>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hell throw, and welcome to the news hour, i'm laura kyle live from our headquarters in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes. voting is extended in iran, which is holding its first elections since international sanctions were lifted. syria's opposition block says the schools of armed groups it represents will respect a two-week truce. the u.s. and china agree on a draft security council resolution to expand sanctions

against north korea. i'm in los angeles, home to the film industry, but it's not just the big studios, making the big films these days, it seems diy is in at the moment. i'm here with the sports, including counting underway fifa elected a new president. iran's president says voter turnout has been strong in the first elections since international sanctions were lifted. people are voting in two polls, one for the 290-seat parliament, and another for the assembly of experts which could be choosing the next supreme leader. a large number of hopefuls were

banned from running, about 12,000 applied to be candidates for parliament butting only about 5,000 were allowed. >> reporter: throughout iran polling was brisk, a nation no longer under international sanctions. the supreme leader was one of the first to cast a ballot. the president is standing for reelection to the assembly of experts. >> translator: reports indicate a massive turnout. >> reporter: he is counting on a strong turnout, similar to the 72% that made him president two and a half years ago. turnout like this should favor the reformists. they are hoping to make a big dent in the majority of

conservatives in parliament. so enabling rouhani to encourage more foreign investment in this country, and bring it out of recession. >> translator: we want our mp's to tackle any country's political, economic, and social issues and consider the situation in the region and around the world. our mp's need to show the world what iran is really like. >> translator: there are economic problems, unemployment, people are a bit tired of hard line policies. to get rid of those problems they want to vote so that god willing, they can select lawmakers who can meet our demands. >> reporter: conservatives pour scorn on rouhani's credentials. and the conservatives warn that foreign investments could endanger the country's independence. voters are hungry for a way to get the economy moving again. it's their appetite for wider political change that is being put to the test right now.

andrew simmons, al jazeera, tehran. >> let's speak to jonah hull live for us in tehran. voting has been extended. there must be a lot of enthusism today. >> reporter: a huge amount, i think, laura, that was in itself predicted. they thought there would be a turnout of perhaps 70% and it is looking that way. voting extended for a couple of hours, at least as far as we understand it, into the evening here on friday at this historic beautiful mosque in the center of tehran, the queues of voters have been stretching around the block all day long, and they still are well into darkness now. and that would tend to favor the reformists and moderates. it is expected that they will win at least in the tehran district. but tehran only accounts for about 12% of the parliamentary

seats. hard line support in the rest of the country remains extremely strong. let me bring in my guest now to give us a bit more incite. a cleric and academic joins me now, thanks so much. this countries standing perhaps now on the cusp of a very different future to its recent past. sanctions have been lifted. it's no longer at logger heads with the rest of the world. is it ready, do you think, to really move on? >> we have tremendous turnout, which we can see today. all of the streets of tehran are full of the voters. you can see the long queue that you can see here is nothing compared to some of the voting stations, which they are full of people, and still they have not managed to cast their votes. you know, i think [ inaudible ] more than 25 elections in the past. this turnout seems to be one of

the most important. >> reporter: does that suggest to you that many of these people really want to see change in this country? >> exactly that's the meaning of the story. because everyone who can see it's not the normal people who comes to every election. every time you can see new faces, and they are coming. i think the policies which have been taken by dr. rouhani was very effective, and i believe that most of the people who comes is with the type of hope that they are going to have a good future in the policies. >> reporter: and yet, of course, there are still deep suspicions, aren't there? there is still a very big block of people who will vote for the suspicious view, for the view that perhaps isn't ready to embrace the rest of the world and this nuclear deal. >> well, those pessimistic type of ideas have been always there. all the time, before election,

they were saying mr. rouhani will not win the election. they will not allow a reformist to come to the power. but in reality what we saw today is that he is in the position, and he is doing the change. >> reporter: and that of course is perhaps a testament that the democracy here does work. let me ask you this, you are a cleric. honestly now, do you believe that given the fact that a lot of young people in this counting try are calling for greater freedoms of speech and lifestyle, is the sort of religious democracy of the past still the appropriate way to govern this country the into the future. >> well, allowing the reformists to come with no resistance, and probably by tomorrow -- day after tomorrow, we will see the result of this election, all of

this shows that this really just democracy, it seems that it works. otherwise, the people were not going to trust such a -- what do you call -- system, and they were not going to come with numbers into the streets to cast their votes. i hope that the policies which have been adopted by the new government will lead this nation towards prosperity, towards peace, towards having a good relationship with the whole world and also embracing the international community as friends. >> okay. doctor, we'll leave it there. thanks so much for joining us. so his opinion there that iran is on a good solid path towards prosperity and openness, but there's a long, long way to go to meet the expectations of particularly the young people in this country, whether this election will do it is yet to be seen. back to you have. >> jonah thanks very much.

now to the most powerful armed groups in syria is calling on rebels toer nor a truce and intensify attacks on armed forces. the al-qaeda al-nusra front was never part of the group who would not be bombed. jamal, al-nusra saying it is not going to agree to this ceasefire, but it was never part of it anyway. >> reporter: indeed, laura, and that was the stumbling block that has been pointed out ever since this announcement was made; that really there wasn't much hope pinned on this proposed bill prior to it even coming into effect in a few hours, because al-nusra front was not part of the deal. al-nusra front has been fighting

alongside many of the different rebel groups that are in constant -- constant contact with some of the governments, be them west of gulf nations, and therefore its position on the ground is totally different than isil which is officially rejected by all countries around the world, particularly those that have a role inside syria, and that's why a lot of people aren't pinning so much hope, particularly because the strong holds are mainly in and around the aleppo area up north towards turkey, which has been the focus point of the russian air strikes, the focus of the renewed push that the government has been putting into syria ever since it received that kiss of life from moscow, and there has been that involvement by the russian military, and that's why probably people don't expect this to work. >> even though there was pessimism on the ground there are a lot of opposition armed

groups who say they have signed up to this truce. who does that include? >> indeed, i mean obviously the fighting on the ground is not limited to isil, al-nusra, the russians, and the iranians, and syrian government. there are a lot of syrian rebel forces. they include some of the main factions like even the free syrian army, they are sizable in their numbers and have been receiving weapons from some of the gulf countries that have been backing the opposition against assad. they have signed up to the higher council, or the -- the higher body which has been tasked with negotiations, which was the body that met in riyadh a couple of weeks ago, or just over a month ago to agree on things. but even them -- within them, it

is a loosely formed body, in the sense they do not sing in unison. and that's it is a fragile ceasefire, or cessation of hostilities as it has been called to say the lease. >> okay. jamal thanks very much. for many of those who have been forced to leave their homes in syria, they are not optimistic that the ceasefire will succeed either. >> reporter: in northwestern syria, not far from the border with turkey, a new wave of refugees reaches the town of azaz. these civilians, hundreds of mainly women and children escape the government's offensive in aleppo in recent days. >> translator: this truce is an open game, the world is conspiring against us. this is a deal between the russians and americans. >> translator: what is this talk

of a truce? since when have ceasefires worked? okay. so if these people went back and got hit, who is going to be responsible? we are going to stay here. we are not going back. >> reporter: the complexities of syria's war are overshadowing the possible pause in fighting. the main rebel groups have expressed deep mistrust of the plan, while other field commanders doubt that it will work. >> translator: the fact that nusra is not included in this agreement allows russia and the assad forces to tag at the opsix under the presence that they were attacking areas controlled by al-nusra front. >> reporter: life inside syria goes on. people in this marketplace in the city of aleppo are indifferent. five years of heavy bombardment and air raids have hardened them. >> reporter: russia is a war criminal, so is bashar al-assad. who do we rely on?

the international community? we don't trust the international community. aleppo is being destroyed and innocent civilians are being killed while the russian air raids continue. >> reporter: there is little hope that the cessation of hostilities will work. turkey warns the plan is not binding if its own security threatened. still ahead, two journalists in turkey are freed after a court rules there was a violation of their human rights. i'm in the heart of california's pistachio country, looking into whether new imports of pis -- pistachios from iran

will drive farmers here nuts. and one of the world's biggest surfing events goes ahead. the big sports story of the hour, the first round of voting has been completed and football's governing body prepares to elect a new president. let's go to lee wellings in zurich. what were the results? >> reporter: things are getting extremely interesting here, because we have had a surprising development after the first round of results have been announced. no new president yet, but the score so far, infantino, standing in place of the banned michelle mra tiny has 88 votes. and that is more than sheikh sal

month. now it gets intriguing. prince ali way behind. jerome champagne way behind. eventual, it's going to come down to the two men, salman, and infantino, and salman will now be extremely concerned that infantino has enough. >> is that what has done it, lee? all of the lobbying, why has he been able to creep ahead of sheikh salman? >> reporter: it certainly has something to do with the really hard lobbying over the last few weeks. i don't think it will be largely down to the speech he gave

earlier today. it was the pick of the speeches, but i think most people would already have decided. what surprises me is that it seems clear that africa was really backing sheikh salman. they said 50 of the 54 nations in africa are going to vote for sheikh salman. so to end up with only 85 is really surprising. >> and infantono who has started to make inroads. one of the things i should point out that could happen is that perhaps someone like prince ali, maybe jerome champagne will say i'm standing back, so then where will their votes go? >> lee, thanks very much for bringing us the latest there

from zurich. and jo will be here with more on that vote a little later in sports. of course we will bring you the final result of that second round as we get it. an iraq cleric has addressed a large rally in baghdad. the demonstrators are calling for reforms to combat corruption, and demanding a cabinet reshuffle. he also criticized the security situation with the armed group isil still controlling parts of the count country. a spoke to a former advisor of the iraqi government to find out why so many support the cleric. >> i think he gave space for the iraqis especially in baghdad. he articulated strong feelings that they have no confidence in the politicians. that they are fed up, they think

the country has reached a dead end, of course with the financial prices, and the dropping oil prices. the people are feeling the pinch of what is happening. so they do not see leadership or a mess taj other than what he has done. he has taken a very bold move, arctic lated people's anger and pointed directly at the government in the grown zone, and i'm pretty certain that all of the iraqi politicians are now very concerned and will want to do something quickly, otherwise this popular anger can really turn into action. they are very exposed. it's not a question of what program you devise or you adopt a new policy, or simply sack a minister and bring another one. the system is so rotten. i think people are looking for a

fresh start. the difficulty is how can you do it in the midst of war against isil, a bankrupt economy, and an -- as i said, a very fragile political block ruling the country? a court in paris has fined an oil giant for corrupting officials in iraq's oil for food program. they were found guilty after unofficially being cleared on all charges. iraq was allowed to sell oil in exchange for goods that met basic humanitarian needs. but an independent inquiry found that baghdad used the trade to slip in hidden surcharges to those buying the oil. two journalists in turkey have been freed after a top court ruled their arrest was a violation. they have been in jail since

november, but they will still face trial on terrorism and espionage charges. >> translator: this is a trial of press freedom. we got out, but more than 30 colleagues are still in prison. i hope this ruling will pave the way for their freedom as well. we will continue to fight in the name of humanity, freedom of the press, and freedom of expression, until this concentration camp that you see behind me becomes a museum. >> translator: we are getting out, but this does not mean that the despite is over. we still have friends in prison, our struggle for them must continue. our unity against pressure on the media should continue. >> reporter: a columnist with the platform for independent on youralism joins us now from istanbul. what do you make of this ruling? was it anything that you expected? >> with an overwhelming majority. the supreme court, constitutional court of turkey,

issued an historic, unprecedented ruling. it has never been seen such powerful statement given by the court pro-freedom ruling in the republic's history. this has surprised us in the journalist community, because the court not only sufficed with opening the past for two colleagues of ours to freedom, but also referring to three key points in the current constitution. personal freedom, freedom of expression, and media freedom, together in a very compact, well-written text. designing the domain of freedom of expression in general, including media freedom and personal safety, actually gives various messages not only allowing two colleagues to walk free, but also tells the -- the -- the other courts,

lower courts that the other group of journalists, held in prison as detained and figures veriry, but we assume at least 25 of them are imprisoned or 30 of them, that they should also be released based on this presidential ruling. so it -- this is a positive fine as i wrote today my column a sort of ray of light in darkness, all of a sudden, giving us breathing room in journalism and also in freedom of expression domain. so it remains to be seen what the follow-up will be of that court ruling. whether or not it will be limited tonight to our two colleagues or effect others as well. >> you met the two journalists earlier today, i understand. they must have been pretty elated. >> i did.

it was a joyous atmosphere in the newspaper. everybody, all of the writers, editors were there, two colleagues were in good shape. not sleepless at all. they looked vivid and returns message of them, giving us their comments that the remaining colleagues told them don't forget us, when they were leaving early hours in the morning, and returning message of -- of john to me was we shall not let them -- their case be frozen. we will pursue their causes as well. and also adding to that, john told me, the struggle for freedom and independence will continue, and both of them are -- have decided already to join their kurdish colleagues, fighting for reporting rights, et cetera in turkey's

southeastern mainly kurdish southeastern provinces where clashes are taking place, and journalism is under heavy strain. so this court ruling in a nutshell gives us -- leaves us -- in a more hopeful mood and we will -- we are more positively looking into what sort of consequences this will be. it is also a response, in a way to -- to the political executive, as you may remember, when john's newspaper had reported about lori's carrying weaponry into syria, the president then had come out to -- to public and said, quote, unquote, i shall not let him get away with it, meaning the editor of the newspaper. and the court ruling, this text is sort of a legal, well-writing

response on the executives and how wide the freedom is. >> okay. great to speak to you. thanks very much for joining us. a palestinian activist and journalist has ended his three-month long hunger strike. he went without food after being detained by israeli forces and held without a trial or charge. he will remain in custody until may, but his administrative detention will not be renewed after that. >> reporter: this agreement reached between the prisoner, his lawyers, and israelis puts to an end a three-month ordeal, in which he refused food for 94 days, surviving only on liquids. this hunger strike was in protest to his administrative detention, which is basically

imprisonment without charge for up to six months, possibly indefinitely. at one point any israeli supreme court agreed to suspend his detention in light of his hunger strike, but he refused and carried on saying he was not guilty of any crime. he had not been charged of a crime, and should be released. it would seem a compromised agreement has been reach. he will be released unconditionably on the 21st of may, and treated in the northern israeli hospital where he is now receiving treatment and we have been told has been given nourishment, which he hasn't had for many months. but his case has attracted an extraordinary amount of attention. the use of hunger strikes is really one of the only forms of protests that palestinian prisoners have. and when you consider the fact

that more than 700 palestinians are currently being held in administrative detention, it is certainly one that the israelis try to prevent from happening. debate night or fight night. and powering up your mobile phone, the charge of finding greener ways of doing it. plus we'll tell you about a dream come fru for this young fan in afghanistan.

>> are miners across this region

affected by the dodd-frank law? >> sourced from illegal mines. >> this is a serious problem. >> an undercover investigation reveals the real cost. >> there's no way of knowing what minerals are coming in. >> "faultlines". >> what do we want? >> al jazeera america's hard-hitting... >> today they will be arrested. >> ground-breaking... >> they're firing canisters of gas at us. >> emmy award-winning, investigative series. hello again, thanks for staying with us. here is a quick reminder of our top stories. iran's president says voter turnout is high in the first elections since international sanctions were lifted. voters are selecting members of parliament and experts to sit. rebels in syria are ca

calling -- nusra is calling on rebels to ignore the truce agreement. and the second round of voting to elect a new fifa president is being held , as none of the candidates got a two-thirds majority. the u.s. and china are joining forces diplomatically against north korea. it follows the weapons test and rocket launch last month. harry fawcett has more from seoul. >> reporter: after weeks of talks the u.s. announced a deal has been reached with china to seek strong sanctions against north korea. >> today in response to the nuclear test and subsequent

prescribed ballistic missile launch, the united states tabled a draft u.n. security council resolution that if adopted would break new ground and represent the strongest set of sanctions in more than two decades. >> reporter: it would mandate all countries to inspect all north korea cargo, prohibiting all sales of conventional weapons to north korea, and limiting their ability to export coal and other minerals, which south korea says account for 46% of north korea's revenues. reports suggest some of that is already happening with ships denied entry and coal deliveries drying up. there is a provision to let such exports through if the proceeds are judged to be for livelihood purposes.

>> translator: ultimately we have to go through negotiation just as in the case of the iranian nuclear negotiation. >> reporter: just last october beijing sent one of his highest ranking officials to a parade. north korea east decision since to press son with a nuclear test and rocket launch appears to have refrozen the relationship. the country has been much more strident this time in terms of trying to seek significant sanctions against north korea, and that is impacting china's security, and also its relationship with the south. >> reporter: this of course is not the first time sanctions have been imposed. most recently in 2013. the talk then as now was of their unprecedented toughness. >> the resolution tabled today

will take the u.n. sanctions imposed on north korea to the next level. >> reporter: there is a certain sense of familiarity to all of this. north korea has made nuclear weapons development an unmistaken priority. increasing the pressure now is the plan, testing north korea's resistance once again. harry fawcett, al jazeera, seoul. in the u.s. republican presidential hopefuls have taken part in heated exchanges in the last tell invited debate. 12 states will hold primaries next tuesday. >> reporter: with a series of crucial contests days away, this was a key debate. marco rubio went on the attack from the first moment.

front runner, donald trump the target, and in a border state, immigration the first topic. >> you are the only person on the stage that has ever been fined for hiring people to work on your projects illegally. >> reporter: and trump was taunted by ted cruz who said he couldn't win a presidential election. >> we can't risk another four years of his failed obama policies by nominating someone who loses to hillary clinton in november. [ cheers ] >> reporter: marco rubio went aggressively after donald trump from the first moment of the debate. he knows he has to try to stop his momentum if he has any chance of winning the nomination. he attacked his record, previous comments, lack of positions he holds now, but donald trump still holds a lead in most of the states that vote on super-tuesday. there was a discussion on the economy, the battle against isil and the middle east.

[overlapping speakers] >> reporter: but this was a debate where few will remember details on policy, but will remember the anger. after the debate trump said he wasn't surprised to be the target of so many attacks? >> he had no choice but to be aggressive. and same thing with cruz. >> reporter: trump has come under attack in previous debates and it has done nothing to hurt him in the polls. no one has yet worked out how to beat him. the jamaican labor party has won a narrow victory there. the prime minister's party took 29 seats. ireland is also going to the

polls. voting is underway in a general election to choose a new parliament. neave barker reports from dublin. >> reporter: voting is underway to elect 157 seats. this is one of the smallest countries in the european union. but what happens here is likely to send ripples across the entire continent after years of austerity, and an economy that is now on the up. since the 1990s, no single party has been able to form a coalition on its own. they were hoping to capitalize on improvements to the economy in this year's election. also hoping to gain ground after they lost a tremendous amount of seats in the election in 2011, the republican party, but also smaller parties like the socialists, the social democrats, and other social independent parties were also

expected to play a key role in the difficult process of coalition building. a special ebola phone line has been closed in guinea. the group running the line says funding ran short. >> reporter: guinea is officially free of ebola, but the calls for help have still been coming. the 115 ebola hot line was set up for people in remote areas could get information and ask for help if the they suspected someone has the virus. the staff here say they got thousands of calls every day. but if people try dialing 115 now, all they get is a recorded message that says the line has been called and tells them to contact their local health center. >> translator: the only service which can help the people is the 115 line, but the service isn't

working. it is going to be complicated for us, especially those who are far in the villages and don't have money to go to the hospital. >> reporter: ebola swept through guinea over two years ago before quickly spreading to neighboring countries. of the 3,804 cases reported, around 65% of them died. guinea was declared ebola free in december, but the 115 line was kept open, partly to help emergency crews trace possible victims of the virus. >> translator: if this 115 service doesn't exist, how can we find the sick people. the problem will be knowing how to get to someone who is ill. >> reporter: those running the hot line say it has been closed because of a lack of funding and support, but even some in government acknowledge how valuable it has been. >> now that ebola is behind us, but it doesn't prevent us from

having another epidemic. one thing that has been flawed in our system is how to prevent, and honestly, the hot line, 115, in guinea has been a tremendous help. >> reporter: there are fears ebola may return to guinea. one of the ways that may have helped to detect another epidemic early has been shut down. rob matheson, al jazeera. now with sanctions on iran lifted the country is eager to expand trade and boost its economy. one of iran's tastiest exports already a big seller abroad. >> reporter: the pistachio trees are winter bare now, but soon these branches will be loaded down with nutty deliciousness. >> each bud will produce a cluster, and each cluster can

anywhere from two to 25 nuts on it. >> reporter: this looks good? >> it looks very good. >> after years of punishing drought, this farm manager forecasts a bumper crop. >> we have about 115% of our normal snow pack. >> reporter: with more than 1.2 million hectares of trees, the industry is worth about $1.3 billion. but politics are complicating things. suddenly they are facing stiff competition from half a world a way, iran. iran is the number one producing country. the u.s. is in second place. now that most of the economic and trade sanctions have been lifted, iranians are free to export their pistachios to many parts of the world, and in many parts of the world, people seem to think that iran's pistachio's taste better than california's.

at the american pistachio growing association, officials say iranian competition in the export market is fierce. >> iran has taken control of certain markets worldwide. china would be a good example. because of their proximity to china, they were able to ship there at a cost much more competitive than what we would be able to sell into that same marketplace. >> reporter: he has confident iranian pistachio's won't put a dent in american consumption due to high tariffs. but in one part of california people go nutty for iran's nuts, so many people of iranian decent live in this section of los angeles, it is nicknamed

tehran-golas. the owner says it is a matter of taste. >> obviously it is the best. it is the best in the taste. there is only one problem, the persian pistachio, if you start eating, you have to finish. >> reporter: and that's the story in a nutshell. rob reynolds, al jazeera, los angeles. still ahead here on the program, all of the sport. we'll be going back live to zurich as a second round of voting gets underway for a new fifa president. ♪

more than half of the world's population now have mobile phones. they have a significant impact on the environment, which is why many operators are looking for greener alternatives. tarek bazley reports. >> reporter: power hungry. mobile phones and the networks that report them consume vast amounts of electricity each year. that comes at a cost in terms of money and the environment, both are important factors especially in remote and often poor parts of the world. >> there are a lot of communities that require access. to a have access to power -- power their phones, a little bit of [ inaudible ] and also deliver solutions by

leveraging this power equipment. >> reporter: many bart -- parts of the world don't have access to reliable electricity. that's why generators like this are used to keep the phones running. globally the telecommunications industry produce a huge amount of carbon emissions. indian mobile company covers 3 million square kilometers of the country. they have used simple changes like using solar panels. this has removed the need for energy hungry stations, and reduced pow up by up to 30%. >> the first thing we started to do was retire the air conditioning from the network

itself. almost retired 30, 35,000 air conditioners in one goal, and started to make these networks a lot more energy efficient, so to say, by reducing the consumption. >> this could be the greenest battery around. >> reporter: new technology like this fully recycling battery is also being used in some mobile towers. it is charged using solar panels during the day, and can power the tower all night. companies are also developing networks of sensors and smart grid technology. but with billions more people expected to start using mobile technology in the years ahead, more energy-efficient phones are a key to a greener, more sustainable future. tarek bazley, al jazeera. now time for all of the sport, and here is jo with the

latest on a very strong fifa vote. >> yes, a second round of voting is underway to decide who will be the next president of fifa. none of the four candidates secured the required two-thirds of the vote in the first round. this is the scene right now in zurich as the 207-member association engage in a secret ballot yet again. these are the results from the first round of voting. the preelection front runner was sheikh salman and he secured 85 votes. however, infantino won three more. prince ali secured 27 votes. the frenchman jerome champagne was always the outsider. and tokyo sexwale withdrew from the race. lee how significant are the

results of that first round of voting? >> reporter: significant and surprising. there were shock waves inside and outside the congress. because by general consensus, sheikh salman was expected to finish comfort bli ahead in the first round of votes. we talked about how this was a two horse race. but sheikh salman looked to have the support he needed particularly in africa and asia. this raises the possibility that there has been some rebellion against the acting african chief. because he wanted all 54 votes to go to sheikh salman. that can't have been the case ju because he didn't get enough votes. and infantino now becomes the new favorite. >> what happens now, lee? >> reporter: there was frenzied

activity, for a short period, between the first and second round vote. more people, whispering in ears. sheikh salman was very busy. he is such a powerful figure, and he will be talking to people about where prince ali's votes go. they will probably switch in the second round, so you would predict that we'll know the new fifa president within the next hour or two in all probability, because people are not going to sit on their prince ali vote, and most people would look at prince ali's vote and think they are more likely to go to infantino. >> and, you know, it's all been very exciting with this free fa presidential vote, but arguably, the reforms that preceded this vote will do much more to change

fifa, won't they? >> reporter: this is the fifa trying to show the world it continues. this is the message to authorities that want fifa to change, and it is such an important thing that those votes were probably pushed through with 89% of the 207 delegates here, saying yes, we want a new cleaner fifa, because the outside world is suspicious of fifa. fifa's acting secretary general confirmed earlier that the organization is facing a $500 million deficit. i spoke to the professor of sports enterprise in manchester and asked him where he money had gone. >> that's an have thing question, because officially sponsors haven't pulled out. i know fifa is paying some fairly heavy legal fees, but i

think what we're probably starting to see is sponsors, broadcasters, and other commercial partners are beginning to exert pressure on fifa, and while at one stage fifa may have been able to ask for significant amounts of money, now they have to show restraint. >> we have five candidates standing for fifa election, which do you think will be the safest bet as far as the sponsors are concerned. >> infantino, and platini have brought together some fairly significant changes. so it's difficult to know beyond him who would be a credible, safe pair of hands. it's a very difficult role for any of them, i think. and it often puts them in

conflict with what for example fans are looking for. manchester united has drawn rival liverpool in the next session. united went through 6-3 over the two legs. a prestigious big wave event has gotten unday way in hawaii. it has only taken place nine times in the last 32 years. the american john john florence scored the best. a young boy from afghanistan has had a very special gift from footballer leonel messi. the five year old was pictured wearing a plastic bag as a homemade argentina shirt. images went viral and were

eventually seen by the player himself. he is now the proud owner of an argentina jersey, complete with a signature of the five-time world player of the year. that is all for now. >> jo, thanks very much. now films made by movie fans used to be low tech and amateurish, but now they are getting more polished, but the studios aren't happy. phil lavelle reports. >> reporter: fans love to make films. we're talking super fans here. take one favorite movie, add your own twist. but cheap, not anymore? the captain here is the director of a star trek film. the short movie was so popular, he started making a full-length sequel with cash from fans. but this production has come out

of warp speed because of a legal battle. >> it has given fans the opportunity to fill in holes of the universe of their favorite franchise that they have never been able to do before. i have seen fan films that are five minutes long that look as good as any tv or move i have out there. >> reporter: they are all out in the universe. lucas films holds awards every here to honor the best fan film. >> there are just three steps you have to go through. first of all the funding, but who needs the bank manager, you have social media, crowd funding. you get the cash, and the sky is the limit, and then there is the equipment. broadcast quality is available these days. everyone is a potential

filmmaker. get some friends along, and then there is distribution. you have got the internet immediate transmission, and immediate feedback. >> just because people have the tools doesn't mean that they are necessarily going to use them correctly, right. >> reporter: this man has directed many fan films. he made his own version of the punisher, and his adult take on power rangers had had more than 17 million views so far. for him it's all about making a statement. >> what i try to do when i make fan films ever so often is i'll try to infuse some sort of big idea within it. >> reporter: for most fans it's all a bit of fun, a hobby. they say they keep the spirit alive, whether hollywood agrees, well that is another story. do stay with us here on al jazeera. julie mcdonald has another full

bulletin right ahead from london.

>> hunted to the brink of extinction. >> we need an urgent method that stops the killing. >> now fighting back with a revolutionary new science. >> this radiocarbon dating method can tell us if trade of ivory is legal. >> it could save a species. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> techknows team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> i'm standing in a tropical windstorm. >>...can affect and surprise us. >> wow, these are amazing. >> techknow, where technology meets humanity. >> only on al jazeera america.