>> hello, welcome to the al jazeera news hour from doha. coming up: >> tensions rise at one of the world's most heavily militarized borders, north and south korea exchange fire. >> in yemen, a bomb kills four people in the southern city of aden. >> u.k. and french officials join forces to work on the refugee crisis in calais.

>> i'm in the kenyan forest which is a hideout for al shabab. i'll investigate how they are affecting local communities. >> let's start with the developments in the korean peninsula. south korea fired artillery shells in response to an apparent rocket attack by pyongyang. we are in the south korean capital of seoul. this kind of exchange is not unprecedented, but always very, very dangerous, isn't it? >> that's absolutely right. last october, there was an exchange of fire when north korean forces tried to shoot down propaganda balloons launched by south korean activists. this does appear to be more serious in nature.

this has been talked about by north korea for sometime as a threat that they would try and attack the south korean propaganda speakers that have been blaring out messages across the border for about 11 days now. they seem to have made good on that threat with this attack. it seems to have been according to the south korean military first a rocket, and then a few minutes later, a second firing. there are reports that that firing was artillery firing, then these dozens of artillery shells coming back from the southern side of the border. this is all what happened on august 4, a land mine blast on the southern side of the military demar occasion line within the demilitarized zone in which two south korean soldiers were seriously injured. now we have this exchange of live fire. >> of course all of this comes just days after the start of the annual korean and u.s. military

exercises, which every year upsets pyongyang. >> that's right. the fact that this is happening during those exercises is itself, usually north korea would take actions ahead of those what it calls preparations for war. what they've also said at this time, after the initial firing and around the same time, we believe as south korea was firing back, the north korean military gave a message saying that unless these propaganda speakers were dismantled within 48 hours, they would initiate military action. presumably that means further military action from what happened here on thursday, a message as well from the man who heads up what effectively is the north korean armored government that deals with south korea, saying that these speakers must be dismantled. also they are saying that north korea would still look to provide some kind of exit, some

kind of settlement with the south, so a mixed message, but at the moment, still very high. >> as you gathered, relations between the two koreas have been marked by distrust and recent events have only added to the strain. five years ago, a south korean naval vessel sank in the yellow sea. 46 soldiers were killed. seoul said that was caused by a north korean torpedo. pyongyang rejects these allegations. in december of 2012, north korea launched a scientific satellite in a display of its rocket firing exhibits. the u.n. security council passed a resolution condemning the launch, provoking tough rhetoric coming from the pyongyang. earlier, south korea accused of the north of planting land mines which maimed two south korean

soldiers on their side of the demilitarized zone. the incident resulted in a cross border propaganda campaign, pretty much, shouting fultz at each other with the use of really powerful speakers. on to europe now. british police are to be deployed in the french court of calais to help strengthen security there. this is all part of an agreement between britain and france. the british secretary is currently visiting the port where thousands are refugees living in makeshift camps. the british government said they are economic migrants who want to enter the country illegally. >> teresa may stressed to the crisis in calais is part of a much wider problem. >> the situation we are facing in calais is the result of a global migration challenge, and that is why our two countries

will continue to work closely together to make sure the rest of the european union and the transit and source countries from which may go grants are coming are also playing their full part in involving this problem. we must also relentlessly pursue and disrupt the callous criminal gangs that facilitate and profit from the smuggling of vulnerable people, often with total additional reward for their lives. >> we can talk to our correspondent julie mcdonald in london, who is following events. looking at a new control and command structure, extra police force, we're talking about extra intelligence sharing. it sounds very much like a military operation. >> it does sound like a military operation, you're absolutely right. this is very targeted, this working together, this collaboration between the british and french. some people will paint it as

progress. before now, the french and british were coming across the channel and blaming one another for this loss of law and order across the jungle camp in calais. what it doesn't do and teresa may pointed to that is deal with the wider problems. there will be this new command and control center, inhabited by very senior french and british officers and the u.k. border patrol. but their sole mission is not to deal with these desperate people and their plate and hopes and dreams and visions to come to the u.k. or elsewhere, it's simply to deal with the people smuggling gangs. that's what they hope they're going to do with looking at safety through the channel tunnel and looking at more intelligence sharing, so that's the goal. >> targeting the criminals involved in this human disaster that's unfolding on the borders of europe, but nothing, it would appear from either of those two

senior members of two european governments to actually deal with the situation affecting these people, merely just keeping them contained in a very small area. >> yes. i think, martin, that will be something that's borne out by criticisms i'm already seeing. they are not dealing with the wider problem, but simply moving it to other countries and ports. for people living in the jungle camps, we think 3,000 of them, because they won't be able to cross into britain are going to be stuck in the deplorable conditions they're in. the french government said it will do more to help them, but the plans around that are quite wooly. this feeds into this wider problem about how to share the burden properly of these desperate people. i think there are going to be more complicate conversations throughout europe about how

that's to happen, but this really is very narrow in its focus, and as you say, they'll say it's progress, it's about preventing people from getting into the u.k. and starting to deal with the problem. >> as if to highlight the problem, as these two members of two different governments were meeting and the coming up with a plan, another boat load of people, thankfully, were rescued in the mediterranean. now we understand, taken to palermo in italy. >> yes, it really is terrible, isn't it, martin? i know that in my own household at home, we're seeing all of these things unfold and feeling rather desperately that our government in the u.k. seems to be on the track as it's on as we've seen with its plans. i do think there will be more conversations within the week and a member of the french government is going to germany to talk to them. we do nope the numbers that look for asylum in germany, about 200,000, those numbers are going

to rides to 800,000 people this year, so again, there's got to be a sustained attack only problem, and a much broader, much more open conversation, which has already proven quite difficult to have here. i would say the conversation here is quite docksic and made up which two halves. some believe that we don't need to take in any extra people. otherwise believe that it's our duty and we need to work harder at finding a solution. i think that conversation is being played out, as these disasters continue to unfolded, all across europe. >> ok, julie, thank you for that, live from lop don. >> in yemen, four have been killed following a bomb attack on the governor's temporary headquarters in the southern city of aden. this is the first attack there since pro-government forces took control of the city from houthi rebels last month. here in the shoot with me is the correspondent, and hashem, you know yemen, you've covered the

situation for sometime. this sounds to be an indicator, really, that even though the houthi forces have been repelled from aden, it's not fine, it's not calm, and there's still a long way to go. >> absolutely. it's a sign that yemen is based for more instability and instability, because anti houthi forces are far from united. we are talking about three main factions operating in the south. the secessionists will say that we had an independent state until 1990, which merged with a united yemen, now we would like to main that in that break away republic and have nothing told with the north. you have those in favor of a federal yemen. they don't have a huge say in the southern part of the country. the sunni party, which is very powerful, very well otherwise in the south and in the north, you can really see that it is trying

to reif a as i am tate the games made in the south and be ready for the moment they have to difficult who is going to have a bigger say in the southern part of yemen. >> after five months of war, are we closer to the final moment where we're going to know the shape and form of government for a new yemen? >> we know for the time being that the hadi loyalists have managed to reverse gains made by the houthis. they are pushing toward the capital, sanna. they say they have taiz in the coming days. they will move up toward the capital, butch the moment they sake sanna is when we have to wait and seep who is going to lead the country, a national unity government with the houthis possibly loyal to the first president, are they ready for a national unity government

or no. signs are that it's not going to be the case. we are going to see further fragmentation of yemen, more fighting for control over the he rest of the country. >> what's become of mediation efforts? there were two tracks, one led by the g.c.c. and the other by the u.n. >> well, the u.n. is leading talks as we speak in different parts. the j envoy has been to saudi arabia, he's been holding talks in oman between different factions. saudi loyalists say we are making gains, therefore, we are not going to offer concessions to the houthis. houthis have the upper hand in june when i was in geneva, when they were in talks with the united nation and they still have the same thing, they say we have the upper hand, we are not going to give concessions. the concern is that the international commute is concerned about what is happening in yemen, because no one is willing to join the

negotiation table and more are going to pay the price of on going fighting. >> thank you very much indeed. >> a policeman in tunisia has been shot dead. two men on a motorcycle fired shots at three policemen. one died on the way to hospital. the others were unharmed. in june, 38 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on a beach. >> an egyptian group which says it's aligned with islamic state of iraq and the levant is claiming responsibility for a bomb. of egyptian's interior minute strip said 27 policeman were injured in an attack on a state security building in cairo. >> the blast came in the middle of the night in a small suburb of cairo, an explosion so powerful, witnesses said it was heard and felt far beyond the small district where it was

planted. >> we were waiting at the traffic light. cars around us from all direction, and as the light changed, the explosion happened from that direction. all i saw was the flame from the noise and things flying off the cars. i had people in the car but thank god, nothing happened to anyone. this is the car, as you can see. >> a group going by sinai province, aligned with isil, the islamic state of iraq and the levant, is reportedly claiming responsibility. most recently, it said it was behind a car bomb attack in july, target be the consulate in key rye, which killed a palier by. a week ago, i had beheaded an engineer from croatia. sinai province is prominent among groups that claims attacks on security buildings and personnel. the on going crack down on

dissent following the removal of president mohamed morsi more than two years ago is cited as reasons for the protest. protests began against police brutality. this comes days after the president al sisi ratified a law further expanding police powers. al jazeera. >> still to come on this al jazeera news hour. find out about the millions being given away every year to ghost pensioners in pakistan. >> how thousands have lost their jobs in one brazilian town, following corruption scandals involving the president. in sport, he can't save athletics from doping on his own. the head of the world championships in beijing. >> to burundi now, where the president has been sworn in for

a controversial third term. the ceremony comes as a surprise, because it was originally planned for next week. his decision to run for a third term in april triggered weeks of violent protest. catherine is our correspondent. she's reported extensively on the situation in burundi. she sent us this update from nairobi. >> the president was sworn in with a ceremony witnessed by members of the senate, parliament, the constitutional court and some diplomats, as well. we all knew that he was going to be sworn in at some point before the 26th when the presidential term limit lapses, but in normal circumstances, it is announced in good time and heads of state and other dignitaries are invited. it has not happened this time. we are told this is mainly because of the security situation in the country. it's still very tense. people are living in fear. there have been several

assassinations and assassination attempts, as well. now after the swearing in, the president gave his speech and said that he was elected democratically and asked refugees who have fled to neighboring countries to come back home. the penalty has sworn to protect the constitution, but his critics say that he already went against the state constitution when he decided to run for a third term. >> supporters of brazil's president rousseff are expected to rally across the country. president rousseff's approval rating is at an all time low with corruption scandals tainting her government. we report from outside sao paulo where one town is feeling the pinch. >> it's a family business that manufactures electric switches,

gloves, and several other products sold mainly in brazil and around the region. it grew as brazil flourished and it's now feeling the pinch of the country, facing the worst recession in decades. forced to reduce production by that 15% and cut jobs, he said this. >> we made adjustments, we changed things as much as we could to save jobs. it's hard when you fire someone who's been working with you every day. you even know their family, where they live. here we have close relationships in brass still. >> a city that steadily attracted factories since the 1960's. >> the city grew around the automobile industry, the worst hit by the crisis. it had a ripple effect, putting the unemployment rate here at nearly double the national average. >> thousands of people have lost their jobs over the past few months, 2,800 in july alone.

working as a welder since he was 15, he worked at one of the biggest car plants in the city. he is now 29 and jobless. >> because of government policies, the workers are paying the price. some companies that make spare parts closed. we are going to become like detroit if things keep going that way. >> he hopes to recover his job through an agreement between his union and the company, but next month, he will lose all benefits. in the meantime, he is studying to become a teacher. many say the real problem is elsewhere. >> brazil needs to be more transparent, show the rules of the game to investors, otherwise no one will come here. there is need for political stability. the government needs to act quickly, he is special ply because some sectors are suffering more than others. >> brazil is paralyzed by a political crise that reduced confidence. with a corruption scandal of

epic proportions still unfolding, confidence is more elusive than ever. al jazeera. >> greece has received the first 13 billion euros from its latest bailout. the funds were approved after the german parliament voted in favor of greece's $86 billion financial package. the money arrived on the day athens needed to make a 2.3 billion euro payment approximate the bank. >> in pakistan, the countries national bank said that 600,000 pensions may have been paid to people who don't even exist. the so-called ghost pensioners are not the first in the state funds being embezzled. >> work has finished for the day in islamabad. civil servants are heading home,

thousands of them. when they retire, they are all entitled to a state pension. so is the military. three quarters of all government pensions are paid to former servicemen and women. in total, it costs pakistan over $2 billion a year. the national bank of pakistan revealed it's been paying out pensions to 600,000 people it believes either don't exist or have already passed away. >> the committee that is there a scam or all those ghosts pensioners exist, are people collecting pensions of people who have died? >> if there is a scam, it could mean one fifth of all state pensions worth $400 million are being paid out to the wrong people. >> it's not the first time there's been a scandal like

this. a few years ago, hundreds of thousands of dollars were wasted on a scheme to give tax payments to the poor. 125,000 names were fake. >> there's also been scandals in education. last year, al jazeera reported on classrooms that were empty and teachers who were paid salaries but stayed home. officials estimated at the time there were 3,000 so-called ghost schools in the province. however, pakistan central bank doesn't believe the number of false claimants is as high as has been reported. >> we have a very elaborate system of bio metric identification. if you put your time on the screen, it tells you who you are, where you come, what is your able, where you work kind of thing. based on that, it's not difficult at all to identify who are the genuine pensioners. >> an investigation has begun.

>> frankly, what we heard is there is no system, no checks and if they are, those checks are not implemented. >> getting to the bottom of what's really been going on could take many months. nicole johnston, al jazeera, islamabad. >> in bangladesh, the overuse of pesticides isn't just a problem for the environment, it's dangerous for the farmers. many admit to not using protective gear when spraying the chemicals. we have a report now. >> once a week, he goes into his field to spray crops. he uses no protective equipment, no masks, no gloves, no shoes. he steps on the poise that barefoot, but doesn't think it's a bad idea. >> of course i don't wear shoes on my feet. that would ruin my crops when i step on them.

that wouldn't work at all. >> he doesn't think there are dangers with the way he uses pesticides. most farmers get their information on the chemicals from pesticide treaters, who rarely use protection themselves. >> if you follow the rules, then you won't have any side effects. you need to avoid spraying the pesticide into the wind. >> the world bank says more than half of pesticide traders in bangladesh report frequent health systems associated with acute pesticide poisoning. >> the air here is much cleaner than in the cities, yet many farmers end up developing breathing problems. we've got this list of 10 farmers just in this neighborhood who are suffering from respiratory illnesses that are possibly linked to pesticide exposure. >> he has been unable to walk properly because of his breathing problems for the past three years. his breathing is heavy and loud. he pauses between sentences to

gulp in air. >> it's because of pesticides. i used to spray a gas to kill in sects. i inhaled that a lot. >> he is so bad that he's had to give up work. with safety information scarce, some farmers are gambling away their future without realizing it. al jazeera, bangladesh. >> time for a look at the weather now. rob's here. rob, typhoon season is causing concerns. >> oh, yes, it's a good season, if you like typhoons. this is now one of a pair of major typhoons. let's look at slight picture. this is the pair. look at the center, when you see an eye like that, that's a well developed storm. both are typhoons. we are going to come straight not on this one here, which is likely to go up past japan and

disappear, but this, which is just now starting to affect the philippines, the northern island island. this has just started. on the western side, the winds are already bringing up the waves, not huge, but they're just starting, as i said before. what's going to happen with this? >> it's a category four typhoon, so one up since this time yesterday, winds gusting to 70, now its course is interesting. it's forecast to not actually make landfall, but will graze landfall on its way up to southern japan. in doing that, it could well bring something like 300 millimeters of rain, but i don't think much of a storm surge, so we'll watch it. >> still to come, three

firefighters are killed in the u.s. as wildfires continue to burn in several western states. >> we'll take you to an island in the indian ocean, whose natural beauty is forcing change on the people who live there. >> in the gaza strip, a shortage of open space has led to sport being played in unusual places. great time for a shiny floor wax, no? not if you just put the finishing touches on your latest masterpiece. timing's important. comcast business knows that. that's why you can schedule an installation at a time that works for you. even late at night, or on the weekend, if that's what you need. because you have enough to worry about.

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>> south korea fired artillery shells into north korea in response oh to a rocket attack by pyongyang. >> british police will be deployed to calais after an agreement of a joint effort to stop refugees. >> in yemen, four people have been kid in a bomb attack on the govern's temporary headquarters. this is in the southern city of aden, the first attack since pro-government forces took control of the city from houthi rebels last month. >> in cane i can't, the bonnie people of the bonnie national reserve forest is a tribe that has lived there for centuries, but now, they've been caught in the middle of the modern day

conflict between the kenyan army and al shabab fighters from somalia. we have a report on how the tribal community's way of living is threatened. >> northwestled between the indian ocean and cane i can't's border with somalia, in recent months, this forest has become a hideout for al shabab fighters. it has consequences for the tribesman. >> the forest is our mother. for generations, we depended on it for food and medicine. there is a reason this community shares a name with the forest. we can't live without it. >> at the village, no running water and no shops, with no access to health care and other resources, the bonni ranks have dwindled and the strike is on the brink of extinction.

it's on going insecurity causing alarm for the community. >> for centuries, the way of life, living on wild fruit, about herries, honey and game meat, but all that is now threatened by the presence of not only al shabab in the forest, but also the kenyan defense forces fighting them. >> a honey farmer doesn't remember when he last went to the forest. he is now forced to set up beehives in the village. >> i'd say that for my security, not to go to the forest. i fear being taken or slaughtered by al shabab. they kill everyone they find in the forest. >> hosting a number of people displaced from neighboring settlements affected by the fighting, he is one of them. >> there was fierce fighting between al shabab and the army in the middle of our village

there was gunfire and some houses were burnt down. >> to bring the government attention to their numerous problems, representatives of the borni community have taken their case to the government. the bonnies elected leader send as passionate plea an their behalf. >> we need security. we need titles for hour land, the first ever land titles held by anyone from this community. al jazeera, boni forest in can he be i can't. >> south sudan's president has reassured the u.s. that he that every intention of signing a peace deal to end the civil war. he refused to sign the agreement monday, saying he needed more time. the u.s. meanwhile has asked the u.n. security council to impose an arms embarring gore and sanctions against south sudan if there isn't a deal. >> a palestinian detainee on

hunger strike for over two months has regained consciousness. he was held by israel for nine months without trial. earlier on thursday, the supreme court suspended his arrest warrant, so he could receive medical attention. the 31-year-old suffered brain damage due to his hunger strike. >> now, he's awake, he's very weak. he gets all the medicine. he started to speak with those who are next to him. i hope that this is a kind of improvement in the very, very long wait, that he should go in order to be again functional and well. now we are telling him what happened and what were the decisions, the legal decisions yesterday, in order to convince him to start to get some fluids and some maybe sugar through his

stomach in order to gradually starting to feed him normally. >> any person born on u.s. soil is a u.s. citizen. it's a right guaranteed by that the constitution, but in texas, advocates say a growing number of u.s. born children are being denied birth certificates because their parents are undocumented immigrants. al jazeera's heidi zhou castro has the story. >> >> an american flag flies outside the texas hospital where this baby was born almost two years ago to an undocumented mother. the mother, juana, asked us not to use the family's last name or show their faces. she was a warrior from birth, juana said of her now 1-year-old. she spent 20 days in intensive care, fought for her life then

and i'm fighting for her now, fighting for a birth certificate to show proof the would child is a u.s. citizen. after brought to the o, juana had two older children who had no problem getting birth certificates. at the time, hospital records and juana's i.d. card from the consulate were good enough. when she returned to the vital statistics office this year to get a birth certificate for her youngest daughter, the same documents didn't work. the state of texas is now making it impossible for most undocumented parents to get a birth certificate by requiring documents they can't get. documents like a driver's license, which the state refuses to issue to undocumented immigrants, or a foreign passport with a valid u.s. visa. an attorney represents children and parents in a lawsuit filed against the state of texas.

>> what are these kids going to do? they have no birth certificates. that's outrageous to me and it's discriminatory. >> texas has asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing a state can't be sued without it's own consent. a spokesperson for the department of state health services declined to speak on camera, but wrote: the lawsuit asked the state to offer another way for undocumented parents to prove identity, like accepting a passport without a u.s. visa. >> the most internationally accepted form of i.d., whether you have a visa on the passport or not is completely irrelevant for the identification purposes of the passport. >> the court is considering whether to accept the case or allow it to move forward. >> she should have the same rights as a child born to american parents, juana says, and since she's too young to fight for herself, i will fight for her. meanwhile, as the first day of school approaches, juana's daughter may be denied enrollment in preschool and the mother's desperation will grow. >> heidi zhou castro in texas. >> in other parts of the united states, wildfires are raging

across the west, which killed three firefighters working to contain a fire threatening the town of twist. that's in washington state. four others were injured as their vehicle was overcome by flames. fast moving blazes ever scorched more than 400,000 hectares stretching from montana and idaho and oregon. they've presented evacuation in towns from washington all the way to california. >> one of the fast growing new commercial technologies is the manufacturing of drones. the u.s. has long made use of them as weapons of war, but at home, use of the unmanned aircraft is heavily restricted, giving canada a huge advantage to cover the market. we now report from waterloo. >> factory delivery by drone, caught see of amazon. after the 2013 announcement, it took so long for the u.s. federal aviation administration

to approve, that test flights were moved to canada. this country is host to a growing number of firms that supply drones, unmanned aerial vehicles and their technology to other industries. from surveying arrays of solar panels to displaying and selling luxury homes and mundane mapping of factory routes for heat loss, best done after sunset. >> in the u.s., you are not allowed to fly at night. in canada, we can take those people off routes in canada. in america right now, some are working those routes at night. it's dangerous. >> this factory west of toronto sold its aerial vehicles mainly to the u.s. and other militaries. one was deployed over libya by anti gadhafi forces in 2011. the peaceful use of drones is where all the growth is no you, according to the founder.

>> we are seeing a transition from military heavy focus of our business back into the commercial market and opportunities that we see in this middle market of professional users, where you can keep people safe and do things more cost effectively. >> in nepal, medical charities have an eye in the sky over wreckage from this year's earthquakes. in the stormy seas, a u.s. government agency that made the most detailed aerial survey of the sea lion population, all because canada is forward looking on the regulation of jones. >> their laws lag behind the technology. when you have an agency like transport canada that is going to work with industry, it's been great. you've had almost the sort of parallel development of regulations, as well as at the same time that the technology is up. >> as the market expands for this sort of aerial work,

american regulators are changing, but slowly. concerns about crowded air space, safety on the ground, even terrorism of paramount, while in canada, an industry gross as the u.s. considers its options. >> so think of the cell phone, not long ago, they were highly specialized, used by very few people and now are everywhere, so, too, the unmanned aerial vehicle. people say quite literally in the future, the sky is the limit. >> daniel lack, al jazeera, waterloo. >> now, to an island of spectacular natural beauty, a long way from anywhere in the middle of the indian ocean, reunion, its french territory and 40% is unesco world heritage sight, turned into a national park. as pan i can't paige reports, farmers are being forced to change their way of life.

>> the area's beauty is recognized as a world heritage site, but five years after becoming a unesco park, its problems haven't been solved. >> we live in the park. there's some pollution from hunting and rubbish. we're helpless to solve it. we thought the park would change that problem, but nothing happened and now there are more rules. >> they are farming outside the rules. they are suspicious about why they haven't been certified by the park's managers. >> the risk is that the park once said to be a lodge in a place with farmers. >> more imagines may be needed to cater for the predicted rise in the number of tourists attracted by the park status. there's plenty to see on the island, from soaring peaks and

waterfalls to rainforests and beaches. there needs to be a balance between preserving nature's beauty and satisfying the people who live in it. >> the park has a living heart, hundreds of people live inside it, which is rare for a world heritage site. it was the people's choice to be like that. in every life, there are rules. living with unesco means respect between people and nature. >> the farmer is supposed to keep his animals behind fences now, not roaming free in the forest. this family has farmed here for 100 years, so it's all they know. if they can't exist in what is now a unesco world heritage site, they will have to change. that change will happen when his father retires. without certification, they will have to close the farm, but hope to open a tourism venture instead, so unesco world heritage site status means the family does have a future in the park. it just isn't the one they'd hoped for.

>> al jazeera, reunion. >> coming up strict away is. >> with the sports news, including back on the court with women's basketball. it is making a return.

>> people in the u.k. could be prescribed e-cigarettes to help them quit. some criticize them as a gateway to tobacco use.

>> to vapor not to vape is the question smokers who want to quit ask themselves. until now, no one really knew if they were an appropriate alternative, but on wednesday, the u.k.'s public health body came out in favor of vaping to help smokers stub out their tobacco addiction. >> every year, nearly 80,000 people still die from smoking. they want to encourage all smokers to quit and quit for good. there are a range of tools available, using smoking ceasation services. >> studies suggest that e-cigarettes could be 95% less harmful, but the studies have only taken place over a two year period, meaning that the long-term effects are still

unknown. there's an urgency to tackle the addiction to smoking. it's one of the biggest threats to public health. 1 billion people around the world smoke tobacco, about half die every year from smoking related causes, according to the word health organization. another 600,000 non-smokers die as a result of being exposed to secondhand smoke. >> we are not recommending these problems to non-smokers. there doesn't seem to be appetite among non-smokers. these products are aimed at cigarette smokers, struggling to quit. what we're seeing is that e cigarettes are helping people to stop smoking successfully. >> there is a plan to fast track an egret approved by the federal regulation industry. if it gets the go ahead, doctors may be able to prescribe e-cigarettes to help those trying to quit. al jazeera, london. >> time for all the sports news

with. >> >> olympic sprint champion said he can't save athletics from doping on his own. he was once again asked about the issues as he prepared for championships saturday. the iaaf has spent three weeks defending itself after allegations of widespread blood doping in sport. bolt, who never failed a drug test said he is disappointed by the claims. >> i think there's a lot of other athletes out there there are running clean or run over the years clean through their whole career. it's not only just on me, because i can't do it by myself. i think it's the responsibility are all the athletes to take up on theirselves to save the sport, show that the sport can go forward without cheats or without athletes that have taken drugs over the years. >> the organization continues to

deem with the fall yacht from corruption allegations. coca-cola, series a and mcconn in other words demanded reform to fifa. several firms were arrested in may. u.s. and swiss investigations are continuing. a professor in sports business and marketing at can you have venery university say companies want to make their decision known. >> it's a difficult position. on the one hand, clearly they want to take a positive stance, active stance and want to make a stand. it's very hard for them to actually walk away from such deals, because if we take coca-cola or adidas, they have long standing relationships with

fifa, investing huge amounts of money, millions if not billions over the decades. if they were to walk away, a competitor would walk in and take their place. they walk a fine line between doing something and doing nothing. increasingly, what sponsors are looking for is to actually make if you like not just a statement about their own values, but also a brand statement, positions statement which basically says yes, we want to do business, associated with football in a clean and moral way. >> the middle east first rooftop football pitch has opened in the gaza strip. the densely populated war battered palestinian territory has few open spaces that can be used to play the sport, leaving football officials to look for playing grounds in unusual locations. we have this report. >> in the middle of gaza city skyline, a splash of green. this is the middle east's first

rooftop football pitch, the unlikely sporting venue opened in june and has quickly become a popular destination. the captain of this community league says having an astro turf pitch to play on has improved his game. >> i feel so happy when i come here for training. making such a place in the center of gaza has made it so easy for us. we give more as players as a result. >> this rooftop football pitch is the only one of its kind in the middle east, but across the gaza strip, there are still very few open spaces for palestinians to play sport in. >> one year after israelis 50 day bombardment ended in a ceasefire, most of gaza remains in ruins. israel retains strict border

restrictions and most places haven't been cleared, including football stadiums and other sporting centers, which is why so many continue to play sports in the streets or anywhere else they can. these children kick around a football in the lane in front of their home, dodging rubbish and rubble as they score goals. muhaed has been playing football since he was four. he says he wishes he had a better place to play with his friends. >> our neighbors keep shouting at us because they say we make too much noise. we don't have the money to do anything else. >> the idea to build a rooftop football pitch came from palestinian football officials who found funding from the government of qatar. for now, only those who are part of local leagues or those who can afford to pay the entry fee can play here. there are plans to create for public spaces for sport, which is badly needed.

>> one of sri lanka's greatest cricket ears that begun his final test match. he was given a guard of honor as he walked out on the pitch in colombo. the 37-year-old is the most prolific scorer in sri lankan history. india closed on 319-6 on day one. australian captain is also playing in his final test match. day one of the five ashes test between england and australia at the oval in london. the aussie is 141-1. also in his last game went out for 43. >> away australian made disrespectful remarks about his

girlfriend. he has lost respect from fellow players. >> out of anger for what he did. i think as a player, you realizes more what he did and what's the consequence for private life, for personal involving in that case that's not just few words, but with one sentence, he can touch a lot and hurt a lot of people, that's for sure. >> for the first time in three decades, the city in iraq has its own female basketball team. it was disbanded during the iraq-iran war and never regrouped until now. poor training facilities and cultural restrictions have made it difficult. the coach assembled 11 teenagers to play at the kurdistan cup.

>> women in basketball and sport in general is unacceptable. we can say that it's not very common. we have something in mind and we will achieve it. >> that is all the sport for now. >> thank you very much. >> the largest arts festival in the word is taking place in edinboro. >> edinboro is engulfed with performers showcasing their talent. there are no rules or artistic limits. it is open to anyone with a story to tell. that makes it a unique environment. >> good morning, how can i help you? >> marcus has already made it big as a comedian on t.v., but he keeps coming back. >> sam, how are you? >> it attract everybody, like huge named comics, brand new people waiting to be discovered.

>> he started out playing to empty seats, but can now sell hundreds of tickets a night. >> i was discovered here. i won the bbc new comedian award. in edinboro, i got good at what i do. >> here in edinboro, the competition is brutal with over 3,000 shows trying to attract the same audience. it's all about how many flyers they can get out, or how many posters they can stick up around the city. >> amy is making her standup debut at the festival in a tiny venue with a look warm crowd. >> [ laughter ]

>> she says she has to be in edinboro to get noticed but will come out of out of pocket. >> i will leave a few grand at the end and still have had a good time in edinboro. it's crazy, everyone makes money apart from the artists. >> artists are here to hone their craft and hopefully find an agent. >> people performing here right now will end up touring internationally, will end up on television, will end up in films made by hollywood producers. >> the next big thing could be found at a church or even on a bus. just some of the stages, and can the costs, artists know performing here might break the bank, but not their spirit. >> we've got a lot more to come here at al jazeera. do stay with us. don't go away.

tensions rise in one of the world's most heavily militarized borders. north and south korea exchange fire. ♪ hello. welcome to al jazeera live from doha, headquarters, i'm martine dennis. also to come, britain sends police to calais to protect its borders while the rest of europe grapples with the biggest refugee crisis since the second word war. plus -- i'm on