have a great morning. ♪ >> announcer: this is al jazeera. hello, welcome to the news hour, i'm jane dutton in doha. russia and the usa say they are ready for direct talks about the military situation in syria. croatia struggles to cope with the refugee crisis, and outrages its neighbor in the process. lawmakers prepare to vote on whether japanese soldiers can take part in combat operations overseas for the first time in 70 years. [ inaudible ] with the sport

as england prepare to kick off the rugby world cup as they fiji in the opening match. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry says washington believes talks with russia on the syria conflict is an important next step. his comments during a trip to london came shortly after sush russia's foreign minister said moscow is ready for talks. they have been at odds for years over how to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. james bayes joins us live from the united nations headquarters in new york. james, why now? what happened? >> reporter: well, i think one of the factors is of course the scenes that we're seeing across europe and the refugee crisis. i think everyone has now seen that the scale of what is coming from syria, and how far this mass of people is traveling,

that i think it's forcing people to look again at the issue. certainly here in new york at the security council. it's back near the top of the agenda after four years of war in syria. i think secretary of state kerry's comments are very interesting, because he talks about possible military talks. that's interesting and controversial, because back in april last year, nato suspended all military dialogue in cooperation with the russians over ukraine and the annexation of crimea, so a controversial step given that backdrop, but i think they feel that because of the threat of isil it's time to start those military talks. but he also talked about political talks on a political transition in syria, and those, i think are going to take place here at the united nations, not next week but the week after when all of the leaders of the world gather here in new york. one of the meetings taking place

will be of the five permanent members of the security council. the foreign minister level so secretary of state kerry, foreign minister lavrov, and the foreign ministers of the so-called p5. and they will be looking at possible options. >> and you wonder what those are, james. are we looking at some of the biggest world superpowers working together from a military point of view, possibly russian troops, u.s. air power? >> reporter: well, that is one possibility in terms of the fight against isil. in terms of the situation regarding the big problem, which is the problem that created isil in syria in many ways, and that's the future of syria and trying to deal with that. we know the special envoy has been coming up with some ideas on transition. could there be a phase where president assad stays on in a

ceremonial role, before a unity government including members of the opposition and members of though assad government acceptable to the opposition take over power. certainly some countries are now saying that could be the possibility. we have had the idea floated by the u.k. for example. but -- and this is a big but -- some diplomats are telling me that the russians have influence over assad, but maybe not that much influence. and the only country that really has leverage is the one supporting him in the field, and that of course is iran, and that's why some are suggesting that another way forward is to try to get a contact group of all of the regional and international players a contact group that would include the gulf countries and also iran. >> a significant development then, thank you for that, james

bayes. the syrian observatory for human rights says air strikes have targeted the city of palmyra, which is controlled by isil. the group says government fighter jets carried out 25 air strikes on the city. palmyra contains ancient roman ruins and was captured by isil in may. this video apparently shows the aftermath of another government air attack. 30 people were reportedly killed in the strike, including women and children. croatia is the latest european country struggling to deal with an influence of refugees, and it is feeling the strain. this was the scene just a few hours ago when scuffles broke out between refugees who gathered at a bus and train station at a border town. 13,000 have crossed into croatia in the last two days alone. the government says it doesn't have the resources to register

people as per e.u. rules. it plans to redirect them towards hungary and slovenia lawrence lee is on the border of croatia. >> reporter: it's all relative and no doubt this miserable line of people waiting for someone to take them further looks absolutely desperate. but in relative terms it's certainly better than being tear gassed by the hungarians. and the buses came regularly, shipping them north towards the capitol. and to the untrained idea, the idea of this 3 year old thinking this could be anything but a nightmare seems impossible, but her iraqi family have told her it is a great big game, even if the game has lasted for weeks, is exhausting, and seems to have no end. these european countries that say they don't want you. what do you say to them? >> i don't want them also.

>> reporter: which country do you want? >> i don't care. i just told you i want to be -- peaceful place. i hope to find this place. >> reporter: croatia had said though borders right close from first light. they continued in from serbia, but just one road border remained open, pintless exercise when no refugees were there anyway. because they were all here sheltering from 40 degree heat and dreaming, hoping. >> translator: the boat sank two times before, and the third time we reached safety. >> reporter: as he was talking everybody got up and ran to the railway line. a train was coming. could this be salvation? but no, it wasn't. and they went deflated. and then an indication of how vulnerable they are to exploitation. a man lying on the ground

surrounded by riot police. >> the man on the ground turned to have been taking money from some of the refugees and promising them that they would go to hungary, one of them just looked on his phone and realized they weren't in hungary at all, that they were in croatia. and somebody punched him in the face. the other countries won't even allow them in. welcome to europe, now go away. lawrence lee, al jazeera, southern croatia. the refugees are being taken to the croatian capitol. mohammed jamjoom has more from there. >> reporter: the refugees now on these buses have been brought by train to here. now what is interesting is that although, the border into slovenia has been closed, most of the refugees that i have just spoken with on these buses

believe they will be taken now into slovenia. they say they have not heard that that border has been closed. they don't expect to be taken to any holding facilities or makeshift refugee camp. it will be an interesting situation in the next several hours. many say if they are not bussed to the border, they plan to walk. but that on this record-hot day will be very difficult. that's a walk that will take at least six to seven hours. >> dozens of people have been killed in a taliban attack in a former air force base. the army says 21 of its soldiers were among the dead. nicole johnston reports. >> reporter: it's the type of attack the pakistani taliban is known for. fighters attacked a guard post outside of an air force base. some wore suicide vests, forced

their way in, entered the mosque and started shooting. many were killed most from the air force who lived inside the base. >> they were trying to attack the children, attack the mosque. >> reporter: the fighting between the military and the pakistani taliban continued all day. it was the first major asult since they got a rapid response force designed to respond to attacks like this. >> [ inaudible ] security forces were very much alert, they engaged them, did not allow them to move from their location. >> reporter: this is a significant attack on the military, the fact that the pakistani taliban was able to get inside the base behind me and into a mosque at a time that the group is under pressure shows it still has the ability and resources to strike. the last time the taliban

attacked was in december last year. it's fighters killed 150 students and teachers at a public school. the military then launched a wide-scale operation against the group. since then people here have enjoyed a long period of calm. but the fighting isn't far away. the city is surrounded by pakistan's tribal belt. the army has been battling fighters. the military says it has broken the back of the taliban, but this attack suggests the armed group is still a serious threat. nicole johnston, al jazeera. military leaders who seized power in a cue in burkina faso have reopened the country's borders and have now reportedly released the interim president and two other ministers captured on wednesday. but the interim prime minister is still being held. gerald tan has the latest.

>> reporter: uproar on the streets. gunfire rang out as people protested against the coup in burkina faso's capitol. >> translator: people started to come out. in front of us we saw a military vehicle that drove directly into the people and they started shooting, killing people. >> translator: if we're here today it's to stand up against the interests of the presidential guard which is killing civilians and threatening people. >> reporter: it's a dramatic turn of events after a popular uprising last october ousted the president when he tried to extend his 27-year rule. a transitional government had been preparing for elections next month until the elite presidential guard took over on wednesday. the man in charge now says the vote will take place but at a later time. >> translator: we have to discuss it with the concerned actors, political parties and civil society in order to

establish a timetable [ inaudible ] quick presidential and legislative election. we don't intend to extend our power. we don't intend to stay. we don't intend to do more than what needs to be done, unlike what some people think. >> reporter: the general was chief of the presidential guard and long-time aid of the former president. the president's whereabouts are unknown, raising speculation of a political plot. many are concerned the presidential guard does not want an election to happen. >> ever since the country came independent in the 1960s, the army has been the main power. so they feel very threatened that real democracy is coming. they think if they allow good elections to go ahead, they will be marginalized and they won't play their central political role that they play in the politics and in the economics. >> reporter: the united nations has strongly condemned the coup and with the interim prime minister still under house

arrest, burkina faso's democratic transition has been thrown into doubt. >> joining me from paris is the editor of the magazine africa international. quite an extraordinary turn of events, isn't it? what do you make of what is going on at the moment? >> you know, what we see that the coup is over, which means it is completed. it is successful, and that the coup leaders feel comfortable enough to release some of the people they were detaining. in fact, the will power as somebody was saying in the report, the will power has always been in the hands of the military, and what we see is that it doesn't take a popular uprising, even a huge sort of movement like the one which

overthrew the former president to really retain the power, the will power. and it was very easy just to go and take them hostage and overthrow them and say, okay, now we will do the way we want it, which means we will strap all of the transition institutions, elects are not being held very soon because what we hear is that the new leader wants now to have 12 months and change everything and the fact is that they didn't want real elections. >> why? >> elections were a real threat because -- because if the one -- probably the person who was likely to win is one of the former aids, one of the former ally of the former president. and they -- there's a lot of resentment against him, because

he didn't support him while the -- you know, the popular uprising was taking place. and he's sort of a traitor in the eyes of the former president -- >> do you think he has a hand in this? >> if this man -- oh, definitely. there's a classical saying whenever something bad happens in burkina faso like when the former president was killed compare always says i was sleeping, i'm not aware. so there are a lot of jokes in the press around this when he says no -- when the current leader, the new leader says no, i didn't speak to him, he -- i don't know where he is, i haven't spoken to him for a while, so of course he -- he -- if mr. general was

really upset and willing to support a real democratic process, why didn't he interfere while the president was trying to expand his -- his term and change the constitution? so it's really -- the former guard -- the former elite, which is coming back in that way, all of them supported the coup. they are very happy because now they feel that their party is the most powerful in the country because they have been there for 27 years, and, you know, in -- in the campaign on the land side, people don't vote for ideas. they vote for people who know -- whom they know, who bring them rice and food, and the former party is the richest. so they could have maybe probably won an election, and

now they are in a better position to prevail. >> okay. certainly interesting developments there. thanks for your expertise. and there's much more to come on this news hour. while the haze hanging over malaysia is choking relations with neighboring indonesia. europe's refugee crisis adds a new dimension to greece's elections. and in sport we'll tell you how journalists are being kept out of top sporting competitions. ♪ dozenest of israeli police and security forces have again been deployed near the al aqsa mosque come found. many muslim men were banned from attending friday prayers, prompting sit-ins that turned violent. scott heidler reports. >> reporter: at the end of a

tense week, this man arrived early at the gate to attend friday prayers at the al aqsa mosque. but he's pushed back, like many times before, when there's increased tension, israeli security forces restricken try. this time muslim men under 40 are banned from going in. 3.5 thousand israeli security forces have been deployed. this 24 year old mohammed were born and raised nearby. >> translator: every friday i come here. they prevent me from entering. every friday. this is the system of the occupation to only prevent muslims from praying. if they are jewish they will enter with no problem. >> reporter: so dozens of others like mohammed started their prayers son the street on cardboard boxes facing israeli security forces and a steel barricade. only minutes into the prayers

shouting -- [ gunfire ] >> reporter: and then a scuffle. israeli security forces chasing a young man who broke through one of the barricades. this sparked reaction from those praying. some of those who's prayers were disrupted by that clash came back in smaller groups to continue with their prayers. there are several of them. there was a bigger one initially. just on the other side of this barricade, they are preventing them from getting anywhere close to the old city. in the gaza strip tens of thousands of palestinians protested against the israeli raids on the al aqsa mosque earlier in the weeks. >> translator: we have come to say with our blood we will redeem you al aqsa. al aqsa is not alone. everywhere, we'll give up everything for al aqsa. >> reporter: in the occupied

west bank, hundreds also came out after friday prayers to protest against the raids. so for the hundreds of men who were not allowed into al aqsa mosque, they say if this continues they might be forced to hold next friday's prayers at a bus stop. >> reporter: egypt has bedigging deep water wells. egypt says the project is to set up new fish farms, but critics claim the main purpose is to destroy smuggling tunnels used to get supplies into the gaza strip. indonesia has deployed an extra 1600 soldiers to put out fires. helicopters are carrying out cloud seeding, and water-dropping missions. the blazes are caused by the illegal slashing and burning of indonesia forests during the dry

season. the fires are said to clear land for farming and palm oil plantations. the bad air quality has lead to an increase in respiratory diseases. a hospital says it has treated more than double the amount of patients since the fire started. singapore is worried about the air quality for the up coming formula 1 race, while in malaysia the haze has forced schools to be shut. >> reporter: there has been a slight improvement in air quality in most parts of malaysia, a shroud seeding operation, rain, and change in wind direction have helped. the situation has improved enough that schools that were shut in several states earlier this week have been allowed to reopen. the thick cloud of smoke or haze is caused by open burning in indonesia where fire is used to clear land for farming or plantation use.

it's illegal, but enforcement is week. this is a problem that not only effects indonesia but also its neighbors. visibility is reduced to the extent that sometimes flights are delayed or cancels. now indonesia has held talks with these countries before, but have yet been able to come up with an effective solution that can tackle this problem which has become something of an annual occurrence. but indonesia has promised to step up enforcement. it says its police have already detained several executives who's companies are said to have started the fires and is investing hundreds of others. thailand police have released a journalist from detenti detention. it was the second time he was called in for so-called attitude

adjustment. >> reporter: this journalist is still speaking his mind. >> i am very cautious and alarmed, but at the same time, i think we need to inform the world and the public as to what is going on. >> reporter: through his newspaper columns and on social media, he has condemned the army's decision to overthrow a democratically elected government last year. it was the second time he has been taken for so-called attitude adjustment. and if the criticism continues he could be charged. >> i think they are aiming at creating a climate of fear where people will just cooperate, exercise self censorship. >> reporter: freedom of speech and the right to decent have been curtailed since the coup. an army appointed panel voted to reject a draft constitution this month, which means the process has to start again. in that prompted allegations

that the government was deliberately trying to delay elections which now won't happen until the middle of 2017. meaning the prime minister retired general, will be thailand's longest-serving military leader since the 1970s. >> translator: some people try to disport information by leaking the influence on voting against a draft charter. this is groundless information, and it's not true. >> reporter: the government has also detained academics and politicians some of whom have had their passports confiscated and bank accounts froenz. but more alarming is the big spike in the number of convictions under thailand's harsh laws for criticizing the monarchy. political gathers of five or more are at the moment banned. that makes it difficult to show opposition. >> translator: since the coup, red shirt supporters have shown

discipline. all parties need to be careful that they don't run out of patience. >> reporter: the army says it seized power to return happiness to the people. many are wondering when if ever democracy will be returned. wayne haye, al jazeera, bangkok. a mecca for tourest dollars. it's big business as millions arrive in saudi arabia for the hajj. this is in the remote part of the western united states, there is only one resident that lives in this town, and he is here to try to preserve this piece of forgotten american history. that story coming up. and great britain will take on australia in the semifinal. we'll very the very latest in sport. >> as the global refugee crisis intensifies... >> they have travelled for

weeks, sometimes months. >> and the e.u. struggles to cope... >> we don't know, they stop us here. >> what's being done while lives hang in the balance? >> we need help now.

>> 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! hello again, you are watching al jazeera. here is a quick reminder of the top stories. john kerry says washington believes military talks with russia on the syria conflict is

an important next step. his commentses during a trip to london comes shortly after rur sha's foreign ministry said moscow is ready for talks. scuffles have broken out among refugees in croatia. croatia is struggling to deal with an influence of refugees. thousands of israeli police and other security forces have been deployed near the al aqsa mosque compound. israel restricted entry to the compound. japan's government is making a final push to pass a controversial set of security bills. it would allow japanese soldiers to fight overseas for the first time since world war ii. rob mcbride is live in tokyo. we are expecting the vote to happen any minute now, rob.

talk us through the process. >> reporter: that's right at the end of this marathon session, we are not there yet, but we are it seems somewhere near the home stretch. we have just started in the upper house of the japanese parliament, the final deliberations on these controversial security bills. we were expecting possibly that there might be a vote soon. it is now this the early hours of saturday morning here. but it now seems that they are taking a vote on how to limit people's speeches, so it seems there will be more deliberation and speeches. they are talking about limiting people's speeches to 15 minutes each. it seems as though we still have some way to go before a vote will be taken. but it does seem as though at the end of this marathon session a vote will be taken. throughout this whole process, the opposition parties have been trying everything in the rule book to try to filibuster and

talk this out of time, there have been various censure motions, motions of no confidence, one mp was on his feet for two hours making his speech. it doesn't seem as though they have achieved their goal, but there could be a vote in the next couple of hours, jane. >> why are so many against this? >> this is a long-standing issue here in japan going very much to the heart of japan's role in the world. and the interpretation of this unique constitution. especially the article 9, which -- which commits japan to a passivist way forward, rejecting the use of arms. it limits the self-defense forces to just having the role of defending the mainland of japan, basically from direct attack. and what the conservative prime minister of japan wants to do and he how has the majority in both houses of the parliament to

do is change that interpretation so to take a more assertive role in the world. but that causes consternation with in here in japan. the majority of people very much opposed to seeing the military stance that had such disastrous consequences in the last century. >> thank you, rob. greeks are heading back to the polls on sunday for the third time this year. former prime minister who resigned last month hopes the election will give him a new mandate, but the refugee crisis could make that difficult. barnaby phillips reports from athens. >> reporter: they watch bemused as desperate people rife every day in their city. elderly greeks outnumbered by hundreds of after gansz. most of the afghans plan to move

on. but a few will stay in greece and build new lives here. like eunice who came 14 years ago. he worried that political and economic instability will change things. >> because of this election and all thes because of this crisis, maybe this climate will be changed. maybe some extremist parties, extremist groups will use this condition on benefit of themselves or for something else. that's why we are afraid. >> reporter: this is what he fears, the neo-nazi golden dawn who have gathered just a few blocks away. foreigners out of greece they chant. golden dawn have no chance of winning this election, but according to opinion polls they are now the third most popular party in greece. for them the refugee crisis is an opportunity. he says it is a disgrace.

thousands cross the sea to greece whilst all our politicians can do is dream about who will lead the country. >> you cannot stop the refugees whatever you do. >> reporter: this doctor is temporarily the minister of refugees until greece gets a new government. he says nobody should use the refugee crisis to get more votes. >> translator: it could be used in this political battle, but that would be a mistake, because it is a refugee crisis and not an immigration crisis. it's above party politics. we have to accept these refugees. >> reporter: the harsh truth is greeks have plenty of things to worry about apart from the refugee crisis. they don't have great expectations of these elections, but they desperately hope for a

government that can address their country's economic problems. volunteers sort through clothes for greeks and refugees alike. they know whatever happens in the elections, economic hardship and refugees will be a challenge for this country for years to come. barnaby phillips, al jazeera, athens. the kenyan government has ordered all schools to shut because of a teacher's strike. it says it doesn't have enough money to comply with the supreme court ruling to give teachers a 50% pay raise. catherine soi has more. >> reporter: this government directive takes effect on monday. [ inaudible ] indicated the reason for the closure, security of the students in schools without proper supervision. this is the second week of the school term. about six months ago, more than 280,000 teachers went on strike. they say they have the backing of the supreme court which

ordered the government to increase their salary by 50 to 60%. the government says it does not have money to pay them. about $170 million. that's how much more the government will need to pay them. there is also concern that should this money be paid out, then other civil servants like nurses and the police who are equally underpaised will also demand a pay raise that is something the government cannot afford. students get to write their final primary and secondary exams. these government says those completing their examines will continue going to school. the teachers have support from many kenyans who say the amount of money that gets lost in corruption and mismanagement can easily pay the teachers. an historic city in niger was once a thriving location for tourists.

but that has changed. hashem ahelbarra reports. >> reporter: they call it the jewel of the sahara. the city was for centuries at cross roads for desert travelers on camel caravan routes. this is what remains. the historic red hued adoby and mineral palaces. the local band performs its dance. in normal times the city would be bustling with tourists. but it faces tough times. local artifacts, such as leather work and jewelry are sold worldwide, but amid growing violence, kidnappings, the tourists have left, and business is bad. >> translator: we used to sell items for a thousand dollars. now we can't even sell them for

a hundred dollars. artifacts are almost vanishing. we need to find clients who can buy our goods. >> reporter: this man was forced out of school when he was six year's old. his father wanted him to work in the tourist industry. now things are different. >> translator: i haven't met a single tourist over the last six years. my dream is to see the town back to the days when it was packed with foreigners. >> reporter: this hotel used to be fully booked for most of the year, now its owner faces bankruptcy and the only guests are his relatives. the local tourism authority, though, says there is a plan to get the tourists back. >> translator: there was a decline in tourism activity, but the government is doing its best to bring tourists back. our priority is to improve security in the northern part of

the country so there is peace. >> reporter: but peace may will illusive here. recently a transit for thousands of refugees making their way through the desert, heading for europe. hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera. millions of muslims around the world have begin their annual hajj to mecca, in saudi arabia. it has been a commercial hub for more than 1,500 years, and it generates billions of dollars in tourism revenues. >> reporter: the markets of islam's holiest site are busy throughout the year, but during the hajj season they get hectic. there is an endless stream of people converging on mecca. this man works at this shop. he says business is flourishing. >> translator: on normal days we sell what is worth about 60 to $80, but during hajj or ramadan

it goes up to $1,600. >> reporter: all kinds of brands are available here, and thousands of shops like these are scattered arrange the city. >> translator: gold here is pure. the gold we have back home is mixed with copper. >> reporter: the biggest religious gathering of muslims also generates a lot of cash. more than 3 million people are expected to perform the hajj this year, some estimates suggest that pilgrims will spepg more than $4.5 billion on gifts, transportation, food, and housing. now this annual pill grimmage will provide a great boost to the saudi economy. the chamber of commerce says revenues will increase once the mosque expansion is over by the end of this year, although the crane accident that killed more than 100 people earlier this month could delay the project's completion. the secretary general insists

saudi arabia is not doing it to earn more money. >> we are not looking for the number as significant as the service we are providing. [ inaudible ] to the local market who is the one that will be benefit. the government will not benefit from the hajj. we are not hajj orienting stated country, because we are not a tourist place. we're doing what you call religious tourism. if you are looking for an expansion project if you do a feasibility study with are getting no economic benefit. we're doing it for the hajj because we are being honored. there were are over 1.5 billion muslims around the world, most of them want to perform the hajj which means mecca will remain rich and busy. still to come on the program . . . >> reporter: i'm lee wellings

here at one of the biggest sporting events, the rugby world cup is about to get underway.

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

>> this is another significant development... >> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live... ♪ the u.s. state of california and you think of places like hollywood or silicon valley. but it is also the home of ghost towns. >> reporter: this is bell rat, california, a ghost town. there are no phones, no cell signal, not even a television

and no mail service either. but it does have something, meet rocky novak. the one and only resident. he is trying to preserve the history of this once thriving and wild mining town that over a century ago was an important hub for mineral exploration. >> here are original photos of the town in its day. this is 1898 photo. this is the callaway hotel right here. >> reporter: this was quite a town in its heyday, huh? >> they had a bank, post office, store, and seven salons, four brothels, and a cemetery. >> reporter: everything a miner would want, huh? >> yeah. too bad they don't have that now. [ laughter ] >> reporter: today the town is an open-air museum of sorts in disrepair, yes, but a couple of old buildings are still standing and artifacts still sitting

where they were left a sentry ago. in many ways rocky represents a last line of defense, a man doing his part to try to preserve a little piece of american history that so many have forgotten about, because if he wasn't here this is a place that almost certainly would not exist. >> there is nobody here, this place would be gone in a week. >> reporter: why? >> vandalized. yeah, it would be vandalized. yeah, if they knew this place was open, and there was nobody here, i mean this -- this place would be carried off in a week. >> reporter: there are an estimated 250 ghost towns in california alone, like this one call, they represent the boom and bust gold rush era, a history of the america west, but it's fast disappearing with the passing of time. this building, once a casino in 1907. today locked up in order to keep

looters away. back in ballerat that's rocky's mission to keep the history alive and he is the only man left standing to do it. let's get the sport. >> thank you very much. england's rugby team will kick off the world cup in a few hours of time. a total of 20 teams are taking part over the next six weeks. >> reporter: the rugby players welcomed at the palace, nearly 200 years after an english schoolboy picked up a ball, ran with it, and invented a sport. rugby has returned to england for the eighth world cup. >> we're now looking at

something like over 2.3 million tickets sold. it's undoubtedly going to be the biggest world cup ever. nearly half a million people coming from overseas. one of the biggest objectives is to be the showcase around the world for rugby. >> but ticket prices suggest this is still a sport for the rich with fans unhappy about average prices after over $150. >> it's just for the rich. >> there should be more dedicated fans that come to an event like this that can actually go to watch a game. >> reporter: the team to be are new zealand's all blacks. >> the first thing is not about [ inaudible ] i think that, you know, you might say it's silly,

but it changes how you approach it, i think. and yeah, the reality is the all blacks haven't won out of new zeala zealand. >> reporter: the opening game is against namibia. it will be played at london's olympic stadium. eight of the 13 venues are usually football stadiums. the opening game, semifinal, and final will be played at the home of english rugby. and realistically, england, the 2003 champions are one of the only teams that can win this tournament, but countries like japan the next host will help determine whether this six-week game has been a success. world rugby is one sporting event seeking increased control

over the media. the strained relationship is a growing problem as we'll be exploring in a special series in the next three days. there are a number of different players in the sports media game. firstly the governing bodies and clubs who often fire large media teams. there are also broadcasters who spend sometimes millions of dollars to broadcast live sport, and then of course there are the rest of us news channels and print journalists known as non-rights holders who require media accreditation to at tend sporting events. this year alone, al jazeera english were asked to make a payment to organizers of the australian open tennis, the dakar rally in south america, and the iaaf world championships in beijing. on all three occasions we

refused to pay. and fifa only granted us accreditation once. well in part one of our controls sports series, andrew thomas reports on why this year's rugby world cup has angers journalists in australia. >> reporter: when the world cup kicks off in london, some will be missing from the crowd. austral australia's team have made the trip, of course, but much of the australian media groups have not two main newspapers are shunning the event because of what they see as the editor interference demanded by world rugby. >> we simply want to tell our stories, but we don't need to be told how to tell our stories and who we can tell them to. >> reporter: the governing body was seeking to control the content and limit what video

could be aired and for how long. media organizations are increasingly frustrated over the control. the sports bodies, the main motivation is money. well melbourne's global headquarters for australian rules, football is what looks like and effectively is a news room. though it is entirely paid for by the afl itself, they insist they are independent. >> people aren't stupid. they come for independent news, and that's what we provide. >> reporter: but not all are convinced. >> when i go on to a website or read a newspaper, i am delegating the responsibility of that witnessing process to somebody else. i cannot have faith that that is happening if it's coming out of the words of a sporting

organization. >> reporter: and the impact this digital news room has on the wider media. on screen advertising and sponsorship mean the afl itself is now taking money that would have in the past gone to traditional media companies. sports organizations used to need main stream media, increasingly they feel they are bypass it, arguably controlling the message and the money. andrew thomas, al jazeera, melbourne. earlier we spoke to jamie, a rugby journalists from australia. >> they wanted to impose sanctions upon us that would contravene what australian media law actually states. they are asking us to bypass our own country's laws to satisfy their demands. it's a blatant cash grab from

world rugby. so your viewers right see when think jump on websites to watch highlights, the annoying video of the advertisement that comes up before you can see the footage, else that how modern media is making a lot of its money. and it's an important part of our business, and, you know, really this is biting the hand that feeds you from world rugby, because they wouldn't really be in a position to command the sponsorship dollars that they do without the support of the media, spending thousands of dollars, sending us everywhere to cover tournaments, give them mass exposure. we simply ask that we be allowed to operate under our own country's laws. they declined that, so we basically declined to cover the tournament, and we won't be accredited , so we won't be

covering games live, we won't be inside stadiums or attending training sessions. >> in part two and three, we'll head to india and the u.k. to look further at the issue of sports and the media, that will saturday and sunday here on al jazeera. russia have marked the one thousand day count down to the next fifa world cup. the secretary general has been suspended. vladimir putin was part of the celebrations in moscow. >> translator: we always welcome and are happy to meet visitors. we promise to make a spectacular sporting event. i'm sure it will be make history. it will bring the big united international football family. tennis now, and andy murray has given great britain a great

start against australia as he aims to make the final for the first time since 1978. murray's 19 year old opponent is ranked 69 places below him and the difference certainly showed. in the other semifinal in brussels, belgium leads argentina 1-0. >> nasa has released stunning images of pluto taken by the new horizon spacecraft. they showed a sunset view, you can see icy mountains and flat ice planes snapped from 18,000 ill come ters above the surface. it's the first spacecraft to visit pluto and its moons.

that's it for us. now over to london. thanks for watching. good buy. limited oversight. >> super pacs are part of the wild wild west of campaign finance. >> could actor daniel craig be the latest super pac scam victim? an ali velshi, on target, special investigation.

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frustrations boil over into violence as croatia struggles to cope with the refugee crisis. ♪ hello there i'm barbara sarah, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up on the program, talking once more, the u.s. and russian defense chiefs speak on the phone for the first time in a year to discuss the conflict in syria. at least 43 people are dead after a taliban attack on a military base in pakistan. and taking