♪ ♪ >> a cargo plane carrying medical supplies touches down in yemen as the saudi-led air strikes enter a third week. pakistan's parliament calls for a diplomatic solution in yemen, claiming it won't play a military role. you are watching al jazeera. also on the program what could be a summit of the americas to remember as u.s. and cuban relations take center stage. plus, -- >> it's been a privilege to go into everyone's living room. >> a cricket and a legendary captain and player, richie

banner dies at age 84. ♪ hello, in yemen the saudi led coalition continues to target fighters. they were killed in shebwa. the defense ministry was also hit with 20 tons of medical aid has led the icrc and unireceive have managed to send much needed supplies. the u.n. security council is expected to vote an an arms embargo. there was no direct clarity on whether it would give military support to ally saudi arabia. we have been following latest developments from islamabad. >> well, pakistan has said all along that it would take

parliament into confidence and the people's representatives will decide whether the saudi's request for help and what way to respond to that. so after a debate, they came to a conclusion that while there was no compromise, on the defensive and the security of saudi arabia, that of the integrity was violated. they said that this was a tribal war and not a sectarian war, and what was needed was proactive measures to bring everybody to a negotiated sediment and -- settlement. and they are saying they will stand shoulder to shoulders with the saudis if they were threatened but pakistan will remain neutral as far as the conflict in yemen.

>> iran has stepped up the criticism. so far the air campaign has not stopped the hut ti advance. >> it was after their trip was approved by the saudi-led coalition. >> it's important that we take care of the victims of war. more importantly as a surgical team we have the expertise to treat these very special type of trauma caused by high-speed bullets and bombs. >> united nations chief is concerned about yemen's deteriorating security and humanitarian situation. >> ordinary yemeni families are struggling for the very basics, water, food, and medicines.

hundreds of civilians have been killed. hospitals and schools are shutting down. some of which are direct targets of the fighting. >> reporter: the conflict in yemen has made life difficult for millions of people. no clean water electricity is cut most of the time, and people have tried for days to fill their cars. >> we have been waiting for four days in this queue for some gas. this is fifth day. but due to the air strikes the gas tanks were not able to fill the gas station. we borrowed money for gas and that's because who are targeting yemen and the yemeni people. >> there's discontent across the country. dozens of angry soldiers besieged the central bank. they said they haven't received their salary since september when the houthis took over.

in aden, they take cover where the fighting continues between the houthis backed by soldiers loyal to the former president and forces loyal to the current president. in the port city, hundreds flee. they have been stranded for days waiting for the first boat to sail away. those who are lucky bought these small boats headed for eastern africa, leaving behind a country on the verge of a civil war. there's significant opposition to the iran framework agreement in both washington and tehran. many in the u.s. congress are trying to pass a bill to give it the power to review any final deal before diplomatic talks are concluded. the white house argues this would derail negotiations. earlier on thursday, iranian president rue hani demanded that all sanctions be lifted on

the final day of the agreement. it's hoped that a deal can be finalized by june 30th. the u.s. state department has responded to the comments made by iran's leaders. it says all concerns will be addressed in the final rounds of talks. >> we are not negotiating those details in public. and so i'm not going to comment on his public statements and we're not -- you know, that's process goes forward we will not react to every public statement made by iranian officials. indian prime minister has arrived in paris in the first leg of a three-nation tour. modi will travel to germany and canada to discuss india's defense, nuclear and infrastructure development. talks over the next three days in france are expected to focus on a nuclear power project and an aircraft deal that has been stalled for more than three years. france won a $23 billion contract to supply 126rapale

jet to them in 2012 and foreign interest in buying the rapale jets especially after egypt ordered aircraft in a $5.000000000 deal. until then, rapale had failed to secure a single overseas buyer. the french have used the aircraft in their combat missions over libya and iraq. now, it will be the highest level meeting between the u.s. and cuba in more than 50 years. u.s. president barack obama and cuban leader raul castro are expected to meet at the summit of americas in panama city. obama has signaled he could remove cuba from the u.s. list secretary of state john kerry said he made progress in the

talks. >> few people, back then, were certain of a brighter future. fewer probably thought we could turn the tide. but today the tide has turned, and it has been turning for sometime. thanks to the efforts of everybody in the region itself. >> well, as those high level talks go on, life goes on in the capital havana, where in many ways, it feels like time hasn't changed. daniel schmieler met a few cubans to find out what they thought. >> reporter: time often seems to move slower in cuba, shielded from the rest of the world from the half century u.s. 'em bargeo. and -- embargo and a centralized government that only allowed change when this thought was t was appropriate. change is the topic of conversation raising some hopes and fears. >> it's very important for both

countries. and that's the way of building blocks to build trust which is one of the most important things that over the last 50 years has been lost. >> with washington and havana talking and the summit in panama on the horizon everyone has opinions and nowadays they are not afraid to express them. >> the most important thing is to lift the blockade. that's fundamental. that's what caused our people the most damage. >> the united states must establish relations with cuba to reach an agreement. they must respect one another. >> what i would like to see is better human rights. justice and freedom of speech. that's what cubans want. >> it's been 50 years of hostility. we will wait and see what happens. >> with the united states so close, and the cuban exile community there so vocal cubans feel like they know their neighbors but if this rekindled friendship prospers,

they will get to know them a whole lot better. they have been enemies for so long, but now it's only a matter of time before this well guarded intersection behind me becomes the official american embassy. and before these seas that are so long divided these two nations become a link between two neighbors. there's still a lot of work to be done. >> firstly fidel castro and then his brother raul has made a virtue out of surviving in the face of adversity. >> i think raul castro has emphasized that -- that he wants a civilized relationship with the united states, that he wants to -- people to learn the art of living together with differences. and he has accepted that the united states has some legitimate interests that should be challenged. >> more than 50 years of animosity, and the resentment that breeds will not be eliminated overnight. but there is a cautious optimism a tangible expectation these days on the streets of cuba.

daniel schwemner al jazeera, havana. >> it's the final day of campaigning for those running in the sudan parliamentary elections. the president is widely expected to win but there are 11 other candidates also running for president. we have more from the capital. >> hamdi mohammad is running for the president of sudan but the independent candidate hasn't spent one day campaigning. he tried to stage a strike with the other presidential candidates at the national election commission. his goal was to highlight concerns about the elections not being free or fair. but he was the only candidate who showed up. >> i agree with people who say that the elections are rigged, but i ran anyway for two reasons torque promote my plan offering practical solutions to the country's problems and to draw attention to the potential of election fraud.

>> these three presidential candidates did spend the final day of campaigning giving speeches. one promise if elected he would ensure the u.s. sanctions against the sudan would be lifted within a few months. there are ten men and one woman running against president omar el bashir, but drive around the capital and the only campaign signs you see are of bashir. we asked this group of men at this tea stand if they could name a single candidate other than president bashir. no one did. only one of them was registered and none of them said they were planning to vote. >> most of the major opposition parties are boycotting the elections. they say with the government complete control of the voting process and the media the elections will be a sham. bashir appeared before a carefully cultivated crowd of supporters at this stadium.

now in his 26th year in power after a coup in 1989, he shows no signs. giving up office. bashir told the crowd, we are going to draft a new islamic constitution. so site will be -- society will be better with sharia law. the presidential candidate mohammad said he has not registered to vote. still ahead on jazz and the u.s. questions are being raised over the use of police-controlled videos as evidence. plus... >> i'm in mumbai, india's financial capital. the waste of the city comes here. coming up, i will talk to people would pick through this garbage to earn a living.

well, again, let's take a look at the top stories on al jazeera. the u.s. says secretary of state, john kerry made progress in a meeting with his cuban counterpart in panama city. barack obama and cuban leader raul castro are expected to meet later on friday. the highest level meeting between the countries in more than 50 years. international aid agencies have managed to deliver over 30 tons of urgent medical supplies to yemen's capital. it's the first aid shipment to arrive since the saudi-led coalition began the air campaign against houthi rebels last month. pakistan's parliament has adopted a resolution calling

for a diplomatic solution in yemen. despite days of debate it didn't provide indicate whether they would provide military support. now unicef says the humanitarian efforts in yemen were dire before the fighting broke out and now it's even worse. >> we expect an uptick in maltuition, be that there's a conflict or not. 60% of the population was at the poverty line. the people's revenues are going down and cost of living is going up and government services are weakened if not falling apart. >> new video has emerged that shows the moments before a white police officer in the u.s. opened fire and killed an unarmed black motorist during a

traffic stop. the investigators are released video from a dash cash. we have the latest from north charleston in the state of south carolina. >> reporter: here on a peaceful plot of green just over the bridge in south carolina, george knight thinks he knows the answer to a question that has been asked many times this week. would a police officer now be in custody accused of murdering an unarmed black man had there not been cell phone video of the incident? >> as long as it's on video you have what the truth is. >> reporter: george knight speaks from experience. his cousin, darryl lee drayton was shot several times by police. his body fell here. dashboard video of the incident isn't clear but in this case, the police's account was believed by investigators. but darryl had threatened the police who felt they had no option but to use stun guns. when that failed, they shot and killed him. it's a similar explanation

offered by police officer michael sleger, now charged with the murder of walter scott last weekend. but in darryl's case, there was a key difference. >> no one took a cell phone video that night. no they didn't. >> dashboard video has now been released. it appears to show that at no point does scott pose any sort of danger to the police officer who had stopped him or anyone else. the legal requirement for the use of deadly force but without the cell phone video of scott being shot as he ran away questions have been raised as to whether it could have been used to support the original police narrative that scott was the guilty party. another reason why north charleston city hall on thursday, there were demands for an independent civilian police review board to be formed. and not just for the introduction of the more police controlled cameras. >> we will have to police the police. we would have to have an

outside, independent agency to investigate the police department. >> but that was exactly why it was decided that the officer that killed george knight's cousin darryl could resume his duties. charleston, south carolina. the biggest gun lobby in the u.s. is gathering for its annual meeting in the state of tennessee. more than 70,000 people, including some republican presidential hopefuls are expected to attend this week's national rifle association convention. the n.r.a. has successfully mobilized its political power to blunt most gun control proposals. now, one person has been killed and several have been injured following a large tornado that hit the u.s. state of illinois. these pictures show a massive twister barreling across an open field. people across the u.s. midwest have been warned to stay on high alert for severe weather as tornadoes also tore through parts of iowa and ohio. in afghanistan civilians

have been killed in two separate attacks, in the eastern city of lally bad four people were dead and four others injured following a suicide attack. and in the eastern province, a roadside bomb has killed 12 people. the recycling industry supports millions of people in india and those who pick through garbage are known as rag pickers. those with the rapid increase in consumption is encouraging a vicious cycle of addiction and poverty. we have more. there are no words that adequately describe the filth that this man works in. for 25 years she searched through this waste dump in search of recyclables. he can earn up to $5 a day. to do so, he has to be drunk or high. >> we have to use substance to

work here. when the sun hits this garbage the smell is overpowering. >> this man tolerated these conditions in the hopes of unearthing a better opportunity. after years of picking through garbage, al-sady set up his own business. he said this tin shed is a testament to his determination to live a better life. >> my life has improved 90% since i left the dumping ground. i worked very hard there up to 18 hours a day picking up garbage. i make sure that i even saved something from the little i earn so in the ten years since i stop collecting garbage i progressed a lot. >> hundreds of thousands of people live and work where mumbai dumps its garbage. as this mountain of waste has grown, so too has the number of people who rely on it to make a living. this dumping ground is full of danger. a place activists say is unfit for humans to live near, let

alone work in. rummaging for garbage is a job few class to do but it's the only way to make money for some of india's poorest people. and because of the stigma attached to this kind of work in india most people who do it remain trapped in poverty. groups trying to improve conditions here say the best way to change the community's fortunes is to invest in its young people. >> we are working to ensure the children of rag pickers don't follow in their parent's footsteps. we have want to give them the opportunity to do something else. >> with the little he has he's trying to build a better and safer life for his family. his children are his best chance of leaving the dumping ground that has sustained and scarred him. and this, he says is a chance worth fighting for. al jazeera, mumbai. a pakistani court has freed on bail the man accused of

crossing a 2008 attack in mumbai. the attacks left 165 people dead. india has called the release unfortunate and disappointing. a u.s. defense chief ashton carter is in south korea for a three-day visit. carter's trip comes amid news that north korea fired two short-range missiles off the western coast. the defense officials say they only fled a few miles before plunging into the sea. it's seen as a proi havecation. and france's political party is having a open fallout. >> she's probably his most vocal supporter or at least she was. lepen was desperate to become president at one point.

>> viva lafrance. >> his daughter by his side, but now she's leader. his outspoken remarks too much for her marin lapenn will be blocking him from running as leader as one of france's regions. she wants to distance herself from him. >> i think that deep down, jean marie lapen needs to show wisdom and accept the consequences the turmoil which he himself has created and maybe he should give up his political responsibilities. >> they do not have the same ideology and they do not belong to the same generation. and there is a real internal fight within the party as to whether the funder, jean marin lapen should remain active. >> jean marin's lapen's outburst have become more and more uncomfortable. it praised france's war time leader would collaborated with

the nazis and questioning the spanish-born prime minister's loyalty to france. his daughter'sless spoons there it is. his status as honorary president does not give him the right to hijack the national front with vulgar proii havecations -- provocation. dad intends to express his views as a politician who is quote, responsible free, and always walks with his head held up leading to a significant move from her to call a peteing. parties' executive bureau with him present to, quote, fine the best way to protect the interests of the movement. for lapen the goal has been to convince voters her party is the very embodiment of what it means to be french. say, for example, joan of arc the national france has adopted her as one of the symbols. while that kind of history helps, it's the more recent

history that's proving to be a hindrance. this is why his opinions are no longer required and indeed not even wanted when it comes to his own daughter. national front maybe. united front not for that family not at the moment. our legendary cricket commentary richie bano has died in sydney. here's andrew thomas. >> to australians he was the sound of summer. the voice of cricket. >> that's one of the most brilliant things you will see. >> first of all, you are going to find out if they are still there. >> yes he's just checked. >> his commentary accompanied hundreds of matches. the one constant whether australian teams won lost, or drew. >> benaud. >> his day richie benaud

mostly won. he played 63 times for his country. took more than 200 and scored more than 2,000 runs as captain, he never lost a series. >> he has been running. 242, not very good that. >> but it was after he retired from playing the game, after hanging up his baggy green cap that benaud went from sports star to legend as the king of cricket commentators. >> let me just tell you what i think about it. i think it was a disgraceful performance -- >> cricket matches can be slow for long gaps in the action. benaud was the master. his voice was mellow, measured and calm. >> it's been a privilege to go into everyone's living room throughout that time. most important, though it quickly became familiar.

benaud behind the microphone was essential. >> we won't miss cricket. richie benaud was the voice of cricket. there are very few australians who did not pass the summer of richie benaud. he was at companiment -- accompaniment of an australian summer. >> days in the hot sun eventually took his toll. his illness was skin cancer. whether he went public, he encouraged young players to use cream. >> richie benaud will be remembered as a great cricketer, and an even greater commentator. the ambassador for the game who had the golden tones.

>> when australia came out to field for that 45 minutes there was a very nice and very memorable moment. >> an dru -- andrew thomas, al jazeera sydney. lots more news on our website. aljazeera.com. >> assessing the damage, communities in illinois reeling after a major storm but the worst may not be over. >> new dash cam footage reveals what happened moments before a south carolina officer shot a black man. previous reports of excessive force against the officer. >> president obama and cuba's leader after 50 years of strained