a step towards the break up of iraq as the kurdish leader pushes for a vote on a break from baghdad. hello, you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead... >> i unequivocally condemn the murder of a palestinian youth. >> israel's prime minister denounces the suspected revenge killing of a palestinian teenager. >> and a british take on a french classic. the tour de france is about to

begin in the north of england. iraq's kurds are one step closer to full independence as their president asked parliament to prepare for a referendum on their fired. he has infuriated the iraqi prime minister who has loft support from the kurd and other major groups as well. we'll go live to iraq. but first a report from erbil. >> reporter: this man came to parliament to deliver an important message. the president of the iraq kurdish regional government said it was time for kurds to take a step closer to achieving self determination. instructing them to make preparations for a referendum on iraq. >> translation: we are the only ones who decide our destiny.

without a doubt, we have many allies and enemies. maybe this is a rick, but the time has come to tell the world what we want. no one can blame us for doing that. >> reporter: the move was refused positively as a crowd of people gathered outside the government building to show their support. >> translation: we come to show support and backing for the announcement of a kurdish state. we'll support him with soles and funny. staying with baghdad is almost impossible. >> the move falls short of announcing kurdish independence, it's significant nonetheless. moving to a referendum, the results of which many predict will be in favour of the sprags. it's a big yield, especially as iraq finds itself in the middle of severely power struggles and more divided than ever. the government in baghdad is struggling with a surge of fighters taking up arms in the

north, some declaring their own islamic state. was thousands of soldiers fleeing from their positions, the kurdish peshmerga moved in, taking control of kirkuk, a city up until now is disputed between the kurds and arabs of iraq. on wednesday prime minister nouri al-maliki accused kurdish politicians of taking advantage of the turmoil to capture new territory. >> this is unacceptable, rented. the issue of article 140 is not over. kurdish politicians say maliki has no one to blame but himself. >> the president described the situation, the reasons behind that. the failure of the policy, the system, making sure that he has been ruling iraq in the last eight years. his military responsibilities fell out of mosul and the other areas. >> that was echoed inside perimeter, who insisted there

was no going back for forces, after taking control of new areas. >> strong words from you'reed kish legs -- kurdish legislators, adamant that they'll move forward, despite words that nouri al-maliki will not recognise a referendum. inside the perimeter, the flag of iraq coming out of the semiautonomous region are hoisted. if the move goes ahead and a referendum is held, it could be a matter of time before this iraqi flag no longer stands. >> let's take you to our correspondent, imran khan, standing by in the capital baghdad. what has been the reaction to the kurdish call for independence? >> well, it's been very angry, and i think it goes along three separate lines, that's lot of anger over the fact that the kurds are doing this now. the iraqis, particularly those within the ruling party say,

look, this is the wrong time. you are taking advantage of a situation where we are powerless to do anything. we need your help. iraq needs to stay together and be strong. by doing this you are showing weakness. the second one is people are wondering what the kurds will do with the territory. will they stop giving money from the oil in that part of the world to the federal government. will it be an independent. no one knows what shape the state will be in. the last thing, and this is interesting - people are saying by having the referendum, ush varying to the terms the islamic state are putting on. you are redrawing the map of the middle east. we know the islamic state of iraq and fighters want. they want the map of the middle east redrawn. de facto you are almost agreeing to their terms. >> with so much at stake,

keeping in mind the region is semiautonomous, can prime minister maliki do anything to stop a referendum? >> nothing. let me give you an example of how independ the semiautonomous region of kurdistan is. if you are an iraqi arab, you need to have your picture tape, and you go -- taken, and you go through a border crossing. as a passport holder in erbil, you can lapped in erbil and walk out without a visa. if you are from the arab world, you need a visa. they don't have embassies, but trade officers. it's effectively a different country. there's not much that can be done about this. he has put pressure on him using the budgeted. and withdrawing money that the kurdish people use to make salaries. that angered the kurds. we have the oil, we have a

revenue stream, why do we rely on baghdad. >> this is at a time he's facing so many other challenges. imran khan speaking to us from baghdad. fighters from the islamic state are now in control of syria's largest oil field. video on a social media website is showing fighters in control of the oil field. the area used to be the stronghold of al nusra front which is linked to al qaeda. a bomb exploded on a train in alexandria in egypt, on the one year anniversary of the ousting of the mohamed mursi as president. someone had put the bomb under a seat n o the passenger train, in -- seat, on the passenger train, injuring five people. supports of the former

president demanded his release from prison. police fired tear gas and arrested nearly 200 protesters. we have more. >> reporter: denouncing a coup that took place a year ago, these are supporters of the president mohamed mursi, fighting with security forces in giza, south-west of the capital. police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. protesters want mohamed mursi to return to office. he was deposed by this man, abdul fatah al-sisi, last july. a year later egyptians are divided. >> we don't see a change. we haven't seen a change in the past 30 years, nor in the next 100 years. >> egypt needs a military man to mix things. it will not do having a normal person rule the country. if you look now, there's control

here. >> reporter: despite tight security and a clamp down of supporters, they are deconfinement. human rights agencies are alarmed by a deteriorating humanitarian situation. al jazeera spoke to a woman in the capital, but did not want to be identified, and said she was sexually assaulted by police three months ago. al jazeera cannot independently verify her allegations, she's taken her case to authorities in cairo. officials would not comment. >> the police officer hit me, and he raped me. when he was getting up he was making fun of me, telling me i wasn't a virgin, calling me names. i'm devastated. july the 3rd, 2013, is a day many will remember for

generations. the defence minister, surrounded by secular, leftist and religious leaders made a stunning declaration. this roadmap includes suspending the constitution, holding early presidential and parliamentary elections and formation of a national reconciliation committee including young people. >> after mohamed mursi was deposed supporters promised to stay for as long as it took for their leader to be reinstated. egyptian security forces told the camps hundreds were killed. attacks targetting security forces were on the rise. leaders of the muslim brotherhood were put in gaol. some now face death sentences. seen by many supporters as a

saviour, abdul fatah al-sisi was elected president in june. abdul fatah al-sisi rejected calls for reconciliation for a banned muslim brotherhood. that raised concerns about more clamp downs on this end in egypt. the funeral of murdered teenager of mohammed abukhdair will take place later this week. after two days of protests over his death, killed in a revenge attack after the death of three israeli teenagers. the israeli prime minister condemned the killing. nisreen el-shamayleh has more. >> reporter: a second day of violence in the east jerusalem neighbourhood. palestinians protest against the murder of 17-year-old mohammed abukhdair. they blamed israeli settlers for kidnapping and burning the teenager to death. squirmishes continued in the

morning. a barrage of rockets were fired from gaza to israel, which sent troops to the border. in statements, binyamin netanyahu suggested his government is not interested in an immediate escalation. >> i unequivocally condemn the murder of a palestinian youth in jerusalem, a few days ago much the police investigation is ongoing. we don't know the motives or the identities of the perpetrators, but we will. we will brick to justice the criminals responsible for this despicable crime, whoever they may be. >> back at the family home, neighbours, relatives and friends gathered to mourn with the family. his mother is in shock and disbelieve. >> i don't want a mother to feel

my anguish and tourment or feel my pain, husband son or loved one like what happened to me. the residents expected the israeli forces to return the boy's body back on thursday. people waited all day to hold a funeral procession only to find out they will not get the body until friday. >> i have lost a life and hope. >> they will gather on friday to lay him to rest. many believe he was killed in revenge for threeize raily settlers who -- three israeli settlers who went missing. >> people believe he will not be the last victim. tensions are high, they don't know how the situation can be diffused soon. >> security is being stepped up in india-administered kashmir

ahead of a visit with the prime minister. he'll inaugurate a railway line. a general strike has been called for. kashmir is divided between pakistan and india, but claimed by both. >> with the 1990s thousands fled a violent uprising in the underian administered part of kashmir. the government is working to accommodate those that want to go home. >> reporter: these are uncertainly times for this cam reply. that man, his pakistani wife and three sons have returned home. 25 years ago he illegally crossed the line of control that separates india and pakistan, to train with a banned armed group. he didn't want to tell me exactly what he did while he was

away, but he did want to talk about the indian government's rehabilitation policy. >> there were a lot of us in pakistan that wanted to come home. there's no direct route, so they have to come via other countries. >> one of the biggest concerns for those that have returned is getting government documentation to restart their lives. it's been four years since the policy was introduced, but some challenges remain. >> we have more than 300 who have come across with various degrees of success. the problem is not so much with their return. the problem arises with their families, because there are citizenship questions that come about. this man and his family were forced to leave the area in 1990 because of the fighting. they returned with the promise of a government job and housing.

>> translation: but each comes with an understanding. whatever happiness, i want to be in kashmir. this is my mother land, i was born here and want to die here. >> reporter: india's new prime minister narenda modi pledged to better the deal for tens of thousands who may want to go home. >> this is not hindu or muslim, this is the rights of people thrown out of a state which they were settled in for the past century. >> reporter: but time will be one of this policy's biggest tests. more than 20 years have past and many of the pundits who left are settled elsewhere. the condition of some of the places they called home is that stark reminder of how long they've been away. >> successful rehabilitation here depend on economic opportunity and more importantly security, because as many kashmiry's say only the smallest

incident can stall an entire process. the united states celebrates the 4th of july. in hawaii some are question whether it should bet the 50th state of the u.s.a. also coming up, brazil's footballers under huge world cup pressure, and so is their manager. can a psychologist help the team beat columbia.

[ ♪ music ] welcome back. the top stories here on al jazeera. the president of iraq's kurds has asked the kurdish parliament to prepare for a referendum on

independence. the move has infuriated the iraqi prime minister who lost support not only from the kurds, but the other major political groups in iraq. a bomb exploded on a train in egypt on the first anniversary of the overflow of president mohamed mursi. five were injured by the explosion in alexandria. >> the funeral of murdered teenaged mohammed abukhdair will take place later in east jerusalem, following two days of protests over his death. the israeli prime minister condemned the killing islamic state fighters released 32 truck drivers held hostage for three weeks. there's no news on 49 hostage, including diplomat rick staff kidd -- diplomatic staff kidnapped in mosul. despite the dangers, people need to make a living.

>> reporter: this man might be a truck driver, but he's battle-scarred like a veteran soldier. there's shrapnel in his chest, bullet wound in his legs. they are the outcome of getting caught in the crossfire. >> the raw oil on our backs is a bomb. within iraq there's real bombs - landmines and bullets. i have to go there despite heading into death. my battle, real battle, is making money to feed my children. >> reporter: there's little reward for taking the risk. they earn about $600 a month. turkey uses these trucks to move oil. almost all goods here go by road. in recent weeks officials noticed a fall of 50% in cross-boarder traffic, blaming

it on instability in iraq. this man and his son left for iraq in june. his wife expected them back a couple of days later. she has heard that they have been freed, along with 30 other truck drivers almost a month after being taken hostage by islamic state fighters in iraq. her first glimpse of them is on tv, being bussed to safety in the kurdish controlled north. >> it was as if i was dying every day. i will never let them go back to war zones or where the islamic state is. even if it means we have to beg. >> the turkish government as not revealed how the me were released. 49 turks, including diplomats, are being healed. these two at least are coming home. west african states agreed

to open a regional control center to deal with the ebola outbreak. they need 10 million to set it up. health experts and politicians met to talk about ways to stop ebola spreading. it's killed more than 470 people. the first hurricane of the atlantic season hit the east coast of the united states. hurricane arthur is a category 2 storm with wind of more than 160 miles per hour. this is what it looks like to reed wiseman, an astronaut in the international space station. forecasters plotted the track of arthur. it disrupted the holiday fans of americans celebrating the 4th of july holiday. as the u.s. celebrates the 4th of the july, islanders in hawaii are questioning their own path, a bid to build a native hawaiian

government is raising the claim over the 50th state. [ singing ] >> hawaii's language and culture is celebrated on the islands. however, the teaching of hawaii was banned after the teaching was overthrown. it's this history of colonisation, where those of native hawaiian ancestry will be addressed by the formation of a native hawaiian government. >> if you have a legal entity. it can pursue the rights that have been lost in the consequence of colonisation. >> over a year and a half tens and thousands of hawaiians signed up on an electoral role. the framework was questioned in

the u.s. by the head of the state agencies administering the process. in a letter to the state department in may, the ceo of the office of hawaiian affairs questioned the legality of hawaii, and asked whether ha had incurred criminal licty under -- libilityy under liability upped international law. hawaii had long been an internationally recognised sovereign nation, unlike the native american tribes, no treaty was signed consenting to u.s. oversight and dependency. for those, the surprise intervention has been welcomed the. what you are looking at is the u.s. and the state pretending that none of this happened, that what we are, the best that we can hope for is to be native americans under the governing

power of the united states. and that there are a growing number. it is not true. that's not who we are. that's not who we were then. we should, and can have our country back. >> reporter: for those determined to see a native government formed, the history is welcome. the history had been written by westerners who had - would have had us all but forget that there was no annexation, and there was an illegal obvious throw. so when you step into more of your population, understanding their history, you ask "what will we do next." that is what worries bill fernandez who thought the final came for determination within the u.s.a. >> you have to accept the reality that you were colonized.

you must find a means to work within the existing system. >> but in attempting to consolidate that system, an unprecedented discussion is under way on its validity. . >> well, the first of the world cup quarterfinals kicks off later on friday, and france play germany in the first game in rio de janeiro. brazil take on columbia. the brazilian team is under huge pressure to stay in the tournament. it coach brought in a psychologist to help the players coach. >> reporter: the emotional side comes from the fact that we give ourselves to what we do because we love doing it. when people do what they like to do, there's no way around emotion. we are common and motivated for our match against columbia. we played them four times and drew all four times. it showed how difficult the match would be, but i think we are ready.

>> the tour de france is to start in the heart of england. yorkshire is getting the world's greatest cycle race before the rioters arrive in france next week. british riders are hoping to make it a hat-trick of recent winds, as barnaby phillips reports. >> reporter: cycling has been a gen teel activity in the yorkshire town. everywhere is very exited that the tour de france is coming to town. >> lots of people around here have taken a week off work to experience it. they go cycling every day. getting ready. >> i have been to france and seep it in france and never imagined that we'd see it go past the house i live in. it goes rite pass. >> they are off, not at the speed of the real race, but with no less spirit.

>> adam invested $1.5 million, he's taken a risk, but many of the british who have taken up cyclic are prepared to spend a lot of money on their new hobby. >> they say cyclic is the new golf. a lot of our customers are successful, wealthy businessmen are doing as much on the bikes as in the offices. people did business on golf courses. the excitement is attracting a new generation. it seems as if britain's love affair with cycling is set to grow and grow. the seats on this platform have gone to the winners of a raffle. what will they or anyone see. the cyclists will hurtful past in what they call a peloton. it lasts a few seconds, and it's over. the tour de france leaves

yorkshire behind. in the meantime this corner of england turned french. >> if you would like to find out more about barnaby's story, go to our website aljazeera.com. who is heeding and who is is lagging behind, it is the inside story. hello, i'm ray swarez. june because the fifth