we are obviously shocked, dismayed, really bewildered by the decision of the court in egypt. australia prime minister says he'll talk to every level of the egyptian government to secure the release of al jazeera journalist peter greste. hello, welcome. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also in the programme - what's it like for the parents of the gaoled journalists? >> journalism is not a crime, or

you should all be behind bars. it's as simple as that. plus - iraq's oil under threat. we are live in the oil-rich north with the u.s. secretary of state is trying to smooth things over. >> and... [ cheering ] . >>..brazil fans celebrate as their team soars to the top of their group. three al jazeera journalists gaoled in egypt for doing their job are serving the first day of their sentences. peter greste and mohamed fadel fahmy have been given seven years in prison. baher mohamed 10 years. the australian prime minister told parliament he will be in touch with his egyptian counterparts to bring peter

greste home. the pros campaign continues. al jazeera and bbc staff will hold a vigil 24 hours after the verdict - that's in the next hour. and peter greste's parent about the heartache of hearing the verdict. first this from patty culhane. the world heard, the moment journalists in egypt learnt the cost of doing their jobs. peter greste - 7 years. producer mohamed fadel fahmy - 7 years. producer baher mohamed - 10 years for having a used bullet in his pocket. charged with spreading false news, there was no evidence of this presented in the courtroom. that didn't stop the judge who pronounced them guilty. the heart break clear, even through a cage. >> my god. my god. >> for their families, pure

panic and disbelief. >> if there was any evidence, how many years they could give him for nothing, they gave him seven years. >> the world saw and leaders condemned it. >> today's conviction is a chilling and draconian sentence. it's deeply disturbing to see in the midst of egypt's transition. >> ministers around the table were concerned about the sentences pronounced this morning against the al jazeera journalists. >> we are seeing a suffocation of freedom of expression. clearly this is very bad for the individuals, but for egypt also. >> condemnation, but a question of consequences. the obama administration had previously cut off some military aid to the egyptian military after president mohamed mursi was deposed. within the last two weeks u.s. said they gave them the money $572 million, and held back $70

million, and that could still go to egypt. along with promised apache helicopters. the state department is being vague. >> the secretary expressed dismay, that he is disturbed to the prime minister and the president. it's up to them to take some action - whether there is - whether there are consequences to that is something that we would look at in terms of our diplomacy and relationship with egypt going forward. there's a strategic relationship pushing and pulling back and forth. >> we will see what happens - in cairo, washington and around the globe. the world is watching. our correspondent wayne hay joins us from brisbane, where peter greste's parent come from. so, wayne, what has been the official rehabilitation, and tell us more about his parents' reaction? >> well, i have to say there has been widespread condemnation

around australia following the verdict from the media point of view. it has been a massive story. the media has been leading with the story, the sentence handed down to peter greste and his colleagues throughout tuesday. politically parliament sat, so early on the issue was raised in parliament in the capital canberra on tuesday morning. we heard from the prime minister tony abbott, who, again, reiterated that there were correct paths to go down. he didn't come out and criticise the egyptian government, saying he didn't want to take part in megaphone diplomacy, pointing to the hope that there could be intervention by the egyptian president in the case of their australian national peter greste. we know that the man who is basically the second in charge at the egypt embassy here in australia was summoned to a meeting with the australian government, with representatives from the ministry of foreign asks the foreign ministry --

affairs, the foreign ministry. the ambassador did not go. he is not in the country at the moment, but back in egypt. details of the meeting will come out in the days ahead. as far as the parents of the peter greste go, tuesday, today, they braifl came out to -- bravely came out to front the cameras. >> reporter: the family members of peter greste were united in disbelief as they walked in to meet australian media in brisbane. it had been hours since a verdict was handed down in a cairo court. >> this family is certainly determined to battle on. journalism is not a crime. or you should all be behind bars. it's as simple as that. this man, our son, peter, is an award-winning journalist. he is not a criminal. he is not a criminal.

>> this will be a hard time for him, but i know that he will get through it. and mike and andrew are going in today. they'll support him, and he'll be okay. but, i mean, i can imagine that he's shocked as we are, and absolutely probably finding it very difficult at this point, but he will get through that and he will be fine. >> reporter: speaking to al jazeera afterwards they were coming to terms with the decision, but spoke of their determination to continue the fight. >> we just can't sit and think that there is nothing happening over there. you know, peter is in gaol in a small cell. and now he's been classed as a criminal. and that is really difficult. >> reporter: for doing his job. >> for doing his job.

>> for merely doing his job. the fate of peter greste has been a big story in australia. the severity of the sentence propelled it to a new level. mixed in with dismay there is sure to be anger. everyone involved is being careful about what they say. like others, the australian prime minister expressed his concern, but in a clear attempt to avoid making the situation worse, didn't criticise the egyptian government. >> we are obviously shocked, dismayed, really bewildered by the decision of the court in egypt. of course we respect the legitimacy of the egyptian government. of course we appreciate the rights of the egyptian justice system to make its decisions. yes, we understand the need of the egyptian government to maintain internal order and crackdown on extremism, including the muslim brotherhood, but - but - it is important that there be due

process. >> reporter: the government says it will push for the egyptian counterparts to intervene in peter greste's case. as for an appeal his parents will consider their options in the days ahead. and that was wayne hay in brisbane, getting reaction from where peter greste's parents live. al jazeera continues to demand the release of its staff in egypt. thousands joined the campaign on twitter sending messages of support. you can too by using the hashtag "free aj staff." [ chanting ] >> we want freedom. we want... >> freedom. >> we want... >> freedom. >> we want... >> freedom. >> we want:. >> freedom. >> we want... >> freedom. >> we want... >> freedom. >> we want...

>> freedom. >> we want... >> freedom. let's move on to other news, and iraq, where the u.s. secretary of state says his country's support for iraqi security courses will be intense and sustained. kerry is expected to meet kurdish leaders, and hoda abdel-hamid joins me from there. hi, hoda. give us an idea of why john kerry is there. >> he arrived less than an hour ago. he is here to meet with the kurdish leader. and the kurds are very much part of what is happening in iraq at the moment. their relations with prime minister nouri al-maliki have been strained at best over the past couple of years. then there was a new crisis at the beginning of the year over

the issue of oil revenues and the kurd's exporting oil from baghdad. over the past two or three weeks, as much as the sunni rebels were expanding and baghdad losing territory, the peshmerga forces had to fill in the vacuum and it changed the reality on the ground - when it comes to the amount of territory that the kurd control, something that is of a concern to baghdad in the days to see how that evolves in the weeks to come. now, john kerry is here also to see what will be the role of the peshmerga. would they be willing to fight alongside iraqi security forces. this comes after spending a day in baghdad meeting with political leaders from all sides of the divide. and we have this report. the fall of key iraqi cities brought worried american

officials back to baghdad. they greed to provide military help. it comes with conditions. >> iraq faces an existential threat. and iraq's leaders have to meet the threat with the urgency it demands. the very future of iraq depends on choices that will be made in the next days and weeks. and the future of iraq depends primarily on the ability of iraq's leaders to come together. >> reporter: kerry told prime minister nouri al-maliki that means forming an inclusive government. it's been three months since iraqis have been to the poll, and four years since they had a defence minister. kerry and the iraqi foreign minister held talks on how to keep iraq from disintegrating. the fighters have gained ground with efficiency, it's the most serious matter since saddam

hussein was toppled. there's trouble for the region and the united states, and meetings behind closed doors are deciding the future of the country. iraq's foreign minister says with the key of a border post fighters are moving weapons across the borders. >> help is from its way from the united states. we need to do our part definitely here. everybody recognised the seriousness of the situation, the danger of i.s.i.s. establishing its own islamic state in the western and eastern part of iraq and syria, with all the resources, the weaponry that they have acquired. they'll pose a mortal threat not only to iraq, but to the region as well. >> reporter: in iraq's second biggest city seized by the i.s.i.s. it's business as usual.

i.s.i.l. fighters are directing traffic, and a few hand out korans. in other areas where battles are raging, much is familiar ground to the united states. here in dhuluiya province, al qaeda fought american troops in what they viewed as a capital in share islamic state. iraqi forces that haven't melted away are battling a more effective off shoot of al qaeda. the united states is back. not with large numbers of troops on the ground, but the promise of air strikes, and the realisation that the battle was never really won. we'll have more analysis on the situation in iraq. also coming up. rushing to get out of lugansk, we report from the eastern ukranian cities before a ceasefire is due to expire.

that's the moment for the netherlands - when they seal their place at the top of their group.

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cl hello again. let me take you through our main stories. three al jazeera journalists gaoled in egypt for doing their job are serving the first day of their sentence. australia prime minister said he would be in touch with counterparts to bring peter greste home. peter greste's parents have been speaking about their heart ache on hearing the verdict. >> peter is actually in gaol in

a small cell, and now classed as a criminal. that's difficult. the secretary of state john kerry has arrived for talks in the kurdish region. coming as the refinery has come under control of the rebel forces. the advisor to the u.k. based rights group and iraqi league and joins us from london. tell us where this now takes us in the conflict now that the rebels claim to be in control of the beijing refinery. >> first of all, i watched last night unverified footage of celebrations around the refinery, indicating that the rebels were in control. of course there'll be

contlicting reports about -- conflicting reports about this. but the swift rebels advance probably means they are in control. what does this mean for iraq? it means the government no longer has control over the refinery and the oil supplies coming through baghdad. they'll be diverted to the northern areas under rebel control. of course, this will be highly damaging. also it will ease the shortages that are suffered by the cities controlled by the rebels. that was indicated in interviews that i watched last night with residents of mosul and surrounding areas. they said that they have some supplying distributed through the city. >> so there is an indication that the rebels are in control. >> now, john, he is in iraq, john kerry, and he says that the existence of i.s.i.l. threaten's iraq's - basically iraq as a

country, as a whole. of concern - what is he likely to achieve there? >> well, first of all, i think to label the rebel movement as i.s.i.s. is a misconception. what happened was that there are groups in mosul. those are armed groups who originally fought the americans. they contain many, and i can name them. there are too many to name right now. but i.s.i.s. infiltrated some of these groups and fought alongside them, against the government. i think what triggered all this was the attack by the government against peaceful demonstrators in ramadi and mosul. now that they are led, and reports would suggest this. they are lead by a former army officer from the old saddam hussein regime. now, in terms of kerry and his visit to the region, i think kerry is trying to preserve the

parameters set by the americans during the occupation of the country. ie, their vital interests. he is also going to meet with another who is hosting a number of the rebels and other figures. i think he may convey some of the messages from the leaders to mr kerry. it may be that mr kerry will meet with them directly. that's a possibility to understand what future plans are for iraq. >> big question mark there. thank you. good to speak to you. there has been a suicide attack in lebanon's capital beirut. a car bomb exploded. one security officer was killed along with the say tacker and 20 others -- attacker and 20 others

injured. we have more from the scene of the attack. >> reporter: this is at the end of beirut, hezbollah's stronghold. here it's mostly shia, supporters of the speaker of the parliament. the explosion took place right here. the suicide bomber blew himself up. he wept against traffic. it was such a strong explosion that the body of the suicide bomber was thrown up to the fourth floor of that building. it's a residential area, and a commercial area. many of the people would have been on the streets, but most people were watching the world cup inside their homes. there's a very close by coffee shop. dozens of people were there. young men watching the world cup, otherwise casualties would have been higher. it was not a surprising attack. it's the second terrorist attack in four days of lebanon. security forces believe it's a direct fall out of what is

happening in iraq. increasing the violence, it has encouraged and emboldened al qaeda groups in lebanon, starting again. security forces believe they are trying to pre-empt more plans to attack shiite areas. >> to ukraine where pro-russian separatists in the east say they'll sort of a ceasefire. rebels made the announcement in the u.s. as paul brennan reports, many are worried that the fighting will resume. >> the train bound for moscow was crowded. all the crowds leaving lugansk are crowded these days. at the roadblocks and check pilots, as they enclose -- checkpoints, as they enclose the city, the rail is a form of escape. lugansk was a city of 400,000.

now rebels are fleeing before the end of the ceasefire. >> translation: before huge numbers. people were in the streetsment many have now left the city. i don't see a reason to stay. >> friday, separate ceasefires declared will end. people here are terrified by what might follow of the. >> petro porashenko will send more soldiers here, that's why i'll leave the city. i think it will be bad here. maybe worse than in slovyansk. >> i feel sorry for both sides. i'm a mother. i have children. it's impossible. we need to stop it. something needs to be done. >> reporter: lugansk is vital to the separatists and the ukranian army. it's 60km to the border. fighters transition here to reach the strong holds the the ukranian army claims to have lugansk surround it. troops are 10km from the city

center. >> on the front lines of the separatist militia there's no willingness to surrender. for president petro porashenko, unless they do before friday, he'll eliminate them. there's a showdown looming. in their cramped base office the city's red cross volunteers prepare as best they can. sorting bandages and drugs, trying to keep the local hospital stocked with essentials. >> distribution is normally a process for the red cross in lugansk. for the moment they are having to ration the supplies they hand out because they do not want to run out of critical supplies. specialist medicines are running low. they are trying to obtain more body bags before friday. >> translation: it's scary for everywhere, as the eastern saying goes, bad people is better than war. >> reporter: hour after hour the

carriages roll out of the takes and the tears down the cheeks of people left behind. politicians and diplomats are searching for a solution, and people here have more trust in the timetable. a murder trial has begun in south korea for 15 crew members of a ferry that sunk and killed more than 300 people. the captain and three crew members could face the death penalty. most who died were children on a school trip. crew members were seen abondoning ship after passengers were told to wait in cabins. >> a sudanese woman charged with abandoning islam has been released from prison, and back with her husband and two children after a court ordered her release. her father was muslim, she was raised by her christian mother.

she was convicted of apostasy for marrying a christian. michael schumacher warns someone has stolen his medical file. he sustained serious head injuries in a skiing accident six months ago. 45-year-old michael schumacher left the hospital last week and was transferred to a neighbouring switzerland to continue his recovery, he has no longer in a drug-induced coma. [ ♪ theme ] hosts brazil book their place in the last 16 of the world cup, after thrashing cameroon. neymar inspired the champions, scoring 2 goals against brasilia. brazil face chile on saturday. the netherlands beat chile 2-0. chill jee takes on brazil, the

netherlands playing mexico. mexico's coming after defeat into croatia 3-1 against croatia, the sixth time the country reached the last 16 of the world cup. >> a short escape for hundreds of prison inmates in mexico city. the win a welcome respite from life behind bars. adam raney has this report. >> reporter: the joy and freedom of watching your team score and win a world cup match. hundreds of mexico city's criminals were granted permission to watch their beloved squad take on and beat croatia. the man on the drums - a convicted killer who has watched every mexico match in the cup. >> just because we are in prison doesn't mean we'll stop supporting our national team. we are in good spirits so the team can do well. for most of the match the

team was scoreless. in the 72nd minute mexico dominated with a succession of three goals. the prisoners and fans from thrilled at the victory. important is the result, causing diversity to break up the boredom of prison life. >> translation: it's a great distraction for us to be able to share this with our friend, and support mexico. [ singing ] >> reporter: while prisoners were rushed to their cells, thousands celebrated at the main landmark, the angel of independence. mexico is a pye as country and the football gods today answers prayers. next up - the netherlands who won all three matches. for now, fans are buoyant they have beaten expectations to make to this far. >> translation: our boys gave us

an unimaginable moment of happiness. this is the best gift our team could have given us. the power of football to un item and let people have a -- unite and let people have a taste of freedom. and you can keep up to date on our website.