on al jazeera america. >> pontiff in new york - pope francis begins his visit to america's largest city. >> once you enter the famous doors on fifth avenue, you became an official new yorker. >> with evening prayers at st. patrick's before preparing to address the u.n. and celebrate mass at maddison square guard erps. challenging a nation. >> we can make a difference, i

am sure. [ clapping ] the pope's call to action urging the u.s. and lawmakers to embrace compaceate activism in tackling the toughest images of the day. and tragedy at the hajj. the pilgrims pushed each other. they pushed people to the ground. i was about to die. >> hundreds killed outside mecca, calling into question saudi arabia's effort to keep pilgrims safe. >> good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america. pope francis had another hectic day starting in the nation's capital making the m.e.r.s. ever papal address to congress, imploring congress to be nicer to immigrants. then he blessed a meal before travelling to new york city.

jonathan betz is outside st. patrick's. >> an exciting night for the crowds assembled outside the cathedral and the lucky ones inside. >> without question. exciting night. the archbishop of new york declared pope francis an official new yorker, and without question the city is warmly embracing the pontiff. pope francis settled in for the night, after leading prayer services at st. patrick's cathedral, acknowledging that these are changing times for the church and encouraged clergy not to lose faith. >> reporter: after an historic viffed to washington. he tumped down and greeted the public, with whom he laughed. moments later he was whisked away by marine helicopter to manhattan. there the pope mobile,

accompanied by a police presence made its way down fifth avenue. the sidewalks overflowing with crowds. thousands hoping to catch a glimpse of the holey father, the -- holly father, the bells of st. katherine's cathedral ringing in the distance. inside the house, clergy, dick nateries and laypeople, and a girl in a wheelchair, who wiped away tears when francis blessed her. minutes later he was at the alter to lead a group, and took a moment to offer prayers for muslim pilgrims killed during the hajj. >> translation: my sentiments of closeness in the faith of tragedy tragedy that they suffered in mecca. >> during the homily they

addressed 2500 bishops, priests and nuns. expressing gratitude and commending them tore weathering sex abuse scandals that rocked the church. >> i know that you have suffered greatly by not having to share that of your brothers and vulnerable memories. >> the homily included francis singling out the nuns. >> what would the church be without you, women of strength, fighters with the spirit of courage, putting you in the front lines, in the proclamation of the gospel. do you, religious women, sisters, mothers, thank you, a big thank you and tell you that i love you very much the acknowledgment coming from the controversial vatican crackdown. pope benedict 16 accused american nuns of straying too

far from church teachings. including a mask and blessings. new york's archbishop declared pope francis as one of the city yids areies own. >> once you enter the famous doors on fifth avenue, you became an official new yorker. >> pope francis, and new york will hear a busy day in the big apple. addressing the assembly in the morning, visit the memorial, tour a school and celebrate mass in front of 20,000 people at madison square gardens. >> thank you. before he made it to new york on capitol hill. the pope delivered a clear messages, speaking about caring for refugees and the poor, fighting climate change, and promoting peace around the world and called on lawmakers to take

action. libby casey reports. tran sis made history. members of congress, the vice president, supreme court justices and presidential candidates. >> we must move forward as one. coopera cooperating generously. >> with themes of liberty, social justice and an openness to god. pope francis represents the spiritual. >> he urged compassion to a new generation. we, the people of this continent are not fearful of foreigners. because most of us [ clapping ]

most of us were someones foreigners. >> ab emotional response from marco rubio, the son of cuban immigrants, one of many moments that touched the audience. >> it also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human lives at this stage of its development. >> the pope invoked the golden rule - do unto others as you would have done to you, and it says helping syrian refugees, abolishing the death penalty and valuing all human life, a reference to abortion. he didn't shy away from issues like fighting climate change. >> we can make a difference, i am sure.

[ clapping ] and i have no doubt that the united states and this congress have often a role to play. >> and speaking from the capital of the world's biggest arms exporter, the pope condemned war for profit, calling sales drenched in blood. tens of thousands gathered outside the capital to watch the pope's address, and were treated to a greeting from the speaker's balcony. >> the pope declined a lunch invitation with capitol hill powerbrokers, choosing instead to spend his remaining hours in the nation's capital with washington's homeless, a decision symbolic of the pope's priorities and message. >> after the pope's address republicans appreciated his calls for religious freedom and his appeal to protect all life, a reference to abortion, where

democrats appreciated him really emphasising wanting to repair social inequality, wealth number gaps in the united states as well as else where. a little something for everyone instead of hearing a lot over grid six, you heard members picking and choosing what they appreciated from his speech. one thing that many agree on, an appreciation for pope francis coming to capitol hill, and an appreciation for authen titty. >> as we heard a few moments ago the pope offered prayers for the tragedy at the hajj. more than 700 were killed and 800 injured in a stampede near mina. organizers say the stampede occurred when two waves of pilgrims going in opposite directions met at an intrshz.

>> reporter: a second tragedy within weeks. saudi authorities see a surge among pilgrims. hundreds died. many more injured. >> translation: we were coming back. on the way back i met my husband. the pilgrims pushed each other, pushing people to the ground. i was about to die. >> reporter: the pilgrims were making their way to take part in the stoning of the devil ritual, part of the hajj pilgrimage. >> translation: the accident was a result of a stampede. some pilgrims moved in the wrong direction amidst the crowd. the numbers of victims it high. hundreds have been killed. and the numbers expected to rise. however, what is important now, is to save the wounded. >> reporter: there has been hundreds of deaths from stampedes in previous years. this is one of the deadliest in years.

in 2006 the saudis built a complex to handle the numbers of people. more than 1.9 million are befalling the hajj. without the latest catastrophe, a logistical nightmare for authorities. this tragedy overshadowed the hajj this year, and raised questions about safety in general. at the same time it highlights the lack of safety awareness among the pilgrims themselves. they have been known to go in the wrong directions. and to take cover in wrong places. some of them sleep and eat in the open, on crowded roads. the season started with another tragedy days before the beginning of hajj, a construction crane fell on the grand mosque, killing 107 people two weeks ago. the mosque and the surrounding area turned into a construction site as part of a plan. this latest disaster enforcing the fact that hajj was a challenge for the custodians of

the holy sites around mecca and mina. four college students were killed, more than a dozen injured when a ride the ducks tour vehicle collided with a carter bus. the duck boat ran into a car before it smashed head on into a charter bus, carrying 45 international college students. government officials are trying to contact the victim's families abroad. police are looking into a mechanical issue with the duck boat still ahead - dinner table diplomacy. china's president ate with president obama, but the meeting was overshadowed by suspicions that china is responsible for high profile cyber attacks. >> and why some people do not believe the environmental protection agency when it says water polluted by a toxic spill is now safe.

the white house says president obama accepted an invitation to meet with russian president vladimir putin next week when both leaders are in new york city for the u.n. secretary general assembly, the first face to face meeting in more than a year. the white house said the fighting in eastern ukraine will be at the top of the agenda, crellin want the main focus to be on russia's military support of bashar al-assad in syria's civil war. >> tonight president obama met with his chinese counterpart. he this an informal visit at washington's blare house, across the street from the white house. they'll hold a news conference before a state dinner in the evenly. xi jinping's visit comes as the investigates corp espionage and khyber hacking allegedly at the hands of china. >> reporter: almost as soon as

chinese president xi jinping stepped foot on u.s. soil he said the kinds of thinks washington wants to hear. on a first stop in seattle he told business leaders that china has been a victim of hacking and is a strong defender of cyber security. >> the chinese government will not, in whatever form engage or encourage attempts by anyone. >> commercial cyber attack and hacking against networks are crimes that must be punished in accordance with loss and treaties. >> china denies it's engaged in cyber espionage against the u.s. and the white house stopped short of stick publicly what it privately suspects. which is that they were bond the hacking breach compromising information of 25.1 million americans. >> before the arrival an o.p.m.

press release exposed that the hackers stole the fingerprints of 5.6 million of the victims, five times the original estimate. without blaming china directly president obama is nevertheless turning up the pressure. last week while discussing china at a business roundtable president obama sniffed while the u.s. spies on others, it does not engage in industrial espionage, but it could. >> the chinese and russians are close, we are the best of this. if we want to go on offense, a whole bunch of countries would have problems, and we don't want to see the internet weaponize the na that way. the president gave his treasury secretary authority to impose financial actions against anyone deemed a bad ask for in cyber space. which the white house argues puts them on notice.

putting it on the table can serve as a deterrent. >> in not confronting xi jinping directly, the u.s. hopes to avoid a repeat of last year when eric holder announced the indictment of five officers of china's people's liberation army on hacking charges. >> it represents the first ever charges against state actors for infiltrating commercial targets by cyber means. >> china suspended the joint u.s. cyber working group, scuttling a chance of reaching agreement. this time china watchers say the u.s. is likely to move cautiously but forcefully after the president leaves. >> it will be frank discussions between the president about - we have had enough of this, you have to stop it. >> the next step will be a sanction against a lower, you know, less important chinese

companies. not one of the big state-owned enterprises. >> negotiations for a ban on state-sponsored cyber attacks could be as tough as talks, and take years before broad concepts are accepted and more countries sign on. >> jamie mcintyre. >> senate democrats along with republicans have tweeted a measure to cut federal funding to planned parenthood. the nonprofit happens been under fire since july after an anti-abortion group released videos raising questions about how planned parenthood handles feet pal tissue. it was tied to a bill keeping the government funded into december. to avoid a shut down, senate majority leader filed a new bill today to fund federal agencies without the divisive planned parenthood division. >> the environmental protection agency accidentally released millions of toxic waste into a

river in colorado two months ago. last month the e.p.a. declared the waterways were safe. a report commissioned by a native american tribe shows the water is still contaminated. >> well, this is barely got a little. look. >> this was the scene last week. carla suarez navarro formers earl and cheryl and their withering crops. >> i had a hay field over here. i had to plough that up. no water. i lost all the hay on the site. that's bare dirt now. >> it was the same story with the corn can'ta lop and green beans. >> tell us where you are not using the water? >> it's contaminated. i don't want none of that

contaminated water to get into the field and get in these spots. what will to do. >> when the spill made its way to the river, irrigation canals were closed, and formers stopped worming the crops. today it's still closed. local navaho farmers were swept off by water defense. >> they tested the water independently of the e.p.a. >> water defense those that levels of chromium, led, phosphorous and a dozen other chemicals jumped after the spill, and nickel and beryllium are in the bed. two not present. >> at this point the water is unsafe to use before we have more testing completed. and we understand what was in the crops that we tested for last week. >> the e.p.a. declined the

request for an interview on water defenses results and referred us to the agencies test results and analysis that the san juan was back to pre-spill levels. >> if this was outside the navaho nation, this would trigger an investigation in fines, in basically sequestering off the area. >> what is as concerning is that those tests conducted by water defense also showed high levels of contaminants compared to drinking water guidelines established by the e.p.a. levels of led, copper, iron, barium and other pollute ants were off the chart. >> baseline settlements were a cause for worry before the spill. after the spill, with the impacted sediment, it has raised this to a whole new level of concern that requires immediate action. >> the next step for investigators is to analyse what

is in navaho crops. >> we are dealing with known chemicals that are toxic and cancer cause of course, and we don't know what is happening to the chemicals, and what is going on in the crops. that not only the navaho nation eats every day, but we as americans eat these crops every day. >> on the farm, the growing season is over. they say they'll look for a way to get clean water to the land next year. >> if you love the land, you'll do anything for it and protect it. that's where me and my husband are. we want to protect the land. we want to grow food. we don't want to go to the store and buy, you know, whatever over there. it means a lot to us. we are pretty traditional people a jeer after india put a budget spacecraft in orbit around mars, it is still going

strong, and sending back valuable information. the highlights and the next steps for exploring the red planet.

>> every saturday night. >> i lived that character.

researchers at the university of california irvine made an announcement - the medical team bypassing a damaged spinal cord. a computer sending signals to electrodes on the knees. after weeksful practice the man learnt to control his legs. the goal it to develop a brain

implant to do the same thing japanese scientists say they are getting close to growing human kidneys in a lab much after success in rats they achieved the same results in pigs. human trials are years away. it could solve a global shortage of kidneys. a year ago india's spacecraft entered orbit. making india the only county to succeed reaching the red planet. it was the cheapest mission. >> reporter: extraordinary images of the red planet. not from n.a.s.a. or the european space agency, but india's mars, orbiter mission. the 15km space probe has been in orbit for a year. the scientific restaurants studying the atmosphere and topography of the planet. it has been studied back in

india by the students. they are space enthusiasts and gathered to mark the equinox and talk about the mars mission. >> i love to think about it. i want to be an astronaut. >> they have achieved greater height. >> we'll have technology oil demonstration that we can do it. that's the first goal. that is the biggest achievement we have. if you look at the attempts to go to the mosque, almost 50% of the times it's been a failure. and none of the countries reached mars in the first attempt. >> the mission is achieved on a small budget, around $73 million. it's over a tenth of the cost of n.a.s.a.'s maven spacecraft arrive two days before and doing research into the atmosphere. >> it's not na expensive. it's a minute amount of the g.d.p. and the advantage is it has produced high technology and

trained people. >> there are five active spacecraft in orbit around mars. the oldest, the mars odyssey has been there since 2001. on the surface, n.a.s.a. has two rovers, a third was lost after it became irretrievably stuck in sand in 2009. now researchers at the european space agency are developing technology they hope will prevent it happening to the next generation of robotic vehicles. >> we move back and forth the wheels on the arms, legs, so that they are at certain times they are unloaded. and they'll transfer the weight of the body into the wheels that have positioned themselves forward, and in this way you managed to get out of entrapment. >> it's all vital new technology needed if and when a manned

mission arrives on mars. it's unlikely to be before 2030. until then the current spacecraft will carry out vital scientific research i'm antonio mora, thank you for joining us. ray suarez is next with "inside story". have a great night. have a great labor day weekend. >> pull a sawbuck out of your wallet, there's alexander hamilton born and raised in the caribbean, he made his future as the fledging super power, two centuries of honoring men, campaigners hope to pull andrew jackson off the 20 and replace him with a great american woman. then hamilton's treasure