e able to see change. >> gripping. inspiring. entertaining. talk to al jazeera. only on al jazeera america. >> welcome to the news hour from doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes, a suicide bombing at a mosque in saudi arabia during friday prayers. at least 19 people have been killed. >> isil fighters seized the last remaining government held border post between syria and iraq. >> refugees have fled violence in burundi dying of cholera in tanzania. >> i'm in miami where we'll

look at how the change in u.s.-cuba relations is affecting the art scene. >> a suicide bomber has hit a mosque in eastern saudi arabia during friday prayers happening in the mosque in the province which is home to the shia minority. at least 19 people have been killed. joining us live from riyadh is hashem. >> a sued bomber detonated his explosive at the mosque. it was at the beginning of the prayers with about 120 work shippers inside the mosque. now, at least 19 people were killed and almost 60 people were

injured in the attacks. houthi forces confirm the suicide talk and say they are further investigating exactly what happened and how the suicide bomber managed to get into the mosque. >> this is a sensitive time for sectarian tensions in saudi arabia. how is this likely to play out? >> it is. it is. a few months ago armed men opened fire on shia worshipers, killing some of them and also, there were attacks targeting foreigners and security forces. authorities here in saudi arabia accused fighters and armed men if i am 80 with radical groups of attacking shia. this is something against the backdrop of the saudi-led coalition against houthis and forces loyal to deposed

president ali abdullah saleh. the who it is are shelling constantly sawed positions positions and the sawed's pounding houthi positions with fighter jets. there is mounting tension in the region and this is exactly why here in saudi arabia, the general sentiment is they are looking forward to see a swift solution to the crisis in yemen that would sort of deescalate and diffuse the mounting tension in the region. >> thanks so much. >> now in yemen security forces say a bomb has exploded at a mosque in the capitol sanna. 13 people have been injured. the targeted mosque was used by shia houthis. isil have claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. for more, we're joined now by

the editor of the yemen post. first of all how significant is this that the attack is now being claimed by isil? >> as of now the last response from isis has been weak. the first was a checkpoint attack. today a mosque attack that killed. these attacks are very low compared or very weak compared to the attack isis conducted in nigeria and iraq and shows that they are very unorganized or have not built for major attacks. >> this is going to add to the feeling of tension and sectarian tension there in yemen, too. >> very much so. tension right now is at its peak and what's helping it is the

lawless country with no government. all of inciting this tension and these attacks and warn the country, you have -- not one province is in peace and this is an environment where military groups see can spread the attacks here. this is very critical here in yemen and there is no ceasefire. yemen is simply going downwards and could be compared to syria in just a couple of months. >> thank you. >> fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant are trying to advance toward the military base east of ramadi. thousands of shia militia had been gathering since isil took control of the city sunday. they've been preparation their

counter offensive at the area. isil is said to be about 15 kilometers away. isil has taken control of the last government held border post between syria and iraq. the group's recent games have prompted calls in the u.s. from washington to rethink its strategy. zeina hodor reports from back dad. >> some of these men will be sent to face isil, others stay behind to protect a town that the islamic state of iraq and the levant has tried to control in the past. for these shia militiamen, this battle is just just recaptures territory, they are protecting anbar toward southern iraq to prevent an isil attempt to advance on holy sites in the neighboring provinces. >> i volunteered to join this battle to protect our holy shrines. we don't want isil to advance and threaten the shia holy

sites. >> it was a controversial decision to use shia militiamen in the sunni province. the government had no other force, because efforts to create a non-sectarian army have failed. it lice on a junction with roads south to saudi arabia, north to anbar's capitol ramadi, where there are highways to the iraqi capitol baghdad jordan and syria. isil captured the last border crossing between syria and iraq and controls most of that frontier and its fighters move freely between two countries. >> the u.s. has down played the gains. president obama has said that the loss of territory were tactical setbacks and he insists that the war is not being lost, but many disagree. isil has taken over two cities in a week.

ramadi in iraq and palmyra in syria. ramadi is 100 kilometers from baghdad, the last major city on the road to the iraqi capitol. >> palmyra i also 150 kilometers from syria's central province of holmes, which is on a major crossroads that is strategic for the syrian government survival. the government did invest manpower and resources over the years to reclaim it from the opposition. as it loses there damascus and the coastal region would be under threat. for now isil controls the land between palmyra to ramadi. in iraq, the fight is led by shia militias. in syria the u.s. led coalition doesn't recognize the government's legitimacy. it also doesn't have a partner on the ground. over recent months, isil may have been on the defensive. that has now changed. zeina hodor, al jazeera baghdad. >> the u.s. led airstrikes in syria now total more than 4,000

over a nine month period. on thursday, there was an admission from the u.s. that one of those strikes near aleppo likely led to the death of two children. let's go straight to kimberly live in washington d.c. kimberly despite this announcement the casualty figures don't add up from the air strike. >> that's the first thing that's significant. the other that's significant is the fact that this is really the first time we have the upon the gone acknowledging civilian deaths since the start of this u.s. led campaign about eight months ago. you're right. this is the result of a four month investigation. the pentagon saying that these civilians deaths of children likely occurred on november 5 as well as six. this was apparently an effort to target an al-qaeda cell, but the number of due contracts numbers that we get from the syrian observatory for human rights, they report 2500 people killed since the start of this

campaign. 131 of those civilians. the upon the gone saying they are still looking into two other reports of civilian casualties, two deaths in iraq, as well as one in syria. again, as you point out there are some differences in the numbers. >> with all this going on with the recent expansion by isil, is there any restructure going on in the white house? >> there is a lot of revisiting of strategy taking place in washington in recent days. of course in light of what zeina hodor reported, the fall of ramadi over the weekend and continued advancement of isil, the president acknowledging this is just a tactical setback. the state department and pentagon now saying that they will be -- the u.s. will send an additional 2,000 anti tank weapons. these are shoulder fired type weapons to support the iraqi forces. president obama saying there is a need to ramp up support and

equipment, but still acknowledging that this has been a major tactical setback. >> thanks for that. >> at least four hezbollah fighters have been killed on the syria-lebanon border. the fighters have been bolstering bashar al assad's forces in syria fighting rebels in the mountainous region since the beginning of may. they've lost more than 30 troops. tanzania is struggling to cope with a growing humanitarian crisis. tens of thousands of people who fled violence in burundi are crammed in-transit centers and refugee camps. aid agencies say there isn't enough space and conditions are appalling. at least 33 have died of cholera. we have this report. >> they fled their homes in search of safety, but their journey has only just begun. on a 100-year-old fishing boat,

burundi refugees have moved south from the border. a stadium turned transit center is their next stop. >> it was two days traveling and we had to walk long distances. police could stop us on the way and when we crossed the border into tanzania, the police made it difficult. >> weeks of cramped conditions and poor sanitation is wreaking havoc. many arrive in the camp with acute diarrhea, others with cholera. the sickest are pumped with sale lean at treatment centers. >> all acute diarrhea cases are treated as if they are cholera. to confirm you have to take samples and send it to a lob so it's a time consuming process. >> their final destination a refugee camp, which is almost at capacity.

cholera has been confirmed and hundreds of reef gees with life threatening dehydration are coming forward daily. more refugees are arriving in tanzania by the day. the small fishing village when they first arrived is overwhelmed. 25,000 refugees have been moved on but 35,000 remain. aid agencies have cut a trail through the mountains and leading the strongest on a six hour hike to reach the official camp. burundiens are given refugee status on arrival. where to live and how to make a living will come next. for now the focus is on safety and survival. al jazeera. >> still to come here, one year on since its military takeover, has thailand healed its political divisions? we'll have a special report. >> the once pristine sands of this california beach have now

been soaked with oil after a massive spill. >> it's been a year since the military topple would the democratically elected government in thailand. the takeover was prompted by huge street protests calling for the government to step down. scott hide leer takes a look at whether the political divisions have been healed. >> the army chief said they had to do it, thailand was divided edging close to civil war juror bringing the sides together was a top priority for the military government. the political divide between the red shirts who support former prime minister yingluck shinawatra and the yellow shirts loyalists who oppose

popular programs launched by her brother when he was prime minister. one year on, according to the red shirts, the military government's reconciliation program i also not working. the political party was founded. >> you can say that you want a reconciliation, but still, you want to persecute demonize and try to terrorize intimidate, the opponent. >> the government says it's follow a reconciliation roadmap and did not favor the yellow shirts. >> the political division is so deep rooted and didn't just happen over the last two years. when someone chooses one side of the political divide, they often find they are not happy when they don't get what they want. >> it's much more than not getting what they want. this is a so-called red shirt village. according to organizers, there are 20,000 in thailand, most of them up here in the northeast. many say that the reconciliation

program is non-existent. >> he started the red shirt village concept and leads a million supporters. the military has questioned him three times. >> reconciliation hasn't happened at all. this is a lie. we all concede that one side is always treated badly. the general should not have been a prime minister. he said he wouldn't stage a coup, then he did. he said he didn't want any power, then he became prime minister. >> as the military government moves into its second year of rule reconciliation is just one challenge. it has again pushed back the general election schedule and it faces questions from the international community on its commitment to clamp down on human trafficking. >> this as it refused to give temporary shelter to the thousands drifting off its coast in migrant boats. back in the red shirt heartland they still wait for the day they can hold gatherings bigger than

picnics and take a new generation of party leaders to the polls. scott heidler, al jazeera thailand. >> myanmar's navy detained more than 200 people who arrived on a boat. the government says the vessel came from thailand and the people onboard from bangladesh. >> the director of myanmar's president's office is now saying that myanmar will send a delegation to thailand at the end of the this month. he said myanmar's position i guess if the reinga is not recognized then it won't attend. now that it's framed as an issue of irregular migration it will send a delegation. there has been pressure on myanmar lately, top malaysian officials saying myanmar is the problem, and that it has to tackle the problem. this comes also just a day after

indonesia and malaysia offered temporary relief to rohingya refugees. myanmar can no longer be seen to do anything. there is no indication that the myanmar policies toward the reinga is going to change. when we spoke to the chief minister, he did not acknowledge there was a problem saying the state government is providing humanitarian aid to the rohingya people and does not acknowledge that their lives are very difficult because they have restricted access to health care education other restrictions on them, including the right to travel freely. >> hundred of thousands of buildings were destroyed in nepal's devastating earthquakes. thousands were left seriously damaged. many of those are dangerous but the nepal ease government needs

help. >> it is asking for the equipment and expertise to bring them down safely. until they are brought down, the people who live and work in narrow streets don't feel safe. >> i feel unsafe because of the narrow streets and the houses are close together. we don't have any choice. we have to find space in whatever is there. if another earthquake comes we can't run anywhere. >> many buildings were left like this one because they were improperly or illegally constructed. corruption in the construction business here is an open secret, with many buildings having extra floors or being built where the soil is too soft. united nations this week urged nepal's government to enforce its existing building code to

make sure all structures can withstand earth quakes. many feel had the code been enforced, many lives could have been saved. >> a south korean appeals court ordered the release of a form he were korean airlines executive convicted after an outburst on a plane over the way she had been served nuts. the court said her public humiliation was public enough. >> california's local government is deploying hundreds of employees and volunteers to clean up an oil spill. 2,500-barrels of crude oil leaked from a pipeline on tuesday in santa barbara. we have this report from the county. >> a sticky, smelly mess has befoul would the formerly pristine sands near santa barbara. workers are busy cleaning oil off of rocks mopping up thousands of barrels of crude. the cleanup involving hundreds

of workers is overseen by the u.s. coast guard and federal environmental protection agency. >> operations will continue throughout the evening in the excavation area up toward the pipeline and it will just continue every day until that area is excavated and contaminated soil is removed. >> it could be weeks and months, however, we're going to take it day by day. >> the ruptured pipeline belongs to a texas company called plains all american, which has a troubling safety record. a study by the l.a. times newspaper shows the company has had 175 federal safety and maintenance in fractions since 2006. that's three times the national average. the company says it doesn't know exactly what caused the pipeline breach. >> since we are one of the largest operators of pipelines across the industry in the united states, the number of reportable incidents by percentage is well within an

industry norms. >> no people have needed any medical attention as a result of the spill but it is taking a toll on wildlife. birds, marine mammals fish and crustations, sea lions were taken away for treatment. >> we are looking for animals that might have been impacted. we've got aerial surveys looking for marine mammals porpoises. >> 90,000 are distressed. >> i think it's terrible. sounds like clear negligence to me. >> the part that bugs me is this was predictable and you could have had some type of preventable issue just in the event it occurred not to get to the ocean. >> imagine losing a person, you know losing someone close to you, because just losing our pristine water and i think so much of the ocean and so many of us do. >> the people in the city are angry and upset. they want answers and they want

assurances that something like this cannot happen again. rob reynolds, al jazeera, santa barbara, california. >> dozens of people in the u.s. state of texas have left their homes because of flooding. heavy rain has inundated part of wichita falls after a year long drought. forecasters are warning of more rain at the weekend. let's get some more weather now with robin. is texas going to get any day off from the rain? >> not entirely, no, but i think it will be lighter but it will return. now, we're coming up to the monsoon season in africa. the showers are rolling around, trying to grow in ethiopia. the winds when they turn to southwesterly, that means the

monsoon will be on time. they are doing that. the first place they get to isn't the indian shore. no no. it's not far from where we are now, the coast of yemen likely will see clouds forming and you start a three month period, particularly in oman. this is where the moisture lifts into the higher ground and you get this beautiful display. the water supplies good gradessing for animals. little the start of the monsoon season. it's a good thing that that sort of moisture doesn't move in land. at 31 degrees, you can bear 75% humidity. at 74, you certainly couldn't. >> nine months on since the end of the gaza war.

1.8 million people are still homeless. the united nations middle east envoy said the situation there could implode as the palestinian leaders and israeli government don't improve living conditions. we have this report. >> for weeks muhammed has been clearing rubble from what's left of his home. it was all but destroyed during israel's 50 day bombardment of the gaza strip last year. since the war ended he and seven family members have been renting this small apartment in gaza city for around $300 a month. with little work available, they can no longer afford it. >> we have lost hope. no one is helping us to rebuild. we are clearing the rubble here, so that we can set up a tent to live in. see how we suffer? >> the united nations middle east envoy has warned to the people of gaza are so desperate and angry about their plight that it could lead to implosion

here, and that both israeli and palestinian leaders need to do more to prevent that. >> across gaza, there are signs people have given up hope of receiving help. this heavy machinery is being used to clear rubble and paid for by the residents of this bombed out neighborhood from their own pocket. the frustration goes far beyond a lack of help in reconstruction. may not be are angry at the on going political in fighting between palestinian factions, israel's tightening blockade, egypt's closure of its crossing and the international community's failure to deliver on billions of dollar and pledges. >> there are some small bright spots. the media was taken on a tour of this apartment reconstructed from the funding of the development bank. houses and units were reconstructed, providing homes for 1,000 families, but it's

long enough. >> the longer it takes for poor people to get their lives together again the more dangerous the situation will move toward more negative scenario because the people feel they have nothing to go lose people will act accordingly. >> all muhammed wants is a proper home for his family, something he says he's willing to fight for if left with little other choice. al jazeera gaza. >> u.s. president barack obama is promising more economic and security assistance. bam map made the announcement after the tunisia president was in washington. our white house correspondent reports. >> this is how the obama administration shows a country respect, a personal visit with the u.s. president. the press let in to see it unfold in the oval office. president obama made it clear by

he invited the president. >> it is important to recognize that the place where the arab spring began is the place where we have seen the most extraordinary progress in allowing all parties and all parts of the population, including women and minorities to participate fully in the civic and political life of the nation. >> he gave them more than kind words, announcing he's designating tunisia a non-nato ally of the united states. >> the biggest benefit is it gives these countries the ability to buy certain defense systems or materials that other countries don't have access to. it lets them engage in technological cooperation with the u.s. defense democratic but mostly, it's a way of saying we see you as a long term important

partner. >> the state department said since the 2011 revolution, the u.s. has given tunisia $570 million geared toward economic growth, quinn $70 million has gone to improve security. >> the message to the u.s., he is making progress june however important the milestone that tunisia has reached, we are still midway. we have a long way ahead of us. june with the war in libya next door, he came lacking for more military aid. the u.s. said he'll get it. they've asked congress to double the budget for security assistance in the coming year. al jazeera washington. >> still ahead on al jazeera they have a message but will ethiopia's opposition be litigationed to in the upcoming election. >> painting a political picture why the future looks bright for the cuban-american art scene.

>> welcome back. you're watching the aljazeera america news hour. here's a reminder of our top stories. a suicide bomber hit a mosque in saudi arabia during friday prayers. 19 people have been killed. the blast happened in the mosque in the village. >> isil advancing east of the city of ramadi in iraq. thousands of shia militia have

been gathering in the base preparing a counter offensive against isil. tanzania is struggling to cope with a growing humanitarian crisis. tens of thousands of people from burundi of in refugee camps and centers fleeing political unrest. calendar are a has killed 33 people. >> we have a report from ethiopia on elections. >> opposition supporters in ethiopia. this is one of the main battle grounds in the upcoming regional and parliamentary elections. the largest ethnic group in ethiopia, it's here that the candidate has his power base. >> my people want democracy

real democracy not sham democracy, not pseudodemocracy. eight opposition parties are fighting the ruling ethiopia democratic front across the country. >> opposition supporters and last minute voters have been claiming intimidation of their supporters. >> there are allegation that the prime minister denies. >> campaigning, they are in the debate televised debate. they are there in all the processes of the election and therefore, i think when you see that, you know, people are not

along with you and supporting you, there are always complaints. >> for the last five years he has been the face of the opposition in parliament. he was the only opposition m.p. in the 507 seat house. he is not defending his seat following a decision by the electoral board to recognize a splintered group within his party, blocking him from contesting. >> the legal system, if you go to the court the court -- >> crucial to the legitimacy of the elections is whether the opposition parties will accept the results. for now they continue to seek support with the hope that this time around, they will win more than just one seat. al jazeera, addis ababa ethiopia. >> their constitution guarantees

freedom of the press but the committee to protect journalists said it is one of the world's most censored countries. there is only one internet company owned by the government. a crackdown on free press forced 30 journalists into exile. 17 others are now in jail. six of those are from the zone nine blogging collective and now have been a year in prison. they've been critical of the state but arrested on terrorism charges. the eating eaten minister of government communication joins us now live from addis ababa. good to have you with us. do you believe these elections are free and fair, sir? >> i would say so, and you could

just simply say that it has been fair. what i would say so is there are political parties who are running and there have been about nine televised debates and they have been campaigning. media's have given them space to favor the opposition parties. if we look at what is happening those conclusion made by the opposition would fly in the face of factors which abound on the ground. >> this is not just accusations made by the opposition, if you read an amnesty national report of december, 2014, they list instances of the federalist congress opposition political party reporting that up to 500 of its members are arrested and thrown in jail.

the sem. >> yawi party has had some flown in jail, other parties have members thrown in jail. can you have a free and fair election when members of the opposition are thrown in and out of jail? >> you know, the opposition leaders have not been jailed, but individuals who have done something wrong. >> is amnesty wrong? that is what they are reporting. >> reports have not been adequately searched for object not evidence has been collected. it's not only amnesty international, but others based in the west that have been simply fabricating allegations

which have not been actually researched in a professional manager. >> how about human rights watch if i may read to you a report may six which says protestors and organizers have frequently been arrested and harassed, equipment confiscated permits unfairly denied. one of their leaders is on -- these are their words trumped up terrorism charges. can you have free elections when people don't have the right to freely assemble and protest or is human rights watch wrong, as well? >> baseman the same but only the timing and factors will change. the government that tried every effort to verify allegations made by whichever organization which is based in the west, but that did not come true.

there are issues, every country that is duty bound to protect the safety of its citizens and both countries in africa union and in the united nations have also anti terrorism laws and any country is duty bound to the safety of its nations. >> all right we'll leave it there, thank you very much for your thoughts. >> a leading aid agency warns the humanitarian situation is reaching an alarming state with my health centers destroyed and distribution of much needed aid suspended in south sudan. >> we have seen an escalating and continued use of violence against civilians. medical care and essential humanitarian care has been

reduced. hospitals have been closed. medical staff have been evacuated. throughout this violence. we see more people moving to the protection of civilian sites where increased numbers in the sites via tensions within the sites and the approaching wet season are all extremely concerning. >> catherine was at the doctors without borders news conference with this update. >> i spoke to the military spokesperson a while ago. he said that government troops are in unity state the birth place of the rebel leader. there has been heavy fighting for weeks. many humanitarian agencies, including doctors without borders have suspended operations. about 300,000 people we are told have been stuck there hiding in bushes without help. people who have been able to flee to u.n. and the unity state

capitol come with stories of entire villages burned, people being raped abductions as well. fighting is ongoing in another rich oil state. the release are in control of the state capitol. both sides of the conflict rushing to gain as much territory as possible ahead of the rainy season next month but this also means that thousands of people displaced are not able to go to their homes or plan. they won't be able to harvest and feed their families and that effectively means a continued cycle of food aid touchdownence. touchdownence. >> >> the town has become a flash point in northern mali as pro government militia and the coalition of separatist rebels blame each other for inviting a

ceasefire. u.n. troops are establishing a five-kilometer buffer to protect civilians. government troops are accused of killing civilians who were captured by governmentallied militia. female fighters told us they are controlling the area. with respect to the agreement signed, we dismiss the officials who signed it without the leadership of the coalition or the people. >> last week, the government and militia signed a peace agreement, but members of the separatist coalition rejected it saying more talks are needed. special forces killed two fighters. one was suspected of the kidnap and murder of two french

journalists in 2013. >> this is a big blow to all the movement. this individual is seen as the most violent of all the leaders and was the head of more than 500 fighters in the north. of course i'm sure they have other recourses. it was a blow because he was killed with two other leaders in the north. the most important thing is if my it was thought france made a deal. >> 3,000 french troops were accused of taking sides. a weak central government struggled to rear in groups operating in the country. aid agencies struggled to reach the hundreds of thousands in need of food aid and despite the presence of thousands of troops, lasting peace can only come when all groups agree to stop fighting. al jazeera. >> king abdullah of jordan urges leaders of arab countries to

work together. he and egyptian president al sisi are among those attending the world economic forum on the middle east and north africa. american 800 leaders from government business and civil society gathered for the conference in jordan. >> my friends, we will solve the problems of hour region but only when we build on its strengths. we cannot be sidetracked by regional turmoil. we need to be our own leaders on this although we welcome probably support. in fact, the violence that threatens so many in our region is part of a global assault on peace, law democracy and coexistence. >> voters in ireland were taking part in an historic referendum. they're asked whether to amend the constitution to allow same sex couples to get married. gay coupleles are allowed to sign civil partner ships but

friday's vote could make it legal by popular vote. >> ireland is holding the world's first national referendum on same-sex marriage, voters asked to vet yes or no to this question, marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex. it's a huge step for the predominantly click country. 80% of the 4.5 million people in ireland are catholic. in 1993, ireland became the last nation in western europe to decriminalize homosexuality and introduced civil partnerships four years ago. gay marriage is legal in 19 countries, seen here in order of what it was approved, starting with the netherlands in 2001. there was no public vote in any of them, the law was just

changed. ireland's 1937 constitution requires public approval for any amendments and all that is required is a simple majority of referendum votes for the marriage law to change. >> up next on the news hour, we'll have all the sport including the chiefs give their super rugby at operations a big boost. we have the details.

>> al jazeera america international news. >> people here are worried that this already serious situation may escalate. >> shining a light on the untold stories. >> believe in yourself and you might get there. >> making the connections to the bigger picture. >> shouldn't you have been tougher? >> feeling the real impact. >> separatists took control a few days ago. >> get closer to every story. >> how easy is it for a fighter to get in? >> get the international news you need to know. al jazeera america. >> cricket fans, robin's here and we know what that means. time to talk about sport. >> thank you very much.

the cricket world firmly focused on pakistan right now. in the next few minutes, they will take to the field in pakistan for the first time in 2,271 days. pakistan's cricket community has been starved of top flight international contradict since the attack on the cricket team in 2009. zimbabwe answered the calls to bring cricket back to the country. security is tight in lahore. the international cricket council is refusing to send officials to pakistan out of safety concerns. they've allowed them to appoint their own match officials. let's go live to lahore. what's the atmosphere there like there? are fans fearful of the safety or joyful that cricket has returned to pakistan? >> well, for the most part, people have set aside security considerations, women and

children, compare families, even infants are coming to watch this match and of course they're encouraged, because there are thousands of security forces personnel around the city. some of the people have come from other cities of the punjab, as well. they're very into the aspect. there's a lot of color here. you can see people with the pakistan flag. we saw some people wiring the zimbabwe uniform and saying they were welcoming the team. >> take us through the security measures. what are the measures in place for those games in lahore? >> well, these are unprecedented security measures. in fact, the kind of level of importance given to the team is equivalent to that provided to the president of pakistan. they're being put in a highly secure hotel. every time they leave the hotel for the ground, there are two helicopters hovering about. thousands of policemen are on

the roadside to ensure the convoy is able to move safely. the convoy keeps changing the route, so of course, here in the city of lahore, you can find a city which is literally in a state of lockdown. some roads have been blocked. there are checkpoints at different places, but despite all that, the people are coming and turning up in large numbers to witness this match. >> do the fans believe that other big teams will be coming to pakistan to play? >> that's what the people would want. we have spoken to a lot of people who said that they would see this as an encouraging sign. they will expect other teams to come to tack stan also and also the pakistan cricket board is optimistic. they are hoping to have it another team sometime this year, so room for optimism, although cautious optimism. >> all right.

the first ball scheduled to be played in the next minutes. >> cricket dominating our on line sports coverage. there are articles related to the series on our website right now, aljazeera.com/sport is the address. >> football now in fifa celebrates its 111th birthday today, but the occasion dominated by the presidential elections. as things stand right now it's just one man seeking to remove fifa president from power the prince of jordan. his sole rival for football's top job at next week's legend. portugal is the latest casualty in the race for the most powerful position in world football withdrawing after dutch federation president also announced that he was throwing in the tall. candidates are focusing opposition support behind the prince. >> of course i know pretty well

the football outside and inside, and i just want that the people don't see like a former player, that people want to believe in the change rewarding my ideas and what they see that is necessary for the future of this organization. >> on the football pitch a disappointing night for argentina, as south america's biggest club competition hoping to reach the same, beaten 1-0 at home before i brazil in the quarter finals. racing club also on the receiving end of one defeat in the first leg. you see celebrating there earning the team a victory. in the nba rockets and warriors in the playoffs, in the end just one point separated the two

teams, the current m.v.p. against the runner up. leading his team to a 99-98-point victory. harden when he lost the ball in the closing seconds a missed opportunity there golden state warriors 2-0 up in the series now. game three takes place in houston on saturday. >> i think this series is just about who wants it and getting a win. it's fun. obviously, the back and forth is a roller coaster ride and you kind of just want to keep your composure at all costs to give yourself a good chance to win down the stretch. >> the chiefs what in attend their grip on a wildcard spot, the new zealand getting the south african boost and the city victory also getting them a

bonus point. the chiefs are fourth in the overall standings. >> the match between the anaheim ducks and chicago blackhawks. 27 saves helped anaheim achieve a win in that the ducks threw away a goal advantage but recovered as the winner. they also take a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series. game four takes place in chicago on saturday. >> i think it told me what i know is that they're a great character team. this was a character win. i mean, i thought a very good checking game for us, road game. they're going to get some that chances. there's just no way you can stop them from getting chances but i thought we limited their chances on the road. for a tired group, it was a really good game for us. >> we saw this year in the regular season and all year

long, even in the playoffs, teams play well on the road and they look to check and tough game coming back here after being out west in a late game. we look at the chances we look at opportunities. we had some decent looks. you know, pretty even game, in games one, two and three and they get the timely goal. >> we'll keep you updated on the cricket in the coming hours. >> thanks so much, robin. >> now the improving relations between the u.s. and cuba are already having a dramatic effect on cuba's art scene. we have this report from miami p.m..gonzalez is an emerging talent. the 33-year-old cuban painter defected six years ago taking odd jobs and painting in his spare time. his work often political in nature is becoming highly collectible thanks in part to

the changes between u.s. and cuba. he paints full time and his pieces sell for thousands of dollars. >> i feel lucky but it's been a lot of work. i think like the time just came. >> the historic change in relations is still at an early stage, but miami's long-established cuban art gallery is getting significantly bigger. in the past year, sales have doubled as interest has grown. >> we're seeing a curve. it's moving up, and it's very rewarding to finally seep the recognition that cuban art deserves. >> art from cuba is a rare exception to the u.s. trade embargo and traders have been legally buying it for years. it's a difficult process that many predict will get much easier if travel restrictions are eased further. private collector lewis said

cuba's newest generation could benefit. >> the emerging artists are the ones who are going to blossom if there is an opening. vis a vis the u.s. >> while private collections are simplify too expensive for most of us to consider, each piece offers a window into a world many north americans are simply not familiar with, that plus the sheer quality of the work are the driving forces behind the renewed interest in cuban art. >> the art world is constantly looking for the next big thing. this work is unique and could potentially now receive global exposure. al jazeera miami florida. >> that brings us to the end of this news hour. we're back with another full bulletin of news coming up in just a couple of minutes. stay with us here and don't forget to check out our website it's updated around the clock at

aljazeera.com.

a suicide bombing at a mosque in saudi arabia during friday prayers kills at least 20 people. ♪ hello, i'm sami zeidan. you are watching al jazeera. also on the show. they fled violence in burundi and now they risk cholera. island votes in europe's first referendum on same-sex marriage. and the once