>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello there, welcome to the news hour from doha, i'm laura. these are the main stories we'll be covering this hour. [ explosion ] >> day four of the aerial bombardment of gaza, more than 100 palestinians have died in the offensive so far. meanwhile rockets continue to be fired into israel. flying in to see the ballot boxes. john kerry tries to broke ear

settlement in this the disputed afghan presidential election. and i'll be here with all of the sport, including banned in brazil, but bound for barcelona, liverpool agree to sell troubled striker, loui suarez. palestinians casualties continue today as the result of the israeli offensive on gaza. 700 are now injured. five people died early on friday. [ explosion ] >> an israeli air strike hit as rescuers were trying to free others trapped in the ruins of a building. they had been targeted in an earlier strike. a 7-year-old girl is amongst the

victims. israel says it has hit more than 11,000 targets in gaza in the last four days. the aerial assault has also targeted many houses in gaza city. stephanie decker is there. >> reporter: it's in the small details where you see lives interrupted here on the edge of that building. you see a child's stickers on the wall, and also towels, really, something when israel strikes here there is no time for people to get out. sometimes it does issue a warning strike and a warning call, but certainly there is no escape if you are in here. the entire half of this building has fallen apart. and you can see also on the back another building, apartments, half blown out. if you look through the rubble again signs of who used to live here. there's child's toys and to the left there's a baby's

[ inaudible ]. it tells you that families are being effected by this relentless campaign. many women and children are amongst the dead. and even though israel says this is a military campaign against the different armed factions here, it is the people who are being affected they are terrified. and many will tell you they have been completely discarded by the arab countries and the international community, and they are petrified about how this is all going to play out. in jerusalem, the israeli army says for security reasons men under the age of 50 are not allowed into mosques to pray. >> reporter: this is the second friday of ramadan and this is as close as these men have been allowed to come to the mosque. it's about 3 or 400 kilometers away, behind a police line. the israelis say it is because of security. to give you an idea of the

restrictions these men faced this time last year, there would have been some 350,000 men here across the west bank and jerusalem. today perhaps just a few hundred men and it's a tense environment. the israelis say it is because of security. the men here say it is because they are being collectively punished because of the rockets coming out of gaza. >> now we are prevented from entering on this friday, which is a very holy day for us. >> reporter: it was tense through prayers. it remains tense now that it has ended, although most of the men are leaving. but out there you get this overwhelming feeling of frustration and anger that they have not be able to get in. israeli says nearly 600

rockets have been fired into its territory from gaza. one landed at a petro station injuring at least eight people. oil tankers and cars were also destroyed in the explosion. in tel-aviv, people have taken cover as sirens are sounded. they have intercepted at least 11 rockets since night. rockets have also been fired from lebanon into israeli. >> reporter: the lebanese army says three rockets were fired from southern lebanon. the lebanese army came. they searched the area. they found the rocket launchers and found two rockets that were not launched. they were dismantles, and the lebanese army says they don't know who was behind the firing

of these rockets. they are looking for them. and want to put them to trial. and they say in retaliation, israeli fired 25 shells into the area. there is talk of a draft revolution at the united nations designed to limit the violence. let's speak to our diplomatic editor, james bayes. james yesterday we saw united nations security council holding a session. what do you know today? >> when they met behind closed doors, they tried to work on a statement, not a resolution on the situation to try to find words that they could all agree on in a statement. i'm told by diplomats the discussion was quite productive to begin with, and then suddenly there seemed to be problems and objections coming from the u.s. after the various ambassadors

consulted with their capitols, the u.s. it seems from washington had trouble with the language that was being discussed. so that statement is not going to happen. it's not going anywhere, we're told. arab ambassadors are very angry about that. and they are going to draw up their own revolution calling for a ceasefire. i'm told it's similar to a resolution back in 2009. that was at the time of the gaza conflict then just before the unilateral ceasefire from israel. if they go ahead, and this draft resolution is circulated and it's put before the security council, the u.s. have a problem. they have to decide what to do about this resolution, which will be a security council resolution calling for a ceasefire. the only clue we have to the u.s. objection is what the bush

administration in its very last few days did back in 2009. they abstained. they didn't veto, they abstained. but it will be interesting in that resolution is brought forth in the next few days. >> also hearing particularly strong words from the un high commissioner for human rights what are we hearing from him? >> well, this, remember, is the most important human rights official in the world. she is the high commissioner for human rights for the united nations, and she has put a strongly worded statement. she has condemned both sides? what has been going on, and she is alarmed at the mounting civilian toll in gaza. and i think the really interesting comments here are about the israeli air strikes in gaza. let me read you the key point i think, and these are the words. we have received deeply disturbing reports that many of

the civilian casualties including children occurred as a result of strikes on homes. such reports raise serious doubt about whether the israeli strikes have been in accord dabs with international humanitarian law and international human rights law. she said the only reason that strikes like that can be justified is if the homes were being used for military use. she says if there is any doubt about that, though, there shouldn't be strikes. that's quite clear in international law. >> james thanks for the update from the un in new york. you can also keep up with the very latest on the situation in gaza around the clock by going to our website, there you will find a link to a live blog on our front page complete with pictures, updates, and videos from our correspondents. iraq's parliament will meet again within 48 hours to try to

assemble a government. sectarian tensions have pre event -- prevented the prime minister from appointing a new government. the standingoff has impacted the kurdish economy. >> reporter: international airports cargo terminal is practically empty. similar scenes at the other airport which serves the kurdish region. on wednesday the government banned cargo planes from landing here. on a normal day this hangar would be filled with goods, particularly freights too sensitive to be brought in villa trucks, things that are heat sensitive like meditation. but as you can see the shelf fs

are empty. bagdad blames kurdish politicians of working to split the country and turning the city of erbil into a base for terrorists. in response the kurdish regional government issued a statement on their website calling short of calling prime minister maliki a mad man. . .. as the political tit-for-tat continued, iraq's deputy prime minister, foreign minister, and health minister say they will not take part in the cabinet sessions. >> translator: we cannot endure

any more such behaviors. >> reporter: among the people the division is just as apparent. >> translator: the region was brought [ inaudible ] even the kurdish officials cannot deny such information. >> translator: the occasions made by maliki against self rule in iraq's kurdish region should be based on evidence and proof. >> reporter: iraq's recent history has been defined by decades of authoritarian rule and wars. for me the only thing different is that the country faces a real risk of being carved up. three al jazeera journalists have now spent 195 days in the egyptian prison. they are all falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. mohammed fahmy and peter greste were sentenced to seven years each in prison.

baher mohamed was also given seven years but then given an additional because he had a spent bullet in his possession which he picked up at a protest. al jazeera continues to deny all occasions and demands the journalists be freed. coming up a freight train derailed in southern mexico. more than a thousand migrants lose their rights to the united states. and more on the manhunt of the fifa official accused of involvement in a $100 million world cup ticket scam. ♪ the u.s. secretary of state is in afghanistan to try to help

resolve disputed presidential elections. early results show ashraf ghani in the lead, but his opponent abdullah abdullah says the vote was rigged. >> reporter: afghans have high hopes that america's top diplomat will broker an end so the conflict. they are working to find a solution on who will be the next president. the vote has been cast, but they are contested. karzai says they have to be in line with afghan law. kerry agrees. >> i'm here because president obama and the united states are deeply interested in a unified democratic and stable afghanistan. we obviously have high hopes that the questions about the election will be resolved

quickly. >> reporter: candidate ashraf ghani supports a united nations plan to review about 43% of the vote. >> our commitment is to ensure the election process enjoys the integrity and legitimacy that the people of afghanistan would believe. >> reporter: that's what the people want too. some chain themselves together to block the road to kaboul's airport, demanding a resolution. the political uncertainty has damaged afghanistan's fragile economy. abdullah abdullah wants 11,000 ballot boxes reviewed and he wants them reviewed by an independent third-party. the secretary of state is trying to find a solution with both candidates and the people of

afghanistan can trust the outcome. jennifer glasse, al jazeera, kaboul. there has been an attack in an kenyan village. it's the latest in a series of attacks in the region that has forced many people to seek safety elsewhere. katherine soy has the details. >> reporter: it seems these people were looking for supplies. they came here at night and banned this classroom, they burned several houses as well. they stole food from the store, medical supplies, and six firearms from guards who were guarding the civilians. now there has been massive operation -- security depreciation here in the county, more boots on the ground. the military has been deployed. more police units have been deployed. they have been navigating through the thick forrests,

looking for the attackers. 69 people have been arrested, so you can feel the government presence here, but people are still fearful. they are still fleeing from their homes this woman's husband and 12 year old son were shot at point-blank range. she watched helplessly. 13 men were killed in her town that night. another nine in a neighboring county. >> translator: they asked for the sex of my baby. i told them a girl. they wouldn't believe me, so they made me strip her to make sure. >> reporter: a neighbor who came to help them had his hands and legs tied his throat slit right here. every night since then, frightened people have left their homes and come to this

prison facility to spend the night. there are as many as 3,000 people. most women and children. more are coming. the government has been trying to convince the people here that it's safe to go back home. they seem to have lost confidence in those assurances. they say they would rather stay here than go back to their villages possibly to more attacks. their fears have only be increased by leaflets that have been circulated that want people not originally from the area to leave. it is likely this prison will have to accommodate even more frightened families. >> we are manning the prison itself, provide security, and the [ inaudible ] as a whole. >> reporter: the attack in hindi took place barely a month after another town was attacked.

at least 60 people there were killed. the group al-shabab has claimed responsibility. >> translator: the government tells us it's safe to go home, but they haven't arrested everyone. these attackers are still out there, and can strike at us. >> reporter: and so early morning they are given back their national identity cards and forced to leave the prison come pound. they will only be allowed back at night. they get no meals here. the government has been providing some food to the families, dry grains, rice, oil, and flour. the problem is, the numbers keep increasing and the food is not enough, so the red cross has to reduce the rations so that as many people as possible get this food. even if it's just a little. las vegas gas is an oasis

for gamblers, but the city needs water to keep the glitz and glamour alive. and an ambitious plan to pump more water is infuriating farmers in other parts of nevada. >> reporter: home on the range, and the skies are not cloudy all day in nevada's cowboy country. a few hundred people living an old fashioned life. ranching and farming in snake valley. in addition to raising livestock, tom's family grows alfalfa, corn, and oats. >> water is the limiting factor to any kind of growth, whether it's agriculture or the cities or industrial growth, and if our water resources are depleted at all, we're lose things like this pretty meadow, and a lot of the economic viability of the area. >> reporter: what tom baker worries about is this.

300 miles away, a dehydrated las vegas has planned to build a pipeline running north that would access water in snake valley. >> we are the economic engine of the state of nevada. so it -- you know, a balance that you have to have between where are you going to allocate your resources with where are you going to get the most benefit. >> reporter: locals consider this a water grab. at a lost of $15 billion u.s. dollars, some call it a vegas pipe dream. but southern nevada believe northeastern nevada could provide about a third of its water supply. farmers say they don't have as much water as las vegas believes. >> this is an area when the wind blows, you can see the dust blowing, and see the dunes. >> reporter: once a marshland when an earlier plan drained

this place dry, it killed the vegetation. almost the entire community in snake valley has come together against the southern nevada water authority. and the biggest event of the year is this pair raid andfestal. the event raises money for legal fees. nevadians believe the best way to win the battle will be in court. >> we are in court at the state level l.a. at the federal level, and we feel we have a very good chance in both areas. >> the environmentalists and ranchers generally aren't on the same page a lot of times, and so we have had -- it has brought us all together. >> reporter: southern nevada water authority has spent millions of dollars buying up nearby ranches and their water rights. the bakers decided not to sell. >> we would take a lot of money, but we don't know what we would

do with it. and the thought of selling. we really don't want to do that. >> reporter: away from the glitz and glamour the bright lights of las vegas flies the rest of nevada. the people here will fight to keep their water, before letting the desert swallow them up. we're going to stay in the u.s. region. we have got the weather with everton, he has news of some stormy weather. >> that's right. very heavy rain around the eastern side of the us. the main area cloud and rain as you can see just around the eastern seaboard we have seen some big downpours here. and another area that is causing problems is up in the central plains up to canada. in virginia 87 kilometers of

rain. lots of damage, around ten people injured in the process, and we have seen significant damage to homes as well. further north into canada, in manitoba a state of emergency has been declared because we have seen really heavy rain over the last couple of days, and that has lead to very high river levels. not too bad as we go on through the remainder of friday. the wetter weather is through the east of winnipeg, but then we go into saturday and then we're going to see cloud and rain once again come back in the area. the wetter area will ease its way towards the eastern seaboard. and just around the mid-atlantic states at this point. the wetter weather is makes its way across georgia and down into

the panhandle. that will clear through. better weather coming through as we go into the second half of the weekend then. a good part of eastern u.s., push up into eastern canada, really heavy rain in many place. some warm weather for ottawa, but more heavy showers coming back into manitoba. laura. thank you very much indeed. moving on to the head of fifa's official hospitality provider at the world cup being on the run from police. he is accused of involvement in a multi-million dollars ticketing scam. ♪ >> reporter: there has been a lot to celebrate in brazil as fans flock to see their countries do battle. but police say underneath it

all, an international gang was at work, scamming fans out of millions of dollars, and the one man who now has little to cheer about is this man. he is the head of the company providing hospitality packages at the tournament. brazilian police are calling the british national a fugitive. they have accused him of using his position and the company to help scam up to $90 million from fans reselling vip tickets and packages. >> translator: the company has an official contract with fifa, and what is happening is come pollutely absurd. >> reporter: absurd or not. police went to arrest wheelen on friday, but couldn't find him. they are arrested 11 others and charged them with ticket scalping and money laundering, but wheelen is the most high

profile of the accused. joining us now here in any studio is our sports correspondent richard par. richard extoerd neir story. how wide is this fraud? >> it's an ongoing investigation. police believe that they have been taughting tickets at the palace hotel. they have got through half of the accusations, they have get through another half. they have oar rested 12 people, including ray wheelen. his company deny the claims. fifa say they are cooperating with the police. ticket taughting is illegal in brazil, but only carries a fine

of 2225 -- $225 and no jail time whatsoever. >> okay. richard thanks very much for the update. still to come . . . a freight train derails there southern mexico, and more than a thousand migrants lose their ride to the united states. >> translator: i tried to find him, who he really is. i just wanted to see him. >> plus her father was a u.s. soldier, and she is one of the thousands of so-called forgotten children in the philippines. and in sport germany want the support of brazil's fans when they take on argentina in sunday's world cup final. ♪

♪ hello again the top stories this hour here on al jazeera. the number of casualties is continuing to rise on the fourth day of israel's offensive on gaza. in israel a rocket fired from gaza has hit a petrol station. eight people were injured. 570 rockets have been fired from gaza, israel says in the last three days. and the u.s. secretary of state is in afghanistan to try to help

resolve the dispute withed presidential election. let's bring you more on our main story of the day. it's the fourth day of the israeli offensive against gaza. the number of dead and injured continues to rise. but the israeli army says hamas is using the civilians as human shields. here we have got some video that has been released by the israeli military, and it shows an air strike on gaza. israeli forces first fired a warning shot, saying this allows people to leave the building. you can see people fleeing here. but then we see people running back towards the building that's just been targeted. the israeli military says this is hamas telling people to go on to the roof so they can then be used as human shields. the army says it didn't fire on

the building to avoid civilian casualties, but the number of victims is still growing by the day. we have more than a hundred people now killed in gaza during operation protective edge, and at least 24 of those have been children, with 12 women also amongst the victims. joining us now from beirut is a spokesman for hamas. thank you very much for joining us. why did those people in that video run back towards the building? was it under the orders of hamas? >> well, i -- i have to say that the israelis are trying to say that hamas is using the civilians as shields, while in fact the israelis are targeting the civilians in order to put pressure on hamas because they are targeting the houses and the women and the children. >> there is no doubt that they

are targeting houses, but in this video particularly. they did fire a warning shot. that gives people time to flee those buildings. and then we see them returning. why do we see them returning? this >> well, as -- as -- as -- as i have to say also, that was on the first day only. from the second day, there were no warning shots. they were just bombing the houses directly. and the israelis are trying to show -- they shot between two houses. the people were in the first one, so they ran to the second one. they expected that the attack would be on the first house, and then the attack was on the second one. so it's not -- it's not fair to say that they have shot to warn the palestinians in the civilian neighborhood, but no one knows what -- what will be the next target. >> but you do say the warning

shots were only given in the first couple of day, but yesterday there was a similar situation where eight members of one family were killed by an israeli attack. israel again says it warned those people to leave that house. >> well, there was no warning. and i believe the israelis are trying to target the civilians on purpose in order to put pressure on hamas -- >> but there's no denying -- sorry to interrupt, but there is no denying that hamas is firing from the gaza strip, and we all know this is a very heavily populated area. where is hamas is firing from within a civilian population that is then likely to be targeted. >> this is a good question, because there were no militants killed, there were no [ inaudible ] destroyed. there was no bases destroyed. the israelis are claiming they are bombing the centers where

hamas is launching the rockets and the other resistance movements. while only the civilians are killed. no distraction for what they are claiming to detroy -- >> that's not completely true, is it? this because we do have a number of militants killed and the leader of the islamic jihad was killed a couple of days ago. >> there are militants that are being killed, but they were not kill interested in the houses which is being bombed. they were killed in this the field. they were killed by bombing the cars while they were driving or motorcycles, so there were no mill tanths being killed in the houses of the palestinians. all of the people killed in the houses were civilians. and only the militants were killed in the field. they were trying to fight in the

field. they couldn't achieve their goals, so they decided to start bombing the houses to put pressure on hamas. >> why is hamas firing these rockets? what are they trying to achieve? >> the occupation is still on the palestinian land, and while their occupiers launch their attack against gaza. everyone knows there was a ceasefire agreement in 2012 and everyone knows hah palace and the resistance movements -- the one who violated the ceasefire was the israeli side, and hamas, the other factions reacted against the israeli violations -- >> but what is hamas's end game here? is it hoping to reach another ceasefire deal? >> well, i think the israelis thought for a while that they can violate the ceasefire.

they can attack without a response from hamas or the resistance, because they felt that gaza under siege cannot resist their violations and their attacks. here the clear situation. we are resisting. we are still standing and we will. and if there is a ceasefire under clear conditions for the palestinians this will be discussed at the moment, and if not, we'll continue targeting the israeli army, and israeli settlers, and i believe that israel will not live with that forever. >> okay. one last question. the president has called on hamas to stop the rocket fire -- or called on the militant groups in gaza, of course it's not just hamas, to stop rocket fire. now that hamas has joined the unity government, doesn't it have an obligation to on bide that call? >> well, the unity government is support to help the

palestinians. the unity government is supposed to protect the palestinians. the call for stopping the israeli attack against the palestinians instead of saying the rockets must not be launched against israelis. i believe it's the responsibility of the palestinian political leadership is to stop the israeli attack against the palestinians, and to make that possible and to make the withdraw from the israelis from our occupied lands, not to work against the resistance or against the will of the palestinian people. >> thank you very much for joining us there from beirut. >> thank you. now more fighting is being reported in eastern ukraine. government spokesmen say up to 30 soldiers have been killed in a pro-russian rebel attack near the russian border. >> reporter: word coming out on

friday from the central government in kiev, their soldiers, the ukrainian army came under attack in at least two different situations. they are saying a couple of dozen soldiers have been killed. in response the russian government has shut the three major crossing points from eastern ukraine into russia. this is after several hours of fighting overnight outside of the city here in donetsk against separatist fighters and a small number of ukrainian army in the airport. that's a position the army held since the engineer of -- end of may. a lot of this, the vast majority of the fighting was outgoing. so it appears there could have been some type of maneuver by those forces that are fighting for separatist movement to show they are still in a position to defending the city.

the central government of kiev saying they are going to take this city. they don't want street to street battles, but they are going to take this city. so both sides still sticking to their guns more than 20 years since the u.s. philippinian air bases have been closeded. but now it's reinforcing its military presence because of rising tension with the chinese. the last time this happened thousands of children were born. >> reporter: jackky is a single mother, but she says she has long endured a life of hardship and poverty. her father an ex-u.s. servicemen left she and her mother when she was 2 years old. >> translator: i tried to find

him. i would have felt complete because something was missing. >> reporter: she works at this home for other abandoned am-asian children. the u.s. naval base was the largest military installation outside of the u.s. mainland for almost 50 years. and this town became one of the biggest red light districts in the country. by the u.s. bases closed here in 1992, at least 50,000 children are believed to have been born to u.s. fathers. some of them left behind by mothers who were either unable to bare the social stigma or were too poor to support them. in 1982 the united states congress voted to grant citizenship to am-asians, but

did not include the philippines. and now a new military agreement between the philippine government and the u.s. means an increased u.s. military presence in the country. many here believe that the united states has a moral obligation to look after its forgotten children. >> the expansion of u.s. troops here, which is growing, we fear that they may join the sex tourists, and exploit more of the filipino women and leave them abandoned when they are pregnant. and we have more children here that will be living a life of dire hardship. >> reporter: but the u.s. has not said anything about a change in its policy. it insists it is taking its responsibility to u.s. citizens abroad, while carefully assessing all claims. jackie says children like are a

forgotten community. long being discriminated and living on the fringes of society. 32 people have been jailed in china for downloading and distributions internet videos, which prosecutors say inspired terrorist attacks. the court said the video showed how to make bombs and wage religious war fair in the western area. 43 people were killed when a market was bombed in the provincial capitol who months ago. a [ inaudible ] has crashed into southern china, killing 11 people including 8 school children. it is the latest in a series of traffic accidents. a freight train which was also carrying more than a

thousand migrants has derailed in southern mexico. no one was injured, but the third rail accident in a month does highlight the risks that illegal migrants from central and south america take. as more migrants prepare for the treacherous journey, monica reports. >> reporter: we have come to a shelter on the border, where a lot of migrants from central america come. they stay here while they can catch a cargo train, known as the train of death that they hope will take them up north. as you can see, people just sort of hanging here. there's children. we don't know who they are traveling with. only men in that section, because this holding home doesn't allow women and men to mix. and when they come, they are screened. there is a security process, and they are checked for knives or weapons, and if they are allowed

to stay, obviously they have to follow certain rules. when we got here, we ran into a group that just arrived by foot and told us they had been attacked on the way. >> translator: they took all of our clothes and found all of our money. they took all of our luggage, everything, my daughter's diapers, they left us with nothing. >> reporter: oscar is 14 years old and is traveling without his parents. many children are apparently doing this. and he is going to take us to where the women are. some people told me they are not going to stay because they ran out of money or think it is too dangerous. but they base their decisions on information or personal experience. most told me they don't know what is going on in congress in the united states or their own countries. they just say the situation back home is too dangerous and they are very determined to change it. still to come on this al jazeera news hour, farah will have all of the sport for us,

including nba superstar lebron james keeping the world hanging as to when he'll next play. and banned in brazil, but bound for barcelona. liverpool agrees to sell troubled striker, loui suarez. snrz

♪ let's get you all of the sport now. and here is farah. >> thank you so much. liverpool has agreed to sell

loui suarez. he will join on a five-year contract. he'll wear the number 9 shirt at the new camp. the 27 year old scored 31 goals for liverpool last season, but is currently serving a four-month worldwide man for biting a player in the world cup. chilean striker has moved to the british team arsenal. sanchez took part in the brazil 2014 world cup, scoring two goals for his country. he also scored 47 goals in his 141 appearances with the spanish club. the german team have made a publish plea to the home fans asking for their support when they take on brazil's arch rivals on sunday. this final is seen by many as a

competition between latin america and europe. >> reporter: the world cup has never been won by a european on latin america soil, so we set off to see if fans are hoping the rule will be broken. first we asked a brit. >> yeah, i think they deserve it. >> reporter: but when we approached these mexicans -- >> argentina! >> reporter: because they are latin america brothers. indeed practically everyone in latin america feels the same way. everyone that is, except the brazilians of all people. look at this newspaper. it says the germans. we are germans from childhood. the same players that humiliated brazil just a few days ago.

>> translator: our rivalry is just too strong as much as i wanted the cup to stay in latin america, if it means argentina winning, i'll have to cheer for germany. >> reporter: last week, argentine and brazilian fans dreamed only of facing each other in the final game to the extreme that a brazilian dressed like this to cheer on his arch rival. you are really a brazilian? >> yes, i am. >> why are you dressed up as an argentine. you want to play in the final against argentina. but that was before, and now the local media can't stop ridiculing brazil's team for allowing their arch football enemy to make it to the final without them. even the brazilian flag is

sporting german colors. >> translator: i just can't imagine argentina being crowned the world champion in our stadium. it's too horrible to contemplate. >> reporter: but there are some who just want to see a good game. >> this is what the world cup final is all about. it's all about the excitement, the tension, everything. you have got to experience it. >> reporter: and regardless of rivalries, it is that emotion that football fans the world over are waiting for. sunday will be germany's seventh final, one of those hoping to figure is this man seen on the right of the screen here. he became the world cup all-time leading goal scorer after netting his 16th in the 7-1 thrashing of host brazil. and he says he'll only celebrate if the team wins its fourth word

cup title. >> translator: whoever knows me, knows i'm focused on argentina now, and i will enjoy that moment when it will be there, but for now there is only one thing that counts for me, and that is to be successful as a team and hold up the world cup. i will not enjoy this personal success if i lose a second world final. argentina are in their first title for 24 years. the last time they won a world cup was in 1986 when they beat germany. >> translator: germany is a great team. what happened to brazil could have happened to anyone. but we flow very well that what happened to brazil could happen again. but, also, i believe germany will be aware of ourselves. they know we have players that could decide a match. brazil do still have a game to play at the world cup.

it's saturday's third place playoff against the netherlands. [ inaudible ] was injured in a challenge. and left him with a fractured vertebrae, but the 22-year-old claims it could have been much worse. >> translator: i feel blessed because it wasn't more serious. two more centimeters up, i could have been in a wheelchair. it's really hard to talk about. it happened at such an important time in my career. but it happened. it's part of the game. let's move on. let's move on. i'm sorry. while brazil's world cup still has three days to run, focus will soon be switching to the 2018 event in russia. after sochi's hosting in this year's winter olympics, world cup organizers will face issues of their own.

>> reporter: the stadium, a masterpiece of steel and glass, sited on the bank of the river. but these images exist only in the minds of the architects and designers. work hasn't even started on this site. regional sports minister walks through the waste ground. he is confident the stadium can be completed on time. it was really needed, he says, and the meme are delighted. there were national celebrations when the country was awarded the world cup back in 2010. four years later the cost overruns are rising, and construction work is falling behind. russia's world cup dream is above budget and behind schedule. only three out of the 12 stadiums are even close to completi completion. average cost of the stadiums is

now $577 million apiece, that's 50% more than those built in brazil. the projected cost of the individual russian stadiums back in 2010 has massively overrun. the basic cost of hosting russia's world cup is estimated at $20 billion last year. that's twice the final cost of brazil's world cup. it adds ammunition to the critics. >> this is like plastic spoon or like plastic plate. this is one time use stadium. that's it. no more uses in the future. >> reporter: and new blood is badly needed. russia never got past the first stage in brazil. hopes for the national team in 2018 rest with the young.

russia has four years to make this work. but hanging over the preparations for the world cup are seemingly endless allegations of corruption. but president putin has the people on his side. this is a nation of football fanatics, all of them passionate about what they regard as their world cup. all determined to make it happen. now don't forget to join us for our daily brazil 2014 update. a rap of everything going on at the world cup. our special guest is former barcelona and real madrid player. that's at 1540 gmt. lebron james plans to at tend the world cup in brazil. but fans have been anxiously

waiting outside his home in ohio, in hopes james will decide to return to the cleveland cavaliers. james moved to miami from cleveland in 2010. during his time with the heat, he won two nba titles, but became a free agent last month. the momentum is continuing to switch on the third day of the first test between england and india. england enjoyed a century partnership between sam and gary balance in the first session. but india fought back taking three wickets. 174-4. there is much more sport on our website. for all of the latest check out aljazeera.com/sport. there is also details on how to get in touch with our team using twitter and facebook. that's it for me now, laura. >> thanks very much indeed. that's it for me and the team

here. many thanks for watching. do stay with us on al jazeera. ♪

>> on the stream, >> we're taking you inside the system american justice that includes flawed forensics and faulty confessions don't miss the stream >> the stream on al jazeera america the death toll rises as israel pounds gaz yes, and gaza fires at jerusalem. that story and more ahead. i'm antonio mora, and this is "consider this". the fight is far from over. >> the deadly conflict between israel and hamas intensified. >> air raids conditions. >> what are we supposed to do, count the rockets. >> we didn't start the war today, they did several days ago. >> we did noar