Skip to main content

tv   News  Al Jazeera  September 28, 2013 2:00pm-3:01pm EDT

2:00 pm
>> welcome to the news. from our broadcast centers in doha and london. our top stories on al jazeera. a hostile welcome home. seltelling iran's leader what ty think about his decision to talk with barack obama. the sixth day in sudan after mourning the death of a man killed during demonstrations. >> i have the latest from
2:01 pm
europe. including italy's coalition oh government is in ruins after burlesconi's political party resigns. golden dawn arrests. >> well, he spent four days in new york. delivered speeches of reconciliation, met dozens of world leaders and even got a phone call from barack obama. in a short time iran's president hassan rouhani made quite an impression. but his return home has not been as smooth. the first time u.s. and iranian leaders have spoken since 1979. but he was greeted by protesters chanting anti-american slogans. one even threw an egg at
2:02 pm
rouhani's car as it left the airport. hundreds of people did gather to show their support for the president who took office less than two months ago. now in a moment we'll hear from our reporter in tehran with reaction to rouhani's trip to the united nations, but first let's here wha hear what the mad himself. >> the conversation i had with president obama was about the nuclear issue. it's not only the right of the nation but a matter of national pride for the iranian people. obama said the u.s. acknowledges the nuclear rights of the iranian people. i replied that this matter should be sped up. he said, we their the same idea in this regard, and he has asked the secretary of state to speed up the process. >> reporter: the iranian president arrived home from that historic trip to the united states to a mixed reception.
2:03 pm
calling him the envoy of peace, but among the crowd a couple of hundred witnesses say there were some hard liners members the paramilitary who apparently threw eggs at the president and his car as he was leaving the airport. they're also chanting death to america and other kinds of slogans. now according to other reports one of these members was almost run over by the president's motorcade, and there are reports that some arrests have been made but investigations are, indeed, under way. after that picking up the u.n. general assembly returning home not only to well wishes but for those who have different kinds of messages for president hassan rouhani. >> with me live is professor of
2:04 pm
contemporary middle east thank you for coming in to the studio. we have two camps here. which is the more indicative mood of the general public in iran? >> looking at the--i mean, last week it's obvious there is a changing of the booed in iran. not towards reconciliation, but to the dialogue approach to the united states. of course, it's not expected to see all iranians to support in argument. many iranians are either directly against the united states. they have some previous ideas because of previous relations. they remember what happened in 1952. they remember the relationship between united states, israel,
2:05 pm
and suffering of muslims, and there are different issues linked to each other. i would argue the iranians starting with the supreme leader, the government and other elements of the regime support what rouhani has done so far in new york. >> that being the case when it comes to negotiations over the country's nuclear program, which at some point rouhani will have to address. how much support will he get, this is key to easing sanctions. >> of course. let's admit, first, that president rouhani has started his campaign before leaving for new york where he sent different message to the european, to the united states, that he is president with a lot of authority at hand, and he cam
2:06 pm
came--he is able to discuss all matters even the issue of enriching uranium, which was red line in previous years. of course, i think the devil is in the details. as the dialogues started in mid-october of course you'll find difficulties. remember at the same time iran is key to ease it's political pressure and economic pressure on its economy. there would be, i would say there is sort of pressure to give more concession, but not necessarily a major concession. maybe a short-term concession over some matters because they need to deliver to the people inside iran. >> that being the case, then, it does seem from all the political maneuvering and gestures we've seen from the historic as well. it seems that obama has an eager
2:07 pm
partner in rouhani. should we not be optimistic? >> yes, all of it right now is just words, not necessarily changing the nature of belief. the perception of two countries have not been changed yet. they are still not trusting each other. there are majors issues, so we need to be very careful on predicting the future. >> always good talking to you. thank you so much for coming in. professor of contemporary history of the middle east at qatar university. >> police in sudan's capitol turned into an anti-government protest. thousands are angry at the rising cost of fuel. human rights groups say 50 people have been killed since monday. we report from kartumb. >> this is the funeral o of a mn
2:08 pm
who was shot during protests. he was a member of a well moan n family, and anger over his death led thousands to join the demonstrations after his funeral. protesters shout, we are here, we are here against those who killed our son. >> the arm shot rubber bullets. >> the total number of people killed in the protest over the last week is disputed but we know dozens of people have been killed. it all started when the
2:09 pm
government ended its fuel subsidies almost doubling the price of fuel overnight. the government said that it can no longer forward to offer cheap fuel after south sudan su assesd in 2011. with opposition leaders demanding a new government. he said that his government is not concerned that it is in danger of losing power. >> we're expecting demonstration, and it happens in every country where there are reforms. we are sorry for those who are innocent people. any peaceful demonstration we're going to accept it, guard it.
2:10 pm
>> these protests do seem to be growing momentum encouraged in part by the anger felt by demonstrators. >> at least 52 people have died after an apartment building collapsed in the indian city of mumbai. while dozens have been rescued, emergency crews are continuing to search for at least nine people who are still unaccounted for. al jazeera has been at the scene and said the citizen highlights a disturbing new trend in the city. 215 people have been rescued during flooding in india. the deluge was triggered by four days of rain, the highest rain in the last 40 years. three people have been confirmed
2:11 pm
dead. an heark has hit southwest pakistan for a second time in a week tilling 32 people the region is still dealing with the after affects of tuesday's earthquake which killed more than 500 people. we have more from where that first quake hit. >> reporter: even though the district of awaran and the area saw 16 aftershocks after the deadly earthquake on tuesday the government is reporting that this particular earthquake was a new one. the epicenter this time southeast of awaran, it was at the depth of 14 kilometers, which would make it a considerably strong earthquake. we're also getting preliminary reports there may have been damages to villages in the
2:12 pm
adjoining districts as well. so far we have been receiving reports of damage, but there is still no official confirmation. the earthquake was, indeed, felt in the city of can rashy where people were forced to come out of their highrise buildings. and the assembly was meeting, and they had to be evacuated from the building. indeed, yet another powerful earthquake, and that happening in less than a week from that earthquake in awaran. >> still ahead, interpoll experts look for clues in kenya's mall attack. and why being in charge of one of the most successful clues clubs in the world does not always guarantee wins. we have more coming up in
2:13 pm
sports. >> egypt's foreign minister said the transitional phase of his company's government should end next week. egyptians have a clear idea of the direction they want their country to move in. >> egyptians have an ambitious vision for the future that can be achieved in a reasonable time frame. success is based on a society that is open to all peaceful political regimes, pluralistic in a way that embraces the diversity of all its members and where they have rights and duties of all citizens are insured by the rule of law and equality of justice. the principles and practices of this vision and practices
2:14 pm
throughout the world mainly respect for peaceful dialogue, rejection of violence and, and e need of human rights. the road map that egypt is implementing since the 3rd of july. >> a diplomatic editor is at the u.n. in new york, and join us live from there. james, it seems that he was justifying the overthrow of president morsi. do you think his comments were enough it soothe concerns over egypt's democratic process? >> reporter: no, i don't think so. those that are concerned will remain concerned. and certainly here outside the united nations there are a large number of protesters or relatively large number of protesters who have gathered,
2:15 pm
and those protesters were divided in two camps. there were supporters of the current military backed government and supporters of president morsi, the new york police department separating the two groups making sure they didn't get close to each other. >> james, just one other thing, too, james. last year we had president morsi addressing the general assembly. now we have egypt's foreign minister. what a difference a year makes. >> it is quite amazing really. last year when all the world leaders arrived here, morsi was the center of attention. he was the new leader. he was the first democratically elected egyptian leader for such a long time everyone wanted to see him. now the man who has faded as the world leader, who has all the entourages around him is no
2:16 pm
longer here, of course. he's now locked up in egypt. i thought it was interesting when you saw the entourage answerter clapping in the crowd among those clapping was the egyptian ambassador. how difficult to be an egyptian diplomat these days. >> indeed, it is. james bay speaking to us from new york. ahead of egypt's military is a number of grassroots campaign that want him to run for presidency. he oversaw the crackdown on the muslim brotherhood that led to more than a thousand people being killed. a correspondent who we're not naming for safety reasons will tell us more. >> reporter: some want to take him as egypt's next president. the head of the armed forces is
2:17 pm
attracting something of an cult following. >> there are some who are happy to serve a strong man. if sisi comes into power, i'm worried he'll fall into that trap. >> reporter: there are five campaigns calling for sisi to run for president. this is a country that has been controlled by the military for 60 years. the only interruption was the yearlong presidency of the democratically elected mohammed morsi who was deposed in the beginning of july. not everyone wants sisi to replace him. >> who in the political arena is suitable to be president? who can the people trust to and over the country to after the previous horrible experience. this is not the time to experiment with experimental
2:18 pm
leaders. >> popular but led a government that was responsible for wide-spread human rights supporters. sisi supporters seem willing to have him crackdown on the muslim brotherhood. >> it's the fear of the future. fear of change, fear of the instability that the country has seen, the lack of security. they believe because they have been kept in the dark for so long. so they believe the exceptional measures that have been taken by the military are the solution for the problems that they are facing at the moment. >> sisi has said he won't run for president. but his supporters think he can be persuaded. for them the change of heart would be, well, the icing on the cake.
2:19 pm
al jazeera, eye crow. >> ministers from former italian minister burles esconi's party. >> they say they have no choice butting to following an unacceptable ultimatum. berlusconi told them to step down to freeze all government decisions ahead of a confidence vote next week. tensions have been rising for weeks because of moves to expel berlusconi after being convicted for tax fraud. where is this leaving the italian government. it appears to be in chaos once more. >> it really leaves the coalition government hanging by a thread. without berlusconi, really this
2:20 pm
government is bound to fail. but the crisis has been in the air for a while. the reasoning and timing of this announcement is really interesting because berlusconi invited the ministers to resign because of the government's increase vat. his distracters are saying the real reason behind the story is the fact that there is an immanent vote coming up on the panel on whether to expel him or not from the senate and therefore from politics following his conviction of tax fraud. >> what is happening from these plans to remove berlusconi from the senate. they've been going on for a while now. >> of course, this is a vote that is really bureaucratic. in a way they're just applying a law that says any parliamenten that is convicted to more than
2:21 pm
two years in prison should be expelled from politics. it is likely they will vote him out of politics. his detractors are saying this is probably why he's not waiting until october 4th to resign. he knows the vote is going to go against him. he just took advantage of the fact that the government increased this vat by saying to the italians, look, i've done it for you. i resigned because he was against increasing taxes and not defending myself. the leader of the democratic party said these are really crocodile tears. >> in rome, thanks. >> the golden dawn party has appeared in court in athens on charge of criminal action. 20 people including the golden
2:22 pm
dawn leader from arrested during the crackdown. the happy mass protest against the party after a left-wing activist was killed earlier this month. more from barnaby phillips in athens for us. what is the latest? what is happening to those being arrested? when will they appear in court? >> dramatic scenes in @things this evening, felicity. we saw pretty much the entire golden dawn senior leadership being led out of police headquarters by armed and masked policemen. the golden dawn activists were shooting. they were bundled in vehicles and taken to court. they're still in court this evening. we understand as you were saying that they will be charged for having led a criminal organization and then we're going to get into legal technicalities. it seems that an eventually
2:23 pm
trial to take place. there has to be a decision over whether the golden dawn leadership will be remanded in custody. whether they'll be freed under bail agreement. those decisions haven't been reached yet. but tonight golden dawn's leadership is under police custody, and they will spend the night in police sales. >> extraordinary day. speaking about the situation. what's he said? >> yes, he also spoke in the last hour or so. he gave us slightly more up-to-date figures. 20 arrests in total. those include five members of parliament, still looking th fo2 members or people associated with golden dawn. he gave us a rhetorical flourish. he said there was no room in greece for criminal and it
2:24 pm
undermines the state and disturbs social peace. he said that golden dawn decided to test democracy and today it got its response. >> what do you think this means for the future of the party itself? >> well, i think the last two weeks have been very bad for golden dawn, but i think we need to step back from the excitement of today and remember facts for greece. 440,000 people voted for this party last year in two separate elections. they were motivated by disgust of the political path, anger about corruption, and yes it has to be said here in athens fear and resentment at the high level of immigration into this city. those facts don't go away. neither does the very high level
2:25 pm
of support, the disproportionate level of support of the golden dawn in the greek police. politically there is potential for uncertainty and instability. remember that golden dawn has 18 members of parliament. if they were to be convicted, leave parliament, they'll be facing a series of bielections and this country has a very fragile coalition to prolong economic collapse. >> barnly phillips in athens. thank you so much. i'll have more for you from europe in a moment. >> the lead up to the poll has been marred by violence. more than 15 people have died by supporters of the opposing parties. in 2010 there was violence when
2:26 pm
elections were supposed to be held. they have been canceled five times. the opposition accuses the election commission of giving the ruling party an advantage. it claims lists of voters and location of polling station versus been manipulated. but the africa union is monitoring these elections. it said that most of these problems have been resolved. we have more from you guinea's capital. >> thousands of guineans have shown up for the historying parliamentary election. the first to take place since the country's independence from france in 1958. there was an issue with palate papers, some officials complained of there not being enough but it seems that things are a little more organized and people are getting the chance to vote. >> everyone taking part in this election has to present their
2:27 pm
voter's i.d. card once they get in the polling booth. after they've done that they have to move over to this gentleman who has the ballot papers. in this particular election there are 22 candidates running for mp for this area. after they pick up a ballot paper and take it over to this booth here where they privately choose the candidates that they're going to be voting for. it's a little bit of a challenge because literacy rates are so low. 72% of people here are illiterate. after they pick up their ballot paper they come to the ballot box and cast their votes. >> in sports m essi goes from bad to worse in champions league match.
2:28 pm
there's more to financial news than the ups and downs
2:29 pm
2:30 pm
what happens when social media uncovers unheard, fascinating news stories? >>they share it on the stream. >>social media isn't an afterthought. it drives discussion across america. >>al jazeera america social media community, on tv and online. >>this is your outlet for those conversations. >>post, upload, and interact. >>every night, share undiscovered stories. >> welcome back. here is a recap of our top stories. iran's president has returned home to a mixed reception following his historic phone
2:31 pm
call with u.s. president obama. supporters of hassan rouhani gathered at tehran airport to welcome him home. but he was also met by protesters chanting anti-american slogans. sudanese police fired on a funeral that turned into anti-government protests. egypt's interim foreign minister, he said his country's political transition will end by next spring. in syria there has been more violence in the suburbs of the capital damascus. now these pictures are said thougtoshow fighters. the u.n. security council has
2:32 pm
greed to a resolution to destroyed syria's chemical weapons. many are coming in to the country from turkey and analysts say not enough is done is stop them. reports in southern turkey. >> promotional videos like these made by al-qaeda al-qaeda affils are being shown all over syria. prepare me to die. where are you, jihadis the song goes as this fighter celebrates his comrades who enjoy the swimming pool. the armed group took over the area in august. this confrontation between people who live here and the foreign fighters mostly saudi egyptian iraqi were secretly filmed. the man putting down his rifle in a peace gesture was was later
2:33 pm
executed by al-qaeda affiliates. foreign fighters were once welcomed but now are feared by civilians. this man tells us, who is too scared to show his face on camera. >> we fear that their ambitions are not related to freedom and democracy. what they want is an islamic state. okay, islam is our religion but we want a democratic state, freedoms and human rights. summary executions are becoming common. this camthey can easily say to you that you're an infidel and kill something so easy for them. it's their second nature. they don't think before they carry out an execution. >> some of these foreign fighters cross the border from
2:34 pm
iraq, but analysts and say many more fly into turkey on scheduled flights. it's a well-worn root, and many bus and taxi take fighters along this main hig highway to the syn border. turkish government is very concerned about extreme groups just ex-door but up until now it has taken physical measures to prevent them to getting there. >> reporter: they can no longer keep accommodating the foreign fighters. >> turkey tried to play the game, but it failed and made a total mess of it. for many years they fought against terrorism. if we play this game with terrorists it will blow back in your face. >> reporter: analysts say somewhere between 5,000 to 10,000 foreign fighter fighterss into syria.
2:35 pm
many want that to stop. >> workers in bangladesh have been fighting with police in some of the biggest demonstrations in months. they're complaining about low wages and factory conditions. we have reports. >> these are some of the garment workinworkers. their salaries are the lowest in the world. some of them have been so violent that they prompted the government to deploy par paramilitary groups. it has brought the garment industry, the driver of the economy, to a near stand toy. they're demanding wages to be increased $104 a month. >> how can we get by? my vent as high as my salary. then there is food and other expenses. >> garment workers earn $38 a
2:36 pm
month, a little more than a $1 a day. but they say that's not enough to make ends meet. >> we only get to eat meet once a month. we live on a diet of potatoes, and lentils, sometimes we eat only rise. you can't eat on this salary. >> they make clothes for some of the biggest international brands. while workers make demands for bigger wages, international brands say they may take their orders elsewhere. >> he does accept that the workers wages need to be raised but he faces pressure to keep costs low. >> because we ask for consumers to come for work because they have a lot of looms. as putting tags on some
2:37 pm
garments, but we're getting $7. >> reporter: we contacted government ministries in charge of overseeing the industry as well as representatives of international brands. but they refused our request for response. the intensity of these latest protests have made one thing clear. no matter what the arguments against their cause, many workers are no longer content to be taken advantage of. >> the kenyan government says it needs more time to investigate the deadly seen at the westgate mall. new video has emerged showing police and soldiers helping civilians escape shots during the attack. 67 people are confirmed dead but no word on the dozens reported missing. we have more from nairobi. >> one week after the drama another crisis for kenya's leadership, it's accused of
2:38 pm
failing to act on intelligence report warning of an attack. and it's army may have botched an attempt to rescue the hostages. unlike these shoppers most of them did not come out alive. now revelation that this tunnel connected to storm drains to the maul may have been used by some or all of the remaining attackers to escape. al jazeera tracked it more than 800 meters to this point well beyond the security cordon. the government said there is an investigation whether the collapse of three floors was caused by bombs of the attackers or excessive force by the military. but it has not yet responded to claims that it's forces did not know about a possible escape route. did intelligence services warn of the attack? >> we would not want to advise about it, but as i have said,
2:39 pm
the security situation in the country is good. >> this mp is trying to ensure that there are no reki recrimins against them. >> we have some of the best intelligence before, but not any longer. not any more. >> kenyans have been united in grief. but the hero of the westgate mall attack after saving the lives of children under fire believe if any of the attackers got away, there would be no forgiveness. >> if it's established that some of the terrorists made it out, heads have to roll, yes. it's as simple as that. i don't think--i will really, really, anger a lot of kenyans to know that these people did all the things that they did,
2:40 pm
and actually made it out when the whole place was surrounded. it's ridiculous. i don't want to believe that that's the situation. >> one week, kenyan parliament is an unforgiving place and demands accountability at the highest level of security forces, the intelligence services and the upper echelon of government. the question is where does the buck stop? many believe it could be with the president himself. andrew simmons, al jazeera, nairobi. >> let's get more news from europe and rejoin felicity in london. >> reporter: thank you, a video has been release. the french hostages kidnapped. he can be seen pleading for help to secure his release. the first sighting of him since they stormed his compound.
2:41 pm
he was abducted in retaliations for france's intervention in mali. officials have criticized the serbian decision to ban a gay pride march for the third consecutive year. a hundred gay pride activists marched, and it could have led to repeat violence of 2010 when extremists attacked the parade at the capitol. now british m.p.s are looking into th prince charles' taxes. reports where charles fortune is based and how his commercial interests are affecting people there. >> they're packing up for the end of the tourism season and for many people that means how to make money through the winter. here like most other english
2:42 pm
cities there are the usual signs of collapse on the high streets. but on the other end of town there are plans greed for a supermarket and they point out the development is worth $60 million for the local economy, create 200 jobs and sell local produce to help the farming community. yet the same thousands of people signed a protest against it. >> the discussions held on greenfield sites and the need to look after small dairy farmers. the need to plant areas of wild flower meadow. you can't blame him for doing so. we would like to say the same happened here. >> reporter: the property has been with the duke since the 14th century, but it's been turned into a massive business. he owns thousands of properties. he owns the coast line, rivers
2:43 pm
and beaches. it's been reported that they'll share the profits of gold found. and this all plays into the inquiry now being conducted in prince charles influence. prince charles empire based here may well be worth over $1 billion, but cornwall is the poorest county in england, and not only that, he doesn't pay any taxes because it's all deemed to be a private enterprise. his building projects are designed with heritage in mind. it's pointed out that the homes are built to help poor people through affordable housing, but the criticism is that more properties will end up in the possession of wealthy londoners.
2:44 pm
>> he's indistinguishable from any developer. any developer wants to make a profit, and that's exactly what he's doing. >> and if you die here without making a will, your money doesn't go to the state like elsewhere in england. it goes to the dutchy. >> it's not like government spending. it's completely under the radar. >> creating affordable food systems. >> his views should be seen as a model as a future. but politicians have adopted his approaches over time and he acts as ambassador throughout the world. but there are those who insist that his empire act against the interests of local people. >> the now back to doha. >> still ahead on al jazeera. no more defections.
2:45 pm
cuba gives its athletes the green light to play abroad. we have that and sports with joe. on august 20th,
2:46 pm
>> 21 asylum seekers died after the boat they were traveling in sung on their way to united states. it was on its way to christmas island when it went down off the coast. it was carrying 100 asylum seekers from lebanon, pakistan and iraq.
2:47 pm
several children were among the dead. 29 remain missing. in china dozens of children have been freed after police broke up a child trafficking ring. more than 300 people are now in police custody. >> coordinated across 11 provinces a series of chinese police raids freed 92 kidnapped children. the children along with two women who were plea of guilty a network who would steal, buy children. they were to be sold in other regions. it came after a six months investigation. the children are now being looked after by a welfare home. >> our child care workers have professionally trained so they know how to communicate with the babies and how to comfort them. >> trafficking children has been on the rise in china but
2:48 pm
officials say they've been cracking down on the networks. the country launched an anti-trafficking campaign and started creating a nationwide dna database t to to assist in investigations. >> bringing together former gang members and victims of crime for a peace summit. [ sirens ] >> even though most chicago neighbors are scared by violence. there is hope. for charles that hope comes from boxing. it's an alternative to street violence and gangs. >> i can go out and have matches. >> the 16-year-old discovered boxing after become a man or bam a violence prevention
2:49 pm
organization on committee's south side. it teaches how to channel aggression and control emotion through support. across town a 17-year-old has found sanctuary from gang life from a different organization. it convinced him to leave gangs last year. >> it doesn't matter what gang are you, race or anything. no, you can still be friends. >> with gang violence he i escag in cities like chicago, eric holder sounded the call to action earlier this week. >> the failure to interconvenient in a life that is at risk could add up to $3 million during the course of his or his or her lifetime. $3 million. >> research from the university of chicago crime lab shows participants in bam participated had 44% fewer crimes compared to
2:50 pm
those not enrolled in the program. that encouraged the funding of similar programs. bam counselor estimates three-quarters of the boys he advices don't have strong father figures he tries to be one. >> sometimes they see me in public, at the mall, the grocery store, they get to see that i'm living out the type of things i'm talking about. and it's real for them. they get excitement about who they can become through this programs. >> al jazeera, chicago. >> it's time for sport now. >> thank you. well, he's only been in the job for a few months, but david moyes is learning being the manager of one of the most successful clubs in the world, manchester united, does not always end in victory.
2:51 pm
picking up seven points from possible 18, and that was not held earlier this saturday. wayne rooney canceled out an earlier goal, and clench 1420 to 14,307t1420 to14,307thclenched . totham go got the lead over chelsea. torres with a second bookable offense, the final score, 1-1. >> sometimes things happen, and we don't know why. but i think the way the game was going, i think not one person thought much, much better, much, much stronger.
2:52 pm
>> well, it was a bad day for manchester. there were wins for cardif, hu will, l, west bram and southampton. the footballer has been injured playing for barcelona, messi started the game and scored the opening goal in the 21st minute that had to be substituted because of a fire injury. the spanish champions would win with an i 2-0 win.
2:53 pm
valencia, wins 1-0. alooliver are a with the first goal. and in just over an hour from now gareth bale will take on athletico. athleticcathletico final. the only other game on saturday just kicked off between a struggling ac milan and milan are without striker barateli after sending off against napoli
2:54 pm
last week. the challenge back on track after beating australia 28-8 after exchanging a penalty a piece. two converted tries two minutes apart to go 17-3 up after a quarter often hour. adding to conversions for three penalties to give the sprin sprs the lead. and australia finished 28-8 to south africa. continue to go impress on his rookie year. the spanish rider captured his seventh poll ahead of the grand prix in spain. lorenzo will start second, ahead
2:55 pm
of pedro is a. >> after the third round of the alfred dunhill links championship. record-breaking 59 on friday and was back to his best at st. andrews when he shot 65, and this eagle on 18. he held the two-stroke lead going into the final day. the cuban government has made and a surprise announcement allowing athletes to play for foreign teams. >> cuba continually produces some of the finest athletes on the planet. major league baseball star over the next few years he's set to earn over $40 million. but the cuban government he's no sporting icon. he along with 20 other baseball
2:56 pm
players defected to the u.s. and the change of policy allowing cubans to play for foreign teams is being seen as an attempt to change that. >> this is about an effort of the cuban political need to r reinvision rate the country and reinvent themselves as an open, confident communist country. >> they will see their wages rise considerably. top baseball players on the island could earn $200 a month. not a match what they could earn in the u.s. but current laws do not allow anyone to do business with cuba, making the new policy unclear at best. >> we don't know what this means. does the cuban government own the athlete? does the athlete own himself? is doing business with an agent from cuba mean that you're violating the current laws of the united states?
2:57 pm
>> uncertainty remains of what may end up a political gesture. over the years the cuban government denounced what it calls the theft of talented athletes who end up playing in the u.s. but cuban citizens can now travel more freely, send money home and starred their own business. until it's clear whether the policy can or whether work, relations with cuban and u.s. remain frayed at best. little havana, miami. >> that story and plenty more can be found on our website. check out www.aljazeera.co www.aljazeera.com/sport. that's all the sport for now. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. stay with us here on al jazeera. another full bulletin of news straight ahead at the top of the hour.
2:58 pm
2:59 pm
3:00 pm
>> welcome to al jazeera. i'm david schuster, new york. here are your headlines. a report on the deaths of 19 firefighters in arizona three months ago identifies radio communication problems. and cites a three minute communication black without just before a wildfire engulfed the men. just before the men were killed an airtanker was waiting for the radio update about their location. u.n. interrogation will be in syria as early as monday

124 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on