>> striking a defiant top. >> we or i, cannot monitor everyone all of the time. >> f.i.f.a.'s president sepp blatter vows to restore trust in world soccer as many have lost confidence in him rallying the troops. >> the air strikes have already started. what remains of the ground operations and we are ready for the ground operations the pep talk before the big fight. an iraqi general preparing his

men for a ground battle against i.s.i.l. taking his message on the road. >> my priority is to reform the european union to make it competitive, and address the concerns about the british people. >> david cameron is calling on the e.u. to be open to changes. france may be closing the door on that prospect. the heat is on. >> people are buying a lot more and drinking cool drinks like lemonade to stay hydrated a brutal heatwaves sweeps across india indians are scrambling for ways to stay cool. good evening, welcome to al jazeera america i'm barbara serra, antonio mora has the evening off. we begin with a fallout surrounding f.i.f.a.'s corruption scandal. a defiant sepp blatter shot down a chorus of requests for him to

resign as president. it comes 24 hours after 14 people including several top f.i.f.a. officials from indicted over a long-standing bribery scheme. seven of the 14 were arrested in zurich on wednesday. voout jin -- vladimir putin, russia's president, stands by sepp blatter as he stands for a fifth terms. and allegations of bribery at the 2010 world cup. we go to zurich for the latest. >> reporter: if you've been on the moon since tuesday night you'd assume the opening ser menny of the f.i.f.a. conference in -- ceremony of the f.i.f.a. conference in zurich there was nothing wrong. everywhere looking relaxed. not even sepp blatter could admit everything was fine.

>> actions of those bring and demand change and action from us all. we or i, cannot monitor everyone all of the time. if people want to do wrong they will try to hide it. >> reporter: sepp blatter's refusal to step down has come in the face of criticism from many quarters. this was the u.e.f.a. delegation from europe arriving for an early meeting demanding that sepp blatter go. their candidate. prince ali jordan will stand for president. but it's not known if he can get support in places like africa and asia. >> strategy is to have speakers in the room to convince people

the most to work for them and look at the democracy, the democracy of the most number if they say we have to stay we stay. but i think you already lost few thousand regulars. >> with a separate inquiry into corruption in 2018 and 2022 world cup bids this process sought to link the corruption of f.i.f.a. with a lack of rights for workers in qatar, which has come under heavy scrutiny over the number of people who died in construction sites. >> f.i.f.a. is corrupting care. they have given the world cup to a country with rampant slavery, and not made a time line for reform it's all work no action. you have to think if the event since wednesday are not enough to get the head of f.i.f.a. to get it voluntarily. perhaps nothing will.

>> it's difficult to see what could happen unless sepp blatter resigns. if sepp blatter was to be made president it would be met with deregistration from many parts of the world. but from russia asia his reputation is undiminished. the nuclear option is for france germany and others to breakaway, meaning the end of the f.i.f.a. and the world cup. many would argue that f.i.f.a. have no one to blame but himself let's bring in dave zirin, sports editor for "the nation's" nation magazine. despite the scandal, and they go back years, sepp blatter is

likely to win elections tomorrow. why are we seeing a divide between asia and africa and the european federation. why do the former support blatter? >> sepp blatter spent years acquiring a power base in the haitian, african and oceanic countries, making sure that funds are divvied up and brought a great deal of support over 17 years. it's a place where particularly sub-saharan africa should keep an eye on. while officials support blatter, many of the people in these countries have a negative view of sepp blatter, because they view the 2010 south african world cup as a place that was a money grab not unlike brazil in 2014, where a lot of money was spent to the detriment of the

population. if the vote is postponed or some members ab stain, do you think the prince ali of jordan is not a strong enough candidate. >> he was educate in the united states and graduated from a high school in connecticut. he's 39 years old. what is interesting, two stronger candidates dropped out last week in process of the voting process. i think they are kicking themselves now, because none of them thought that this kind of opening would be there. >> i'll be honours, six hours ago i would have said there's no way sepp blatter losses since that time. you have heard strong endorsements from prince hussain, from canada and other countries. to me it is open now, in f.i.f.a. no one knows what will happen it's changing on almost a minute

by minute basis. at the center is a 79-year-old young man under political and emotional pressure. no one knows where it will go. >> for a lot of people the center is the world cup, which is a huge global event. if sepp blatter was to stay as president, could we see a situation where there's a split within f.i.f.a. when we look at the europeans going one way, asians and africans going the other. what does it mean for world cup or soccer. >> we could look at the end of the world cup by 2022 let me explain why i'm saying something so dire. the 2022 wp is in dzenan catic, there's -- world cup is in dzenan catic where there's -- qatar and it would take place in the summer not the fall. it would gut the european leagues, the popular leagues in the world.

before it was thought they'd have to lump it and rearrange schedules and do the world cup in the fall. with the latest allegations, that is up in the air as well. i see the 2022 world cup, whether it happens in qatar, as a moment where we will see if there is a future world cup. >> the scandal starts with money, and could end with money as well. if sponsors threaten to pull out, some have issued strong words. do you think we'll hear - get a stronger scans from most of them. >> i don't think we will. i think we have this in miniature form in the national football league this past year where a lot of sponsors talked tough, when it was rds n.f.l. covered up -- realised n.f.l. covered up decades of violence. stock elders wanted to be attached to a global product. because it's in the n.f.l.

there's no indication that the legions of soccer fans will abandon the sport. there's no indication that the sponsors would jump ship. >> it's certainly going to be an interesting day on friday. we'll find out if sepp blatter will survive. thank you. >> thank you. >> speaking of sponsors and f.i.f.a. made more than 175 million in marketing deals. today visa one of the top sponsors threatened to sever ties with the organization if things didn't change. jonah hull with more on the mounting pressure from f.i.f.a.'s sponsors. >> f.i.f.a. may learn in the billion dollar world of advertising, bad publicity can be the most expensive. the current corruption scandal threatens to rub off on f.i.f.a.'s world cup sponsors. they are not happy. this lenthy controversy has

tarnished the mission and ideals of the f.i.f.a. world cup, says coca-cola. the company expects f.i.f.a. to address the issues it thoroughly. mcdonald's says it takes matters of ethics and corruption seriously, expressing concern saying it would monitor the situation. visa expressed disappointment and concern, saying it expects f.i.f.a. to take steps to address the issues failing which visa will re-assess its sponsorship. >> the tipping point may be the negative publicity is so large that f.i.f.a. is a toxic brand. it may be that the companies think ethically they can't afford to pursue the relationship, or they have their own legal liabilities, if they are giving money to f.i.f.a. which is used inappropriately. there's a host of things that might make the companies think again. >> for the big brands f.i.f.a. is big business.

last year's world cup in brazil broke viewing records in key territories like the u.s. and europe. the final watched by a billion fans worldwide, while official content is follow said by social media in hundreds of millions this may explain why many companies stomached the hits of scandal. props not any more. >> it's the sponsors that f.i.f.a. will listen to. there's politicians, government athletes fans associations who have said we want the form. sepp blatter refused to engage and refused to listen. so the only people that have the power to make this happen are the sponsors. some names have already dropped out. last december so-called second-tier sponsors, castrol, continental and johnson&johnson opted not to renew deals for the

2018 world cup in russia. it's the top tear names that f.i.f.a. -- top tier names that f.i.f.a. will worry about most. without them there'll be no more of have our coverage of the f.i.f.a. scandal continues in 20 minutes with reaction from latin america. and we look at the man that helps investigators break open the case. >> we should mention the 2022 world cup is expected to be played in qatar. al jazeera is funded in part by the qatari government in other news 10 people have been killed in explosions that rocked two baghdad hotels on thursdays. officials say the bombings appear to be coordinated. the first explosion was midnight. the second car bomb went off 11 minutes plart in the sherd dan hotel. 30 others were injured -- later in the sheridan hotel. 30 others were injured rurins in palmyra -- ruins

in palmyra have been shown to be intact. new pictures were posted online. 10 pictures shows the entrance and inside. newsagencies have not been able to authenticate the images. there's fears that the group will destroy palmyra's ruins, as with other relics. capitol hill killed 20 men in the ampitheatre on wednesday. >> the u.s.-led coalition is helping fighters in syria make progress against i.s.i.l. kurdish fighters are getting stronger to the stronghold of raqqa. the kurds are closing in with support from coalition air strikes. since the beginning of the month they have retaken 200 kurdish and syrian towns from i.s.i.l. in iraq shia brigades are making advances on i.s.i.l. positions north of baghdad. they pressed forward in the district around 40 miles north of the capital.

this is separate from a push to retake anbar, announced by the iraqi government this week. shia militias joined government forces and imran khan reports from baghdad - more sunni fighters are signing up as well. >> reporter: sunni fighters take an oath at the air base in anbar province. they are joining the fight against i.s.i.l. after criticism for deploying shia militias. the government is trying to recruit sunni groups. they've been superiors of a shia led government which has been accused of discriminating policies. and they say it was sunni fighting forces winning a battle against al qaeda in iraq. they say the government reneged on a promise to bring them into the army. the sunni tribe all leader said the iraqi policies will make the

fight with i.s.i.l. difficult. >> translation: the current government is not helping the sunni community to retake its province. they are biased and deal in sectarian methods. the only solution is to arm the sunnis and ask for help. there's no hope from the government. the battle for anbar will not be over soon. >> reporter: tribes are suspicious of shia militias because of anbar's politics. shia militias have been blamed for attacks in areas i.s.i.l. fighters have been cleared from. if that happens in anbar, tribal leaders will not be able to stop their people joining i.s.i.l. the government is keen to show the latest offensive against i.s.i.l. is not about sectarianism. >> all over baghdad you'll see posters like these, promoting the iraqi army and the popular mobilization forces known as the shia militia, they brought

by the government. some say they are propaganda the government says it's about information. they are promoting the idea that the fight against i.s.i.l. is a fight for all iraqis. a few meters away political parties put up their own posters praising their role highlighting the involvement of iran promoting sectarian language. it's this imagery that has iraq's population worried and angry. >> persecuted for their faith and driven from their homes, the plight of the rohingya people adrift and in peril. and later, finding the best way to cope as a sweltering heatwave hits southern india. india.

in context, a call to address the unprecedented flow of migrants in the bay of

bengal. leaders are gathering to discuss what to do about thousands stranded in the waters. 17 nations from the region are in bangkok, along with representatives from the united states and the u.n. human rights commission. most of the migrants are the rohingya considered by many as the most persecuted people in the world. the muslim group comes from western myanmar. they number more than a million. they don't consider the citizens, meaning that they are stateless. we report from an emergency conference in bank kick. where it is friday morning. give us the latest from the rescue operation that is going on in the high seas. >> well the rescue operation now is ongoing. there are vessels from several navy's in the sea looking for more of the boats. there's reports of spotting overnight thursday into friday.

there's no confirmation of that. thailand deployed a flat top vessel that they say will be used as a floating immigration and humanitarian center, they have not communicated to the media or the public if they received its on the sea. this is an emergency meeting by the organizers in thailand. this is to deal with that specific emergency situation, those suspected to be thousands of people out on the sea. >> at the conference that you are at what are the expectations of any action that might come out of it? >> well the sections of some kind of action plan at the end of day - this is just going to start in the next 40 minutes, will go on for eight hours. at the end of that they'll make a statement. there's not high expectations on their being an action plan what the next steps will be. what they are focused on is making sure that there's a

rescue operation getting those on the boats, thousands of them suspected into a safe situation. now, this is the first international meeting to really tackle the emergency situation that's been called a crisis by regional players. there has been three party levels - malaysia indonesia and thailand meeting twice over the last several weeks, this is the first international meeting. organizers tell me that this is an international community situation, because what needs to be tackled down the line after the emergency situation crisis is handled is the root cause of this. that is why the people are fleeing bangladesh and myanmar. that is something where the international community, united nations and other bodies will be part of the process. we don't expect the root cause to be addressed. what they are addressing is the emergency situation getting people help

simon is the executive director of the advocacy group in burma, and joins us from washington. thank you for joining us here. as we were hearing earlier, some human rights groups consider the rohingya a most prosecuted place on yarth. plain to us why are they persecuted. do we know what continues they live in in countries like myanmar. >> what you have is the burmese regime has received a policy of ethnic cleansing. it forced rohingya into internment camps, denying them of the opportunities to work jobs form an their land. they are creating intolerable rohingya. causing them to flee as

refugees. >> they have been in myanmar for generations, why are we only hearing about the persecution now. is it getting worse, or are we hearing about it more it's being reported more. >> the burmese stepped up it's regression. we think it's part of what the regime is trying to do to try to get some semblance of popular support from you know extreme nationalist elements within burma. in the run up to elections in november of this year. >> and we have seen over the past few weeks heart-breaking pictures of hundreds of rohingya hungry and thirsty on boats pushed back from all the neighbouring countries in malaysia thailand and malaysia can anything be done to take in more rohingya refugees to deal with the problem? >> well you know we've been

pressing the u.s. government to step up and take leadership in the region to you know first of all locating and rescue rohingya refugees who are stranded at sea. but, you know the whole region all the regional governments need to get to the root of the problem, which is to put pressure on the burmese regime to end its persecution of the rohingya. >> you mentioned pressure on the u.s. the deputy secretary of state travelled and met with myanmar officials to talk about the rohingya. what do you believe the u.s. government could do do you think, it's going enough to help the situation right now? >> well certainly the u.s. government is saying the right things to the burmese regime to back up words with actions, and effective sanctions, and putting enough pressure on the regime to end the persecution. outing the home affairs minister general cocoa and the

burmese president to the u.s. sanctions list would put effective pressure on now. >> do you see that happening. unfortunately the issue with the res is they seem to be the world's forgotten people in a way. >> not forgotten. here in the u.s. we had a number of members of the house of representatives urge tougher action by the u.s. administration. so you know they are not forgotten people and we are here to make sure that the u.s. international community, you know, put effective pressure on burma to end the oppression once and for all. >> thank you, executive director of the advocacy group u.s. campaign for burma. thank you bringing down the house - up next, the look at the former executive turned federal bureau of investigation informant helping to expose f.i.f.a.'s corruption. british prime minister david

cameron takes the e.u. reform campaign on the road.

welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm barbara serra. coming up in this half hour of international news the catholic church takes a stand on elections in burundi, and a choir of muslim and christian children prepare for a special visit. first, the stories making headlines across the u.s. in the american minute. houston residents are trying to clean up after devastating floods. 21 people are confirmed dead in texas and oklahoma. storms complicate recovery efforts, and authorities issue voluntary vac use orders for hun -- evacuation orders for hundreds of homes south-west of the city the pentagon says there's no reports of anthrax after samples

were sent out to nine states and a military base in south korea. 23 at austin airbase were given an antibiotic as a precaution. the samples in question were not live says the military but scientists grow anthrax from cultures supposed to be inactive former new york governor george pataki joined the group seeking the presidency and made an announcement in a campaign video, and kicked off the campaign with an event in new hamp sire. >> members of f.i.f.a. are expected to cast their ballots friday for a president. sepp blatter, the organization's leader is seeking a further term. he rebuffed calls to step down despite allegations against f.i.f.a. officials conditioned to build their base thanks to a former executive. jonathan betz has his story, and why he cooperated with investigators. >> a man delivering a fiercest

kick to world soccer... ..is one of their own. charles blazer a huge player in the popular sport, especially in the americas. >> i look back 10, 20 years and see the progress we made. i'm proud of the accomplishments. >> he's proud of f.i.f.a. pleading guilty to many crimes cooperating with the feds. recording soccer exist at the olympics with a microphone hidden in a key chain, leading to the indictment of 14 officials. >> instead, they corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interest and enrich themselves. >> accusations swirled around the 70-year-old for years. >> mr blazer will be removed as a conna caf representative. >> he -- cocka caf representative. >> he left over a cloud of suspicion. >> everyone is waiting, but over

time everywhere will be better off. >> reporter: for years blazer lived large on bribes and corruption amassing millions from soccer. prosecutors say he took at point $750,000 to get the world cup to south africa. he admitted to not paying faxes for five years on $11 million worth of income. he's paid back nearly $2 million. soccer has an image of having a culture where the leaders have their hands out looking for cash in a brown envelope. the 10% man, the "new york times" calling him a character who carried a parrot on his shoulder living in an $18,000 a month luxury apartment in new york. he's reportedly in a hospital with colon cancer and not commenting facing the responsibility of prison time meanwhile, the united nations today said it will review its relationship with f.i.f.a. >> we are very much taking a

look at the existing partnerships and how the situation evolves, but i think it's early days we are keeping a close eye on it. >> the u.n. had a number of pro bono partnerships with f.i.f.a. helping the message be seep and heard at major event. >> soccer players in india are expressing disappointment over corruption allegations. >> translation: i feel very bad. they are giving so much funny to host events the f.i.f.a. world cup. if they gave a fraction to us, it would make a lot of dins to young players in -- difference to young players in terms of buying kit, travel and transport. >> indian players say they lack grounds for practice and if they secured one, it would be an expensive commute to get there. >> a majority of officials arrested were from latin america. with the ent set to kick off -- event set to kick off daniel

schweimler looks at the repercussions in the region. >> reporter: once upon a time football in latin america produced great talent passionately enjoyed by the people. it still produces great talent. the passion is still there, but the game no longer belongs to the people. that was apparent after the rests in zurich. >> they are all used to negotiating everything between them. in a room with four of them, for five senior managers of latin american football. where it used to - they are used to negotiating television rights marketing rights. everything that had to do with money. >> he's talking among others about f.i.f.a. vice president of euro guy. niklas of paraguay and former f.i.f.a. vice president and head of the argentine football association for 35 years. julio krondona who died last year. he's accused of taking

$15 million in illicit payments concerning television and marketing rights. >> nowadays we know more than when he was alive. the shadow still lives in argentine food bowl. he has no longer alive. so his enemies are beginning to talk and speak loudly about his power. >> all trails lead here but the argentine football say sowings say they were not able to talk at this stage. that football is riddled with corruption is no surprise to anyone here. with millions in sales and rights unaccounted for, while officials flaunt their wealth in collusion with politicians and violent gangs. fans will demand answers, along with some of the loudest voices in the game who have for years, been alleging corruption. the battle to clean up the game has been going on at club level.

this man is a staunch opponent of the vice president, arrested in zurich. in south america, we have a confederation made up of function ris, officials who have become rich. we have whole clubs that disappeared and leagues that suffer economic problems. >> club officials, players and fans hope preying the investigation will save the game they love. >> reporter: >> translation: we hope this sees of beginning of structural changes, allowing the different organizations at a world level, bringing about transparency and clarity. >> the copa american tournament kicks off in chile with some of latin america's greatest players on display. an opportunity for redemption and reconstruction or business as usual. >> let's go back to the case of chuck, the former f.i.f.a.

executive turned whistleblower, joining us from washington is an attorney and president of the national whistle blor center. thank you for -- blower center. thank you for joining us. you focus on whistleblower protection law. i called charles blazer a whitting blower but -- whistleblower, perhaps you don't think of him as one. >> no he an informant, a cooperating witness why the government. a whistleblower voluntarily provides information, and that is not the situation here. he was caught up in a criminal probe. that puts you outside of the whistleblower categorisation particularly for the type of whistleblower laws governed by the united states. >> now, getting caught i imagine, will be a big incentive. is there a moral and psychological component to it in the case that you have seen previously wanting to set

things right? >> well there is. and you have to understand that there is an opponent to whistleblowers wanting to do the right thing. it's a component in everyone's make-up. genetic make-up. you have a situation where you have mr blazer caught and has the opportunity to do the right thing, it's a natural inclination for people to do that. so i think that there is a psychological component that defense and prosecutors can use to try to incentivize people to come forward with information. >> if you were chuck blaiser's attorney what advice would you give him. >> well the advice he needed was 10 or 20 years ago. the whistleblower laws are different than they were back then. today if you were given an opportunity to report fraud, you

can do that and recover a substantial reward. back in the day he was confronted with these types of situations, the only thing you co do was figure -- could do was figure out how to pocket the money. there was no alternative route to follow. today you can produce the information to the federal government, do it anonymously and receive a reward for doing the right thing. >> now he potentially faces time in prison. is there anything more he could do to reduce his legal woes. ? >> well he may be holding out with additional information. that would be between him, the lawyers and the federal government to figure out what is going on there. but that is not unusual for a cooperating witness who tried to the cut the best deal they can, particularly given age and potential health or other

situations that may exist. again, you know what most - i think what is most important to look at is now that the breath of the u.s. investigation has come forward, whistleblowers around the world can go to the united states, confidently, provide the information get f.i.f.a. cleaned up and no one will no they have done that. that is a remarkable achievement. >> do you think there do be a domino effect because in a sense a lot of allegations have come out and there has been a whistleblower, whatever we want to call them that more may come out of the woodwork. >> i think it's almost a guarantee. if you look at the way the federal laws are written, any citizen can participate, you can do it anonymously that you were a participant.

and you could be required as far as co-conspirators to look at you, there's no way that you could help the government along the way. the government could issue a subpoena but you become the confidential whistleblower. as a result of doing the right thing, you could end up with a sizeable reword as well which -- reward as well which is a big incentive the american system offers. for instance if you compare what happened here with bradley birkanfeld he was the ubs whistleblower bringing down the swiss system in the united states. an individual providing information that the government did not know resulted in 104 million pay out to the whistleblower for providing that information, and altering the way the banking system in the united states worked. the long reach of the american

whistleblower laws cannot be overlooked and people need to come forward with the information, it's critical. >> president of the national whistleblower section. thank you for your views. >> now to the war in yemen, the humanitarian crisis is increasing. forces loyal to the ex-illed president -- ch iled president -- exiled president say they are gaining ground but the civilians are losing in the fight. >> reporter: blood stains the street on what was a busy shopping district. the warring sides blame each other for what is happening here. civilians are among the wounded and the dead. amateur video from another part of the city shows the rabble of what someone says happens to be the home. activists say the headquarters is here for the fighters outside ty as. further inland forces loyal to

those advancing under the cover of coalition air strikes. they say they are moving forward and are engaged in battle. the saudi-led bombing campaign is in its 10th week in the houthi controlled capital, residents called to an end to the war. >> translation: this is shrapnel that hit working men - not targets, not military bases. we must distinguish between the two and maintain good senses this was an attack on anything an attack on the nation. what faltered was women and children in the homes. >> reporter: the united nations says it's listening to the calls and trying to reschedule peace talks. as the war rhetoric increases, so too, does the number of dead. opposition leaders in

burundi are withdrawing from the elections say the president is violating the constitution by running for a third term. the catholic church is cancelling plans to monitor voting and the european union will no longer send observers. 20 people have been killed in anti-government protests over the last month. government officials say postponing the election could create instability. protesters and police have been clashing on the streets of chile as lucia newman reports, police are bracing for potentially violent demonstrations overnight. >> reporter: don't be deceived by the age. the secondary school students are highly politicized and motivated. they are well organised. they are marching to the palace to protest police brutality during previous marches. this march has not been authorised and they know up the street riot police equipped with water canon and tear gas are waiting for them.

the confrontation has begun. this seems to be a difference this time. police are general -- generous this time. police are not aiming at the student's body last week a student was thrown into the air and tossed against a well. the students are also demanding a bigger voice in the ongoing reforms. the government agrees to make them free and the responsibility of the stat rather than the municipalities. these take place over a 10-year period. the students want more reforms, and want them to take police now. >> we move to the presidential palace we're part of the force regroups. this is from the beginning, a larger confrontation has been

called for this evening. security forces are concerned there could be more violence under the cover of darkness. british prime minister david cameron asked leaders to be flexible in responding to a request for reforms to the european union. he has not detailed the changes that he wants, but expect to demand strict rules for migrants that want to travel. jacky rowland reports from paris. >> there has been warnings in paris, but the british prime minister may be pursuing a ricky strategy with this tour of european capitals during which the warning warned european leaders that britain could vote to lead the e.u. in a referendum if there isn't fundamental change to some of the aspects in which the way the e.u. is run. in fact one member of the ruling socialist party in france wept as far it to describe wh david cameron was doing as a

threat or blackmail if you like to leverage the situation to gain room for manoeuvre by warning, threatening his counterparts if in fact there are not changes, then the u.k. might leave. in france a certain amount of concern. the next stop on his tour is germany, and there he may find more of a meeting of mines with german chancellor angela merkel. the german and british point of view is on issues like finance and the economy are more closely aligned. german chancellor angela merkel said there's no question of renegotiating freedom of movement within the e.u. rite of the european citizens to work throughout the e.u. and it's the whole issue of movement people from eastern europe coming and working in the u.k. claiming benefits in the u.k. which iscm of the issues that david cameron is keen to

address. still ahead on al jazeera america, as textures in southern india -- temperatures in son india sore to 122 degrees residents struggle to cope and stay cool and we go to nepal as they struggle to rebuild after the devastating earthquake. rthquake.

>> the technology is there... why isn't being done more?

a volcano erupted on a small japanese island on friday. officials raised alert levels and evacuations considered for the 130 residents of the there are no reports of damage or injuries. >> a sweltering heatwave continues to cripple areas of india for the next few days. meteorologists say temperatures reached as high as 117 degrees farenheit. and as we report many indians are struggling to cope. >> reporter: funerals have been taking place across the southern

indian states. nearly 1400 people decide there because of heat-related illnesses. >> this woman died because of sun stroke. most of the people who died here are daily wage workers, and they do small jobs and have no financial security. the government needs to help them. >> andre pradesh has been hardest hit, the state government putting the death toll at more than 1,000. temperatures have risen quickly and unexpectedly catching residents in the region by surprise. n.g.o.s and governments are trying to raise awareness. in some areas there are fears the public service announcement an a little too late. hundreds of millions are struggling in sweltering conditions. >> i had to cover up well when

i'm in the shop. it's easy for some people with airconditioning in cars. i try to go out in the morning or the evening. >> the heat is great for my business. people are buying more and drinking drinks like lemonade. >> here in the capital temperatures rose over 45 degrees celsius. power cuts compounded the military. >> the first rains are not expected to hit the southern indian state until next week and it will be at least a month until the forecast improves in northern india croatia recently announced it will allow oil drilling off the adriatic coach. the beautiful beaches are one of europe's popular tourist destinations. offshore oil and gas could bring in millions.

new drilling would be safe because of e.u. safety standards. critics say revenues from tourism outweigh the potential revenue from drilling. >> as nepal recovers from april's devastating earthquakes, there's hope that a resource could be the key to economic and electric security in the future. harry fawcett has this report. >> reporter: more than a month after the earthquake and the hydroelectric plant is out of commission awaiting repair. 13 plants across the country are thought to have been affected by the 7.8 magnitude quakes. may's 7.3 aftershock or both. it could take months to get back online. >> it's been damaged. the bridge was damaged. the hydro was damaged. >> reporter: there are other threats to the safety of these facilities. what is interesting about the damage you can see here is much

was not caused in the earthquake, but caused by flooding in a landslide which happened last year. it's a sign that the geology that gives the potential for hydroelectric power threatens it. >> further upstream the chinese government stopped work on the day of the quake. this is just the time after the seismic event was predicted to put their money into nepal. >> that's what i tell the developers, we have not had earthquakes for the last 80 years, a big one happened now, looking back at the history, every 78 years, earthquakes occurred in nepal, hopefully they can be confident. >> a landmark deal signed with india points the way. the agreement would see an indian company build a 900 megawatt plants nepal would receive electricity in the short term and export it the other way in the long term.

hired power expansion has been the subject of political wrestling, not just over concerns of what it might do to the environment, but over fears that a sovereign resource will be sold down the river to a solid big brother. hydro electric engineering and former water minister said india would have regularized water flow free and electricity on the cheep. >> if you export electricity the factories will be set up there, not here. our guys will not get job. they go to qatar, saudi arabia and other places now grinding their bones off. they'll have to do that here. >> reporter: there's broad agreement that the powerful resource needs to be better harnessed as part of the post-quake recovery. how it should be done is a divisive issue preparing for a special

performance, christian and muslim children in bosnia rehearse for a visit from the pope. pope.

in our global view segment, a look at how news outlets react to world event. the focus on many writers is f.i.f.a. "the guardian" writes football's game changer that f.i.f.a.'s president "sits atop a steaming mound of grass - he may be calm but he is finished." the paper says sepp blatter goes or f.i.f.a. collapses or props both. the british, "telling" writes - full time for sepp blatter, writing "all the companies, countries and consumers with an interest in football success should make clear that he should not have another term as p. >> and "sydney morning herald" addresses the issue under the

headline "sepp blatter must go. australia must come clean" saying that the australian government and businesses should have no part of f.i.f.a. until investigations are over and sepp blatter is gone. that means australia would not bid to host the 2018 or 2022 world cup or bid on the 2023 women's world cup a concert for peace. a chin's choir made up of bosnian muslims and christian serbs are preparing to perform for pope francis. >> they'll sing before the pontiff when he sings srebrenica next week. in 1995 at the end of the war, 8,000 muslims were massacred in and around the city. the concert is meant to serve as a symbol for lasting peace in the region. that is it for this edition of al jazeera america news. i'm barbara serra, thank you for having joined us. i'll see you here in an hour.

coming next is "america tonight". [ singing ] [ singing ] [ ♪♪ ] on "america tonight" - giving final honours to the fallen and forgotten. >> it's our way of healing, maybe not ourselves, but our family members or maybe they know somebody that didn't come home and it's their way of honouring them "america tonight"s michael oku with a story of one californian man determined to honour and