>> tech know, where technology meets humanity... only on al jazeera america >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry arrives in care for an aid conference to help rebuild gaza after israel's 7-week bombardment hello. this is al jazeera live from doha. i'm adrian finighan. also on the programme - the united states drops air supplies to the iraqi army as i.s.i.l. threatens supply lines to baghdad. 150,000 people in india, a move to safety. tik lon hudhud makes landform.

this report from sarajevo on weather elections bring change israel's 50 day assaults on gaza had a devastating impact. more than 2,000 were killed, including 511 children. the financial cost was in the billions for a population suffering for years under israel's land, sea and air blockade. the palestinians are seeking $4 billion to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals damaged by bombing. secretary of state john kerry is among those that arrived in cairo for an a.i.d.s. conference. in a moment we cross to rafah's border crossing. let's hear from charles stortford. >> reporter: this man inspects

his irrigation pipes. tank tracks left scars in the sand, nothing remains of the tomato crop. >> translation: i lost $500,000 in the war. i could only salvage around 19. the west bank says the economic growth in pal stain dropped to minus it 100% in the first quarter of 2014. the war made a struggling economic situation worse. >> like many farmers in the area, they describe how the tanks came up from a border behind me, destroying crops and produce, generally money from a crop that has suffered for years under israel's blockade. >> mohammed's tomatoes would have ended up at a factory like this. this is the first year in 20 he has had to import tomatoes from abroad. israeli tank shells left around

$6 million in damage, which used to produce tomato concentrate. >> translation: this is the biggest factory of its kind, if you count the farmers, traders and transport companies, 3,000 people have lost their jobs. >> israel's land, air and sea blockade means little goods are allowed into gaza, exports are virtually zero. despite the government strengthening its fiscal possession, the west bank says it was facing a gap in the range of $350 million by the end of 2014, without additional expenditure resulting from the war. >> translation: it seems israel wants to destroy the economy. hitting up to 700 factories. this war brought our economy to its knees. it's estimated rebuilding gaza could cost up to $6 billion. gaza has been shunned by

investors, scared off or scared about dealing with hamas, an organization the u.s. and others describe as terrorists. there's no sign israel is willing to lift its blockade. getting the materials in to begin rebuilding businesses like this, and giving gaza's economy a chance seems as remote as ever. >> reporter: so let's speak about the rafah crossing in the gaza strip. palestinians are hoping to raise $4 billion from donors. given the conflict has not been resolved, the nervousness, the wariness of donor nations, is that a tad optimistic? >> well, i think what we understand is that 1.5 billion will likely be raised in the first meeting, and that's perhaps why, as the palestinian delegation goes into the conference in cairo, they were

describing it has a plan. broadly speaking, of 34 ministers around the world that are going to attend the commence, they understand that this is a long-term construction project. it will not be easy to rebuild the 15,000 homes that have been destroyed. the only power station and various infrastructure destroyed as well. whatever the case, more importantly, i think a lot of these ministers will be discussing broader ways to end this cycle of violence that we have seen in the gaza strip over the past six years. there has been three conflicts between israel and hamas, devastating conflicts, and they just want to see an end to the cycle that we have been seeing of conflicts, reconstruction, conflict and reconstruction. a lot of money is needed. >> regardless of how much is pledged, the blockade is in

place. how on earth will the construction materials get into gaza? >> that's the big question. if you look over my shoulder, you can see at the rafah border crossing, with egypt. you see people here. that is egypt. that goes into egypt. this is a tiny group of people. only about 300 people are allowed into egypt today at this crossing. that doesn't mean any meaningful goods are allowed to go through the crossing. it really underscores the changes of reconstructing gaza. the border crossings will be discussed. there's an agreement in principle that will allow the palestinian authority and gaza to take control of the border crossings, that will allow materials into the gaza strip. this is, again, a complicated situation. not only is there a desperate need for money, there's

questions over how the materials will get in, and crucially, i might add, how cement will come in. israel is suspicious of sending cement into the gaza strip. saying that hamas uses it to build tunnels into israeli territories. that's an issue that will need to be resolved. many hope that that and other issues will be discussed and resolved at the conference. >> thank you at the rafah crossing in gaza the u.s. air force dropped supplies to the iraqi army. government forces have been pushed back by i.s.i.l., some officials are appealing for american boots on the ground to stop them. the head of iraq's western anbar province says i.s.i.l. advanced as far as abu ghraib, less than 10 miles from the center of the city. we go live to imran khan. i.s.i.l. fighters have advanced

as far as the suburbs of baghdad. is that right? >> well, what we are hearing from security and international documents in baghdad is i.s.i.l. fighters are 10km away from the center of the city. the geography is one you have to understand. the figure is alarming. between abu ghraib and the suburbs coming in to baghdad, there's a vast amount of iraqi army. the baghdad belt has been reinforced. there's i.s.i.l. fighters, but this is part of the fight that is going on against them in anbar province, which backs on to baghdad. that figure sounds alarming. there are people that will tell you that there is a strong enough defense. what we are hearing though, and this is perhaps more important,

is that the head of the anbar province said that "we need american boots on the ground, international peacekeepers, air strikes are not working." we are hearing that more and more from the sunni groups, telling us that the air strikes are not hurting i.s.i.l. in anbar, haditha, ramally, fallujah, the main suburbs. and we are not getting the movement against i.s.i.l. that we expected. they are becoming more vocal in asking boots on the ground. this is the first time, really, anyone who is that public a figure said that they need boots on the ground. whether americans or international boots. >> imran khan in baghdad in syria, kurdish forces in kobane say they plan to go on the attack against i.s.i.l. an intense battle has gone on for weeks, with kurdish fighters

supported by u.s. air power. live to the turkish, syrian boarder. stefanie dekker is there. it looked as though i.s.i.l. fighters had the upper hand in kobane. it's a fluid situation. >> it is a fluid situation, but what we hear from one of our sources is there's a change in language, more positivity. they have made advances in the east, an area that i.s.i.l. controlled. there were four coalition air strikes, which helped in that. while they've been fighting defensively over the last three weeks, they switched to an attack method. there's a change in language, a change - they are upbeat, it seems. something seems to be working. having said all that it's an ongoing fight. i.s.i.l. is not out of the town yet. i can tell you that many people

we have been speaking to, the kurds feel - the coalition air strikes came too late. even though they are helping now and we are meeting people coming from all over turkey, some kurds have come from europe, coming in solidarity. they are telling us that they want to go into kobane, whether to help humanitary or to fight. this is something we heard from the special envoy. turkey should be opening the borders. there's a lot of anger. they are not allowed to do this, and they have to stand on a hilltop from where we are now and watch the battle unfold. a change this morning in the language we are hearing from the fighters inside. we are optimistic, thinking we are making ground. >> stefanie dekker. live on the turkey, syrian border much of the focus has been on the fight against i.s.i.l.,

there are fears that libya is sliding into war. all armed groups are demanded to be withdrawn from their positions and stop fighting. ban ki-moon has taken a trip to syria to try to broker a deal fighters in india and pakistan's border have resumed after a lull. sporadic exchange of fire continued throughout the night. both blame each other for provoking hostilities. the armies stopped on thursday. >> on india's eastern coast. cyclone hudhud is causing damage after making the port city. thousands have been evacuated from andrea pradesh. >> the states of andrea pradesh is being battered by nature, a

year after cyclone pilin reeked havoc. heavy winds and rains are toppling powerlines and toppling trees. >> no one is coming out of their houses. we have nothing to eat. >> reporter: the disaster response force says it prepared for the worst with cyclone huhhed huhhed. deploying around -- hued headline, deploying 18,000 staff. more than 150,000 residents have been evacuated and are seeking shelter in relief camps. people are scared for the homes and farms they left behind. >> translation: around 10-15 buses have been stopped because of heavy winds. a few were blown backwards because of the wind force. 12 million were affected by

cyclone pilin last year. casualties were low. authorities say they are better prepared this year, and not taking chances. just an update on that - it's confirmed that at least two people have been killed in that cyclone. meanwhile, another powerful typhoon hit the island of okinawa. ty phone vongfong is packing gusts of up to 146 miles per hour. thousands have been evacuated from their homes. a weather up date next on al jazeera. then, we'll take you to santa cruz, where we ask if bolivia's rising prosperity is affecting the presidential election. people in a thai village struggle to recover after years of lead poisoning.

we have clean air >> some are living off natures bounty >> we're rich cause of all the resources we have... >> while others say they can't even afford health insurance >> the owners of this restaurant pay an extra $5.20 an hour to provide health insurance >> communities trying to cope i just keep putting one foot in front of the other >> what can people hope for come election day? an al jazeera america special report amererica votes 2014 5 days in alaska all this week

hello again. the top stories on al jazeera. palestinians are seeking $3 billion to rebuild the palestinian gaza strip following the assault by israel. secretary of state john kerry has arrived in cairo for an international aid conference kurdish forces in kobane say fighters have advanced in the east after collision air strikes overnight and in the morning. the kurds say that fighters are turning from defense to attack in the town in india cyclone hudhud is

causing damage to the east coast after making land fall near the port city. rains and pins toppled powerlines and uprooted trees. two people are confirmed dead. >> some 3 million voters are going to the poles in bosnia screba nitsa today. government corruption dominated the campaigning. we go to sarajevo, to barnaby phillips. >> the government leads to deadlock, economic political process often impossible. are the elections going to change that? >> i don't think there's an enormous amount of optimism that they will. the mood is bleak at the moment. you'll probably recall the riots in february, and in other cities

which is something of an upsurge of anger about high levels of unemployment, corruption, and it's been a difficult year for bosnia as a whole. since then you'll recall the floods in may. particularly in the north of the country. the worst floods or, i think, more than 100 years, and a great level of dissatisfaction with the government about the restriction efforts since. let's not forget almost 100,000 people were left homeless. >> the river flows gently this autumn. in spring, swollen by rain, it raged down the valley, sweeping away homes. it's the slow government response that destroyed whatever remaining faith many bosnians had in their politicians. >> nadine is rebuilding his house with the help of a private charity. he is skeptical as to what good can cole out of these elections -- can come out of

these elections. >> the municipal government told us what they could do with their houses. this never happened. >> this taught me that we can't trust politicians. instead of creating new jobs, they are closing companies down. >> across the religious lines, i meet a leading serb politician. here, too, many complain of corruption and unemployment. his solution is to break the country up. >> translation: with the citizens, hearing the referendum, i am sure more than 90% would be in favour of leaving bosnia. it's not functioning or sustainable. we don't want change, but we want the separation to happen during our mandate. >> reporter: the seem ended 20 years ago. the city and bosnia are divided. the peace accord successfully ended the war.

they froze the ethnic divisions, creating a political structure so cumbersome. to form a truly national identity. a rally for one of the largest parties, here they do appeal to national unity. the speeches hark back to the war, and the politics of religious identity. in the steal atmosphere of politics, a party that tries to appeal to all citizens is a breath of fresh air. >> the individual, the holder of the basic human rights has been completely lost, neglected by the system. we want to talk to everyone, no matter where they live, in which entity, no matter the name, religious beliefs. we want to talk to them. no one has been talking to them for 18 years. >> they are the views of the

young and educated in sarajevo. elsewhere during the inspectors of the war and the political classes hold the country back. >> i can tell you here in sarajevo polling got off to a slow start. i was around the corner from the parliamentary building which you see behind me. it is early sunday morning, polls are open until local time. we hope more people will be coming out during the course of the day. in a boss nian election is you get 50% turn out. it may be higher in the aftermath of floods and riots. we'll give you updates from sarajevo, and go to parla. you'll see the successionist feeling amongst the serbs that live in that entity bringing you

all the developments as they happen throughout the course of the day. >> thank you barnaby phillips, live in sarajevo some of the bodies found in mass grazes on saturday are not those of -- graves are not those of missing students. they were taken away by police vans in september. and have not been seen since. >> reporter: their children are missing and angry. students were taken by police affiliated with a criminal gang two weeks ago. bundled into vans and taken away. since then, there has been no sign. on saturday, a mass grave was found outside the city of iguala. 28 bodies were recovered, and four more pits were found. in a news conference the state governor had this message for the families of the missing. >> i can confirm that some of

the copses do not -- corpses do not correspond to those of the students. >> the case of the missing students sparked demonstrations across mexico. protesters incensed at the thought that police colluded with the criminal gangs to allow the students to be taken. there has been calls for the president peno nieto to resign, he has given no sign of that. >> translation: today it is clear that we must strengthen the government institutions at every level. this is particularly necessary in those areas where due to different factors the local authorities had been overwhelmed. >> gang violence is endemic in new mexico. tens of thousands have been killed in the last seven years. despite the presidential promises nothing seems to change it now to bolivia where polls open in the next few hours in the presidential election.

the incumbent evo morales is expected to win a third term in office. >> from santa cruz. lucia newman takes a look at how the strong economy is influencing the election. >> reporter: this is santa cruz, the capital of opposition to bolivia's socialist president evo morales. a place where mass protests had been replaced by mass construction. this is bolivia's first major mall, next to the hard rock cafe. the last thing one can expect in a south american country. thanks to high commodity prices, bolivia is enjoying the highest economic job in its history, and it's a prosperity spreading across the social divide, explains the general manager of

this factory. >> it's a different atmosphere. you notice integration between the capital and santa cruz. it's not just the economy, but relations and there's less tension. >> at a small rally, we ran into one of four candidates, a former president. he concedes the santa cruise business community is more interested in making money than overthrowing the government. >> authoritarian governments are bad, authoritarian governments with an opposition is worse. >> the fact that evo morales is a candidate, is wrong. >> reporter: in the eight years he's been in power. evo morales gained much control of media.

during the campaign, the government blurred the line between state and party funds to finance rallies. >> reporter: the cards are clearly stacked in evo morales's favour. the fact that the economy is growing is obviously a big vaj. so, too, is the fact this his opponents are so busy competing against each other, they can't join forces against a common foe and as long as the opposition is weak and disorganised many question whether it would offer the stability that bolivia is enjoying for the first time in its history a small village in thailand is struggling ing to recover fr lead contamination, many have been left with health problems. this woman spent her entire

50 years in this thai village near the border with myanmar. 10 years ago she lost her sight. a single mother, she has two sons. >> translation: my kids were small and i could not see. they had to help me, and not the other way around. >> reporter: what happened to her and others was preventible. led contamination spilled from mining factories upstream. they were shut down 16 years ago, the company was fined about $65. the led pollution was never fully cleaned up. they live next to the creek. a test at a hospital confirmed her blindness from lead poisoning. >> some of the children have learning disabilities. in some spots the contamination

is 100 times more than the safe level. after years of delays. restoration was supposed to start in may. >> researchers say until the clean-up ordered by the supreme court can take place, people will be exposed to toxic levels of lead. more people would get sick, and possibility more birth defects. the pollution control department was brought to court. we sued. the first environmental justice case. they were ordered to come up with a rehabilitation plan in three months. nothing happened. the court found that the department neglected its duty, and ordered the villagers to pay $2600 each.

>> translation: this is kind of the government's fault for lack of responsibility. many agencies were responsible. >> reporter: it may be a legal victory on paper, but nothing changed on the ground, where illness and contamination, where that is all that these people know. >> the wonder of the world's forests... is often found in the creatures that live in them. but the most rare and precious of animals are increasingly falling prey to poachers. the u-n now classifies the trafficking of exotic wildlife... as second only in scale to the illegal drug trade... so vast and lucrative is this black market underworld.... that authorities say its driving more species than ever into extinction.