>> this is another significant development... >> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live... this is al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy in new york city. we are just moments away from an announcement from president obama on restoring diplomatic ties with cuba. embassies are set to open in washington and havana a first since they were closed in 1961. we begin our coverage with michael shure, he is outside the cuban intersection in d.c. which will be home to the new cuban embassy. michael i understand you have been talking to folks outside of

the special interest section there. what are they telling you? >> reporter: -- >> okay. i think michael shure is having a hard time hearing me. we'll try to reestablish connection with him. we have mike viqueira live at the white house now. you have been covering this story as well extensively. can you tell us how this whole thing is going to unfold. the president is going to make announcement any time now, and then what next. >> reporter: well since you mentioned it since president obama made the announcement he was going to take this step things have been moving very rapidly. and now here is the end game. the president will appear in the rose garden set to deliver a rather lengthy statement, some 30 minutes, we understand. vice president biden will be at

his side. the top diplomat from havana right now, delivering a letter to a foreign minister official in havana met for raul castro the president there, notifying him that president obama was going to take this step today. that starts a 15-day clock a notification of congress. this is for any time the united states normalizes relations with any country. there is nothing congress can do to stop this step that the president is about to take today. normalizing relations with cuba. it was 1959 when fidel castro marched into power. after that relations were cut. the trade embargo was slapped on sometime after that. cotfied in the mid-'90s bringing this to this day where

the president is going to take this historic step. michael shure is over by the cuban intersection, not from far from here they just erected brand new flag pole where they can fly the cuban flag. >> mike viqueira we do have michael shure back online now. let's go to him outside of the cuban intersection. there you are. i understand you have been talking to folks in line there. tell me what their reaction is to what is happening. >> reporter: yeah stephanie, it is another day in the work a day world in the cuban intersection here where people come to get their visas. i was speaking to some cubans who had immigrated here who are going back to see family. they are still very coy about it. they still don't want to talk on

the record about it because of fears that this might not work out. this has been going on since 1961 when dwight eisenhower closed our ambassador there, and now barack obama is set to open it back up. july 20th is the date according to the letter delivered from president obama today to raul castro july 20th will be the day that the cuban flag will fly here in washington, d.c. >> reporter: tell us more about the logistics. cuba has this letter from washington, and i understand washington has also received its letter from cassandra petersont -- castro. >> reporter: exactly and that's sort of the formality that has to happen. that letter was delivered to the interim foreign minister there in cuba. that has to happen.

and it has to happen here. and the president has already reported to congress there is that 15-day waiting period. so congress has 15 days and then from there, we're going to see the theater of congress, because there are some who are running for president, some serving from miami, florida, and they are going to make their voices heard on this issue, as to who will be the ambassador. >> reporter: i want to go back to melissa chan. it's easy to forget that this isolated country is only some 90 miles from the coast of the united states. how are people reacting there in little havana today? >> reporter: -- conservative cuban american culture, so you can well imagine there are a lot of people who are unhappy and

have been unhappy since december. but this is a fundamentally very different city than it was 10 or 15 years ago. i mentioned gonzalez, the big national news story 15 years ago when that child and his mother journeyed from cuba to the united states. the mother drowned during the journey, and there was this very intense custody battle between the relatives in miami, and the father back in cuba. and essentially at that time you had all of these protests coming and happening in miami, with a lot of people in the cuban american community coming out strong and united. well, they are not as united as they were back then ten or 15 years ago. the younger generation made an excellent point, they haven't experienced the castro government. but they are just so over it. they have heard their parents talk about it and heard their parents take this position for decades on the embargo as a

useful strategy and some of them are welcoming this change. if you look at some of the polls, stephanie, it depends on which poll you are looking at. but some are saying 40% of cuban americans support the normalization of relations, so you definitely have shifting winds here in little havana and miami. >> okay. we are awaiting president obama's speech formally declaring that full diplomatic relations between the united states and cuba have been restored. that's a lye look at the rose garden. i want to bring in david ariosto, our correspondent who has spent a lot of time in cuba as well as a professor of dubuque college. we'll get back to you later, but david you were in havana relatively recently after president obama announced this change was going to happen. what was it like down there?

>> you do get a sense that things are changing. some of these reforms were taking place back in 2011 but there is a sense of optimism on the island. new businesses are crapping up. restaurants are starting to grow in a more open way than they have in the past but i think you can't really overstate the importance of having those respective flags rise in both the havana flag and washington. it creates a sense of permanence for the business community, the investor community. and this is an island that is cash strapped. the venezuelan subsidies have sort of dried up -- >> ever since oil prices have fallen, right? >> absolutely. so this country is looking for ways to prop itself up and lib arelizing the economy has been part of that. raul started implementing that back in 2010, 2011 the

united states is the largest economy in the region here. cuba really needs to do business with it. what this doesn't do is remove this long-standing embargo -- >> hold on david, president obama at the podium. let's listen in. >> please have a seat. more than 54 years ago, at the height of the cold war, the united states closed its embassy in havana. today i can announce that the united states has agreed to formally reestablish diplomatic relations with the republic of cuba, and reopium -- reopen embassies in havana. when the united states shuttered our embassy in 1961 i don't think anyone expected that it would be more than half a century before it reopened.

after all our nations are separated by only 90 miles, and there are deep bonds of family and friendship between our people. but there have been very real profound differences between our governments. for the united states that meant clinging to a policy that was not working. instead of supporting democracy and opportunity for the cuban people, our efforts to isolate cuba despite good intentioned increasingly had the opposite effect isolating the united states from our neighbors in this hemisphere. the progress we mark today is yet another demonstration that we don't have to be imprisoned by the past. when something isn't working, we can and will change. last december i announced that the united states and cuba had decided to take steps to normalize our relationship. as part of that effort president castro and i directed our teams to negotiate the reestablishment of embassies. since then our state department has worked hard with our cuban

counterparts to achieve that goal. and we'll proudly raise the american flag over our embassy once more. this is not merely symbolic. with this change we will be able to substantially increase our contacts with the cuban people. we'll have more personnel at our embassy, and our diplomats will have the ability to engage across the island including the government, civil society, and ordinary cubans reaching for a better life. on issue of common interest we will find new ways to cooperate with cuba and we will also continue to have some very serious differences. that will include america's enduring support for values like freedom of speech and assembly, and the ability to access information, and we will not hesitate to speak out when we

see actions that contradict those values. however, i strongly believe that the best way for america to support our values is through engagement. that's why we have taken steps to allow for greater travel people to people and commercial ties between the united states and cuba and we will continue to do so going forward. since december, we have already seen enormous enthusiasm for this new approach. leaders across the americas have expressed support for our change in policy you heard that expressed by president rousseff of brazil yesterday. public opinion surveys in both of our countries show brood support for this engagement. one cuban said i have prepared for this all my life. another said this is like a shot of oxygen. one cuban teacher put it simply we are neighbors, now we can be friends. here in the united states we have seen that same enthusiasm.

there are people who want to travel to cuba businesses that want to invest and universities that want to partner with cuba. and through that engage we can help the cuban people improve their lives. one cuban american looked forward to opening lines of communications. another said you can't hold cuba cuban people hostage because of what happened in the past. americans and cubans alike are ready to move forward. i believe it's time for congress to do the same. i have called on congress to lift the embargo. we have seen members from both parties begin that work. why should washington stand in the way of our own people? yes, there are those that want to turn back the clock and double down on a policy of isolation. but it is long past time to show

this policy doesn't work. it only makes life worse for the cuban people. so i would ask congress to listen to the cuban people listen to the american people listen to the words of a proud cuban american who recently came out against the policy of the past saying i wonder if the cubans who have to stand in line for the most basic necessities for hours in the hot havana sun feel this approach is helpful to them? of course nobody expects cuba to be transformed overnight, but i believe american engagement is the best way to advance our interests in support for democracy and human rights. time and again, america has demonstrated that part of our leadership in the world is our capacity to change. it's what inspires the world to reach for something better. a year ago it might have seemed impossible that the united states would once again be raising our flag over an

embassy in havana. this is what change looks like. in january of 1961 the year i was born when president eisenhower announced the termination of our relations with cuba he said it is my hope and conviction that it is in the not too distant future it will be possible for the historic friendship to once again find its reflection in normal relations of every sort. well, it took a while, but i believe that time has come and a better future lies ahead. thank you very mump and i want to thank some of my team who worked diligently to make this happen. they are here. they don't always get acknowledged. we are really proud of them. good work. >> president obama announcing the resumption of formal diplomatic relations between the united states and cuba after more than five decades of animosity between the two

countries, the president saying this is an historic step forward to begin a new chapter with the americas. it is no longer time to cling to a policy that was not working. i want to head out to mike viqueira. mike, the other thing we heard from president obama was a direct appeal to congress to reconsider the embar go that will remain in place. where is congress on this issue? >> reporter: well, stephanie, we have been surprised by a lot of things that have been happening lately in the news and elsewhere in american society. house speaker john boehner has dismissed it out of hand but you never no but it does seem unlikely that is going to be happening in president obama's term. in the meantime what can congress do to try to stop this train from coming down the tracks? really not much outside of the

trade embargo, when the president gets around to nominating an ambassador to havana others against this can try to block that nomination and they can try to block funds to upgrade the intersection in havana, which will soon become the american embassy, they can try to block funding for that. but there's really they can do to stop the president. dismissing the critics, talking about human rights that the united states is going to continue to work to open up cuba. this is part of the rationale that the president hazem -- has employed. that remains to be seen but nevertheless an historic day -- an historic announcement

from president obama with vice president biden by his side. >> okay. mike viqueira at the white house for us. i want to bring in ted, a professal of dubuque college, and david arriosa. as the human rights situation changed since clinton strengthened the sanctions against cuba? >> well yes and no. under clinton we opened up people-to-people contacts that increased the interactions of people journalists, religious groups educational groups that went to cuba and that helped to breathe a little bit more life into the civil society in a context that is very repressive.

and also cubans have taken advantage of the cracks in the wall of the internet that is very low penetration in cuba. so there is a developing emergent civil society, but this is despite help burton because helms burton really shuts us out of the game. as president obama said these new policies will allow more engagement both with the government and the people. >> david when you were in havana a couple of months ago, did you get a sense from the people that they were expecting an improvement in individual freedoms and rights? >> you do get that but not necessarily from the government. with the camera out, this is one of the most fascinating things, i lived in havana between 2009 and 2010 and people at that time seemed much more reserved. now being back just a couple of months ago, there was a sense of

wanting change. and it was commentary on the streets that you would not hear in years past. i talk today one individual that said we want change. and i said what does that mean to you? and he said that means an end to the castro government. >> and how far is that anyway? because raul castro is 84. is there a succession plan there? what would happen next? >> there is a succession plan. the second in command is a 53-year-old man who has a five-year term at this point. prior to that it was an individual who was actually older than raul. raul months ago indicated that he wanted more of a transition to a more youthful governance but that name castro is enduring not only in cuba but across the region, and really carries a lot

sway. the question comes does it transition to more of a community that builds on the backbone of a communist structure, but yet infuses capitalism, or does it become more like a russian family at the helm of this country. >> yeah. i want to bring in melissa chan who is in little havana in miami where there are a lot of cuban exiles there, and children of cuban exiles. remind us how that older generation feels about how life was under castro. >> reporter: well, stephanie, i mean, you know the regime in cuba is essentially no freedom of the press. there's no electoral reform of

any kind. so people of the older generation came out of that experience and are definitely more conservative about this. and they have been big supporters of the embargo. i want to point what is happening behind me. you have had two guys with signs. two protesters that's all we have got. and something i was talking to you about earlier was the fact if this decision had been made back in the 1990s, we would have had a big crowd of cuban americans in the community here in miami absolutely unhappy and against the decision of the president. as such, we are seeing a shift in the cuban american community. it is a monolith no more and the younger generations of cuban americans, a lot of them have heard about what their parents have gone through, but they haven't experienced it. so for them they are just over it and they do believe there should be some kind of change. you are seeing more support from the younger generation in terms

of normalization of relations. >> melissa thank you. it was back in december the end of last year that president obama announced that the u.s. would begin this warming of relations with cuba. let's listen to what he said today about six months later. >> the progress we mark today is yet another demonstration that we don't have to be imprisoned by the past. when something isn't working, we can and will change. >> i want to go back out to michael shure. michael let's talk a little bit about what happens from here on in. secretary kerry just spoke also about this new relationship where he is in vienna at the iranian nuclear talks. so he will be the one that opens the embassy? >> reporter: well you know, as the secretary of state that would fall under his umbrella of responsibility. he would probably be down there when it happens on july 20th.

again, what happens immediately though, is congress has to sign off on this. none of this can happen without the approval of congress. there's the 15 days we alluded to. but stephanie, looking toward what is going to happen -- i listen to what mike viqueira said. things happen very quickly in these past few weeks. we have seen the country move on gay marriage in such a fast way that it is hard to predict how quickly this will move. but what we do have to look at is how the politics play. very few people realize that the cuban population of florida, a huge population in new jersey they are starting to trends towards democrats. miami-dade county went for barack obama according to exit polls by two points. so a lot of people in congress are starting to take the temperature of whether or not this is an important enough block to stand in the way of something that is eminently popular across the country.

>> michael shure thank you. let's go back out to mike viqueira in front of the white house. mike why did the plt -- president make this such a priority? >> reporter: well, i think michael shure really hit the nail on the head there. there are fingers in the wind trying to figure out which way the wind is blowing on this. and there could be more walls crumbling today. there are still things -- you were talking about what is to come here? there are still issues between these two countries, there have been four rounds of negotiation ls between top-level staff since the president made the announcement on december 17th. they are working through some of the nuts and bolts issues but mostly the united states was concerned with interaction with the cuban people. there was a sticking point about cuban security presence around the embassy, the american

intersection intimidating cubans who might want to come in and interact with the staff there. that was a main sticking point. but the americans for their part want to know about fugitives, hijackers, criminals, people convicted of serious felonies here in the united states who have in years past made their way to cuba and still have refuge. in 59 many industries perhaps the vast majority with significant american interest and the human rights situation, that is something at the top of the agenda and of course the top of the agenda for the cubans is the trade embargo. >> mike viqueira thank you. i want to get final thoughts from ted about the significance of today, what it means for the cuban people? >> i think our policy of

isolation hasn't worked. it has isolated the government as well as the people. it was aimed at hurting the government and we accepted collateral damage on the people. cubans are hopeful -- cubans and cuba are rarely hopeful. they have been let down many times both by their own government and by our policy toward them. so now they are cautiously hopeful that this new relationship will mean more money in their pocket more opportunity to interact to travel the changes that already started happening that were referred to earlier on the economy, now this huge change in terms of cuba's main enemy, and also remember united states has been cuba's main scapegoat, and it will be much harder for the government to point to the united states and say this is why you don't have freedom, and this is why we need to unify against the great evil of cuba. obama doesn't look like an enemy anymore. and there is actually an obama

mania in cuba. >> okay. we're going to have to leave it there. thank you both. thanks for watching our special coverage. i'm stephanie sy. the news continues live from doha. ♪

♪ welcome back to the al jazeera news hour. a quick look at the headlines now. and greece's prime minister has urged people to vote no on a referendum. egypt's prime minister says his country is in a state of war after more than 30 soldiers were killed in northern sinai. an armed group attacked a number of check points and security installations. there is also heavy fighting in another area. also in egypt, the muslim brotherhood says security forces have killed nine of its members outside of cairo.

one of the dead is a prominent lawyer for the brotherhood. let's get more from a man who has written extensively about security in sinai. thank you for being with us. we have seen various groups launch violent attacks in this region in the last year or so. just explain to us is there a main objective for these groups? >> this group used to -- to -- to -- to be named and celebrated [ inaudible ] which was unofficially allied to al-qaeda but now it has been officially affiliated to isil to daesh, and now it -- it's

acting as -- as a province -- it has changed its name to sinai province. so it -- it is a strategy the same to what isil has in syria and in iraq and now it's an unstoppable between this group and the egyptian army. >> but this region has seen a lot of trouble though. we have seen a lot of attacks. we have seen air offensives launched by the egyptian military. we have seen homes being cleared from this area all in the name of targeting these different groups that are in the sinai, but these military programs don't seem to be working. why? >> now it's -- it's a mixture of revenge oriented violence and

idealogical-motivated violence. yes, as you mentioned, the egyptian armed forces have -- have committed a lot violations and human rights abuses against the -- the civilians and the -- the population in north sinai, and it -- it has -- it has motivated a lot of -- a lot of locals who remained in the -- in the same area, not the majority who moved out regardless what -- what -- what -- what happened in rafa that forced the displacement, but i mean the ordinary people in the other villages most of them moved out of this -- this area and some of the element joined these idealogical violent group, and now -- now it's -- it's -- it's progressing.

this is the third qualitative progressing or escalating operation after [ inaudible ] last october, and then in january 29th and now they have attacked 15 military and security target which -- which reflects repetitive failure of the armed forces which applies -- which apply only to traditional tactics with its heavy weapons, heavy tanks and vehicles and all of these unuseful tactics. >> uh-huh. we're going to have to leave it there. thank you so much for joining us on the show. he has written extensively about security in sinai. now the violence in sinai is

also raising concerning in gaza. >> reporter: israel has closed its two main border crossings with egypt. they are monitoring the situation in sinai after this deadly attack. we also understand that the israeli military is also monitoring the border area that gaza shares with egypt as well. all of this just underscores the concern that they have about the violence in egypt. the two countries have had, what has been described as a cold peace since 1979, but the relationship between egypt and israel was thoroughly tested in 2012, during israel's campaign in the gaza strip which resulted in the deaths of a number of civilians. the then egyptian president mohammed morsi pulled its envoy

from israel. but the current president sisi has sent a new ambassador back to israel. so it would appear for now this cooperation between israel and egypt is certainly much better than it was a few years ago, and it underscores, again, what we have been saying that israel does have concerns about the situation in the sinai, an area in which they built a huge fence which stretches for over 200 kilometers standings at around 5 meters high and is covered in raiser wire. indonesia's military has confirmed an investigation of its fleet. the president says he has ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident. >> reporter: the military has now updated the number of passengers on the plane that went down on tuesday.

they said it was 113 people on board, now that number is over 120. all of them presumed to have died in this crash. the rescue operation is ongoing. they are trying to get the bodies out of the wreckage. horrendous stories really always hearing body parts. this will be a lengthy process in trying to identify them and get the bodies back to the families. this is the sixth fatal military crash in the last ten years, so it raises questions of concern as to how this could have happened. there has always been political reaction in parliament on tuesday. politicians questioning whether the military was flying planes that were too old. this particular aircraft from 1964. however, the hercules c130 is an aircraft with an extremely strong safety record. so why did it go down? we have had a statement from the air force. they say they will stop flying the c130 until further questions.

a lot of questions being asked. this is a country with a very poor safety record. now we have had six military aircraft going down in civilian areas in the last ten years. so serious questions need to be addressed. haiti says the deportation of dominicans of haitian decent from the dominican republic could trigger a humanitarian crisis. adam raney reports. >> reporter: on haiti's northern border with the dominican republic, people are crossing back. some deported, some heading to haiti before they are forced to. some have never lived in haiti, but can't convince the officials of their right to stay in the country they call home. >> translator: they force you to leave even when you show them your legal papers. >> reporter: this is what is

waiting for many of them. an uncertain life and no guarantee of a place to live. more than that, many live in poverty and have no rights to basic services. this woman lives in a shantytown. she wonders where all of those leaving the dominican republic will live. >> translator: the other day i saw many in the city center. it was sad. >> reporter: haiti's prime minister is warning that the deportation could create a humanitarian crisis. the government says it is going to built a reception center here. but other than temporary housing like this this is a country that still has few jobs and where tens of thousands of people still live in tent cities. those returning either left haiti for a better life or their

parents or grandparents did. life is much better in the dominican republic than haiti. the average income is seven times that of haitis. haitian ministers in direct contact with the government say they are not getting what they need. >> translator: proper information such as how many people will actually be deported. we want to receive them on two borders so we can mobilize our efforts in these two places. >> reporter: meanwhile more and more people are coming to a country that is struggling to feed and house the people already here. adam raney, al jazeera, on the dominican haitian border. the indian government is launching a new program that allows people to digitally store documents. it is designed to eliminate the

large stack of paper needed for any government work. >> reporter: the program is meant to change what you see here. people with stacksover documents needed just to get basic government work done. under the digital locker plan all-important documents such as licenses and birth certificates will be stored electronically. with the goal of making services available no matter where people live and speeding up the notoriously slow democracy. this is all part of the plan launched by the prime minister with the goal of bringing more government initiatives online. but the question is being raised whom exactly will benefit from this program? >> challenge is going to be [ inaudible ] for a long time but at the moment it will only hit the small population that is digitally connected. >> reporter: the prime minister

will also be launching the program in two villages that have internet. but the spread of this project for now will be limited. bangladesh is frequently accused of being among the most corrupt countries in the world. now the government is planning to increase the pay of civil servants to try to solve the problem. >> reporter: trying to get anything done at a government office can be a daunting task. the lines can stretch all the way outside and once inside, there always seems to be one more form that needs to be filled out. this man came from out of town just to get some documents approved for his nephew. it's not the first time he has had to make this trip. >> translator: my nephew came here four or five times for the same purpose. this is my second time. it's so easy to get turned back if you made a mistake because everything is so complicated. >> reporter: for many people

there's sample solution. bribery. we went to the passport office which is notorious for offering fast service for extra payment. these men offer to get me a new passport in three days, it's supposed to take at least nine. he tells me they can do it for an extra $50. the government accepts bribery of its workers is a reality. now a new wage increase is part of an effort to stamp out the practice. but among those missing out are teachers. >> i think most of the -- of teachers in southeast asia earns four times more than the teachers [ inaudible ] in the same ranks. >> reporter: the rise in salary

is intended to curve corruption. but from the perspective of these teachers it rewards the bad behavior of corrupt burr cats, while ignoring the hard work that they put in for very little pay. it's also unclear how the pay hike will be paid for. it's going to cost the government an additional $3 billion. the initial proposal involved freeing up funds but getting rid of thousands of people in overlapping jobs but that proved a political non-starter. >> [ inaudible ] because he cannot live with what he gets. i believe this year we shall settle this issue for good. but now i find that this is not the solution that it provides is only small, because it is greed which has taken over everybody, and greed is the root of the corruption. and i don't know how to fight

greed. >> reporter: it's a plan that hasn't been fully thought out yet, but that won't upset this man one bit if it means that next time he only has to show up once to get things done. still ahead on al jazeera. we'll tell you if defending womenable don champion remains on track. robin adams is up next. ♪

♪ welcome back. consumer trends are changing in

south korea. for a patriotic nation only made in korea products would do for many years, but there's a growing awareness that korean-made goods are cheaper abroad than at home. >> reporter: south korea's modern day prosperity is built on its status as a manufacturing powerhouse. for decades buying korean at home was an expression of national pride but that is changing. more than one in ten cars on the streets are now imported. apple's latest iphones have taken a record 33% slice of the market, and for many it's not just a matter of choice it's matter of price. korean products are routinely sold at higher prices than overseas. >> for the big stuff like baby

strollers or car seats or like cars you can buy it around half price, including the shipping fees even you can buy a lot cheaper. >> reporter: south korean's have long paid over [ inaudible ] for parts sold in shops. but increasingly people are becoming fed up with having to pay more than anywhere else for items that are made right here at home. it's a phenomenon that includes everything from cars to household appliances. for instance, this lg tv costs over $5,000 here at home. on an oversea's website it's around 2$2,300. the defense is that overseas distributes sell at huge volume and discounted prices, and that

the products are different too. >> translator: even though tvs are of the same size they can be functionally different. those sold in korea come with usd, or hd. >> reporter: but local consumers are tiring of some explanations. one group of students making a raft out of sacks. shoppers are looking hard at domestic manufacturers, more than prepared to burst their bubble. time for sports news now with robin. >> thank you very much. it has been another scorching day at wimbledon, where temperatures in excess of 55 degrees celsius. world number 1 managed to survive the, heat.

cutting short his opponent's campaign. djokovic set to face the australian in the next round. he is well aware that it is going to be a rather tough assignment. >> i'll recover as much as i can for this match. it's going to be -- obviously he's the number 1 player in the world, and against him, you have to go out with a different mind set, a different belief. i have to serve very well to have any chance of winning. and tomorrow i can focus on the stuff i need to do and we'll see. >> this player meanwhile has withdrawn from the tournament from a calf injury. his second-round opponent automatically goes through as a result. >> i'm very disappointed especially this being a grabbed slam and i thought i was playing well on grass, so i'm

very -- unfortunate to lose this challenge, but i try to keep it up, and hopefully i can do well in the u.s. series. >> in the women's sharapova was a straight set winner. a little earlier the fourth seed beat her opponent to progress to the third round. argentina's footballers are one win away from lifting the trophy since 1993. absolutely ruthless in their semi final. and now the thriller taking place. >> reporter: argentina and their team of big-name stars knew they would need something special against 2011 runners up paraguay, in their quest for a

title for the first time in 22 years. this goal got argentina off to a great start. but this was just the start of messi's night to remember as he passed down to toure. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: paraguay managed to pull one back with lucas scoring in the 43rd minute. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the finalists from the last tournament still very much in contention at the break. but things were about to get worse for paraguay much worse, as manchester united man started a second half of misery. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: messi once again making a mockery of its defense. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: argentina in again. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: a brilliant header

by sergio then heaped more pain on paraguay. and this man finished off the scoring rauch, 6-1 so set up a final showdown with chile. >> translator: hopefully we will win it. we are very happy. we arrived very well and will play against a very good team like chile. they are playing at home. it will be a difficult match. >> translator: the most important thing is to keep good feelings because although we did a great kulpa america, people always remember the last match. at least we have the opportunity to leave with better feelings. >> reporter: a new continental champion will be crowned on saturday. the women's world cup, the usa have sealed their place in the final.

they swept aside germany in montreal. the captain opening the account, with a penalty in the second half. and substitute kelly o'hara sealed the 2-0 win for the champions. they now play either japan or england in final. >> we started this tournament saying that it was going to take 23 players, and, you know, kelley o'hara coming in scoring our first goal was tremendous and, you know, everybody has contributed, and it has just been a collective team performance, but we didn't come here to make the final. we came here to win it. so we have to go after it next game. >> translator: i think it was a great semifinal. two very strong teams playing against each other. it was a high level i would say, but unfortunately we did not follow through and were not dangerous enough when it came to the goal area and congratulations to the united states. the us up one more spot up

for grabs. england is aiming to reach the final for the first time. up against defending champions japan. but england is unbeaten in their last three matches against japan. 20 foreign players are chasing their dreams in somalia's football. the capitol is now attracting footballers from across the continent. our correspondent explains. >> reporter: they have come from as far away as nigeria and uganda to follow their dreams of playing in a professional league. these footballers are the star attraction in somalia's top league. >> for me football is my life. it is what i have a passion for

right from when i was a kid. so i just tell myself wherever football takes me to i'm happy with. >> reporter: these players have more experience. they can take home more than $500 a month. club officials say it's fortunes have improved. >> translator: we are the first team to bring foreign players to somalia. they have raised the standard of our game and the level of our home players. last year we won the league and this year we are finishing second. >> reporter: these footballers say living here can be challenging. armed guards keep watch. the players also have to overcome the language barrier, but that hasn't stopped them from coming and nor are expected soon which is why the somalia football association put limits. >> every time is allowed to

register only four foreign players. this is to protect the local talent. >> reporter: for these stars, foreign players have added more excitement to the beautiful game. this is not just any football match. it's a local derby, these fans have been waiting to this game all season. for now, he and his teammates are celebrating their win, and they say they can't wait until the start of the next season. >> djokovic into the third round of wimbledon. all of the latest details coming out on aljazeera.com/sport. the hottest day in wimbledon, by the way. thanks for watching. >> robin, thanks very much. stay with us here on al jazeera, lauren taylor is up next with another full bulletin of news.

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egypt says it's in a state of war of more than 30 soldiers are killed in northern sinai. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera, live from london. also coming up . . . >> the progress we marked today is another demonstration that we don't have to be imprisoned by the past. >> the u.s. and cuba resume full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than 50 years. the greek prime minister confirms a bailout will go ahead on sunday as he offers concessions to