tell your stories. this is al jazeera hello. welcome to the news hour. live from al jazeera's headquarters in doha. the u.n. says more than a thousand iraqis have been killed in the month of march alone as i.s.i.l. steps up attacks on civilians. heavy fighting has broken out between forces. honoring will the victims of a

campus massacre, the university in kenya marks a somber anniversary. plus. >> reporter: i'm in cambodia where the united nations says thousands of children in orphanages are not, in fact, orphans the u.n. has' r released figures showing a sharp rise in the number of iraqis violently killed in march. it says more than 1100 died. that's almost double the previous month's figure. half of those killed were civilian. this coincides with the number of i.s.i.l. attacks. that doesn't include those who died after exposure, to the elements or lack of food, water and health care. crossing over to our krapt who is joining us from baghdad to

tell us why the numbers are so high in march - correspondent. >> reporter: >> reporter: there are many reasons behind the increase in the death toll that was mentioned by the united nations. first of all, the clashes and the fighting against i.s.i.l. is still going on and recently it has sfleensdally high-- increased highly when the iraqi forces announced that they will announce or did launch in more than one area. many areas very bad subjected to an increased military operation made between iraqi forces and i.s.i.l. as well. also we have to take into consideration that the very bad circumstances that some areas, some cities in iraq are witnessing, especially when we talk about this issue, we talk about fallujah town.

it is surrounded from all directions. it is seized by iraqi forces and people inside there are talking about the very bad circumstances they're witnessing and they're passing through. many people died because of this circumstances of this siege laid by iraqi forces the civilian deaths, that number will be even higher as the iraqi army prepares to liberate other cities that have large civilian populations amos you will for example. >>-- mosul, for example. >> reporter: yes, exactly. that should be taken into consideration when we are talking about this issue. they're saying that the coming battle inside mosul could increase the number of death of people in the future. as we know, there are more than one million people inside mosul.

some talking about 1.5. i'm saying two million people inside mosul. one important issue, minutes ago iraqi parliament voted for a resolution to consider anwar province as a province inside the province and because the severe battle that happened in the prevents and still going on. -- province and still going on. this is considered the biggest province in iraq. it is located to the west of iraq. they consider this province as a destroyed province or in strike province. this is to reflect what is or what is the difficult circumstances that this province is passing through because of the battle between iraqi forces and i.s.i.l. forces that is going on in many, many towns in this province

thank you very much for that update from baghdad. an israeli military court has ruled that a soldier accused of killing an injured palestinian man can be detained in a military camp for now. he was lying on the ground injured when he was shot in the head and killed in hebron in the occupied west bank. he allegedly attacked an israeli. charges against the soldier have been reduced from murder to manslaughter. one person has been killed in a dispute between rival factions in a refugee camp in southern lebanon. it is the second time that the members of the armed group have been fighting in the camp. witnesses report hearing gunfire in the neighborhood. there has been tension since monday when two men were shot dead in violence between the two groups. the defense ministry says heavy fighting has broken out in

forces. the small mountainous enclave is located between these areas here. it has been under the control of local forces since the fall of the soviet union. the fighting over the past 24 hours is said to be the worst since the ceasefire agreement ended the three-year liberation war. european mediators have not been able to find a peaceful resolution. we speak to a journalist and lecturer at the american university of armenia. thanks for joining us. these two cunts reporting that the conflict is turning violent. they are both accusing each other of conducting offensive warfare. what are you hearing about this situation? >> what we have heard from official sources is that in the early morning aprils of april 2 they launched a military

offensive along the entire length of the line of contact between the area and it has also tried to infiltrate into the territory to attack military installations and attacked civilian areas resulting in the death of an 11-year-old boy and seriously wounding two other children how much further can this escalate and what is at stake if it is not contained. >> we have often semd that these kinds of escalations can lead to an accidental working and have a greater impact on the entire region. for the past 20 months it has been continually escalating the tensions in terms of truce violations and military offensive against the others. we know that it was just recently in washington. we have seen this large scale offensive, the worst since 1994

is this the ends of the ceasefire effectively? >> the ceasefire has been in blast for the past 22 years has been violated continuously. it has been self maintained. the group has been trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement. the country has been trying to derail that peace process. by launching such an offensive it only contributes to creating a more tenuous situation with the loss of innocent lives and casualties on both sides what's the role of the international community here, specifically i'm asking about russia because russia is saying that it is studying reports of the escalation but it hasn't provided any details and as you know russia was the one that brokered that ceasefire in 1994. what will russia do here because there say lot at stake for russia it is. it is an ally of armenia. >> it is pair partner. it is a member of the

collectivity treaty organization along with russia, but russian influence in the region is always questionable. they have been selling millions of dollars in wreps to the country, arming them and saying that it's armenia's partner. putin has called for an immediate ceasefire and it is continuing to monitor the situation, but beyond that we have no other news as to what russia will do. in terms of the international community, i have to say that this corner of the world has been long ignored and even with efforts of the group, i think it is time for the world to.greater attention to the situation here because, as i said, it will have a large influence on the greater region if this issue is not resolved peacefully thank you. world leaders have ratified a treaty to keep nuclear materials safely under lock and key during a nuclear summit in washington

102 nations made the pledge to prevent nuclear terrorism. obama warned world leaders of the threat posed by armed groups like i.s.i.l. trying to gain access to nuclear weapons. >> reporter: all smiles at the end of the nuclear security summit in washington and for good reason. an international treaty that requires countries to do more to safeguard nuclear material is about to take effect. the u.s. president obama warned miss fellow leaders more must be done. >> there is no doubt that if these madmen ever got their hands on a nuclear bomb or nuclear material, they most certainly would use it to kill as many innocent people as possible. >> reporter: obama's warning comes after attacks in brussels and the suspects may have been spying on a nuclear scientist. some anti nuclear activists say the summit may have been focused

on the wrong threat. they want cuts in the number of nuclear weapons in u.s. and russia. they don't want north korea to become a nuclear state. that's a matter obama discussed with his chinese, japanese and south korean counterparts on thursda thursday. >> civilian nuclear material is found in far more states than just the states with nuclear weapons. about 24 countries have material that could be used for a nuclear weapon. so what president obama did was really elevate political attention to these materials and provide political momentum towards securing them and ideally eliminating these materials. >> reporter: this is the final summit of its kind, so what happens now? >> today we agree to maintain a strong architecture including through the united nations the international atomic energy agency and interpol to carry no

work >> reporter: the real test of the summit's success will be whether nations continue their work safeguarding their nuclear material without a nudge from the white house north korea says it will continue its nuclear and ballistic weapons program. a north korean official says it is in a state of semi-war. pyongyang it says it will not tolerate of its ships under sanctions imposed understand its nuclear test in january do stay with us on the news hour. still to come, we will tell you why ethiopia's grand damn project is causing tensions to spill over with its neighbors. plus a japanese electronics giant has a foreign owner for the first time. we will tell you about the multi billion dollar take over of sharp. in sport, the nba's golden boys lose some of their shine. details of warriors' setback

the u.s. says it has killed a key leader of the al-shabab group in somalia. he was one of three people killed in a drone strike south of jilib near the border. he was involved in two attacks in mogadishu more than a year ago, one at the airport, another at a hotel. kenya is remembering one of the worst attacks by al-shabab. it has been a year since masked men killing over 140 students in a university. many are still afraid to go back to school. >> reporter: these students ran away or hid when dozens of their friends were shot and killed. merry lay under her bed for more than 12 hours. it was a year ago when attackers

from the armed group al-shabab stormed their dormitory here in northern kenya. >> reporter: i'm a journalist. >> reporter: we spoke to her on the phone from just outside the campus during the attack. >> reporter: she told us how her friend was killed. >> she was pregnant, seven months. i guess it was labor pains. she started crying. that's when they realized there was someone in the room. they went to the bathroom. >> reporter: more than 140 students were killed. the attackers came from this direction and they found her sleeping inside the girls dormitory. it is here that most were killed, mercy was hiding inside throughout. there were only four police guarding the campus at the time.

many people here are left wondering if the attack could have been prevented. >> reporter: the university's former principal says it was an obvious and vulnerable target. he showed us letters sent to the government in the months before the attack requesting more security. he says they were ignored. he says the attack was a disaster for a region that is already poor an marginalised >> it has left a mess in the economy, it has led to more fear, to more suspicion between us, so literally we are in a quagmire. >> reporter: the additional security finally came late last year. there are now 25 armed police on the campus. security in the northern region has improved. in january the university reopened for part-time students. they're hoping more will feel

safe enough to start courses in september. >> reporter: mercy and her friends practice the song for a memorial ceremony. along with most survivors they were transferred to another university in another part of the country. they say they never want to go back, but they say they will never forget what happened that day or the friends they lost south africa's president faces a flood of calls to resign even though he has apologised for using public funds to renovate his private home. the ruling african national congress says recalling him from his post will tear the country apart. >> reporter: the country's highest court delivered the final damning word on the president and the national assembly, both breached the constitution. it ordered the president to repay the state coffers for home improvements unrelated to

security, things like a theater and a swimming pool. in a statement broadcast live to the nation he said the gross over spend should never have happened. >> the matter has caused a lot of frustration and confusion for which i apologise on my behalf and on behalf of government. >> reporter: but he defended his actions say he had always intended to pay back the money. >> i respect the judgment and will abide by it. i have consistently stated that i would pay an amount towards the non-security upgrades. >> reporter: he was dismissive

of the demands he repay some money on his home. the country's corruption watchdog investigated after costs ballooned. he was said to repay a portion of the 16 million dollars spent, but he dismissed the findings and the government issued several reports that exonerated him from any wrongdoing. at the start of the constitutional court hearing, the president did a u-turn acknowledging he did owe some money, but that's not enough for his biggest critics. the economic freedom fighters say they will force him from office. they're encouraging south africans to take to the street. the opposition democratic aleans wants him to resign and they called his address to the nation contradictory and insulting. it they may not have won his resignation but they have a lot of ammunition ahead of this year's local elections. the anc is has wholeheartedly

backed him and thanked him for humbling himself with an apology. events over the last few days scores the dominance of the anc which has the support of many. although they're under unprecedented pressure u.n. police to burundi. the country has experienced unrest since april last year since the president decided to seek a third term. nearly 500 people have been killed and quarter of a million people fled to neighboring countries. ethiopia has damn pront. our-- dam project.

>> reporter: it is costing more than four billion dollars of ethiopia takes pairs money to built. when complete the dam is expected to generate 6,000 mega watts of power. electricity will be used domestically and sold to countries in the region and beyond. convincing some neighboring countries of the benefits remains a major challenge for the ethiopian government. the reservoir when filled will stretch around 240 kilometers in that direction and the water level will come up to around about where i'm standing. the surface area of the reservoir is expected to be around 1,800 square kilometers. the construction of this project is posing some questions for countries in the region. downstream countries egypt and sudan are especially worried that if this reservoir is filled too quickly, it could seriously diminish the flow of the river. the blue nile has recently been

diverted back to its original path to flow through these four culverts. ethiopia says studies show the flow has not been effected. ethiopia has vowed not to fill the reservoir during the dry season when lake behind the dam in egypt is low. the egyptian government is afraid that restrictive water flow could increase already high levels of salts in the nile dealt a-- delta. government leaders in sudan fear for safety of the main dam and the saddle dam designed to see water not escape >> we're carrying out out the tests. we are progressing in a responsible an professional manner. >> reporter: an agreement by ethiopia sudan and egypt was sign a year ago fledging to increase cooperation over the dam, but it wasn't until last december when an agreement was reached on which two companies

would cubing their own studies. >> this would be studied in detail by international concerned. how to fill the dam, when to fill the dam and what will be the impact of the various options of filling the dam on downstream countries >> reporter: despite the agreements, some academic and political figures in egypt have called for the destruction of the dam. >> they don't understand the development needs and the rights of other countries. i think we should all respect all the concerns of all countries. >> reporter: completion is expected in the next three years, but building trust among countries which ethiopia says will benefit from one of the greatest engineering projects in africa's history could take a lot longer than that

australia says a once to decide whether to remain in or out of britain. when britain joined the e.u. it was considered a betrayal. it ended decades of tradition as well as a host of tariff agreements. foreign minister julie bishop expressed the position to the british prime minister when she met him in washington. >> australia acknowledges that the referendum on brexit is a matter for the british people. australia believes it would be in our interest if a strong united king will remain an e.u. it is a significant trading partner for us, as part of the ue would be in australia's interests taiwan ee manufacturer foxconn has finalised its take

over of stharp. it is the first ever foreign take over of a major firm. the deal was sealed with a han shake in tokyo. 3.5 billion dollars was paid for a two-thirds stake in sharp. it wants to expand into the market for next generation displace which sharp makes. >> today is an important days for us. this is a case of a one company investing in our global company because we know we can compliment each other with our own unique resources and then subsist together sharp started out over 100 years ago making belt buckles rising to be one of the biggest

electronic manufacturing firms in the world. its failure to keep up with the digital position weakens its position today. by 2009 its lcd plant was billed as the most advanced. three years later investment and competition from rivals started to squeeze its finances. that same year stharp got its first bail out from lenders. foxconn began looking to buying it. after a second bail out sharp accepts the bid to buy it out. an official from the university says japanese businesses lack diversity and the introduction of a foreign management firm is a positive step. >> i think what happened was that sharp wasn't real concealing it, but they were rather delayed in informing some of the necessitying activities

that were understand the carpet and, of course, on the negotiation stage they backed off which basically drew a very good deal not only from sharp itself but from the banks. i hope it is a sign of things to come because we lack diversification in management style. people portray japan an electronics icon. if you look at electronics, the domestic sales or domestic production in japan of electronics have more than halved compared to 15 years ago. they're not the japanese icon any more. there should have been a lot more forward introduction that we should be witnessing. i would assume what they can do and other companies is unify the technology of existing these japanese companies and actually utilise their base all over the world. a good example of that is the take over of nissan which was a

bankrupt company virtually. you can use the existing technology and the name to widen your base by using these companies the weather with robin. >> reporter: there is a reasonable band. this year it has been more active, particularly in arabia. if you're on the lake, it is beautiful. it has come out of unsettled weather. look to the west and that's where the cloud is. there is an active line of cloud. there is a lot of rain and snow depending on your height. this is the northern pakistan, 39 millimeters in just a few hours. if you follow that tail of cloud down towards saudi arabia, this is where it has been particularly active. the bands over qatar and now

u.a.e. the heaviest rain has been generated by the mountains in the west. so 66 millimeters. that's a lot of rain in a desert country. it will probably vacillate southwards, northwards and eastwards over the next hours and days with big showers possible in yemen and back in saudi arabia. there's no guarantee this will die out. it looks like cloud rather than showers. if you follow the end of that tail before it joins up with the other rain, there is rainfalling in some parts of the dry country thop, but it's 35 millimeters. it all counts - ethiopia plenty more ahead, including a farmers protest over severe droug drought. we're all in a flutter in mexico where a new scheme has brought endangered butterflied back from

the---- butterflies back from the brink. plus the sport. us the sport.

the top stories on the al jazeera news hour. the u.n. says there has been a sharp rise in the number of of iraqis killed it in march. more than 1500 died. that's almost double the previous month's figure. half of those killed were civilians. heavy fighting has broken out between armenian and asebaijan

forces. kenya marking a somber anniversary of one of the deadliest al-shabab attacks in the country returning to our top story, the growing number of civilian casualties in iraq as a result of i.s.i.l. attacks. speaking to a political analyst from baghdad. good to have you with us. what you hear that the u.n. is saying that there's been a sharp rise in the number of iraqi killed in march, possibly more than half the figure that was killed in february. what do you think? >> there is many reason behind this. it is not clear. they join iraqi civilian and casualties ar civilian and

soldiers. forces attacked many cities in iraq. they increased the attacks in order that we see more. because the i.s.i.l. targeted the civilian people to cause much more to prove they are still in the ground because necessity lost many ground-- they lost many grounds you say that the figures could be an underestimate, the numbers could be much higher? >> yes. i.s.i.l. attack the civil yian d they attack crowded areas and city and kill many people,

civilian what is astonishing about this report is that the u.n. is saying the worst hit area is in the capital which is not controlled by i.s.i.l. what does it tell you about the ability of iraqi government and the security forces to provide security for their own people? >> yes. the recognition is the report. they said in all iraq and in baghdad there is many attacks this month and you know that i.s.i.l. attack the iraqi people even in baghdad. they are not controlled, they're not ruling baghdad, but they use people to attack the civilian people so that we lost many people. the new things in the number is the iraqi casualties soldiers.

they attacked many places by i.s.i.l. in order that we see the number it's very high is there any sign that these will rise further as the army prepares to retake other cities held by i.s.i.l. in the country? >> yes, of course. because we know we are waiting, the battle against i.s.i.l. in mosul. mosul is the base for i.s.i.l. in order that i think we will face a new number, a huge number for the casualties for the soldiers. i think i.s.i.l. as they react they targeted the civilian in baghdad and other cities. i think in next month we will see more casualties thank you. we will leave it on that note

a policeman has been sworn in vietnam. his name was recommended by the ruling communist party. it comes only second to the head of the communist party seen as the country's top leader two people have been killed in the philippines during a demonstration by farmers. thousands of protesters threw stones and blocked the highway in the drought-hit province. they were demanding financial help and food aid after months of dry conditions. dozens of people, including 23 police officers, were injured in violence. our correspondent has the late est >> reporter: a standoff between protesters of formers and supporters and police authorities continues here.

on friday we saw skirmishes between the protesters and the police as they tried to move them away from the highway. two are confirmed dead. over a dozen injured in local hospitals. early on saturday a search warrant was issued on the church authorities because the protesters and the farmers, who are the large majority, around about 4.5,000 are still situated in the church compound. the police want to make sure there are no firearms in the area and so with senior church figures and senior politicians from the local area, there was a search of the locations. nothing has been found. both sides accused the other of starting the firing on friday which led to those two deaths. at the moment the standoff continues. the protesters, including the farmers, say they will not leave the premises until their demands are heard. their demands are to get relief aid that wasn't available to

them when this drought continued. this drought has been continuing now in the area for many, many months. there was supposed to be aid given in january. nothing has been given so far. very little, and that's what these farmers are protesting about. they want the authorities to do something. this is causing great ampgt for the government in manilla in the lead-up to the general election almost 12,000 children in cambodia live in orphanages. a recent government study says more than 70% of them have at least one living parent. the government and the u.n. are trying to reunite these children with the families. in the second of our two part series, a report from our correspondent. >> reporter: it is the night before exams an this boy is studying hard. homework, he says, is a privilege. he didn't start school until he was 12. after coming to this orphanage

here. he isn't an orphan and neither are many of the children here. >> translation: my parents send me to this center seven years ago because they have problems earning a living. they couldn't send me to school and we didn't have food. >> reporter: a recent study by the government found that almost 12,000 children currently living in orphanages, three out of four of them have a living parent. cases of abuse and neglect in some orphanages, the government and the u.n. are pushing to return them to families >> some of these institutions are not carefully monitored, they're not respecting minimum standard of care and what is very important is also that there are mechanism in place to inspect those institutions regularly. >> reporter: his parents say he is better off where he is. they say they can't afford to look after him.

they earn less than $5 a day selling balloons on the street. >> translation: if he stays with us, he will have to work hard. my son will end up as a construction worker. >> reporter: staff at the together for cambodia orphanage say he has a chance for a better future if he stays with them. >> translation: we accept children who are at risk of abuse and violence. in this situation, if we send them back, i don't agree with that. >> reporter: both the u.n. and/or fannages say that the welcome of these children must come first, but the question is who can offer better care. the government has yet to regulate that children with parents must return home. organizations like together for cambodia are hoping it doesn't come to that

more than 153 million children worldwide are orphans and those numbers are directly related to global conflict. it is a child who has lost one or both parents. this leaves children open to abuse. the international organization says 5.4 million children were subjected to forced labor in 2012. another 1.2 million children are forced into slavery each year and the u.n. estimates that 18,000 children die every day from hunger and malnutrition. that's 12 children every minute. let's speak to one of the founders of nonprofit organization international child campaign. joining us via skype from the u.k. thanks for joining us. what you've said is that the rise in orphanages in certain countries is parallel to the rise in tourism.

can you explain that? >> certainly that's true in cambodia for about a ten-year period, it increased by 75% and the increase in orphanage numbers increased. it wasn't just the increase of orphanages. it was their location. they were placed where the tourists were going, they advertised at the resorts. people are encouraged to go. it is a money earner. they want the tourist dollar. it's incredible that the people visiting these orphanages and giving them money would not be allowed to go to visit child care facilities at home, but the word or fan and the word orphanage as you mentioned, are not the right words for these homes because the majority of those children do have families.

even cruise trips advertise these more than half of what they call residential child care centers are unrej terrored and they're off the-- unregistered and they're off the government's radar. yr does the loophole lie? >> you're right. that problem is not only in cambodia, it's in uganda as well. it's in many countries. they lost control over the child care facilities. they allowed the west, the perceived west, to build and run child care facilities. what we do now and our colleagues is to work with governments to take control again of their child care services, and those children need to grow up in families. they need to grow up in their communities. yes, they need financial support, but if the money that was put into orphanages was put into supporting children in the

families, we're not just saying close them down and walk away, but what we would like to see is people do their research. for instance, the big organizations everyone has heard of international development, plan international, save the children, action aid, even unicef, none of them support residential care for children. you have organizations like international child campaign, hope in homes for children are actively trying to replace those children back into their families and replace the need for orphanages the problem is as well is that you have these cases where children as you heard in our report, they're not really orphans because they do have one living parents but the parent says they don't have the means to take care of the child. is this very common? do you see it a lot through the work that you do? >> absolutely. it's very common. fortunately, the word is getting out now and a lot of governments recognise, they have side up to the job rights conventions, they

recognise that the children need to be growing up in a family. when those children leave those centers, they don't have the connections that they need to live a productive life. they don't have a connection with their village chief, doctors, extended family. they don't have the support to build families, to have experience themselves of being parents. so we absolutely support, as what happens in the west. we support child support services to reach out to those who are poor and who are desperate, who are battling and support them with their children in their families. not separate the children. separating the children from the family is the worst thing we can do. it's like take the child away from the problem. no, let's fix the problem and keep the child in fact of the matter in the community-- in the family and in the community thank you for that. >> thank you monarch butterflied are

making a come back in mexico. the number which for the last 20 years has been decreasing, trimmed in 2015-- tripled in 2015. this is after countries agreed on protecting the she cease. doctor - species. >> reporter: every year they travel from canada to the forest of the central mexico. it is one of natures longest mass migrations and one of the most precarious. after years of serious decline, this season numbers have more than tripled. biologist says both nature and man have helped the insects out. >> translation: the climate has been very benevolent and this meant more reprooks. milk weed has also been planted

which is the main food. >> reporter: they lay eggs along the migration root and it servings as a nursery and food for their young before they continue their parents' journey south. that's why canada, u.s. and mexico have mounted a campaign to get the plant back into gardens, farm land and schools along the route. this class is doing their bit in northern mexico. >> translation: the basic idea is a highway for the butterflied from canada. >> reporter: they go on an incredible journey, 2.5 thousand miles to get here. they use it from an internal compass that guides them to a forest they've never seen before >> reporter: the government has put more than 3 million dollars in their conservation: no-one is

getting carried away. >> it is too early to declare a success. we've got to keep watching to see what is going to happen to the long-term population. >> reporter: obstacles lay ahead. herbicides are the big danger >> translation: they use the product that wipes out the milk weed. from 1999 to 2010 the increase in the use of herbicides lem natured-- eliminated 58% of the milk weed. >> reporter: that among other factors means it is too early to tell if we're seeing a come back or just a sport respite for the butter fly-- butter fly still ahead, beauty in bloom, how cherry blossoms are big business for japan.

it is the second most played sport in india after cricket. find out why badminton could be the key to olympic success in india. india.

it's cherry season across japan and it coincides with tourist numbers. it's the time when many enganl in a custom of an outdoor party. rob mcbride looks at the big business that the blossoms bring

>> reporter: it happens every year, so people shouldn't be amazed, but it is still amazing. it is blooming across japan and it is gripped by flowers. coinciding with perfect weather, it is as good as it gets. >> translation: when they fall, it looks like it's snowing. >> translation: i'm glad i was born japanese >> translation: it makes you happy and you forget all your troubles >> reporter: pulling in the crowd is the knowledge that one bad storm could blow it all away. it is all the more beautiful for being so fleeting. >> reporter: this could be the source of much of that beauty. it is a number of hybrids here that is more than 100 years old and that has been the subject of a recent university study.

researchers believe grafts taken from this one tree could be the origin of the most common variety of cherry tree that's in full bloom right now. sharing a common genetic background would help explain why the cherry blossom comes with such certainty. no bad thing in a country which likes things to be precise. and invaluable for the tourism industry. tokyo district plans a festival around it, promoting its own cherry trees and march chan to do dieing everything-- cher man chizing-- merchandizing everything to do with the blossom. >> translation: we all get together for the experience. >> reporter: they're created where they don't exist at night-time. with the weaker yen and the upcoming olympics in four years time, the government cease tourism as vital for the

economy. it had planned 20 million visitors per year by 2020, but it is already achieving that. so now it's doubled the target to 40 million. better get planting for cherry trees it is time for the sports news. >> reporter: the golden state warriors march towards nba history has hit a hurdle. their home winning streak ended at 54 games. they were beaten by the boston celtics on friday. 1009 to 106. first defeat since january last year. they have to win five of their last six games of the season to break the mark. tennis now. secure back to back titles when

the final of the miami later. novak djokovic is also through to the men's decider in florida. he broke the world if you number one in the first set. novak djokovic came through in straight sets. he is now one 15 straight matches going back to 2013 and is bidding for sixth title here. that would match the record held by agassi. novak djokovic will now face nishikori in sunday's final. the world number 6 over came the australian in straight sets. he is bidding for his first atp masters title. one of the biggest rifl rees in international football will have its latest chapter on saturday. barcelona will host real madrid. they're ten points ahead of real

with eight games left. he takes charge of his first game and he wanting to forget the loss last time >> translation: we need to enjoy it, playing against good players, sizing each other up. that's it. i'm going to sleep very well tonight because tomorrow i'm going to enjoy my first barcelona against real madrid as a coach. i want to enjoy it >> reporter: the head of the u.s. women sockers players association has told al jazeera the all options are on the table as a team make their case for equal pay of the world cup. they filed a federal complaint. when asked if strike action was a possibility, there was this to say. >> we're going to leave all of our options on the table. we always reserve all our rights to do what we have to do to get what we need to get. we use their numbers. they released their own

financials a few weeks ago. we used their numbers which quite clearly that last year the u.s. soccer federation made 17 million dollars of profit. on the women's team last year. if they refute their numbers, they can. we will continue to use those numbers to get the equal pay, the equal play proposal approved. >> reporter: india has just won two gold models at the olympic games in the past 40 years. but badminton is one of the best chances for success in rio. however, getting national support is a challenge. for many here badminton is just fun. only a few like 12-year-old hope to make it a career. she started training two years ago, but one day she wants to do even better than her role model in the top ranked player >> i want to be a badminton

player because when i am eight years old i make a decision to take the gold medal in the olympics. this is her inspiration, practising at the indian open. when she won a bronze at the london 2012 games she became the first ever indian badminton player to win an olympic model. all the top players are here. it's one of the last qualifying tournaments before the 2016 olympics but tickets are given out for free >> as we have more and more international performances, more and more champions being produced, the popularity will definitely go up. >> reporter: but capturing the public's interest has been tough, even toe indian players-- though indian players are playing better than ever. this is the second most played sport in india, but it lacks

behind in television viewership and sponsorship which means it doesn't get the attention it needs. world doubles champion said there is little government infrastructure and financial backing for inspiring players >> the problem is that the support comes in after you become a champion, but the support doesn't come at the initial stages of becoming a champion. >> reporter: she trains twice a days and like most serious players her parents are footing the bill. they hope that it will pay off as the status improves. >> reporter: that's it for me thanks for watching the news hour on al jazeera. we're back in a moment. we will have a full bulletin of news coming your way. do stay with us. stay with us.

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the u.n. says more than a thousa thousand. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters with the other top stories. heavy fighting has broken out between forces in the region. honoring the victims of the campus massacre.