i'm adam may. the news continues next live from london. have a great afternoon.

thousands of israeli personnel are deployed in jerusalem. back in doha with all the sport about the main story this friday, just under an hour to go before the start of the 2015 rugby world cup. can the host, england, make their mark in the opener against fiji? hello there. thank you for joining us. another avenue for tens of thousands of refugees heading towards germany and austria was cut off on friday when crow way ya won't allow themming to to slovenia. more than 14,000 entered crow

way ya in the past hours. the refugees flooding in would be moved on and his country had, quote, reached its limit. it plans to redirect people twords slovenia. we were the report now from southern croatia. >> reporter: it's all relative and no doubt this miserable line of people waiting for something to take them further looks absolutely desperate, but in relative terms it's better than being tear gassed by the hung gair yas. as the day wore on, the buses came regularly shipping them north towards the capital. to the untrained idea of idea 3-year-old rania thinks it's anything but a nightmare seems impossible, but her iraqi family told her it's a great big game even this lasted for weeks, is exhausting and has 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 countries do you want? >> i don't care. i just told you i want to be at a peaceful place. i hope to find this place. >> reporter: croatia said the borders might close from first light. they continued in from serbia, and only one road border remained open with no refugees there anyway because they were sheltering from 40-degree heat and dreaming and hoping. >> the both sunk 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? no, it wasn't. they went back deflated. there's an indication of how vulnerable they are to exploitation. a man suddenly lying on the ground in pain surrounded by riot police. what just happened here, the man

who was crying on the ground turned out to have been taking money from some of the refugees and promising them they would go to hungary. one looked on their phone and realized they weren't in hungary at all and were in croatia and somebody punched him in the conveys. the government can't put up it much more but will allow people through who don't want to stay here. that is basically everybody. the other countries won't even allow that. welcome to europe, now go away. laurence lee, al jazeera, southern croatia. >> as he mentioned in the report, the refugees are taken to the crow yatian capital. they're waiting for the next stage of the journey. >> reporter: the refugees now on buses have been brought by train to here at the capital. what's interesting is that although the border into

slovenia has been closed, most of the refugees i just spoke with on buses believe that they will be taken now into slovenia. they say they've not heard that that border has been closed. they expect to be taken. they don't expect to be taken to holding facilities or makeshift refugee camps. it's going to be interesting the next several hours. many say if they're not bussed to the border they expect to walk or plan to walk, but that on this record hot day will be very difficult. to walk it will take at least six to seven hours. japan has passed controversial new security bills into law. it means that japanese troops could now fight abroad for the first time in 70 years despite fierce criticism that it will reshape the pacifist nation.

tensions are running high and outside thousands stood in the rain to voice their opposition. rob mcbride has more from tokyo. >> reporter: at the end of this marathon session through the japanese parliament, finally the vote was taken and carried in favor of these controversial security bills. but not before a final round of impassioned speeches with the leaders of the opposition parties apologizing for not having the strength to hold up this legislation. they had been trying for the past couple of days various filibuster tactics in both chambers are motions of no confidence, but to no avail. this will be seen as a personal triumph for prime minister shinzo abe. he always made it his intention to bring up-to-date the rules by which the japanese defense forces should be deployed. he wants to see them take a far more assertive role working alongside, for example, their american allies in various operations overseas.

the fear for the opposition party and also for the thousands of protesters who have nightly been outside the parliament is this will a betrayal of the japan passivist constitution and they'll be caught up in conflict not of their own making working alongside their allies in different parts of the world. the subtext, obviously, is the fear here in japan that japan should take more responsibility for its own defense given the drawdown of american forces. japan should be more assertive when it comes to deploys it's own forces, especially gin the build up of the military now in china. the united states says its defense secretary is speaking with his russian counterpart about the military situation in syria. both countries have been at odds for her years over how to find a solution to the conflict. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry says talks with russia are a positive first step.

>> the president believes that a conversation is an important next step, and i think hopefully will take place very shortly. it will help to define some of the different options that are available to us as we consider next steps in syria. >> rosalynn jordan joins us live from washington, d.c. the u.s. is very worried about the increased military presence of russia in syria. obviously, makes the situation between them very delicate considering what the u.s.'s mission is against isil. how significant is this military-to-military conversation, and do we have any ideas as to what exactly they talked about? >> reporter: well, the defense secretary, ash carter, spoke with his russian counterparts

earlier on friday specifically to talk about the term "deconflicting," and trying to make certain that as long as the russian military is building up its footprint inside syria that whatever is it's going to be doing does not interfere with what the u.s. and other coalition partners are doing in their air war against isil. basically, trying to not run into each other and set off perhaps a larger conflict. this is a very sensitive concern that the obama administration has had for the past several weeks as they've been watching the russian military buildup. what the conversation was between the two defense ministers was really to establish that they do need to have some sort of conversation to talk about avoids each other, and then perhaps trying to figure out exactly what it is the russians are trying to do.

even though the russians are trying to basically make good on existing military relationships and contracts with the syrian government, on friday in the past half hour or so, there have been numerous reports coming out indicating not only did the syrian foreign minister say that while the syrians aren't looking for any military assistance, combat assistance from russia, they are not ruling out making such a request. the russians for their part are saying if they did receive a request from damascus of this nature, they would certainly discuss it and decide whether to move forward. so in light of that most recent development, the fact that ash carter and the foreign minister spoke earlier on friday, basically re-establishes a line of communication that has not been there for the past 18 months, is both significant and important. >> obviously, it's all about moving forward any kind of diplomacy. apart from the fight against

isil, trying to find a solution to the civil war. it seems that russia is allied as ever with president assad. are there any new ideas on the table to break the deadlock we've seen over this? >> reporter: what we are hearing from our diplomaticed for who was at the united nations is that the russian president, vladimir putin, is tentatively slated to speak before the united nations general assembly a week from monday. sources are telling james that there's a possibility that putin might offer some sort of diplomatic way out for bashir al assad. of course, the obama administration has said for several years now that it's time for bashir al assad to go, and that the only way to make sure that he does leave power is to do so through diplomatic means. now, how is that going to be accomplished? one, we need to find out what it is the russians are proposing.

two, it's also worth noting on this coming tuesday, the special envoy for all of these matters involving syria and the secretary-general ban ki-moon are going to be meeting with the security council to talk about this situation and about the ongoing plans to make a political transition possible. a lot of moving parts and a very conflicted situation, barbara, but it seems in light of the refugee crisis, which has really come home to those in europe, that this seems to be now a priority for all concerned. >> yeah. potentially a note of cautious optimism. rosalynn jordan with latest from washington, d.c. thank you. well, the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon spoke to al jazeera earlier about the crisis in syria. he said all sides need to come together to work towards peace. >> i hope that all the parties should encourage fully all the

actors on the ground to stop the fighting, and therefore, providing armaments to the parties will only fuel -- provide fuels of the continuing conflict. i sincerely hope that the security council should demonstrate the logistics dealing with the iranian and nuclear issues. i have spoke to all the leaders of the p-5, that please show the exact same spirit and solidarity, which you have shown in dealing with the iranian issues. there is nothing which we cannot not overcome. >> meanwhile, inside syria there's no let-up in the fighting. the syrian observatory for human rights say air strikes have

targeted palmyra which is controlled by fighters from the islamic state of iraq and levant. they say government fighter jets carried out 25 air strikes on the city. palmyra contains ancient ruins and was captured by isil in may. this video from the syrian city of raqqa is said to show the aftermath of another government air attack. it's an isil stronghold. 30 people were killed in the strikes including women and children. still lots more to come on the more. at least 43 people are dead after a taliban attack on a military base in pakistan. up in the skies, indonesian forces move to put out the fire causing havoc across the region. in sport, a surprise name at the top of the time sheet ahead of the singapore grand prix.

they have targeted you a army base in sanaa. a huge fight broke out at the sight following the attacks. it was reportedly used by houthi rebels to store weapons. thousands of israeli security forces have again been deployed near the al aqsa mosque in jerusalem. many muslim men were banned from friday prayers sparking impromptu sit-ins that turned violent. we have the report. >> reporter: at the end of a tense week, mohammed arrived early at damascus gate to attend friday prayers at the al aqsa mosque, but he's pushed back like many times before when there's increased tension, they restrict entry. this time muslim men under 40 are banned from going in.

three and a half thousand israeli security forces have been deployed. 24-year-old mohammed was born and raised in a nearby occupied jerusalem neighborhood. >> translator: every friday i come here. they prevent me from entering every friday. this is a system of the occupation to only prevent muslims from praying. if they're jewish, they enter with no problem. >> reporter: dozens of others like mohammed said their prayers on the street facing security forces and a steel barricade. only minutes into the prayers, shouting and then a scuffle. israeli security forces chasing a young man who broke through one of the barricades. this sparked reaction from those praying. the security forces pushed them back. some threw water bottles, which led to a short fight. some of those whose prayers were interrupted by that clash and

concussion bombs came back in smaller groups to continue with prayers. there's several of them. there's a bigger one initially, but we see some back on the other side of the barricade preventing them from getting close to the old city. over in the gaza trips tens of thousands of palestinians protested against the israeli raids on al aqsa mosque earlier in the week. >> translator: the massive crowds have said with our blood we will redeem you. he's not alone, and the resistance in gaza and the west bang and everywhere give up everything for him. >> 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 the mosque, they say if this continues they might be forced to hold next week's friday's prayer on the street of a bus stop. scott hidler, al jazeera in

occupied east jerusalem. a taliban attack on the military base in pakistan has left 43 dead. 60 worshippers were inside a mosque on the compound among the casualties. we have the latest from the airbase in pakistan. >> reporter: it's the type of attack the pakistan any taliban is known for, but they hadn't done one in year. some of them wore suicide vests and forced their way in into the mosque and started shooting. many people were killed. most of them were from the air force that lived inside the base. >> they are targeting us. these are good families that are seeing it. they were trying to attack the children and attack the mosque. >> reporter: the fighting between the military and the pakistani taliban continued all day. it was the first major assault

since they got a rapid response for designed to respond to attacks like this. >> the moment they tried to sneak and enter into the area, they were very much alert and engaged them. they did not allow them to move from the 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 when the group is under pressure shows that it still has the ability and resources to strike. the last time they attacked was? doesn't of last year. they killed 150 students and teachers at an army public school. the military then launched a wide-scale operation against the group. since then people in pashawa have enjoyed a long period of

calm. the army has been battling fighters in agencies in the north. the military says it's broken the back of the taliban, but this attack suggests the arms group is still a serious threat. nicole johnston, al jazeera. military leaders who seized power in a coup re-opened the borders. they released the president and two ministers captured in the take-over on wednesday, but the interim prime minister is still being held. we have the report. >> reporter: uproar on the streets of wagadudu. gunfire rang out as people protested against the coup. >> translator: people started to come out. in front of us we saw a military vehicle that drove directly into the people and started to shoot and kill people. >> translator: if we're here

today, it's to stand up against want egotistical interest of the guard killing civilians and threatening people. >> reporter: it's a dramatic turn of events after a popular uprising last october. 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, reply cal parties and civil society in order to establish a timetable that will allow for quick presidential and legislative elections. we don't intend to extend our power or say or 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 former president.

his whereabouts are unknown, raising speculation of a political plot. many people are concerned that the presidential guard does not want an election to happen. >> probably the person most likely to win is one of the former aides, one of the form allies of the former president. there's a lot of resent want against him because he didn't support him while the popular uprising was taking place. >> reporter: the united nations has strongly condemned the coup, and with the interim prime minister still under house arrest, the democratic transition has been thrown into doubt. indonesia has deployed an extra 1600 soldiers to put out fires that spread thick smoke across southeast asia. helicopters are carrying out water dropping missions. the fires are caused by the illegal flashing and burning of

the indonesian forest during the dry season. they're starting to clear land for farmenting and palm oil plantation. the bad air quality led to an increase in respiratory-related illnesses across indonesia. a hospital in one of the worst aif he canned areas says it has treated more than double the amount of patients since the fires began. most of people suffer from breathing disabilities and have been children and the elderly. the fires cause a thick snog that spread over neighbors countries. singapore is worried about the air quality, while in malaysia the haze forced school to shut. we have more now from kula lum purr. >> the situation has improved enough that schools that were shut in several states earlier this week have been allowed to

reeep. 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 weak. this affects indonesia and the neighbors, where thousands of people complain of respiratory difficulties, and flights are sometimes delayed or can semed. there's talks that the formula one race in singapore could be affected. indonesia had talks with these countries before but have yet been able to come up with an effective solution to tackle this problem, which is something of an awn you'll occurrence. indonesia promised to step up enforcement. the police have already detained several executives whose companies are alleged to have started some fires while it's investigating more than 100 others. it was once a thriving hub for tourists. the historic city used to attract people from around the

work with its ancient architecture. as they now report, the abduction of foreigners and tribal disputes are keeping people away. >> reporter: they call it the jewel of the sahara. it's been there for travelers and camels on the routes. this is what remains of the days. the historic red hue adobe mineral of old palaces. the local band performs it while it dances. in normal times the city would be bustling with tourists. bu they face tough times. local artifacts such as leatherwork and jewelry are sold worldwide, but amid growing violence and kidnappings, the tourists have left and business

is bad. >> translator: we used to sell items for $1,000. now we can't even sell them for $100. artifacts are almost vanishing. we need to find clients to buy our goods. >> reporter: he was forced out of school when he was 6 years old. his father wanted him to work in the tourism industry. he became the family breadwinner, but now things are different. >> translator: i haven't met a single tourist over the last six years. my dream is to see it back to the days when it was packed with foreigners. >> reporter: this hotel used to be fully booked for most of the year. now the owner faces bankruptcy. the only guests are his relatives. the local tourism authority, though, says there's a plan to gather tourists back. >> translator: there was a decline in tourism activity, but the government is doing its bess to bring tourists back.

our priority now is to improve security in the northern part of the country so there's peace. >> peace may be i will losive in this area. it's been marred by violence and instability and a transit point for thousands of refugees making their way through the desert headed for europe. still lots more to come on this news hour from london, including why protesters shut down parts of finland in major war tones across the country. controlling support controls the message. we'll tell you how journalists are kept out of the competitions.

>> 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! time now for a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. refugees using croatia as a get-away to get to western europe will be redirected after the prime minister said the country had reached their limit.

japan passed controversial security bills that means its soldiers will fight overseas for the first time since world war ii. russian and american defense chiefs have spoken for the first time in more than a year to discuss mutual interests in defeating the islamic state of iraq and the levant in syria. more now on the top story on the refugee crisis and the chaos in croatia as thousands desperately try to move across borders. why is there so much confusion? this was one of the routes that refugees were using to get to western europe. on tuesday hungary announced it totally filled its border with serbia for 30 days and that sparked violence and condemnation after water cannons and tear gas were used against refugees. slovenia said it would increase its border control with hungary. people had no choice but to find a new route to western europe. more than 14,000 have made their way south and crossed into croatia in the last 24 hours.

with so many people the country has already reached its limit. now it says it will not let refugees proceed north to slow vena. that is where the refugees were hoping to get to so they could cross into austria. most of them are syrians, so they're heading eventually to germany where they know that their bid for asylum will be at the very least be assessed and probably find a favorable outcome. we're joined in the studio by a specialist in policy and has been following this refugee crisis closely. thank you for joining us here on al jazeera. you wrote an article that highlights of the dysfunction although of the eu. you said the eu has to distinguish between the component parts of the crisis. first of all, what do you think are the main component part of this? >> absolutely. there's so much going on here, which is lumped together into one migration or refugee crisis, but if you actually start to break down the figures and look

at what happens, it's not only syrians and afghanies coming but people are coming from african and the western balkans which is in germany which is the host of absolute numbers. >> there's more from the western balkans than syria? >> absolutely. 40% come from the western balkans. germany just recently put these countries on a safe list so those whose asylum claims are found unsuccessful are not returned thereby freeing up space for refugees in need for attention. much political capital and attention has been placed on the european commission's proposal backed by germany, that the eu member states now need to accept a mandatory quota for a certain number of refugees to be relocated. however, by focusing all the attention on this, you're not actually developing long-term strategies to deal with an issue which is going to be an issue for a long timing to. >> i'm going to ask a question

about quotas and long-term strategy. for quotas there's resistance from the countries. hungary, for example, and eastern european countries that will not accept quotas. can you see any kind of breakthrough? we have european meetings next week. will countries change their money and germany managing to convince them? >> absolutely not. this is the showdown in meetings next week and an emergency summit for the eu leaders have been called. the idea floated and in fact what the german foreign ministers threatened today is they will use a majority vote to force through the quotas. if you force these countries, central and eastern european countries who have not been doing enough, especially compared to those like germany, to accept quotas will instill a local the bad will and bad blool among the members of the eu state. at a time when democratically logistics in the eu is already

shaky and already at a publicly polling at a low time, it's not a good idea. >> one worries about how the refugees would be treated in countries like that there. you were mentioning making the distinction between syrian refugees and refugees from the balc cans. do you think the eu should be strict about who it considers to be asylum seekers and some who are economic migrants and separate the two? >> absolutely another dimension is that the national member states have different manners in how they treat those who they consider refugees or economic migrants. those whose asylum state is rejected should be returned. currently a tiny proportion of those, once they enter the eu are actually returned. again, not allowing time and rye sources to be dedicated to those that actually need it. they should really police this and make sure people that shouldn't be there are returned.

>> just on a final point, you said you followed this very closely for months now if not years. do you see any glimmer of hope in the past few weeks? all we see is meetings and various leaders talking about it. we see heart-breaking pictures of people that are desperate. any glimmer of hope? >> some of the proposals on the table by the most recent communique offer some glimmer of hope. for example, more aid and support to the transit and origin countries ensuring the eu's external borders are forced more appropriately. these are the types of policies they should develop. my fear is with so much focus on the mandatory quotas, some of these more long-term solutions may fall by the wayside. >> a pleasure talking to you. after months of economic instabilities, greeks are heading back to the polls on monday for a third time just in year. the ex-prime minister who ezioned last month hopes the

election will give him a new mandate to return to office, but he's facing a new crisis. they're trying to cope with a huge influx of refugees and could affect how people will vote. barnaby phillips reports. >> they watch bemused as desperate people arrive. in a square in athens, elderly greeks outnumbered by hundreds of afghans. 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. he worries the economic and political instability will change that. >> we're afraid that because of this election and also basis of this crisis, maybe this climate will be changed. maybe extremist groups will use this to their benefit of

themselves. that's why we are afraid. >> reporter: this is what he feared, the neonaz gli golden dawn that gathered a couple of blocks away. foreigners out of greece chant. golden dawn has no chance to win the election, but according to opinion polls they're the third most popular party in greece. for them the refugee crisis is an opportunity. he says it's a disgrace. thousands cross the sea into greece while all our politicians can do is dream about who will lead the country. 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. >> we have a problem. >> translator: it could be used in this political battle, but that would be a mistake because it's a refugee crisis and not an

immigration crisis. it's above politics. greece's obligations are clearly defined by international law. we have to accept these refugees. >> reporter: the harsh truth is greeks have plenty of things to worry about apart from the refugee crisis. unemployment, rising taxes, falling living standards. they don't have great expectations of these elections, but they desperately hope for a government that will somehow address their country's economic problems. volunteers sort through donated clothes for refugees and poor greeks aloik like. more greeks feel sympathy for all the destitute people in their midst. they know whatever happens in the elections economic hardship and refugees will be a challenge for this country for years to come. barnaby phillips, athens. parts of finland were shut down on friday as workers walked out of proposed awes stair rit

measures. they have a strong tradition of organized labor and generous socialized benefits, but it's also in serious economic trouble. rob reynolds reports. >> reporter: 30,000 people rallied in helsinki's central square ft biggest strike they had seen in decades. unions called for the highly unusual protest in response to a proposed austerity paing canalling. the center right government says finland's economic needs to cut the cost of labor by 5% and wants to reduce overtime pay, weekend compensation, sick leave and do away with two annual paid holidays. >> translator: we are very angry about it, yes. >> translator: it will make a big hole in our wallet. >> they are cheating and they want to break down the system we have here in this country. it's extraordinary the way the government is doing it.

>> reporter: trains, planes, ships and public transportation were idle for the day, and many shops and factories shut down as this country of 5.5 million people came to a standstill. the government has tried unsuccessfully to get unions to agree to measures it says would boost competitiveness. finland's timber and technology industries are floundering and leaders call the economic situation exceptionally serious. finland's economy has been in recession for three years. unemployment is over 9%. economists expect things to get worse before they get better. what upsets many workers is what they say is the government's rejection of the traditional finnish system of three-way consensus between the state, business and unions regarding changes to social benefits and pay. ann is the leader of finland's biggest union with 230,000 members.

>> we usually negotiate. we get solutions by negotiating. that's why we are so appalled that this government doesn't see the benefits of that. we've built this country together, and now this government thinks that they know best. >> reporter: business leaders sa say the traditional finnish model is out of day. >> we have these new phenomena like globalization, increased competitiveness, competition all over. so this consensus type of decision-making, it's too slow to make rapid changes. >> reporter: the government will wait until the end of the month for unions to come up with alternatives before asking parliament to pass austerity measures into law. millions of muslims around the world have begun the annual hajj pilgrimage in saudi arabia. it's been a commercial hub for more than 1500 years, and the

pilgrimage generates billions of dollars in revenue. >> reporter: the market of islam's holiest site are busy throughout the year, but during the hajj season, they get hectic. there's an endless stream of people converging on mecca. he whooshings at this shop. he says business is flourishing. >> translator: a normal day we sell $60 to $80. dur hajj and ramadan it goes up to $1600. >> reporter: thousands of shops like these are scattered around the city. >> translator: gold here is pure. the gold 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 spend more than $4.5 billion on gifts,

transportation, food, and housing. now, this annual pilgrimage will provide a great boost to the saudi economy. the mecca chamber of commerce says revenues will increase once the expansion project of the grand mosque 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 says they're not doing to to get more money. >> we're not looking at the money but the service we're providing and to the local market which is the ones that will mention it. the government won't be manipulated from the hajj. we're not a tourist place. we're doing it for religious tourism. if you're looking for an expansion project, you will

never get anywhere with it. it's nothing political. what we're doing for the hajj is because we're honored. >> reporter: there are over 1.5 billion muslims around the world, most of them want to perform the hajj, which means mecca would remain rich and busy. al jazeera, mecca. still lots more to come on the program including. >> this is a remote town in the western united states. there's only one resident that lives in this town and he's here to preer serve this piece of forgotten american history. i have that story coming up. also coming up in sport we're just a few minutes away from the opening match of the 2015 rugby world cup as host england plays fiji. we're live in just a moment. stay with us.

the u.s. state of california conjures up images of sunny beaches and the thriving technology industry. the state is home to hundreds of ghost towns abandoned after the gold rush. we went to visit one man trying to preserve a town's once prosperous past. >> this is balarat, california. it's a ghost town. there are no phones here or cell signal or a television and no mail service, either.

it does have something for rocky novak, the one and only resident. he's trying to preserve the history of a town over a century ago was an important hub for mineral exploration. >> here's old original photos of the town in its day. this is 1898 photo, and there's the calloway hotel right there. they had a bank, post office and store. they had seven saloons and four brothels and a cemetery. >> wow. everything a miner would want, i guess, huh? >> just about everything a miner would want and need. too bad they don't have that now. >> reporter: today the town is an open air museum of sorts, in disrepair, yes, but a couple old buildings are still standing and artifacts still setting where they were left a century 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 would almost certainly not exist. >> there's nobody here this place would be gone in a week. >> reporter: why? >> it would be vandalized. if they knew this place was open and nobody was here, i mean, this place would be carried off in a week. >> reporter: there are an estimated 250 ghost towns in california alone like this one called radalat, they represent the gold rush era, a history of the american 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 and preserve

the rest. back in balarat, that's rocky's mission to keep the mystery alive and at least in this ghost town, he's the only man left standing to do it. it's time to get the sports news now. barbara, thank you very much. the 2015 rugby world cup is almost upon us. england is about to take on fiji in london. the opening ceremony has just taken place in front of a sell-out 82,000 crowd. they're desperately wanting a good start against fiji has they're the toughest in the group with wales and australia. standing outside that opening ceremony is lee wellings. he's live now. the organizers claim this is the biggest sports event seen in the u.k. since the london olympics. do you think the rugby world cup

can capture the imagination in a similar way? >> reporter: it can do, but not for the whole globe. rugby isn't popular in countries throughout the globe. they're trying to grow it in as many countries as possible. the numbers are big, over 2.3 million tickets and half a million visitors coming into england and wales for the matches. 20 teams coming in, and, of course, there are big nations in rugby with huge interest, australia, new zealand and england and france. there are big nations. it's not on the same level as the olympics or the football world cup, but it is a huge event that lasts 44 days and it will build up with momentum as some of the weaker teams are knocked out. i think the judge of whether it's been the success they need it to be is whether some of those smaller nations make the progress.

>> when i was mentions before in the story, england has a tough group, wales and australia and uruguay and the other teams in the group. how important is it they win this opening game against fiji? >> reporter: they definitely need to win this game. only two teams go there from the five in the pool. that means one of the england, wales, and australia will be eliminated before we get to the quarterfinals. it hasn't been organized very well in that respect, and i think they will make changes how they put together a world cup to stop it. it's not going to help the team eliminated. fiji spent time earlier in the week, and they're generally confident they can cause a shock. we know that fiji is a talented rugby nation and they have players that cause problems. what a touch opening match for fiji to play the host so motivated. england can win the tournament. they have to get through this

opening pool first. >> thanks for that. the tournament is getting underway amidst a round between world rugby and the australia media. in parts one of our controlling sports series, we report on which this year's rugby world cup angered journalist in the country. >> wlen it kicks off in london, some will be missing from the crowd. they'll be on the other side of the world. australia's team has made the trip, of course but much of the australian media has not. two big newspaper groups and one of the australia's main news agency are shunning the event as what they see as the editorial interference demanded by world rugby, the organizers. >> we simply want to tell our stories. we don't need to be told how to tell our stories and who we can tell them to. >> they were seeking to control the advertising that ran alongside news content and limit

what video could air and for how long. the tension is just the latest. media organizations are increasingly frustrated about controlled sports administrators demand over their coverage. the sport's body, the main motivation is money. well the global headquarters for australia rules football or afl looks like and is effectively a newsroom, one paid for by the afl itself it is its editors insist independent. >> people and fans aren't stupid. they come for authentic news, and that's what we provide to them. that's why we have such a big audience. if we were to pay or wing, we would have a fraction of the audience we do. >> not all are convinced. >> whether i go onto a website and when i read a newspaper, i am delegating 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 the sports organization. >> reporter: then the impact this digital newsroom has on the wider media. on shief on-screen advertising and sponsorships means they're taking money in the past to traditional media countries. sports organizations needed mainstream media. increasingly they feel they can bypass it controlling the message and the money. andrew thomas, al jazeera, melbourne. in part two and three of our controlling sports series, we'll head to india and the u.k. to look at the further issue of sports and the media. that will be on saturday and sunday here on al jazeera. to other sports now. the twisty tight marina bay circuit produced a few surprises at practice at a sunday singapore grand prix. he set the pace after hardly fweth on the track following the engine problems during the first traffic session.

l lewis hamilton who is one pole position away was fourth fastest. russia has mashed the 1,000-day countdown to the next fifa world cup in 2018. the noticeable absentee is the fifa secretary-general is suspended claiming he profited from the wholesale of the tickets. vladimir putin was part of the celebrations in moscow. >> translator: always welcome and are happy to meet visitors. to promise to make a spectacular sporting event. i'm sure it will make world sports and football history. it will bring together the big, united, international football play. nick bet dan evans in four sets. they're looking to reach the dafs cup for the first time since 1978. in the first singles match andy murray took on the australian to

kick off the best of nine se semifina semifinals. he was ranked 69 pace places below him. they won it straight sets. that's all for you for now. ifrments no one last story with sports. ma hauhammad ali made a rare pu appearance in louisville, kentucky. he was honored for the legacy he created in and out of the ring. the 73-year-old is considered among the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport, but he was also an outspoken advocate of civil rights and the anti-war movement. ali has been out of the public eye in recent years as he battles parkinson's disease. and that is it from me and the rest of the team on the news hour. do stay with us, though. lawrence taylor will have your news in a few minutes. see you tomorrow. bye-bye.

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living in hope, the iraqi family hoping for a new life despite croatia's clamp down on refugees. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. saying yes to its soldiers fighting oversees an historic and controversial vote in japan. the u.s. says it has discussed its shared interest with russia in defleeting the islamic state of iraq and the levant. and the neo-nazis