illness in animals can tell us about humans. the conversation continues. you can find us on twitter at >> welcome to aljazeera america, i'm del walters and these are the stories we're following for you. a message from the top shiite cleric in iraq to the nation's president. violence in that region, and teenagers judging teenagers. youth courts are giving offenders a unique opportunity. >> we begin in iraq where there

is a new call for a new government. this time from the spiritual leader of that country's shia majority of the grand ayatollah said that iraq needs a government that's effective for all iraqis, and he issued a stern warning, saying that the military will be treated as occupiers. >> talk goods on in baghdad as prime minister maliki tries to call together a more stable government for this crisis. that has been a big part of the problem, not only the fighting around the major refineries and the cities, including iraq's second biggest city, and key cities near the syrian border, essentially there's not a government here, and that's one of the things that they are hammering home to prime minister maliki. if he wants to hammer it home, he so desperately wants, he'll

have to come up with a more inclusive government. including sunni iraqis and kurds. those relationships have been strained for years, and out on the streets on what normally is a friday holiday, with people out in the morning, going about their shopping and going to the book markets, the streets are oddly empty. and the people here are worried, not just about fighting reaching baghdad, but the entire future of this country and whether it will indeed hold together. >> meanwhile, two attacks in western iraq claiming 36 lives today. both stationed in anbar province, the first was a convoy of vehicles, with army recruits. the second in fallujah. the truck loaded with explosives ramming a building full of soldiers, 20 killed in the attack. and the president announcing that he won't be sending combat

troops into iraq, instead sending in military advisers, saying that iraq needs to solve the conflict itself. randall pinkston, 24 hours later, have the president's critics been silenced? >> no, there will always be critics of president obama, and some are complimenting him for specific steps that he's taking, the president is moving deliberately, and now the president is sending in u.s. military to gather intelligence and also to give advice to the iraqi army, while at the same time urging iraqi leaders to ute. unite. u.s. fighter jets are back in the skies over iraq, this time identifying potential isle targets, and also returning to iraq, 300 u.s. troops, sent from a a force promising to overtake

baghdad. >> american forces will not be returning to comba bat in iraq, but we will help iraqis as they take the fight to the terrorists who threaten the iraqi people. >> the military advisers will assess how to best use the equipment. and they will share information to confront is ill. they will bring the total number of military personnel to nearly 600. but the president insists this will not be a fight led by americans. iraqis must take the lead, said the president, and that includes maliki, blamed by many, including the obama administration, for the current crisis in his failure to include a more inclusive government. >> whether he is prime minister, or any other leader who aspires

to lead the country, it has to be an agenda where shia, sunni and occurred have the opportunity to advance their interest in the political process. >> helping in the political process will be the president's top diplomat. john kerry travels to the middle east this weekend, where he will shore up maliki for a more inclusive government in iraq. >> our efforts will only be successful if iraqi leaders rise above the differences and embrace a political plan that defines iraq's future through the political process. >> while the u.s. is looking for support from iraq's neighbors, one of those neighbors is complaining today. iran is saying that the president should have agreed to airstrikes. iran's deputy foreign minister said that delaying the fight

against is ill said that president obama lacks serious will against terrorism. >> randall, thank you very much. today in baghdad's mosque, the talk centered around how to end the current fight and will how to prevent a future conflict. >> he's a man who knows how sensitive the situation in iraq is. at friday prayers in his mosque, he says that he understands that many of the sunni worshipers here are concerned about what the future might hold. he said that the car an, the holy book can be -- >> my center will talk about how to maintain one's religion, one's honor, and how to protect this country, and how to help all groups, whether they are muslim or non-muslim. >> his words offer guidance, but many worry that speaking out is an issue. getting people to speak openly here is very difficult. nobody wants to be seen speaking

about anything political. whether it's iraq and the lavant or rebels and maliki. but in the mosque, some want to speak. >> interpreter: if you asked me if i was afraid of revolution before, yes, but no, i'm not afraid. revolution has brought security, and our people are living safely in peace, and i'm not afraid of the revolutionaries now. >> reporter: this mosque is used by shiite and sunni worshipers. but the tension is increasing. mosques like these with an inclusive message will play an important role. aljazeera, baghdad. >> a group called the islamic front taking responsibility for a deadly bombing in syria today. it happened in a village.

killing and injuring 40 others. this is the second car bomb in two days. one exploded near schools and homes. three were killed in that attack and nine injured. and u.n. secretary peopling to world leaders not to forget the situation in syria. laying out a six point plan that he says calls for an arms embargo and he called on other middle east nations to play a more active role in finding a solution. a suicide attack has killed people in lebanon today. the security chief was the target. and 20 others were injured. it took place in a checkpoint in the epkaa valley. they carried outacts under the pro syrian hezbollah of. a human trafficking report today.

thailand, downgraded to the lowest in their insufficient efforts to combat trafficking. >> if the cries around the world today were an earthquake, the tremors would be felt in every single nation on the continent, on every continent simulsly. > simulsally -- simultaneously. >> it's believed that 10,000 people are forced into slavery, and there are 8,000 estimated victims in the east and the pacific, and 1500 in the near east. thousands are fleeing areas in the travel regions of northwest pakistan, over 80,000 leaving in the last two days. that exodus after the military launched a new offensive against the pakistani taliban. many are now seeking safety in afghanistan. >> 20 kilometers from the border in pakistan's host province, a new refugee camp is taking

shape. tents are just the beginning as the afghans prepare for an influx of people. >> so far we have registered thousands of families, thousands have fled, but they're scattered, living in houses some in the mountainsful. >> they want them all to come here, where there will be medical assistance, water, and other basic needs. already one exhausted refugee has died on the journey over the rugged border, and one vehicle overturned. trucks are loaded to the brim with whatever the refugees can carry. many fled before the military operation began in pakistan. >> the military came and put checkpoints around us. they can't tell us. our elders went to them and told them not to worry. stay where you are. but we were scared and we left. >> he said they left their goats, datle and most of their belongings behind. the village is practical empty, finding a way to get out is

difficult. >> the roads are closed. there are curfews, and we couldn't even find any food. it's not our fight, and we're caught in the middle. >> some of the first refugees are in their own tents. they came here because the afghans are their fellow tribesmen. they sealed the border to prevent militants from coming across. the pakistani military is expected to step up their ground operations next week. >> and protesters taking to the streets of the west bank today. they're opposed to hundreds of palestinians in israeli force. they are links to the israeli teenagers. they are accusing hamas of abducting the teens. several were injured. >>a. >> the pope is heading to italy. a three-year-old boy was killed, caught in the middle of a drug turf war. and pope francis told them to repent or face damnation.

rosa and her son are still haunted by her husband's death. an innocent, gunned down by the mafia in a case of mistaken identity. >> they're worse than animals because they have no regrets, no heart. they're ready to destroy the families of innocent people. >> five years after the attack, al costill suffers emotional difficulties, having watched his father die in front of him. they both hope that the pope's visit will mark the beginning of the end of violence. because here in one of the most beautiful parts of italy, and one of the poorest, the mafia killing has continued. >> just a few kilometers away from this tiny church in march, the priest was murdered. the father was beaten to death by a drug dealer demanding money. a dealer on the fringes of a

world of organized crime. that murder and the shooting of a local three-year-old boy prompted the pope's latest stand against the mafia. it's giving neighboring priests new determination to speak out. [ speaking italian ] >> interpreter: i never felt -- it comes with fear to test ourselves and that's the biggest danger. >> reporter: the pope will get a direct account of mafia activities when he shares lunch with this drug dealer. having visited a local prison. >> interpreter: my life has been a journey through bad situations, from drug addiction to jail. >> reporter: normal life goes on here, despite the violence. many vatican analysts doubt the pope's power to overcome the mafia. in the past, the church has turned a blind eye to organized crime.

aljazeera, italy. >> so south korea now, where they held a nationwide fire drill today. the government testing evacuation plans for the ferry disaster. meanwhile, the ceo and the doomed managers of the ship were in court for the first time. they have been charged with negligence, all pleading not guilty. they overloaded the boat, causing it to sink. and 300 people, most of them students, died in the disaster. coming up, a unique experience for teenagers in trouble with the law. >> they have been tried by a jury of their peers, who may not even be old enough to vote. and also, they were convicted in 1989 of a sensational crime that they didn't commit. and now they have reached a settlement with the city of new york. their story is next.

>> a legal victory for the

central park five. five men wrongfully convicted of raping a woman in 1989. making national headlines and sparking a heated debate about civil rights. and now there are reports that they have agreed to a $14 million settlement with the city. >> yes, i remember this case as if it were only yesterday. and in fact, it was 25 years ago in 1989, a long time ago. and a very different era too in new york, when five african-american and latino men were accused of raping a woman who was a central banker in central park, and they were accused of raping her and hitting her on the head with a stone and other things, and this gave rise to all sorts of rumors about wolf packs roaming in central park, and wild indians, and it was a very scary time. and turns out, in 2002, that none of it was true. the five men convicted of this rape didn't do it.

and the reason we know that is because another man came forward in 2002, and he said i did it and did it on my own and they didn't help me and the dna testing backed that up. so today we read that the city of new york is settling with the police department of $40 million. and that's $1 million every year that the guys spent behind bars, and it's only the story of the moment. and the city is not confirming it. they won't say when or if they will say anything, but it will have to go to the city controller and the district judge if the money is to be paid. >> these men, exonerated in 2002 and 12 years later, why did it take so long for the settlement to be reached? >> it took so long because the bloomberg administration fought it tooth and nail. and they talked about allegations of racism and conspiracy theory. and the city spent a lot of money pushing back. saying there was no racism or

conspiracy theory. we were not out to get black and latino men, we were just doing our jobs, and even today, there are members of the police authority who are retired say that they think that the five why accomplices and there's no evidence to prove that. then comes bill de blasio's campaign last year, and he takes a different side than bloomberg, but he wants to get this behind them. and now it appears as if he has. >> john, i remember that time too. and also, the fact that those reports of these people roaming the streets, and the mayor calling it the crime of the century. was the person who later admitted to the crime ever prosecuted? >> well, he wasn't prosecuted for the crime though he admitted it. the mayor came out and said it was the crime of the century,

and it fits the media reporting at the time. but the man who admitted it, he has had a horror story of a life. and he said -- there has been all sorts of abuse. he's in prison now, serving more than 33 years for multiple murders and rapes and mugs, so there will be no case against him. but he's not coming out. >> thank you very much for being with us today. >> we want to tell you now about a court program in the state of maryland that's offering teenagers a chance to clear their names and there were criminal records. as lisa stark reports, the punishments are harsh but the rewards could be great >> reporter: you need to make major changes >> reporter: stern words from the judge, hardly unusual, but this is no ordinary courtroom. the judge is a volunteer. the jurors are teenagers. and the person on trial, 16-year-old ginnie, has already

admitted her guilt. as part of the deal to have her shoplifting case heard here. >> there was no real reason. i liked them. >> welcome to teen court, where young people get the chance to erase their mistakes and have their records wiped clean. in this court, the jurors and questions, to be figure out where the teens went wrong and how to get them back on track. >> do you steal often? >> do you think that you would steal again if you got daut? >> when the questions are over, the jury leaves the courtroom and the jurors start deliberating. >> she said that she would not do it again, but i think she would. >> teen courts are becoming increasingly popular, there are now more than 1200 of them nationwide. up from just 80 two decades ago. it's minor offenses,

misdemeanors, that end up in teen court, but still, they're things that can derail a teen's life. speeding, assault, and in some cases they work with kids who have been caught with marijuana. sarah runs the program for maryland. >> the purpose is to give them a second chance. and they give them the tools they need to get out of what got them there in the first place. >> she handles 200 cases a year, thanks to an army of volunteers, like diana. >> the fringe benefit that i get from being a judge in teen court, i get to lecture teenagers and they have to stand there and take it. >> it's not good for you. >> along with community service, the jury ordered ginnie to write letters of apology to her parents and to the store she stole from, write two essays on shoplifting, and not to go to stores without a chaperone.

ginnie also has to create a plan for her future. >> i might have to cut a few people from my life. >> like some of the people you hang out now. >> yeah. >> why is that? >> they're not the best influences. >> in charles county, 94% of teens complete their sanctions, and those who do are six times less likely to become repeat offenders. if ginnie completes her sanctions, the shoplifting charge comes off her record. this won't be her last day in court, however. one of her requirements is to serve three times on the teen court jury. lisa stark, aljazeera, la plata, maryland. >> to learn more about juvenile justice, tune into our program, 6 p.m. pacific. two questions, if children convicted of murder should be sentenced to life without parole? just ahead, it may look like a

movie stunt, but it's not. find out what happens next as aljazeera america continues.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the headlines at this hour. as the rebellion in iraq rages on, the shiite leader calling for a new government and one that represents all of the people. and. the palestinians are being arrested in the world cup, arresting hundreds of them in the search for the missing teenagers. accusing hamas of abducting the teens. and in italy, a three-year-old boy was killed, caught in the middle of a violent turf war. pontiff is hoping to curb the violence. >> . >> and in europe, our

meteorologist, rebecca stevens joins us now. >> it's summer here, the last day of string, and thunderstorms are the biggest problem across the globe. in bulgaria, massive flooding, and all of the damage that was caused. you can see the water, the cars, and this was intense flash flooding. so clearly, this water coming down very fast. and them it was getting funneled down valleys, and funneled through streets. that's what helped pick up large objects and move them down several, in some cases several blocks, but certainly creating problems and a lot of cleanup today. and i. >> if we move onto the amount of rainfall that we have had in bulgaria, it's impressive. average rainfall, 1.8 inches for the entire month of june, and in 36 hours alone, you have far more than that, 4 and a half inches totaling. so that's the kinds of problems that it can create. in addition, in the united

states, we have had similar kinds of rainfall and flooding causing issues, especially for minnesota. soil conditions, saturated here, and we don't need any more rainfall, but it's the lines of thunderstorms rolling through, touching large amounts of rainfall in a very short period of time. they too dealing with damage and bailing out basements and homes and a lot of cleanup and mud filling places, and definitely creating problems with cars as well. that's for sure, driving through that kind of weather. let's go now to the rainfall that we have set, a new record for the month of june. the entire month of june, the twin cities airport reported 4.3 inches of rain. a new record. the last was set in 1877. that's a lot of rain fast. and people haven't seen this for some time. already, we're adding up the rainfall today. kansas city, a quarter of an

inch, and storms are rolling through, shifting eastward. a lot of rain moving through wisconsin and we're going to watch for thunderstorms in parts of texas, nebraska and kansas. so we'll continue with severe weather. >> 1877, i remember that, it was wet too. rebecca stevenson, thanks. finally, there has been a real reason why your mother told you not to ride a motorcycle. >> front brake, back brake, literally. i said i got to bail. i'm not going through the car, i have to go over it. >> that motorcyclist describing what's happening in this amazing video, showing him being hit by a car. the biker, mike smith, tumbles over the car and cartwheels and walks away. the only injury that he received was road rash. he said i pop it and walk.

we want to thank you for joining us on aljazeera america. go to aljazeera.com where the news never stops and it continues 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. even in the teeth since the worst recession. college tuition and fees public and private kept raising faster than the cost of everything else. as undergraduating high schoolers have been picking colleges education change lives but so does college debt. it is the inside story.