announcer: this is al jazeera. hello, welcome to another newshour from al jazeera, from our headquarters in doha. i'm dale finucane, coming up in the -- adrian finighan. coming up, refugees held in champs in hungary as the army prepares to bolster security. thousands in japan forced from their home as rains trigger flooding with landslides the china's prime minister assures of the world of the health of his country's economy.

>> i'm at the oldest film festival in the world, venice. pioneering a new cinema we begin with the europe refugee crisis. in berlin, angela merkel is visiting a refugee center which processes asylum applications. 250,000 arrived in germany this year, 37,000 crossed the border in the first 8 days of september. let's listen to what angela merkel had to say that's live television. we missed what angela merkel said by seconds. we'll clip it up and play it to

you. let's go to hungary where refugees that just arrived are kept in camps surrounded by barbed wire fences. hungary is planning to bolster security be deploying troops. refugees have been huddled on the hungarian border. police say that 3,300 refugees were put into camps on wednesday. it's the highest number of people in a single day. meanwhile crowds, people, spent the night in rain on the border between greece and macedonia. let's go live to mohammed jamjoom, who is on that border between hungary and serbia, where where continues look miserable. >> absolutely.

terrible weather today. it was bad enough before. it's been raining constantly in the last two hours. every refugee is freezing. while they are getting help, there's charities, aid workers, medics. refugees say it's not enough. what you were mentioning a few moments ago, about how the military is being ready to be deployed to the border here, and the training exercises going on right now in hungary. that is a reason all the refugees, whether from syria or afghanistan, why they are concerned crossing into hungary. they don't know how long they'll stay in the camps or venture into washington or germany. yesterday we spent practically all day out here, speaking to so many refugees that are so concerned, and they just want a bit of comfort and compassion, here is the where were. >> reporter: with hearts heavy as their spirits weary, they

keep walking. for many, the borders hardly matter any more, because it's their pain that can't be escaped. >> translation: when my husband and i got to greece, a policeman beat us. he hit me, i was three months pregnant. i lost my baby. >> reporter: the syrian refugees say for them every day is like torture. >> i can't forget what happened to me and my husband. i don't know why he would hit us, beat us. we came here to europe to feel secure. i want a home for me and my husband. i want to take a shower. i want to sleep.

>> reporter: on hungary's border with serbia, it's fear and fatigue that you encounter, more than anyone else. >> translation: she always asks me why we sleep in the cold. i don't know what to say. i'm trying to make a better future for her, making things better for us than they were in syria. dozens of refugees are lined up waiting to get on to buses. they have been told they'll be taken to a refugee camp a few miles down the road. there's a lot of fear among the refugees that i've been with. they are not sure what will happen next, if they'll be processed or asked to apply for asylum here, what is going to happen next. what they want is to be able to get to austria as quickly as possible. they try desperately to make

sense of it for their son. but he is too young to comprehend what is going on. >> translation: my son keeps asking me why we going to germany. i tell him so we can bring your mother and sister here. he says "i want my mother, i want my sister", it's very difficult. >> reporter: with few possessions and fewer answers, refugees an only wait and wonder. when the bus arrives, it's telling that syrians are not listed. as it departs, it's clearer than ever that this influx seems nowhere near over. >> you know, it's not just the conditions on the ground here that is causing so much concern. many of the refugees i have spoken with, they have no way to stay in touch with family members at home in places like syria or iraq, or family members and relatives behind them making the journey from other

countries. i had a 15-year-old syrian boy come up to me. we let him use our phone to send a message to his father in damascus, because he hasn't been able to speak to him for a week. there was worry, he was worried whether his dad was okay in syria, and his father whether his son was okay here. that's the level of desperation that we are encountering in hungary, with the refugees, who have no idea how long they'll be here and when they'll be reunited with their families and try to go on to a better future for themselves. thank you mohammed jamjoom, on the border between hungary and serbia. we caught the tail end of german chancellor angela merkel comments as she visits a refugee center in berlin, processing asylum applications. rob reynolds was listening in to angela merkel. rob is with us in berlin. what did she say? >> well, one of the most interesting things that the

chancellor said, adrian, in her brief remarks in the federal agency for migration and refugees is that she had met with several families of syrian refugees. as far as e know, that's the first time -- as we know that's the first time a leader of a country which committed to accept so many refugees met with members of the counter wave of refugees. she said that - she described the stories that they told her as having described a moving fate, without going into details, meeting with families, including small children. the children would be key to integrating the families into german society. she wants that integration to take place as quickly as possible, and as the young children will be adept at learning german, they'll help the families to adapt.

a couple of other things she said in the rocks, every refugee application needs to be taken seriously, but it cannot happen all at once. each refugee that aapplies for asylum is supposed to get a hearing before a panel, within about three months. right now that slips to about six months, and refugees are awaiting a bit longer. the decision to stay in germany, she said, will go along with the decision to get work for the refugees. so she is talking about a joint cooperative projected between the employment and work organs of the government of labour, ministry and so forth, with the refugee ministry, so that refugees can try to get a job in germany as quickly as they can. of course, all this comes at the background of a big meeting

coming up next week with all the e.u. members, that germany will insist that other members will accept a quota of refugees, and lift some of the burden off the german united nations which are pretty swamped at the moment. >> thank you, indeed. rob reynolds live in berlin now to japan, where floods in the east of the country are affecting up to 800,000 people. 100,000 people have been forced from their homes. many others are needing emergency assistance. caroline malone reports. >> reporter: a wall of water rushed into this part of eastern japan, taking all in its way. rescuers are overwhelmed with people needing help. especially in jorso city. they are signalling to the emergency services in military

services planes flying overhead for help. the river broke its banks after a second day of heavy rain. overflowing across low-lying areas. >> translation: at least heavy rains are unprecedented. this is a normal situation, there's imminent danger. serious disasters such as landslides and flooding occurred. they are still happening. >> reporter: heavily rains comes after the droppical storm crossed the area on wednesday. the government is doing all it can to help people. >> translation: the rains are unprecedented, likely to continue. the government will prioritise and take every possible measure. >> reporter: as many as 5 million may be affected by the down falls. some have made it to emergency shelters. >> we had rain in the past, but

we have not seen this much water in decades. thousands of others are brought up in the floods and need assistance live to tokyo. rachel is with us now, live. we hear about the 100,000 people. how many people are out of their homes tonight? >> it's an unfolding situation as you can see from the vision coming this afternoon. dozens of people are still waiting with whatever is available. helicopter, a boat or whatever, whatever they can flag down. at the moment there are 115,000 people in a prefecture that have been advised to leave as a precaution. but 90,000 were ordered to leave. as night has fallen in japan, the rescue effort is all the

more difficult. >> what is the local governments doing to assist? >> well, shinzo abe held a conference today with the prefectural governments in the affected areas, and he told them that the national government is ready to provide whatever assistance is needed. he's urging a prefectural government to be as ready as possible, and a disaster headquarters has been established in tokyo and the prefectures themselves. the resources of the defense force have been brought in to the rescue and relief efforts. tonight, as the situation unfolds, we don't know how many resources will be needed in the coming days. >> what is the situation now at the fukushima nuclear plant? >> all we know at this stage, tepco, which is the agency that overseas the operation at fukushima nuclear plant released

a statement saying that the already problematic contaminated groundwater at the plant has been inundated this afternoon, and hundreds of tonnes of contaminated water flowed out into the issues, this is a worrying unfolding situation as well. we don't know about the extent of that problem good to talk to you. thank you, rachel from tokyo you're with the newshour from al jazeera. still to come - trouble upstream. this is a power producing lake in zambia running low, causing problems for a lot of people we look apt a project in -- at a project in south sudan leading the way ensuring foreign aid helps the people that needs it most and could roger federer set an all swiss clash between stanislaw wawrinka in the u.s. open semifinals. hopefully someone will tell us

later in the programme u.s. secretary of state john kerry expressed concern. in a telephone conversation with his russian counterpart sergey lavrov, the second in a few games, if the reports are true, pictures released by activists show russian fighters backing syrian forces and there are reports that russian military equipment arrived in the country. the secretary-general is concerned. >> i'm concerned about reports about the russian military in syria. that contributes to solving conflict. it's important to support the efforts to find a political solution to the concrete in

sudan. >> let's get a few from this from a retired air force general, joining us from imam. thank you for being with us. you are not surprised that the russians are admitting to being involved on the ground in syria. >> it's clearly obviously that as the forces face great setbacks on the battlefield recently, so the - this movement sends a great signal, such as bashar al-assad must not go and that is why we see big cargo. and two ships landed there. so they are trying to prepare runways over there. brief fabricated houses.

1,000 initially, and are trying - all this is to receive the exponential force, including fighter pilots that can fly planes, to conduct air operations. that will complicate the air management in the whole of syria. and will affect the operation what is the aim of all of this, do you think? >> it's not against - probably might be - the intent is not very clear. they are saying that they'll fight i.s.i.l. or protect the regime. i think merely they want to protect the regime, to protect the inference, interests and influence in the area. getting very much involved they should advance it also. get very involved in the war. it's very difficult. they might attack the rebels by

americans, where they conduct the programme, or nusra, or all over syria. it's a tough mission. we heard n.a.t.o.'s secretary general express concern and john kerry expressed his concerns about russia's involvement in syria. you have just explained some of the dangers there. what are the wider dangers though. for international relations? >> well, also, i would like to mention here that trying to put political pressure on the coalition to come to the negotiation table and to do this transitional period which they are working on, under the umbrella of bashar al-assad, and to conducts, later, the election

and constitution, but i don't think this will work out. we'll find total rejection from the coalition, and some of the arab state supporting the rebels. so it's very worrying situation, and will complicate the crisis furthermore good to talk to you. thanks indeed. retired air force general there. live in aman china's premier says that the country will achieve its target, but the process will be painful. speaking alt the world economic forum in the northern city, victor chang conceded that the target of growth will be hard to achieve. more from adrian brown in beijing. >> reporter: well, the chinese premier appeared a nervous man, as he addressed an economic forum in the city. among those in the audience, c.e.o.s from around the world, trying to understand the strange generations in china's economy.

the speech was significant today. it was the first time he has addressed the problems in china's economy. since the country started to fall in june. of course, in august, the government made the decision to devalue the chinese currency. since then it's fallen by 4% against the u.s. dollar. the premier sent a message of reassurance, saying china's economy was a sound bet. yes, there were going to be a period of transition, that was to be expected. it gave a guarantee, a promise that china will achieve economic growth of 7% this year, and hinted that it was going to be difficult to do that. so overall, the premier was suggesting that china's government is in this for the long haul and said, you know, have faith in us. we are a country that has an economic growth rate better than other developing economies. on the day that they were speaking. new figures came out to show

that the inflation rate is at 2%. the inflation rate the same as the interest rate. there's a lot of cheap money sloshing around the system. there's a reason for that. the chinese government wants people to spend more and shift into economy based on manufacturing, based on consumption, and chinese people want to by more stuff, ideally chinese-made stuff. analysts say it's a high-risk strategy, one the rest of the world hopes will work south sudan received billions in aid since it gained independence. there's concerns where the money has gone. it's the first of a 4-part series, in the first of a 4-part series. natasha reports from juba on what project is called a success story. >> reporter: this is south sudan's first and only paved

highway. since it was completed three years ago, it's become a vital trade route. it leads to the border of uganda, and is the quickest way to reach the port of mombassa in kenya. >> about 50km in, drivers can stop at the store. for a drink, or even a diaper. >> before the highway was built. i used to make 50 sudanese pounds a day. now i make 200 to 300 pounds a day. >> reporter: the highway cost 225 million to build and was funded by u.s. aid. not one sent was given to the south sudan government. u.s. aide designed the projected, hired the contractors and oversaw each mile of the highway until the end. >> we have a responsibility to american. oftentimes the governments

around the world would prefer we give the money to them directly. it's more efficient and effective to go through a local government organization, or a partner to make sure that the resources get to the people who need them. >> south sudan's auditor general says the americans have the right approach. >> he's trying to track where every dollar of government money is going. that includes billions deanated in south sudan. i have not seen much in the kind of things expected in structure and in terms of investment, and investment in human courses, children in school, and health infrastructure. i haven't seen it. because i haven't seen it means they haven't gone there. >> reporter: they can't say what happened to the money donated to south sudan through charity.

the mandate was given the authorities to investigate that. his advice, donate money and ensure that every dollar reaches the intended destination let's explore the issue of disappearing donated money with sam deer from the charity giving what we can, who is with us, live from oxford in the u.k. when we talk about money donated, misappropriate reeted, we are talking about big single donors, institutional donors, like governments. how can those donations be tracked to ensure that they are not ending up in the wrong place, and in people's pockets? >> that's a great question. look, in order to track the donations, i think we really need to make sure that there's real accountability and transparency in the aid and charity system.

donors, whether they are large national or individuals can have confidence that their donations are used. >> in terms of the u.s.a. contracts mentioned, it looks like that was - you know, had proper eyesight over it, it's regrettable when other approaches may not have the same level of oversight. and individual donors are missing out on their money. and charities not using the money correctly. it's regrettable because it gives charity and aid another name. that's really disappointing, because unfortunately small nans instances are not reflected of aid. aid is a powerful force of good, i wouldn't like viewers to go away with the impression. but it is rare. donors need to look for charities that have a strong history of accountability. >> what about the victims here,

in that their intentions are sound. they appeal for the money from institutions, and private donations or people who are willing to give the money, and then the money at the other end, once it is misappropriated once they have passed it on? >> yes, look, i mean you need checks and balances in the system. it's important for the charities to do the appropriate checks and test out the local country goers are not going to misuse the money. this is obviously a complicated environment to work in. people have to improvise, sometimes it's hard to make the right call. so long as charities are making the best effort they can to be transparent, it's possible to

make sure the donations will be spent well. >> sam deer, thank you for talking to us, from giving what we can. >> let's get a weather forecast. the meteorologist is with us. in japan we saw heavy flooding. is the worst over now? >> i think the bulk of the rain has fallen. the rain is going to take a fair time to make its way through the watercourses. it's an unusual set of circumstances. combined to produce the heavy rain. we have the remnants of a tropical storm. moving across japan, and it's basically gone. we have tropics that confuses things, it helps to enhance the rain fall. that's more than half the rain, it was north of tokyo where

things were interested. 335mm of rain in 24 hours. but in 48 hours, that's 453mm. even that is dwarfed by the total we have seen. 444mm, which beats a previous record of 2012, and 202. it's a one in 50 year event. if you look at the forecast. you see it moving on throe. one or two isolated pockets in the area. coming down at the rate of 50mm per your. fukushima could see some of the rain. most places are seeing the north of it. in the far north they'll see the heavy rain continuing. elsewhere it's a case of watching it and associated flooding. >> thank you for approaching the midway point on the newshour. still to scam. i'm nicole johnson in karachi. coming up we'll investigate the

water mafia, how they control the water supply for millions of people in sport, we'll hear from new england patriots quarterback tom brady about how he's pumped up for the n.f.l. season following the deflate-gate scandal. we'll be right back.

hello again, here with the newshour from al jazeera. refugees in hungary are being kept in closely guarded camps surrounded by barbed wire fences.

3,300 refugees are were taken into camp, the highest number in a single day in japan two are missing and 1,100 stranded. it was a day of land, floods and landslides. heavy rain, the site of the 2011 disaster led to the leakage of radioactive water into the sea. >> china's premier has been trying to reassure the world about the health of the economy. speaking at the world economic forum, china would hit the target of 7% growth, but conceded that it would be difficult. >> police in denmark say that they will not stop refugees going to sweden. some train services between denmark and germany resumed after being suspended. more than 200 refugees refused to dis'em bark on the trains because they consistent want to

be registered in denmark. for some refugees trying to reach sweden on food, were stopped on the highway. the laneways closed. and residency papers were issued to all refugees. >> some syrian refugees will be offered homes in the united states. more on that from ross jordan in washington. >> the president obama administration made much of the fact that it spent more than 4 million in humanitarian aid for countries effected by the civil war. now the pressure is growing on the administration to bring the refugees to the united states, this is what the secretary of state john kerry had to say after a closed door meeting about the refugee problem demerl on capitol hill. >> well, i believe the president's made it clear that

he wants the united states, which has always taken a leadership role with respect to humanitarian issue and refugees, to do what we can. i met with members this morning. we are committed to increasing the number of refugees that we take, and we are looking hard at the number that we can specifically manage with respect to the crisis in syria and europe in their migration to date. that is being vetted fully right now, and i think at the appropriate time we'll have a better sense of what the number can be. >> however, there is growing criticism of the obama administration's handling of the refugee crisis, even though the united states sits more than 10,000km from syria. the secretary of state noted that no decisions had been made, but there are active consultations under way on how the u.s. can best respond to the crisis. lebanon's politicians agreed a plan to resolve the rubbish crisis. due to an emergency cabinet meeting called by the prime minister.

protesters were on the streets angry at the government's failure to provide basic services. weeks of demonstrations were triggered, involving other issues, including political corruption. more now from beirut yet again, thousands of government protesters took to the streets of downtown beirut. they were in the square behind me, where they protested about the rubbish, and the failure of the government to provide basic services, and they were fed up with a political system, based on sectarianism. i may ask some of the young why they protested. if you can tell me why you came out to the streets. >> first of all, i'll with my friends, classmates. we were held here. we wanted basic rites. the minimum water, electricity, and we do want our children to

live in a country based on sectarianism. >> are you confident that things will change? >> it will take a long time. at the end, it's turning out to be a big revolution. the more it goes, the more we'll do this. >> will there hasn't been tangible results of the protests that have gone on for weeks, people are optimistic and adamant. that is why the protesters, after the main demonstrations come here outside the ministry of environment. because, after all, it was the rubbish crisis that triggered off the latest faith of anti-government or the system, protests. saying that they need to see the government, and at least that would come in the formality of the resignation of the minister of environment. the protesters need to gain momentum, despite no tangible

results. that has not dampened their moral. seems people are getting more assistance, and frustrations that grows. more and more on to the streets republican politicians in the united states continue to debate the iran nuclear deal. they are unlikely to stop congress approving it. tuesday, the u.s. president obama got the support he needed to overcome a congressional agreement. we have this report. >> the house will be in order. >> the house of representatives was supposed to be filled with u.s. congress members arguing over whether to support the agreement negotiated with iran. it was supposed to be an easy debate and vote. given the republicans don't like the deal. >> at this point i think the president lost this debate with the american people. he lost to the moment he agreed to a deal that allows iran to stay on a path to develop a nuclear weapon. we are going to do all we can to

continue to try to stop this bad deal. >> republicans say the white house has not fully disclosed what they call side deals between iran and the international atomic energy agency. until congress has that information, some refuse to vote on the agreement, negotiated by world powers, including the united states still, the secretary of state and energy secretary at capitol hill explained the science behind the deal, to convince undecided lawmakers the agreement is the only way to ensure iran cannot create a nuclear weapon. >> we spent many hours. they learnt jarring an and de --oringon and details about material they probably never expected to learn. >> reporter: outside the laws of congress, two rallied in opposition of the deal threatening israel's security.

and it is still held in prison. in prison, for the crime of preaching the gospel. including "the washington post" report. it is a disgrace for this administration to abandon americans in iranian hell holes. at this stage the opposition is likely to have little impacts. there's enough senators backing it deal that if congress rejects it, the senate can veto the resolution. the clock is ticking. whether or not congress chooses to vote. the iran agreement will go in effect on september 17th border crossings between venezuela and columbia have been closed. one of them in the north is one of the region's largest trade hubs. it was closed on tuesday. a stand off between the

neighbours began three weeks ago. venezuela began a crackdown, deporting many living in the country illegally this was the last major border crossing still open between venezuela and columbia. that changed on tuesday when president nicolas maduro ordered the closure of the crossing between the popular state and venezuela, here in columbia. you can see behind me signs going back to their country, and they have been waiting hours to do so. there hasn't been many deportations from venezuela to columbia. but they continue to move back to the country of origin, saying that they share a reprisal in venezuela, because the government is blaming them for the chronic shortages.

it also seems to have closed the door, at least for now. other meetings. president nicolas maduro, and on wednesday, the columbian president has some of the hardest against the venezuela government. >> the revolution is self-destroying. it is destroying because of the results. not because of columbian or the president. there's no solution, and the economic consequences will be harsh for the people living here, who are used to moving freely through the borders. in brazil. thousands of taxi drivers blocked traffic on highways in sao paulo. they have been protesting against uber, complaining that they are not properly regulated and low costs give them an unfair advantage. gunmens shot dead a technician

working for a private television network. the attackers opened fire on a van. the largest broadcaster. it's the latest attack. two others were injured. for years, armed gangs controlled the water supply. the water mafia stole millions worth of water and sold it on the black market. as nicole johnson reports, police are cracking down on them. >> reporter: on the outskirts of the city, hidden from view an illegal water station. the owners have tapped in underground pipeline owned. all day trucks fill up with stolen water and sell it across karachi. >> translation: we sell for $4, they resell it to the people for $25. >> reporter: the water mafia thrives on the fringes of the

city. armed gangs control the neighbourhood. >> reporter: this is one of karachi's illegal water pumping stations, what is shocking is the water comes from a sewage well, piped through here, powered by motors and sold on as drinking water to the people of karachi. karachi only has enough water to meet 50% of its needs. the waterboard estimates 30% is wasted, stolen. it's a powerful business, worth millions of dollars. water barons with 30 to 40 tankers, earn about 16,000 a day. the waterboard is cracking down on them. over 200 pumping stations have been raided. >> this illegal money is showing

other illegal and terrorist activities in karachi. they survive in an area. this area affected with the terrorists and gangs. >> over 70% of the stolen water is sold to industrialists. five years ago this area was closed because there wasn't enough water. the owner buys from the black market to keep his clothing business open. >> they are holding it. this is because a few big people are involved in this. those who are the people who are making money, good money out of that. because it cannot do such a big operation like this. >> reporter: despite the crackdown, the leaders of this underwater world are still operating.

the cost of illegal water in karachi has doubled. somewhere, someone is making a lot of money a drought in zambia saw the level of the world's largest man made reservoir drop to its lowest in years. the amount of water in the lake receded to less than half of its capacity. forcing power cuts. people around the lake are suffering the most. >> reporter: golden shores and waters of lake carr eeba. the local communicateies, the lake is part of every day life. the dam provides neighbours with thousands of megawas of power. drought has the lake at its lowest levels in year. >> the cycle normally is that in february the lakes gets to its minimum and begins to rise. in february, the lake didn't

rise. it stabilized, and instead of coming up it kept going down. we have lost probably another 2-3 meters since the beginning of that year, when we should have been gaining more steve thompson owned the lakeside lodge for 12 years and said it's only once before he sou the lake so low. and is worried. >> if the lake gets too low. they'll not generate power, which will not just affect our business, but the whole of zambia. that's a big issue. >> reporter: according to official data the dam was huge, impacting the eighty to generate power. they imported power from south africa, it has its own issues and challenges in regard to generating the electricity supply. it's been importing power. and there's no quick fix, and structurally they have challenges in regards to the

electricity center. meanwhile, the local power company introduced country-wide power cuts and rationing to manage the crisis. >> smaller towns like this, and bigger cities developed. the demand for electricity crew. the borders, the lake and the dam - businesses and residents relied on the waters to keep things going. >> without electricity, they'll come to a stand sting. the worries don't end there. they collect water before the supply is cut away. >> i do it by the grace of god. for paul and the community, there are a few things more valuable. without it life would be impossible scientists in south africa discovered a human-like species.

researchers found fossils at the archeological site known as the cradle of humankind. it's thought the species was alive up to three years ago. the early whommanins had feet, and brains a third the size of a human's. ahead on the newshour, all the sport. a year before the european gains, an iranian rider attempts to make history. we have the explanation in a few minutes.

a boycott of grapes - seen as an shiftic victory for labour unions, but the strong united farm workers union lost much of that power. from california, tom ackerman reports. pedro left his native mexico for california 30 years ago. what he grows reminds him of home, the livelihood coming from soil, tending the same vineyards sprouting a landmark. led by chavez, filipino and hispanic workers walked off the job in 1965, demanding better pay and health conditions. >> chavez's nonviolent tactics gained him support through a

boycott. millions of americans sop stopped buying grapes. since his death, they do not see the union offering much help. >> translation: they pay a little more. but it's not enough to live on, he says you can go elsewhere. >> reporter: in power, chavez's unit farm workers is a shadow of what it was, weakened by splits, competition from rival unions and hostile environments for organised labour across the u.s. the union has claimed success, protecting workers from oppressive heat conditions. >> workers are entitled to a 10 minute break every two hours paid for by the company. there'll be shade and cool drinking water provided to them. >> it has fewer employers under contract. many workers have been fighting to revoke the u.s.w.'s authority to represent them.

the flow of mexican born farm workers who make up much of the labour force has been dropping. wages have increased. >> the shortage is occurring. and that's also consistent with the data that we find. from mexico, people are working. >> translation: a lot of my friends are going home to mexico. i will as well. >> ultimately what is keeping him in california is his seven children. few work in the fields. time for sport. here is ra hall. >> thank you. we'll begin with tennis. roger federer is a step closer to ending a 3-year draught, the 34-year-old at the semifinals of the u.s. open, as elise holman reports. >> reporter: roger federer has not dropped a set at this year's u.s. open so far. against frenchman richard gasquet he was challenged.

the swiss showed off all of the qualities that list him to 17 grand slams. he didn't face a single break point. prevailing in 87 minutes. at 34 years of age, roger federer is surprised by the ease of his victory. >> maybe at my age to run through five opponents at the us open, i don't consider normal. i expect in some ways to come out. i played well in 1.5 years. i don't feel i'm as old as i am. roger federer's semifinal will be an all swiss affair. the cup team-mate was just as so. he saw off kevin anderson 6-4, 6-4, 6-0. stanislaw wawrinka has beaten roger federer three times in 19

meetings. one of the most -- he won the recent clash in the french open quarterfinals. >> i get it from him. my level improved, playing better tennis. i was very close to him. >> with romania's best known olympian gymnast. tal op secured another piece of history for her country. despite a 90 minute wrangling, victoria azarenka was beaten in three sets to book a first semifinalist here in flushing meadows. she'll place flavia pennetta on thursday for a place in the final. flavia pennetta getting the better of petra kvitova. >> well, the other semifinal on thursday, seeing serena williams condition her bit.

the top seed facing world number 43. winning all four of the matches against the italian. season number 50. the n.f.l. gets under way with defending world champions. this has taken on the pittsburg steelers. much of the off-season was dominated by the ratery ots and the debate gate row, and they were accused of debating balls to gain an advantage. the man there, originally banned patriots quarterback. it was overturned by a judge last week. >> i'm excited to run out there thursday night. there'll be months like this everybody. i think what my job is, and what i need to go out there. sports websites in the united states would claim floyd mayweather was given an

exemption by the world anti-doping agency after taking a banned intravenous injection. allegations are coming outs ahead of the fight that floyd mayweather says will be the last of his career. the unbeaten floyd mayweather aiming for a 49th career win. in contrast to floyd mayweather's last fight against manny pacquioa, thousands of tickets still available. >> i pushed myself. i believe in my skills and my town. i've been with the pest. results are always the same the head of football federation australia has confirmed that its women's national team, the matildas will not take part in a tour of the united states, with the squad continuing to strike over pay. the world cup quarterfinalists earned a fraction of what the male counterparts make,

reversing understand $15,000 u.s. a year. australia were due to play two matches gains the current world champions, the united states, in may this month. several thousands tickets have been sold for the two matches. an iranian dressage rider had a chance of history. they'll be competing in the equestrian qualifying event. she reaches the required standard. they'll become the first representative at an olympic games. the first woman from the middle east. she is back in the u.k., saying she receives plenty of support in the iranian government. i'm so happy, so proud for my country, iraq, which has always been my dream. and for now, living the dream, it's incredible. very pleased to be representing women in iran, not only iran, but the middle east, and it's a

great feeling. >> now, after 11 years on the protour. the veterans announced immediate timing in the middle of california. bizarrely he did it moments after posting a perfect score of 10 during the heats on wednesday. the american made his announcement, saying he'll take no further part in the event or the tour, and not as australia mick fanning. after fighting off a great white shark in south africa. >> lots more sport on the website. for the latest check out aljazeera.com/spo aljazeera.com/sport. that's all the sport for now. >> i'm retiring with immediate affect. you can finish the programme. >> that's it for the news. >> come on then. [ laughs ] >> stay with us, al jazeera, another full bulletin of news with me in a moment.

russia's foreign minister confirms military and huge have been tarian aid has been flown into syria hello, this is al jazeera live from doha, also on the programme, hundreds of thousands forced from their homes in japan as rains trigger floods and land slides. refugees held in camps, as the army strength edges the boarder security. china's prime minister tries to reassure the world about the health of his country's