only on al jazeera america >> hello, i'm maryam nemazee. this is the news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minut minutes, as more iranian soldiers fight and die in syria's war iran's government prepares to enter talks to end the conflict. men and women are rescued after their boat capsized off the shores of lesbos.

>> in doha with all the sport including details of the deals sepp blatter claims were in place to make sure russia would host the 2018 world football world cup. >> for the first time and amid ongoing violence iran has accepted an invitation to accept talks aimed at air why's civil war. the meeting will take place on friday in vienna. iran, united states, russia, turkey and saudi arabia will all attend. russia along side--iran along side russia is one of the main backers of president bashar al-assad's regime. the foreign minister said that the talks will be a test of how sirs iran is of reaching a political solution to the

crisis. >> there will be a meeting on friday which will include other states from the region to test mirren tensions to finding a solution to the syrian crisis. on top of that solution is finding a time and way for bashar al-assad to step down. we hope that such efforts can be concluded in success. in the meantime we and our allies are committed to providing increasing report to moderate opposition groups to improve the military balance on the ground. >> now for the latest reaction from the united states. let's join roslind jordan who is in washington, d.c. for us. what are you hearing about what prompted this change in the u.s. position? >> well, i think that really it has come as a result of a lot of conferences which u.s. officials have been having with their counterparts including with officials there in the gulf, and certainly even though they have been hinting that it might be the right time for iranians to

join the conversation about the future with syria it's really only been in the last 24 hours that the u.s. has essentially come out and said that it believes that iran could have something of value to contribute to the conversation. what we've also heard here in washington on wednesday is that the administration is trying to be pragmatic. trying to recognize while it believes that iran has gone out of its way to help support of government of bass bass, it do bashar al-assad, it does not have its ear in trying to find a political solution to end the civil war. >> what do you hear in talks in vienna this week. >> we don't know if there will be any bilateral meetings between secretary of state john kerry, who is leaving washington in the next few hours for that

meeting in vienna on friday. but we anticipate that they will certainly have occasion to talk during the multi lateral or multi national discussions that are scheduled to take place on friday. thursday is going to be more bilateral meetings between the secretary and several other foreign minister who is will be there. but we don't know whether he's going to have a face-to-face meeting with the iranian morni foreign minister. but let's not forget this is an opportunity where the u.s. says it will be interesting to see how serious the iranians are just as how serious are the russians to find a way out of syria's civil war. the u.s. feels as long as both of these countries are trying to make it possible, in their view, for bashar al-assad to stay in power and not reach a political concession or agreement with the

opposition, then they really can't see how they can take either countries' efforts inside syria very seriously if at all. >> let's work now on the significance of joining these talks. let's go to the professor of middle east studies at the university of tehran, how important is that tehran for the first time will participant in international talks on syria's future? >> i think this is meant to bring some balance to the negotiating table on the future of syria. now a sort of counter narrative brought to the scene against that narrative that says that assad should leave immediately at any case scenario, and that

iran is part of the problem and cannot be part of the solution i think this bringing balance to the negotiating table on the future of syria will make it more pragmatic and make the regional rivals of iran more pragmatic in their dealing and prospect for the future of syria, and the future of a compromised solution between the government and it's opposition, and fight against, of course, extremist groups in syria. >> how is iran's participate in these talks being viewed by regime itself. given the contradictory message emerging from the country? >> from the syrian regime? >> the iranian regime particularly, the iranian regime, tell me why they would

agree to participate in these talks after consistent efforts particularly by saudi arabia to glove them in the international summit? >> well, i don't think it's on the saudi's part to stop iran from participating in any effort for the future of syria. i think iran has been there. iran has been a part of the what has been going on in syria. iran has never spoke about one-way military solution. iran has been more pragmatic on its choices and rhetoric on syria, and i think iranis are clinging to is about a compromise and not a military solution. that's why i think iranian

government has never refrained from taking part of any sort of dialogue on syria. >> does that compromise iran the survival of president assad? >> well, that's not a red line. the red line is someone comes to syria and imposes something on the syrians that they don't want. iran's red line there is that nobody, including the regional regional--its regional rivals or international actors should come to syria without a compromise to syria on a dialogue, with everybody, including dialogue that will lead the way to future that include everybody. but imposing something that is

iran's red line that has always been vocal on it, and i think the future will iran's policy on the future will be the same. >> thank you very much, it was nice to get your thoughts, professor of middle east at the university of tehran. thanthank you for sharing one analysis with us. the world food program has announced it will help 229,000 vulnerable refugees living in jordan. they were supposed to cut the vouchers last month because of a shortage of funds. but each person will be now given $14 a month until the end of the year. >> what we've seen is that the international community recognizing and have been desperately in need of financial support to keep helping syrians, and we have found the money to come forward and give us this lifeline for the winter period. right now we can cover people

through to january but after that it's going to get difficult again. but the most criminal point is that during the critical winter months families can put food on the table for their children. >> thousands are continue to go flee the fighting in syria in successive political efforts to stem the flow really have done little to improve the situation on sunday european union and balkans leaders agreed a plan of cooperation aimed an at how refugees move europe. among the key points, centers be set up along the most popular route from greece to germany, but none of the measures appear capable of slowing the flow of refugees, and the journeys they're taking are getting more desperate as thousands try to cross waters to greece before the winter months make the trip even more dangerous. that's putsing huge pressure on the freak island of lesbos.

around 9,000 refugees are arriving each day, and in the last few hours more tragedy, a boat sank claiming the lives of three refugees. >> the fishing boats emerge from the darkness racing into port with no time to lose. they pull in with blankets and anything else the crew could find. and yet another tragic sinking in the mediterranean. they look bewildered unsure whether to smile or weep. then the volunteers metics sprang into action. a young child was the first to be passed assure. apparently unharmed but shocked into silence. but many were much, much worse. in the darkness they were transformed into an emergency triage center.

volunteers tended to the many survivors who look to be suffering severe hyperthermia and shock. >> some appear to be slipping away despite the best efforts of specialist medics. >> clear, move, move, move. >> a child wrapped in blankets was hurriedly transported to hospital in the arms of a mayor medic. other survivors were able to walk. the small greek island of lesbos have been receiving thousands of migrants every day this summer. this is not the first sinking tragedy this year. the residents are deeply effected by it. >> babies are drowning. i'm 67 years old, and i can't

hold back my tears. of course it's the big states that must help. since we're small and unable to do so, then they must do the job. the people drowning our are own blood. yes, we're sorry. what else can we do? shame. >> more boats arrive with more survivors. these in apparently better condition. like so many sinkings this year the totalities from this latest tragedy may never be known. paul brennan, al jazeera. >> much more to still come on the news hour as volkswagen announce the first loss in 15 years. we speak oh-to-works outside of the company's headquarters. find out what happen to this u.s. police officer who is caught on camera throwing a teenager across a classroom. and baseball's world series.

>> mahmood abbas has warned the situation between israelis and palestinians is at its worst and most criminal stage since 1948. they have urged the nations to step in and provide international protection. 64 palestinians and nine israelis have been killed so far this month. >> we reaffirm that the security double will shoulder its responsibility and establish a special regime of international protection for the palestinian people. we want your protection. we want the protection of the world. we can no longer bear these sanctions, all these attacks perpetuated by settlers and the israeli army. >> a palestinian 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 confirmed it had arrested an palestinian who stabbed an israeli woman at a

settlement just south of jerusalem. the division of who can play at the al-aqsa mosque compound has been fueling the tensions in the area. fear violence and suspicions have darkened the last month. the status quo agreed upon almost 50 years ago, this site has never been contested as it is today. >> with the temple movements it's starting the campaign of demanding jewish prayer on the temple mount. and backed up by strong political players inside the coalition. since june 2014 police have started putting severe access restrictions for wide parts of the muslim population according to age, according to gender.

it was never before that the reason was in order to allow jews to enter the place. >> this issue of access is at the heart of recent violence. it gain during recent jewish holidays when right-wing jewish groups toured the compounded, an act contested by reasonable authorities here. this proclamation signed by israel's chief rabbi prohibits jews from entering the al okay is a mosque or temple mount known by jews, but jewish activists have been doing that, stoking and inflaming tensions. >> thee images of jewish visitors touring the site adds to the fear. >> for us they are allowed to

visit as guests without provocation of prayer. but this has changed, and these extremists say we want to pray, and this holy place is ours. they say we muslims should leave. >> the israeli prime minister issued a statement on saturday saying categorically that jews will not be allowed to pray at al academy so mosque compound. there is an international push on the situation. they say that security cameras will stream life footage to show what happens here. >> there is no agreement between israel and jordan and the palestinians on what is an aggression on the temple mount. so we'll see the same picture, but many will describe it in different words. >> there is complete distrust. they say it will take more than words and cameras to insure that their rights are not being threatened. stephanie dekker, jerusalem.

>> the saudi arabia coalition deny that it bombed a hospital of doctors without borders. doctors without borders said that it provided the hospital location coordinates to the coalition two weeks ago. >> the transmission of gps coordinates the reaction was just cross checked. thwe made sure that gps coordinates were traps mitted. >> turkey's prosecutor has taken control of a media company just days ahead of parliamentary elections.

it is linked to a cleric critical of president erdogan. we have this from southeast turkey. >> this latest crackdown goes back to what is really with a was was a very close friendship and relationship between gulen and erdogan. they were once close friends. gulen heads the islamic preacher and has millions of followers here in turkey and worldwide. but back towards the end of 2013 prosecutors and police perceived to be close to gulen launched corruption investigations into erdogan's close circle. since then the friendship has collapsed. erdogan has accused gulen's supporters of trying to topple him and the turkish government. this has led to a crackdown on

businesses and organizations deem to have links to gulen and the gulen movement. this crackdown today is connected to that. yes it comes close to elections on sunday here in turkey where opposition groups would say the nee need is under pressure of the government. but this really has been going on since the end of 2013. >> to the united states now where candidates competing for the republican party nomination and presidential election gearing up for their third televised debate. wednesday' debate is expected to focus on jobs and the economy. alan fisher joins us live from colorado where the debate is being held. alan, how important are these debates for the candidates?

>> well, i think a lot of people think another debate, what good is it going to do? remember last time scott walker at one point was the leader in of the republican field had a very bat debate in the second debate, and within a few days he was gone. the pressure this time is on jeb bush. remember, he was also at the front of the field. raised a lot of money when he made his nomination public and also got a lot of big-name backers, but he has been polling in the single dims for a long time now. he can't seem to bust the bubble of donald trump or ben carson. he needs a big night, and if he doesn't he may be the next figure we see go out of this race yet. it is important that they're fighting for air time and get their message across and fighting to stay in the race. these debates are incredibly important. >> ben carson seems to be having his time in the headlines. what about that? >> we often see people who fair

and then fade. we saw it last time around with michele bachmann. you remember her? or herman cain, remember him? probably not. ben carson seems to be pulling ahead in national polls and in early polling states like iowa and new hampshire. he appeals to the core of the republican party. he appeals to evangelist voters. people like the fact that he's an outer. this debate is on the economy and so far he has been weak on that. he has not been able to articulate how he attends to address the deficit or fund major programs in the united states. there is a tithe that everyone will be taxed at 10%. if you earn $2 million a year, 10% tax. if you earn $10 a year, 10%. it means that the deficit in the united states would be exploded.

it would just get too big. here he'll be under pressure to put some detail on his financial plans to see if he really is a credible candidate, and whether he's just one more candidate who flairs and then fades. >> thanks very much. joining us live from boulder, colorado, where the third presidential debate is expected to take place for the republican nominees in the u.s. race. 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 fired after this i want on monday where he is seen throwing a student to the ground and then across the room. he was called in to deal with the student who had been disruptive and refused to leave the classroom. >> deputy fields did not follow proper training or follow proper procedure when he threw the

student across the room. from the very beginning that's what caused me to be upset when i first saw that video and continues to upset me when i see that video is the fact that he picked the student up, and he threw the student across the room. that is not a proper technique and should not be used in law enforcement. >> in the wake of the volkswagen emission scandal the germ carmaker posted it's first quarterly loss in 15 years. the company set aside $7 billion to deal with the fall out from the scandal but admits it may cost the company even more. from berlin and the hayward reports. >> it is dominated that the vie line for decades, and while steam still pours from europe's biggest carmaker, inside anxious times at vw embroiled in candle as it endures its first quarterly loss in at least 15 years. >> the first and most important

priority is helping our customers 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 admissions test. for some of the 60,000 workers in volksburg it is business as usual, but there are worries. >> it's a depressing atmosphere. we talk about it all the time. >> the atmosphere is down. a lot of people are 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's 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 many of these workers now depends on how well vw can recover trust in its brand. a brand which has been built on reliability and trust. >> vw says an independent investigation will take place to try to understand what happened. the company one of germany's biggest and one of the world's leading car makers could face criminal charges. emma hayward, al jazeera, in berlin. >> still ahead for you this news hour. we meet the bee keepers of mexico who have taken a battle against gmos to court. and find out how farmers from zimbabwe are successfully

putting down roots in mozambiq mozambique. and we'll have details latter in sports.

>> welcome back. you're watching the al jazeera news hour. iran has accepted an invitation to attend international talks in vienna in ending the conflict in syria. meeting will include united states, russia, turkey and saudi arabia. at least three people have died off the coast of the greek island of lesbos. the palestinians president mahmood abbas has asked the united nations for international protection as he warns the relationship between palestinians and israelis is at its worst since 1948. emergency teams in afghanistan and pakistan have desperately trying to reach people trapped after monday's earthquake. rescuers are struggling to reach the victims of the

earthquake. the earthquake has also trigge triggered landslides. >> help is beginning to arrive, 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 waiting for someone to come out and get them out of this difficult situation. this old lady has been waiting for two days. she said that no one has come to her house to try and give her reassurance that she will be able to rebuild this mud home. she is traumatized. >> our house has collapsed. what will we do now? we're very pour and have this mud house. but now we've lost everything, and we won't be able to rebuild. no one is helping us, and there has been 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 is over a large area, and it is 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 that it is always there to help its people. the calamity is not so large, but there needs to be some sensitivity. the prime minister and the chief minister and the applications may be coming for photo sessions, but this is a time for action. >> nepal's parliament has voted in the nation's first woman president. the deputy leaders of nepal's communist party and a women's rights campaigner. the role will be a ceremonial one as nepal's prime minister is still the country's leader. she has been playing a political role in the country since her

husband was killed in an unsolve car accident. >> questions are being raised about the fairness of the judicial process. >> it feels like an impossible task. he's trying to keep his client from being hanged but finds all the witnesses he has tried to call does not testify. >> the tribunal have a number of witnesses we were allowed down to only five. the others who summited affidavits were not summoned, and who were these others? they were high up people in society. >> the stakes are high. he is accused of orchestrating

mass murders and mass rapes during the war of indians from pakistan in 1971. he's also one of bangladesh's prominent opposit opposition leaders. a pakistani witness who was refused a visa to testify that he was with him during the war. >> all this is mentioned in the affidavit that we traveled together with three people, myself, we went by car, my car all these things are marked on my passport.

>> the prosecution said that the defense is putting forward false evidence. >> in fact, his lawyers submitted the witness list. the first time was 100 names. >> in the end the tribunal has allowed 21 witnesses the defense only five. it's not unusual for defense witnesses to lie, but in a death penalty case questions remain why such an adjustment could not have been made in court. al jazeera. >> we report on what implication such partnerships could have in the region's industry. >> zimbabwe's manufacturing sector used to employ more than

200,000 people. now it's fewer than half that picture. so they're looking to india for help in reviving struggling companies. india an emerging market stands to benefit from zimbabwe's iron-ore export. they have been trading with india for decades, but there have been problems. >> it's a long-standing relationship, but given the fact that the economy of zimbabwe has been going through difficult times, that is obviously it has had an impact between the trade and economic ties between the two countries. currently i would say that things are somewhat dormant. >> over the years thousands of people have lost their jobs.

>> i worked with this company. i raised my children from this company. but the wages happening now is something which is very disgraceful. >> laid-off workers have been told by the government a new investor is coming. this used to be africa's largest steel manufacturer before it collapsed in 2008. more than 5,000 people used to work here. the place was busy. the steel was sold all over the world. now it's barely functioning. but some fear in investing in zimbabwe because of political instability, allegations of corruption and a policy that favors black zimbabwes. >> to scale up the involvement of locals in the economy. and it is a group policy because it provides for political stability. if we can.

>> the biggest escort is cotton. the country has potential to export more materials like diamonds and raw materials. they import medical drugs from india and electrical appliances. so far the trade favors india, something that zimbabwe hopes to change. >> long awaited archingen report uncovered evidence of mass graves and forced cannibalism. >> the report was meant to be released earlier this year but was delayed to give peace negotiations a chance. the peace agreement was signed in august. >> the opposition's have called for are count of the country's

presidential vote saying there were irregularities in the count. >> the presidential election will be held again in three months. it's very tense there. there is a heavy reasons as well as a main coalition that supports the main candidate has rejected the results that have been tallied and announced by the national electoral commission. thee sa they say these results have been doctored. >> they say this electoral forms proof just that.

>> the elect traditional chairperson said that there are no fixes for postponement. not even the election. >> the national election commission has released a statement saying that the results announced are factual and have been signed off by agency of all major league political parties. they're urging team to keep calm and stay patient as they wait for the final result. >> new reports say that last year more people died from tuberculosis than hiv/aids. tuberculosis or tbs a bacterial

infection that mainly effects the lungs ca lungs and can be fatal. the number of people dying tb has fallen by 47% since 1990. it's hope that it can be reduced by a further 90%. the w.h.o. said it needs money for research and development. >> tuberculosis has never been eliminated anywhere in the world. and country still suffer, including rich countries from tuberculosis. the problems lie in the fact that the commitment by government, those devoted to fighting tuberculosis is limited. we know how to diagnose tuberculosis but we need more implementation of new tools that are available now. we know how to treat tuberculosis and can cure it, and more than 95% theoretically

of people with tuberculosis can be cured. so it's an issue of strategy. it's an issue of planning. it's an issue of financing the bare convention. >> there has been a significant development in the colombian peace talks after president juan manuel santos declared a cease-fire with farc guerrillas starting january 1st. the fact that the sides have put their arms down comes from three years of negotiations. santos stressed the introduc independence of rebel fighters. bee keepers are going up against monday santos. they claim the company poll lawsuits it's honey and threatens their livelihoods. >> it's called the mayan's greatest treasure. the same color but more valuable than gold.

it's called mayan honey produced here in tree trunks by tiny bees. they don't sting, and they make the most prized honey in the yucatan peninsula jungle. >> we use it for ceremonies to ask for rain, but it also has medal properties. >> the ancient mayans would mix honey with dirt as cement for their famous pyramids. today more than 20,000 mayan families produce honey from far more aggressive bees. they use smoke to keep them from attacking. the honey produced here 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 on its exquisite taste and aroma but on their ability to keep their honey pure. that's why these nearby soy plantations have been the enemy.

genetically modified and prayed with her side herbicides both sold by monda by monday santos. >> we're demanding that they stop. >> the court has the power to limit crops that has the potential to impact health the environment and in this case the culture of the mayan communities. >> a culture closely linked to what some call the nectar of the gods. today pitted against arguebly the world's most powerful agro-chemical corporation. lucia newman, mexico.

>> dozens of white farmers forced off their property in zimbabwe ended up in mozambique. >> kevin gifford left zimbabwe more than ten years ago. he said he was supposed to move after his pharmacy was diseased when president robert mugabe started his land program. it was a program that took land from white farmers and given to black farmers. he said in mozambique was not easy but he's doing well now. >> we have 460 hectares and we employ anywhere between 175 to 350 workers here at any one

time. >> over the last 15 years more than 200 zimbabwe farmers have moved to mozambique. they were attracted not only to the safety this country offered but cheap land leases and bank loans. the farmers say they have been treated well so far. >> i do feel welcomed in mozambique. they have been very good to us. it started when they invited us to come develop their country and the government has been very 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 bill's tomato farm. he, too, came to mozambique with very little. >> we started very small and now we have 12 hectares of water culture. it doesn't sound much but in terms of tonnage it's quite big. >> but it's not quite th the new farmers who are doing well, the new wealth is trickling down

to locals. in a region with high unemployment rate these foreign owned farms have given the local economy a much-needed boost. hundreds of young mozambiqueen men now work on these farms. the farm workers know why the employers are here. they say they want more of them to come. >> what happened in zimbabwe, if it happens here it will be sad for us because he's helping us a lot. in this community there is a lot of unemployment. >> back at his farm kevin said he would like to return to zimbabwe one day, but for now he has bigger concerns like finding new markets for thinks produce. al jazeera, mozambique. >> still to come we'll have all the sport from our doha newsroom including a reporten our growing relations between the united states and cuba may be a game changer for cuban athletes.

>> welcome back. time now for your sport with jo. >> thank you so much. suspended fifa president sepp blatter has told russian news agency that the 2018 world cup will not be taken away from the country. the 79-year-old also claims that an unofficial agreement within fifa in 2010 decided russia would host that world cup, and that the united states would take the 2022 event. blatter claims michel platini played a key role in shifting support away from the u.s. and

towards qatar. everything was good until the moment when former french president sarkozy had a meeting with the crown prince of qatar. after afternoon he said it would be good to go to qatar. this has changed the pattern. if the usa was given the world cup we would only speak about the wonderful world cup in russia and we would not speak about any problems at fifa. well, the ruling of qatar's world cup has been criticized by the english chairman, but the foreign minister has hit back in an interview. he had this to say. >> what do you say to the chairman of the english chairman competition who said that you'll be stripped of the world cup once the swiss authoritie authorities complete they are investigation. >> we want to see his face when

we present the 2022. i said this before and i'll keep saying this. we deserve to have the 2022 world cup in qatar an arabic state, and arabic islamic country. we need such a tournament for the youth in the region and i think we deserve to have one. >> the campaign back on track at the season-ended wta finals in singapore. this tournament has a group format kvitova coming through 7-5, 7-5. they'll be back on the field in a few hours' time in baseball's world series. the kansas city royals take the 1-0 lead over the new york mets but only after the longest game one in history. elise holman reports. >> based on last year's world series this was a chance to make

amends for kansas city. escobar got 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 at 1-1 in the fourth before an unexpected drama. the host broadcasters saw both of their power generators fail as tv screens across the united states 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. their lead stretched to 3. 1 before the royals fought their way back in the sixth inning. a mistake by hosmar became a

crucial moment for kansas city. they were two outs away from an opening victory when at the bottom of the ninth alex gordon turned the hero for the royals. 4-4, and it would take an extra five innings to decide the game. finally at 12:19 in the morning, the result was decided. >> the royals win game one. >> the longest opening world series game on record. >> two things you don't want in game one of the world series, and one of them is to go 14 innings. the other one is to lose. to find a way to grind that game out against the great team over there. i mean, they were matched. both teams were matching pitch-for-pitch. we had opportunities, they would make great pitches. they would get out of innings. but to grind through 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. elise holman,age. >> one of the new york mets star players is cespedes, who defected from cuba to the u.s. four years ago. but as melissa chan reports from havana, an u.s.-cuba relations could change things. >> these are the future of cuban baseball. they might join the industry, cuba's version of the new york yankees. but some dream of a future well beyond that in the united states. >> you play where you always want to compete in 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 in order to negotiate as international free agents. the salaries do not come easy.

they had to risk their lives and leave their families. >> the way things are now between cuba and the united states i think it should be easier. they're looking for ways to have ties. i think its easier. of course i would like to have my family with me. >> more than 350 players have left cuba since 1980, but normalization has sparked an exodus. about 100 players have left in the past 12 months alone. players are worried major league baseball could one day negotiate directly with the cuban government, meaning smaller paychecks. escobar now plays for the washington nationals but grew up in this neighborhood in havana. these men, his childhood friends, played baseball in the streets with him. >> some of them play baseball and say they want to be just like escobar and other stars. he has not been forgotten. he won't be forgotten in this

neighborhood. >> escobar once played for cuba's industry. while the children here consider him a legend cuban officials labor him like others who left defectors, athletes who abandoned the country. when escobar's team won the nationals the cuban government gave him this house and when escobar left for the united states eventually playing with major league baseball, well, the government confiscated. the cuban sports officials, the cuban government will say, has an immense amount of power over the players. >> cuba makes considerable investments in its players from a very young age and now faces a future where it would lose more of its top talent, but the u.s. would be paying for that now, now that things have changed, directly to the cuban government. melissa chan, al jazeera, havana. >> that's all the sport for now. back to london. >> thank you very much.

a military blimp that broke from its mooring from the state of maryland and floated free for hours has finally been grounded but not before it created electrical outages effecting 20,000 homes. it can stay in the air up to 30 days. and unmanned nasa spacecraft has began the pass past saturn's ocean moon. it is orbiting saturn since 2004, it will pass through ice and water vapor which shoots out from its south polar region. they will take gas and particle samples as it passes just 48 kilometers above it's surface at a speed of 30,000 kilometers an hour. you can find much more on everything we're covering on our website www.aljazeera.com. that's it for the news hour. but i'll be back with a full

bulletin of news for you. stay with us. >> ali velshi, lifting the lid... >> cameras in place for money and not safety. >> on the red light controversy. >> they don't give two cent about your safety. >> there's an increase in rear end accidents. >> ali velshi on target: hitting the breaks.

>> al jazeera america brings you independent reporting without spin. >> not everybody is asking the questions you're asking me today. >> we give you more perspectives >> the separatists took control a few days ago. >> and a global view. >> now everybody in this country can hear them. >> getting the story first-hand. >> they have travelled for weeks, sometimes months. >> what's your message then? >> we need help now. >> you're watching al jazeera america.

>> as more iranian soldiers fight and die in syria's war, iran's government prepares to join the u.s. and russia in talks to end the conflict. >> hello, i'm maryam nemazee. you're watching al jazeera live from london. coming up, men, women and children rescued from the water off the island of lesbos. vw announce their first quarterly loss in 15 years. and faint out