scenes at aljazeera.com/techknow. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello, welcome to another news hour from al jazeera in doha i'm adrian finighan. the top stories. a turkish coast guard fires on a ship carrying over 300 refugees. and forces advance on the center of tikrit. wikileaks sounds that julian

[ inaudible ] is to be questioned in the u.s. and i'll have your sport with details on the australian grand prix. we'll begin with that breaking news the turkish coast guard has fired on a cargo ship carrying over 300 syrian refugees trying to reach italy. the coast guard shuttered the ship's engine room after it ignored orders to stop. the passengers have been detained and they include 85 children. zana hoda is live for us in beirut. >> reporter: syrians yet again find themselves in the middle of a cross fire. the coast guard fired warning

shots. the ship ignored the warning shots, and they fired on the ship again. the people on board the ship are now detained. more than 300 people the majority syrian refugees. what we understand is that they will be questioned. the policy is when turkey arrests illegal immigrants they usually deport them back to their country, but since these people are syrians they are expected to be placed in camps. but this incident really is just the latest in a series of incidents which involves syrians trying to find their way to europe trying to find a better life. just a few days ago a ship sank off of the coast of italy, and some people on board were refugees living in lebanon, syrian palestinians who took the

dangerous trip. >> it says something about the desperation of people who are desperate to get out of syria. why would the turkish coast guard use live ammunition on a civilian cargo vessel and there were children aboard this vessel? >> reporter: we still do not know that. what we understand from turkish officials is that they fired warning shots and the warning shots were ignored. but what we also know is that turkey has come under a lot of pressure. turkey is now the transit point, really for people trying to make their way to europe. it has been criticized for not doing enough. so maybe this is the turkish authorities trying to show that they are doing something to stop this massive influx of people heading to europe. it really has become a huge problem. people sometimes take boats from libya trying to reach italy, so

turkey under pressure under a lot of criticism, maybe trying to show the world that it is trying to do something. >> zana many thanks. the iraqi government is confident that the victory in tikrit is just days away. the iraqi army and sunni tribesmen have been advancing. the fighting now focuses on the presidential palace complex and pockets of the city center. >> reporter: pounding enemy targets on the fourth day of a huge offensive. about 3,000 iraqi soldiers and police have been attacking positions held by isil as they try to reach the city center. they are backed by 20,000 militia and sunny tribesmen. they have reportedly been slowed

down snipers, suicide bombers, and booby trapped buildings. this footage purportedly shows iraqi fighters showing a suicide bomber. in the city center the commander are triumphant. >> translator: isil tried to enter from all four sides, but thank god the police force and tribal fighters prevented them. we detonated their car bombs. in baghdad men have been queueing up to donate blood. >> translator: all iraqis including artists should participate in this blood donation campaign. this is a simple thing i offer to my country. >> reporter: the prime minister shareholder students that forces fighting isil has made huge mains but they also had to

protect civilian life and property. >> translator: there are infiltrators who want to tarnish our victories by committing crimes and serious violations. therefore we have issued strict orders to the police army commanders, and the popular mobilization forces. >> reporter: but while the government invis its forces are advancing, the battle goes on. our correspondent imran khan who has reported extensively from iraq joins us in the stew you. they said victory was by the end of the week and now they are saying it is just days away. >> well they were able to enter the city easily but what is happening now is where isil are actually in abundance where they have a number of fighters that's becoming a much tougher

fight. also they have slowed down their advance, because they are facing booby trapped buildings, they are trying to get more reinforcements in, weapons and things like that so there is a lull in the fighting today on friday, but that probably will change overnight when they increasingly move into those areas. what we are also seeing is isil don't really fight back in the traditional way. they don't really hold a line when they realize they are being defeated they move back and blow up key bridges for example. so we're seeing isil moving slightly further away but the iraqi army has been slowed down. >> let's talk about the wider political ramifications. you have the iraqi army being backed up by shia militia and tribesmen, and iranian

revolutionary guards fighters are there as well. what sort of assistance are they giving the iraqi army and how do iraq's western allies feel about that? >> the iraqis and iranians have had a close working relationship throughout. the commander is very experienced, and he is a key part of the way the shia militia has been able to fight and be able to form the kind of tactics needed to fight isil. what do the western allies think about this? well, the americans and the coalition forces are hoping by de facto, this isn't by any means agreed upon but they are using their coalition air strikes to be able to allow the iraqi army and the revolutionary guards advance into places like tikrit. it has no formal basis, but it is very interesting, because

clearly the americans and iranians negotiating a nuclear deal at the moment so there's all sorts of calculations and political dealings going on about all of this but the bottom line is that the iranians are fighting isil and that's what the americans want. >> imran many thanks indeed. in a statement the nigerian government said the mercenaries were only helping in logistics, that's despite claims they are playing a much more decisive role assisting troops on the front line. hundreds of mercenaries are believed to be in the country. boko haram has been pushed back by a multinational force that has taken a number of towns in northeastern nigeria. until recently the armed group was in control of an area the

size of belgium. and it is in control of many areas in borno and other areas. the military says that boko haram is now cornered, and the battles are ongoing. neighboring countries are all part of the regional of of -- offensive. al jazeera's correspondent reports now from abuja. >> reporter: in this new audio recording it is believed by supporters of isil a spokesperson for the group welcomes boko haram's allegiance, and he says we announce to you the good news of the expansion of the calf fate to west africa because the caliphate has accepted the allegiance of our brothers.

there has been no reaction to this statement by isil. last week when boko haram announced and pledged allegiance to isil many viewed it as the last kick of a dying horse. they said the group is facing distinction and they are gaining ground against the group. they have always say to the question of the relationship between isil and boko haram is there's no evidence of any capacity to collaborate or launch joint operations anywhere in the region and therefore, they see this as just propaganda. meanwhile efforts to curb the group's activities go on and president goodluck jonathan has said he hopes to end the group's existence within the next two to three weeks. >> relative calm has returned to the street of ferguson

missouri. activists held a candle lit vigil and called for peaceful protests. kristen saloomey reports. >> reporter: the night after the shooting of two police officers demonstrators returned to the streets outside ferguson police department headquarters. >> what happened last night, was kind of like random so it's not the norm at all. it's usually pretty peaceful at the protests and i'm a little nervous. >> reporter: they vowed to continue peaceful tactics like stopping traffic until they get the reforms they want. >> we got some things that are good and necessary, like the resignation, but justice is either not experiencing the trauma or experiencing accountability with the people who initiated or perpetuated the trauma, and we haven't had that yet. >> reporter: st. louis county police are investigating the

shooting. >> it is really an ambush. you can't see it coming. you don't understand that it is going to happen. you are basically defenseless. >> reporter: that night protesters had mostly dispersed and then the gunshots. >> a cop got shot. >> reporter: this was the account of a photo journalist who had been packing up when he is shots rang out. >> we saw the muzzle fire from the gun. and we ducked down and once we ducked down we saw the cop was shot right next to us. >> reporter: two police officers were shot. both have been released from the hospital. >> not someone trying to bring healing to ferguson. this was a damn punk punk who was trying to sew discord in an area that is trying to get its about together and trying to bring together a community that has been fractured for too long. >> and the family of michael

brown the unarmed black teenager fatally shot in august were adamant that this would not affect their campaign. we specifically denounce the actions of stand-alone agitators who unsuccessfully attempt to derail the otherwise peaceful and non-violent movement that has emerged throughout this nation, to confront police brutality and forward the cause of equality for all. the justice department did find evidence of racism in ferguson, but now the focus is on the police officers who were shot and finding who shot them. still to come a car crash outside of the white house signals more trouble for the u.s. secret service. plus -- i'm in the florida keys where a series of brutal attacks on brown pelicans has

conservationists worried. and a thriller at the cricket world cup. the details in around 30 minutes. swedish prosecutors say they will go to london to question wiki wikileaks julian. >> reporter: swedish prosecutors have been decided to break the stalemate in the almost five year investigation into sex crimes including rape allegedly involving julian in 2010. he is said to have welcomed the request to be able to interview him here in london inside the

ecuadorian embassy where he has been confined for the last three years, fearing arrest and extradition to the u.s. you can see a policeman keeping constant watch here. his lawyers say he wants to exonerate himself over allegations he has always denied. why the change of heart by the swedish prosecution hah has always insisted that he travel to sweden for questioning? well it seems that the a number of the crimes that he is alleged to have committed will reach their statute of limitations in august time is therefore of the essence for swedish law to run its course. ukraine's president says that the u.s. has agreed to provide it with drones and other non-lethal assistance. squirmishes continue on a daily basis in eastern ukraine. al jazeera's john hendren reports from donetsk. >> reporter: as daily bullets

and mortars break the silence of a fragile ceasefire in eastern ukraine, both sides say they are bracing for a major military offensive that could come at anytime. >> reporter: the ukrainian side has not withdrawn heavy weapons and now we're balancing on the head of a new major conflict. >> reporter: the separatists say ukrainian troops would likely be responsible. >> translator: any provocation, any fire towards residential areas of donetsk would lead a situation to explode in an instant. >> reporter: do you have reason to believe that that might happen? >> translator: yes certainly, it hasn't just happened once or twice. we have had many civilian casualties. >> reporter: so all it would take is for one more mortar to land here for saep forces to feel justified in launching an

assault. and ukrainian troops say they too expect an assault, and they expect the pro-russian separatists to launch it. >> translator: in this village there are spotters. now we are strengthening the trenches preparing to respond to their attack. >> reporter: each side accuses the other of violating the ceasefire and the ban on heavy weapons. but both seem to agree it is rebel forces shown here training, that would launch a new offensive. while the rebels say they want the ceasefire to hold there might be military reasons for them to launch a new battle. the u.s. intelligence firm sees three potential scenarios rebels could take the city of city of mariupol or they could take ukraine's entire southern coast. where 2000 russian troops are

already stationed. in the most ambitious and least likely scenario pro-russian separatists could take all of eastern ukraine to the river, a plan which would require at least 90,000 russian troops. >> it might be the rebels that break the ceasefire, because they were winning momentum, where the government focus in kiev have more to gain now by focusing on rebuilding the economy rather than focusing so much on the eastern parts of ukraine. >> reporter: a renewed con -- conflict would further rattle the civilians here. john hendren, al jazeera, donetsk, eastern ukraine. pam has struck the eye lackeds. it is cleared the system could

trigger storm systems and landslides. it has called damage to the solomon islands. the u.n. says up to 260,000 people are potential in its path. where is she headed next? could pam spell trouble further south? >> i think it may well adrian. it will weaken though. it has pretty much hit its peak. that's the position of the storm at the moment making its way pretty much due south actually it's just to the east. we find out really heavy rain though. and we may well see a similar amount of rain over the next 24 hours. it is moving pretty quickly. it will head towards knewnew zealand. it will steadily weaken now, as

i said but that is quite an impressive storm. very strong winds sinking their way further south. caledonia feeling some of the effects of that as is fiji and as we go into sunday you can see it's pretty close to new zealand. the flooding will be there for quite sometime. we have already seen some flooding further west just around the cape peninsula, and this is as a result of a tropical cyclone. 184 millimeters of rain here in 24 hours. easing its way out into the corral sea, pulling away from the coastal fringes there. but sustained winds, 110 kilometers per hour so still pretty breezy. certainly feeling a bit of a breeze into parts of perth. this is all wind that has been affecting a good part of

western australia. gusts to around 180 kilometers per hour. it will move through quickly. by the time it comes to sunday clearer skies gradually coming in adrian. >> many thanks indeed. the u.s. secret service is investigating two agents after a crash at the white house. alan fisher reports from washington. >> reporter: nothing unusual here. all guards in place. the secret service doing its job, but just last week another embarrassment for the service which attracts scandal like the white house attracts sight seers. two agents left a party and drove their government car into a temporary security barrier, which had been set up because of an investigation into a suspicious package. it is underthe officers on duty wanted to arrest to two agents.

but a supervisor intervened and insisted they just be sent home. because of the seniority of the age epths, it has been decided that the inspector general of the department of homeland security will carry out the investigation. almost an outside eye looking at the inside of the secret service. the "washington post" newspaper said one of those is on the president's detail. it is reported the other age sent a senior supervisor in the washington field office. this is the latest in a long line of embarrasses and security lapses for the secret service. in 2013 a woman was shot and killed by police after she rammed a security barrier. the former secret service director resigned last week after a man jumped the fence armed with a knife, fought off two dogs and got into the building itself before being

stopped. one former white house decider says there needs to be a change in culture. >> if they are coming to the secret service, they need to get rid of any anticipation of reliving their juvenile teenage years. the secret service is not about sex, booze, or playing football on the lawn. it's about protecting the president of the united states with that kind of dick thatty and decor um that is fitting of the office. >> joseph clansy was appointed last month to take control of the secret service. this is the first real public test of its leadership. and a real test to see if things are changing with the organization that should never attract headlines for doing its job. a state of attacks on pelicans in the u.s. state of florida has conservationists worried. the birds are having their

pouches slashed which leads to a slow and painful death. this year there are already over a dozen reported cases. andy gallagher reports. >> oh my poor baby. little baby. >> reporter: mia trained as a nurse in croatia, and these days this refuge center has been a lifeline for the unique wildlife. >> 24 hours a day, seven days a week. i don't like to go outside. i'm happy with my animals. i'm happy here. they need me you know. >> reporter: in the last few months her refuge has been inundated with badly injured brown pelicans. at least a dozen of the birds have been found with sliced

pouches. injuries that this veterinarian says are both deliberate and malicious. >> they don't just want the birds to die. they want them to die a slow miserable death. easy buddy. >> reporter: dr. harris believes that fisherman may be responsible. but despite a reward and growing concern, so far no one had been caught. >> i would like for them to turn themselves in. but we are out there look for you. >> for the most part pelicans in the keys are deeply respected. and what makes these beautiful birds especially vulnerable is their relationship with people. at gutting stations they get a free meal and they show absolutely no fear but that also makes them an easy target.

but for pelicans that are found and treated there is a good chance of survival once they are we released. and as long as mia lives here the pelicans have a protector whom it seems will never give up hope. >> i love you babies. oh, there she goes, got a fish! we're approaching the midway point on this news hour. still to come on the program. we'll meet the south african children desperate for an education, despite a lack of resources and understanding. plus. >> i'm reporting from the chinese village, 19 months after a devastating flash flood here. along with the damage serious doubts remain about the official government story of what happened here. and in sport why world number 1 serena williams is ending a 14 year boycott of a tennis tournament in the u.s. ♪

♪ hello again you are with the news hour with al jazeera. adrian finighan here with the headlines. the turkish coast guard has fired on a ship carrying more than 300 syrian refugees trying to reach italy. the passengers include 85 children. the iraqi government says it is confident victory in tikrit is just days away. the army is pushing towards the center of the city as they try to drive out isil fighters.

swedish questioners say they will go to london to question wikileaks founder. the u.n. says it needs another $2.9 million to help the victims of the syrian conflict. the threat of isil is making it even harder for them to reach the civilians. bernard smith reports. ♪ >> reporter: from the moment they are born most syrians are now reliant on foreign aid. here it means the difference between life and death. but now as isil has emerged to take command of some areas in syria, security concerns make it difficult to get aid through. >> we say it's a shrinking humanitarian corridor. it's a common phrase. it's just more difficult to get

supplies from here to there, and for sure going deep inside syria, where we were able to get -- fairly easily to get in there, and the government that is on the east now that road is treacherous. it's very, very dangerous. >> reporter: but it's not just fighting, many of the governments and larger charities will not allow help to be sent to isil-controlled areas. they fear it will be diverted to isil fighters. hand in hand is one group that hints at the ma'am mouth scale of the conflict. >> it was just like really basic help, what do you say medical aid? they needed bandages. they needed cotton or baby milk

sometimes. they would ask for it. it was just really basic needs. >> so it has gone from providing cotton and baby milk to what? >> in to providing complete hospitals. >> reporter: now hand in hand is preparing for the next ten years. an alarming prospect. this year the u.n. is appealing for $2.9 billion to help 12 million syrians. that's more than half of the population. the deliveries will cost borders here into territory that has become some of the most difficult in the world for aid agencies to operate in. last year the u.n. only got half of the money it asked for to help syrians. donor fatigue is a real concern, but without those donors and the aid groups they help syria's next generation will have no chance. here to tell us more about the challenges for the people

caught up in and displaced by the syrian conflict we're joined from london by andre who is with the group doctors without borders. thanks for being with us. before we talk about people caught up in -- in the conflict inside syria, i want to talk about this incident. the turkish coast guard firing on a vessel with what -- 350 syrian refugees aboard. what do you make of that? >> well this kind of desperate act of refugees attempting to flee by boat to find asylum in europe this is not the first time that people have gone to these desperate measures to try to escape the situation. last year some 3,500 people lost their lives trying to reach europe for asylum. >> what are the hardest challenges that your organization in particular is

facing in reaching the conflict's worst-affected victims. >> basically the question is about access and being able to provide support where it's needed most. what we have faced since -- since the progression of the years as we now enter the fifth year is massive amount of needs on the ground yet more and more restricted ability for us to provide support that is desperately needed to help the syrian workers deliver what is required just to keep people alive. >> so what more should be done that isn't already being done? >> well what we really need is for people to work together to grant access on both sides of this conflict, whether it's government-controlled areas, or whether it's in areas increasingly controlled by the islamic state to be able to go and help people out. in cities like aleppo prior to the war there was 2,500 doctors, and today there are fewer than

100. and if you can imagine the exhaustion of the people working in desperate conditions with will little supplies facing dramatic medical decisions, for years on end. people just need help. >> we heard a little about it in our report just a few moments ago. but how has the nature of the humanitarian response changed over the last several years, and what can be done to counter donor fatigue. >> we just need to continue to inspire people to not lose faith and hope and continue to try to engage in the humanitarian effort. what is most difficult, though is the access and the warring parties need to grant more access to people can help. not just inside of syria, but in the surrounding areas. the host countries for most of

the refugees are saturated at this point and we're not even having the kind of inroads into syria that we need where help is most desperately required and is in the least amount right now. >> we were hearing in the report that something like half of syria's population has managed to get out, away from the fighting, but that of course leads to its own problems overcrowded, overstretched refugee camps. >> yeah that's right. and there -- there -- while there are these groups of people who have managed to get away from the front lines, there are also hundreds of thousands who are trapped in besieged areas, whether it's closer to the capitol or further on the periphery. these are people who have no lifeline, where agencies like ours, as well as many local networks of health practitioners and activists endeavor to do anything in their power to get the most simple of supplies

across the front lines and check points but the aid effort itself has been viewed as some kind of a weapon of war. there's restrictions on what supplies can move -- trying to send supplies as simple as gauze to do the most basic aspects of wound care has become a crime. it's unimaginable to think it has got to this point and stayed this way for as long as it has. we're in desperate need of change. >> good to talk to you. thank you. >> thank you. >> we have full coverage of the conflict in syria at aljazeera.com. click on syria broken nation on the front page for in-depth reports analysis and video. ten people have died in saudi arabia of middle east respiratory syndrome. 17 people have died so far. symptoms of the disease include fever, coughing and shortness

of death. more than 20 nations have been affected by the virus. most cases, though have come from saudi arabia. u.s. secretary of state john kerry has arrived to meet with members of the economic summit. egypt is pinning its hopes for economic revival on the conference. the sum it is intended to attract billions of dollars in foreign investment. >> translator: i think the conference will be very successful. the conference is the first real chance for egypt to attract investments and investments to the country. >> translator: honestly the conference is a great move for the sake of the country. >> translator: there is no money. there is nothing. people are losing their lives for nothing. there's no production. money has been stolen and the people are poor. talks to end political

stalemate between libyas rival governments have hit a major roadblock. the government in tobruk hasn't arrived in morocco, and the u.n. envoy has met with members of the tripoli based government. britain has rejected u.s. criticism of its decision to join a new china-backed bank. the u.k. has applied to a member of the bank. china wants a stronger voice in how both of those organizations are run, but it has always been blocked by the u.s. britain says it will be able to help shape china's new bank and make sure it's transparent. india's prime minister is proposing regular have it sises to sri lanka. he made the comments on the start of his two-day trip to the

island. he is the first indian leader in 28 years to make the visit. new agreements are being signed with trade negotiations. >> the bank of india, and the central bank of sri lanka have agreed into an currency [ inaudible ] of 1.5 billion usd. this will help keep the [ inaudible ] rupee stable. >> sorry for the poor quality on that clip. it has been years since flood waters swept through this area. the government was accused of being unprepared and hiding the number of deaths. harry fawcett reported from that village immediately after the disaster 19 years later, he has been back to try to fine more

answers. >> reporter: the river that runs through here is a triple now. but the destruction it left in the summer of 2013 is still visible. we arrived four days of the flood to a town full of grief and anger. they were accusing authorities of covering up the true extent of the death toll. another person is trying to talk to us and tell us what he believes has happened here. once again the police are stopping us from talking to him. 19 months on we have come back. the local government said 30 were dead and 58 missing. it never released another figure. this lifetime resident said that was always a serious underestimate. >> translator: for the whole of the town it's at least 170 or 180 dead. i know because i know this place very well. >> reporter: in 2013 we met lee.

she said then that officials had reassured people that the water would flow past the town. now she lives in a newly built apartment down the road but she hasn't changed her story. >> translator: they didn't expect that the flood would be so big. nobody told us. if they had, the imagine wouldn't have been so bad. >> reporter: the nearby village suffered similar damage but no one died here. the difference locals tell us a concerted effort by officials to get people out of danger. there are two things we have heard, firstly that people believe 200 died in this disaster. and secondly they complain of lack of a warning the lack of an evacuation order. a community used to dealing with flooding simply didn't know what was heading its way. so the disaster was minimized so

officials would escape punishment. but this man insist he and his colleagues did warn residents. so how many died here? >> translator: i know nothing about this. >> reporter: you don't know how many people died in your own town? >> translator: i'm just in charge of reconstruction. all of this talk about the death toll i have no idea. >> reporter: after weeks of rain in the summer which filled the local reservoir beyond it limits it was hit with half of his local rainfall in a day. after our inquiries the local government raised its official figure it now says 134 people were killed. it just never had thought to make it public until now. still to come on the news hour raul has the sport.

roger federer beaten at his own game by a 12 year old. we'll have the details in just a few minutes.

♪ now before the sport,et let's get more on our top story this hour. the turkish coast guard has fired on a cargo ship carrying more than 300 syrian refugees trying to reach italy. the passengers have now been detained and they include 85 children. on the line now is the senior regional protections officer at

the u.n.'s refugee agency. thanks for being with us. what is your reaction to this. >> good afternoon from rome. we are shocked about this news. and we have tried to go to the place where the people are detained and talk to the people and to learn what has happened. >> what will happen to the people who have been detained now since this incident? >> we hope that they will be released as soon as possible. in turkey there's about 1 million or more syrian refugees. so there is no need to detain the syrians nch maybe there is need to detain the smugglers who had put together this trip and wanted to help them to get to europe to come to italy as have been boats before at the beginning of this year five big vessels coming from turkey with syrian refugees. >> is there any justification for turkey's actions here

firing on a vessel which was carrying people? >> we can't assess this situation at the moment. if they left the port with all of the necessary papers or if it has been an illegal action if it has been an action by people smugglers, we don't know that at this point. >> even if this vessel was illegal? >> look the situation is that the previous vessels have been illegal. they have left the ports. europe has complained to turkey and have asked them to control better their borders, their coast maneuvers and i think that's the consequence of the fact that europe has asked for tighter controls. >> but there were 85 children on board this else have. >> we know about that. and that's the drama. there are refugees, and normally

you should not shoot at refugees. they are -- they have left syria. they went away from syrian war situation and they need peace and quiet and stability, and they need a place where they are protected. >> you say that you hope that turkey releases these people who are now under detention, what will happen to them do you think. in the past turkey has returned migrants to their place of origin it's obvious they can't go back to syria. >> it's clear they cannot go back to syria, and having turkey return back to syria that would be a clear violation of the [ inaudible ] principal of one of the frameworks of international refugee law, so i don't think turkey will do that. i'm pretty sure that they can stay in turkey. that they will get shelter and access to one of the existing

camps for syrian refugees in turkey. >> when people make this hazardous journey from syria when they try to get to europe are people smugglers involved in do they have to pay to get aboard vessels like the one that turkey fired at? >> the problem is there are no legal ways for refugees to come to europe. the doors are not open. there are a couple of refugee resettlement projects so whole of europe takes 75,000 syrian refugees. that's a good thing, but as you know in the region of syria there are 3.8 million syrian refugees living in neighboring countries, and some of them they are desperate. we are nearing year five of the conflict. they don't want to continue to wait in refugee camps. they want to have a normal life and hence they try to come to europe and they will come more

and more. they try to use people smugglers. there are offers from the smugglers from other countries to europe, and so desperate syrian refugees will pay for the crossing of the dangerous mediterranean sea. >> okay. sir, many thanks indeed for being with us. time now for sport. here is raul. >> thank you very much. the mercedes pair has dominated the opening season. but the maniac shun ahead of the australian grand prix continues to be ongoing. >> reporter: all dressed up with nowhere to drive. in the garage waiting and ready to get behind the wheel. the previous two days he had been in court in melbourne,

where a judge had ruled that the team must allow him to race. the dutchman claims he had been promised a seat for this season but they terminated his contract in february. >> something is broken. >> reporter: after skipping the first session, the two drivers they did want did take to the track later in the afternoon while vander guard remained out in the cold and team bosses were forced before the judge. they face being found guilty of contempt of court and having their assets seized. both parties urged to reach a settlement. the case to continue on saturday. >> it is definitely very very negative impact on -- on the team because the situation was for a while unclear. we -- we now have certain actions taken against the team and we are acting accordingly,

so there's nothing much more i can say to that. >> reporter: a car crash of a different kind after the start of the season losing control early. but it was a familiar story at the top of the time sheets these two again setting the pace. but it was this man who edged out his world champion teammate going .1 second quicker. serena williams will return to the indian wells tournament this season. ending a 14-year boycott of the tournament. she was booed and seared when she won in 2001. fans were angry that the semifinal against her sister never happened. their father was accused of

orchestrating the outcome. >> it was really an emotional time for me when i was talking to him. and i was like i think i should go back but i'm not going to go back if you don't want me to. the last thing i'm going to do is something you don't think is right for all of us. and he said it would be a big mistake if i didn't go back. and i thought that was reallied a morable. >> i asked her what made her change her mind after 14 years. and she mentioned she read nelson mandela's book and his imprisonment and when he went out, he actually -- he allowed himself forgiveness and became friends with people that imprisoned him. [ inaudible ] made history on thursday as he scored the fastest ever goal in the europe league. it look 13.21 seconds for the

strike. he has beaten the previous record by two seconds, that was set back in 2009 by athens. let's look at the other matches on thursday: japan's new coach has touched down in the country. former algeria boss was greeted by plenty of supporters and media in the airport. the bosnian replaces the coach who was fired after the asian cup due to a match fixing scandal against him in spain. japan hasn't had a home grown coach since 2010. [ inaudible ] has returned to his former club despite being recently hospitalized with an

infection. he met the junior players at a book-sign book-signing event. new zealand has a scare at the cricket world cup. this man was at it once again, hitting another one against the kiwis. helping bangladesh reach 288 for 7. martin hit a century for new zealand, but the rest of the batsmen struggled, and it was left to big hitting to help get new zealand over the line. meanwhile in sydney england bowed out to the world cup to

afghanistan. they restricted the afghans to 111-7 before rain ended their game. they end the world cup with just two wins to leave them fifth just ahead of afghanistan. both go home. staying with kicket former pakistan fastballer is set to resume his career after serving a ban for spot fixing. he helped win the world in 2001 but was found guilty of test fixing. the 22 year old's ban officially ends in september, but the icc have allowed him to play domestic games in pakistan. >> translator: i'm focusing on every game. if i can't make this match, i'll be focusing on the next match. you should never turn down a

chance whenever and wherever you get it? cleveland cavalier's guard has set a season high score, he scored 54 points. that surpasses his career best. nine points in the final minute of regulation and then 11 in overtime. cleveland 128-125 winners. it's not every day that a tennis man will get chance to play his hero. but for one young boy his dream came true and how. he more than held his own against the grand champion. delighting the madison square garden crowd. i expect to see him on the court a few years down the line. >> absolutely. many thanks indeed. stay with us. another full bulletin of news

straight ahead. president al-sisi is speaking. we'll take his speech live when we get it. >> give me all you got... >> respect.... >> now... >> bootcamp >> stop your'e whining... >> for bad kids... >> they get a little dirty... so what... >> dangerous... >> we have shackles with spit bag... >> they're still having nightmares >> if you can't straighten out your kids... >> they're mine >> al jazeera america presents camp last resort on al jazeera america >> this is the true definition of tough love

the turkish coast guard seizes a cargo ship with 300 syrian refugees on board. ♪ hello, this is al jazeera, live interest doha i'm adrian finighan. high stakes in egypt, the government pins its economic hopes to a global financial summit getting underway. iraq's prime minister says the victory in tikrit only days away as forces advance on the center of the city. and swedish prosecutors now plan to