>> hello from al jazeera's headquarters in doha, this is the news hour. coming up in the next 60 minutes, saudi arabia holds talks with the u.s. about implementing a five day humanitarian ceasefire in yemen but will the houthis agree? >> fighting in syria near the lebanese border. >> britons go to the polls in one of the closest general

elections in decades. >> the sport including a crisis in spanish football as all domestic games are suspended because of a spalt with the government over t.v. rights. >> the u.s. secretary of state welcomes a saudi initiative for a five day ceasefire in yemen. john kerry has melt with sawed leaders, as well as yemen's exiled president adou rabbo mansour hadi, but the saudis say a truce will depend on whether the houthi rebels will comply. >> i also briefed him about the way the kingdom is thinking about it as his fire for five days in yemen in order to coordinate with international organizations to send the assistances and aid to the

yemeni brotherly people. if the houthis are committed to that and if the houthis are committed not to attack any of these -- in that period of time and we will determine the time very soon, together with all the details. >> john kerry says that he welcomes the peace initiative. >> the king announce add conference in riyadh, which the foreign minister referred to, to which he is inviting all yemeni parties, and we support that conference. everyone agreed that that conference can help lead into the subsequent talks under the u.n. auspices, and that all of this dialogue is beneficial in an effort to try to find a political resolution to the crisis. we're very pleased also that

saudi arabia has agreed to support the u.n. in its efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the situation in yemen. >> let's go to nationals now from muhammed live for us in riyadh. this five day proposed truce in yemen dependency very much upon whether the houthis will comply, but as yet there's been no official contact between saudi arabia and the houthis. >> yes adrien, it's conditioned by that the reaction of the houthis, if they react box then this could be a completely plan for a ceasefire. by that the way, there is a very interesting word that secretary john kerry used, it is this ceasefire is renewable. if there is a favorable response by the houthis then five days can be extended to another five days a couple weeks and then what is interesting about this arrangement is that there is this call for a peace conference

in riyadh for all the parties of the conflict in yemen and pals there is a word that has been used by kerry saying that yes now we need the saudis want this conference this to be a reality, but also they are flexible that their subsequently talks could take place under the auspices of the united anywhere in the world. to me, this is a very complete and to some extent flexible plan for the houthis there because the houthis have been asking for the saudis to stop the airstrikes first. everything now will democrat on the reaction of the houthis. there will be a ceasefire across all of yemen or no ceasefire at all. this proposed deal allows wiggle

room. any why would about whether the houthis will be willing to comply with it? >> >> dependency on how they look at it. remember when saudi arabia decide add few weeks ago a couple of weeks ago that the first phase of the decisive storm can be the air campaign was over and now we begin to renewal of hope and as a less intensive campaign basically oriented toward humanitarian relief they wanted the houthis to take that favorably and stop the fight so that the second phase could be applied. the houthis considered it a victory and they continued the

fight. it can be a ceasefire everywhere or a ceasefire nowhere. >> we hope to be speaking to a houthi spokesman to get the view from the houthis about that proposed ceasefire. the fighting inside yemen appears to be getting worse. there's been heavy fighting once again in the port city of aden. we have this report. >> for thousands of people trapped in aden, the sea is their only way out. they've been caught in the battle for the southern port city. the residents are terrified. >> the condition is all rockets, bombing, random shelling on our houses, no electricity, no water. >> the gulf states should share

responsibility or step aside. >> the streets are deserted, many confined in their homes. others are on the move looking for a way out. boats like this have become the only hope of survival, but even they've become dangerous. on wednesday, one of the boats was shelled by houthi rebels killing dozens. the district is important. it is not far from the city's port, the area is vital for control over yemen's southern coast. the houthis and forces loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh remain powerful here. in taiz, the fight is equally hard. forces loyal to the current president adou rabbo mansour hadi are putting on a tough fight, but most of the city is destroyed. houthis and their allies continue to push for control of the city. different areas were bombed. speaking from the saudi capitol the newly appointed chief of staff said his priority is to reorganize his forces.

>> our priority is to unite and regroup the army, because the majority is at their homes. the houthis seized equipment cleared the bases and sent the officers home. 80% of the army is not doing their job. >> in yemen, most of the country is a battlefield and millions of yemenese continue to suffer. al jazeera. >> syrian activists denounced what they say are new chemical attacks in the country saying the government dropped chlorine gas over villages in the idlib province. some are suffering from breathing difficulties there. >> the syrian opposition is denying that hezbollah fighters have retaken key areas on the lebanese border. it says that the armed group and syrian army have killed dozens of opposition fighters. fierce battles are taking

operation in the border region. there are now fears that that violence could spill into neighboring lebanon. we have this report. >> the battle has intensified. a syrian opposition group said it is pushing out the syrian government and hezbollah fighters. it is on the border, consider add strategic supply route for he's bra fighters and syrian opposition fighters know it. commanders from al-nusra don't want it to distract fighters from other areas but the group is animate about maintaining control in areas they have taken. the syrian air force has targeted any interruption in the crucial support it gets from hezbollah. the government denies losing

ground to the opposition and recent rebel gains are prompting rare acknowledgment of setbacks and promisees to raise the more rail of groups. >> god willing the army will reach those heroes in the hospital to continue the bat toll eradicate terrorism. >> in neighboring lebanon funerals were held for the commanders killed during battle. hezbollah said it's inflict losses on syrian opposition fighters and promised to clear the area, but the battles near the divided part of lebanon where sectarian tensions run deep is a concern for others, as well. it says it's worried that hezbollah advances could drag hezbollah's army into the war. >> any intervention by force outside the country creates a threat for the army itself, and for the whole lebanese society.

>> the syrian option said it does not want to cross the border into lebanon. fighters insist on battling hezbollah. the lebanese army hob deployed in areas where hezbollah can't operate because of sectarian issues. in a fight so close to people where people might take sides whether they are sunni or shia contributes to the divide. >> a research analyst at the carney middle east center says rebel fighters are managing to make gains against syrian government forces in the region. >> in the past two months, we have seen a new trend within the syrian opposition fraction. the more they are uniting the more they are proving to be efficient and the more they are willing on the ground. they have created the new

umbrella successful in is lib and now witnesses a similar trend emerging on the mountainside when all these fighters are uniting under one umbrella and coordinating their attacks on the front allowing them to be more lethal, efficient and to stand their ground in areas that they have control. in addition, they created this kind of common command room and we have seen how much they are coordinating the attacks. in the past few days, we saw inside damascus we have several attacks, one of which was very successful according to al-nusra that declared the responsibility of suicide attack inside damascus that was coordinated within the attack. the more that these factions and militants are coordinating, the more they are uniting in their attack proving to be efficient facing mainly whether the assad regime and hezbollah and the

allies and islamic state. we saw how the islamic state was attacking the free syrian army. these militants being cornered between two fronts, the islamic state and hezbollah and assad regime. >> the u.s. says iraqi forces face a tough task removing isil fighters from the strategic baiji oil refinery. a pentagon spokesman declined to predict the outcome saying it's impossible to know how it will play out. most of isil's fighting has become from the on him black market. >> why is it so difficult for iraqi force to say push isil out of this refinery? >> one thing is that the refinery is vitally important.

it's not your run of the mill oil facility, not a road or a bridge. this really is part of the main supply route that goes to isil, so it's between -- sorry that goes to mosul between baghdad and mosul. it is one of the major refinery that is supplies perhaps a third of the domestic consumption and something that isil really wants. they want a key piece of infrastructure so they can have their so-called islamic state. >> the iraqi army does have it at the moment, it's in their position but they're finding it tough to hold on to it, isil continually attacking it, isil did have it at one point. why is it so hard to hold on to it, once you've got it? can it really be won? >> you're absolutely right. it is huge and it has several sub refineries in it. what isil has managed to do is control parts at various times. by all accounts, iraqi government he forces, those highly trained special forces are still in control of the center of it, but that's really

what's in jeopardy. when you see the techniques that isil is using they include snipers and suicide bombs, as well as car bombs. it's one of the things that they're very, very good at and hard to fight against. these special forces which are leading the fights in a lot of areas of iraq are thinly stretched. they suffered a lot losses in tikrit and there aren't a lot of them. u.s. airstrikes are going in there, but the u.s. is very careful that it is airstrikes, iraqis are trying to help, but this is some of the most vicious fighting we've seen because the refinery is that important. >> many thanks indeed. >> still to come here on the news hour, right wing and the religious, israel cobbles together a coalition with partners that could threaten the peace process. >> music legend elton john makes

an impassioned plea to stop the aids epidemic. >> celebrating another milestone, we have the details later in the news hour. >> voting is underway in the u.k.'s general election in what could be the country's tightest political race in years. 650 seats in parliament are being contested and 50 million people have registered to vote. lawrence lee is in westminster where parliament is in central london. here's the update. >> election day in the u.k. for broadcast journalists to cover is something of an out of paid experience. you can pontificatent leslie for weeks and weeks what the party is up to, but from the point in time when the polls open to when they shut, you can't comment at

all. it might influence voters, the same case as a court case, you can hear the evidence, but when the jury retires, you are not allowed to say anything at all. it restricts broadcast journalists to when the polls open and shut, how many people are eligible to vote, all that sort of thing but nothing else. from the point in time when the polls shut, 2100g.m.c. tonight it goes back out to the open. it will become very clear later on exactly who has done well and who has done bat badly. these rules have been broadcast to other sorts of media. twitter is unregulated so are the newspapers. the newspapers of full of advice on how they think people should vote yet if i told you what the newspapers were saying, technically i would be breaking the law.

the broadcasters don't seem to mind at all they view the principle of people being left alone on voting day as pretty much sacro sank. >> israel's prime minister formed a new government just hours before a deadline, but his majority is extremely thin. >> it went to the wire, only at the last moment was an agreement reached between them and the jewish home party before agreeing to low in eight seats that gave the israel prime minister the support of the majority in parliament, a slim majority of one. >> time is of the essence. not only because i'm leaving now to calm the president, and the charmaine of the kin net set.

>> the full extent of concessions made will become apparent in coming days as benjamin netanyahu finalizes the com significance of his cabinet. it's clear this will be a government of extreme right wing sensibility. jewish home has its roots in the settlement movement and its leader called for the creation of more settlements not less, along with the expulsion of palestinians from the occupied west bank. the government will be at the mercy of two religious parties which have demanded and been granted the pledge of renewed state welfare benefits for the ultra religious and exclusion from mandatory military service for religious students. the expenditure will put pressure on the finance minister who brought his breakaway party back into the fold. it could take the withdrawal of support by just a single member

of one coalition party to bring the government down. at the end of weeks of negotiation, benjamin netanyahu is left with a slim one seat majority in parliament. it will be a weak government, that's essentially at the mercy of the settler movements and two small religious parties. cones dentally this evening it's an annual religious festival that has added spring in the step of the dancer as they celebrate the recertainlience of ultra orthodox religious movements in israeli political life. >> al jazeera west jerusalem. >> palestinian liberation organization reacted angrily to the new israeli government, in a statement saying the fails of a new form of racist discriminatory israel has been revealed. benjamin netanyahu vehemently leading the charge to bury the two-state solution and impose a

perpetual apartheid regime. congratulations, israel, your new government has revealed that appeals is not on their agenda. >> let's hear from a political analyst live from new york. it is said it will be a weak government. that is not the only way this government will differ from the last even though both are led by benjamin netanyahu. >> well yes, it is weaker simply because it has 61 majority out of 120 knesset member. it is certainly more to the right. in a sense it might have more durable cohesiveness. this is a cohesion of reege fanatics and political fanatics. if you look at some of those

members of the other parties they are themselves graduates of the likud party. in a sense netanyahu and his old pals are back on the saddle, if you will, but with a far more twist to the right. >> how will this government be received by the u.s.? >> well, today's new york times did not feature the new israel government on its front page. it went into page 14 while i changes at aljazeera america have been on the front page of the new york times. people are rolling their eyes on the question of change in israel. i think that probably reflects the mood in washington. basically, the obama administration is rolling its eyes this is what to expect

that prime minister benjamin netanyahu would form another right wing government that is not responsive to american demands for serious diplomacy for a serious path to a two-state solution. paradoxically, the obama administration signed into law yet away increase of military and economic cade oh israel, even though israel is basically one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. >> you heard the p.l.o.'s chief negotiator, that statement i was reading a few minutes ago where he said that this new government enassured that peace is not on the agenda. what will this government mean for the palestinians and the peace process? >> well, look, adrian, when the palestinians look at this government they don't see minister of defendants, they see minister of offense they don't

see the minister of justice they see minister of injustice. they don't see in mer of education, they see minister of radical indoctrination. the question is what do you do with racist radical government. some say what's next, now the test will be that some will still judge president abbas to be a tenacious peacemaker insisting on diplomacy but others will look at him as a stubborn fool for continuing more of the same path, talking about peace process while israel has deserted it long ago. in a sense the palestinians are stuck, they're in a corner and i think that does not bode well for peace and diplomacy. it does not bode well for existence and certainly does not bode well for security for either party. >> many thanks indeed.

>> tornadoes have torn through the central united states. oklahoma was hardist hit damaging hopes and cutting power to thousands of people. more now from gerald tan. >> terrifying, yet awe inspiring, a tornado whips its way through oklahoma. more than two dozen twisters touched down on wednesday, cutting a path from texas to nebraska. they flipped cars, tore down trees and power lines and ripped off roofs. the storm system also brought heavy downpours. the national weather service declared a flash flood emergency, a first for oklahoma city. in the business district streets were inundated, as water filled parking lots and forced shops to close for the day.

>> distraught, disheveled, but we'll get back to business. >> homes lost electricity, people advised to stay off the roads until debris is cleared and the severe weather passes. a tornado watch remains in effect for oklahoma and other states in the great plains and midwest. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> let's bring in our meteorologist to tell us more. tornadoes are pretty nasty if you're in the path of one of them but it is tornado season. >> it is, yes april tends to be the really deadly ones, may the frequency is greater but this is the peak season. s it's partly because of negative warm air coming in from the region, but cold towards the north. significant snow across colorado so it's that contrast in temperatures one of the factors that spawn tornado outbreaks. thursday to friday, the risk is

likely to increase across northern texas through to oklahoma and kansas, so it's very much a developing situation. meanwhile, across in the pacific ocean, we've got our typhoon which continues to move north wards and west wards towards the philippines. it's not the strongest of typhoons but a typhoon is a typhoon. this will sweep towards lausanne going further towards the west but not much. that's a pretty decent step where it's going to go. it has sustained winds of 200 millimeters per hour likely to occur. we're still going to have pretty big seas along the coast. the other factor is the rain as the system moves in, likening

some places. >> we're approaching the midway point on this news hour. still to come on the program: >> i'm in southern afghanistan. farmers this year expect another record harvest of poppy. why, then, is the government saying its winning the war against the crop? >> a report from nigeria on how boko haram attacks have left villages with very few men and boys in them. >> we have a report on deflate gate in the nfl.

>> again with the news hour from doha our tops stories the u.s. secretary of state welcomes a five day ceasefire in yemen. john kerry is in riyadh where he met saudi leaders as well as yemen's exiled penalty adou rabbo mansour hadi. >> voting is underway in britain which could be the tightest election in years. 650 seats in parliament are being contested. >> more now on our top story the saudi proposal for a five day humanitarian ceasefire in yemen. the big question is will the

houthi rebels agree to it. let's speak now with a houthi supporter and activist, with us from sanna. let's put that question to you. will the houthis agree to a five day humanitarian ceasefire? >> i think when it comes to the humanitarian issue, they will -- i'm pretty sure they will agree about that. let's make it clearer. the humanitarian agency have been calling for a ceasefire and the saudi have been refusing. just two days after the yemeni tribes have entered saudi arabia killed saudi soldiers, attacked many bases inside saudi rain, they are calling for the size fire. they are using this issue to save them because they were who'sing really, really bad and one other thing that a ceasefire

doesn't mean tribesmen will withdraw from saudi areas that they have controlled, a ceasefire means you stop firing at each other and that's all. >> would the houthis also use any ceasefire if they do indeed agree to it to perhaps look towards moving towards a form of dialogue to get back around the negotiating table? >> i'm pretty sure that they will release a statement soon about this, but about the dialogue, we have said before and the houthis have said before that we must start from what we stopped -- from where we stand in sanna and the dialogue is not going to have in any country of the coalition including the united states and britain or any country that has supported this attack on yemen and this depends on the other side, will they accept that or not but

they always have been open for dialogue and negotiation. >> the houthis would not be willing to go to riyadh for in transfor talks. >> oh, no, definitely. you will remember my words today that them never never ever go to riyadh, because riyadh has attacked us. riyadh is not anymore neutral neither any country in the gulf except oman. >> how do the houthis respond to allegations we heard yesterday from yemen's foreign minister of atrocities human rights abuses being committed by houthis against civilians in aden in particular? >> i've seen, i think and you all know, we all saw that silly press conference when the so-called foreign minister have said about the houthis that

attacked a bolt full of immigrants in the press conference while he was crying. they were all from gaza and from so how do you want me to comment on something that may be based on lies? >> you say it is a silly press conference. human rights organization has also accused the houthis of human rights violations on the attack on the boat, saying they have evidence. >> calling for the volition and calling the u.n. and with president hadi to invade yemen by land, they just made the request today or yesterday and they are the ones, if they are wrong, i'm sure that maybe the human rights has got their information. nevertheless because we were at war, sometimes civilians will be caught in this fight and this is something unfortunately that's happening but we have to

say that the saudi's strikes in aden are causing more deaths than the fighting between the army militias. >> there's been an attack in the sinai peninsula egypt. two policemen were called near rather if a. egypt extend add state of emergency in the area imposed after attacks were increased against security forces. >> when nigerian soldiers rescued people from boko haram strongholds, almost all were women and children. that's because the armed group usually kill little the men before taking their families hostage. generations of brothers, husbands and fathers have been wiped out in nigeria's northeast, as al jazeera reports

now. >> sad and broke recalling the good old days before boko haram made the town its so-called calendar fatal. the father of 14 head houses farms and cattle. these two cows are his only asset. >> people still come to neighbors. i lost so much. at some point even the will to go on, but i am still hanging in there. >> the pain he feels most is the loss of two adult sons, both killed by boko haram. after the death he and 500 others fled to settle here. some are thinking of going back, but he seeps no future there. >> i think when we eventually go back most of us will be going

back to our graves. what is the use when our youth is dead or gone? how do we cope? some of us suffer depression. >> there are several farming communities like this that have been displaced. for now they live on handledouts add they have neither the money nor strength to farm or trade. one boko haram attack in occupied territories in northeastern nigeria there was a system take targeting of young men, decimating the population. the group is also accused of using rape as a weapon of war. even married women were not spared. >> in many communities most young men and women are either been killed or have left. that account impact on their recovery and survival when people eventually return to their homes. >> in these communities along with infrastructure, road and

schools have been destroyed. >> it will be difficult. recovery is always possible, but it is a lengthy process. >> few show much desire to return home. the question most are asking now is return to what. al jazeera nigeria. >> two people have been killed by a grenade thrown at protestors at a rally in burundi. another person has been killed and others injured in a separate process. they've been demonstrating against the penalty's decision to contest a third term. east african foreign minister's arrived in burundi on wednesday to try to strike a peace deal. >> police in south africa say they've arrested hundred was undocumented migrants in. >> every night raised, but activists say the government should focus on tackling the

root causes of recent attacks against migrants. we have this report from johannesburg. >> patrick escaped political viewence in safery coast and came to south africa in 1998. he wants his identity hidden because he is what the government calls an illegal immigrant. he has tried for years to get political asylum. >> i feel bad because someone reconnected to the community within the country for 17 years being forced to be illegal because there are no open doors. they are forcing us to be illegal that can be tracked down. >> it is believed there could be up to 2 million undocumented workers. the majority come from other african countries hoping for a better life. in a country with around 40%

unemployment, many south africans blame migrants for taking their jobs. foreign workers and their families were targeted in a recent wave of attacks. the government has promised to look at the root causes of the violence including rising levels of policy and unemployment but it has started with a crackdown on undocumented migrants and the arrests have begun. >> there was a police raid outside johannesburg a few days ago. we heard that the police took a number of undocumented migrants away with them. there are raids like this now happening in neighborhoods across africa. with them, we're hearing allegation of police abuse and human rights violations. >> lucky came to africa from ethiopia five years ago. he says when he showed police his papers, they where he could his shop and demanded money. >> rights groups say there is little sign the government is

changing its immigration policy. >> why not try to educate the police on the rights of non-nationals. now the government has closed the refugee reception offices in johannesburg in port elizabeth again appealing against the judgment that says they should reopen and in cape town, so it's very easy to become undocumented even if you actually shouldn't be. >> for may go grants like patrick, they have little choice but ho hide from the police and those who want fortune errs like him to leave south africa. al jazeera johannesburg. >> afghanistan looks set to have another record year for heroin production. the country supplies 90% of the world's heroin but the government says it is making gains against drug traffickers. >> in a secret facility in kabul, four men accused of smuggling millions of dollars

worth of heroin are about to answer to justice. afghanistan's special drug court is run as a clandestine operation to try to prevent judges and prosecutors from being targeted or bought off but faced with growing criticism it is not doing enough, the afghan government has allowed al jazeera's 101 east program in. this is a prosecutor here. >> we never take bribes. we know afghanistan is under severe threat from drugs. >> officials argue the court is convincing many to give up illegal trade. but last year, afghan farmers harvested a record 224,000 hectares of opium poppy. this year looks like another bumper harvest. this is the only photo of a

kingpin sentenced to 20 years in jail for drug trafficking. still, he managed to escape. >> an internal investigation discovered after his conviction in court, people working for the kingpin campaigned officials in the justice system to the tune of $14 million to $16 million. that money secured his release and to this day, he has been nowhere to be found. >> you're talking about clean judges, clean courts, but then there are cases like this. what happened there? >> all those who were involved in exploiting the processes are under investigation. >> afghanistan's acting minister of counter narcotics says it is an isolated case. >> can assure the international community that the mistake that

has been taken place will not be repeated. >> the drug court has put thousands of drug smugglers behind bars. that may be so, but out in the fields, few seem intimidated by the threat of jail time. >> they harvest in front of a military base because they say they pay local officials off. al jazeera, southern afghanistan. >> you can see the report in full on thursday at 22:30g.m.t. still to come on the news hour, tall and skinny, why high rise buildings in new york are slimming down. >> a spanish football in crisis as all domestic games are suspended. gerald will be here to tell you why with the sport.

>> music legend elton john is of course also prominent h.i.v. aids activist and took up the fight to the u.s. congress, urging them to commit more funds to stop the global epidemic. his unusual but emphatic plea seemed to work. we have this report. >> subcommittee hearings on capitol hill can be dry affairs rarely attracting much attention except when celebrities show up. >> back in your cages give these people a break. [ laughter ] >> that was the case when sir elton john appeared before member was congress to make the

case for funding in the fight against aids and h.i.v. >> this is the most powerful legislative body in the world and this congress indeed has the power to end aids. i'm here today to ask you to use that power. >> indeed, congressional funding of anized relief program put in place under george w. bush in 2003 has led to live saving treatments for hundreds of thousands and reduced mother to child transmissions by half. that funding is at risk as lawmakers look to cut the u.s. budget so elton john did what few on capitol hill would ever do. he used profanity to make a point about u.s. generosity and why it needs to continue and how an encounter with a young aids victim convinced him to become an activist for this cause. >> i've come over here in 1970 and this country gave everything to of me as a professional

musician and as a human being and the strength and the willingness to help people in the rest of the world has touched me so much, it was ryan white who pointed out to me that my life was completely disorder, i was a drug addict. i was a self obsessed [bleep]. excuse me. ryan white and his wonderful family turned my life around. >> that's why through his celebrity, he hopes to convince others through renewed funding they too can turn other's lives around in the global battle against aids. al jazeera washington. >> time now on the news hour for sport. here's jo. >> a dispute over television rights threatened to suspend professional football in spain indefinitely. the football association made the threat. >> the spanish premier is second

to the english premier league as the most watched globally, home to the two richest clubs in the world, real madrid and barcelona. it's their fair ball success threatening to bring football across the country to a halt. the spanish football federation will suspend competition from may 16, a dispute with the government over t.v. rights at the heart of the issue. in spain clubs have negotiated their own individual deals in contrast to the u.k. where rights are sold in one package. as the two most popular clubs in the country barcelona and real madrid make the most out of televised matches while lower tear clubs struggle financially. the new law approved by the spanish government last week would ensure a greater share of the money. the law is supported by the l.s.p. which runs the top two professional leagues.

they've begun immediate legal action to block the suspension. if football is halted, the title will be undecided with two games to play. borrows lena currently lead by only two points, but more widely a suggestion suspension would affect more than 600,000 players and 30,000 matches across spain. >> >> we are at the final stage of la league with only a few weeks left. the players then go on vacation. there needs oh be effort from bat parties to reach and agreement, all i can do is make a call for reason. if we all talk, we will find a solution. >> the l.s.p. will gather all their professional clubs for an assembly on monday. a power struggle over spanish football with no clear winners. al jazeera. >> the former marketing and commercial for barcelona and

c.e.o. of prime time sports told me about the huge disparity in money generated v. rights. >> barcelona and real madrid make 140 million euros per season compared to the likes of $18 million, a ratio of one to seven, which is better than it used to be. used to be one to 10, which compares to premier league one to 1.6. obviously with the new contract that the premier league has been signing, we could find a situation in which a small team in the premier league would make as much as barcelona making right now in la league. >> the league title hangs in the balance, but the catalan club is

playing for the champions crown up against munich in their semifinal encounter. the return to the new camp ruined he scored twice to become the competition's all time record goal scorers with 77. namar added a third as barcelona beat their former coach and his team 3-0. >> this is champions league semifinals against a very unique and difficult rival. we expected it to be tough and in the end during 15 breath taking minutes we won the game, but we haven't won yet. we have to wait for the second leg next tuesday. >> the result of the game was a big blow. we wanted to control the ball and play our game, because when you play, you can defend in death or play to control the ball. congratulations to barca. >> superbowl champions new england patriots could face disciplinary action after

reports by the nfl found staff deliberately deflated footballs to gain advantage during a game. it happened there the championship game in january in which they beat the indianapolis colts. it makes them easier to grip, catch and throw. they implicated tom brady saying he was at least generally aware of inappropriate activities with the footballs. >> in the nba, lebron james stole the show with 33 points also cleveland beat chicago in game two of their eastern conference semifinal. the series is tied at one game apiece. houston also beat the l.a. clippers to square their series at 1-1 in the western conference semifinals. another high scoring player, this time with 33 points, the shooting guard scored half of his points. houston wins 115-109.

>> this is ready to go. he was amped up. we needed a game, a big game from him and he came out and did his thing. it's a tough win for us. they're a tough team and they never go away. >> a second goal game. lightning a win over the montreal canadiens. >> the washington captain also fault back to win against the new york rangers. the austrian scored his first two playoff goals to give the capitals a 2-1 win in game four. they lead the series 3-1. >> roger federer has been knocked out of the second round of the madrid masters. the top seed is the latest big name to be beaten by the australian. ranked 35th in the world he had beaten nadal last year.

>> manny pacquiao has had surgery on his shoulder just days after losing in the ring to floyd mayweather, jr. in las vegas. he was in surgery for an hour and a half. it's estimated that he'll be out and unable to compete for nine months to a year. meanwhile, lawsuits have been filed against pacquiao for fraud this week. >> that's all the sport for now adrien. >> a new category of enter thin building is rising in new york, the knife like towers are being built for the super rich. one under construction will be one of the tallest residential towers in the world. >> there's a new kind of skyscraper going up in new york city, super tall, knife like towers for the extremely rich. the tallest among them boasts views of central park, manhattan.

this apartment costs $95 million, but we managed to get inside while i was still under correction. >> beautiful view. we are very proud. >> sylvian marcos is the engineer. >> we are looking at your fort portfolio. >> yes. >> for him, the height isn't the challenge. the challenge is that in manhattan, you have to make it very thin. >> the slenderness of the building, the width of the building multiplied by 15 is equal to the height of the building. robert goodwin is designing another tower for a turkish developer. >> for most people, they understand structure and a building as being something that holds it up, that there's a weight and you have to keep it up, but the nature of tall buildings, even ones with far less slender than this is much more about the way that the wind interacting with a tall

building, because the tower's always going to move in the wind, but if it moves slowly you don't feel it. >> is it moving? >> the building is moving, absolutely, but you don't feel it. >> a pair of 650-ton pendulums on the roof counter the building's movement and at five pounds along the length of the tower, there are no windows to let the wind through. despite that, it's still unnerving to be up here. >> my hands are sweaty, they're shaking, but people are going to live up here. the experts say this is the future of high end residential living. >> in the end, these buildings are about power. >> these towers are the future of new york and a select few wealthy residents will see that from on high. for everyone else in the city. this new form of engineering only serves to elevate the rich even farther above the rest. >> i'm getting vertigo just looking at it. more on the website for

aljazeera.com. that's it for the news hour. i'll be back to update you with today's top stories in just a few moments.

>> saudi arabia holds talks with the u.s. about implementing a five-day ceasefire in yemen. plus will the houthis agree? ♪ hello, this is al jazeera live from doha i'm aide aide also ahead, fierce fighting in syria over a strategic area near the lebanese border. britain goes to the polls in what is expected to