>> hedge there, i'm barbara serra, this is the news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes. taking part in the talks, iran is invited to join russia and the u.s. in vienna to try to end the war in syria. the palestinian president asks for international protection as he says the situation is the worst it's been since 1948. paying the price of the emissions scandal, vw announce

their first quarterly loss in 15 years. >> we're in doha with all the sport including details of the deal sepp blatter claims was in place to make sure russia would host the 2018 football world cup. >> it's one of the main backers of syrian leader bashar al-assad's regime. now for the first time and amid ongoing violence iran has accepted an invitation to attend attacks aimed at ending syria's civil war. the meeting will take place in vienna. in iran the united states, russia and turkey and saudi arabia will all attend. we'll have the same reaction from roslind jordan in washington. shortly, first this report. >> this is one of the furanless for iranian soldiers killed in syria. even among the two dozen

soldiers and general who is have died there, 2,000 iranian special forces are in syria fighting in port of the government. they have been assuring people that foreign military involvement is important. the commander of the elite guards had this to say during the funeral procession. >> we wil more countries getting involved in the conflict has not stopped the killing of civilians. unlike previous years many have seen iran forced to publicly acknowledge the depths of its soldiers. >> not a single day goes by that we don't hear news about the deaths of at least one or two vaughn soldiers or commanders in syria. the commanders and military advisers have been in syria from day one. if they're acknowledging it now. it is because they cannot identify it from the

international community or the public inside the country. >> the could have finishes are not just arriving in iran. hezbollah has also been burying it's fighters who have been killed in syria. in addition to iran and hezbollah russia is providing air cover. syrian rebels who are supported by regional arab states have come under increasing attacks. but they say they're defending their areas against a powerful coalition. some believe iran's citizen back in syria could force it to support negotiations. >> i think if iran is accepting the dialogue now, to sit at the same negotiating table to find a dialogue by dialogue and politics, i think that is because it doesn't want to lose any more commanders. >> iran's invited to take part in talks about the conflict in syria where there is division about the future of bashar al-assad but agreement to fight the u.s. called terrorist

groups. until the talks help to cease-fire soldiers from all sides will continue to be bur buried. al jazeera. >> well, the world food program has announced that it is resuming a food coucher program that helps 229 vulnerable refugees the u.n. organization was forced to cut the coucher because of a severe shortage of funds. new donor support means that each person will now be given $14 a month until the end of the year. what we've seen over the last month is that the international community recognizing that we are in financial support to come forward and give us this

lifeline for the winter period. right now we can cover people through to january, but obviously after that it's going to get difficult again. but the most critical point right now is that during the really difficult winter months families can put food on the table for their children. >> some good news there that the worl world health program can now help with food. iran invited with these talks in event officially invited with russia but obviously with the say sow of the united states. is this a change of policy, pragmatism, how is it being read over there? >> well, it's described as a very pragmatic move. that's the language being used at the state department. we're waiting for a speech by the secretary of state john kerry to talk about the

situation now what the u.s. is also very clear to point out, barbara, is the fact that iran up until now has not been in the u.s.' view very helpful. they say that by sending in irgc personnel the elite military faction of the iranian government they're helping bashar al-assad stay in power, which is something that the u.s. does not want. they blame assad from the ongoing civil war and for the rise of isil in the northern part of that country as well as in iraq. but they also know that tehran has something that the u.s. does not have, which is the ear of

assad. as they start this new round of discussions on friday preceded by some bilateral meetings in vienna on thursday the u.s. is looking to work with whomever can persuade assad that departing sooner than later is a very good idea for him. >> very interesting to see what comes out of those talks on friday in vienna. roslind jordan for the moment. thank you. >> the palestinian president mahmood abbas has warned that the situation between the israelis and palestinians is at its worse and most critical stage since 1948. he's armed the united nations to step in and provide international protection. 64 palestinians and 9 israelis have been killed so far this month. >> we reaffirm that the security council will shoulder its responsibilities to establish a

regime of international protection we want your protection. we can no longer bear all these sanctions. >> well, abbas' comments come as a 23-year-old man was shot dead by israeli forces at a checkpoint in hebron. witnesses say he was unarmed but israeli forces say he was attempting to carry out an attack. separately israel confirms that they have arrested a palestinian who stabbed an israeli woman just outside of jerusalem. divisions about who can pray at the al-aqsa mosque compound has fueled the tensions. >> fear, violence and suspicion have darkened the last month in this holist of cities. agreed upon almost 50 years ago when israel occupied east

jerusalem. this site has never been contested as it is today. with the mom starting the campaign demanding jewish prayer on the temple mount, and importantingly backed up by strong political players inside the coalition. since june 2014. police have started putting veer access restrictions for wide parts of the muslim population according to age, according to gender. the reason was to allow jews to enter the place. >> this issue of access is at the heart of the recent violen violence. the two jewish holidays between muslims were prevented from accessing the sites while right-wing jewish groups toured the compound. >> this proclamation signed by chief rabbis prohibits jews from

entering the al-aqsa compound or temple mount known to jews but they've been doing exactly that. >> these imaging of groups touring the site is add together fear that israel is slowly changing the agreed perimeter that only muslims can pray here. non-muslims have been allowed to visit, but it's the visitor and their message that they have an issue with. >> for us non-muslims are allowed to visit with respect as guests without provocation of prayer. but this has changed, and these extremists say we want to pray. and this holy place is ours. it says that we muslims should leave. >> they issued a statement on saturday saying that categor categorically jews will not be allowed to pray at the compound. officials say that security

cameras will soon stream live footage as a way to show what happens here. >> the major issue is there is no agreement between israel and jordan and the palestinians on what is an aggression on the temple mount. so each side will see the same picture, describe it in completely different words. >> there is deep mistrust. many say it will take more than words from an israeli prime minister and a few cameras to ashue palestinians that their rights over al-aqsa are not being threatened. stephanie dekker, al jazeera, occupied east jerusalem. >> well, still more to come on this news hour including find out what an u.s. police department decided to do with an officer who threw a student across a classroom. we meet bee keepers in mexico who are taking their issue to court. and we look at baseball's world

series. >> but first emergency teams in afghanistan and pakistan are desperately trying to reach people in remote areas effected by monday's earthquake. 379 people have died in the quake, which was felt across southern asia. kamal hyder is in pakistan, from there he sent us this update. >> help is beginning to alive but the most difficult thing about that help is the fact that it should be arriving in time. now we have been able to see families still able to cop out. this old lady has been waiting for two days. she said that no one has come to her house to try to give her reassurance that she'll be able to rebuild this mud home. she's traumatized. >> our house is collapsed.

what do we do now? we're very poor and have this mud house. now we've lost everything. we won't be able to rebuild. no one is helping us. there is no aid from the government. we're sitting at the mercy of god. >> there are many other people like this who are still waiting, now the problem has become very complex because the destruction over a large area, and it's in small pockets. once again it is the poor who are hit hard. the government has to do something really fast if it wants to come through on its claim to help its people. the calamity is not so large, but there needs to be some sensitivity. the prime minister and chief minister and politicians may be coming here for photo sessions, but this is a time for action. >> turkey's prosecutor has taken control of a media company just days ahead of parliamentary elections.

it is linked to a cleric who is critical of the president. we have this update in southeast turkey. >> this goes to a rupture of what was was a good relationship. towards the 2013 prosecutors and police perceived to be close to gulon launched investigations intoe into int into erdogan's

organization. this has been seen as a crackdown deemed to have links with gulen movement. so this crackdown today o is connected to that. yes, it comes close to elections on sunday in fact, this crackdown, his odometerrers has been going on since the end o of 2013. >> a long awaited african report in south sudan's civil war has uncovered evidence of mass graves and forced cannibalism. they made a political poli politbetweepolitical split

between its president and vice president. the south suda so you dan niece government has accepted responsibility for some of the crimes. there are some violations that happened. that is why the government has instituted an aftermath of 2015 cue attempt, and the commission of inquiry, and they have lock up some soldiers who are thought to have perpetrated the crimes against humanity. >> well, since innocence four years ago 200,000 people have need north to sudan to try and escape the violence. caroline malone reports. >> angelina is the mother of six

children. she voted for independence, but she has been forced to leave her home and go back to where she used to live in sudan. >> i really regretted it. i will never go back to south sudan. if you saw how they killed our loved one. neighbors gave us beds. >> nearly 200,000 people have runaway from violence in south sudan in the last four years. the government forces are fighting rebel groups for control with civilians often becoming the victories. five members of this family are among them. reggina relatives were attacked. and she still doesn't know what happened to the others. >> my mother and sister were hit in the head. our other siblings were separated from us, and i don't know where they are now. >> four years ago it was a

different story. after years of conflict people voted to separate from sudan. the government helped to transport many of people back to areas they called home, the new country of south sudan. they were hopeful of a new life and peace after independence but instead they got war. >> death is everywhere. people are buried in a very large graveyard. the kids are not safe either, even a pregnant woman has not escaped death. we have seen many shocking things in the south. >> less than five years after leaving sudan, they are back. this time as refugees who have suffered a lot. caroline malone. al jazeera. >> a police officer in the u.s. state of south carolina has been sacked after throwing a black teenager across a classroom. senior deputy ben fields was seen throwing the teenager to the ground and dragging her from

the room when she refused to leave the classroom. >> the deputy did not follow proper procedure when he threw the student through across the room. that's what caused me to be upset, and it continues to upset me when i see that video. the fact that he picked the student up and threw the student across the room. that is not a proper peculiar took and should not be use in law enforcement. >> bee keepers in mexico's you can tan peninsula are fighting to have restrictions placed on the use of genetically modified crops. >> beekeeper calls it the mayan's greatest treasure. the same color but more valuable than gold.

they don't sting. >> at the use it for ceremonies to ask for rain but it has medicinal properties. >> the ancient mayans even mixed honey with dirt to make cement for their famous pyramids. today 20,000 mayan families produce honey from more aggressive bees. they use smoke to keep them from attacking. the honey is extremely sought after and fetches a very high price on the european market. but the livelihood of the families who produce this depends not just its exquisite taste and aroma, but it's ability to keep their honey pure. that's why these nearby soy plantations have become the enemy. genetically modified and sprayed with herb sides sold by monsan

monsanto, the bee keepers describe it as contaminated pollen. >> they're deforesting our jungle and threatening our market. >> you can tan penn bee keepers and supporters make a final appeal on the evil o eve of the ruling. >> they have the potential to impact health. the environment and in this case the cultural of the mayan communities. >> a culture that includes what is called the nectar of the gods. today pivoted against the world's most powerful agro-chemical corporation. >> what is going on right now where you are?

>> hello, at this moment the representatives of the bee keepers from the juke ta yukatan peninsula and their lawyers are waiting for the solution that could be announced any time. the judge could decide that selling genetically modified soybeans is illegal for environment, cultural and economic reasons, or it could as many believe will be the case, simply say the license that monsanto has now, the communities were not consulted, so the communities have to go back and ask whether they want it or not. but the catch 22 here is even if the communities say that they do not want genetically modified soy to be planted in their region, that is not a binding

solution. that is not a binding decision. so that means that in the long run it is a hollow victory and the monsanto company and people who are planting genetically modified soy in this region will probably be winning. >> i guess, lucia we'll find out soon enough which way it goes. but if it doesn't go the beekeeper's way, what recourse do they have? >> not much, barbara. they're telling me if this does fought go their way, the last thing they could do would be to appeal to international justice, international courts. the international justice court in the hague or others in the region to appeal to them to force the mexican government to in turn force the agriculture ministry to withdraw the license from monsanto, but that would an long way from now before that would be resolved. it would be bad news for the

mayan bee keepers. >> you're monitoring all the developments for us. we'll cross back to you when there is news. lucia newman live for us in mexico city. >> thank you. >> now to a significant development, president santos has declared a bilateral cease-fire with the farc guerrillas through february first. santos insists that they will be depend on finalizing the deal on the disar disarmament of rebel fighters. tell us a little bit more about it and how likely it is that it will actually happen? >> well, this news came as a surprise really. nobody was expecting it today when santos was speaking at a completely different meeting.

he said that it could be a christmas present for colombians, and this is something that he discussed with the head of the farc when they met in cuba where peace talks are ongoing. they met a month ago when they signed a very important deal on transitional justice, which was seen as the biggest stepping stone towards peace agreement. that day they did agree, this was made public a month ago and the possibility of signing a full peace agreement before the end of march 2016. now comes this new announcement. it means that they're respecting their unilateral cease-fire that they announced in july, and it also shows good will on part of the government to push these negotiations forward.

what they're trying to do is tell the colombian people that the talks are moving forward, and also trying to pressure the rebels into reaching an agreement on the missing point as fast as possible. possibly by the end of this year. in exchange the government will be then available to actually offer a full bilateral cease-fire. this is the first time in almost three years of negotiations that santos and the colombian government opened the door to the possibility to essentially stopping the war. this would be the first time in almost 50 years that this would really open the door to the possibility of the end to the war. the head of the government negotiates also spoke earlier today, and they said that they're moving forward into the mobilization of the farc rebels, and for the first time they said that they're discussing the

possibility of concentration zones where the farc will move in, and eventually then give up their weapons. things are moving forward, and hopefully by the end of the year there will be further announcement towards full peace agreement in colombia. >> we'll be keeping up-to-date for the moment. thank you. still more to come, including as the "world health organization" announces more people have died from tuberculosis than hiv/aids last year. we'll be asking the organization what more needs to be done. plus? >> i'm harry fawcett, increasingly people are worried about a short-term drought and a long-term problem. >> coming up jo will have details in sports.

>> bold... >> he took two m-16's, and he crawled... >> brave... >> ...do what you gotta do... >> then betrayed... >> why do you think you didn't get the medal of honor? >> a lifetime without the honor they deserved... >> some say that it was discrimination... >> revealing the long painful fight, to recognize some of america's bravest... >> he say.. be cool...be cool... >> ...proudest moment in my life.. >> honor delayed a soledad o'brien special report only on al jazeera america >> now a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. iran has accepted an invitation

to attend international talks in vienna, aimed at sending the conflict in syria. palestinian president has asked for international protection as he warns the situation between israelis and palestinians is at its worst and critical stage in 1948. >> uncovering evidence of mass graves and cannibalism in reports of human rights violations in south sudan. volkswagen has announced it's first quarterly loss in years. ifrom berlin emma hayward

reports. >> it is dominated the skyline for decades. while steam still pours from the headquarters of europe's biggest carmaker, inside anxious times of vw embroiled in candle has endured it's first quarterly loss for at least 15 years. >> the first and most important priority is helping our commerce as quickly as possible, and as comprehensively as necessary. >> volkswagen is having to recall millions of cars around the world. after it admitted it cheated on some emissions test. for some of the 60,000 workers in volksberg it is business as usual. but there are worries. >> it is a depressing atmosphere. we talk about it all the time. >> the atmosphere is down. a lot of people are quite cautious because they don't know how it is going to continue. the next year is going to be tough for vw.

but surely vw will bounce back in the end. >> that is what many in this town are hoping for. vw has warned its profits for the whole year will be down. this quarterly loss is largely down to the huge amounts of money the company has put aside to pay for costs incurred in the scandal. it's repair bill will run into billions of dollars while the price of restoring consumer confidence is hard to quantify. >> the future of these works depends on the trust in its brand. the future of trust. an investigation will take place to try to understand what happened. emma hayward, al jazeera, berlin.

>> well, volkswagen may be making a loss, but apple has reported the biggest yearly profit in corporate history. the u.s. firm made profits of 53 billions over the last year eclipsing the previous record set by exxonmobil in 2008. sales have soared although they have warned of a slow down in its growth. >> sunday's pole was a peaceful affair compared to the 2010 election which sparked eye lens that killed 3,000 people. there has been a call for an are count of the presidential vote saying there are irregularities in it. they want the commission to halt the announcement of the winner expected on thursday.

preliminary results suggest that the candidate from the ruling ccn party is ahead. and presidential results from the semi autonomous za zanzabar has been scrapped. the commission chief said results have been nullified because the vote was not free and fair. the move has created tension on the islands, which are a base for opposition to the ruling cnc party. dozens of white farmers forced off their property in zimbabwe has ended up in mozambique. and they are expertise and much-needed investment has been welcomed by the neighboring african nation. >> his farm was seized when

president robert mugabe started his farm program. it was a scheme that took land from white owners and gave it to zimbabwes. he said restarting in mozambique was not easy, but he's doing well. >> we have a farm of 460 hectares, and we have we grow 250 hectares a year. we employ anywhere from 2. 5 t275 to 350 workers an at any one time. >> they are attracted not only by the safety this country offered but cheap land leases and promises of bank loans. the farmers say they have been treated well so far. >> i do feel well in mozambique. the president invited us to help develop his country and i think the government has been

proactive on that. of course we've had our problems. everybody does. but yes, i'm comfortable here. >> two hours drive down the road is a tomato farm. he, too, came to mozambique with little. >> we started initially very small. we now have 12 hectares of water culture. it doesn't sound much, but it's quite big. >> but it's not only the new farmers who are doing well. it seems the new wealth is trickling down to locals. >> in a region with high unemployment rates these foreign-owned farms have given the local economy a much-needed boost. hundreds of young mozambiqueen men who had no jobs before now work on these farms. >> the farm workers know why they're here. they want more of them to come. >> what happened in zimbabwe, if it happens here it will be sad for us because it is helping us a lot.

in this community there is a lot of unemployment. >> back at this farm kevin said he would love to return to zimbabwe one day, but for now he has bigger concerns like finding new markets for thinks produce. al jazeera, mozambique. >> south korea is suffering it's worst drought in more than four decades. a key reservoir that supplies water for hundreds of thousands of people is dangerously low levels. harry fawcett reports from the worst effected area. water supplies the area but with rainfall just two-fifths of its normal levels. they want to spread the word about water conservation. governments are ordering a 20%

reduction in household usage, a campaign that so far has made little difference. >> now when i see what the problem is, we got the idea how serious it is by looking at the water shortage. this drought linked to the weather system is making worse the problems of previous dry years. in any normal year this area would be well underwater. but even now between now and next spring there were to be normal average rainfall it would not make up the shot fall precipitation. people are not worried about an one-off drought but rather a long-term problem. >> usually they see more than 70%. the lack of rain then is bound to lead to a drought. we've had droughts for the last ten years and last winter and spring rainfall was only 50% of

average, so it's getting worse. >> the shortage has hit hardest on coastal rice paddies reclaimed from the sea. not enough fresh water means salt is rising to the surface. farmers say they've lost 30 to 100% of their crops without double of rainfall between now and next spring they won't be able to plant the next crops. >> i'm worried about farming at all next year. we need the government to bring in water from somewhere else to create conditions for farming. this area has seen less and less rainfall every year. >> they're promising by february to put in place pipelines to divert water from another major river. but a pattern emerging of dryer weather over the whole country, consumptions changes is sure to be needed. >> a new report said that last year more people died from tuberculosis than hiv/aids.

tuberculosis known as tb is a bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs and can be fatal. it killed 1.5 million people last year, more than the 1.2 million who died of hiv/ai hiv/aids. people who have died by tb has fallen by 47% since 1990, and it's hoped to reduce it by another 90% by 2030. but the who says they need $9 billion for research and development. sir, thank you for joining us here on our al jazeera. i guess in this report there is good news and bad news. the good news is that the rates have pretty much halved from 1990. the bad news is that it's still killing 1.5 million people. now you say that you need more funding for treatment, research, and development. what are your priorities, and why do you think it's proving so

resistant? we need more funding for the simple reason that we've shown in fact, intervention against tuberculosis actually work. in major investments have as a resulted in major savings of lives. there is a new strategy in the era of sustainable government goal, and we're now promoting the strategy in such a way that we tackle tuberculosis the way it should be. >> it can be diagnosed and in the vast majority of cases can be cured.

>> the problems lie in the fact that in some of this country, the commitment by government, the financing that is devoted to tuberculosis is limited. we know how to diagnose tuberculosis, but we need much more implementation of new tools that aren't available now. we know how to treat it and cure it, 95% of people with tuberculosis can be actually cured. it's an issue of strategy. it's an issue of planning, and an issue of financing. >> there has been so much publish police around hiv/aids that many would know about the

disease and how it is passed on. not much is known about tb. what are the symptoms and how is it transmitted from person to person, if that is how it is transmitted. >> you're absolutely right. for whatever reason this is a disease of the poorest among the poor. it is often neglected. it does not have the people who can speak loudly about tuberculosis. people who are infected with tuberculosis normally present with cough. that prolonged cough is not something that comes overnight and gives an acute type of illness. it's something that grows very slowly. many are smokers, so they may smoke something causing the coughs. then you have fever and then overnight you have night sweats. he have weakness and progressive weight loss. if you have these symptoms all together you better look for a doctor, because it might be, especially when it last as few weeks or months, it might be

tuberculosis. >> it is found all over the world. doctor, head of w.h.o. global program, we'll have to leave it there. thank you for joining us. >> much more to come. myanmar compares for its first contested election in 25 years. we ask why no candidates from its large muslim community are standing. and will changing relations between the united states and cuba be a game changer for cuban athletes?

>> in just over a week's time myanmar will hold it's first contested election in 25 years. neither party has chosen any muslim candidates despite making up 10% of the population. phil reese reports. >> despite the prominent role that myanmar's muslims played in confronting the former regime, the national league for democracy has refused to let any muslims represent the party in fourth coming elections. >> they have selected 1200 representatives. none of them a muslim.

>> the myth for the protection of nationality and religion known by its acronym is headed by an anti-muslim monk and supporter of the government party. notorious for his anti-muslim rhetoric. he raley criticized. he is rarely criticized. >> in places where there are many muslims, native girls are being killed. men are being killed. women are raped and killed. >> members of the rohingya minority have been prevented from voting or standing in the election. an mp for five years, now the electoral commission said that his documents don't fulfill the citizenship criteria. >> you owned land in 1931. >> yes, grandfather of my mother. >> this is the beginning of a process to deny your right to

live in myanmar? >> yes. this is the beginning to deny my rights to stay in myanmar. not only me. the whole rohingya community may be at risk, in danger now. >> the international state crime initiative in london will public a report thursday which condemns the government for trying to annihilate the rohingya presence in m myanmar and using muslim phobia to do so. >> prepared to absolutely tolerate the kind of hate speech for the government's own ends. and that is to marginal, segregate, diminish the muslim population inside burma. it is pardon of a genocide process. >> they denied that there had been a purge in the party. they believe to win it is a

better strategy to leave out muslim candidates. >> well, al jazeera has made several requests for comment from the myanmar government, but has received no response. you can see the investigative units' full documentary "genocide agenda" at 1:00 gmt on thursday. and online on www.aljazeera.com/genocide agenda. it's time to get all the sport now. here is jo. >> thank you so much. suspended fifa president sepp blatter has told russian news agency that the 2018 company will not be taken away from the government. the unofficial agreement with fifa in 2010 decided russia would hold that world cup and the united states would take t the 2022 event. michel platini played a key role in shifting away from the u.s. and cards qatar. everything was good until french

president sarkozy had a meeting, and he said it would be good to go to qatar. this has changed the pattern. if the usa was speaking about thspeak given the world cup we world world cup. >> to put much of that blame on michel platini. it is in its own way outrageous to say any kind of agreement within fifa that it would go to russia in 2018 and then america in 2022. then it was the work of michel platini that made it end up going to qatar. the public looking on in horror saying why is there any kind of agreement taking place? but this is mr. blatter who continues to stir things up. we have to be cautious at his

words. in the interview a lot of what he said was muddled. he talks about fifa run offs being a commercial organization and he said fifa is not a commercial organization. directly contradicting himself. >> back on the field in a few hours' time game two of the able world series. the kansas city royals take on the new york mets. >> based in san francisco in last year's world series this was a chance to make amends for kansas city. the royals off to the best possible start against the new york mets hitting home off the first pitch. >> a single helped the mets draw level 1-1 before an unexpected drama. the host broadcast and saw both

of the power generatings fail as tv screens went black. the match delayed for several minutes with umpires also unable to access video replay. upon resumption it was curtis granderson who brought the game and the mets back to life. the royals would fight their way back in the sixth inning. a mistake by eric hozmar with a crucial moment at kansas city. they were two hours away from an opening victory when at the bottom of the ninth ther the royals. it would take an extra five innings to decide the game. finally at 1219 12:19 in the

morning, the results were decided. >> here comes escobar! >> the longest opening world series game on record. >> two things you don't want in game one of the world series. one is to go 14 innings, and the other one is to lose. to find a way to grind that game out against a great team. they were matched, both teams were matching pitch-for-pitch. we had opportunities. they would make big pitches and get out of innings. but you know, to grind to that game and win it in the 14th inning was big. >> the two teams were just a matter of hours to recover with game two scheduled for wednesday. is he possesfor. >> these men are the future of cuban baseball. if they play well in havana's

under-23 team they might join the very. but some dream of a future well beyond that in the united states. >> you play base where you always want to compete in major league baseball because it's the highest level of baseball. there is no league in the world like it. >> to get to the u.s. cuban ball players usually defect to a third country first. the salaries do not come easy. they've had to risk their lives and leave their families. >> with the way things are now between cuba and the united states, it should be easy. i think with the ties it should be easier. of course i would like my family here with me. >> more than 350 players have left cuba since 1980. it has sparked an exodus. about 100 players have left in the past 12 months alone.

players are worried that major league baseball could one day negotiate directly with the cuban government, meaning smaller pay checks. escobar now plays for the nationals but grew up in this neighborhood in havana. these men, his childhood friends, played baseball in the streets with him. >> he has not been forgotten. he won't be forgotten in this neighborhood. >> escobar once played for cuba's. once they consider him a legend, they are label defectors, athletes who abandon the country. >> when escobar left for the united states eventually to play with major league baseball, the government confiscated this

house. >> they have immense amount of power over its players. >> the u.s. would be paying now now that things have changed, directly to the cuban government. melissa chan, al jazeera, havana. >> that is all the sport for now. back to barbara in london. >> thank you very much. an unmanned spacecraft flying close to is a tur saturn. it will pass through a plume of ice and water vapor, which shoots out from its south polar region, scientists believe the moon has an ocean containing hot water which means it could host life forms. that's it for this news hour. more news in a few minutes.

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humanity... saturday, 6:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> as more iranian soldiers fight and die in syria's war, iran's government prepares to join the united states and russia in talks to end the conflict. hello, you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up, as violence in israel and the occupied territories conditions, palestinians president asks the u.n. for international protection. the price of admission scandal, vw announce