Transcripts For ALJAZAM News 20240622

Biggest rival Justin Gatlin for a second time at the World Championships in beijing. As many as 50 refugees have been found dead inside of a truck on a highway in autria. Their bodies were recovered a few meters from vienna. Barnaby phillips was at the u. N. Meeting, but before we talk about what happened there at that meeting in vienna, barnaby, tell us more about what we know about these people who were found dead in the truck, and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Reporter we dont know their countries of origin. Their bodies were somewhat decomposed by the time the police discovered them today, thursday morning. It had been parked on the main road running into vienna from the south from the hungarian border since at least wednesday night. But we dont actually know how long it had been there. The driver has absconded. There are some reports that he is a romanian national. He would be a key witness in what we would assume would be a murder investigation. The Hungarian Police are also involved, because the truck did have hungarian number plates, and the news of this awful event broke whilst european leaders were meeting in the building behind me as you were saying, and it gave an added urgency to their discussions. This is what the german chancellor Angela Merkel had to say in response to the tragedy. Translator were all very shaken by the news that up to 50 people lost their lives in a situation where criminals facilitating illegal border crossings didnt care about them, even though they were on their way to places where they thought they would be safe. Reporter well, i i sensed some exasperation in Angela Merkel and from her austrian host here. They were talking about the need for European Union countries to step up to the plate and share the burden of this extraordinary crisis equally, according to their size and economic capability. They would like to press quickly ahead with the idea that was first mooted back in the summit of may of come pulse rare quotas where they would all take in thousands of refugees. This is what the European Commission federal affairs head had to say. These people come to europe for protection. They need europe to protect them and we need to live up to our standards of human rights and respect of International Obligations to protect them. We need the european approach, and everybody says so. Everybody says so. Reporter well greece is very much a front line state in the european migration crisis, and we have reported in all of the right places. My colleague jonah hull is on aisland on the aegean coast just a few miles from the turkish mainland. And many thousands of mie glant r my grants have been crossing to the island. Here is jonahs report. Reporter they emerge in the thin light of dawn. New arrivals, some still in life vests on the greek island. Where do you come from . Syria. Reporter from syria . Yeah. Reporter how was it coming over . Not good. Reporter why . Because of the waves. So it was quite hard. Reporter where are you headed . The nearest police station. Reporter i think you probably have two or three more hours walking. Okay. Thank you. Reporter good luck to you. Reporter we went like 40, 45 on the rubber boat, it was going up and down, and it was during the night, children, women, pregnant. That was the worst part, i believe for everyone. Reporter we have been on the road for perhaps an hour now, and as you can see the sun just coming up, we passed five, six groups, maybe 150 new arrivals all together. More than a thousand newcomers on this island every day. Men, women, and children, the beaches covered in life jackets and the remains of rubber boats. Relentless waves of people washing up on the shores of greece. [ shouting ] reporter are you happy to be here in greece . Yes. Yes. Reporter do you feel safe now . Yes. Reporter what do you think you will find here on this island . Real life, or normal life. Reporter do you think youll find help . Yeah, maybe. Yes. Yes. We need help. Reporter at a bend in the road waiting for buses, it is as if some Natural Disaster as occurred. These shell shocked faces belong to people who thought they left disaster behind. They thought they would find more than this. Jonah hull, al jazeera, greece. Reporter jonah there hearing of relief from syrians who have arrived on the greek island, but what we do know is that on the whole people have no intention of staying in greece. They try to move further up into the rest of the European Union. Their ultimate destination, countries like germany and sweden in the north, so what we have seen is this Extraordinary Movement of humanity from greece into macedonia, and then into serbia, and then is the tricky point, people trying to reenter the European Union from serbia into hungary, and the hungarian authorities are erecting a razor wire fence to try to keep people out. My colleague Andrew Simmons has this report from that border. Reporter this is the security fence that separates hungary from serbia. Its 175kilometers long, and you can see the razor wire. But because it comes to an end just here, and its totally open. Im stepping back now into romania. And theres no separation, as you can see, between romania, and serbia over here. You can see this is a monument to the triplex. The Prime Minister of hungary has been criticized for putting this fence up, because there are so many anomalies. Its easy to cut through the fence and also criminals could easily exploit this open ground to smuggle people through. One of many problems the e. U. Faces in this trying to protect its borders. Reporter and so from hungary, many move on to here to austria. Lets talk about the situation in this country, with my guest from the austrian Catholic Charity based here. Thank you very much for speaking to us. Your reaction to todays tragedy, the suffocation of these people by the motorway, did that come as a surprise to you . Yes, and no. We know a lot about suffering of the refugees on the way to europe, increase on [ inaudible ] and the people are dieing in this way. But the people in austria, thats new, and its not acceptable. Reporter do you think austria is doing enough . How is it responding to this influx of people . It is a huge challenge for the government. And it is a pity to look at how austria was failing, but now it is bet, the government built a task force, and we hope it becomes better. Reporter we were hearing from your government and the germans about the need for quotas across the European Union. Would quotas help . Are they a good idea . I think its an important point, but its not the main important point, looking on the group of the refugees, most of them come from the neighborhood of syria. If we want to save the problem, we have to secure humanitarian aid for the refugees living in the neighborhood of syria, in jordan, in lebanon, in turkey. 50 of them are children, and people are leaving this neighborhood of syria, because humanitarian aid is not secured, because children are going not to school for years, people, parents, fearing for the future of their children. Reporter but the root cause is civil war in syria in this case. Thats going to take a long time to solve, and its unfair, isnt it . To condemn european leaders for a slow response to the crisis in syria itself. One is the war in syria. Okay. Thats a reality. But what is at least easy to do for the International Community of states is to secure the humanitarian aid for syrian refugees. The refugees [ inaudible ] 4 and 5 billion of dollar, only 30 is secured. Invest in humanitarian aid will be a big support for the solution of the challenge what we have now. Reporter thank you very much. Thats it from this summit meeting in vienna, but well be back with you later in the afternoon here on al jazeera english. Barnaby many thanks. Barnaby phillips life there in vienna. The saudilead coalition is being accused of using cluster bombs in yemen. That story coming up, and well hear how the saudis respond. Also ethiopias race against time to save more than 1500 years of christian heritage. And later in sport. There is definitely a jealous guarding of rugby, but it is not one that is done deliberately to oust black people. The racial makeup of south africas rugby team is once again under question ahead of the woeshld cup. One community, 276 schoolgirls and 500 days. Thats how long it has been since the girls were abducted in northeastern nigeria. 57 escaped, but nothing has been heard of those left behind. The girls were taken by boko haram from their school in the middle of the night. They were preparing for their final exams, getting the kind of education that boko haram strongly opposes. Outrage at the governments inability to find the girls and clamp down on boko haram has fuelled mass protests in nigeria. We here to urge the government to do better. We want our girls now, and alive. Reporter the Campaign Hashtag bring back our girls rapidly spread around the world. It drew the of big names, and became one of the biggest stories of the year. This unconscionable act was committed by a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education. Grown men attempting to snuff out the aspirations of young girls, and i want you to know that barack has directed our government to do Everything Possible to support the nigerian governments efforts to find these girls and bring them home. But the girls are still not home. Boko haram says that most of them have been married off. And its Brutal Campaign terrorizing most of nigeria shows no signs of ending. Reporter in addition to thursday being 500 days since the girls were abducted its also the culmination of seven days of activities by the relatives of the girls and their supporters to try to draw the publics attention to the fact that the girls are still missing and to try to mobilize the public to put pressure on the government to do more to find them. Relatives will hold a peaceful demonstration. In the evening there will be a candle lit individual i have guile. The government says they are doing all they can to rescue them. But the military has intelligence gathering in the area where they believe some of the girls are being held captive, and there are several missions going on to try to locate the girls, and that everything is being done. But they point out the fact that it is only in the last few weeks that the new president took over from president goodluck jonathan. He is still trying to get to grips with what is going on, find out exactly the extent of the insurgency in general, and the sorts of devices the kidnappers have used to keep these girls in captivity. They also point out they dont think its safe to give a running commentary on what operations are taking place to try to find the girls. The relatives are sad. They are trying to remain patient, but many are hopeful with this renewed effort by the military, maybe their girls will be found and returned home. A senior United Nations official has made an impassioned plea for an end to the violence in syria. Lets go live now to the United Nations. Gabriel is there. Were talking about stephen obrien, what did he say . Reporter he did give a very impassioned spech speech on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in syria. He was there when Government Air strikes hit a marketplace outside of duma, killing over 100 people. So he has a fresh perspective on the situation going on there. He said in the last month he told the Security Council, there has been violence, has continued to escalate across the country with indiscriminate and targeted attacks by all of the parties of the conflict. A quarter of a million killed, one million injured, 7. 6 million displaced inside of the country, including one million that had to flee their homes this year alone. But behind these numbers are people that are really suffering, and obrien specifically pointed out the ongoing refugee crisis. Listen closely to what he had to say about that. Over four Million People have fled across borders in a desperate search of survival a future. Placing host countries under pressure, which is now stretched to breaking point. We may all be living on borrowed time. Reporter he said in the name of security as well as humanity, the International Community must do better when it comes to this refugee crisis. Gabe many thanks. At the u. N. In new york. Two Iraqi Army Commanders have been killed by a suicide car bomb in anbar province. They were overseeing units in a renewed campaign against isil. The two were killed north of ramadi. Now to yemen, Human Rights Watch says the saudilead coalition has killed dozens of people by using illegally, cluster bombs. At least seven attacks are said to have taken place in a province in the northwest of the country. Hashem ahelbarra reports. Reporter more victims of the war in yemen. According to Human Rights Watch, they were injured by attacks using cluster bombs. They are mostly from a yemeni province on the northern border with saudi arabia. Translator we were together, and the rocket hit us, it exploded in the air, and cluster bombs fell out of it. Before we left the house with the sheep, two sub munitions fell down, while others spread all over the village. My cousin and i were wounded. Reporter the Human Rights Watch teams travel to many areas in northern yemen and met with victims. Exploded cluster bombs litter this area. Children especially are at high risk of being killed or maimed. Translator three brothers were killed, two children, one adult. It hit was while we were sleeping, and we were all wounded including my brothers. I cant walk. My hands were burned and my bones were broken. Reporter Cluster Munitions are designed to target a wide area. Here many people were said to have been injured as they traveled through the region. We have found evidence that ground lunched Cluster Munition rockets have been used in attacks in at least seven locations in northern yemen. Most likely these rockets were launched from saudi arabia territory. Reporter the kingdom of saudi arabia has repeatedly said it will only stop its military campaign once it is confidence that the shia Houthi Rebels no longer oppose a threat to its internal security. This is a scud missile fired by houthi forces into saudi arabia. They said the missile was destroyed in the air. Fighting has intensified along the kingdoms border with yemen. The houthis backed by troops loyal to former president sala, say they will fight for as long as it takes. Hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera. The use of Cluster Munitions is banned under the convention on Cluster Munitions treaty, but none of the saudilead treaty of nine arab states members of that treaty. I spoke to the head of the saudilead coalition, and asked him if his forces are using cluster bombs in yemen. Fortunately there is not the first time that Human Rights Watch published such a report. I dont see your report, because i dont see the tv actually. But i read this morning the report that they published and [ inaudible ]. My first question that the report had headline, that when you read the report there is no relation between what is written and what is in the headline im sorry to interrupt. Is the saudilead Coalition Using Cluster Munitions in yemen . It is not yes or no. You are talking about the report. Why is it not a yes why is it not a yes or no. Cluster munitions are illegal under international law. Which which which kind of cluster, do you know . Sir, you heard the eyewitness reports in our report just a few moments ago with people saying that they saw missiles exploding, that there were multiple bomblets within the missile. This is the question. Because he in the report, he talk about numbers and names. But we cannot talk generally. Cluster bomb is a very large family of weapons. You cannot talk generally, but we can talk specifically about what the Human Rights Watch published in their report. Okay. So what is your reaction to that . Yeah, because what what we comment in that, that most of the the report talk about weapons maybe we dont have evidence, we dont visit some village, and unfortunately they collect their information through the houthis. And they mention in the report that they arrived to the houthi official and [ inaudible ]. I will ask then to whom they are right . What [ inaudible ] and to who . Because as a coalition, we never defeat any [ inaudible ] from Human Rights Watch to talk about such a thing. So if you read the report, the report which is a good story, but it is not a report. Are you saying, sir, that there are some Cluster Munitions that are illegal under international law, and there are some that arent . Yes, there are some countries sign some agreement about kinds specific kinds of the cluster bombs, but it is not legal, and not all countries are in this agreement. Now the African Union has urged both sides in south sudans civil war to respect the peace deal they signed on wednesday. The African Union commission chief described the agreement as a critical step in efforts aimed attending the conflict. The South African antiapartheid activist, desmund tutu is expected to be discharged from Hospital Next Week following an infection. This was his second admission to hospital in last month. The ancient churches in northern ethiopia, have been places of pilgrimage for hundreds of years, but conservationists are struggling to preserve what many ethiopians call africas jerusalem. Charles stratford reports. Reporter its the spiritual home for millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians around the world. Reporter the 11 churches were carved out of the mountainside in the 12st century. These ancient places of worship represent holy sites in jerusalem and stories in the bible. The king built them two christians didnt have to risk the dangerous pilgrimage to the holy land. These rockhewn churches are of immense importance, but they are literally crumbling away. The rock in this area is highly susceptible to moisture. In this church, men use a syringe to inject grout into deep cracks. In terms of seismic activity resilience, i mean a slight earthquake would destroy the place. The fact is, when you are dealing with natural strata there is very little you can do. You know, you you cant fine it with concrete and steel bars, you will destroy the monument. This is the historic surface. Lose those, and you are simply back into rotted geology, and that process isnt far off on the outside. Reporter he shows us what he means. And if we start losing material like this right through here, i mean, the only future for that, without some sort of intervention is this. So the idea of the bandage is to hold it in this in place until we can get there to to repair it, because every time it rains little bit more falls off, and in we werent to do this, it would be a catastrophe. Translator im lucky, because i come from this area. This heritage is a very big thing for us. Reporter a number of churches have been covered by temporary shelters to protect them from the rain while work is done. On a hill top close by, people pray. Translator the king didnt just build the churches as a human being. He built them with the help of god. Reporter it was included on the firstever World Heritage site in 1978, preeverybodying this place of extraordinary retreat for ethiopians of every generation is a challenge they pray they can meet. Charles stratford, al jazeera. You are with the news hour from al jazeera. Live from doha. Plenty more to come on the program. Reporter it has been ten years since Hurricane Katrina devastated new orleans. Well look at why, despite all of the help, there is now growing inequality here. And fears in chile over chinas economic downturn. Mooz look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor Serena Williams tunes up for the u. S. Open. More on that in sport a little later with jo. Hello again, Adrian Finighan here in doha. The top stories on al jazeera. As many as 50 refugees have been found dead inside of a truck in austria. Their bodies were recovered a few miles from vienna, were leaders were discussing the need for a unified response to the refugee crisis. Campaigners are marking 500 days since a group of nigerian schoolgirls were abducted by boko haram. The army is fighting boko haram in the northeast of the country, but has been unable to locate or rescue the girls. A senior United Nations official has told the Security Council that the situation in syria has reached breaking point and pleaded for a political solution to end the war. More than 200,000 people have been killed since syrias civil war began. U. S. President Barack Obama Says that he is heart broken over the killing of two journalists during a live broadcast in the state of virginia. Police say vester lee fan gan was using an illegally obtained gun when he shot the two. He later turned the gun on himself when he was cornered by police. Its obvious that there was this this gentlemen was disturbed in some way of the way things has transpired at some point in his life. It appeared that things were spiralling out of control, but were still look going that. Meanwhile vigils have been held for his victims. The murders have turned attention yet again to the issue of gun violence in the United States. This is another example of gun violence that is becoming all too common in communities large and small all across the United States. And while there is no piece of legislation that will end all violence in this country, there are some commonsense things that only congress can do, that we know would have a tangible impact in reducing gun violence in this country. President obama returns to new orleans later on thursday to mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It killed more than a thousand people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage. The city has since made a steady recovery, but many challenges remain. Reporter on the bustling streets of the historic french quarter, the signs of recovery are obvious. On the banks of the mississippi the sound of jazz music hails the rebirth of new orleans. Reporter its all a far cry from the desperate days that followed katrina, when 80 of the lay underwater, and the u. S. Government was criticized for its slow response. But one of the citys oldest blackowned businesses, hailed as a symbol of are kovry, there is lingering criticism. This landmark has been in her family for generations. All of those people got to pay, and at the end of the day, some people are still left without homes, education. It is getting better, but its still not where it needs to be. Reporter in the nearby neighborhood, an influx of new arrivals have also made things worse for the citys poor. This community is now so expensive that many have been forced out. Gentrification has been such a powerful force here that house prices have risen 75 in the past few years. Wealth disparity in this city is growing faster than almost anywhere else in the United States. In the upper 9th ward two things have changed. Damion has deep roots here, but can no longer afford to buy a house. There was a school right here. Abandoned. You know, could be open for children. It could be a resource center. A learning facility where they come after school and learn and get tutoring and stuff like that. Reporter its clear that new orleans still has a long way to go, but even the most powerful officials admit that the poor are not being well served. Its not a surprise that that were hurting more before the storm are hurting more after the storm. When it gets hot the poor get hotter, and when it gets cold the poor get colder. Reporter Hurricane Katrina and the authorities reaction to it remains a shapeful chapter in u. S. History. Andy gallagher al jazeera. More on the refugee crisis in europe. Kate, of the thousands of people who arrive on the outlying greek islands each week is it possible to say just how many of them are kids . Are they with their families or are they traveling alone . Reporter before we knew one of every four people were a woman or child, but now you can see i mean yesterday that the macedonian greek border at least half were families of really young children. The numbers of families and children are increasing all of the time. Reporter once they arrive in greece, what sort of condition are they in when they get to the greek border . Reporter well, the children are absolutely exhausted. They are usually sun burned, dehydrated, and many have to walk for up to 70 kilometers in the blazing heat uphills on the wide to registration. And they will spending between two days to three weeks in these areas. You can see them all over the islands. Reporter what is save the children able to do for them . What do they need the most . Reporter right now they need really basic needs. Were distributing hygiene needs. Diapers, baby cream. Sun block for children. This is a population completely on the move. Every two weeks they have moved on again, so were trying to work with the really active Civil Society and local authorities to build their capacity to protect children, particularly those that come here on their own. Thousands of children are arriving every day, some of them are by themselves their families are back in the conflict zone and they need the most protection. The fact that these people are not static, there are more coming in to greece every day, and moving on, what sort of pressure does that put on your organization . Its incredibly difficult, were used to building links with communities. Right now its really hard for us to find the most vulnerable people. It seems like everything needs their help. And they are moving on so quickly. We have people from syria, iraq, afghanistan, and but right now were looking at blanket distribution, and trying to get as many people as we can. Have you ever seen anything like this before . A crisis like this happening within europe . I have to say arriving on these very beautiful islands, i was completely shocked. The juxtaposition between these tourists and these children Walking Around who fled massive conflicts, and i personally i still cant get to grips with it. Its really, really horrific to see it. When they tell you what they have been through, its really heart breaking. Kate, really good to talk to you. We wish you and save the children the best with your work. Many thanks indeed. Thank you so much. Chile is the Worlds Largest suppier of copper, and half of what it produces going to china. This weeks financial crisis in china has chileans watching closely. Reporter chile is traditionally one of the most stable countries in south america, was built largely on mining, particularly copper. However, economists have long recognized that chile was overdependant on what it called red gold. We have failed in the diversification of our export basket, because copper still represents 50 of of all we export every year. And so we are very dependant on what happens with copper. Reporter and what has happened to copper is global prices slumped by 20 , and china, its biggest market wants much less than expected. The fear here is if the chinese economy is heading towards crisis, it will want even less. With less income from copper, less dollars, the price of everything has gone up, from electrical items to bread. And the government is facing demands to reform, especially the Education System has less money to implement those changes. Reporter when china sneezes, chilly catches a cold. One way or another all sectors of Chilean Society will be effected, but how and by how much is not yet clear. What is clear is the crisis is forcing the copper industry to take a good look at the way it operates. It cannot reduce its reliance on copper overnight. It would be some survivors those are likely to be the fittest, and those likely to be in the best position to get the next boom. And the Mining Industry generally is used to having booms and busts over time. Reporter in the meantime chile is nervously watching and waiting to see what happens next in china. Hundreds of people have marched through mexico city demanding justice for 43 missing students. They disappeared in the southwestern state almost a year ago. The case has become a rallying point for mexicans frustrated by drugfuelled violence and the slow pace of justice. Talks between the Foreign Ministers of columbia and venezuela have failed to solve their dispute. Venezuela has closed two major crossings to try to stop smuggling and drug trafficking. Violence has broken out between police and anticorruption protesters in honduras. Demonstrators are calling for the resignation of the president. They have been gathering each week for more than three months since the government was linked to a million Million Dollars fraud at the welfare department. Many want a underuninvestigation. Hundreds of temporary sherlts housing earthquake victims in nepal have been flooded. At least 15 schools and hospitals have been affected. Reporter they were made homeless by aprils earthquake, and now a flash flood has again made them homeless. Early this morning around 5 00 am massive rains suddenly made a small stream over there rise and this entire area got flooded. Eight hours down this area is completely uninhabitable. All of the houses over here, its full of water, its as you can see its full of mud. Earlier we met a gentlemen who had to run out of the house Early Morning with a ninemonthold daughter, and he said it was terrifying. Translator i heard people shouting. When i got out of bed, the water was this deep. By the time i ran out with my daughter, the water was already this deep. We didnt get a chance to save much. Reporter Security Forces that we talked to earlier said they have been busy rescuing people as well as helping them recover what remains from their houses. There was some land slides earlier further up, and they have also been clearing that up. In some areas children were already on their way to school when the flood waters started to rise, and they had to be evacuated by the Security Forces. 12 kids were evacuated. At the same time there was a mopt further down the road where the entire ground floor flooded and everyone has to be referred out of the hospital. More than 300 people died in the earthquake from this area. And people here are saying that they have just felt that things were kind of getting back to normal and things have fallen apart again. All right. Still to come here on the news hour. Reporter im paul brennan in central london, the Anniversary Edition of the records book, which itself is breaking records. And a bolt from the blue, well tell you how you sanes victory parade was brought to a crashing halt. Hello again, once a year twhoerls biggest, best, tallest, shortest, and weirdest are gathered in one place, the Guinness Worlds record book. The First Edition was published exactly 60 years ago. And the late est edition hits t shelves next month. Reporter the boss of guinness got into an argument over which was the fastest european game bird. Nobody knew the answer so he commissioned a new reference book to resolve the dispute, and here is that First Edition from 1955. In the 60 years since at this office here in central london, guinness has become the definitive book of the fastest, the first, the biggest and the best. Mount everest is wellknown as the worlds highest mountain, but the tallest mountain is actually on hawaii. And its the human records of endu enduran endurance, and strength, which make the worlds record book different. Even in the first book youll find things like pipe smoking marathons, and rocking chair marathons. As well as the obvious stuff like tallest man, shortst man, heaviest, tallest mountain, were also known to becoming more and more open to peoples ideas. Reporter Guinness World records has sold more than 131 million countries across more than 100 countries. It holds the record of being the book which is most often stolen from libraries in the United States. Thousands apply to be included, but the few who are chosen become globally recognized. Everywhere i have been they are impressed with what i have done, but the fact that i was in the book, just added so much. And for my agent, she is a world record holder. Reporter in 60 years no one has grown taller than robert, who stood 2. 72 meters tall. Reporter on the question of the fastest bird, it is jointly held between the [ inaudible ] and the restbreasted [ inaudible ]. Fantastic. Now time for sport. Here is jo. To another world record holder, usain bolt has maintained his crown as the king of sprinting. Reporter nine championships and counting for usain bolt, but standing in his way once again in the 200 meters was Justin Gatlin. The american had been faster in the semifinals, but bolt asserted all of the authority you come to expect when it matters clenching his fourth straight title over the distance. An 11th championship gold could yet come in the four by 100 relay. There was only one man who could take down boement in beijing, and it was a cameraman who got too close for comfort during postrace celebrations. Allison felix won her ninth gold medal. She clenched the 400 meters with the fastest time in the world this year. The United States second gold of the day came in the mens triple jump. Christian taylor with the secondlongest jump in history, 18. 21 meters. Holland completed a sweep of the hammer throw event. And this athlete broke the championship record twice as she took gold. And the world record holder in the 110meter hurdle, the american competing in beijing, despite the condition he has suffered since 2013. Im very capable mentally of winning a gold medal, but physically, my body will only take me so far. Reporter merits sister has donated a kidney, and hell have a transplant in phoenix just four days after fridays final. Elise holman, al jazeera. No medals for kenya on thursday, but they remain top of the standings are six goals. The United States are now up to second. Followed by jamaica and great britain. The host has named the captain for the world cup next month. He has come in and absolutely trained the house down. Impressed everyone, and [ inaudible ] made two debuts i have not seen before. And i think that was a reflection of how well [ inaudible ]. South africa will name their squad on friday and its racial makeup will be heavily yut niced. Officials have been accused of not including enough black players. Reporter south africas biggest township is officially football territory. But slowly, rugby is make inroads. This 12 year old has been playing for two years. His interest is driven by the rugby union. It wants to develop the sport in the township. Translator i want to play rugby very much. I want to play for the spring box. I want to go to london and different places. I want to be famous. Reporter but achieving his dream may not be that easy. The local union says this is the only playable field here. There are facilities in [ inaudible ] the support of programs. By the time you have finished [ inaudible ] who is going to play in those facilities because theres no support for programs or for events to take place. Reporter the spring box is one of the best team in the world, but their recent performances have been overshadowed by criticism that the team does not have enough black players. They won their second world cup in 2007 with just two black players on the squad. Now as the box prepare for next months champ kronship in england, the race debate has resurfaced with the most recent South African squad including just four black players. Still there are concerns that black players on the team dont get to play enough. The south African Rugby Union claims that more than 80 of the countrys under 18s are black. Theres a Glass Ceiling that exists most the trick. And that is largely because of the attitudes of conservative white coaches, who feel that maybe black players are not good enough as their white counterparts are, and for me that is that is a massive mind set change that is needed. Reporter the union says it has a Transformation Plan in place to have nonwhites make up half of the team by 2019. There is still a feeling amongst a lot of white people that rugby is maybe the last institution in our society where they can express themselves and they can represent south africa. There is definitely a jealous guarding of rugby. But its not one that is done deliberately to oust black people. Reporter while south africa makes final preparations for the world cup, the teams biggest challenge may not be defeating its opponents on field, but instead the task of racial transformation. The game featured four black players in the starting 15. But how does that compare with other sports. Only six black players have venned the National Cricket team. Domestic cricket franchises are required to have six nonwhite players on their side, but no quotas exist at a international level. Its a different story in football. The 2010 fifa world cup squad contained just one white player. Serena williams goes for an historic grand slam next week, and she has been tuning up for the challenge in new york. Dream about going up there but just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor the world number 1 hit a high note at this karaoke event. She is happy to play it down for now. Yeah, it is. But im okay with it. Im really not even talking about it. Im trying to ignore the elephant in the room and hopefully it will manifest itself. There is more sport on our website, check out aljazeera. Com sport. We have blogs and videos from our correspondent around the world. And thats the sport for now, more later. Jo many thanks indeed. Barbara sarah and the Team Standing by in london to update you next on al jazeera. Thats it for us in doha for a few hours. Thanks for watching. Ill see you again. Bye for now. Were here to fully get into the nuances of everything thats going on, not just in this country, but around the world. Getting the news from the people who are affected. People need to demand reform. Ali velshi on target weeknights 10 30p et the whole neighborhood was under 20 feet of water. A decade after Hurricane Katrina, Soledad Obrien investigates new orleans divided recovery. White home owners and black home owners had a very large gap. The residents forced to flee. Escorted onto a plane by gun point without someone telling me where im going. And the citys future. Why should a business come here when this neglect has been allowed to go on . An america tonight special, katrina after the storm. My life revolves around my kids becoming champions. I guess i just got tired of losing and then something just snapped. You know. Concussions, fractured skulls. This is a scary situation. Find out what happens when the gloves come off. Go all out, make this a war. The highs and lows of kids competitive sports. You cant go home wondering did i give it everything. A cargo of dead, up to 50 refugees found dead in a truck of austria, as a summit begins to find a response the thousands landing on europes shores. The beaches here as you can see covered in life jackets and the remains of rubber boats. Hello there, im barbara sarah, you are watching al jazeera live from london. Also coming up, 12 people are arrested in china in connection with the chemical blast that killed over 140 pe