. >> i'm not perfect. nobody's perfect. we will do a good job together i am sure. sepp blatter promises to steer the world football body out of the corruption storm after winning a fifth term as f.i.f.a. president hello. welcome to al jazeera america. live from our headquarters in doha. i'm elizabeth puranam. also ahead - the pentagon chief hits out at beijing as tensions arise over its claims on the south china sea two bombings in two weeks in

saudi arabia. i.s.i.l. says it's behind the blast near a shia mosque that killed three people. and cracking down on the deep web. the founder of the rogue website sentenced to life in prison in the u.s. football's world governing body is in the grip of the biggest scandal in its history. it has not come or kept the man at the center of it keeping his job. the fifth term may be tough for sepp blatter. the management problem is the warning by the u.e.f.a. president. he threatened to pool european teams out of the world cup offer the way corruption has run through f.i.f.a. there's the ongoing investigation sparked by the rest of top f.i.f.a. officials in switzerland, and on top of all of this outcomes from

investigations may impact upcoming world cups in russia in 2018 and qatar in 2022. the changes are likely to dog him as he extends his reign as the f.i.f.a. boss. andy richardson reports. >> reporter: it was a confused and somewhat anti-climatic end to a tumultuous week for f.i.f.a. and sepp blatter. the prince that wanted to be king of world football couldn't quite get the votes he needed and sepp blatter was due to begin a fifth term. >> i thank you that you accepted me that for the next four years, i will be in command of this boat called f.i.f.a. >> wednesday, zurich was where several f.i.f.a. officials were

arrested. where headquarters were raided by the police. now they hoped the promise of a fresh start could win. the jordanians thinly veiled criticism of his rival. >> it is not a process, it is not about empowering wrong building our path and the way to the future must be led by transparency inclusiveness and accountability. >> reporter: plenty for the voters representing 209 associations with a two-thirds majority required to win. the total of 133 was short of that. the arrival decided not to carry the fight into the second round when a simple majority would have been fuf. >> 73 nationalists were brave. we did it for them.

we don't want them to be in more trouble. so that is why i did it. >> sepp blatter spent decades building a global decade of support that couldn't be destroyed by this week's event, under sepp blatter it received support. they repaid sepp blatter with his votes. >> build -- mr blatt are has done well for africa. >> not for now, maybe the future. >> reporter: the head of european's football body helped sepp blatter to his first win in 1998. this week in the coming days u.e.f.a. said the option of pulling out of f.i.f.a. will be discussed. >> it will be a shock for blatter to find this many opposed him, given that you have to remember the incumbent has a

massive bias. largely because of patronage. >> let's go f.i.f.a. thank you, thank you so much. >> sepp blatter has been a divisive character beyond the walls of f.i.f.a. now it appears it drifted inside the organization as well. he has the majority of support he needs. he has created the world's powerful and lucrative club and the last thing anyone wants is meaningful change zurich. >> michael kahn is the president of the national whistleblower center, and said that it's a matter of time before the government investigated f.i.f.a. >> you have a corporate culture of corruption an unregulated monopoly that operates in switzerland, which has the most laxed laws on the books.

there is no accountability and that's why you end up with the u.s. government going after f.i.f.a. they are the only boys on the block big enough. there are laws put in place - where they are meaningful they are tough, and they have a long reach, as you can see by the indictment. i think what you have to look at right now is how do you bring accountability to that institution. and there's only one way, and that is you need a couple within that organization to come forward and provide meaningful information, new information to the proper authorities. the best way to do that is through the u.s. regime of laws which provides rewards for providing original information, and can result into accountability. >> let's move to other news.

defense chiefs from 26 countries meet in singapore to discuss maritime security as tensions rise in the south china sea. and opening remarks to ash carter crit siting china for its policy of land reclamation. >> turning an underwater rock into an airfield does not afford the rites of sovereignty or restrict permissions op international air or maritime transit. finally, with its actions in the south china sea, china is out of step with both the international rules and norms that underscore the asia pacific security arc texture and the regional consensus that favors diplomacy and favors coercion. >> countries around the south china sea have overlapping claims that beijing has been at

the heart of what is happening in the region. china, philippines, vietnaming malaysia brunei and indonesia lay claim to islands in in the south china sea, which is a big shipping area and thought to have huge reserves of oil and gas. china seized part of the area. 70 vietnamese soldiers died in the fighting. in 2012 there was a stand off with the philippine military. international courts called for a peaceful resolution. >> in the past year china changed tactics from confrontation, expanding china far from the coastline. we have this report from singapore. >> the region's foremost security summit is under way. as soon as it started, the top

of the agenda it has already been put on the table. maritime disputes with the united states basically not mincing words and slamming china's activities in disputed waters. a delegate that heard the u.s. secretary's speech responded to him and basically said that he was making groundless accusations and chinese activity was legitimate justified and reasonable. disputes will be the most important issue here. no resolutions are expected to come out of a 2-day dialogue. what this does is give all parties involved a comfortable space to have constructive talks on the issues that they can then take back to their government and policy makers in the hopes of finding peaceful resolution to whatever security matters might concern the states in the asia pacific region.

>> i.s.i.l. claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed three at a shia moving. the explosion happened. a man wearing women's clothes was set to have been stopped at the mosque gate. lawrence called with the former u.s. secretary of defence explaining why i.s.i.l. targeted saudi arabia. i.s.i.l. feels if they can undermine saudi arabia they'll be the future of the sunni world in the middle east and recognise that with the change of government and a comparatively young defense minister they may be more vulnerable. what you have is complex. the saudis are going after the houthis and rebels backed by iran but i.s.i.l. is attack of course you know the shia

mosque in baghdad and in saudi arabia. and the iranians are fighting i.s.i.l. in iraq. it's really really convoluted to syria where kurdish forces say they have pushed i.s.i.l. out of many areas. they say they are pressing ahead with a military operation to take control. we have this report. >> a sign in arabic that i.s.i.l. was here a few days ago. this is a small town a province under the control of kurdish fighters. it's strategic because it links i.s.i.l. held areas in raqqa to kurdish territory in turkey. kurdish fighters say they have control over a city and captured weapons of the group d.a.e.s.h. >> we were able to take control of important organizations.

our fight will continue until we reach kobane and aleppo. the kurdish people's protection units have been able to move in after dozens of air strikes on i.s.i.l.-held positions. forces have collapsed in the north, and the aim is to establish and control. i.s.i.l.-held raqqa is 60km and the fighters say thael try to take the or on the turkish syrian border. we'll continue until we free all towns and villages. you will not go home until we achieve this. >> the national highway links the areas, and further connects other areas under control. kurdish fighters are trying to

control villages and towns. syrians and the kurds want to expand the areas to push out i.s.i.l. as villages change hands, the people are afraid. many in areas fear that the y.p.g. advance the divide between kurdish fighters and syrian tribes many of whom support the fighters. rebels accuse kurds of signing deals. all of them seem focussed against i.s.i.l. a common economy among those in the syrian conflict. >> coming up in the bulletin. the united states takes a big step to restoring diplomatic ties with cuba. and broad streaks of change blending paint with politics.

good to have you with us i'm elizabeth puranam in doha these are the top stories on al jazeera. sepp blatter has been re-elected as f.i.f.a. president for a fifth term. despite the biggest corruption scandal to hit the football body. sepp blatter said he was not responsible for the matters which saw seven executives arrested ash carter told regional leaders at a summit in singapore that china's actions are out of step with international rules. i.s.i.l. says it's

responsible for a bombing at a shia mosque in saudi arabia. three were killed when the attacker blew himself up in the eastern city. an i.s.i.l. bomber killed 21 in a similar attack. >> saudi-led air strikes targeted houthi positions in yemen's capital, an air base used by the houthis was hit on saturday. it led to fires and sonnedy explosions. a saudi-led campaign lasted for more than two months now. further east saudi-led coalition air strikes hit the positions. four were killed there. houthis and forces loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh shelled residential areas, after forces to abd-rabbu mansour hadi cut off a supply line. diplomatic efforts to end the

conflict in yemen continues. the special envoy to yemen arrived in the capital, and they insisted that peace talks will take place. the yemeny government said it will not taken unless houthi rebels withdraw from territories it captured. italy says it rescued more than 3,000 migrants. the coast guard said it recovered 17 bodies. 200 migrants were arrested on thursday trying to make it to europe. ships were several companies were involved. myanmar's navy seized a boat carrying 707 people. it comes a week after finding a boat with around 200 migrants. those on bored denied citizenship, saying they were illegal migrants from bangladesh representatives from 17

nations are attending a regional conference in bangkok to find a solution to the migrant crisis in south-east asia. scott heidler reports from the tie capital. >> thailand planned the meeting weeks ago, weeks after migrant boats were found adrift in the andean sea. many are still out there. nations involved like the u.s. came together to coordinate the crisis at sea. regional countries set up an anti-trafficking task force. the u.s. were agreed to use air bases. there was disagreement on the problems behind the mass migration. myanmar accused the u.n. of inaccurately placing blame. >> illegal status for all ...

the u.n. refugee agency said it's focussed on all people for the long term. >> we are not in the business of finger pointing at all. we are looking at the situation comprehensively, and there includes locking at route causes. >> the meeting, according to those that set it up have criticized actions of regional players a chance to participate. >> people who expressed concerns, this is an opportunity to help in finding a solution. >> u.s. and australia donated $6 million to help with the crisis. the agreement at the end of the day was focussed on saving those in danger. there was no resolution coming out of them. that's how to improve lives, so they are not willing to put themselves in danger in the first place. >> to india where hospitals are urged to give emergency

treatment to people suffering heat stroke. over 1800 died so far because of extreme temperatures. we have more from new delhi. >> millions of indians have been struggling to live and work in sweltering conditions with temperatures reaching over 45 degrees celsius. the worst affected says is the southern indian states. the uppress depth heatwave killed -- unprecedented heatwave killed more than 30,000. there are concerns on the ground that limited medical and water resources, stretched to the limit at the moment. here in the capital there are concerns on the part of doctors and health experts that the high temperatures that dell jis are experiencing and the dust means there was toxins in the air that could have consequences. the heatwave is expected to

exist for days to come. it may be time before the worst affected areas see an improvement in the forecast the united states dropped cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. it's a key step towards restoring diplomatic ties between the countries which have been suspended for 54 years. nick clark reports from havana. >> we will act with firmness ... >> reporter: with those words, ronald reagan consigned cuba to 23 years on the state sponsored terrorism list. today the old american cars cruise the streets, reminders of the revolution adorn the walls. the old ways remain. cuba is on the cusp of change. some cubans we spoke to about

what difference this can make to their lives. those that would go on camera were positive. this was a political move. everyone nose it does not support terrorism. >> their relationship with the united states is really new. >> reporter: there's a few that it does more than open the door for the united states. >> they facilitate their relationship with the rest of the world. until now, it's very difficult for any country to have a good relationship with a country that the united states says is a terrorist. >> reporter: shortly after the res loose, the u.s. shut the embassy in havana the next step is to re-open 53 years later. there's an announcement it could

reopen next week. >> this is the embassy shut down. home to the u.s. center section. the flag polls were erected by the cubans in the george w bush era, to mask from the building from what was perceived as american proppa gandsa. it's -- propaganda. now it seems it's behind the two countries. croatia's parliament passed a law granting compensation to rape victims assaulted during the war of independence. victims are entitled to $14,000, a one-off pay out. reg eye lar money. it's believed many women suffered the founder of the silk road

website has been sentenced to life in prison in the united states. prosecutors say the website allowed the anonymous trade of $200 million of drugs. kristen saloomey has more from new york. >> reporter: in an emotional sentencing hearing, ross started the online drug market known as silk road to empower people to make choices. he acknowledged he made serious mistakes and apologised to the families of six people who died from drug overdoses. >> the family of one victim told the judge that silk road provided convenience and anonymity from his son who he believed never would have drought from a drug dealer. he was found guilty on every charge including during trafficking and money laundering to declare others

from a life of crime hidden in software known as the dark net. the lawyer and parents say the judge went too far. >> every drug case has the same elements here. yet mr ulbricht was saddled with all of it. it's unfair unjust and unreasonable. >> he was cries during his statement. you know he is looking at life being destroyed and of course he's also - he was very moved by the stories, as we all were. >> a documentary called "deep web" premiered on the united states on the same day as the sentencing. it involved a cult following. those believe that the government overreached on the war on drugs. it's not a deterrent. silk road was shut down. there has been hundreds of copy

cat servers that have appeared. the dark lab is in its infancy. they struggled for the sentence. they didn't fit the typical criminal profile. he was a criminal. no better than any drug dealer. >> now, thousands of people are expected to take to the streets to protest government core ups. political scandals threatened to bring down the president. they give rise to what some call a guatemalan spring. david mercer reports. >> reporter: this is the sound of people power in guatemala. young people with spray cans and brushes in hand painting over political party colours and logos with art. the 24-year-old encouraged

guatemalans to express their dissatisfaction at a corrupt system. >> politicians paint it at first. they shouldn't have it's illegal. they get fines, what would rather pay the fines that paint over this or not paint at all. >> in the run up to national elections, leading parties painted roads, rocks and bridges with political symbols. actions against the law. now for the first time in decades citizens are fighting ba part of a -- fighting back part of a movement that is sweeping through guatemala. 60,000 people gathered peacefully. groups many say have a national awakening. recent scandals lead the vice president and several ministers to step down. calls for the president to

reline continued. people say this is a way of showing solidarity with protesters in the capital. >> we are here to express ourselves and retake public spaces and let the politicians know that we are here. and this is a peaceful resolution. >> in a country scarred by a bloody civil war, fear kept people quiet. local members appeared and tried to intimidate the group, painting over the logos. for others they are certain of their legal rights and stand their ground. >> it's not nice to fight other people but, yes, i think as long as they don't have they are fine. we'll keep doing it. >> running out potent symbols of a political system in the past.

a new generation of guatemalans looking towards the future and just a reminder that you can keep up to date with all the news on our website that you can see on the screen. they are the addresses. aljazeera.com. i'm "ali velshi on target" tonight - hard choices for the world's soul superpower. three competing visions of american foreign policy and a battle for breathing room in the bronx, targetting trucks to fight pollution in a poor neighbourhood in less than a year and a half the american people will elect a new president.