names in wet comment. >> there was us a big different in the way he played and the rest of us. as arch adult i remember those

same movements as a kid. >> we're a long, long way from here. the school where the young messi honed his skills, to the world cup played just a few kilometers from here in brazil. years after he left messi is being remembered in the way he would most appreciate and understand, with youngsters having a kick around in the park. argentina is poised for a world cup, and many here expect them to win. that expectation in rosario, the birthplace of messi is just a little bit more intense. >> okay, we go live to rio. lee, bosnia against top country argentina. what do you think? what is thei--what are their chances?

>> they have excellent players to call upon. many of them will in the stage. blue and white shirts everywhere. i'm wearing blue and white shirts, so there is going to be som argentina's demand to win. >> to the nba championship with victory in game five against miami heat later on sunday the heat are trying to win their third consecutive title. while that hope may be slipping away, the impact i. >> the miami heat is more than a basketball team. it has become the biggest and most successful sports franchise on the planet.

lebron james has helped its brand. the team is formidable. but the team's continued success and growth has been big benefits for miami. >> it's been huge. as far as merchandise, keeping bars full, keeping taxi drivers working, filling up hotel rooms. people coming in to this arena and parking downtown. lebron and the heat have definitely had an impact. >> reporter: it's an impact being felt by small businesses like this brewing company. after the executive of the heat dropped by, a new beer was commissioned. this is white-hot wheat. >> i can have celebrities try my beer that i'm not even aware of. it's huge. for us it's a big step. we're very humbled to have this support from the heat, and we're excited to keep growing. >> in downtown miami eve the

benefits are clear to see. >> during the heat season being that we're across the street. of course, it's just pandemoni pandemonium. their success gives us more success. it goes hand in hand. >> reporter: it's hard to quantify how success on the court translates to real financial change, but as the heat has grown in stature thousands have benefited. and that continued success well depends on what happened to this court. >> that's all for sports. i'll hand you back to barbara. >> now the whale shark is the world's biggest fish, and swimming with them is the top tourist attraction in the philippines.

>> they are called the sea's gentle giant. tourists travel to philippines hoping to catch a glimpse of the biggest whale shark in the world. despite their size they are not a threat to humans. living only on plankton and krill, visitors come all for $10. the philippines government has classified them as endangered species, and the establishment are sure that the whale sharks are protected. feeding and touching the whale sharks are not allowed. but the concern here is proximity. tourists and boats are way too close to them. leaving many of these creatures

vulnerable to injuries. >> they are juveniles, and then instead of them learning how to hunt in the wild, they're now being fed by people. this alone alters their behavior. >> the island was once a sleepy town that relied only on fishing for its livelihood. but since tourists started coming here more than two years ago people have now managed to earn a living through tourism. >> i started with a tiny shop. because of all the tourists that come my business has groaned i'm thrilled. >> tourists who come to see the whales constitute 90% of those who come to the island. the local government insists tourism practices are sustainable and said it is all about balance.

>> policing this sector, anyone who is caught violating are penalized a certain amount. so in that way protecting the whale shark. >> the philippines is signatory to international conventions that aim to protect these whale sharks. local say they're doing the best they can. they admit striking a balance is never easy because often the demands to earn a living an and care for their families must always come first. al jazeera, philippines. >> amazing animals. well, that is it for this news hour. but do stay with us. i'm going to be back in just a few minutes for more of the day's news. especially the latest from iraq. stay with us. i'll see you then, bye bye.

. >> the best solution for us, for the americans, is to deal with the terrorism threat that is an immediate problem. >> for the last four years, he's been america's man in syria. >> that's until ambassador robert ford resigned because he found it too difficult to justify u.s. policy. >> i don't say this is easy, and i don't say it's automatic but i say the alternative of doing nothing is even worse. >> the brutality of the assad government and the extremist elements of the oppo