et will be donated to the museum in d.c. as part of an exhibit tracing five decades of news. thanks for watching. i'm stephanie sy. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. hello and welcome to the news hour. i'm martine dennis in doha. coming up in the program, a suicide attack in saudi arabia kills security forces at a mosque. hundreds of rescued migrants are brought to shore in italy, but many more are still missing. the battle for fallujah how families are being torn apart by the fighting between isil and the iraqi army. honoring the strijs hiroshima marks the day it was

flattened by an atomic bomb 70 years ago. ♪ we start in saudi arabia where a suicide bomb attack has killed at least 15 people. a mosque in the capitol of one provinsz was targeted in the southwestern region. the mosque was used by saudi army soldiers most of whom were killed in the explosion. nine others were injured. so far no one has claimed responsibility. but the islamic state of iraq and the levant is expected. isil is becoming increasingly active in saudi arabia claiming responsibility for a suicide attack on a shia mosque 21 people were killed on may 22nd. in the same week four people died when an isil car bomb exploded at the end transto a

mosque. last month isil struck again with a car bomb attack at a check point near saudi's highest security prison. two security guards were injured. three days later 430 people which the saudi government said were linked to isil were arrested. joining us from saudi arabia is a political analyst and columnist. thank you for joining us. what do you think is the main cause for today's suicide bombing? >> i believe it's daesh. it has its fingerprints all over, and they decided -- or they planned a similar attack on a similar mosque in riyadh to the same [ inaudible ], but they failed, and maybe now they try it again and succeed this time but thanks god they didn't succeed as they planned. because today there was about

1,000 new recruiters and students were supposed to attend this prayer but most of them were given holiday, the day of and they didn't come -- they didn't attend the prayer. otherwise it would have been much much worse. >> what is the reckoning in saudi arabia then about what seems to be an increased level of activity being claimed by isil on saudi territory? >> well the more we attack them in north syria and iraq, the more we fight them and fight their references and their -- the thinking the literature, the -- the people -- the supporters the more they will try to fight back and here we go again. now they -- they attack us this

time and that proved that we need to go to the sources. the sources and the resources of this groups otherwise the mosquitos will keep coming. we need to dry up all the -- the areas that came from and that is all in the head. it's -- and the heart. and we need to do more on this -- on this regard. >> we have witnessed obviously of late a more muscular military policy coming from saudi arabia. do you anticipate that that will be increased still further? >> yes, i do and i believe iran is not far from this. because the kind of material that used in explosive that was cut and coming from iran to bahrain to saudi arabia was the same material that was used in the last attack in the eastern region, so i think there is a

link between what is going on in yemen and -- and also in syria and iraq and what is going on in saudi arabia. it's the same network, whether it's sunnis or shia. >> thank you very much indeed. now an irish navy ship has docked in the port of sicily with around 360 rescued migrants. they were picked up after their boat capsized off of the coast of libya. it is feared that up to 200 other migrants may have drowned. our correspondent joins us from that city of palermo on the island of sicily. the boat has docked what can you tell us about the number of people who have managed to survive. who are they? and where do they come from? >> reporter: well the number of people that we know have

survived at least were picked up by the rescuers is 373. six were in such serious conditions that they had to be air lifted to the nearby eye land of lampedusa, soon after they were recushioned. the remainder were brought here on the same irish navy ship that answered the distress call first. the ship arrived about half an hour ago. as you can see there is food. there is water being distributed to the migrants who are still coming out slowly from the ship. now most of the migrants seem to be men. there are a few women and a few children. they are being given shoes. i don't know whether you can see that in the distance. this is the first step of course, before they are taken to centers, reception centers,

across sicily and across italy. we don't know what the death toll really is of that shipwreck. there are 25 bodies on the same ship. they will be taken away. we have seen a number of coffins. at least 25 coffins here. but death toll could be a lot higher, because according to survivors there were at least 600 people on that boat and if confirmed, that would put the death toll to as many as 200. this is really a tragedy within a tragedy. because these are migrants who traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to reach libya, then they paid hundreds of dollars to these smugglers to get on one of these rickety boats only to lose their life within arm's reach of rescuers. they sent out a distress call. this ship arrived.

and when they saw the ship they all rushed to one side and that's when their vessel capsized and so many have unfortunately died. >> thank you very much claudio. now aid agencies are cramabling to help more than 300,000 people who were flooded out in myanmar. at least 74 people have died. drinking water sources are contaminated and power has been cut. florence looi reports. >> reporter: this is one of four states that has been declared a disaster zone because of the severity of the flooding. it is also the state that has reported the highest number of people killed. in the capitol planes have been flying in transporting much-needed supplies. it is also domestic carries

involved in the effort. the red cross has said it is scaling up its emergency response because of the severity of the situation. in some parts of myanmar, areas are still completely cut off. aid workers haven't been able to reach those areas, either because the roads have completely disappeared or become impassable because of landslides. now there are some reports that say there are villagers in desperate need of clean drinking water, and it will become increasingly urgent that aid workers are able to reach these areas in the coming days. the weather bureau has warned that rain is expected to continue which means that you could see more areas being inundated with flood waters especially in places that are already severely flooded. there are some dams already nearing capacity and in the delta region some rivers have exceeded the designated danger levels, which means we could see

more areas under water in the coming days. floods and landslides have killed more than 90 people in nepal. there is another blow to nepalese. as our correspondent reports, people in one district say this latest disaster could have been avoided. >> reporter: shocked by the death of loved ones mourners in this village line up for a memorial service. in the early hours of july 30th villagers woke up to automatic arabling sound. by the time they walked out of their homes, part of their village had already been swept away by massive landslide. 27 died. one is still missing, feared dead. drn our entire village is in grief. >> reporter: this woman came back from visiting her relatives and found she had lost everyone.

all six family members. neighbors hope her dad a migrant worker in qatar comes back soon. i asked her if she needed anything. the thick smell of death, of rotting flesh is heavy here. all of the cattle that were buried have not been pulled out. this area of nepal gets high amounts of rain. sections of this mountain is made of very loose soil. 35 heckers of forrest were swept away. district government officers say a major cause of the disaster is the haphazard building of new roads. >> translator: development activities have to be done keeping possible disasters in mind and making sure that those

disasters don't happen. but here even though environmental assessments are done for infrastructure development, suggestions are not carried through, risking people's lives. >> reporter: more areas are in danger in this district where at least 35 people have died. across nepal, floods and landslides have killed more than 90 people already this monsoon, and as usual, people weren't prepared. on the day of the landslide, this man was busy pulling out the injured. >> translator: we never knew that this area is dangerous. now we have been told that this entire village is in danger. the whole village has to move. where will we go now in we are grieving here. >> reporter: houses next to the land slide are perched precariously. there was heavy rain the night the disaster struck. more than they have had in decades. locals say that had there been a

warning system this tragedy could have been avoided. we have got a lot more to come here on the al jazeera news hour including no expense spared in egypt for the opening of an $8.5 billion expansion of the suez canal. and -- >> these women are on the hunt for embargoed gloodoods. now it seems they are getting serious. i'm rory challands in moscow with more on this story. plus england stun australia. details coming up in sport. ♪ now to iraq where frustration is mounting over the deteriorating security situation and the rising number of civilians being caught up in the

battle against isil. bombings are becoming an almost daily occurrence. this is the scene in baghdad following the latest attack on wednesday when a mini bus exploded killing seven people, no one has claimed responsibility for that yet. there are regular anti-government protests over corruption and the lack of provision of basic services. power cuts in the middle of a heat wave are adding to these people's anger. and the government's problems are piling up. iraqi forces are struggling to defeat isil in the west of the country, and fighters from the group recently seized ramadi. in that was in may. the number of civilians being killed in the conflict is climbing. as our correspondent reports people in fallujah say they are living a nightmare. >> reporter: in fallujah bullets and bombs don't discriminate. and the wounds have only grown deeper.

residents say the young are now just as likely a target as the old. that civilians of all ages are under siege from both isil and the iraqi army. >> translator: look at this. this happened as a result of artillery shelling by the army today. look at this. are we terrorists waging the war? this is my daughter. she is dead now. what did she do to deserve this? >> reporter: many parents who thought the hardest trial would be surviving this war are now faced with a far crueller fate surviving their children. >> translator: we are in a dire situation here. but we can't go outside the city limits. my son here has a small daughter who got killed by the shelling. she was a year and two months old. this is our condition now. we want medication and proper

surgery. >> reporter: even hospitals are caught in the cross fire. >> translator: we are entering the second year of this crisis already. we're not treating terrorists we're treating young baby's infants. we need proper attention and supplies. we need more doctors. >> reporter: instead just days later this sanctuary for the sick was turned into a casualty of war. here moments after being shelled, the hospitals corridors lined with broken glass, as smoke billows through the air. a medic searches for injured patients and wounded colleagues. homes are no safer. in this video, a man decries the killing of an entire family. engaged at iraqi officials he says are providing more destruction than protection.

walking through the house, he points out all of the blood stains. we can't even fine the young kid under the rubble he says. they say that are targeting isil. are young children now somehow affiliated with isil. more expression of pain come from this gave yard where people are laid to rest. while the offensive may have started only a few weeks ago, for residents here war is all too familiar. for over a decade the city has been the scene of insurgencies and counter insurgencies. iraqi government leaders who have vowed to defeat isil in fallujah and the rest of anbar province say they have arrived at the moment of truth. families in fallujah worry that promise only means they'll face more fighting and that their

reality will become far more harrowing. chinese families of missing passengers from malaysian airlines flight 370 say they don't believe that reports that debris from the missing jet has been found. many of the 239 people who disappeared last year were chinese. adrian brown reports from beijing. >> reporter: for 16 months their emotions have swung between despair and hope. so by barging into the offices of malaysian airlines they may have felt they had nothing to lose. the announcement from malaysia's government brings neither closure nor comfort. some even believe the wreckage was planted on reunion island. >> translator: it's not true.

a lot of things would have been easier to find but they didn't find them. like the chairs baggage and other stuff that's much lighter. >> translator: during this time we cannot leave anything. because aircraft had a gps. the airline doesn't want us to know the truth. that's why we cannot believe them. >> reporter: they want answers. this was not a protest against china's government which is why it was allowed to happen. one placard appealed for help from china's president. by coincidence his foreign minister is in malaysia attending a regional conference. >> translator: the search should continue at the same time we agree with malaysia that we should find out the truth and start rolling out the next phase of the plan. >> reporter: quite what the next phase is is far from clear. analysis of ocean currents show

search teams looking in the right area but it's a vast area. australia's prime minister though, is hopeful. >> it suggests that for the first time we might be a little bit closer to solving this mystery. >> reporter: and malaysia's prime minister is now adamant that the wreckage found on the small french island did come from mh370. >> it is with a very heavy heart that i must tell you that an international team of experts have conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on reunion island is indeed from mh370. >> reporter: experts in france where the part is being examined are though more reserved in their conclusion. >> translator: in the experts' view we can say there are very strong presumptions that the

flapron belongs to mh 370. >> reporter: these people don't believe that. after an emotionally draining time since the jet disappeared, the psychological strain has more than taken its toll. it will be another emotional day on friday when they attend a briefing. but there be some answers, but undoubtedly more questions. president al-sisi has been celebrating the opening of the widening of the suez canal. it allows ships to pass each other without waiting. now we can get more now on the significance of this expansion by talking to tarek who is

professor of international relations at harvard university. thank you for talking to us. this is quite an achievement, isn't it for the egyptian people? >> i think that's right. and certainly the egyptian government is very proud of this achievement, and believes and has been trying to convince the egyptian people that this expansion of this portion of the suez canal is going to significantly increase traffic through the canal and lead to significant boost in economic growth and development. and i think that's what many of the egyptians are celebrating today, the hope that this new expansion to the canal will bring some much-needed development to that country. >> indeed because the economy is -- is in a fairly poor state, state,n't it? and not helped by the increased situation of insecurity in the country, particularly in the

sinai peninsula, which president sisi made reference to in his opening speech. and as a consequence, one of he main money spinners tourism has dropped off. >> that's right. the big sources of foreign currency in egypt are tourism and the suez canal. and the season of political instability that egypt has been experiences since july 2013 has had a very bad dilatorious effect on tourism in that country. so this expansion is hoped to lead to greater passage through the canal, more tariffs being paid by shippers and consequently more hard currency. the other thing they are hoping is this entire zone will become this industrial zone and they really have expansive plans for the development of that zone.

the question is will they be able to pull these things off? there has been some speculation from a variety of analysts that projections of economic growth that are -- that the egyptian government is attributing that will come out of the canal are wildly optimistic. so it's still early days. the celebrations are significant, but it's still too early to tell whether there's a great deal to be celebrated. >> it seems to have become one of the great personal signatures if you like of president sisi so how far is his reputation riding upon the success of this? >> i think his -- his reputation rides on a couple of things. part of his reputation rides on his ability to tame the instability that egypt is experiencing and which he has not so far been able to do. the second thing that his reputation rides on is his ability to deliver economic

development, and he's made this suez canal expansion a coner stone of that. so if -- now, obviously, it's possible the expansion doesn't lead to the massive increase in traffic through the canal and the massive increase in suez canal receipts that the government is forecasting. but you could also say that egyptians aren't aware of how much passage goes through the canal, so this could fail and egyptians may be none the wiser. but the egypt government is making tremendous promises to the people that this canal and other projects will be transformative, and within two, three, five years, egyptians look around and see in fact their lives have not been transformed, then i think the legitimacy of this regime will take a significant hit. on the other hand if they do

succeed, and i very much hope they will, that will go a long way towards stabilizing this regime and more importantly, improving the lives of egyptians. >> thank you very much. thousands of people have gathered to remember the nuclear attack on the japanese city of hiroshima 70 years ago. latins were lit and floated down the remember to remember the 140,000 victims. there were prayers, a moment of silence, and calls to abolish nuclear weapons. harry fawcett reports. >> reporter: for decades, this man kept the most agonizing images of his life trapped inside his mind. now they surround him. in recent years he has been committing his memories of the bombing to canvas. memories dominated be the image of a baby in a pile of bodies. seen as he searched the city for missing relatives. >> translator: the baby was

facing up with its arms extended like this. to me this baby represented the a-bomb, and i remember it vividly. it seemed totally unscathed, as if someone placed it there. such cruelty. >> reporter: the bomb that burned the city detonated on the morning of august 6th, 1945. 70 years on to the minute a minute silence. and a message from japan's prime minister that the one country to be attacked with nuclear weapons would continue to work for their eradication. >> translator: japan intends to renew its efforts to bring about a world without nuclear weapons, with the cooperation of both nuclear and non-nuclear powers. >> reporter: the aircraft that delivered the destruction was named after the pilot's mother.

the bomb it was carrying little boy. for the u.s. it was a strike that saved lives, shortening the second word war. for the people of hiroshima, it was a visitation of hell. tens of thousands died in the blast. but hiroshima didn't cease to exist, life somehow went on in the wasteland and the city was rebuilt. it's current mayor used his speech to call nuclear weapons evil and to praise the passivist constitution, while the prime minister who wants to loosen those restrictions listened on. a reminder if needed that the events of the second word war are still influencing the government today. organizers of this event say this will be the last major anniversary in which significant numbers of victims remain alive.

and many are passing on their memories. here in the peace park beneath the dome and in this man's case through art. he says his old school friends convinced him to paint the horrors he carried in his mind before it was too late. harry fawcett, al jazeera, hiroshima, japan. lots more to come on the program, including argentina's former president going on trial over the bombing of a jewish center more than 20 years ago. and could this be the beginning of a brighter future we visit a makeshift school in calais. and andy murray warm up to the u.s. open takes a hit. in that and the rest of the day's sport coming up. ♪

>> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy... >> this is another significant

development... >> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live... ♪ hello, again, i'm martine dennis and these are the top stories here at al jazeera.

security personnel in saudi arabia have been killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque. no one so far has claimed responsibility. seven civilians have been killed by shell fire on a market in fallujah in iraq. increasing number of civilians are being caught up in the cross fire as the city is fought over by isil and the iraqi army. an irish navy ship has docked in the port in sicily with around 360 rescued mie -- migrants. it is feared up to 200 people on board drowned. for the migrants who actually make it safely to europe, there are still many hurdles to cross before they can start building a new life. and one of the biggest is often learning the language. charles stratford reports from a school that has set up be a migrant camp in the port city of

-- kali. >> reporter: this makeshift school was set up last month in a so-called jungle camp near calais. the majority of people have given up hope of trying to get to the u.k. many have applied for asylum in france. this man arrived four months ago. he has a five and four children in sudan. >> reporter: all of the teachers here are volunteers. they say around 100 people attend their classes each day.

>> translator: in general, they come with no french at all, and some with only basic english. we have also some who can't even speak english at all, and that's very difficult for us. >> reporter: but most people in this camp aren't interested in learning french and staying in france. for the students that study here this school represents a symbol of hope with respect to their future having decided to stay in france. but the majority of the people in this camp are still determined to get on trains and get to the u.k. riot police blocked groups of men trying to climb on to trucks. some of the many people here who have fled violence and persecution in their home countries, a new hope that their journey to a better life isn't over yet. a u.s. senate committee is

reviewing a report into human trafficking that has been widely criticized by human rights activists. we're going to live now to rosiland jordan in a washington, d.c. and we mind us why this report that was only released a couple of weeks ago -- why this is causing so much consternation. >> reporter: the report was released a week ago monday just ten days ago, and even before the report was released there were a lot of rumors here in washington that the state department report which was authorized by congress 15 years ago was going to change the status of some of the countries for essentially political reasons, something that is not supposed to be done with this report, and sure enough when you saw the report released a week ago, monday malaysia which last year was in the bottom ranking of the countries

that were not making any changes in dealing with human trafficking, whether it's forced labor, or people sold for sexual slavery, or other human rights abuses the country had been moved to the next higher stage, which is known as tier 2 watch, and the suspicion among many members of congress was this was being done because the u.s. is trying to negotiate a trade deal with a number of countries in the asia pacific region including malaysia and there's a new law that basically says the u.s. can't engage in that kind of negotiation if a country is in the bottom tier. so there was a lot of suspicions that malaysia was moved up in this effort to negotiate a trade deal. the hearing just concluded and the under secretary who deals with human rights issues and

oversees the preparation of this report was grilled by several members of the panel who do not believe that the ranking changes were made just because of what malaysia to take one example, has been doing to deal with the problem of sexual slavery. >> okay. interesting. thank you very much indeed for now. rosiland jordan live in washington, d.c. now argentina's former president has gone on trial along with several other officials. they are accused of trying to obstruct the investigation into the bombing of a jewish center in the capitol in 1994. our correspondent is in buenos aireses for us. >> reporter: the trial that starts today shows how the 1994 bombing continues to send shock waves through the landscape. among the accused is the former

president, his chief of intelligence and others. i just came from the courthouse and the former president was not there. he is a senator and very close to the ruling party. this trial is going to last at least a year and i'm told that 140 witnesses will participate in it. for 21 years, this man has been trying to fiepgd -- find out who killed his son. >> translator: every day i'm with hatred and ask myself why? who was behind the bombing? somebody has to be responsible. >> reporter: he died on july 18th, 1994, in an attack against a jewish community center in argentina. 85 people were killed and hundreds of others injured. it was argentina's deadliest attack and the authorities were

clear, calling it terrorism. until now no suspects have been convicted for the attack against this jewish community center. and even though the government has accused iran from being behind the bombing, the investigation has been filled with incompetence and accusations of coverup. >> now the former president and his chief of intelligence among others will stand trial for allegedly corrupting the investigation. this man has been researching the attack for years and says the argentine state is responsible for covering up what is known as the local connection. >> translator: this attack was not possible without the help of the local police or intelligence services. >> reporter: iran has always denied its involvement in the bombing. last year prosecutor accused

the president of changing the government strategy and conspiring to cover up a probe into iran's involvement in the attack. on the day he was to present his case, he was found dead in his apartment. >> translator: the real wave ends up when you put behind bars those responsible. after 21 years this wave continues because nobody knows what happened. and i believe nisman died because of that. >> reporter: the president has urged the judiciary to speed up the process. in spite of years of waiting, people like this man are thankful. he believes that this trial could bring him closer to the truth. >> so having watched your

report, it seems very much as though this is more than just about the bombing of the jewish cultural center 21 years ago. this is about the way the country was run. >> well that's correct. and that's why the authorities, when that bombing took place are right now on trial. it's interesting to know back in 2004 when the trial took place, the judge in charge was accused of trying to bribe one of the departments with $400,000 to implicate local police for example. so there are many many irregularities. >> okay. thank you very much indeed for now. now the u.s. secretary of state says he has reached an agreement with russian's foreign minister over chemical weapons in syria. john kerry met sergei lavrov on the sidelines of the meeting in

malaysia. the two countries have been divided over how to deal with the conflict in syria, but now they both agree on a draft u.n. resolution calling for investigation into chlorine gas attacks in syria and will be voted on on friday. while the -- at the meeting, john kerry has also been calling on china to stop building artificial islands in the south china sea. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: the foreign ministers gathering here is all but over but most of the attention on thursday fell to john kerry the secretary of state, who is on an official visit now to vietnam. but before he left he had a press conference in which he consoled the families of mh370, of course the news of the

wreckage found has been confirmed as part of the plane. he also paid his respects to the victims of the myanmar floods. but the leaders really wanted to hear what his opinion was of the south china sea dispute. he sited international law and what he expected not just of the countries gathered here but also of strategic partners that had a vested interest in the area. this is what he had to say. >> a policy of restraint will create the diplomatic space that is required for a meaningful code of conduct to emerge. and we will work very hard with all f our partners to help that code of conduct come into being. it's vital that we refrain from unilateral actions, and that they settle their differences peacefully through rule of law.

>> reporter: john kerry went on to say that china, he felt could do more but for the most they would work together to see how they could reduce those tensions and ease the stress that many of the nations are feeling about the claims being made on this very important waterway. russia is cracking down on food importers who have been ignoring a year-long embargo on western food imports. russia banned the imports in retaliation of sanctions imposed by western countries. from thursday banned goods will be destroyed where they are found. but as rory challands now reports, some have been sneaking through. >> reporter: these young women are on a mission to protect russia's unsuspecting shoppers. a year on from moscow's embargo on many western foods, it's

still possible to find banned products in the shops. this manager is given a lecture on retail ethics. >> translator: this item is banned both by origin and production. >> reporter: reprimand finished the nuts are tagged. they can only mark them with stickers warning shoppers of such goods. this one says sanctioned product and has a picture of the stars and stripes of the united states, the stars of the european union, and the russian bear standing in front of them. this has the appearance of a grass roots pressure group, but critics say such organizations are carefully nurtured by the kremlin. >> translator: we presented the project at the youth forum, and the majority of guests liked it.

but it's also important that usual people and customers are behind us. >> reporter: the raids on russian supermarkets have coincided by a movement by the government to get tough on the embargoed products. this footage was filmed by federal custom service and shows some of the 550 tons of banned food seized crossing the border this year. at least 800 embargo violations have been registered in recent months. this is a food city entrepreneur who knows the loopholes and tricks that have allowed products to get in. >> translator: there are three ways to bring embargoed food. first it is packed in [ inaudible ]. second, goods transferred get

lost. third, the documents are fake. >> reporter: but finding the goods in russian shops is the exexception rather than the rule. banned products have been replaced either with russian food or imports from none embargoed countries. and for now the process appears to be tailing off. little console lags for any russian still mourning the limited choice the cheese counter now holds. still to come leonel messi, loses his cool in a preseason friendly. >> i've been asked to keep my voice down cause we are so close to the isil position >> who is in charge,

and are they going to be held to accout? >> but know we're following the research team into the fire >> they're learning how to practice democracy... >> ...just seen tear gas being thrown... >> ...glad sombody care about us man... >> several human workers were kidnapped... >> this is what's left of the hospital >> is a crime that's under reported... >> what do you think... >> we're making history right now... >> al jazeera america

♪ now the sports news. >> thank you very much martine. it has been a humiliating start for australia in the ashes tournament. they took the visitor's batsesman to pieces. it was the third best in ashes history, as australia were all out in their first innings for 50. england are at the crease now and nay are on 152-3. ian and [ inaudible ] were all dismissed. england are 2-1 up in the series, and need to only reclaim

this test to regain the ashes. [ inaudible ] has completed his move from manchester united. the 27 year old passed a medical in qatar earlier this week. joining psg for $29 million. he has agreed to a four-year deal. he struggled during his one season in england. he scored just 3 goals in 27 league games. aragain tina side have won south american football's top cup competition. in the final they beat mexican side 3-0 on aggregate. richard par has more. >> reporter: four years ago river plate fans rioted on the streets after their team were relegated from argentina's top division for the first time in their history. on wednesday the club completed a dramatic turn around.

river were hosting the mexican side in the final. they took the lead just before halftime with a header from recent signing lucas. with just over a quarter of an hour left sanchez was brought down to earn river a penalty. he then shows he was better at scoring spot kicks than he is at taking his shirt off. just a few minutes later, a header from this man sealed river's third title with a 3-0 victory. >> translator: we believe in what we do because we're a team that doesn't take shelter in our past accomplishments. in other words we keep believing we can win things on the basis of work of humility, of football. >> reporter: river now holds

both of the top cup titles after they won a cup in december. that means their fans are revelling on the streets rather than rioting. >> reporter: champions of barcelona were in action on wednesday, and their star was involved in an altercation with a rome player. messi was booked for the incident. the argentine superstar has never been sent off in his barca career. he went on to score against the italian side but his teammate netted the goal of the game. with three days to go until the start of the english premier league season chelsea suffered a 1-0 defeat. it comes after they lost to arsenal on sunday.

rodriguez scored the only goal of the game. ukrainian side are through to the playoff round of the uefa champions league at the expense of the turkish team. after the first leg in turkey they sealed the win at 3-0. they are still playing over a thousand kilometers away from home due to the unrest in their city. andy murky's preparations for the u.s. open haven't started well. in the second round of the open the two-time major champion and top seed couldn't keep his cool going down in three sets to the russian opponent. the host of the 2019 basketball world cup will be announced on friday. either the philippines or china will be chosen. the philippine bid rests on the

fact that they have the largest stadium in the world, and their passion for the sport. >> reporter: for the villagers here nothing gets in the way of basketball. it's the most popular sport in the country, and it is said that there is a hoop and a game being played around every street corner in every village across the philippines. these young boys say there is nothing like it and many dream of making a career in the sport some day. >> translator: i want to be famous. >> translator: it's the only thing i like to play. >> reporter: professional basketball players are national superstars. they are the highest-paid athletes earning up to 30 times the minimum wage. and with the sport a national obsession, basketball games are broadcast nationwide. the sport has a long history, dating back to the early 1900s, when it was first introduced by

american colonizers. the professional league here is the oldest in the world outside of the united states. many commentators have tried to explain why basketball is so popular here. but the game is seen as a great equalizer, bringing people across all social backgrounds together rich or poor can play or watch side by side. the philippines was a leading player in international basketball during the sports first 50 years, but as lagged behind since the 1960s, when countries with bigger players and more money for training came in. despite that though no other asian country has been more successful in either the olympics or the world cup. >> it's a religion. ask anybody any questions about basketball if it's local or the nba, everybody is drawn to it. it's just the biggest thing

here. >> reporter: it's that kind of passion and deep relation with the sport that filipinos hope will win them the honor of hosting the 2019 basketball world cup. >> it can generate huge crowds and those crowds will be unlike crowds anywhere in the world. they will be gigantic and passionate. there's no place else you can recreate that in the world. >> reporter: the philippines have often been seen as an underdog, but the filipinos have never let that stop them. on this or any other court, they always have passion, determination, and heart. >> that's it for me. >> thank you very much indeed. and that's all for me as well for now, but in the winging to take you through the next couple of hours here on al jazeera, david foster. ♪

>> what did you see when you went outside last year? >> there was a dead body in the middle of the street... for 5 hours. >> there's a lot of work to be done. >> they need to quite talking about what should be done and do it. >> there's clearly an issue and we have to focus on how we bridge that. >> a lot of innocent lives are still being lost.

a suicide bombing kills 15 soldiers and injuries 9 in a mosque in saudi arabia. ♪ you are watching al jazeera, i'm david foster. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. burying the dead in fallujah the civilian victims caught up in the right for iraq's anbar province. relatives of mh370 passengers protest, many not believing that part of the missing plane had been found. and hundreds of refugees