and god bless america. pope francis speaks his mind in congress. urges them to treat refugees as people, not numbers. hello, i am darren jordan in doha with the world news in al jazeera. also coming up, saudi arabia investigates the stan speed that killed over 700 people during the hajj. a private meal with chinese president with president obama at the white house. plus parents of mexico students demand an international probe in to their disappearance.

♪ ♪ pope francis has arrived in new york to a large welcoming crowd. pontiff shook hands and gave blessings to the failin faith. gabriel elizondo has more from new york. >> reporter: for many new yorkers, this was their first chance to try to get a glimpse of pope francis. many people lined up here hours before he was even scheduled to show up to try to get a glimpse of him. now many people were not able to, but they are still waiting just in hopes that maybe he will come out and give a wave or they can say hello to him. i would say the overall mood here has been one of excitement, one of enthusiasm, but also just simply curiosity. it's been over seven years since there has been a papel visit here to new york city and i will say it's not only new yorkers that wanted to get a glimpse of him. but especially here in new york,

tourists that are in town as well. >> translator: i am happy. even though i have not been able to see him yet. but i have hope tomorrow my friend and i will both be able to see him. >> he's really popular because of his tuesday views in trying to welcome some catholic that his have been turned away from the church back in. he's a pope of the people and says what he means and it's exciting. >> translator: i feel good to be here, it's a great opportunity to see the pope when he was in brazil i wasn't able to see him. so maybe this is my chance. >> reporter: pope francis has a very busy schedule near new york on friday he'll start his day by giving a speak to world leaders at the united nations general assembly. it's a very highly anticipated speech. he'll be doing many other things throughout the day as well. visiting ground zero. but also visiting mostly latino and african american children at a school in harlem. while he's there, he will also visit immigrants and refugees.

it's all part of his broader mission, one of his key themes here on his visit so far to the united states to try to bring attention to the plight of those less fortunate. >> hours earlier pope francis addressed that special joint meeting of the u.s. congress, he spoke about some of the most polarizing issues currently facing u.s. lawmakers. he encouraged them to use their powers to fight climate change, overcome racial inequality and welcome migrants to the country. here is kimberly halkett. >> reporter: 10s of thousands greeted pope photograph since as he arrived on capitol hill for his historic a address of the joint meet of of the congress. >> mr. speak the pope of the holy sea. >> reporter: inside the chamber the pope immediately addressed one of the most polarizing issues confronting u.s. ley law maybers you can he urged members of congress to set aside their political differences and welcome illegal immigrants he says travel north in search of a better life.

>> let us treat all of those with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. >> reporter: pope francis also urged particularly conservative politicians to use their legislative might and take up what he called courageous effort to come up with strategies to protect nature and combat climate change. >> i have no doubt that the united states and this congress have an important role to play. >> reporter: but even the though most conservatives align with the roman catholic phone defend life and oppose a boring, many republican lawmakers question the science supporting global warming. despite poll members say pope francis should pay a role in world affairs, few are optimistic that ideological differences can be overcome.

21% say it will help pass legislation about climate change, 14% more likely to pass abortion restriction, 13% say the pope will make congress more likely to pass bills increasing legal immigration to the united states. >> even the pope can't work miracles in congressional politics, especially low an issue i like climate change. >> reporter: still pope francis tried as he delivered his message not just to lawmakers, but thousands gathered outside the capital. arguing the responsible use of the wor's natural resource isn't just an environmental issue, but moral one. >> thank you. thank you very much and god bless america. [applause] >> reporter: kimberly halkett, al jazeera, capitol hill. saudi arabiaas begun an investigation in to the stampede that killed more than 700 people during the hajj pilgrimage on

thursday. hundreds have been injured at the world's largest religious gathering. they are carrying out the stoning of the devil. it's the worst disas her during the holy events in more than 20 years. omar al saleh reports. >> reporter: a second tragedy within weeks, saudi authorities say a huge crowd of pilgrims went in to a stampede hundreds died, many more were injured. >> translator: we were coming back from the jamarat and on the way back i met my husband, the pilgrims began pushing each other and pushed people to the ground. i was about for die. >> reporter: the pilgrims were making their way to take part in the stoning of the devil ritual which is part of the hajj pilgrimage. >> translator: after this painful incidents i ask the authorities to investigate the cause of it. and submit the result as soon as they can. the investigation isn't to

affect the good job authorities are doing to keep people safe in the hajj whatever the result of this we ask the authorities to review the plans and all the arrangements for the hajj. >> reporter: there have been hundreds of deaths from stampedes in previous years, but this is one of the deadliest in recent years. in two number six, the saudis build a multi-story complex to better handle the number of people taking part. more than 1.9 million pill fridges are performing the hajj this season, even without the latest catastrophe and logistical nightmare for the saudi authorities, this tragedy has completely overshadowed the hajj this year, put the sawed are saudis your honor the spot life and raised serious questions about safety in general, it highlights the safety awareness of the pilgrims themselves. they have been known to go in the wrong directions and to gather in wrong places. some of them sleeping and eating in the open on crowded roads.

>> translator: from what i can see these are the apparent reasons for the accident. a rise in the number of people, overcrowded and an overlap of crowds adding to that with all certainty a rise in temperatures and the tiedness the experience were experiencing due to the journey they are all right traveled. >> reporter: it started with a tragedy when a construction crane fell on the ground killing within 07 people two weeks ago. the mosque in the surrounding area have turned in to a construction site as part of ann ambitious anambitious expansion. the second a and minut mina. two explosion at a mosque in sanaa have killed at least 25 people. the attack happened during prayers marking the muslim holiday of eid. fighters aville 80ed to isil

have claimed responsibility for the attacks. u.s. press barack obama has hosted the kind heys leader xi jinping for a private dinner it the white house there will be a formal done ore from time to time before that they'll discussion the issue united states of tensions cyber security and disputes in the south sea. >> reporter: the white house is talking tough on the east press xi's state visit. raising the possibility of the u.s. military going towards despited islands in the south clean china sea. >> the united states of america will sail, fly and operate anywhere that international law permits. >> reporter: president obama had this warning about cyber attacks on u.s. companies. >> that we consider an act of aggression that has to stop. and you know, we are preparing a number of measures that will

indicate to the chinese that this is not just a matter of us being mildly upset. >> reporter: the administration has floated the idea that they will sanction chinese companies and people for hacking in to u.s. companies. some analysts believe that would be a dangerous move. >> are we going do that against russian companies? pretty soon are we going to be sanctioning companies all around the world or just pick on china? this isn't well thought through. >> reporter: the u.s. has been singling out china for a while charging five military officers last year and accusing china of stealing the personnel files of millions of federal workers without offering any proof. >> you have to kind of salute the chinese for what they did. you know, if we have the opportunity to do that, i don't think we would hesitate for a minute. >> just to be clear are you identifying china as the perpetrator behind the opium attack? >> well, i mean, that's the leading suspect.

>> reporter: china denies the allegations. and points out because of the edward snowden links we now know that the u.s. has been doing its own fair share of spying. collecting phone records, searching encrypted e-mails creating back doors with tech companies and siphoning up communication that travels through under sea cables. the obama administration says there is a difference between spying for economic advantage versed national security. and it's in the area of national security that the two leaders hope to makeshif make history. they are targeting each other's critical infrastructure during peace time. the white house hoping that can be a first step when nba what has been an often rocky relationship between two major powers. patty culhane al jazeera washington. president obama will also be meeting russian president vladimir putin on the sidelines of the u.n. summit. the two leaders are expected to discuss the situation in syria and ukraine on monday. they were last face-to-face at a

regional summit in beijing in november. pro-russian rebels have ordered u.n. agencies and other aid groups to leave the eastern city of luhansk. the u.n. chief said he was alarmed by the develop. the u.n. estimates the 17-month conflict in the region has claimed the lives of nearly 8,000 people. lots more still to come here on al jazeera. volkswagen faces the heat as investigations began around the world on emissions feeting scandal. plus china's president vows to irrelevant rat cat poverty but 200 million are still below their poverty line. more that, stay with us. bloop

♪ ♪ welcome back. a quick recap of the headlines here on al jazeera. pope francis is new york. the second stop on this three-city u.s. tour. the pontiff led prayers at the recently renovated st. patrick's cathedral in manhattan. earlier he became the first roman catholic pope to address a joint meeting of the u.s. congress. saudi arabia has begun an investigation in to the stampede that killed more than 700 people during the hajj pil pilgrimagin. hundreds more were injured. u.s. president barack obama hosted chinese leader xi jinx ping which he white house. sib our security and the chinese sea are likely among the issues to be discussed. thousands of people have flocked to see the post on his first business to the united states. but the number of pima tending mass in catholic churches

remains low. as kristen saloomey reports, a new movement is trying to bring people back to the alter. >> reporter: buffalo new york is home to 32 catholic perishs most go back to the decades when immigrants flacked here for jobs in steel and grain mills. while beautiful churches remain, many papa rinsers remain leaching behind empty pews and aging congregation. father richard zajac has been affiliated with st. an blows church for 35 year old. >> you look at buffalo back in the turn of the century. it was the sixth originallest seaport, one of the largest cities in the country, i knowinger so a lot of people began to come here. the population base was larger at the turn of the century than it is today. >> reporter: on this sunday, however, it's a full house thanks for a group of catholics

that started a phenomenon known asthmas mobs, every week they make different church and encourage catholics from near and far to come worship and leave a few dollars in the collection baskets. >> i consider sacred sites in america are in danger of disappearing. and what we wanted to do is introduce or reintroduce people to a lot of the wonderful and glorious church that his we have throughout the city of buffalo. >> reporter: this is what the organizers of the mass mobs are trying to avoid. churches that were once the focal point of the community, a source of important family memories like weddings and baptisms boarded up and forgotten. some come for the history and the architecture. in st. ambrose's case, colorful windows illustrating modern teachings of the church are a draw. but for many it's about the people. and the spiritual energy that comes with the crowd. >> just so wonderful to see the church is filled. it would be so nice to have them like this every single week.

>> i grew up in south buffalo on aldridge a few blocks a washing went to school at this perish, went to church here. come bag again you just feel welcome. >> reporter: mass mobs are taking place in more than 20 cities. to preserve what, for manges are cornerstones of community. kristen saloomey, al jazeera, buffalo, new york. mexico's president says he'll appoint a new special prosecutor to search for the country's disappeared. enrique-y peña neito, however, did not compliment to an international led probe as demanded by families of 43 missing students who met him on thursday. here is john hulman. >> reporter: it's been a year since police abducted the sons of these mexicans and handed them over to a gang. 43 young men, student features were taken in a night that horrified mexico. their parents are still longing for them. the search has taken them across mexico to south america, and the

united states. many have given up their jobs like clemente rodriguez. >> translator: i can't get to sleep. going round in my mind is where is my son. i am always thinking about him. i have always said he's alive. and as a parent, that is how i feel in my heart. >> reporter: the students kidnapping has ignited mass protests and unified mexicans in grief and anger after years of bloodshed. more than 25,000 people have gone missing in mexico, but it's this case and the mother's and fathers that you can see behind me that have really shaken the country and help bring international attention to the rest of the disappeared here. as the anniversary of the tragedy looms the parents bust in to meet president enrique peña knee ate owe for the second time. as a spokesman said he promise today create a new special prosecute fore the thousands of missing.

>> translator: the president closed the meeting by saying we are on the same side and working towards the same aim to find ute what happened to your children and punish those responsible. >> reporter: these parents have heard the same before from an administration criticize today its incomplete and deeply flawed investigation in to this case and many others. >> translator: we already knew how the government would respond that it isn't so easy to go back but they have to accept their mistakes and if they can't resolve this problem, they need to leave it to the experts. >> reporter: they continue a two-day hunger protest before a march planned to mark the anniversary of the tragedy this saturday. but for all of the mass events, clemente's wish is a simple one. >> translator: i had a dream that was so real in which my son was chatting with him. we were happy and i woke up and that's how it's been a for year, but however long it takes i am going to keep on until we find him. >> reporter: the determination

and desperation of a father who can't rest until he knows what happened to his son. john hulman, al jazeera, mexico city. the president of brazil dilma rousseff is negotiating with the opposition and members of her own party to salvage the country's struggling economy. the currency has plummeted against the dollar while investor confidence is at its lowest in many years, daniel reports from sow paolo. >> reporter: i am in the sao paulo stock exchange in the economic heart of blah sill. but all eyes here are looking 800-kilometer to his the northwest to the capital brasilia to see what president dilma rousseff will do next. will she impose the necessary mesh tours get the economy pi back on track? can she? this stock he can change as been overtaken as the big in the region by mexico. the brazilian currency is at its lowest level against the u.s. dollar since it was introduce ed in 1994.

investor confidence is at an all-time low. >> translator: the government needs to let investors know that there is a political environments of understanding and debate. and that all of the measures they are discussing will in the end be approved. >> reporter: the president wants to make massive cuts to public spending. closing 10 of her 39 ministries. but by doing that, she risks alienating the very people who elected her less than a year ago and nobody wants to see taxes go up. it's these people, the ordinary shoppers with the price of bread and aways i can items rocketing that have the most to fear. >> translator: i need to get bread for my children. but it's been a while since i bought any for myself. >> reporter: gone is the bouyant optimism of just a few years ago when brazil was the economic powerhouse in the region. winning bids to hold the football world cup in the olympic games. now neighboring countries fear that they too might be dragged

down. many while, the government embroiled in a massive corruption candle seems as though it can do nothing right. the german car maker volkswagen is facing data rigging investigations around the world. that's after it admitted to installing software in cars sold in europe as well as in the united states which provided false emissions numbers. al jazeera's nadine barbara has more on the scanned. >> reporter: as the volkswagen emission scandal goes across europe. a shaka announcement. >> in up vehicles with 1.6 and two-liter diesel engines are affected by these manipulation we'll don't work closely with volkswagen about which vehicles are afternooned. >> reporter: volkswagen is spafacing huge lawsuits in euroe and america with diesel engines are far more pop hal.

they eighted $11 million have this software. it's not how many are in europe. but britain, france and germany are starting their own investigations. officials in brussels want others to follow suit. >> we need to have the full picture of whether and how many vehicles certified in the e.u. were fitted with these devices which is bound by evening up law. >> reporter: campaigners say the problem is tests are done in laboratory i conditions, at this center on the edge of london they have been testing for years for things like nitrogen oxides putting cars through road tests including heavy traffic. and their results have raised suspicions. >> we started testing for fuel economy and found there was a 17% gap between the manufacturer's figures and what we were seeing in real world conditions. over the last four years it's grown to twenties 4%, similarly we are seeing the same issues with air pollution. and so the results are far

higher in the real world than in the laboratory. >> reporter: calling for the official testing to be a flex of real driving conditions, that's something that they have at this center across the continent it means new legislation and it's not clear how long that will take. what is clear is the damage that's been done to consumer confidence not just in vw but also in the wider diesel injury as government puts pressure on car makers to come clean about emissions testing were the clammer for credible data getting louder and louder. al jazeera, london. german chancellor angela merkel has been hosting a refugees sum wit provincial lead nurse berlin. >> show told reporter the government will pay region states $748 every month for each other sigh lum seeker they take in. 800 thousands are expected to arrive in germany this year alone. earlier merkel told german m. s that e.u. plans to settle 150,000 refugees didn't go far

enough. frap i am deeply convinced europe needs a punkal distribution and a permanent solution for fair distribution, this means we have seen a first step but we are far from where we want to get. >> the majority of the refugees entering europe are from syria. top european diplomats met in paris on thursday to find ways to end the war that's forcing thousands to leave their homes. leaders from britain, france, germany and the european union discussed possible diplomatic solutions, british foreign secretary philip hammond said it was clear president bashar al-assad could not be part of syria's future. indian prime minister modi has met with the heads of top multinational companies in new york, encouraging them to invest and set up manufacturing hubs in india. he is visiting the u.s. to attends the u.n. general assembly and also due to visit silicon valley home to tech

giants like google and apple. now, poverty levels in china are falling fast. officials figures so that since the early 1980s, more than 600 million people have escaped extreme poverty. but up to 200 million are living beneath chin's poverty line of $1.25 sent a day, here is adrian brown. >> reporter: chinas pulled more people out of poverty than anywhere else, but she and her husband are not sure if they are among them. they swapped rural life for the city three years ago and it didn't work out. >> translator: we are afraid of spending money. people give us food, flower and rice, sometimes leftover bread. i can't afford to buy food. sometimes restaurants give me leftover food. >> reporter: the mound of junk outside their home is a daily reminder of their failed recycling business. they used all of their savings to buy scrap metal but falling prices have left them bankrupt

they each get a pension of $10 a month meaning they are surviving on less than a dollar a day. this is where the family live and sleep. it's a room measuring no more than 10 square meters. in the corner is the television set they say they no longer watch it because they are trying to reduce their energy costs. yet in spite of these grim living conditions, she says she skill considers ourself to be a lot better off than she was as a girl growing up in the countryside. >> translator: our life is much better than when i was young. 100 times better. in the past people will starve to death. now we don't have money, but at least people give us food. >> reporter: in june, president xi jinping promised to irrelevant rat cat urban and rural poverty tin five years 10 years ahead of the global. he made the claim when four were

found dead in this house stayed media says they were children that killed themselves after being abandoned by their parents, they like many other poor mothers and fathers went to the city to look for work. the tragedy was a reminder of how difficult it would be for china to reach its ambitious go says the united nations official in charge of combating poverty here. >> so if we can care more about the income distribution and more balanced development between rural and urban areas, i am sure that this kind of phenomenon can be fewer in the future. >> reporter: she and her husband haven't heard about the new york summit where world leaders are now discussing how to end global poverty. but they hope it succeeds. adrian brown, al jazeera, beijing. now, it's taken more than a decade but a $15 million painting by pablo picasso is finally back on display in paris. stolen almost four queen years ago the masterpiece known as the

hair dresser is now in the french capital. >> reporter: the pointing was intercepted by custom officials in belgium at a u.s. airport last year. a reminder that you can keep up to bait date with all the news on our website. the address aljazeera.com. that's aljazeera.com. town. >> the political football known as the keystone xl got picked up and kicked this week by hillary clinton. the democratic presidential candidateneded months -