we'll take you there, giving you a glimpse into the future. >> "the stream". today, 1:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> hello welcome to the news hour live from doha. these are the main stories we'll be covering over the next 60 minutes: >> the men who would lead israel, polling begins in one of the closest general elections for years. >> the airstrikes amounted to war crimes, damning assessments of the syrian government. >> scenes of the devastation in the south pacific the scale of

devastation in venuatu becomes clear four days after the deadly cyclone. >> argentina's deforestation blamed for recent flooding. >> israelis are voting in what's expected to be the most closely fought election in years. polls opened several hours ago across the country. two leading countries are led by bens net results will be announced soon after the polls close later tonight. it could take time for a coalition government to be folder. we sent this report from jerusalem: >> this long and drawnout campaign was always going to be dominated by the personality of this man but prime minister benjamin netanyahu discovered

that israel's political landscape has changed since he first came into power in 1996. he tried to keep up to date with these internet ads about the fierce of isil, with these men asking where's the road to scream. jerusalem. he vowed there will be no palestinian state. his nationalistic rhetoric hasn't had its usually impact. many israelis are still concerned about security but also worried about the rise of the cost of living. netanyahu admitted he is trailing behind his rivals. >> their attacking me. if we don't close the gap with our rival, there is a real threat that a leftwing government could come you into power. >> comments from lieberman israel's foreign minister haven't helped the right wing cause. >> i would like to see whoever with us should get everything, as they wish, but those who are

against us, there's nothing to be done. we need to pick up an ax and cut off their heads otherwise we won't survive here. >> netanyahu's main rival seemed more in touch with the concerns of ordinary israelis, promising to focus on the economy and reconciliation with the palestinian community, as well as the united states. >> we will know how you to amend and correct the relationship and how to return that to being intimate strong, strategic with full alliance between us and the united states. >> the zionist union is not expected to win more than a quarter of the vote. whatever the outcome this election campaign has shown israel is more ideologically

divided than before. >> expectation was the turnout would be high for this election. what have you seen? >> we are here in nazareth, which is mainly arab city in israel and home to the headquarters of the joint list, a mainly arab political party that was formed for the purpose of this election, with four very ideologically different mainly arab political parties uniting under one ticket in order to win an influential number of seats in parliament. according to polls the joint list could possibly become the third largest political party in the israeli history, also a very significant development for palestinian israelis, who are a minority here and only constitute 20% of the population. with me to talk about what is expected to be a higher voter turnout, among palestinian

israelis in this election, the director of a group that works toward achieves aquality between palestinian and jewish israelis, how significant is it that these very ideologically different small arab parties from those described as communists to those described at islamists uniting? >> it's important in two directions, one with internally in the community in israel, the fact that we can sit together, we can debate together, we can make decisions as a community as an international group but also important in front of the israeli cabinet and jewish minority. lieberman and prime minister benjamin netanyahu did their best for the last two years to exclude the arab community from

all decision-making processes they forced us to unit to build one joint list. our answer together, we are going together and we will present this community and give hope also to the jewish community, the fact that we are in this leadership from the slackist movement to the secular movement sitting together and outreaching also to the jewish public. it's not a group that is closed and isolated from the jewish minority. this group that is presenting the palestinian community is outreaching to the jewish community in very professional way and we try to also to represent also big portion of jewish community you. >> if the joint list becomes as polls suggest the third largest political party how far can this party go in terms of addressing the issues that palestinians in israel complain about, which are racist policies

by the government, discriminatory policies? >> it's very important because this group can be part of the block that will block netanyahu and lieberman from becoming again the prime minister and the fact that this group can offer what is so-called center left in israel an alternative, they can block netanyahu. this is important. we know that netanyahu was campaigning for the last war in gaza does a, for the next war against iran and it is important to block him. the fact that we as a community can ensure you are that we can be part of the block that we create will give an alternative to the palestinians and to the progressive forces in the jewish public it's very important message to the jewish public and to the community. you have to remember, part of our people are living under occupation suffering from

settlement and they hope we can help in changing this reality. >> thank you so much for being with us. we've also opinion talking to some of the arab voters here after they cast their votes and some of them were very emotional saying for the first time in their lives they actually felt acknowledged as a minority in israel. they hope that the joint list won't disappoint them. their main concerns are equality between jewish citizens and palestinian citizens of israel and they hope that the joint list will be able to be influential enough in the next israel election to address some of these issues they say they have suffered under netanyahu's rule. >> thank you reporting from in his let. >> egypt's public prosecutor accused a policeman of killing a female activist in january. she was at a peaceful rally marking the fourth anniversary of the 2011 uprising. at the time, the interior ministry suggested the police

were not responsible. images and video captured her death, as well as a security officer pointing a rifle. >> suicide bombers have attacked an iraqi army checkpoint, killing six soldiers. there were four coordinated explosions including a car bomb at the entrance of the neighborhood in baghdad. >> the u.s. secretary of state and iran's foreign minister met for a final day of talks in switzerland. john kerry ander working toward a foreign minister work deal to be reached by the end of the month. >> airstrikes carried out by the syrian government last november may amount to war crimes. it comes as opposition groups are again accusing syrian forces of using chlorine gas killing women and children. we have this report: >> a man apparently suffering

the effects of chlorine gas is doused in water. this was after an attack in a southern province. according to human rights groups who monitor attacks like these in hospitals they are given oxygen. it attacks the respiratory system causing suffocation. >> we are here to receive the wounded. we have received 70 of them to now, including women and children. we expect more to come. they suffered the symptoms of chlorine inhaling. some need more medical care. >> the syrian observatory for how many rights said at least six people, including women and children were killed in this bombardment. opposition activists say it was the second attack of its type in just two days. babies like this one they say are among the victims. right now the world is being urged to turn it's attention to

the northeast. in november last year, president bashar al assad's forces attacked the city in a bid to drive out isil fighters, but in a new report, amnesty international says the rules of war were violated. >> we've come you to the conclusion that there's evidence that the syrian government forces committed war crimes there. the research we've done shows that over 100 civilians were killed paces targeted were nottistic state but busy markets, busy mosques and residential areas. >> amnesty says while attention was diverted to the u.s. led airstrikes elsewhere assad's forces killed civilians relentlessly. sixty were killed in the shelling in one day alone. doctors say they know the world is following watching and condemning these crimes, but its action, they say that's needed to stop the bloodshed.

>> rescue workers have started to reach some of venuatu's islands devastated by cyclone pam. 11 people have been killed, 3,000 made homeless. aid has arrived in the capitol but little has reached the outer islands. andrew thomas was one of the first foreign correspondents to reach the southern island of tanna. >> children won't be coming back to study here for sometime. the roof has almost totally peeled away. this is tanna in the far south of venuatu and perhaps the island hardest hit by the cyclone. we flew down on a small propellor plane, eight seats because only those sorts of small planes can get in here at the moment. what is needed i also the big

military police with aid onboard. this is what they need most here. >> the priority is the roads the roads the tents the shelters, foods and medicines. the tents and medicines they need it, they really need it. >> this school is one of the least damaged buildings in tanna. many aren't standing at all totally flattened. on the road, we came across a family sitting in the ruins of their home, trying to salvage timber to start building again. >> this house i've had it since 1995. i told my wife we have to move out now. i don't know, i just see the house moving up and down, my heart was sinking and tears were up. we have to move. >> this school building, as one

of the least damaged on tanna has become an impromptu place for people to stay. it may be lacking a roof, but there's space on the floor to throw down some mattresses for those who lost homes. there are 100 people staying here at the moment. the hope is as big military planes come in that proper aid will arrive, because people here, people all over there island desperately need it. >> in myanmar, three people, including a new zealander have been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for insulting religion. the image showed buddha wearing headphones to promote a bar. >> guilty of insulting religion, using an image of buddha with headphones on line to promote drinks at a bar. the poster was withdrawn shortly after posted last december, and an apology issued, but the men have been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

>> pretty disappointed, actually. >> the accused are quickly whisked away in a police van. the mother of one of the defendants directs anger at the monks. some mounts complained about the flier leading to the action. >> i want to talk about our religion. if someone insults religion, should we accept it? is it right. >> authorities are accused of bowing to pressure from radical buddhist groups. >> some point to the verdict as the ricing influence of buddhist monks. the concern is this could deepen the religious conflict. >> since 2012, violence related to religious tensions in myanmar, particularly between buddhists and muslims has killed more than 200 people and displaced tens of thousand us more. last year, a group of monks proposed a set of laws which

they say aims to protect race and religion. the bills which are being debated in parliament would restrict interfaith marriage and religious conversion. the lawyer for the three defendants said he was not surprised by the verdict. >> are you angry? >> no, i am not angry. this is not like america or france or australia. >> the men could appeal, but are not allowed bail. >> here's what's coming up on the al jazeera news hour. pakistan struggled to eradicate polio. a report from the country's northwest where thousands of children are about to be immunized. >> plus: >> in kenya this is going to be an uncomfortable story to watch. it's about female circumstance sum significance and child marriages. find out what the locals think.

>> in sport, one of america's host historic soccer teams is now playing a role in political diplomacy. >> the head of the international monetary fund has praised the indian government for recent policy reforms expected to boost the economy. the new budget is applauded as a step in the right direction that improves business confidence. the i.m.f. expects the indian economy to grow by more than 7% for each of the next two years. >> pakistan that sent troops to the city of lahore to prevent more rioting. violence erupted after taliban attacks on two churches in a christian neighborhood on sunday, which killed 17 people. two people suspected of being involved in those bombings were burned to death by protestors during two days of rioting. >> 12 more men have been hanged in pakistan after the government

extended the use of the death penalty. executions were reintroduced last december after a school attack in peshawar killing more than 150 mainly children. dozens of convicts, mostly on terrorism charges have since been executed. >> gunman killed two people in an attack on a polio vaccination team in the northwest of pakistan. it happened in a mountainous area northeast of the city as workers gave out polio drops in a refugee camp. pakistan's nationwide vaccination drive has faced a number of security challenges, as we report from peshawar. >> although there have been major successes in the battle against polio globally, pakistan remains a major concern for the world health worse because of a number of cases report the from pakistan. the i am immunization program is

underway. the story in the other province is not so good. a number of deadly attacks on polio workers has brought that program to a grinding halt. the pakistani government will have to gear up to meet this challenge, otherwise there will be travel restrictions on pakistani's who wish to go overseas. >> despite the challenges, our teams are motivated, they are in the field trying to reach every child. we are meeting all challenges facing the security situation as well, the weather challenges, as well, and we are trying our level best to set aside not only the international community but local community, as well. >> there has been criticism of the way the government has handled this crisis. millions of dollars worth of vaccines have been wasted because of neglect. the government of pakistan will

have to really gear up and meet this challenge in order to eradicate this deadly disease. >> the nigeria army says it's recaptured two towns from the armed group boko haram. the nigerian military said it is completing what it called a mopping up operation in the second largest town in borno state. we have more: >> news of the recapture of these two towns by nigerian forces came in a statement issued by defense headquarters here in the capitol. they describe what happened on the ground saying they were able to inflict massive casualties against boko haram terrorists that many of them were killed in the fighting over the two towns. they said they were able to recover massive supplies of arms and ammunition and that the terrorists who survived fled,

and were being pursued by chadian forces towards nigeria's various borders in the region. now the question of the impacts of all of this on the upcoming election and whether it looks good for president goodluck jonathan analysts say these victories are good for the president. you recall that the election was postponed by six weeks for the military to deal with boko haram and questions raised about whether the president could do poorly in the election because of a perception that he hadn't dealt with the group properly. many feel that this is positive news for the president but those in the opposition say that it's too little, too late, more than 4,000 people have been killed and over a million people displaced during the insurgency. >> in kenya female again tall hewittlation is illegal but still performed as a rite of passage in some parts of the country. we traveled to a conservative

community and spoke to girls and women who have been affected. >> joyce is in the yellow shirt. she is 12. when she was nine, her father tried to force her to get circumcised then marry her to a man three times her age. this is esther, she is 10. >> my parents wanted me to be circumcised. i cried but they didn't hear. i just ran away and this woman took pity on me and took me in. we live here. >> female genital mutilation is illegal. she used to cut. she believed it was an important rite of passage. >> if she not be circumcised she not be married. even when we make a wedding she not cut because she's just a

kid. we call her a kid. >> the practice is often hidden, so there are no exact figure, but government officials say it is still common. >> teachers try to rescue girls who have been married and encourage them to stay in school, but many drop out. there is an anti fgm unit, butten forcement is difficult. >> you have situations where the witnesses disappear, or the witnesses come and recant their testimony. this is something totally different from what were written in their statements. sometimes they close up and refuse to talk. >> in some parts of kenya a daughter is a commodity. she must be married off for a dowry. >> when the young bride gets to the house hear father-in-law is waiting for her. she has a female cow.

she walks through the gate and accepts the cow. if she hasn't been circumcised this whole process can't happen. >> some girls and women die from infection or during childbirth because they were circumcised. joyce doesn't want to be cut. she prays no one will force her to go back to her parents who believe she is disrespecting an age-old custom. al jazeera. >> let's get a check on the weather with rob and it appears that there is little glimpse of spring over in the united states. >> it's coming very quickly yeah and there's some beautiful sights from it. in new york, this is yesterday beautiful blue skies. it doesn't give you the idea of temperature and the trees are bare. it really was quite warm. the weather which you can tell from satellite picture in the sky, across the plains and more coming into texas. we've looked at this before. there's always two fronts and

we've been saying throughout the winter that is a division between zero and sub zero. you can lift all temperatures by 10 or 20 degrees, but the contrast isn't there. luckily, that also means that the tornadoes are usually this time of the year. 21 degrees, l.a. was at 28. they were loving it and enjoying real spring warmth and denver at 25. you can see the dark blue above my head. as a consequence from this fairly rapid thaw, rivers look like this, where icebergs come along in the flow and wreck people's houses. it is not an ideal situation. even at the moment, the snow in canada, but not much of it, i want to show you you the difference the topsy at your ve nature of what's happen. we're in tuesday now was in

washington about 17, denver, that cold front having gone through. still fairly cold and still frozen great lakes so they are breaking up. he end up with four degrees in new york. what a contrast, the weather's moved over here. it adds to the rather rapid thaw. >> the largest glacier in eastern antarctica could be melting faster than ever. research shows two sea floor pathways are thought to be channeling warm ocean water under ice. the melts could contribute to a four-meter rise in sea levels. >> what's set to be the biggest festival so far of buddhist art has begun in south korea. it's focusing on the connection

between soaring skyscrapers and more traditional design. >> the 123 story to your will be the tallest building on the korean peninsula. in its shadow, also new but also very traditional the recently restored temple. it is one of the latest achievements for a city trying to shrug off a reputation for being more concerned for growth than caring for its past. the master carpenter responsible has since moved on to his next project. working with his team of crafts man, he is restoring this pavilion on a hill overlooking the river. the sort of work he does with wood is deeply engrained in korean culture. >> it's hard to preserve wooden structures. they decay and they'd replacing

every 200 years. we have to continually be replanting for the future. >> the connection between the buddhist heritage and modern life is a central theme at the international baddism art festival. organizers say it's the biggest so far. >> korean culture is closely linked to religion. temple life involves traditional architecture and clothes. that's being celebrate here. >> requiring much care and attention, it is a constant challenge for seoul to live in harmony with its cultural treasures. living inside one of them presents a whole new set of problems. >> the neighborhood has the highest proportion of traditionally built brick and timber holes. a village within a city, its residents put up with throngs are tour its from home and abroad on a daily base and also the demands of maintaining their homes. residents like the kim family in the middle of renovating their

guest house must follow very strict rules in the name of conservation. >> compared to ordinary buildings, it takes much longer and its more expensive but since this building traditionally done, people want oh observe it. >> they say that makes it worth it. what heritage it does have left, the people seem determined to hold on to. >> still to come on the program why some people think that britain's overseas aid budget is helping the wrong people. >> how what comes out of the back of a horse could make you healthier. >> in sport, a battle of former world number once, who came out on top. stay with us.

>> hello, again opinion the top stories on the al jazeera news hour israelis are voting in what looks to be the most closely fought election in years. analysts predict one of the highest turnouts since 1999. benjamin netanyahu faces a strong challenge from opposition leader. >> amnesty international said airstrikes carried out by the sir you know government last november may amount to war crimes. it was found over 100 civilians were killed.

>> rescue workers have started to reach venuatu's remote islands did he ever stated by saturday's tropical cyclone. 11 have been killed and more than 3,000 are homeless. aid has arrived at the capitol but little has reached the outer islands. >> returning to one of our top stories in the israeli general election taking place right now let's cross over to london and speak to daniel. you've written that according to polls, they're point to go favoring the zionist camp and isaac hertzog. >> benjamin netanyahu has run a spectacularly bad campaign. he called elections early.

he didn't have to. he has lost momentum. he's tried to scare israeli voters into sticking with him and that doesn't seem to have really cut the mustard with enough of the public. it's too early people are voting right now but there is a sense that this has become a referendum about prime minister netanyahu himself and more than any specific issue, more than the iran issue which is really not what is most concerning israeli's, more even than the socioeconomic issues, which netanyahu does not do well, people may if he ends up losing tonight, it will be people have had enough of a man who may have overstayed his welcome in the prime minister's office. it's not that the opposition leader has come across as mr. popular or dynamic or set out great policies. he's simply the non-bidi candidate. >> you mentioned iran. it doesn't really seem to appear

that looking at the palestinians, that's been a major factor for the voters this time around or the candidates in their campaign. >> it's a very interesting point you make. i think there is a sense among israeli voters, many israeli voters that on the one hand, this issue cannot be resolved, and on the other hand, there isn't such a tremendous cost to pay for the non-resolution of the issue so let's move on to other things. that may well that a failure of the palestinian leadership not to impose greater costs on the israeli public and that may sound strange to your viewers who have a long enough memory to recall that within the summer, there was the of course gaza conflagration that took place gaza suffered horribly, but the israelis were also facing rockets. prime minister netanyahu has tried to warn that his opponents may hand over the family

silverware, so to speak may make too many concessions. that doesn't seem to be the case. hertzog that not run a particularly left campaign. i would say one of the criticisms against prime minister netanyahu is that he has caused a significant -- whether hertzog in power were that to happen, would simply put a better face on the same policies or whether he'd change position on palestinians, it's way too early to know. >> you also say that on gaza, specifically, none ever presented a plan, which we know, but this might be one area where progress has been made, will be made. that's your opinion. how so? >> >> well, i think what we saw in the summer was that even a very rightist government understood that the risks to israel of

recongerring and reoccupying gaza would be very significant. therefore, if there is another blow up of violence and if the palestinians in gaza continue to live under these circumstances of closure and hopelessness, there were almost certainly be violence. if that happens the pressure on israel to do more, to go in, to stay in, to reoccupy would be greater. one would hope that any kind of responsible leadership will say let's avert this for everyone and allow palestinians in gaza to maintain quiet. i like to think there will be pressure in that direction and more responsible leadership that might pursue such a path. >> you were talking about israel's international understanding under the leadership of netanyahu. it might be difficult to answer from where you sit in london, as well as other allies of israel like the united states, for

example, what do you think that they are looking for in this election, who would they like to see come out winning and what kind of coalition? >> well, netanyahu for most of the leaders around the world to have interacted with him has i think unfortunately become a man who can't be taken at his word. we saw just now where having pretended that he supported two states finally unmasked himself and was honest and stated that he has no intention of a two state solution. i think in america, for the republicans, if netanyahu loses they've backed a loser. for obama, he will see that someone who is willing to play in an partisan way has been removed from the scene. >> daniel, good talking to you

daniel levy joining us from london. >> while there were no savings to be made, there's still concern at the way the moneying being spent. we explain. >> a night in watching t.v., but in the nigeria capitol you can't take anything for granted. left fulling mr. in the darkness, the blackouts happen all the time. it isn't just t.v. affected. >> you cannot store basic food things in the freezer anymore. you have to buy food items on a daily basis to cook. >> nigeria's energy system is dysfunctional. billions have been spent trying to provide basic power to people in a country that's full of oil

but a mixture of corruption and disorganization has left huge numbers without guaranteed supplies. in london, the british government has been watching all this with interest. its ministry with responsibility for aid hired a company to help sort out nigeria's energy problem. rather than offer aid they proposed that nigeria's energy sector should be sold off to private investors. >> the whole series of reforms were required. about $100 billion is required to expand the system and that can't come from the state even if they were capable of spending it without massive corruption. the only alternatei is to bring it in from private investors. >> supporters of privatization argue it can stop countries having to rely on aid. the case against it is that aid has no place in helping big corporations get their hands on africa. >> what hams in the minds of some politicians, i think is well actually now we have this

budget let's use it for the kind of things we will in. if you look at what a lot of the aid budget is being used for today, it's being used to support big corporations taking over land and food systems in africa energy systems. it's being used to build luxury amounts and hotels under this premise that really was discredited many years ago now that wealth trickles down. >> we asked for an interview. we didn't get one. >> throughout several years the government here has remained defiantly committed to the aid budget. it affects 1% of the money the country makes every year. the question is if any of that money goes to advising foreign governments on what might be construed as political initiatives, is it actually aid? >> the other question is whether its better value.

supporters of privatization say it should make electricity cheaper for those relying on candles and generators now. for others, privatization has proved to be more expensive than it was before. al jazeera london. >> a journalist is suing argentina's national airline and the state news agency for revealing his travel plans. he is believed to have been the first journalist to report the mysterious death of alberto nisman. he said the government illegally traveled his travel plans as he fled argentina for his own safety. >> while it's harvest season in central argentina where the decide to bean is the third largest export but recent flooding has concerned farmers. 11 people died and millions of dollars in crops were lost earlier this month.

as we report, massive deforestation to grow so i may be to blame. >> this is the town in the central province. every house ruined, all residents evacuated. staying for now in the community center of the neighboring town are ordonez there were as i am star scenes earlier this month as more rain fell in a few hours than normally falls in weeks. >> when the water goes down, i don't know what we'll do. we're going to have to borrow, but i don't know if they'll give us loans. >> one of the crops he lost was his so i harvest the crop that covers 60 hectares of argentina fetching more than 270 u.s. you dollars a ton on world markets boosting the economy. to make way for the crop, huge

forests were cleared. this is all very green but it's not natural. for one where have all the trees gone? these vast and lucrative fields some say only exacerbate the flooding causing great suffering for many for the benefit of a few. >> production in argentina rose 126% in a decade. most of it is for export to feed cattle. >> in the last 16 years we lost 300,000 hectares of native forest. it's only got 4% left, add in the consequences of climate change you have flooding which will only get worse. >> the removal of vegetation, the soil less able to absorb water, so when it rains the water simply flows over it. >> we need long term policies to regenerate native forests and

not allow ever more deforestation which prejudices the whole society. >> local authorities say they are abiding by a natural allow to regenerate and protect the forests, but the flooding continues with greater frequency. >> we have lost everything. the mattress by disabled son sleeps on, who is going to help replace all of this? >> despite the warnings, the deforestation continues. al jazeera argentina. >> we are at the movies next. >> have you ever been to a cinema? >> a rare treat as a big screen arrives in town. >> in sport find out if this football manager thinks a record comeback is possible in the champions league.

>> a team of swiss scientists found what they believe could be the base of the next generation of antibiotics in horse dung. new antibiotics are needed as more existing drugs become ineffective. >> horses were domesticated around 4,000 years ago. ever since they've played an important role in the lives of humans. now a discovery in their dung could help preserve human

health. >> horse dung has micro organisms. these micro organisms are in a constant competition for nutrients and likely to have antibiotics. >> the common mushroom that gross in horse manure, the swiss team discovered the fungus killed off certain bacteria and that a protein was responsible. when you disrupt the cell wall synthesis, bacteria usually dice rapidly. >> discovery is one thing but if a protein's going to be used in antibiotics, it needs to be mass

produced. the team developed a five day process using yeast they say makes this possible. >> in this yeast, we are producing, so this is a long process, and that's why we are using reactors which provide controlled and sterile environment for production. >> the scientists say the protein is robust, stable and remains effective even in acidic conditions. this can make it useful in the food industry where it can kill listeria, which causes food poisoning. with bacteria becoming drug resistant, the team hope their discovery will lead he to a new generation of antibiotics. al jazeera. >> scientists think they've unearthed the remains of the man who wrote one of the most widely read spanish novels in history. the author of don with key hot

stay disappeared years >> no matter how big the percentage is, we have absolutely to give everything to

make it. >> they do have home advantage but lost 1-0 in the first leg against the german side. athletico with just one win in their last six games. >> in life as well as football, you have moments some moments aren't as good as others. then you have a moment when you shoot, the ball hits somebody and you score. we just have to believe and above all keep a cool head. >> veteran dutch manager has taken on the job of trying to save premier league after winning titles. it's never managed in england before. the new york cosmos is set to play a historic game against the

cuban national team. the announcement comes when the two countries attempting to restart diplomatic relations. >> it's an announcement for a sporting event unimaginable for most of the past 50 years. the new york cosmos of the north american soccer league play the cuban national football team in havana june 2, marking the first time in 16 years a u.s. professional sports team has played on cuban soil. >> this is bringing the people together, more than penalties more than secretaries of states, because nothing stops sports fans from enjoying their sport the way soccer now is taking over. >> cuba's a country with a deep history of sports, so there's excitement there, as well. >> this is great for both countries. everyone in cuba is looking

forward to this. >> it isn't the first time sport has been injected into politics. in 1972, the united states sent a table tennis team to beijing to play against their chinese counterparts. the friendly sportsmanship paired the way for thoued relations between the two countries and prompted a visit by the u.s. president. ping pong diplomacy is what it's been referred to since. >> since the historic announcement by barack obama and raul castro, the number of americans wanting to visit cuba has skyrocketed. >> in recent weeks this phone hasn't stopped ringing for people wanting to visit the island. >> it's a brand new world as far as cuba travel goes. we got a few dozen requests a year ago this year, we had

1,500 requests for trips. >> this week, regularly scheduled charter airline service between new york and havana will again resume, marking another step along the way to reopening ties in business, travel and now in sports. >> san francisco 49ers linebacker chris bolland has decided to retire at the age of just 24 due to concerns over concussion. he's the most prominent player to leave the sport due to brain injury fears. many players have been diagnosed with neurological disease after their deaths. >> maria sharapova won the battle. this rematch of the 2012 phenol, she took the third round encounter in straight sets. the russian will next face

defending champion. >> it's always a good challenge playing her early on the tournament. we haven't played in a very long time, just kind of seeing each other's game again even though familiar and we've played many times, you still have to get used to the bounds and serving patterns and things like that. i didn't serve well in the first set, improved in the second. that made it easier for me. >> through to round for the canadian in straight sets. djokovic had a test in his third round match. the reigning champion, djokovic went on to win the match. grand slam chan andy murray needed three sets to get through

his match. he's looking for headlights first world title. >> more sports on our website at aljazeera.com/sport. >> colombia, the big screen explain has come to you town for kids who have never been to the movies before. the initiative is part of the oldest film festival in latin america. with he report from cartagena. >> overcoming object tackles to take cinema where cinema has never been. for many, this is the first time

in front of the silver screen. >> have you ever been to a cinema? >> no. >> this particular truck has a revolving big screen. there is no popcorn but there are local ices. audience members bring their own chairs. the magic of cinema remains the same. >> i love cinema, because we can see new things and learn things, but we also have a good time. >> families enjoy the shows and interact with the crews making the film more inclusive. >> when you see them, they are different than television. maybe these little people will become producers. we don't know, but it's worth planting the seed. >> it's a simple bottom line

issue. >> the neighborhood is just a few kilometers away from the ritzy center of cartagena but it is worlds apart. for many of these kids, going to the cinema is a real luxury. going to see a film costs between $9 to $14 while most of these people live on just $2 a day. >> we'd like this to become a regular event. we don't want to continue to be forgotten. our areas are always neglect. you can see the happiness its brings to oh the kids. >> 70,000 people will be shown the film at venues this year. al jazeera, at the cartagena film festival. >> we're back in just a couple of minutes. we'll have a full bulletin of

news. that's coming your way. stay with us. >> the annual south by southwest festival has been a breeding ground for some of the biggest tech innovations in the world. we'll take you there, giving you a glimpse into the future. >> "the stream". today, 1:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

israelis go to the polls in one of the closest elections in a generation. ♪ this is al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up amnesty accuses of syrian go of committing war crimes during an assault. four days after cyclone pam brought destruction to van roy tu