pass or on facebook. see us next time. >> welcome to the news hour from doha. our top stories this hour: >> the battle for the iraqi city of are are are ramadi. >> tens of thousands take to the streets of macedonia demanding the resignation of the prime minister. >> i'm back, burundi's leader appears in the capitol for the

first time since a failed coup attempt. >> a day after egypt's deposed president was sentenced to death, egypt carries out its first multiple execution since president sisi came to power. >> isil has attacked a government building in the iraqi city of rimadi. personnel remained trapped inside the compound. the u.s. led coalition is hitting isil positions with airstrikes in rimadi and elsewhere in iraq. the council is allowing sunni militia to say join the fight. the capitol has been mostly under isil control since last

year in anbar. we'll have more in a moment from washington d.c. first to baghdad. shia militias now joining the fight in rimadi. that's likely to prove controversial. >> controversial and will likely backfire. isil is close to overrunning the last government stronghold in rimadi city, the headquarters of the anbar command center. isil is on the defensive the government on the defensive and now the council is allowing shia led militia to say join this fight. like you said, at the end of the day, the anbar provincial council is not representative of all sunni tribes and is also allied with the government. there are many influential tribes in anbar who warned against this decision for sometime now. just a few days ago that it was

warned against saying we will consider this as iranian occupation of our province. what does this mean? are these sunni tribes going to fight alongside isil? the government needs to bring the people onboard to win the fight. a military option alone is not enough. >> thank you for that from baghdad. let's across to kimberly in washington d.c. tell us the latest on these adjustment led airstrikes in anbar province. >> it's been an intense 24 hours. according to the department of defense, the strikes centering in iraq, but some in syria, as well, we are told targeting isil tactical and staging areas using bomber attack and fighter aircraft. 18 airstrikes in total approximately six different locations. fallujah mosul rimadi all approved by the ministry of

defense. this is part of the wider u.s. led effort going on now really since august of 2014, the goal to eliminate isil from iraq, syria, the wider region and also now the international community according to president obama who said this is going to be a long term project. indeed that has been the case. it's cost upward of $2 billion, roughly $8 million a day. when the u.s. is maintaining through the strikes we've seen in the last 24 hours is successful, it said has pushed back isil front lines 25%. >> kimberly, thank you for that from washington, d.c. let's talk to the representative of kurdistan's regional government in washington d.c. the u.s. has been playing down the importance of rimadi, but if isil are successful in completely controlling it, how damaging is that for the government in baghdad? >> certainly the u.s. has been

extremely helpful in the airstrikes and this is where we've been able to somewhat degrade isil. unfortunately, if isil takes over or isis takes over ramadi and control of anbar, they can use i guess at a staging ground to attack baghdad much like in mosul. mosul today isis is's's headquarters in iraq where they are able to attack the kurdish forces. luckily they have pushed back isil, but having rimadi fall is a crisis for the next stage which isis's next stage will be baghdad. >> many people in anbar including iraqi m.p.'s that i've spoken to say the answer is not more iraqi troops or allowing in the shia militia, but to arm the tribes themselves, let the

tribes themselves defend their homes. what do you think about that? >> i think that's critical. i think you hit the nail on the head. sending in shia militias is going to cause more problems. iraq security forces are stretched too thin at the moment and sometimes they are not able to perform as they should be. the best weapon here is to get more sunni tribesman to join us as in 2007 and 2008, under the commanding leader hip of general petraeus. we've got to get sunnis armed get them back on the front lines. >> since you represent the kurdish regional government, the u.s. has been talking about potentially arming kurdish fighters directly to help in their fight against isil. the peshmerga have proved crucial in the fight against isil baghdad not happy about the idea of kurdish fighters

getting weapons directly, are they? >> i think the peshmerga forces, kurdish peshmerga forces have proved to the world there is a competency and professionalism and with him and have proven lately in pushing back. we've taken back 27,000 square kilometers from isil's hands knocking on the doorstep of mosul, but going in and continuing to defend this border while underequipped or ill equipped is not going to work and makes no sense for peshmerga forces to be running out of bullets and ammunition as some bureaucracy to work out. we just can't let that happen. >> thank you for joining us. good to get your thoughts there.

representing the kurdish regional government. >> thanks for having me. >> syrian activists have accused the government of dropping more barrel bombs containing chlorine gas. two villages in the province were targeted. several people, including babies were admitted to hospital with breathing problems. the u.n. has banned the use of chlorine gas as a weapon of war. >> more than 10,000 anti-government protestorses rallying in macedonia demanding the resignation of the president and an end to corruption and police brutality. the prop tests in the capitol coincide with ethnic tensions with the albanian community on the border of kosovo. we have a live report. a huge crowd of people behind you there. who is there and what is it they

want exactly? >> i'm going to do my best to keep my voice clear over the din. we think that many thousand serbs, we expected at least 10,000 for a country of 2 million, that's quite a lot. it is a call for the prime minister to resign. it is going on literally outside his offices. they call it simply the government building where he has been holding meetings with his ministers. we should take a closer look at what's happening. we've had as her i didn't say leaks that have really rocked the administration. these recordings, which resupreme the extent of abuses of power here and those include corruption cronyism and police brutality. now, that's what's really fired

up the opposition, and that's why they've been able to get so many people out today. the largest opposition protests that we've seen in this country in almost 10 years. now with me to talk about that today is nasim rashidi. tell us exactly really what was revealed in those phone taps and how offensive are they, why are people so angry as a result? >> as you mentioned before, a lot of illegal activities were revealed. a lot of corruption was revealed and a lot of influence of the government and actually a few people of the government to all the other aspects of the macedonian states, either judiciary or others were revealed. this is coming from a government

who in the eye of ethnic macedonia was seen as a pat receiptic, as a government that will protect the macedonians and now it was revealed that it's all fake and everything was used in order for of interest of only a few people, governor and prime minister. therefore, we have this rally today with so many people. >> i'm tempted to ask you really, whether this is going to be able to gather momentum, because let's not forget that the media has been suppressed, the independent media and therefore these recordings haven't necessarily reached everybody in this country so in some way they've been able to keep a lid on the scandal. >> most of the media here is actually controlled by the government. only a few outlets are independent. the social media has played a

huge role in the opposition word and able to come on a national television, which is a public broadcaster to explain their allegations. basically, the government denies everything. we have to say this. they say that whatever people were able to listen, it's only edited or cut in pieces, that's what the government says, but most of the people do not believe this, because they are able to listen to the voices of prime minister, of minister to actually make deals illegal deals, which should go to their benefit, rather election fraud rather media control or he had at this timing. >> thank you very much. we haven't got time for another question, but i will say this, that very important that we consider the ethnicity issue in macedonia, 25% of the population are albanians and they are here today, and they are extremely happy to see this going on.

this is about a unity opposition, which they say was this government's worst nightmare. we're going to wait and see whether things gain momentum in the next coming days. the government is standing by its position and it's going to bring it's people out to the streets, supporters it hopes tomorrow. >> thank you for that. >> burundi's president has made his first public appearance in the capitol after a coup attempt failed. he has faced weeks of protests over his plan to say run for a third term. opponents say this violates the terms of a peace deal. that speech, what did the opposition figures make of it? >> some are surprised some say they are confused. they can't understand why the president didn't talk about the

on going protests, why he didn't talk about the issue that some people in the country don't want him to have a a third term. instead, this is what the president had to say a few hours ago in the capitol. >> >> we are very preoccupied by al shabab's attack. as you know, burundi sent troops to somalia so we contacted kenya and uganda, which are privileged target for al shabab. the agenda to put in place proactive measures to face that he is attacks that are a risk to the citizens of burundi. >> he seems relaxed. what do people think? do they think the political crisis is over? >> no, they don't. in fact what some people are saying is the fact that he membered al shabab, they are saying it means if he's saying there could be a terror threat on this country he has every

right as a government to use as much force needed to make sure the threat is dealt with. they worry does this give the penalty an excuse to use more force against them. he has asked people not to protest. they plan to on monday, anyway. they are concerned that now that he's linking al shabab to burundi, which means he can use more force to deal with terror, does it mean he will sharp down harder on protestors if it goes to the streets. >> thank you for that. >> still to come here on the news hour, calls for an extension of the ceasefire in yemen as the exiled president meets his allies in saudi arabia. >> kidnapped and forced to work in indonesia these fishermen

return home. >> all the details coming up in sport. >> egypt has hanked six men convicted of carrying out attacks on security forces last year. police say the men belong to a group that's pledged loyalty to isil. they were sentenced to death by a military tribunal. it's the first multiple execution since 2013. amnesty analyst researcher says the men didn't receive a fair trial. >> this was a despicable act. the men were executed after a grossly unfair trial before a military court. they should never have been tried before that court in the first place. the truth is that security forces falsified the base of their arrest. they were never given proper access to lawyers or even to challenge their conviction fairly. this looks like cold-blooded murder i understand payback for

the shooting yesterday of several judicial officers in the center. i think the international community is going to do what it always does, say it's concerned and maybe say it condemns what we saw egypt today but that is not good enough. what we need from the international community is leadership against human rights crises. the handing down of death sentences at the drop of a pin. they are treating life very cheaply indeed. we don't need words we need actions. the international community is signing lucrative trade and arms deals with the egyptian authorities, sending a very different message to that we see in public statements. if the international community wants to do business with egypt it should wash its hands afterward, because there will be blood on them. >> the u.s. government is concerned with the sentencing of mohamed morsi to death. he was sentenced for at a mass

jail break during the revolution. the u.v. state department said his trial was inconsistent with the rule of law. >> yemen tribe physician have been meeting to try to end fighting with the houthis. the rebels didn't take part and say any agreement in their absence will be irrelevant. we have this report from riyadh. >> this is the biggest gathering of yemen's political factions. each happen its own vision for the future of yemen. all are united against the houthis, who remain in control of much of the country. >> it has brought all parties together. this is a very strong message today, to our people in yemen that we are united against the militia of houthis. president adou rabbo mansour hadi cardinals of widespread violence unless the international community interveins. >> they shell civilian buildings

by heavy artillery. they eased oil to use as a oil to who you mill 80 our people. history with him remember the heroic action of our people. >> senior members of the president adou rabbo mansour hadi were were attendance. the united nations envoy to yemen called for a ceasefire extension. >> i am hopeful. all my first contacts indicate that we have a chance. i am calling on all parties to extend this for five days. >> the delegates agreed on a political roadmap recognizing hadi as yemen's legitimate president. they have also given the houthis one more chance to join the

talks. >> we are joined live from riyadh. the new u.n. envoy has said any solution has to involve all parties. what can come out of talks where the houthis aren't even present? >> basically this is an attempt by hadi and his allies to form a united front against the houthis, so basically on the last day of the conference, they will ask the international community for more support to ousted houthi rebels and to reinstate the legitimate government, adou rabbo mansour hadi something that the international community thinks will only be possible with all the ports are involved. this is why we expect crucial talks to take place in geneva on the 28 of may where the houthis are going to take part, and that is quite significant. this is going to be the first time all yemen's factions meet

since the start of the saudi-led airstrikes. >> in the meantime, there are hopes for an extension of the five day truce that has been in place in yemen. is that going to happen? >> well, the government is of the view that the houthis took advantage of this ceasefire. the group sent reinforcements. we have now more fuel, they can move from areas to areas and they can target aden. the government has said we don't want that to happen again but the international community and the u.n. say we need more time, because aid should reach everyone, from people stranded in the mountains in saada in north yemen to places like aden. there are talks underway as we speak to convince all the parties that we need more time

and we need to extend the humanitarian truce. >> thank you very much for that. jump dating us from riyadh. >> malaysia's foreign minister plans to meet his indonesia counterpart to discuss the growing migrant boat crisis in southeast asia. thousands are stranded in dangerous conditions in the sea off thailand. they are mainly impoverished migrants from bangladesh. thigh hand and malaysia have turned boats back. the u.n. has described them as floating cough finance. we have more from kuala lampur. >> the authorities in malaysia keeping a tight control on this developing situation even on the information about migrant

vessels that are arriving in malaysian waters and they be leaving again escorted by naval ships from the malaysian navy as the country puts in place this push back policy of not accepting vessels if they are seaworthy and continue their journey. only those vessels that are in danger of sinking or capsizing are allowed to come here and the people from these vessels are taken ashore. of the hundreds brought to shore in the past weeks, they are kept well secluded in detention centers as they are processed for repatriation back to rianne mar at malaysia takes a very tough stance with these new arrivals. this is an empathy here with the polite of the row linda back in myanmar in the way that they are being percent cute and facing extreme poverty. there is and has been in the past here in malaysia a leniency

with the arrivals coming from myanmar but that has changed the government making it clear that it has to be handled at course and laying blame at the door of the myanmar government. >> people trying to leave myanmar to escape persecution others from myanmar are looking for work on crimean fishing vessels end up being enslaved. more than 130 fisherman rescued are heading back home. we caught up with one man who has returned. >> even the simplest things give him a sense of pleasure. he's finally home after three and a half years away, away from his loved ones, who he thought he would never see again. >> when i was in indonesia, i was always thinking when will in able to go home to see my family. >> he returned to myanmar

several days ago together with 124 hours and got this reception. they have some of the hundreds of men who were forced to work in appalling conditions in indonesia. they were rescued by crimean officials in april. >> it is not unusual to leave the count roy for work. sometimes they don't have the right papers, making them vulnerable to exploitation. >> he went to thailand to work. he went to indonesia because he was told he'd make more money. he never saw a single cent. there were long hours and frequent beatings instead. >> everyone, myself included were not all right mentally. i can't concentrate. i try not to think too much. >> he's home. for his mother, his return feels

like a prayer's been answered. >> i'm so happy. i'm crying when i saw him. i thought he had died, but now he's here. >> he is not sure of his future. he's only sure he's never working abroad again. al jazeera myanmar. >> the libyan coast guard detained 400 somalians and ethiopians trying to reach italy by boat. it is the main departure point to get into europe. people trafficking and smuggling are thriving in libya which doesn't have a stable government. >> still to come on the news hour, how a lack of storage facilities and poor prices is affecting nigeria's tomato farmers. >> pope francis canonizes two

palestinian nuns in a major boost christians in the middle east. >> stumbling at diamond league. i'll have the details later in the program.

>> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned". >> welcome back. isil fighters appear to be frightening their grip on the iraqi city of rimadi. the council agreed to allow shia militias to join the fighting. >> 61 people were killed in ramadi sunday. >> anti protestors are demanding the resignation of the president in macedonia. >> the president of burundi

party in be public after a coup attempt. >> a suicide bomb attack killed three in the afghan capitol including one traveling in a european union vehicle. a convoy of cars was targeted near kabul international airport. the taliban claims to be behind the attack. >> fighting has displaced 10,000 families in the past month. refugee camps opened as taliban occupied homes and villages. local officials claim they are not getting enough support from the government. >> the latest arrival at the camp, the tents began going up a few weeks ago here when the taliban started fighting in the surrounding area. this week, it reached his village. >> there was heavy fighting, houses were destroyed. i took my children and ran. >> he and his wife have 12 children. she says the taliban forced her

to feed them, that the villagers were caught in the middle. the taliban occupied the whole village. the government forces were attacking them. what could we do? we would have died if we stayed, so we left. >> the summer heat keeps growing, there are no bathrooms or running water here and many are angry. >> we've lost everything, this man says, and no one helps us. >> we've been here six days in the sun without a peace of bread. why doesn't anyone care about us? >> people left homes with what they could. some had time to lock up, others didn't. government announcements on t.v. urged people to leave before afghan forces engaged the taliban. >> we told them that these people should leave the area, yes, the government, but it was only for one or two days, not to stay longer time.

we are right now encouraging them to go back. >> this camp keeps growing. in most areas the fighting continues and where it may be over homes are damaged or detroit. at least one village taliban fighters tore down walls so they could move between homes without going outside. the government bombed them. the village is destroyed. in the fighting like in so many other parts of the conflict, civilians are the ones who suffer most. jennifer glasse, al jazeera afghan. >> plans for a high speed railway being diverted from a town in china have produced protests. citizens fought with police. protestors were injured when it was reported the new line would by pass their town. we have more. >> state media confirmed that there was a serious protest in the town in the central province on saturday afternoon.

on sunday, images were circulating on social media which al jazeera cannot verify, but which appear to bear testimony to the scale of the unrest. according to some reports up to 100 people were injured. many of them remain in hospital. the protests began after these demonstrators marched for three kilometers. clashes broke out in the center of the town. a police tactical unit was apparently deployed. why did this protest begin? apparently the towns people were angry after local media reported that the government had decided to reroute a planned rail route through their town to pass through another town, which just happens to be the birth place of china's former paramount leader. the people of the town need a rail link because they've never had one. they don't have an airport and access is very poor.

this was a demonstration over poor infrastructure. protests in china are common, but not on this scale. they act as a safety valve to let people let off steam. the danger is that occasionally, those protests can spiral out of control. into a female bomber blew herself up in nigeria. no group has claimed responsibility, but boko haram is suspected. >> tomato farmers are struggling to survive in nigeria. they cannot afford to pie proper storage containers for produce and are not getting high enough prices from customers. >> the tomato season is coming to an end.

they should be looking forward to this moment, but this year, the harvest has been poor and more bad news awaits. the market price of tomatoes has crashed. >> when it is ripe, you must remove it from the farm. if you don't it will rot. you have few options. you pay for labor and packaging and take the produce to the market and sell. at the end of the day you lose. the cycle begins all over. >> the lack of capitol storage facilities and poor prices are killing agriculture across the country. facing stiff competition, all around him farmers are harvesting their crops which means they must quickly sell off their tomatoes before they go

bad. >> many farmers try to cut losses by drying tomatoes and other vegetables, but that reduces the price and nutritional products. >> he spent $4,500 planting tomatoes on his farm. so far he has only been able to recoup half of his investment. he is preserving the produce the only way he knows and can afford. >> if you do not do it, you can end up maybe losing everything. at least by doing this, you can actually reduce the cost loss, because maybe at the end, you can sell this product to buyers, so we have no alternative. >> farmers were hopeful of change when a new tomato

processing factory was built. they are still waiting for it to open. their losses continue to mount as they wait. al jazeera nigeria. >> some breaking news from iraq now. we're getting reports that isil fighters have taken over the provincial operations command center in rimadi, putting the fighters on the brink of capturing the city. these pictures have just come in to us. they are showing the activists who posted this video are saying iraqi forces and swat special forces fleeing their post in ramadi, heading to the air base west of baghdad. we are getting reports that isil have managed to take over the provincial operations command center, the last area which iraqi forces had any presence at

and these pictures posted showing iraqi forces fleeing from this post towards the air base and apparently the men filming them are heard to say if you could hear the sound that the tanks are fleeing. we'll bring you more on that when we get it, of course. >> in peru, protests are spreading against a new copper mine. charmers say the project will poison their land and accuse the president of betraying them. we have more on the growing anger. >> the women of the valley marched in the streets of the small town. they say the president is a traitor. >> four years ago he told them here he would never support the copper mine project. >> he promised he would respect our decision and now he stabbed

us in the back. he betrayed us. >> on friday, the president said he will let the project go ahead because the country could be exposed to lawsuits, but he also said the company must explain their vision to these farmers. >> i demand the company implement concrete actions create the basis of understanding needed in order to achieve social peace but also for development. these are the fundamental foundations for the implementation of any project. >> the mining company said there will be a 60 day pause to identify solutions and that it will comply with the highest environmental standards. farmers here don't believe in it. >> we don't want them anymore. they have to go, because they have a history of not protecting the environment. the company has been fined before.

>> more than seven weeks of protests have left three people dead and many wounded. >> these protests are taking part in our parts of the country, supporting the prosecutor testers and also making their own demands. >> mayors and farmer leaders are now discussing what to do next. >> we're determined to go now until the end. if we stop demonstrating we'd have to start all over again and people of died. we hope the government and company understand that we will not accept the project here. >> critics say there is a lack of vision. there are near 150 protests across the country now. four years ago the $4.5 billion project was suspended because farmers said the mine would ruin

their water. the farmers in the valley believe that will happen here, too. al jazeera peru. >> still to come: ♪ ♪ >> how museum is uniting the hearts and minds of cubans and americans. >> in sport the trophy presentation doesn't go to pan for the new australian football champion. stay with us.

>> welcome back. two nuns have become the first palestinians in modern times to become roman catholic saints. the pope canonized the women in a ceremony. one died in 1878 and the other in 1927. their sainthood is seen at support for christians in the middle east who face increased persecution. we have more from west jerusalem. >> the sound of praise in honor of the palestinian nun who built this church and founded the sisters of the most holy rosary of jerusalem convent. on sunday, she, along with another sister born in galilee

and founded convents have become the first palestinian saints in modern times, following the announcement by the vatican that it would sign its first treaty of the state of palestinian. she traveled from brazil to take part in prayers. she says the lives of both nuns and their legacies are inspiring. >> they are incredible, for what they did. >> a sentiment shared by many here. >> the decision by pope francis to bestow sainthood to the two palestinian nuns is seen as an attempt by the vatican to give hope to the middle east christians after years of war and as part of refocusing attention on their plight. >> this sister now runs the convent. she shows where the saint's remains are kept. she attended the ceremony and

said all palestinians, regardless of faith, should find comfort in the sainthood. >> the palestinian people are frustrated socially, intellectually religiously, nationally, no matter where you turn, people are frustrated. they need someone to lift them up. >> pope france is widely seen at sympathetic to the palestinian cause. on his first visit to the occupied west bank as pontiff, he offered prayers at israel's separation wall and easter called for the peace process between the two sides to be resumed. palestinian president attended the ceremony along with palestinians belonging to the catholic church, many no doubt who prayed for a better future. >> it's time for sport now. >> the international cricket

council won't send anyone to officiate between pakistan and zimbabwe due to security fears. two teams are scheduled to play on friday in lahore. they are concerned. they would become the first test playing nations since the attack on the sri lankan team. a large security presence is already --

>> the stadium was closed for a week after the manager was hit with a stone by fans. in march a trainer for the team lost vision in one eye after he was hit by missile. >> suspended after a fan riot and a fan was killed by fights between rival groups after a win on march 30. >> winning 4-2 on sunday in the english premier league means they can't finish lower than third. there is current action vying for the third guaranteed place

in the group stages. united lead 1-0 at half time. >> barcelona will become champions later on if they can beat athletico madrid. a spanish court ruled a player suspension couldn't take place. barcelona are on course to win they are in the finals league. >> the team is the same as it was three or six months ago. we know of the difficulties. as of today we haven't won any title. >> several teams are fighting to

avoid relegation. the victory have been crowned champions of australian football for a third time. the victory beats 3-0 in the grand final. they led 1-0 at the half time and added an extra two goals in the final 10 minutes but the presentation ceremony didn't go entirely at planned. the president fell off the stage. also chairman of west field shopping centers he received treatment, but recovered enough to return to the stage and hand over the championship trophy. >> the world's fastest woman appears to be beaten in her opening hundred meters, the champion looks sluggish after finishing fifth. that's her lowest time in

finals. >> spain has posted back-to-back victories in moto. the reigning world champion finished fourth, despite pole position. he retains the championship lead. >> american is one win away from claiming the crown in racing. he won in baltimore at the preakness. he has a chance for the triple crown. >> that was of the lucky one thank you so much. this is like unbelievable.

i couldn't be any happier not just for my family, but the whole racing world. we need a star. he is in deed the real deal. please god let's continue, let the fun start. >> there's more sport on our website. you can check out aljazeera.com/sport. we've got blogs and videos from our correspondents around the world. >> thanks very much indeed for that. a flotilla of kayaks and canoes that taken to the water in a protest against oil exploration. >> joining in protests, the first of dutch shells two rigs to drill in the arctic.

shell has been pushing to drill off the coast for years and a week ago, u.s. president obama gave his approval. it's expected other approvals will go through. obama put a hold on all new oil exploration after deep water horizon spilled millions of barrels of oil in 2010. activists say approving arctic drilling goes against his policy of slowing down the exploration and use of fossil fuels to reduce global warming. drilling in the arctic has never before been possible, but because the ice has been melting at a record rate, ships and rigs now have a clearer path. >> the arctic acts like an air conditioner for the world. it keeps the climate in check. it's the home to 4 million people and so many endemic species that any kind of disaster up there would be

impossible to mitigate. >>shell hopes to have rigs in place by july, but it's a risky operation. bad weather, harsh conditions and rough seas meant a previous attempt in 2012 was postponed. activists say an oil spill would be disastrous for the already declining arctic. those promoting oil exploration say moving into new resource frontiers is crucial, given our countries like russia are purr shoeing arctic oil. bureau of ocean energy management insist strict safety procedures will be followed when drilling starts. until it does, the rigs docked in seattle are likely to be the target of more protests. >> other countries like russia are also pursuing arctic oil. royal dutch shell and the united states bureau of ocean energy management insist strict safety procedures will be followed when the drilling starts, but until it does, the rigs docked in seattle are likely to be the target of more protests. al jazeera. >> music is playing a part in the thawing of relations between cuba and the united states. the minnesota orchestra is the

first to perform in havana for 15 years. ♪ ♪ >> in havana, music is everywhere. this weekend, music is the universal language that many hope can reunite the hearts and minds of cubans and people of the u.s., even for a brief moment. it's the first time an orchestra from the states has traveled to the communist island in 15 years. >> more than 100 musicians are international festival. this is the group's first visit to cuba since 1930. the maestro said the ensemble is performing one of the same pieces performed 85 years ago. >> they have played during one of those visits, and that was the reason why the local organizers wanted to have this

yeah, you come back to play the same symphony you did like 85 years ago. >> the trip takes on even more meaning since the recent evolution of u.s.-cuban relations. in december, president obama took steps to renew formal diplomatic ties with havana. diplomats from both countries do their work while tours like this help build a relationship on a person-to-person level. >> i want you to get more what i call core to the sound. ♪ >> u.s. musicians like tony ross are coaching and playing with music students. >> they seem to have a huge appetite for our kind of classical music, which is our cause to bring that to life. >> we talk about the relationships between nations and countries and in this particular case, this is beyond symbolic. it's very, very important.

>> this is incredibly exciting to be the first major orchestra in this hopefully new era in relations and to make friends through music is the easiest way, we both love the same thing. >> it is this greatness artists here hope will help build momentum to bring the divide between cuba and the united states through the sound of music. >> let's update you on that very fluid situation in ramadi in anbar in iraq. these pictures have just come to us posted by activists and said to show iraqi forces fleeing their posts in ramadi. the battle of course between isil and iraqi forces have been going on for months here. isil seems on the verge of captain at youring ramadi. we'll have more coming up after

the break.

fox news take to the streets en massedonia. demanding the prime minister step down over corruption allegations. the two 19th century nuns who have become r078an catholic