7:00 a.m. eastern. it's great to have you with us. have a great day. thanks for watching. hello, welcome, you're watching the news hour from doha. our top stories, anti-government demonstrations against the president, her predecessor and the scandal that's taking brazil by storm. >> with refugees stranded on the greek-macedonia border, european leaders try to reach a deal. >> north carolina launches two

more missiles. barack obama's visit is raising hopes but also concerns about the future in communist cuba. the political crisis in brazil gets deeper by the day. a federal judge is trying to block the move by president rousseff to give her predecessor a cabinet post. >> a petition was issued to halt desilva's appointment moments after he was sworn in. that appointment sparked a wave of protest with many seeing it as an attempt to protect him from prosecution in a corruption case. >> rousseff is trying to hold on to the support of millions of poor brazilians who. we fitted from desilva's time in power. he has pumped millions of

dollars into programs that roussef has tried to retain. it is the equivalent of 10.5% of brazil's gross domestic product. the g.d.p. is expected to shrink after a similar drop in 2015, making this the worst downturn in a century. brazil's currency lost a third of its value against the u.s. dollar last year and barely managed to regain any ground since. let's go live to rio. is he actually chief of staff or not? >> well, this is the exact same question many brazilians have because as much as the injunction against him that was fired in brazil i can't, the capital city was unblocked, meaning his position was allowed to be kept by him. twenty judges across the country

filed their own injunction. it's like a game brazilians pay where children pass the ball and whoever gets stuck wilt is out. that's what they seem to be doing on the political landscape. they're going to keep trying to block him, he's going to try to keep hold of his seat. it seems this is a never ending game where they're going to keep doing whatever it takes for each of them to push their agendas forward. >> difficult to see if there is to be a resolution to building crisis, where it's going to come from and specifically who's going to drive it. >> exactly that. at the moment, many people are saying that as much as me want president rousseff out of power, they really have no alternative that they mate want to see in her place. all they know is that they're tired of the corruption that they see as an endemic problem.

isn't one party being better than another, the problem goes across all political affiliations and what needs to be changed is the system. they're tired of the way the government has been working. it seems to them that this isn't the first time such a corruption scheme has been in place, it's just the first time possibly that people have been caught. >> you've been out there on the streets, i know, margo, quite a bit for us here object al jazeera. those people who are against rousseff, who are against lulu desilva will keep protesting until she steps down. can they sustain what they are doing? >> this is the thing. they were as we saw on sunday more than 3 million people across the country, more than 3 million people came out to ask for her to step down. we spoke to other people who weren't at the protest, but they are the ones who basically said they have jobs to keep. they need to feed their

families. it's the worst recession brazil has seen in decades but thinks if they have a choice, they could have been out on the streets, as well. it seems that the support for the anti-government movement is much larger that be even the government might fear, however, they are planning focus to carry on over the weekend. there were people on the streets last night. we heard that half an hour ago, police took to the streets in sao paulo to clear the streets. there is a plan friday afternoon for the pro unity to come out and show their support for him. they plan to march through the streets of the city. what police are trying to avoid is a clash between the two opposing sides. >> thanks very much. the refugee emergency is not something to be bargained over. those are the words of turkish prime minister as he arrived to the summit where eu leaders plan

to seal a deal to send thousands back to turkey. the turkish said said european countries were being irresponsible. i don't there is no reason for it not to explode in brussels where an opportunity has been given to the supporters of the terror organization to show off in the heart of the city or in any other place in europe. despite this bitter reality, european countries are acting recklessly as if they were dancing in a mine field. you never know where you're going to step on a land mine. >> let's take you live to brussels. the original deal has been diluted, so what is there to deal with? >> yes, you're right. it has been watered down to some degree over the last 10 days. of course the original draft was drown off on march seven. during that time, the european

council penalty has been traveling around europe trying to a lay the fears of the states reluctant to get onboard. it does look at if the backbone of that deal remines largely the same. that turkey would receive $6.7 billion, in return for accepting reef gees who have newly arrived in greece back on turkish soil. turkey has been able to encourage the u.u.28 states to lieu for an easing having visa restrictions on turkish nationals wanting to visit the schengen so in terms of the details in the agreement, a lot of it has already been agreed upon by the e.u.28. of course the turkish officials, the turkish government will have seen that, too. there are still, however, some concerns that need to be looked at. most importantly, the legality of this deal. there are worries about turkey's human rights record, something that president erdogan as we

heard there is being quick to jump to turkey's defense about, countries like france and the czech republic have been deeply worried about what it would mean ethically to send reef fees that had made the difficult journey to the e.u. back to a country where there are still deep question about what future these rejesus would have returning to turkey. when the people do return, they have to be seen to be safe, but are we also talking in theory about people being able to apply for asylum inside the e.u. when they're in at your co, which is not yet an e.u. country? >> yes, that's exact lib the deal, that refugees are resettled back in greece to use that opportunity there to apply for sigh lux in the european

union. it is perhaps a step closer on paper at least to what turkey wants, and that is to be seen outside turkey within the european union as being closer politically and strategically with the european union. of course, turkey has been desperate to speed up negotiations about joining the 28 nation block, something the country has resisted. for ankara this may be a minor victory, how it works logistically is very, very difficult to understand right now. the first thing to overcome is whether or not a deal will be agreed over the course of the day and that deal needs to appease all sides, all 28 members of the e.u., turkey, of course, and to reiterate once again, it does of course have to be legally sound. you just touched on this idea, we are talking tens of thousands of people who can't

move forward, they can't move backwards, they are in effect stateless. when it comes to them getting to the stage in this process where they have a state that they can call home, albeit a temporary home, are there any other e.u. countries stepping forward and saying either this is how we should pros them or we will voluntarily do the prosing of those people? >> well, at the moment, no e.u. country is stepping forward to say it will do that. of course alice in europe had talked about sealing off the border crossing between greece and macedonia, turning greece into a holding pen for refugees. turkey has also come out in the last couple of days saying it did not want to be seen as an open air prison camp. the reluctance is being a

processing center. as many as 72,000 syrians currently in turkish camps may be under this agreement eligible for resettlement in the e.u. going back to that legality question, though, over the last couple of days, the e.u. has been quick to introduce a new call since the agreement, bringing in the u.n. refugee agency, the u.n. agency, they will play a role, granting a degree of greater legitimacy to any resettlement program that emerges over the course of this day if a deal goes ahead and over the coming weeks and months if a deal is eventually implemented. >> thanks very much. >> now to the talks in geneva, which are aimed at bricking an end to the conflict that's forced millions of syrians to flee, the u.n. special envoy staffan de mistura meeting government and opposition representatives separately is

admitting the distance between the two sides is still very large. >> we have had the two meetings and they were rather procedural, rather procedural. that they are familiar with a point of principles that what we need to do is starting talking about political transition and what the government as such sees as a possible political transition. the question is without doubt, we are not talking about the agenda. the agenda is clear. turkish reports saying an armored vehicle has hilt a bomb. one police officer was killed. hours earlier, bomb squads managed to disable 150-kilos of explosives found in a car at a government building in another town. 14 men have appeared in court today, the suspects were

detained. 37 were killed when a car bomb struck a busy intersection. the kurdistan freedom hawks claiming responsibility for the suicide attack. turning our attention to north carolina, which has ignored the latest u.n. punishments by firing two ballistic miss aisles off its coast. according to the u.s. and south carolina, whose radar i also said to have picked up the launch. it is the latest development in a highly tense situation on the korean peninsula. rob mcbride now from hong kong. >> the reaction has been as swift as the missiles launched, especially from north korea's nation. south korea condemned it as another provocative act. >> north korea should focus on improving the north koreans

quality of life. these provocative actions not good for themselves and the development of relations between us. >> as with a similar launch last week, the missiles were fired into the sea between north korea and japan. unlike last week, these are thought to have been medium ranked missiles with at least one reaching 800 kilometers. that brought a strong response from japan because parts of its territory could be reached by a medium ranged rocket. >> we have strongly protested to north korea the government will continue to work in close cooperation with international community and respond firmly. >> this latest launch further tests the patience of neighboring china. >> as for the ballistic missiles fired by north korea, there are hexplicit requirements. we encourage north korea to

implement them. we hope each side keeps calm and refrains from taking any action that increases tensions on the peninsula. >> there is alarm on the peninsula and a sense of frustration that despite its influence, its ally and neighbor continues to conduct these tests. earlier this week, kim jong-un confirmed his countries determination to continue missile launches and soon conduct a nuclear warhead tests. those threats followed a nuclear test and long-range rocket launch earlier this year, both moves prompting increased u.n. and u.s. sanctions. in the international community was wondering if those sanctions were deterring north korea, this launch seems to be the answer. rob mcbride, al jazeera, hong kong. plenty more still to come on the news hour, including a rerun of the controversial election in

zanzibar is days away, but the opposition has refused to take part. >> i'm andy gallagher in deweyville texas where historic flooding has led to the evacuation of hundreds of families. in the sports news, find out who world and european chance barcelona will meet in the quarter finals of the champions league. let's get more on the refugee crisis in the european union. dozens of refugees of course attempt to go saling to sail to, people were given food and taken to a refugee center there. the prime minister meets e.u. leaders in belgium. the greek police are asking 11

gee he is in the macedonian border to go to government shelters. they have handed out flyers encouraging people to leave the border. rain and mud worsened the conditions and people are in dire need of food and shelter. >> there are thousands of refugees and migrants stuck in limbo on that greek border with macedonia. they've been told to leave the camp because they will never be allowed to continue their journey to the north. we have a report about why so many are choosing to stay. >> at the camp in northern greece where thousands of refugees are stranded, officials from the reef gee asylum support office encouraged them to relocate. with the borders closed, they are told the only option is to seek asylum officially. in all, that aid officials are in the camp. >> since october, 2015, which is the starting date of the program

on the ground, about 780 people have been relocated. >> hope is what made these people trek to this muddy camp. hope of going further north on the refugee trail to reach a european country. it's a force that propels them like almost every refugee past camps that have been hastily reacted in greece. a refugee from homs is losing patience. >> we registered for relocation. they did an interview with us on skype, but nothing came of i have the. it's all lies, a pure waste of time. >> a chinese activist came to see it for himself. he sees the problem. >> it doesn't really come with the fundamental belief those people are human, they have

dignity. their wound are still bleeding and the promise are made to make them bleeding longer. >> they wonder why it's taking europe so long to respond to this growing humanitarian crisis. >> more refugees arriving and they're desperate and greece is struggling. we need to see a common european strategy. there is no option b. >> for now, people of this camp continue to wait anxiously hoping that their situation will change. greece with all it's economic problems turning into a refugee prison with 44,000 people stranded here already, a number that keeps ticking upward every day. al jazeera, northern greece. let's go back to brussels for you here on the news hour, joining us live is the founder of bridging europe and an expert

on e.u. affairs. turkey wants a lot more money. do you think it will actually get it? >> turkey always needs more and more money. the fact is that it hasn't done many things so far to abide by what has been agreed by turkey and the european union. i don't believe that european union will provide any additional fund to go turkey unless ankara steps on -- takes specific stems toward implementing the agreement. dismantling the smuggler networks and try to reduce significantly the refugee flow towards greece. >> when it comes to implementing the transfer agreement, there seems to be a big gap between the reality on the ground today and what may or may not happen six or 12 months down the line, surely. actually, the problem cannot

see a bilateral perspective between e.u. and turkey nor between greece and turkey. it's mainly the lack of decisiveness of the e.u. to implement the location program and which has been to relocate refugees from greece toward the european union and the other member states. turkey has done a lot so far, there are many things still to be done, but the thing is that the problem remains that the e.u. has not a common voice addressing the refugee issue. do you understand and accept, however, the lack of commitment, if i can call it that, on the part of certain governments, if you look at say what's going on inside germany, angela merkel is doing very badly in the opinion polls. she has just done quite badly in

effect in three local elections. that's her back story. other countries like the italians and french, their basic lines could perhaps be we've done as much as we can do, so nobody is pushing everyone to the same place that they can launch themselves from to do the right thing by those refugees. >> well, the thing is that no e.u. member state has done as much as it could, other than greece and italy so far. rewarding the increase, we have realized that we now have two maker ideological camps, the first is member states and people that support and want solidarity towards the refugees and the other camp that want borders to be closed, refugees to be stuck in greece and create a chaotic situation in the

country. i repeat that the problem remains it's actually european and demands european solution. >> why is it a european problem primarily? i mean should there be slightly more joined up thinking here, if one thinks about a country like jordan that has stepped up to the plate again and again and again. jordan's third city is in effect a refugee camp. they are really feeling they are coming under the burden of this. >> exactly. jordan and lebanon, as well are big examples of solidarity to improve practice. this may be big example for the e.u., as well, but so far, the european commission prefer to increase humannen financial assistance through lebanon and jordan, rather than accepting more refugees. as a matter of fact, so far, jordan with a population of

around 10 million both have received more than 10 million refugees. >> if you do the math, you will see how the situation is on the ground. >> thank you very much. >> unusually heavy rainfall this time of year. farmers are demanding compensation from the government. other states in northern india are also being affected. the rain has followed two years of drought. large parts of texas and louisiana have been evacuated because of severe flooding affecting thousands of people in the united states. water levels like this have not been seen in more than a century. a state of emergency's been declared in 20 counties in texas. we have a report from

deweyville. >> rescue workers gather in the early morning fog. this is a community now entirely submerged after days of torrential rains. most of this water came from an overflowing reservoir, but the river also burst its banks, making this the most severe flooding in more than 100 years. >> i've lived through droughts here, fires, two hurricanes, but this is worse than anything that we've been through. the only way into the community now is by boat. homes, cars and businesses now lay partially submerged in deep brown floodwaters. >> it's been more than a week since the flooding began. you can see behind me that the floodwaters are just beginning to recede. just to give you an idea of how extensive the damage is and how

long it will be before people can return, this looks more like a river. >> we're going to be here a while, so we might as well have some fun with it. >> there have been no reported deaths or casualties, but for those waiting to get back to their homes, there is uncertainty. >> there's going to be a lot of cleaning have to be done. it's going to be a mess. it's going to be a mess. i don't know what to expect. i'm just operating for the best. >> it may be days before these waters fully recede and weeks before the full extent of the damage is known. residents here have lived through floods before and most managed to group their most treasures possessions, but the cleanup will be a long, arduous process. deweyville, the accident. >> time for world weather. much or on that flooding in the southern part of the u.s. >> we've got more rain and cloud

piling in at the moment. through the remainder of the weekend, i think we may still see more showers. it will quiet down into next week. with that line of cloud right through the deep south just spilling out of texas into ruse ruse, mississippi, alabama, eating up the eastern seaboard. little pressure with more heavy and unwanted showers, of course. this area of low pressure tied to another one over louisiana. at the moment, we still have a few showers across the deep south, pulling back the eastern side of texas into the northeast, in colorado falling as snow. we will see more snow on the northern flank of the snow there. as we go through saturday, that will eventually make its way further northward. southeastern corridor across the panhandle across mississippi and

alabama as we go through saturday. here is drier weather. that will push in as we go through sunday, so better conditions coming through at last. it will take time for floodwaters to ease. snow will eventually push up into new england for the early partly of next week. still to come for you here, piles of rubbish stretching along the streets and now lebanon's trash crisis is posing a health hazard for its residents. plus. when the border opens, it will be like one tribe and one family. >> hopes for greater security and economic prosperity for the people in south sudan. the sports news, the former u.s. open champion puts himself in contention at the arnold palmer invitational. farrah will have the details later this hour.

welcome back. you're watching the al jazeera news hour, top stories so far today: a federal judge in brazil tried to block the controversial appointment of the former president, lula desilva into the government. the position was assumed moment after he was sworn in as the president's chief of staff. nationwide anti-government protests followed that. the turkish prime minister arrived in brussels for the second day of talks about e.u.

refugees. talks on the syrian conflict are entering a fifth day in geneva. the u.n. special envoy said the divide is large but both sides agree on uniting syria. more than a dozen u.s. troops have been disciplined for an air strike on a hospital in afghanistan last year. 42 people were killed in the facility which was run by doctors without borders. we have a report from kabul. there have been no criminal charges. it was one of the worst attacks on a civilian facility by u.s. forces in afghanistan. the american military report has not been officially released, but the associated press news agency obtained details. it says that more than 12 u.s. military personnel have been disciplined because of the air attack from a plane like this, but no criminal charges have been brought, according to a.p., it may impede their future promotion prospects. >> this incident is a war crime,

because it showed in the violation of international human rights and it is against international humidity law. not only was it a civilian area, it was a hospital. >> 14 people were killed and dozens injured when the hospital was destroyed in kunduz. it was run by doctors without borders which say hospital coordinates had been given to nato forces. the pentagon promised a full and transparent investigation into the attack but resisted calls for an independent inquiry. human rights watch said there is evidence to suggest there is a strong basis for determining criminal liability exists in this case and called on the u.s. to launch a mechanism to investigate this. they also said that the u.s. is purely in certainly investigation smacks of self preservation. >> the hospital was destroyed in a 30 minute air attack during which 211 shells were fired. there is no evidence that the taliban was using the facility. the americans apologized and

said it was a mistake. today the hospital is still in ruins, security demands by doctors without borders still not given. >> we also seek guarantees, security guarantees from all the parties of the conflict today, the u.s., nato, the afghan government, as well as the taliban to make sure that such event would not be reproduced. >> the people of kunduz are still without an important life-saving hospital and families of the victims still without a convincing answer, why? tony berkeley, kabul. >> voters in zanzibar are expected to go back to the polls for a rerun of elections that were annulled. president winners of that election refuse to take part in a new one. >> it's normal to see groups gather at dusk to discuss politics in zanzibar city. these opposition supporters

angry. they say they whereon october's election and they were cheated out of their victory. >> the plan is just an election for the party, this is just another way of crushing deposition exhibit across the world. >> opposition leaders announce add victory following the october polls, but celebration were short lived. the electoral commission chairman would the election was annul because of irregularities. pop significance leader says that was illegal. he told us the rerun is in tended to keep his opponent in power. >> this has been organized and coordinated by -- june the

archipelago of zanzibar is in union that forms tanzania. some want more autonomy. they see the ruling ccn party as a mainland institution. it has dominate zanzibar politics since the 1960's. we are told the election rerun will be free and fair. >> there's everything. i think everything could be clear and fair and the election will then going in very good condition with no problem. >> the people meeting here are mostly older than their

counterparts from the main opposition party who meet on the street corners. if the main opposition party don't enter the rerun, the ruling party victory is almost guaranteed. >> many opposition supporters may not accept the result. malcolm webb, al jazeera, zanzibar. >> the death toll from a yellow fever outbreak in angola is rising. the world health organization said 150 died from the disease mainly in the capital. the first case was reported in december. >> two people have died from ebola in guinea three months after the country was declared free of the vice russ. wednesday, the world health organization said the region was managing the virus but medics say there will be flare ups

because of the fluid with the virus in survivors. south sudan is accused of supporting rebels fighting against the government of the president. people along the border hope the tensions will pass, allowing them to start much needed trade. we have a report from sudan's white nile state. >> just a row of rocks and tires serves at a road block here along the border between sudan and south sudan. people walk back and forth to bring coal or to take a sick child to the hospital. despite lingering tension between the government, there appears to be a welcoming feeling, a reminder that until 2011, the two countries were one. >> our brothers from south sudan and here in sudan are completely integrated. we have common strikes and friend ships.

>> since south sudan seceded from sudan, the border has effectively been closed. when a civil war began in 2015, the border became a one way human corridor, allowing people to seek refuge in sudan. last year, two sides battling in south sudan reached a truce. in january, sudanese president began a push to normalize relations with their neighbor to the south. first step, to reopen the border. right now, only people can cross. trade will follow. once the two governments resolve lingering disputes over border lines. >> when the border opens, it will be like one tribe and one family. movement between the two countries will be easier for everyone. >> this port along the nile river has been dormant for five years. boats are docked and a small crew remains to maintain them. before south sudan became the

worlds newest country, boats transported goods to the south. hundreds of lost jobs. >> now we are sitting without doing anything. it's like being a sick man. traveling helped maintain the relations between our countries. >> the owning of the border brings the hope of greater security and economic boost for sudan. this marks the beginning of international trade between two countries. it's believed sudan could export millions of dollars in goods each year to south sudan. al jazeera, white nile state, sudan. when is a chief of staff not a chief of staff? when you're talking about the politics of brazil. general rousseff oop pointed did he silva as her chief of staff. there is question in the country

whether it is legal to put him inside the cabinet in such a top job. the director of the brazil institute of the woodrow wilson center joins us now. is this actually legal? >> well, i have the will be legal if it is approved by the supreme court. there was one injunction in brazil i can't that was dismissed by a superior court. there is another real, there are 10 waiting in line. all of this will be zipped by the superior courts and eventually by the supreme court if the supreme court decide that is that is legal, the former president can become the chief of staff of president roussef. what he will do with that position, though, remains to be seen, because one idea was initially to shield him from prosecutor from lower courts on

the petro brass corruption scandal. the second idea would be that he would help president rousseff fight an impeachment process pending against her in congress and that really gained speed yesterday. it doesn't look like either of those objectives are attainable at this point. >> why are they unattainable? everyone else seems to be saying rousseff is trying to play a clever but dangerous game because she knows it will go as far as the supreme court. people are also saying something else and it's this, the supreme court will because of its d.n.a. be sympathetic towards her as opposed to being sympathetic towards the message that the people are trying to get out there, the people who are protesting on the streets. >> that is to be determined. i think that what is happening right now, we know the supreme court yesterday reacted

vehemently against a series of statements made by former president lula that she wants to name or name at her chief of staff saying that his statement about the supreme court were offensive typical of an autocratic and arrogant mind, so the supreme court would hear in favor anything coming from the presidential palace at this point is doubtful. i believe the supreme court will judge this on its merits. now, the impeachment process is following the precise ritual described and prescribed by the supreme court of brazil. there is no appeal to that. that is an alternative decision by the legislative body in brazil. it is proceeding. it's going to move had you and most on lifts believe at this

point that it will be successful. among other reasons, because the president is very unpoplar and the economy is in a free-fall. >> yeah, the economy is in free-fall, the currency's not doing very well at all, the g.d.p. running at 10%, well debt running at 10% of g.d.p. what does this tell us about the overlap between politics and the judiciary in your country? the judge who i should the injunction yesterday, i notice on his facebook page, he's posting pictures of himself, quite happily posting pictures of himself at anti-government protests, surely he should be above that kind of thing and he should be seen to be above that kind of thing. >> yeah, you are talking about the judge is brasilia that issued the first injunction to prevent president desilva from

being chief of staff. there are other judges that have issued similar injunctions. there are obviously criticisms that are valid about the behavior of some members of the bench, but what is important right now, the presiding factor right now and this will influence the supreme court and everybody else is the fact that two thirds of brazilians believe that the president should be impeached, nine out of 10 brazilians are in favor of the anti corruption investigation presided by the judge to move forward. these are the facts that are dominating the political scenario, and after things calm down, it will take a while, i believe we are going to have a deeper discussion in brazil about the boundaries, the limits of this power and that power.

>> thank you very much. >> thank you. sports news is still to come. records are broken on the word indoor championships, action from portland, coming up when we come back in just a couple of minutes.

welcome back. video emerged from a man from the united states who traveled to iraq to join isil. he fled and was captured by the kurdish peshmerga. we'll get more on that for you in just right now in fact, the

26-year-old says he was taken under the wing of the armed group and lived in a house full of foreign recruits. jamal said he found the lifestyle too strict. >> once we got to the place where we began the sharia to learn about the religion, i didn't -- i didn't really support their ideology and that's at that point, that's when i decided i needed to escape. >> barack obama will become the first sitting u.s. president to visit cuba in 90 years on monday. this landmark visit is seen as another step on the path toward normalizing releases between the two countries.

what do cubans think the impact will be of obama's trip? >> they're old enough to have known both capitalism and socialism, yet concede they never thought they'd live long enough to see an american president come to cuba. >> i never managed this would happen, and i'm 85 years old. >> as havana paves the way for president barack obama's arrival, many cubans are raising their expectations. >> it means change. something that might give cubans more opportunities. i might sell one of my paintings to obama. >> a five time grammy award winning pianist expected to contradict to bilateral relations. >> it would have been better if this happened sooner, but it's

never too late for good things. >> what most nor cubans and the government want most is to see a significant economic impact from the new bilateral relationship, which is why obama's decision to further loosen restrictions on trade and travel to cuba is seen as a gift. >> the process has to be accelerated, because no one knows who will be in the white house next. we still have two or three months for obama to exhaust all the possibilities of breaking down economic barriers with cuba. that would really have an impact. >> some stamp communists fear too much of an impact. >> all this military hardware at the museum of the revolution is a reminder of the cold war. yet there are those who believe cuba is still under threat, but this time from an american economic invasion, which they suspect unit mali aims to change this countries political system and in that cop text, president obama's visit here is seen as

the trojan horse. >> cuban government opponents and human rights activists are divided. some believe opening up to havana is a crucial first step for change. >> it means people to people contact, cubans having a more open society, and there is the flow of ideas. i think it's important, and he hasn't capitulated. >> expecting obama's visit to change anything caddically is unrealistic, but for many cubans, the very fact that he is coming is the biggest change of all. al jazeera, havana. time for sports news. here's farrah. >> peter, thank you so much. reining champions with barcelona and athletic co-madrid, the

third team from spain still in the competition is real madrid and they take on wolvesburg. barcelona will face athletico madrid an man city face psg in the final eight. >> charges by eefa charges.

no dealt made it two wins out of two at the word 2020. they have now defeated their arriving by eight runs. >> england need a win in this group one match following their opening game defeat to the west indies.

>> you are hoping they would fall back in that mentality losing games and not get across the line. if they feel like they're in the game, obviously their performance means nothing. it's crucial to put them under pressure and hopefully they can make a few mistakes. >> formula one chan in practice. aiming for his third suction i have title topped the time sheets in both practice sessions. not everyone fared so well in the wet conditions. >> the french man claimed gold in the championship in oregon in pole vaulting. he won the event back in 2012.

olympic gold medalist won the women's pole vault. the american also breaking a championship record by clearing four meters 90. it's the first time the world indoors had been held in the u.s. since 1987. word number three jason day has a won shot lead at the arnold palmer invitational in orlando. the australian has yet to win an event this season. rose is in contention, an eagle helped him card a four under par 68. further down the leader board, mcdowell is one under and pretty pleased with his birdie from the third hole bunker. he's doing a lot better than fellow northern irish man rory mcelroy. the world number two is in danger of missing the cut.

he is nine shots behind. the rugby championship reaches its climax saturday. as england beats france in the final game in paris, it will complete a prestigious grand slam. some doctors say tackling is too dangerous for children. >> under their coach jones, the team is making a mark. success in the six nations tournament could inspire a new generation of players, but should children be playing a sport full of collisions? not according to doctors and academics in the u.k. who say it's too dangerous. >> there's tom appealing evidence that's been gathered over decades in many different countries, many studies show that the rates and risks of injury in school rugby are high and that most of the injuries

occur during collision. these injuries are severe. june the concerns have been raised at rugby is being brought to millions of school children. campaigning doctors want contact removed and for the sport not to be compulsory. teachers of school rugby say parents need reassurance, but the dangers are being overplayed. >> they have an impression of rugby being a very overly aggressive and violent support and we have broken down those barriers at the school in the three year pedal we've been involved. we've had two serious injuries, two burns to the head. >> in the southern hemisphere, african schools allow tackling as do schools in australia, although there has been a recent push to make children wear head

gear there. >> all i know is that the benefits rugby brought me, i made from a young age, contact from a young age and it taught me to be the person i am today not just playing rugby but off the field, as well. we form attachment through playing sport. >> despite the danger of physical injury and concussion, safety is not at the fore front of the minds of these players. at this level, it's not about taking part, it's about the winning over bigger, fitter, stronger, they'll be trying to prove that saturday. al jazeera, at the england rugby h.g. >> that's all your sport for now. we are expecting to hear from the syrian envoy to the u.n. talks in geneva. we'll bring that to you live in our next half hour of world news here on al jazeera.

anti-government demonstrations against the government, her predecessor, and the scandal that is taking brazil by storm. ♪ hello there, i'm coming to live from your headquarters here in doha. the other top stories. turkey warns e.u. leaders not to bargain over the plight of refugees. north korea is accused of launching two more missiles. i'll in