> >> announcer: this is al jazeera. welcome to the al jazeera newshour. i'm jane dutton in doha. the top stories - more israeli air strikes in gaza. 18 palestinians killed and 50 injured in a single attack. people in the north have been told to leave ahead amor israeli air strikes. iraq's parliament tries to

take faltering steps to form a government. families of the schoolgirls met, kidnapped by boko haram. >> it's the count down to the biggest match. germany, will they be the first european team to win a world cup on south american soil? >> the u.n. called for a ceasefire, but israel is threatening more air strikes, warning people in north gaza to leave. israeli fire power has been pounding gaza for six days, the deaths are mounding. 166 palestinians have been killed. of those 29 are children below the age of 16. 19 of the casualties have been

women. this is the scene live on gaza's border with israel, where air strikes are continuing. the deadliest single strikes since israel began its offensive, killing 18 people. gaza's police chief was the target. he is in a critical condition. most of the dead are members of his family, stefanie dekker reports. >> reporter: shortly after the attack the search for survivors and the dead. the rubble was once the house of the police chief. he survived the assault and is believed to be in a critical but stable condition. manimm brs of his -- many members of his family were killed. a combination of machinery and hands were used to get inside. there's no noulent the house -- doubt the house was deliberate lit targeted. >> it's a new massacre against our people.

this time the house of this family. the houses nearby to a mosque. people were trying to get out of the mosque after finishing procedures. they saw the house upped intensive shelling. >> officials say the incident caused a single greatest loss of life sense the israeli army. the army said special forces raided a site used to fire long-range rocket. there was an exchange of fire as they came close to the shore. >> there was an intense night of air streaks. forwards of the early mourning were smouldering. >> the israeli army told people in the north to leave their homes, saying they'd launch an operation to clear the area. the u.n. agency for refugees tell us they'll open multiple schools to proved shelter for the thousands.

they are expected to heed that call. >> we'll go to stefanie dekker, live from gaza. we are looking at a live shot of the gaza skye line. stephanie was tells us earlier that the offensive that was planned to hit northern gaza has begun. how is it playing out? >> well, it's quiet at the moment. we are hearing that there was one air strike in an area towards the north. people still extremely on edge, waiting braced for this to happen. many people have left their homes, the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees tells us that more people are streaming in. some are remaining up north, waiting, perhaps, they say - one girl we heard from said she'd wait to see what would happen, and if needed there was a shelter in the north. they'd start moving. people waiting to see when this will happen.

they are expecting something harsh. it will be short and temporary, it will be strong. they did give 12 o'clock. perhaps they'll give it a little more time to make sure people can leave if they want to leave. it put people on edge, more than they are. >> why are they focussing on that area in particular. tell us more about israel's cop inspectors when it -- concerns when it comes to hamas, and the fact that they are better prepared this time. >> yes, they show that during the 6-day conflict, the rockets flying into israel, and infiltrating. the borders are tightly monitored. it's a military zone. to have achieved that hamas sees as a huge victory. why are they focussing on the north, because they believe - you can see smoke in the distance. i'm not sure if you can make it out. they believe the area, close to

the north is where there's a concentration near to hamas, underground. this is something new, that hamas has an extensive under ground system, tunnels where there's weapons, rocket launchers, that's something that israel wants to target, and push the border back. but it is a concern. israel has not managed to diminish the rocket capabilities. many is flying into israel. it's been six days of bombing. the rockets are fired into israel. israel will be keep to make he'd way. >> thank you. the israeli army days it has been giving warnings about air strikes on residential areas. many say it's not always the case. >> inside this home on the right

a 6am phone call from israeli intelligence carries a terse warning "get out." a neighbour records what happens next in this mobile phone video. a warning rocket if an israeli drone strikes the roof, and then this: 1:10 this is all that's lost. this is a tack it can, where a little over a -- tactic that a little over a minute can mean life or death. somehow the family made it out alive. some of them work from hamas, neighbours acknowledge. >> translation: anyone who does this is not normal.

there should be retaliation for everything they do. war brings war. >> in some cases neighbours say there was no warning. five were killed by an air strike on friday in rafa. >> translation: they have no idea. the israelis gave them no warning to evacuate, they didn't send a warning rock elt. >> reporter: the israeli army calls these places military operational strikes. few institutions are left n touched. this is what is left of the mosque. where an air strike injured 22. >> they hit more than 22 gst buildings -- 22 government buildings. we don't know why israel is attacking the buildings. >> late on saturday the brigades warns it will strike tel aviv with a new, more powerful rocket. the israeli army says the iron dome defense system explodes three mid air, a fourth, they

say, lands harmlessly in a field. the israeli army warns: with more rockets scoring out of gaza and heavy strikes from air and warships at sea, neither side seems to be talking about a ceasefire. let's bring in jonathon, a spokesman for the israeli ministry of defense. and he joins me from tel aviv. thank you four joining us. i'd like to ask about a policy of yours. you are supposed to give - we have been told by you - 10 minutes for people to evacuate. some people are not getting any notice at all. why not? >> the israeli army analyses everything on a case-by-case basis.

we have a nom number of areas to give warning mess s, we use cell phones, leaflets dispersed by air. >> in some incidence, and the one you are listening to, these families were given less than a minute. in the homes, as you well know, there's grandmothers, children, elderly people - you have to evacuate them all out. is that something that you see as being acceptable in this? >> it's important to note again israel takes a number of steps to limit and prevent civilian casualties. the organization to blame is hamas. they place the terror infrastructure, rockets, launching sites in the center of populations in homes and houses. once the homes and houses are used for military purpose, they are are legitimate targets.

>> so you launched bombs on the police chief, you didn't kill him, yet you killed women and children. is that seep as acceptable. how do you weigh up what is acceptable and how many innocent people have to die to target one person? >> i don't want to comment on the specific case, there's on ongoing situation. >> that's not one cause, it's many. >> we are taking it case by case. >> more and more women and children are getting killed. >> israel has taken unprecedented steps to limit civilian casualties, unpress depd, and i have not seen an army in the world that's tape the steps. >> you are asking people to evacuate gaza, the most densely populated place in the world. let's talk about northern gaza... >> hamas is to blame here, hamas - when hamas...

..in the past your, i'll give you an update the israeli airport has been dropping leaflets warning residents and civilians to stay away from terrorist infrastructure, laumping sites, areas used by hamas, warning them against civilian casualties, and they are placing infrastructure, and israel is doing whatever and anything it can. >> can you talk us through what you saw in the early hours. it's a naval offensive and boots on the ground. is that something we are likely to see at in the stage. >> at this statement there has been primary air attacks. israel will, and if necessary take whatever steps to stop the rocket fire, including available

techniques and perm. the ultimate person is to stop the rocket fire. since the start of the operation there has been 800 rocket attacks in cities and towns, and israel will do what it takes to stop the rocket fire and build the sites of blow against hamas to limit and destroy the terror infrastructure and rocket launchers to protect the civilians, and it's important to note that the palestinian civilians in the gaza strip are suffering. it is hamas using them as a human shield to prevent israeli army from destroying hamas. hamas is using them as a shield to fire at israeli populations in israel. so there's hamas to blame. >> both sides suffering greatly. thank you for taking the time out to talk to us. if you want more there's full coverage of the situation in gaza on the website.

there's a live blog with updates around the clock and videos from the team. still ahead on the al jazeera newshour - ramadan among the rubble. syrians in aleppo observe the month of the fasting, despite the month outside. attacks by well-armed gunmen, the kenyan vigilantes hoping bows and arrows will keep them safe. and in sport a blow for brazil. they are humiliated by the netherlands in a world cup game. the airport in libya's capital has been hit by rockets, fierce fighting taking place around tripoli's international airport, between rival rebel groups. some flights have been cancel yemen's president has fired

two senior army commanders after rebels captured a city last tuesday. he issued a decree to remove the officials after rebels took control of a foup in the north-east. the -- town in the north-east. the u.n. security council ordered the fighters to put down the weapons. the rebels say they are ready to leave. iraq's parliament met, and adjourned until tuesday. some members refused to attend. others were stranded by a sandstorm. all in all it means there's no government. imran khan joins us live from baghdad. talk us through what happened, imran. >> well, the parliament met and the speaker of the house announced there were not enough people, a quorum to be able to meet. that is because, as you say, the kurdish mps were stuck in erbil. they couldn't fly to baghdad. it's been postponed until tuesday.

there's a silver lining about all of this. there may be an agreement for dr salem al-bajori to take over. that's a significant room. it ticks in a constitutional process where they are allowed to choose a prime minister by the end of 45 days. we have been here before in iraqi politics. in 2010 it took two months to choose a prime minister. this is the first stage. it looks like that first stage will happen on tuesday, as there is some agreement at least on the choice of the speaker of the house. whilst this is going on, of course, iraq faces its crisis in a town 70 miles outside of baghdad. rebels stay they have taken obvious, and have blown up a bridge. this is 70km outside of baghdad. on a pro-islamic stayed site they say there's a fight to

overtake an oil refinery. it's been in rebel or government hands and has been switching hands for a number of weeks. there's a new assault on baiji oil refinery. thank you. in syria the an shept city of alep -- ancient city of aleppo has seen fierce fighting. throughout the month the government dropped barrel bomb with devastating effect. we have this report. >> reporter: it's an almost daily horror. the frantic scramble to find survivors, and for some the anguish of finding people they love among the dead. the old city of aleppo has been a plash point in syria's conflict. the government used the ipp descriminate barrel bomb as a weapon of choice against rebel fighters. the cut bombs are wildry

inadequate, but many have not hit targets. they have hit and killed civilians, and they fall during the month of ramadan. >> reporter: ramadan days are full of blessages, our lives are getting -- blesings, our lives are getting more difficult. the people are holding their ground. no matter how much bashar al-assad destroys and murders us. the young students will grow up and continue the struggle. >> reporter: in the midst of the suffering there has been moments of joy. here is a head of a 2-month-old baby trapped in the rubble of a bombed building. for 16 hours rescuers dug through the debris, reached a baby girl and pulled her out. it's a miracle. her injured mother rescued soon afterment the video -- after. the video put out by the aleppo civil defense cannot be

independently verified. despite the hardship many muslims in aleppo face, they say they'll observe ramadan. after a day without food and water they break their fast. the city's marketplace has some produce. relief agencies offer peels for those that cannot. japan protested to north korea after they launched two ballistic missiles into the sea. they were fired near the city, the latest in a series of test firings in the past week. a heatwave is spreading across china's north western region, temperatures topping more than 40 degrees in some areas. let's get the weather with steph. i'm hearing that there's a heatwave in india as well. >> that's right. where we have the monsoon, it keeps the temperatures down.

if the rains do not come, it gets hot. that is what we see at the moment. if we look at the satellite, we see the matches of cloud. new delhi has not seen rain for the last in my opinion days. in the nine days the temperature topped 14 degrees. it's incredibly hot. it's causing a problem with the electricity supply. it can't cope with the airconditionings that is needed. we are seeing a few power cuts. as we head through the next couple of days, there'll be wet weather. most will skirt to the north of new delhi. it's heavier to the east and the we were coast. mumbai had a wet time of it, yesterday we saw a rain fall total of 72. and in the last 24 hours, 76. it has been wet. there's some flooding on the streets. we are going to see rain along

the we were coast as re head through the next couple of address. there's an area of low pressure near calcutta, here there'll be intensifications of the rain. pushing to the north-west. new delhi looks dry for tomorrow and the day after. the leader of the nigerian armed group boko haram pledged allegiance to the leader of the islamic state, known as the islamic state of iraq and levant. he declared support for the leader of the islamic state, abu bakr al-baghdadi, and al qaeda. meanwhile, our correspondent is in naming , meeting sol -- nigeria, meeting some of the families of the schoolgirls kidnapped. she has called her 17-year-old sister shot in the face by the taliban because of her support for female education. before talking about malala in

the nigerian capital, i want to talk about an allegiance to the islamic state by boko haram. how did that come about. what is the response? >> well, this kale in a video released or reported by the french newsagency. of course, it's a clear indication that the leader of boko haram is trying to ex-band his reach the the interesting aspect of the video is abubakar shekau is claiming responsibility for the attacks in lagos on the 25th. an indication that the group wants to show it can expand its reach beyond the north, carrying out the attack to the heart of the capital, the seat of the

government. on june 25th, the bombing gaoled more than 20 people. there was an explosion outside a fuel depot in lagos. it reportedly tried to cover it up saying it was an industrial accident. they carried out this attack. all of this coming a day after authorities said they had intelligence. the transport network, in abuja, how the group is expanding its reach. >> a victim of extremists. what is she hoping to achieve? >> well, malala, the pakistani education act yist decided to spend a 17th birthday here, and is choosing this occasion to

draw attention to the fact that 66 million girls around the world are out of school and the world should draw better, she's agreeing attention to the flight of nige oar -- threes drawing attention to the plight of boko haram school girls abducted, that they are facing the worst crisis. she's meeting with the families of the abducted girls, and those that managed to escape the abduction. she is giving a speech in abuja op monday and meeting with goodluck jonathan and his wife. the malala fund is making a large pledge by pledging $200,000 to ensure that girls in northern nigeria have safe and quality education. the kenyan coast has seen a series of attacks in recent weeks with 80 people killed in the violence. 69 people have been arrested in an ongoing operation by security

forces. as reported, people are choosing to take security into their own hands. >> reporter: these are members of kenya's military and police at the scope of the latest attack along the coast. >> they analyse messages left behind by the gun me. more troops have been september into the forest to pursue the attackers. it's not easy. >> again, this day they can do something different. we can't deny it is a challenge. it's a challenge that is surmountable. >> reporter: the armed group seems to attack at will. here they ambushed worshippers in a mosque and set fire to

homes and school buildings. this is a classroom banned. the attackers were looking for supplies, they stole food, medical supplies from the village dispensary and guns from the home guards, who were protecting civilians. >> this man and his friend decided they have had enough. they arm themselves with bows and arrows. >> there is no security here. we are here by ourselves. we have decided to carry reform. >> 50km away - more than 60 people were killed last month. men were targeted. here they have formed vigilante groups. they patrol the neighbourhoods and warn people of strangers in the area and asked to hide identity for security regions..

>> we do not want to steel from anyone. we have no cuges from anybody. this is for -- grudges from anybody. this is for our own application. >> reporter: the government says it's in control of security. these people will take no chances. they say they were caught unaware before, it will not happen again. plenty more ahead on the newshour, including we hear from a fisherman in thailand who said he was enslaved to catch sea toed for western dinner tables. in sport, basketball star lebron james holds court in rio, a day after his departure from the miami heat. it sh -

hello again. the stop stories - israel's air offensive killed 166 people in gaza since the operation began six days ago. the u.n. called for a ceasefire. israel threatened more strikes, warning people in north gaza to leave. a sand storm scuttled attempts, putting together a government. kurdish lawmakers in parliament. it adjourned after 30 minutes, postponing sitting again until tuesday. others were boycotting. now, the u.n. security council issued a statement according to a ceasefire between palestinians and israeli forces. as the editor explains, the statement was not as tough as

some arab countries wanted. >> reporter: it took three days of stuff negotiation not to come up with a legally binding resolution, but six with a statement. the u.s. objected to the wording that had been suggested. this the end these were the words read out by the president of the security council. >> the security council members called for deescalation of the situation, restoration of calm, and re-ipp state use of november 2012 ceasefire. the security council members further called for respect for international humanitarian law, including the application of civilians. >> reporter: arab ambassadors wanted something tougher than that. they, at one point came up with a draft resolution calling for an immediate, durable respected ceasefire. it's important the word immediate is lacking in the statement.

the palestinian ambassador to the u.n. said the statement had taken too long. >> the unanimous position calls for ending the military operations, and aggression against our people. and we hope that israelis that are causing the amount of death and destruction against our people in the gaza strip , which has exceeded the number of - number 1,000 of martyrs and injured. more than 130 palestinians, most of them civilians, in fact, according to it, 78% of the number killed are civilians. >> diplomacy continues in the region. i'm told the egyptians, qataris and turks are involved in the negotiation, as is tony blair, the former u.k. prime minister who is now the negotiator on behalf of the middle east

quartet. i'm told that foreign ministers, including u.s. secretary of state john kerry are on their way to vienna for talks on the iran nuclear programme, will discuss gaza. it's worth bearing in mind that binyamin netanyahu said his country will not bow to international pressure. >> demonstrations against the israeli action in gaza have taken place around the world. in chile members of the palestinian community and their forces took to the streets. around 200 people took part. chile is home to 250,000 palestinian immigrants. >> this was a pro-palestinian rally in tripoli. the leaders of the palestinian community called on world leaders to do more to end the crisis. afghanistan's presidential rivals agreed to a full audit of votes in the presidential election. u.s. secretary of state john kerry john kerry announced the

move following two days of talks. he said the two agreed to abide by the result. >> tonight afghanistan saw a moment of what unity can mean. tonight afghanistan saw two opposing canadas, with passionate supporters. bring their supporters together. in the interests of country, in the interests of something bigger than each of them individually. we hope that the promise of the next weeks will deliver the authenticity and credibility that the people of afghanistan deserve in the appearance of the next president of this country. jennifer glasse has more from kabul. >> reporter: with the help of the u.s. secretary of state the two afghan candidates not only agreed to an audit. but they also made a political deal, saying they'll form a

unity government. whoever is president, the person with the most votes after the audit. there'll be representatives of both me, ensuring that the votes will be honoured. the idea was to make sure the legitimacy of the vote, the faith in the vote - that there has been concern between the back and fourth. abdullah abdullah got what he wants with a recounselled of all the votes. it was called an historic day, and called this a xrns if vote count of any democratic process in history. it will take a couple of weeks to look at all the ballot boxes, starting with the ones here in the afghan capital and the international security force and afghan forces will bring the rest into the capital. more observers will be needed and there'll be a delay in the inauguration scheduled for august 2nd. we are expecting it to move back

2-3 weeks while the process goes forward. three al jazeera journalists spent 197 days in an egyptian prison. they are falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. lat month peter greste and mohamed fadel fahmy were sentenced to seven years each in prison. baher mohamed was given seven years but received an additional three because he had a spent bullet in his possession which he picked up at a protest. al jazeera rejects the convictions and demands the journalist le freed. a u.s. government report on people tracking released a damning report on thailand, finding that the government failed to investigate, prosecute or convict those responsible. veronica pedrosa is in southern thailand where she spoke to a person trafficked in the seafood industry. >> enslaved to provide prawns on

dining tables. this man who didn't want to be identified described his experience. >> translation: i was forced to work on a ship. on the boat the beating up is normal. they were never so brutal that they killed anyone. there are cases where people died when they fell off boats. on the boat, if you don't know how to workers it's diff. if you dropped a fish, we'd be punished. if anyone was not used to working on the boat. it would take a long time. we worked from 6am to 2am. . >> it's back-breaking work supplying the world's supermarkets with seafood. most of the people are from myanmar, part of the more than 2 million migrant workers that are essential to important sectors of thailand. a u.s. government report on trafficking in persons is seen as the benchmark on the willingness of governments to act against tracking.

it found corruption in thailand, which the report says happened at all levels got in the way of progress. >> translation: the government wants to take advantage of human trafficking and migrant labouring. problems are not solved. if we can't confirm the vested interests of government officials and traffickers, problems will never be sold. thailand's government disagreed arguing it had made advances against trafficking. it blames the corruption of previous administrations. the global flayer says half a million are believed to be enslaved. investigations found horrific conditions on boats like this, with people sold for as little as 420 each, made to work for years without pay. the u.s. investigation found

that traffickers responding to scrutiny with new methods. these cases led some global supermarket chains to boycott thai suppliers and further sanctions are being considered. russia's foreign ministersry is vowing to respond to what it calls a dangerous escalation of violence. it follows reports that shelling from ukraine killed a man inside russia. moscow warns of irreversible consequences. kiev is denying the attack happened. the ukranian army is pushing closer to donetsk. thousands fled from the city as military jets bombard military possession. this may be land locked but the mountains are an important source of water for south africans. we have this report. a local company has identified a business opportunity much

further away. >> reporter: water is la suit u's wealth. the kingdom is powered by electricity from the dam. it sells water to south africa. the surprise in this land-locked country is a young but successful agriculture venture. most said it would ner work. the fish is so good all 1500 tonnes is deported to japan for sush eem yea and sushi. >> the product is grown in fresh water. it's a fresh water field. almost mineral water in terms of quality. it gives us a unique tasting and textured product. >> workers clean the fish tank 24 hours a day. many were relocated. the jobs are sustainable in a

country where one in four people were unemployed. >> that man was a labourer on the fish farm and is studying for a certificate in agriculture. >> some of them thought they'd have no future. >> reporter: the ambitious is encouraged. they want to handthe project to the community. it's a foreign product. it's exploit. there's a plan to create jobs. every month the local chiefs are update on the business and plan to expand it. >> the company reports back on sales and cost. they advised us to come up with products. they are looking into agriculture. >> in the mountains, a community and company are working harmoniously, thanks to an idea in a landlocked company that is

proving successful. >> still ahead - [ sings ] ..facing the music over finances. is the new york met about to go bankrupt? and robin will be here in sports with the countdown to sunday's world cup final between germany and

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new york's famous opera house may have to close its doors unless spending cuts are undertaken. fans of the met are calling for compromise on both sides. we have this story from new york. [ sings ] . >> reporter: this season the biggest drama is taking place off place at the new york met. with sales down, management is engaged in an epic battle with the met's 16 unions over the budget. the general manager says the met will go bankrupt in two years without spending cuts. labour costs account for two-thirds of the budget and they want the unions to take a 15% pay cut and change the rules allowing performances for four performances a week. it struck the wrong top with

staff and mousse irps. by the yun -- musicians. by the union's estimate the cut is 37% when you include health care and pensions. he has little faith in the figures. >> he has said a lot of different things in the press, without giving substantial. in the fact that we have been asking for clarification. >> reporter: there's skepticism over the management lavish spending. like a $169,000 poppy field built for a production of apprenticeships igor. critics say it's -- prince igor. critics say it's time for both sides to give way. >> this means flexibility of union agreements and cuts in management salaries for senior managers. they have to do it. budgeting in a realistic way to bring down the annual budget and build up the endowment.

it's the only way to save the met. >> reporter: similar battles forced other opera companies to close of here at the met neither side is due to compromise. staff contracts are due at the end of the moments, leaving fans to womnder if the opera will go on. [ ♪ theme ] exciting day. >> indeed. where has the time gone. the world cup feels like it started the other day. 63 games already may -- played at brazil 2014. one left to play, argentina kicks off against germany, who are bidding to become the first side to win a world cup. lifting the turf for the first time in 1990, when they beat argentina. the two teams met in the world cup time.

that was in 1986, the last time the arge types tasted -- argentines tasted success led by maradona. >> we will do everything, as we have done, we have worked, sacrificed and humility. we will give everything to make argentina world champions again. we are happy and satisfied with the way we have been improving. and i'm happy also with the joy of the people and for giving them joy. >> translation: this team is not only lionel messi, and if you think that you'll be making a mistake. it has other excellent offensive players. the team does not live for lionel messi alone, although lionel messi can be a player who can be decisive in every game. let's go live to berlin and speak to a sports journalist.

peter, fans must surely have the belief that this current crop of players can ensure that germany is the first european team to win the world cup on south american soil. >> the belief is very strong. in my view it's a bit too much. i came back to germany yesterday after five weeks in brazil. i realise certain difference between the expectations that the team has, the team manager has, and the people here in germany on the other hand. the argentinians are dangerous, there's a strong defense. team germany discusses do we win 2-0, 3-0 - just about the head of the victory. that is dangerous. >> in germany, do they have an assistance of atmosphere for

belief from the fans. tell us what winning the cup means to the people of germany? >> that's an interesting question. it doesn't mean too much. you can't compare it with the situation in 1990, the last time germany won the trophy against argentina. it was a national thing, a plus call thing, the year of germany reyunification, and a summer, east germany and west kale together. then they became football champion of the world. there was a thinking in germany that we are better than other people, the strongest in the world. we have the best economy and football teams. all these things are gone now. germans have learnt that football is just entertainment. greatest entertainment of the world. it's fun, entertaining, no political thing.

that's the new development. >> germany have one out of the last four world cup time appearances. if they lose to argentina, will it be seep as a failure - is it the case of all or nothing? >> the disappointment would be big, a huge disappointment. but i think they are so close now. they really want to get the together. 12 years ago they were in the finals well against brazil. but in that i don't remember they were so satisfied to reach the final and this year it's completely other, different. they want the title and they went to brazil to get the title. after three or four days, i think ordinary life in germany begins as well. then the people have their own thorough appearance, and then football is not the main theme. you have to see there were five

weeks exceptional situation in germany. football, and nothing else. and after three days of disappointment and frustration then ordinary leaves begin again. >> enjoy the football. we'll have to leave it there. a sports journalist live for us from germany. thank you for the insight. the time at a time of great economic and political difficulty. on the issue of winning the world cup. daniel schweimler reports from buenos aires. >> reporter: it's only football. try telling that to the argentinians. these are the celebrations in the center of buenos aires following victory against the netherlands in the semifinals. that's right, the semifinal. if arnal should win the -- argentina should win the first world cup since 1986, this should look like a picnic in comparison. confidence is high.

>> an emotional happy, hoping that we would emerge as champion after so many years. >> we have great expectation that we are going to beat the germans, have a big friend, huge - big friend living there in germany. it's for us. we'll beat you. >> the argentinian fans have had a tense, nervous passage to the time. >> this map was one of tens of thousands travelling to brazil. >> we have a strong side. and we have messi, which is to me and many the best player in the world. the germans have a solid team. it wouldn't be the first time that we are the under dolling and come out -- underdog and come out winners. the passion for football is it the most fer vent in the world. it is bound as workers introduce

it. you need to go back to the place football has in the argentinian area or lifestyle. it's one of the, you know, key components over d.n.a. >> these are troubled times in arch. the economy is in recession, inflation is rampant and the vice president is charged with corruption. for now, all eyes are on brazil. argentina is about more than football. football does define to a large degree the country and its people. winning the world cup won't solve the problem, but it will certainly make them easier to bear. brazil's miserable conclusion to the world cup was compounded by the netherlands. they won 3-0 happening brazil back-to-back defeats for the first time since 1940.

richard nicholls winds up the action. >> it was a game the netherlands coach did not want to play. the brazilians hoped would give them redemption. it would be the dutch that would be happier. the attack resulted in a penalty after brazilian captain in the second minute. the dutch getting lucky as the incident appeared outside the box. looking to escape. they slotted home to make it worse. they capitalized on poor defending. scoring an international goal. brazil had their chances in the second half. the netherlands completed the win in injury time. making it 3-0, setting apart the coach with a final win. as host brazil finished with more heart ache.

we have more on brazil's misery from rio de janeiro. >> most of the brazilian public have one last hope for the world cup left. one last chance. that is that their rivals argentina are beaten in the match against argentina. this has been a dreadful few days for them after the humiliation against germany. the brazilian public got behind the team in brasilia, were passionate about the third-placed play-off and it started terribly again. the early goal concede the. two goals down, 20 minutes into the game. at least they managed to play a bit bitter. this was going out with a wimper. the face said it on the bench. this was not the way the brazilian public wanted it to turn out. they feel sad and humiliated.

as for scolari, his future looks like he will not last long. if the board decides to keep him on. the brazilian public will not accept him filling the job. something that sums it up is a fan holding a sign saying "thanks for 2002", when they second the world cup "but we hope to never see you again." andrei richardson is in the building, hosting a show at 15:40. g.m. t live to rio, buenos aires and berlin as we count down the kick off. 15:40 g.m. t. other sports stars in brazil ahead of the world cup final. the newest recruit has been holding court. a day after announcing it was leaving miami heat and returning to cleveland. >> it's an exciting time for

myself. to be home, be able to represent for the family and my friends and fans and gives me an opportunity to reunite. it's going to be unbelievable. i'm looking forward to the challenge. more than brazil 2014, including a special info graphic looking world cup history between germany and argentina. on aljazeera.com. that's it for us. more on the world cup. lit up differently. the famous landmark illuminated in the colours. alternated between the light blue. and the german colours of yellow, red and black in honour of the final between the two nations. another full bulletin of news is straight ahead.

thank you for watching.

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