hello. you're watching the news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes. the journey to safety in western europe just got more difficult as germany introduces border control. shot in the legs by isil. we meet one of the many syrian refugees who blame violence in their homeland. israeli police fight with palestinian youths in the alexa mosque compound in jerusalem. and the dutch debate on assisted dying.

how ill should someone be to have the right to die? i have the sports including golf's ever youngest number one. she's the youngest winner at the age of 18. german authorities have temporarily reintroduced border controls with austria in a bid to reduce the number of refugees trying to get into the country. germany remains the destination of choice for many people, but authorities in munich say the city is now full to capacity. 13,000 arrived on saturday, with thousands more expected on sunday. hungarian prime minister welcomed the announcement saying the measure was necessary to protect german and european

values. in hungary over 4,000 refugees were detained in one day on saturday as they prepare to have tough new laws about the border crossings. we have more now on europe's closing borders. >> vienna station, sunday afternoon. these syrian refugee families were among the last to leave before rail services were suspended. there will be no more trains between germany and austria until the pressure of numbers can be reduced. at the other end of the line in munich, day after day authorities have welcomed the new arrivals with open arms and compassion. the reception centers in bavaria are now at full capacity. >> we have since the 31st of august we have 63,000 refugees who arrived in munich. >> reporter: hours after the rail services were halted, germany's interior minister made an unscheduled announcement, temporary border controls.

>> translator: this became necessary. the great willingness to help that germany has shown in recent weeks by full-time employees and especially by the many thousands of volunteers must not be overstrained. the measures taken are also a signal to europe. germany is taking on its humanitarian responsibility, but the burden caused by the huge numbers of refugees must be distributed with solidarity across europe. proposals for mandatory quotas to share the refugees among all european union countries have failed to gain traction. some eu nations threatening to veto such a scheme. france has offered to take 1,000 refugees from munich, a gesture the mayor of munich described as trivial in the circumstances. >> translator: we're still talking about human beings. i want to take care that in my city people don't have to sleep under bridges. that's why it's urgent to get solidarity from the other states, and i already told

french tv that it's a relatively trivial offer to take 1,000 people to france. that's an inappropriate offer, but it's not my job to deal with the european partners, and this is a call to chancellor merkel to use her influence in the european union. >> reporter: europe remains deeply divided on the refugee issue. some accuse these syrians of being economic migrants. the reality is very different. >> translator: i didn't come to germany because i like germany. i'm sad to have to leave my country. mohammed's cousin asma agrees. no one is happy to leave the country. there's nothing i want more than to go back. when syria is rebuilt, i will return there. >> reporter: the eu president said the new border controls appear to be admissible, but he expressed the hope that the temporary measure would indeed be short-lived. interior ministers from the 28-nation bloc will hold an

emergency meeting in brussels later on monday to discuss the next step. paul brennan, al jazeera. while european politicians try to find a solution to the crisis, refugees continue to arrive on shores despite the dangers. in greece the coast guard has pulled the bodies of 34 refugees out of the sea after a boat capsized off an island on sunday. at least half of the victims are believed to be young children. it's the latest tragedy on the busiest route to europe. thousands continue to arrive on greek islands every day. we have the report from lesbos. the pace of arrivals at the refugee camp at lesbos has not slowed, but something else has changed. the pace at which they're able to leave. and the pressure from the u.n.'s refugee agency and the eu, police reinforcements now register up to 2,000 people a

day. that's almost the same number as those landing on the island from turkey every day. the chaos and disorder of recent days has turned to calm efficiency. >> i will just take the photocopy. >> reporter: do you know that two weeks ago it was very difficult here? >> yeah, my friend was calling me. you don't have to come here because it's really, really pressured. >> reporter: now it's much better? >> i'm surprised what he told me and what i see now. it's a really big difference. >> reporter: the transformation of this camp since i was last here is extraordinary. two weeks ago this was a woeful place, thousands of people sleeping and living rough for days on end with virtually no assistance. now there are decent sanitation facilities. there are proper tents. there are medical facilities. there's a feeding station freely distributing food. i hate to think how this man

would have coped before. he was shot through both legs in an isil attack at the university in raqqa in syria. he was studying biology. what does it mean to you to be here in europe away from syria? >> translator: i've made my way through struggle and hardship taking great risks to seek medical treatment. in germany there are specialists to treat such conditions. >> reporter: the greek government has pushed the ferry companies to have more boats. people pay for their tickets, of course. >> in the early morning it was 45. now they're saying it's 70. so maybe one hour later it will be 80. so what should we do? >> reporter: also, you have a long journey ahead of you. >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: a lot of other expenses along the way. >> maybe five or six more countries to go to get to germany. >> reporter: in a few days more than 30,000 refugees and migrants have left lesbos, good

news for this island and for them. bad news for the already crowded road ahead that will get even busier. >> jonah is standing by on the greek island of lesbos. will this decision by germany have any impact on the flow of refugees heading further north from greece? >> reporter: well, so many of these people want to get to germany. no news there. i can tell you that during the course of this evening, there's another great, big ferry loading up two and a half thousand people. it's not the first ferry to leave the island today, and there will be several more tomorrow and every day. it isn't doing anything to deter these people, and on the basis of recent events, in the last few weeks, if anything, these moments, these crunch moments where news trickles back of a problem up the line, whether it's the macedonia border closing or a fence in hungary

tends to speed up the flow. people are desperate to get there before it's too late. so the problem really is not the flow onto this island. that's not going to decrease. the problem is the road up ahead, because if that gets blocked, if people start getting choked at points there, then this flow necessarily will stop and this island, because it is just an island and nowhere for them to go, will quickly return to the squalor and overcrowded unmanageable camps of a week or so ago. >> yes. as we see many countries, as you say, beyond greece struggle to deal with the influx of people, including germany now itself. another tragedy took place today. that, too, unlikely to deter people from making that perilous journey across the med terrai n mediterranean. >> reporter: it's not the first and unfortunately won't be the

last. the tragedies haven't deterred people up until now. often it's a refugee who is handed the tiller of a battery-powered motor to make a crossing under darkness with no knowledge of sea conditions. so accidents will happen. look at this wind blowing tonight. people will try to make the crossing this evening. perhaps fewer in these conditions, but people will. it will be a difficult one. >> thank you very much. jonah hull with all the latest for us from lesbos. almost 3,000 people have died crossing the mediterranean to europe this year. as we heard, that really hasn't done anything to stop the shear flow of refugees using this dangerous route. these images here show a rubber dinghy that sink on the greek island of lesbos on sunday. they all swam safely to shore with the help of local residents. refugees fleeing iraq rely on

people smugglers to take them to to greece, and not everyone survives the journey. >> reporter: they mourn their children. 9-year-old hida and 11-year-old zena. the family left iraq for turkey. from there, smugglers promised they would get them to greece. in a rubber dinghy boat meant to hold five people, the smugglers packed in ten. a few kilometers off the turkish coast it capsized. this was the same boat that the 3-year-old who washed up on the turkish coast was on. the image of his body lying on the beach shocked many around the world. the death went unnoticed. their mother describes the moment she lost her children. >> translator: the boat capsized on my head, and my children's heads as well. they were wearing their life jackets. they floated on the surface, but the sea waves were huge and the boat was right on top of their heads preventing them from

getting out. i was alongside them in the water. i sensed my daughter's hand touching me. i was not wearing a life jacket, so i kept drowning and went under. i didn't see them afterwards. the coast guard came for us after an hour, maybe more than an hour. we started to look for them during nighttime, but we could not find them. the next morning the tide brought the bodies to shore. >> reporter: the family lived in a very well-to-do neighborhood of baghdad. they could afford to pay smugginglers to get to greece. the vast majority of people live in camps like these and can't afford to pay the kind of money that smugglers are asking for, so they stay here. if they could afford to pay, they would leave. this camp west of baghdad houses those that fled from violence in anbar province. this family left there a year ago. they have lived like this ever since. they say they're losing hope. bashir is the oldest son.

>> translator: i have family in turkey, and i'm too embarrassed to ask them for money. if i had money, i would leave iraq today. there's nothing for me here. violence at home, hardship in this camp. >> reporter: the family never reached greece, and nare now back in bag. according to the international organization on mee integration, some 6,000 iraqis have fled this year, but that figure marks only the ones that have registered. many more refuse to go the official route. some of them leave camps like these risking their lives and putting them in the hands of smugglers with often tragic results. the right wing hungarian government passed laws to stop refugees from entering the country and stationed soldiers on its border. despite that, there are some who feel solidarity with the refugees in the country. we have the report. >> reporter: it's a border that gets more chaotic and more sinister by the hour. where the soldiers are as

imposing as the razor wire is dangerous. still, the refugees arrive. hungary's government couldn't have made its position any clearer. in a church just minutes away, one sunday sermon sends a very different message. here a flock is being urged to open their hearts and homes to refugees. >> translator: what we feel here is there's an enormous need for humanitarian aid, and this is why we try to help as much as we can as well as showing sympathy towards the re gees. >> reporter: while the amount of compassion is enormous, he also knows fears are growing. >> translator: their understandably afraid to some extent with these waves of refugees they say every day. if there's a need for help, they're all here and ready to act.

>> reporter: the centsment may sound simple, but the issue in anything but. in taking the stance, the father isn't just defying his government, he's also defying local church leadership. hungary's cardinal said the church cannot take in refugees because that would constitute human trafficking. even members of the church are conflicted. >> for hungarians here to live together with this many people who are coming. >> reporter: she and her husband, both teachers, agree the refugees need help, but disagree with how they're going about seeking refuge. >> they spend a lot of money for coming, but if they are here, refugees they can come in order in a normal way and not this other way how they are trying it. >> reporter: outside the church are other reminders to be charitable to the refugees. these signs seek donations for children. the father's faith may be strong, but that doesn't lessen

his concern over how the crisis is being handled. >> translator: it's hard to see how this will end and what the solution will be, because we see no guidance from the government as to what a solution would be. >> reporter: down the road on hungary's border with serbia, the tensions are rising as fast as this makeshift camp is expanding. two days ago there weren't nearly this many tents or trash piles. here, where hope has been cruelly stopped in its tracks, many barely even have a prayer to cling to. al jazeera, hungary. much more still to come for you on the al jazeera news hour. arab foreign ministers meet to discuss a resolution to yemen's conflict, the humanitarian crisis is getting worse. this syrian refugee were granted asylum last year. now they want to go back to where they came from. and we'll hear from roger federer as he goes for a record

sixth title at the u.s. open. israeli police have fought with palestinians at the alexa mosque compound in jerusalem just hours before the start of the jewish new year. police say they entered the courtyard to arrest palestinians throwing stones, but the palestinian president abbas has condemned the move which he says was an attack against worshippers at the holy site. we have the report. >> reporter: there are all too familiar scenes inside the alexa mosque complex. people running from tear gas, the sound of stun grenades. hours before the start of rosh hashanah, the jewish new year, israeli police entered the compound. they cleared the area from a mass of youths throwing stones

and fireworks. >> that's our policy, only shut the front doors without entered the al aqsa mosque whatsoever. there are hundreds of people praying on the other side, and i'm talking about the western wall area where it's necessary for our offices to immediately intervene. >> reporter: over the years the status of al aqsa has become highly politicized. >> translator: there's a small part of the temple now it's our duty to preserve. if we need to enter the compound, it's our religious duty to do so. >> reporter: last week they banned two muslim civilian groups who patrol the compound. the defenders of islam say they're protecting islam's third holiest site from extremists. israel accused them of proceed voking clashes. in a statement the palestinian president abbas condemned what he calls an attack by israel.

the presidency strongly condemns the attack bit occupier's military and police against the al aqsa mosque and the aggression against the faithful there. >> as you can see from the scene, the army is using the fire bombs and tear gas. it is the one that is practicing the aggression. on the other hand, what israel is trying to do is impose a system of racism where the jewish israelis are given privileges. >> reporter: the flash point that is al aqsa is nothing new. each side blames the other, and al aqsa is a focus point of mistrust and intention. the al aqsa compound is inside the old city known as the noble sanctuary. to many muslims it's the third holiest sight in islam after mecca and medina. it's the most sacred sight in judaism and known as the capital

mounts. this is a move that's never been recognized internationally. let's get more on this now. joining me in the studio is mateo. can i start by getting your thoughts on the timing of this latest round of violence at the al aqsa mosque? >> already, they're in the holy month of ramadan. there was a tense atmosphere in this part of jerusalem, but it's on the eve of the jewish new year. visits by jewish leaders are more and more frequent and attempts to pray at the compounds, which is not part of the agreement, were made. so it was kind of in the air. >> yes, it's a sensitive time coming just before the jewish new year, and in any case al aqsa has always been a flash point for the israelis and palestinians, but particularly during the course of the last year. talk to me about the deeper underlying causes for that.

>> jerusalem is a flash point in the conflict. it's always been like that, but in the past year it's been a lot more like that. there have been more evictions of palestinians from their homes. there has been a lot of violence, stabbings, a child has been burned alive. so it's a tense situation in which palestinians feel segregated. israelis, on the other hand, are more and more religious and want to pray on the compound, which at the moment is forbidden. >> what about you mentioned the need for jews also to -- to them it's a holy site known as the temple mount. they want unhindered access to the site and they push israeli government to allow jewish prayer on the compound outside of al aqsa just above the western wall. could that be a cause for further tension down the line? >> well, they do have access to the site. the site is managed jointly by israel and jordan, so as long as

jordan wants, they can access the site. the agreement is they cannot pray there because it's considered a holy site for muslims. >> is that likely to change? >> if it changes, we will see more conflict, i believe. it comes on top of the things we were discussing before. so the palestinians are quite sensitive on this issue, so they wouldn't allow the status quo to be changed. >> israeli politicians are likely to resist that? >> there is a coalition dynamics in israel. there's a more radical component of the coalition that want to push on this just to push the whole situation in jerusalem in a different direction. >> of course, we have seen this continued violence of things dying down around jerusalem, but then violence breaks out again. do you see a risk of it escalating into something more series, more protracted violence? >> jerusalem in itself is a tinderbox. any political palestinian presence is completely eliminated in the past decade,

so there's no political mediation. if there is violence or unrest, there is no one to mediate. >> mateo, thank you. now the staaudi-led coaliti launched a major ground movement in yemen to push out the houthi fighters. it's an oil-rich area about 170 kilometers east of the capital up sanaa. troops are trying to drive out houthi rebels that control the areas along the roads that lead to sanaa. the aim is to tultly retake the capital so they can return over 4,000 people have died in the war. >> translator: survival is using any means possible. in yemen this includes the old way of doing things. for five months supplies of water and electricity have been scarce. where once there was plenty, these are difficult times. >> translator: people are having a hard time finding water.

we walk for 50 kilometers a day to get supplies to villages and rural areas. >> reporter: the tough conditions haven't stopped people from flocking to military camps. hundreds of people have came to this training ground hoping to join the military, itself suffering from limited resources. >> translator: we are treating people in a way that makes them able to secure the city and defend it from any possible attacks. >> reporter: the fighting with houthis ended a few weeks ago. the destructive intensity is too clear. they have produced three yemeni presidents and a city with a history of armed kwlik. now it's looking to its past to face the future. police say at least nine people have been killed in pakistan after an explosion on a busy road. it happened in the city of multan when a motorcycle hit an auto richter.

there's been no immediate claim of responsibility. after the defeat of the u.k.'s assisted dying bill on friday, many supporters are looking to the netherlands where the practice is legal. as the parameters for ueuthanasa starts to widen, they wonder if it's getting out of hand. we have the report from amsterdam. >> reporter: in the.netter lans it's not about whether it should be allowed but about whether more people should be able to end their lives this way. euthanasia has been legal in the netherlands since 2002. it accounts for 1 in every 25 deaths, and the numbers are growing. this doctor has helped dozens of people end their lives. ut euthanasia can be requested, but it's a daunting task. what do you say to nem? >> i say for me it's been a privilege to know you.

you are a very courageous man or woman. i'm glad that i can do this for you. >> reporter: ut naz ya is only allowed under certain conditions, that they have unbearable pain and inincurable and make the decision to die in the full consciousness. every year the boundaries widen even further. what began as a means of helping those termally ill extends to other people suffering from unbearable pain and mental illnesses like depression and dementia opening up a completely new debate. she lost her husband two months ago. he was one of holland's best loved poets and musicians. he suffered with severe depression. he's the first high-profile dutch person with a mental illness to be allowed euthanasia. >> he was really peaceful and ready to go.

he was full with love, and he didn't have any fear anymore. >> reporter: since it was legalized, 40,000 dutch people have been granted euthanasia. holland's catholic churches are exposed to it. they believe it exposes people to abuse. objections are voiced by those that helped to shape the law, such as the dutch emphasis. >> the law was designed to be for extreme emergencies. what we see now after ten or 15 years experience in the netherlands is ut naz ya is now becoming a default option for dying. >> reporter: most dutch people sigh euthanasia as a fundamental right. a means to give dignity to the dying. after opening the doors to euthanasia, the country is now testing the boundaries and definition of unbearable suffering and when it's right to end it. lee barker, al jazeera,

amsterdam. there is much more still to come for you. we'll be looking at clandestine campaigning and the threat of intimidation changing the face of politics in russia. japan's prime minister visits the areas hit by the worst flooding in 60 years. we'll tell you why this spectacular crash damaged one riders hopes of contention in the moto gp title.

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killing me if they can get away with it. welcome back. you're watching the al jazeera news hour. a quick recap of the top stories. jec german authorities reintroduced border controls with austria in a bid to stem the thousands of refugees trying to get into the country. israeli police have fought with palestinians at the al aqsa mosque compound in jerusalem. it came just hours before the start of the jewish new year. the saudi-led coalition has launched a major ground offensive in the oil rich province. they want to drive out houthi rebels along the roads that lead

to the capital of sanaa. now with hungary preparing to implement controversial laws aimed at blocking refugees from crossing borders, thousands have rallied in the capital against the right wing government. from tuesday it will be illegal for refugees to cross the hungarian border. they have gathered in budapest to show they don't agree with the measures to control the crisis. some called on hungary to resettle up to 15,000 refugees. joining us now is melissa policem fleming, the chief spokesperson. thank you for speaking to you. we could ask about germany's imposition of border controls. what are the concerns around that in terms of impacting refugees? sgliem. >> i'm talking to you here from the austrian capital where we will see thousands and thousands here waiting to cross to germany, no longer any trains

going into germany. we've long been saying that germany cannot be the solution for european problems. we're also saying today that this kind of succession of individual countries taking decisions on border control is going to cause more chaos. we can fully understand the concerns of germany right now. the burden that germany has taken on is monumental. they say this is temporary. this is ahead of an extremely critical meeting tomorrow in brussels and we hope it's a signal to brussels that no individual country here is the solution. no individual country can opt out of the solution. this has to be a europe combined unified solution. otherwise, we're going to continue in the situation like this, and the people are going to suffer, the refugees. >> could germany sdis 's

decision have a positive meaning this week. could it incentivize them to do more for refugees across europe? >> obviously, the countries that have said that actually german can handle all the burden and they need not contribute are going to be seeing now that this is not the way to go. unacr has been saying from the start we have countries that the shores of europe, particularly greece right now, really needing help. and that what needs to happen is these centers for registration, receiving these people in decent conditions and screening need us to be established urge thely in greece, in italy and hungary, and these should be run by the european union, again, not by individual countries assisted by unacr. then the people who are determined to be refugees in need of international protection would then be relocated to all

eu countries under a distribution system. this will make the entire refugee crisis no longer a crisis but a manageable situation. >> there's one thing that it certainly isn't a manageable situation right now, depending on how long the german border controls remain in place and whether or not they extend to other countries. are you worried about the -- how it could affect the backlog of refugees if you'd like because we see thousands crossing the mediterranean from greece further north into europe? are you concerned that conditions could significantly worsen for those people? >> absolutely. we're very concerned about this, and unacr is stepping up, you know, urgently and massively where we can to at least allow people not to freeze at night and have decent conditions. of course, we see people in

transit and people on the road walking approaching countries not sure if they're going to get in. very little information, lots of misinformation. we're seeing still large numbers of deaths at sea. today 38 people drown. really close to an island, a dpreek greek island. so a continuation of people risking their lives to get to europe very much now uncertain about what faith they will meet once they arrive. >> melissa fleming from unacr in vienna. thank you very much. >> thank you. while the refugee crisis engulfs europe, some syrians have fled to other parts. world. al jazeera met five families granted asylum in uruguay in south america. but they are eager to return home. >> reporter: they came from lebanon last year. five syrian families escaping

war. the government in uruguay government gave them asylum. some want to leave. s she is a widow with five children and her husband died in the syrian city of aleppo. she said the life in uruguay is not what they were expecting. >> translator: they promised us everything, but there's no future here for me or my children. everything is expensive here. i work, but it's not enough. >> reporter: uruguay received 42 people from syria. they were given financial assistance for two years. a home and a promise of a better life. these people say that life in uruguay is not what they expected. even though the government has given these refugees a home, they have spent time in this warehouse. they say they want to go from here to the airport because here in uruguay their children do not have a future. the government has provided them with uruguayan i.d.s and travel

documents, but not all countries recognize them and deny them empty. he was a farmer in aleppo. he was thankful for what he was given, but he's afraid of what will help once the government's help ends. >> translator: i asked all the countries to help me give a good living to my kids. uruguay is very expensive. life is expensive. i can't live here. >> reporter: the human rights secretary here says those uncertainties are expected during the adaptation process. >> translator: we believe after two years they're ready to fly on their own. that's why the state stops supporting them. after that they can get everything a uruguay citizen gets. we can't give them more privileges than other people, because that would generate a problem in their own integration. >> they're getting ready to receive 72 more syrian refugees,

but what is happening with the families already here has raised concerned. another example that escaping conflict is only the beginning of a difficult and long journey ahead. the arrival of refugees into italy led to broad political division, particularly in the north where there's growing anti-refugee sentiment. it follows calls from the catholic pope for every parish to host a family, but some say it's not the right call for action as harry fossett reports. >> reporter: it's a happy afternoon. two local ski instructors got married. time to celebrate a new union, wish them well as they build their future. for many in this conservative town, the future feels like a foreign country. last month 700 of its 2,000 residents protested against the housing of 20 mainly african asylum seekers in a disused

hotel. more than 1,000 signed a petition against the plan. this group of young man is driving the anti-refugee action here with the help of a rep active of a regional movement. they doubt they're genuine refugees. they say it's not racist to point out there's no work here and no chance of integration. >> translator: what happens when they're able to leave the center? you know what's happening else why. they killed a couple and wrecked them. they're close to a school here. >> reporter: the men who inspire such fears are just a few hundred meters up the road. when they arrived two weeks ago, they were greeted by a shower of stones, eggs and bananas against their windows. now they can't venture beyond the white line outside of the hotel. >> we are not a bad people. what we want is for them to have patience for us and love us as a human being. >> reporter: when you talk to the vehement opponents, they

freely admit since it opened in august it brought on no real problems. they talk about fear of future criminality and a fear of a drop in tourism government. young people from here struggle to make a living while they have it easy. that's the argument. so what of the pope's call last week for every one of italy's 25,000 parishes to host a group of refugees? even the priest says now is not the right to yime. >> translator: first, we need to educate people that the others aren't the enemy. you have to love and welcome them. they're people to respect. their idea for the future is the same as ours. >> reporter: for now the men at the refugee center say it's peace and a chance to work. unlike other migrants that

settled here, they have no chance to meet locals, overcome initial hostility and isolated in the isolated town, all they can do is wait. harry fossett, al jazeera, italy. authorities in turkey have quos imposed a new occur fee in the southeastern city of chisra two days after an order there was lifted. earlier they used smoke grenades and water cannons to digs% protesters. they were angry the a fur could you imposed in that area. japan's prime minister is visiting the area worst affected by recent flooding. shinzo abe said seeing the situation firsthand brought home the scale of the devastation. the floods are some of the worst in 60 years. at least three were killed and thousands were forced to leave homes. the focal point of mr. abe's trip was the city of joso. almost 5,000 residents are still waiting to return home.

wayne is there with more. >> reporter: officials have moved very quickly to try to repair the break in the riverbank along the river, because they are concerned, of course, that the typhoon season certainly isn't over in japan, and they need to try to plug that gap as quickly as possible before the water level rises again. there had been a plan in place to fortify all of the banks along the river so they could with sfand stand the rainfall that might occur once every ten years. clearly that plan came too late for this disaster. there are thousands of people in evacuation centers. clearly areaing like this too devastated and damaged for people to be able to return to just yet. still a lot of water lying around, infrastructure has been destroyed in places like this. so people simply can't come back to their homes and some may not be able to return for quite some time. as i say, still a lot rt waur

lying around so there's more pumping to lower the water level as quickly as possible. regional elections take place across russia on sunday. the government has succeeded in barring virtually all opposition candidates from the poll. the only region where opposition contenders are able to run is cos costroma. peter sharp joined one on the campaign trail. >> it's almost a clandestine affair. they're secluded gathered to meet the young opposition candidate. he's had six meetings every day. a healthy r hulky bodyguard stands close. the level of political intimidation of opposition parties has changed the very face of election campaigns in putin's authoritarian russia. >> translator: you should realize that all the possible methods are used against our campaign. they have dispersed the campaigners and physically detained me and banned materials

and attack volunteers and tried to interrupt my meetings. >> proof of that back in the campaign heads. three hours either yerl party organizer mikell was struck down with a blow from behind although the morning rally. he's still waiting for an ambulance. >> translator: there were no emergency services, and the police won't do anything. >> reporter: this regional election is taking place amid the worst economic crisis since putin came to power 15 years ago and it has the kremlin rate raltsed. >> because of the very difficult situation and no improvement, no economic improvement in sight, of course, the kremlin is concerned. >> reporter: under existing election laws, parties have to gather signatures to prove they can attract 3% of the electorate. the authorities have managed to disbar virtually all opposition parties by claiming their signature were forced. under these conditions, it's little wonder that pro-putin factions like these canvassing bear inning united russia party

feel optimistic about the outcome of today's vote. the party today us that these are free and fair election venlt the opposition would difrn. >> there is an overwhelming sense of confident among the pro kremlin candidates in this election that border on complacent see. many haven't bothered to campaign and some haven't filled in the election manifestos. the argument go, why bother? regional acting governors across the area have already been validated and endorsed by president putin in an election like this. that's more than enough to secure victory on the day. >> translator: we knew this would not a walk in the part. they let us participate here to get us in a trap. we expected the challenge and we're doing everything possible to get support and to win. >> reporter: five hours after he was assaulted, an ambulance finally turned up to take the

young party organizer to hospital. party officials said later he was diagnosed with a brain injury. peerp sharp, al jazeera, costrama. still to come for you this hour, there's a program in the united states transforming lives and public spaces. and the newly crowned u.s. open champion shows off her silverware in new york. we have the sports in a moment.

welcome back. time for your sports with jo.

thank you very much. despite being 18-year-old golfer lydia ko holing the titles to her name. now she's become the youngest winner of a major on the women's tour. she started the final round of avian championship in france and tied for third place. her round of 63 gave her an incredible six-shot victory on sunday. at 18 years, four months and 16 days she beat the previous record by six months. the current world number one finished eighth. if she was further down the standing, she would have regained the number one ranking as well. >> winning at any age is amazing at a major, and all players want a peek at their pest at a major. to say that i'm the youngest in history for now, it's so cool. the big thing for me is i won't

be asked that question, but it's great and it's amazing i can leave monday a little bit in the history books. to motogp now. mark marquette won a dramatic san marino grand prix. into the race most of the attention was focused on the yamaha pair of lorenzo and rossi who started from the front row. rossi leads the championship standing, but lorenzo took an early lead in the race. on the 22nd lap he crashed out. the spaniard walked away from this with an injured hand. it allowed mark marquette to take advantage and he went on to win the race. rossi's fifth place finish means he extended the lead to 23 points with five racers remaining. sebastian won the third consecutive world rally championship. there was fast-moving wide life in new south wales but no one

was quicker. the frenchman took over the race lead late on saturday and he never relinquished as he dominated. his teammate was second. he's only the fourth drive to have won more than two world titles. >> once again a very, very high one. it was the most difficult on the roads and still manage to win it. it's a perfect way to get a total again with ate victory. >> over an hour from now roger will take on dojavic. if he beats jovovich, elbe the most successful player in the history of the u.s. open in the modern era. >> i hope the crowd is going to be happy to see me in the finals as well again after six years now i haven't been in the finals. it sounds like a big deal, but

it's not that long ago. from my opinion and i still remember the six finals i played from 4 '04 to '09. i had many great ones. >> with the two biggest names in the men's final, this is bound to be another. look at how they stack up. jovovich has nine grand slam titled compared to federer's 17. when it comes to the u.s. open, jovovich has one title in 011. in contrast federer has won five times between 2004 and 2008. in terms of head-to-heads, the pair have met each other 41 times. federer holding the upper hand with 21 victories, but in grand slam finals the serb, jovovich has a 2-1 advantage most recently winning this year's wimbledon final. >> we know how consistent he is and how good he is in the latter stages of grand slams than any other tournament. he's always gog perform at a

high level. rarely he drops his level. so he always makes you play your best. >> newly crowned women's champion paneta is intending to retire after winning her first grand slam title. she's been showing off her trophy in new york at the top of the rockefeller center. she announced she was quitting tennis moments after winning the title at flushing meadows. >> i feel really happy. i mean, i'm really ready for this kind of life, for a change in my life. i couldn't think to do it in a better way. it's been 18 years since martina hingis won her title, but she's going strong in the doubles competition. she won her 11th grand slam title alongside her teammate. they wop in straight sets a day

after hingis won the mixed doubles with lee ann. australia has beaten england in the one-day match. there are concerns over him catching owen morgan. he suffered a concussion. morgan retired and is hurt and is monitored by medical staff. it comes less than a year after the death of australian cricketer philip hughes also struck by a ball. >> i think there are a couple of guys that were a little bit shaken up, starky in particular. obvious obviously, it was a tough summer for us back home losing a close mate. it's always nasty when you get a glance like that. yeah, there were a few guys shaken up, and i guess homefully owen is okay. >> that's all the sport for now. back to london. >> thanks very much. thousands of people have been evacuated as wildfires continue to sweep across parts

of california. the so-called valley fire began on saturday north of san francisco and quickly spread across an area of 40 square kilometers. four firefighters have suffered second-degree burns taeming attempting to contain the blaze. the u.s. city of philadelphia commissioned a mural of pope francis to commemorate his upcoming visit in month. the artwork is part of the unique public arts program in the city. kristen reports now from philadelphia. >> reporter: it may look like a lonely job, but for philadelphia-based artist david mcshane, making murals is all about community. he's putting the finishing touches on this piece, celebrating the philadelphia phillies baseball team. like almost every work commissioned by the city's mural arts program, the creation has involved hundreds of people in the design phase through the elm cushion. >> if i were a fine artist in a gallery situation, i might have a show up for maybe a month.

the audience would be relatively limited. outside on a wall, it's, you know, limitless. >> the city has become known for its murals, which are supported by a combination of public funding and private donations. the subjects vary widely from black history to suicide. unlike most public art, which is reserved for prominent parks or city centers. philadelphia's murals are found all over the city in poor neighborhoods and parking lots. the idea is that art is for everyone. the murals are painted on cloth squares before being hung outside, a process the public is invited to take part in. about two-thirds of this one honoring pope francis is completed ahead of his visit. those who come to see him in september will be invited to help with the rest. >> so basically when people come they will be produced the murals

for a time when all of this is involved. they can point out and say, hey, i painted that. >> reporter: jane golden started the program in the '90s as a way to stop graffiti, but it's become so much more thanks to work with prison inmates, school children and the mentally ill. >> i believe what we're trying to do is serve the city in the best way possible. the issues nil devil -- philadelphia faces are issues cities are grappling with. it's often the role of innovation and creativity that makes a difference. >> reporter: transforming public spaces and in doing so transforming lives. al jazeera, philadelphia, pennsylvania. well, remember, you can get the latest on everything we've covered in in bulletin and much more on our website. there you find all the latest comment nalganalysis and video demand and background on everything at aljazeera.com.

that's it for me. julie o'donnell will be here at the top of the hour.

germany warns it's close to its limits for coping with refugees. controls are reintroduced on the border with austria. registration improvements for refugees in greece, but there's another tragedy that claims 34 lives. hello there. i'm julia mcdonald. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. israeli police clash with palestinian youths in the al aqsa mosque compound in