>> hello, welcome to the al jazeera news hour from doha. coming up: >> riot police are deployed in croatia as hundreds of refugees arrive across the border from hungary. a coo in balk keen in a faso. >> a powerful earthquake strikes

in chile, forcing a million people from their homes. >> growing demand in china is fueling the illegal ivory trade. >> there have been chaotic scenes of riot police trying to control refugees in croatia. they will try to provide safe passage, but the minister has warned that the country cannot receive anymore people. tensions have also been rising at the railway station that

separates croatia's border with serbia. frustrated refugees are threatening to walk along the train tracks. croatia says 6,500 refugees have entered within the past 24 hours and that it can cope with several thousand, but not with tens of thousands. while in hungary, the foreign minister has just decided using tear gas on refugees on wednesday, he said the e.u.'s policy on refugees has failed and that he has put forward an alternative. >> let's create a european force to protect greece external borders. let's take over the financing of the refugee camps in jordan, iraq, lebanon and turkey. if there is need for new camps, let's give support. >> a croatia proposal put forward by the european

president has yet to be signed off by the 28 member block. under the proposal, e.u. members have to take in 160,000 asylum seekers under binding quotas. just how many people a country accept would depend on wealth, population and level of unemployment. now germany, which hosts the largest number of refugees has already backed the idea, as has sweden. it has taken in the highest number of refugees in relation to its population, but the czech republic and romania oppose the system, as has hungary, which is continuing to build a fence. countries refusing to take in refugees could face penalties. >> we have the latest developments. >> after finding no other way, these refugees are moving on, boarding buses from serbia's

northern frontier with hungary after the border was sealed. they are now bound for croatia. it's a longer route into the europeen union and they don't know what welcome to expect. >> i'm for it and i am tired. my money, i lost my money. i want to go anywhere. anywhere. i don't have choice. >> off loaded in syd, refugees are crossing on foot through fields into croatia. in the last 24 hours, thousands have made this journey. soon picked up by croatian police and registered, they're being transported by trains to reception centers near the capital. centers that lie less than 100 kilometers from croatia's border and the e.u. passport free zone. the desired destination for most

is germany, but slovenia said it will not create a safe passage for them. at the meeting, closing borders was said not to be a solution. >> passing on the refugee problem from one country to another is not a solution. the times are testing the union, are testing our union, and it is up to you also in a collective way to show resilience. >> these refugees will now be divided into three groups, those who want to stay in croatia, those who don't and those who belong in a special vulnerable category. on the border with hungary, all those left in the makeshift camps look vulnerable. these people have chosen not to leave, i canning elements and further violence. >> i will stay here to open this

door. i am not go to croatia and take myself there. i am not go. >> they wait for the barbed wire to open and they will be tree to move on. >> a member of the european parliament from croatia has called for unity in responding to the crisis. >> the problem is that croatia, the government expected this 500 to nearly 200,000 refugees and said they are welcome here. they are welcome. we are not to care for this many refugees and when they started coming, they were coming to east croatia, they sent the train to pick them up, 5,000 people on a train that only 1,000 people can load in and the rest of them are

now left in a temperature of 35 degrees. food is already running out. just to sum it all up, they were not prepared. >> the numbers are going to -- the indications are that the numbers are going to increase. >> the numbers are growing, from what i heard, there is about 10,000 of them, but they are coming to the corn fields. there is one problem, there's a mine field on some cases between crow arab that and serbia. i just hope the people crossing, going through the fields are not going to the regular border. i just hope to god they don't run into a mine field. >> so far, the government ho found it fairly amenable to the prospect of hosting some refugees. do you think that that is going to change, given the numbers we are talking about? >> what i've been seeing the european parliament do, every country should take as many refugees as they safely can take. those people need jobs, need a

place to stay, those people need something to live off and they can't, they don't have that. they are going to have to turn to crimes to live and once they turn to crime, people are going to turn against them, so that's why every country should take as many people as they can safely take in. >> how does your government feel about that, the prospect of taking in as many refugees as possible, because of course, you're a very new member of the european union and you're not a party to the sherman agreement, as far as i'm aware. >> they are going to bring the refugees food, drink, maybe medical supplies, then send them on their way to slovenia, austria and germany, but most of the countries now close their borders. some of sending the army, blocking the railroad stations,

and they are accusing each other of not doing enough. >> ok, well, that was a croatian member of the european parliament. now let's go live to a town, actually in serbia, but right on the border with croatia. our correspondent there is marco and joins us now. marco, we're hearing about the dangers inherent in veering off the main road in the cornfield in which you are actually situated, and the dangers that are there, and yet we are seeing people making that very, very dangerous journey behind you. >> yeah, they are coming here, and i asked some of them, do they know about these dangers, did somebody tell them when they entered serbia, and put them on buses here. they said no, they are seeing it for the first time.

they are using this road and from here, two kilometers up, it's croatian border, and there they see first croatian police and then they point them into the direction of railway station here in border crossing. actually right now, two buses came here to see if those are buses, these are people who crossed from macedonia to serbia. yesterday, they were on these buses and came here and entering croatia. when they pass by us from this morning, first they were saying croatia and then saying we are heading to germany. that's their route, but there are problems at the railway station, because there is a couple of thousands of people there waiting for transportations to registration centers near --

>> we've seen scenes, i'm just wondering whether we can perhaps have a look and illustrate the point that you are making where these people are heading, because we've seen scenes are riot police there, crowds of people presumably trying to get on to trains, but they are contained by rye jot police. that's the scene now that you are looking at, the scene that marco was talking about. to go back where you are, marco, if you could explain, how dangerous it is. we've seen small children walking along this road in the cornfields, how dangerous is it for somebody to inadvertently step off of the main road and perhaps encounter a land mine? >> yeah, that's very dangerous, especially a lot of people here, a lot of parents of small children are coming in to

croatia, but police, croatian police is the one who points them in which direction should they go. there are mine fields on the border between serbia and croatia. there is a map on an internet, you can see where those mine fields are, in red where they shouldn't go. they are using now the road that is used by people who live here for the tracks for their cars, so they are safe now. if they go into croatia without any kind of assistance from police, then they are in danger, especially in this area of borderline between two countries. >> marco, from what you're saying, these people who are passing along the road behind you, many of them aren't aware of the dangers that lie in these

cornfields. >> yeah, they are not aware. they don't know anything about croatia. their route was toward hungary and changed yesterday when they entered serbia and hear the news that border is closed, so they don't know any kind of information, so they are asking volunteers, they are asking police, but police in croatia is taking them to the train station to move them to the reception center, not allowing anybody to go by themselves over the corn fields, over the fields here on the borderline where they could be some mines left from the war between serbia and croatia. >> ok, thank you very much. our correspondent there in the corn fields near the border with croatia. >> that mass influx of people crossing europe, they're only some of the 4 million syrians

who saw the refuge in other countries, as the war rages on, the u.n. envoy that arrived in damascus. he'll talk to syrian officials and is expected to urge a political solution to the conflict. 250,000 people have died singles the start of the war in 2011. >> we've got a lot more to come on this al jazeera news hour including unruly scenes in japan's parliament as a security bill seeks to expand the military are debated. >> how the slump in the chinese economy is making it harder for zambian miners to put food on the table. >> in sport, just a day away from the start of the rugby world cup. we look ahead to the opening game as host england take on fiji.

joanne officer from balk fast's elite guard is facing a challenge from the head of parliament, the speaker are parliament. >> gunfire in burkina faso's capital, moments after the leader appeared on television, confirming a coup that had taken place hours earlier. >> dear patriots and democrats, people of the burkina faso, we are intervening to announce the removal of the transitional government. this will allow us to put in place a just and equal system. >> this was the scene of the night when the news of the coup spread. people marched toward the presidential palace. burkina faso leaders were in a meeting with the guard stormed in and detained them.

the guard has been in opposition with the government, accused of opening fire on armed protestors during last year's armed protest. violent mass protests included setting the parliament on fire last october. at the time, many said they didn't want military leaders. >> this was a popular revolution, so we want a civilian leader. >> we don't need military rule anymore. >> tensions have been building, especially ahead of elections scheduled for next month. members of compare are a's party have been declared ineligible to run. those who reported the expresident's bid to amend the constitution so he could seek another term are banned from running. burkina faso has suffered from recurring droughts and into the 1980's, military coups. although it has reserves of

gold, in recent years, the west african regional block has imposed sanctions on country that is witness coups. other countries faced similar situations. the question is whether what that worked there to settle things will work here. >> we are joined live from paris. thank you for joining us. it seems very much as though this coup has been triggered by the transitional government almost preparing to take on the republican guard. that that what's behind this? >> this is part of the issue, yes. i mean, there is several issues that have, you know, said frustration within our seat of presidential guard. one of them is i mean yeah, the

idea that at some point, the rsvp will need to be reformed and it will lose material benefits and it will have to be located outside of the presidential palace, but this has to be understood with the political contests. any elections that are scheduled for i mean that were scheduled in early october and of representatives of the former majorities are being excluded from the election, and so, i mean, the fact that they are not able to have a presidential candidate means that they have no hope or no possibility of regains power through the ballot. >> just to clarify then, you're suggesting that the pro camporia faction has teamed up with the presidential guard and are not happy because they feel they are going to be disenfranchised as a

consequence of the political pros and new elections. >> they never accepted that they lost power in the first place last year when he was overthrown, and so now that they see that they have no way of regaining power through the ballot, they are tempted by other strategies of destabilization. yes, there is somehow a collusion between at least a segment of the former ruling party and rsp to fight to preserve their interest. >> the spokesman who made the statement on national television also made some reference to preparing for what he described as credible elections. should we have faith in that process or is this merely a ruse? >> well, i mean, they only have an interest in organizing the election so far as their outcome will be in their favor, so, i mean, this -- their strategy in

the medium term or short term is not valuable. there is going to be a lot of pressure both from the people in the streets and from the international community to restore some kind of order or find some kind of compromise. that's going to be difficult, but i mean the strategy of seizing power and dissolving parliament and government, it cannot be accepted as such, so now they have to find a solution to negotiate and find some kind of compromise. >> cynthia, thank you very much indeed. live from paris. >> thank you. >> nearly 100 people have been killed in an oil tanker explosion in south sudan. they were trying to get fuel from the truck after it veered off the road. it happened in the western equatorial state. fifty others have been seriously injured. we can get the latest now from our correspondent in the south

sudan capital. bring us up to date. >> this is on wednesday afternoon, it was a tanker that overturned into a ditch. when that happened, it seemed people approached the tanker and were trying to syphon fuel out of it. it caused and explosion. it was then 100 people possibly died yesterday and 50 more seriously injured. >> western equatorial state, is this a state that is particularly beset by the fighting between rebel forces and those of the government? >> it isn't the epicenter of the fighting, but there has been a good deal of unrest there recently. one of the reasons why it is escalating in the country -- people syphons fuel out of the tanker have gone sometime without fuel. it is possible they were in dire

straits, that is why they syphoned fuel from the tanker. >> unfortunately, people are doing dangerous -- something we are seeing more and more of. >> thank you. >> a powerful earthquake off the coast of chile forced a million people from their homes. it triggered waves of up a four and a half meters high. a tsunami alert has now been canceled. >> the quake was relatively shallow. the epicenter was just under 50 kilometers left of the city. >> the 8.3 magnitude earthquake

hit as thousands were traveling to the coast ahead of a week long national holiday. people living in the capitol santiago described buildings surveyinging and shaking. >> the motion got stronger and stronger. we were on the 12th floor and it was not stopping. fits it was side to side, and then like little jumps. >> everything was moving so much that i had to hold the post, because i couldn't stand. then the aftershock. i had to take a cab, but now there's traffic everywhere. the earthquake today was very strong. >> 46 kilometers from the epicenter of the quake, homes were damaged and electricity knocked out. the mayor described the city as panicked. high waves have hit some areas and hazardous waves are expected along chile's coast. >> the most important thing

today is to support the people, protect them and avoid anymore deaths or injuries, and also ensure that all the appropriate measures are taken. >> a series of aftershocks have been felt. >> a former congresswoman is identified among the mexicans killed when an egyptian aircraft accidentally fired at their convoy. they were among eight mexican tourists killed sunday. the mexican president met survivors whoo told her they used and accredited agency to go into the desert. >> flooding in indonesia has now spread to thailand? >> yeah, thailand has now seen some very nasty flooding from a tropical storm. it sort of disintegrated but is still on the satellite imagery there in evidence.

>> it's further south into thailand, 144-millimeters of rain in less than 24 hours, that's a half month worth of rain. this is mobile phone footage initially just to give you an idea of the rushing water. there have been people washed away in that. you can see the extension of the floodwaters. >> there is very heavy rain, there could well be flooding here. i think another 30 millimeters is possible in the next 24 hours, which will make things worse. let's move the forecast through saturday. you can see that heavy rain

further towards the west. meanwhile, up in parts of china, this is the effect of the same weather system, really, that have that nasty conditions. it will take a few days before it clears. >> thank you very much indeed. >> the hundreds of thousands of refugees who are entering europe by whichever means and route possible, we can now go to croatia where so many people are forced to go to. our correspondent is there. tell us about the place you're in. we can see quite a few riot police and quite a few people. what exactly is happening there? >> yes, this is a place near the croatian and serbian border, more than 6,200 refugees arrive in croatia in last 24 hours,

more than three and a half thousand refugees are right now at this train station. at this moment, they are being transferred by buses next to the train station in the next village, which is around 10 kilometers away, and back there, they will be boarded to train and transported. they will be transferred to one of the five shelters around the city. the reason why they are not boarding here in a train, police are estimated that it could be too dangerous to board them here at this place, because more than 3,500 people would like to get into the train as soon as possible, because they are very impatient, waiting here for more than 24 hours. today is very hot day, the high temperature, people were nervous, the tensions were very high. about right now, the situation

is rather calm, and people are being transferred to the continental part of croatia. >> as far as you're aware, ivan, are many of these people people who have left hungary, disappointed that those borders are closed, or are these people who have come directly from macedonia? >> these people came from macedonia, but they went first to hungary and, hungary closed the border came back to serbia. when they heard to croatian border is open, last night, they decided, i mean yesterday afternoon, they decided to enter croatia. originally, around a couple of hundred people came first, then they were constantly on line with their colleagues, their friends, who stayed in serbia, and last night, after, i mean this morning after 1:00 a.m.,

more than 2,000 people came in less than one hour, and then the problem got bigger, but the croatian government as the situation handles shand they are organizing everything for refugees being transferred into the continental part of the country. >> ivan, thank you very much indeed. >> we've got a lot more to come here on the al jazeera news hour, including: >> whether the borders of europe or open or shut, there is no stopping this movement of people on to the beaches of greece. >> protests continue in the democratic republic of congo. the politicians critical of the president are expelled from the ruling coalition. >> the final semifinal in the euro basket semifinals. we'll tell you who's made it through.

>> hello again, let's have a look at the top stories here on al jazeera. there have been chaotic scenes in croatia as riot police struggle to contain thousands of refugees who have arrived from serbia. six and a half thousand asylum seekers have entered the country after hungary imposed a tough border crack down. the interior minister warned that the country cannot receive anymore people. >> a military leader in burkina faso says he said carried out a coup and dissolved the temporary parliament.

the land and airports have been closed and a night curfew put in place. >> nearly 100 people have been killed in an oil tanker explosion in south sudan. they were trying to get fuel from the truck after it veered off the road. it happened in western equatorial state on wednesday. >> at more countries reintroduce border checks, thousands continuing to land every day on the beaches of the greek islands. as jonah hull now reports, they are prepared to risk everything for the chance of a better future in europe. >> anyone who thinks that the closure of european borders will deter this human wave would be wrong. as we watched on the shores of lesbos, the boats came in. >> you've heard that there are problems, but will this stop

you? >> i will be. >> you'll keep going. >> keep going to germany to achieve my ambition. >> carefully wrapped in makeshift waterproofing, smart phones are vital tools, serving as both roadmap and guide. photographs and video on social media feed their expectations. this is a small leers facebook page. happy faces on calm seas safe for all ages at around $1,000 a head. there's even a fancy yacht for hire, but that costs much more. the promise is clear, get your tickets here to a new life in europe. the reality is different. cheap, overcrowded boats, accident-bound. sometimes the people aboard only learn how dangerous this journey can be when it's too late. this man and his baby survived,

but in recent days, close to 100 lives have been lost in greek waters. many of them are children. >> here comes another boat. now, volunteers guiding them in, local greeks ready to pounce and steal the engine. no matter what triggered this mass movement, germany implies to take them all in, all the false promises of the people smugglers, no matter what started it, pepper pet waited it, there is no easy way of stopping it. >> we know that the border situation is difficult, but god willing, things will get better. may god show us the way so we can go ahead and be able to protect these kids. >> whatever calamities lie ahead as europe's borders open and shut, whatever tragedies have yet to unfold in these waters, as long as there is war and poverty, and as long as there are smugglers getting rich on the opposite shore, they'll keep coming. jonah hull, al jazeera, lesbos,

greece. >> japans upper house is due to vote on proposed laws that would allow soldiers to be deployed abroad. this is the scene in parliament as opposition m.p.'s attempted to stall the bills. the lower house has already passed them. critics think the bills will reverse japan's traditional stance of pacifistism. >> an organizer for a new student movement, it has sprung up to fight the changes proposed by the prime minister. >> it's possible that the japan

go back to militarism, and there might be a chance of being apparel danger. >> until now, the strict interpretation of the constitution means japan will only use force as a last resort if it is directly attacked. >> some want a definition that would allow japanese forces to be used overseas in support of an ally like the united states for so-called collective defense. the prospect of japanese troops fighting overseas once more for the first time since world war ii is opposed by more than half the japanese public, according to opinion polls. >> called a snap election at the end of last year, he was riding

high in the public polls. the controversial surrounding this bill is causing that approval rating to plummet. he seems willing to trade popularity for an historic shift in japanese foreign policy that may stand as his legacy. >> there is also widespread opposition to the way he is using his majority in both houses of the parliament to push through the changes. >> exempt for two or three exceptions, all the other professors are saying that well, it is illegal, it is unconstitutional. i think this is also the course they are having to take to counter. >> it seems despite the damaging fallout, he and his allies believe it is a cost japan can and should bear. rob mcbride, al jazeera, tokyo. >> several senior political figures have been expelled from the department of congress's

coalition for signing a letter urging the president not to seek a third term. he has been criticized for plans to delay elections which are due in 2016. opponents say he is trying to stay in power beyond his two term limit, as dictated by the constitution. people have been protesting in parts of the capitol. we have more now. >> we told this is what led to people being fired, some very senior influential politicians within the coalition government were concerned that the president would try to hang on to power. it was ignored. after the third letter, the president had a meeting within his inner circle and said enough is enough. he then ordered these people to resign within a few hours. they didn't and he fired them. he sent a warning saying i know there are others within the coalition government who also want me to leave and questions my authority. i am giving you a few days to

resign. if you won't, you will be fired. there is tension on the ground. the opposition are concerned the president will want to hang on to power. protests have turned violent. other parts of the country, people are planning another protest. the u.n. is very concerned, trying to get all sides to sit down, talk and find a solution to this crisis. they are concerned if this doesn't happen, there could be more violence in the city, a major concern where they are already trying to deal with issues. a lot of people are very tense right now, people concerned about the way forward for this country and if the president does decide to hang on to power, concerned there could be more violence on the streets. >> we are getting news just in from switzerland where authorities approved a u.s. request to extradite former fifa vice president. he's accused of bribery and fraudulently obtaining american citizenship.

he's 83 years old and he is a uruguayan. he was among seven football officials arrested in may in zurich two days before the fifa presidential election. one agreement from switzerland for extradition to the united states. we'll keep you posted on that story as its developed. >> the main interest rate in the u.s. could be about to change. the federal reserve may raise rates on thursday and if it does, the rest of the world will really feel the impact. we explain. >> it's almost hard to believe when you say it out loud but interest rates in the united states haven't risen for a decade. the financial crise started seven years ago and the recovery has never quite taken hold. things have improved since those dark days. in the united states, unemployment is 5.1%, considered to be full employment, but now

we've got china's economy slowing and there's a new factor to consider. markets are in per periodual fear. is this the right time to raise interest rates. this will have international ramifications. the word bank and international monetary fund believe that janet yellen should delay an interest rate decision until next year, because if it happens, if they go up, it will likely prompt a rocky time for emerging economies in arab be sha, africa and latin america. that is where people have put their money while rates were low. a rise would cause money to pour out and their currencies to devalue. there's further trouble, corporations in emerging markets taking out loans in u.s. dollars will find their repayments rising. that will again put a brake on growth. of course, people in the united states who don't have fixed rate mortgages and loans, those

payments will increase, too, but there will be winners, too in the banking industry, a rise in rates is hugely profitable for the banks. if we were to assume a one percentage point rice in interest rates, for j.p. morgan that would be an extra $2.8 billion in net interest in come. as we said, the ram if i cases are potentially huge. janet yellen's only been the ahead of the fed this year. if she makes the call to raises rates it will be a huge and consequential first move. >> u.s. teenage in the state of texas led away from school in handcuffs after he brought a homemade clock to class. the 14-year-old's teacher suspected him of making a hoax bomb. police said later no charges have been filed. there's been massive support for muhammed after his brief arrest. president obama invited him to the white house and mark

zuckerberg that invited him to his company headquarters. >> i took this to school to show him the talent that i had, i wanted to show him. in my perspective, it didn't look like a bomb. >> we live in an age where you can't takes things like that to school. we've seen horrific things happen across our country. the reaction would have been the same regardless if a device like that is found. under the circumstances that it was found in the school. >> the colombian president is meeting his venezuelan counterpart next week to help resolve a border dispute. the venezuelan government has closed several major crossings in the last couple of weeks or so in a crackdown on contraband and crime. more than 1500 colombians have been deported. a state of emergency is in place in some border areas. >> miners in zambia say a slump in global copper prices is a catastrophe for their likely who said. more than 14,000 are about to

lose their jobs largely because of falling demand from china. >> thousands of families depend on the local copper industry. he lost his job after prices hit a slump. >> as a family man, i've got children going to school. it's hard for me to survive. >> he's now looking for temporary work, but that doesn't earn him as much as mining. >> most of the people here depend on the mine. >> the price of copper is the

lowest it's been in six years. a slowdown in china's economy means a drop in demand for the metal. the president of the mines said the government needs to change poses. >> what makes zambia particularly vulnerable is it's a commodity country. we depend very much on one mineral, copper, so fluctuations in that mineral price do have very deep implications for the economy in general. >> while higher tales for mining companies impacted the industry, mining bosses are also concerned about a countrywide electricity shortage. >> authorities say the mining industry won't be severely disrupted as long as regulators understand just how much power is needed to keep the mines running. >> this is a copper mine, one of the wettest mines in the world.

thousands are cubic meters are water flee into and are pumped out of its shaft every day. >> if we stop pumping the water, we flood the mine. we need electricity all the time. >> the mine is the large evident user of power in the country, using 14% of using electricity. >> it will put a crimp on how much you can do. hopefully it doesn't get to a situation where we have to have cutbacks in production. >> while industry boss us and the government consider options and a possible bailout from the international monetary fund, all that matters to this man is supporting his family. >> some great news from mozambique. it's been declared free of land mines after 20 years of intensive work to rid the country of almost 200,000 of them. the land mines were the legacy of a long civil war.

we have this report. >> these huge rode dents are the unlikely heroes in mozambiques success eliminating land mines. they've sniffed their wave into the record books. it is completely cleared of the lethal legacy of the civil war. it's been slow, painstaking work that's taken two decades. 170,000 land mines have been cleared, a breakthrough for the continent. >> mozambique can move forward to claim that land and use it for agriculture, development, infrastructure, there are so many possibilities, so it is great news for us. >> the land mines may be gone, but their effects on the people is clear. it's estimated they have killed

or wounded hundreds of people like celeste. >> 162 countries have signed on with an agreement, mines are rarely used now. >> when the ban came into effect, about 20,000 people a year were being killed or injured by land mines. today, that's down to about 900. mozambique's achievement in declared land mine free could inspire other countries that it is possible to be rid of land mines. >> these in discriminate weapons are designed to kill or maim. while the people of mozambique maybe safe, work continues on clearing land mines in a number of countries. tanya page, al jazeera, johannesburg, south africa. >> still to come here, we'll have all the news including the

toronto blue jays flying high again. we'll have that story in just a few minutes. >> i kept trying to make him not be a boy... it's not working. >> transgender children. >> i'd sit alone, i'd eat alone, i have no one to talk to. >> some dismiss it as a phase. >> we're trying to pigeon-hole him into "tom boy". >> but is it reallt a crisis? >> when your child wants to die... that's what changes parents. >> meet the families on a life changing journey. >> i finally get to blossom into the beautiful flower i am! >> saints and sinners. friends in holy places. >> this murder links the mafia and the church. >> tracking the mob from the

dark shadows to the gates of the vatican. >> there's even a mobster who's managed to take the place of the priest. >> what happens when the church stands up to the mob? as the pope visits the u.s., we take a closer look at the pope and the mafia. >> conservationists are saying chinese demand for ivory have poachers killing 30,000 wild elephants every year with tusks shipped through a complex web of traders via hong kong. we have gained exclusive access to a thriving global business.

we have this report. >> in tanzania, a herd of elephants move through grass lands, but their numbers are dropping by the day, slaughtered by poachers for their ivory tusks. >> they follow it until they are very close. they use the gun to shoot. after it dies, they take the axe and cut and cut and cut. >> while those at the top of the trade make handsome pro fits, desperately villagers risk much for very little reward. >> this job is very dangerous, if you are caught, you are shot. >> the illegal trade is fueled by a growing demand from china, where ivory remains a highly prized status symbol. traveling from tanzania to the busy port of hong kong, the gateway to this growing market,

between 2000 and 2014, customs officials seized 33 tons of ivory here. >> they are checking 1% of the cargoes. that's how much was seized and how much was not seized. >> we are determined to curb illegal poaching of elephants and ending illegal trade in elephant ivory. >> undercover, we meet dealers willing to help us smuggle ivory. >> you want to do this legally or illegally? >> in shanghai, we find buyers experienced in the trade. >> we can pay cash on delivery. we can do the deal at my company. right now, we only want african ivory. we only want african ivory. >> with the smuggling and selling of ivory so commonplace, despite global efforts to ban the trade, there's been little to stop africa's wild elephants from disappearing in just a few decades. al jazeera. >> you can see the full 101 east

program called white gold at 22:30g.m.t. on thursday here on al jazeera. right now, it's time for sport. >> thank you so much. we're days away from the start of the rugby world cup. england place fiji. the english players have their last session before friday's opener. the 2003 champions are currently on a seven match unbeaten run. their last defeat coming against new england in november. >> it's been a long three months. we've had a good workout against two great nations in warmup games, but we're fitter than we've ever been. i'm excited for them. >> cricket now and the bangladesh set to relaunch two years after it was suspended.

the 2020 competition was halted following relyvasions of match fixing. it included high profile players. receiving a ban of eye years, it was reduced to five with two suspended. six new franchises will be added upon its relaunch. >> the battle for golf's number one ranking resumes later on thursday with the start of the b.m.w. championship in illinois. jordan speith and jason day ranked second and third could take top spot with good performances this week. world number five ricky fowler i guess in the field along with the current world number one rory mcelroy. the irish man is playing his second tournament since the u.s. open back in june because of injuries. it is the third in the four fedex cup events that ends with the tour championship next week. one of mcelroys main rivals

believes the rivalry is good for the sport. >> i think it's healthy. i think it's healthy to have a lot of good young players, you throw ricky in, who's obviously, i think the best player in the world right now. he's the one who won the most recent tournament. that's why every week, if i'm asked, it's whoever won the week before is the one playing the best right now, so he's the best in the world. >> major league baseball, the toronto blue jays protected their lead, winning wednesday. price had nine strikeouts and only six hits. the yankees are second place in the american league east. >> chicago's anthony rizzo helped the cubs he beat the pirates. the move movers chicago closer to the national league wildcard. they are four games behind the st. louis cardinals. >> former line championship leader lewis hamilton is set to

match race victories if he can win sunday's singapore grand prix. he picked up the win earlier this month. it stretched his lead to 53 points ahead of mercedes teammate. if he wins this year, he will equal the record of three world championships. >> this is a kid that was my goal was to emulate, so after the last race, i was only notified how many races i had done and to see that it kind of almost correlated with the career that he had. i want to say i couldn't believe it. i didn't know that the whole nine years, what course i was on, and so you know, naturally, it feels pretty amazing. >> lithuania are through to the semifinals of the championships after getting past italy. lithuania are looking to win

their fourth european title. they were only trailing by one going into the last quarter. lithuania were too strong, eventually winning it by 10. >> lithuania will face serbia in the semis who knocked out the czech republic. they were knocked out by a top performance. the minnesota timberwolve double-doubled, serbia winning 89-75. >> there's much more sport on our website. for all the latest, check out aljazeera.com/sport. we've also got blogs and video clips from our correspondents around the world. >> that's it from me for now. back to you. >> do stay with us here at al jazeera, because we're going to have a full news bulletin coming up in just a minute or two. we'll have the very latest on the refugee crise in europe.

hello again, also to come on the program. [ gunfire ] >> a coup in bow key that fossa has the military declares that it now controls the country. a powerful earthquake strikes off of