this is al jazeera hello. this is the news hour live from london. thank you for joining us. coming up in the next 60 minutes. obama lands in cuba to begin his historic visit to the country. forces on the ground in iraq to help fight i.s.i.l. turkey identifies the istanbul suicide bomber as a suspected i.s.i.l. member and detains five

other people. why a futureistic hong kong film is raising concerns in beijing. >> reporter: disappointment for world number one in tennis and about a huge crash in formula one racing in australia in the past half hour obama has arrived in cuba beginning an historic visit to the country. with the the rival he becomes the first sitting u.s. president to go to the island in nearly 90 years. obama is expected to meet his counterpart castro to discuss trade and political reform. our correspondent ask in havana-- is in havana. a trip people have been looking

for and the president is finally in cuba. >> reporter: absolutely. it's a momentous occasion here in cuba. the arrival was broadcast live on the state television. obama and his family were greeted by a sundry all here. there was smiles all around. he was greeted by the foreign minister, the obama family, mrs obama and president obama's two daughters were given a big bouquet of roses. most were watching this and anticipating what the president is going to do and what he is going to say while he is here. he has a very full schedule. joining me now to talk more about this historic visit is cuban economist. thank you for joining us. let me start by asking you about

the significance of this change to the normal proet will colonel here on the arrival. i know francois hollande was t not. >> in this case, it was a change. the normal tour is that when a president arrive he received by the deputy me minister. in this case it was the minister. that is a signal of the importance of this visit for the cuban government. >> reporter: what about what is happening. what about more substantial. president obama said the point of this visit is to make life easier for the ordinary cuban people by normalizing ties with the government with whom the

u.s. does not see eye eye politically-- eye to eye politically. >>ian what happening, but we under a few things. first of all, we feel that in order to depend on growing the relation between the two countries. second is very important that obama will direct to the people, and that will be broadcast and that is important, the economic gesture as well. there will be an economic summit in which some very important ceos from u.s. companies and cuban enterprises, minister of the economic area, will be

attending from government. >> reporter: what is it that the cuban people expect to hear from president obama when he addresses the country on tuesday some in >> i cannot say to you what they want to listen to obama because they are 11 million thoughts. >> reporter: what about? >> for my case, i listen to the spour, the commitment of the u.s. administrations in order to continue with this kind of support by cuban in his last year, in order to see if it is possible to pave the road to leave the embargo finally by the u.s. congress. it is very difficult because it depends on the u.s. president. the second is it seem that it is

intere interesting and important that he says what it means that the policy changes he has made in the last year in order to understand by the cuban side what it means really this kind of legal and normal, change. >> reporter: he has circumvented the u.s. economic embargo which only the u.s. congress can list. is there anything he can-- lift. is there anything he can do while he is here? >> i don't know. the main thing obama capitalise certain course of bureaucracy to see if some agreement could be signed here during this visit to cuba by important u.s.

corporations. some analysts are saying that's the most important thing of this change. that is very difficult. >> reporter: clearly that is one of the most important acts of this visit, that president obama has said he wants this, this reconciliation with cuba to be irreversible. he is at the u.s. embassy and he will be touring old havana thank you. the american military says it's deployed u.s. marines on the ground in iraq to fight against i.s.i.l. iraqi sources say the forces will provide ground support to the existing american advisers and will participate in fighting i.s.i.l. on the front lines later on. the troops are from the

expeditionary unit and they will aid forces fighting the armed group. going to our correspondent. what more detail do we have? >> reporter: it turns out this is the same unit that suffered a loss on friday when i.s.i.l. forces fired rockets on the military base in northern iraq, it is a base where the american soldiers are with peshmerga forces and forces nearby came under attack. one marine was killed, several were injured and we're told now by sources in the pentagon that this deployment was sped up to respond to that attack. this is a unit that is providing security for the forces in this area. this base is also considered to be very important in the coming

months. this is expected to be the base of operations for a possible ground offensive to retake mosul in the future. so this is clearly the u.s. has troops in this volatile region thank you. the iraqi army is trying to retake the city of north-west of baghdad. it was lost to i.s.i.l. nearly 18 months ago in what was considered one of the most vicious massacres since the group's expansion. i.s.i.l. fighters killed more than 200 sunni tribes man on the day that they took the town. there are at least 24 soldiers have been killed by i.s.i.l. in two separate attacks in iraq.

let's get more on the situation in iraq and especially the u.s. deployment. a middle east analyst and former u.s. intelligence officer joins us live from washington dc. thank you so much for joining us. how big a link do you think there is between this announcement of the deployment, which we've just heard from our correspondent, the u.s. they've sped up because of the deaths of the marine on saturday because this wouldn't have been the first american death in recent years that we've seen because of i.s.i.l. do you think the two are intrinsically linked? >> thanks for having me. i think the most thing for the white house in this administration ask to ensure that there are no u.s. casualties in iraq. that has been the reason for the small footprint of u.s. soldiers and advisers. we had one killed in 2017 going after an i.s.i.s. target and now

you have a marine that was killed and others injured by i.s.i.s. what this is, this deployment is likely to go there to increased forced protection posture. because we don't have a large footprint in iraq, we're not able to conduct the missions that would have found this i.s.i.s. position that actually fired the rockets. so i think it is directly related to that and also talks to the need to have more u.s. advisers and special operators on the ground to work with the forces to fight i.s.i.s. you mentioned there isn't a big military footprint. there's about 3,500/4,000 troops in. obama said there won't be an fish boots on the ground, but do you think they're in the no man's land where they can't really do as much as they would like to at the very least cement the gains of the alliance against i.s.i.l., the gains that are made in both syria and iraq?

>> yes. we definitely need more there. there are 3,000 on the ground, but when we deployed 500 stouth of ramadi to train for the ramadi operation, only 56 of those 500 deployed were actual advisers and trainers. the other 450, so to speak, were there for forced protection to guard that force. so what you have is a small u.s. food print, the majority of people there are either working in the international zone, in the green zone with iraqi military or the operation centers, but they're not deployed on the ground with iraqi security forces and that's what you need to increase in order to be effective against i.s.i.s. i guess you're saying that this isn't necessarily a significant change, a shift in u.s. policy when it comes to iraq. so tell us about this specific unit, the 26th marine expeditionary unit. what specific strength do they

have, how could they change the balance of power in iraq? >> they're a very capable force but also a very small force. they need about 500 marines maybe plus, maybe a little less, but you have an infantry force, a force capable of providing force protection for its own assets, but also able to provide forced protection for other assets on the ground. this is a band aid strategy to announce another 50 advisers to syria. it is a minimal, band aid and usually reactry following either a critique of u.s. strategy, such as the 50 special operators that went there to advise, and in this case a marine death and these are incremental band aid responses that don't fix the problem. they simply give the

administration a talking point to assuage the public thank you for that. much more still to come here, including a country in crisis. we speak to rural brazilians who have lost hope and faith in the political system. no let up. desperate refugees continue to brave the dangerous crossing from turkey to greece despite new e.u. rules to send them back. one of morocco's biggest football teams is suspended after three fans are killed in a riot in casablanca. turkey's interior minister has said that the suicide attacker

responsible for saturday's blast was a member of i.s.i.l. four other people were killed and dozens wounded when the bomber detonated his device on a crowded street. >> reporter: a somber mood hangs over the street. this is the heart of the lifeline, a place where locals and tourists hang out. after a suicide bombing on saturday the avenue is overshadowed by fear. people here hold a vigil for the victims. >> translation: we came here right after the incident and left red carnations to share our pair >> reporter: security footage captured the moment the blast went off. witnesses say hundreds of people ran for cover when a loud explosion was heard. a day later, the security forces are still searching for includes. the forensic police are still trying to collect more evidence from the explosion site here behind me and also there are

some signs and baerns that reflect a sense of defiance. one of the baerns read that we stand united. the other banner says we won't given in to terrorism, but the general sense among people here is one of concern. >> reporter: >> reporter: this woman says anyone could be a suspect. >> translation: istanbul has millions of people living here and many more visit from abroad. now anything can happen and everyone could be a suspect. >> reporter: media reports say did the na tests are being done to investigate a possible suspect linked to i.s.i.l. >> translation: terror once again showed its heinous and ugly face. a fight with terrorism will continue in and out of country. we should unite together against terrorism. >> reporter: there have been a string of bomb attacks in turkey over the past few months.

one last year killed 37 people. kurdish separatists lirng to p.k.k. claimed responsibility. the government insists the country is safe. it will have to convince not only its citizens, but the millions of tourists who contribute to its economy a football match between two of turkey's biggest teams has been postponed just two hours before kick off because of security fears. theise tan bum derby had been scheduled for sunday evening. the office of the governor says series intelligence was obtained about a potential threat. a president facing impeachment hearsay, a former president under investigation, and now daily street protests. brazil's tense political situation has many losing faith in dilma rousseff's letteredship, something-- leadership, something being seen

across the entire nation. >> reporter: the noise of protests replaced by the sound of horses galloping on cobblestone streets. here it is just another day on horseback getting from one place to another. when 18 year old looks at the politicians in this his country, he says little hope. >> translation: the politicians are only there for themselves, and for those of us who are poor, we're figuring out how to pay for a bag of r ice. >> reporter: here people are humble, working class and they're watching from afar as their country is facing the worst crisis in a generation and they're losing faith >> translation: one politician is corrupt and then another, and now they're all corrupt in this country. >> reporter: in the city

hundreds of thousands of anti government protesters took to the streets calling for the impeachment of president dilma rousseff who they hold responsible for economic decline and alleged close ties to corrupt officials. pro-government supporters responded with huge protests of their own saying it's a coup and they won't stand for it. the deepening crisis threatens to bring down the government and it has the potential to get worse very soon. here in the capital, the political situation could become even more volatile this week. that's when l makers here are expected to open the first phase of impeachment hearings against the president. on this day the one thing that brings everything together is the local neighborhood football

championship. even those away from the traditional seats of power realise this crisis is one of the worst the country has faced for many years we can speak to gabriel live now. you mentioned in your report, this is the political scandal that keeps on growing. tell us more about where we go now relating to the impeachment process. >> reporter: yes. that impeachment process is moving forward and moving forward very fast. here is what we know is that a special impeachment commission of a little over 50 law makers from various different political parties will start to have their first impeachment proceedings in the national congress building behind me. the first one will take place this tuesday. they will only need about 15 sessions before they can reach some sort of cloogs, so if they

can meet every day, that moves out three weeks from now. it could be early april that they render a decision. after they decide if the impeachment process could go forward, it will then go on to the full congress for another vote and then on to the senate. so things are moving fast here. the impeachment process is very real now. there has been talk about it for many months, possibly trying to impeach dilma rousseff. now it is not talk. it is very much a process that is moving forward and it's real and the political situation here in the capital is going to get very tense and even more polarized than it is now once this first hearing begins which we expect to happen again this tut so the process-- this tuesday so the process is happening and the poll relating to the impeachment has been released. what does it say?

>> reporter: yes. i didn't quite hear all of your question, but i think i heard most of it. a new poll came out by a very respected polling firm here in brazil called batafolia. it is bad enough for the president. it said that 56% of brazil i don't knows that they-- braz brazilians thought she should be impeached and 65% think she should step down. it gives more support to the opposition who feels they can continue this impeachment process knowing that they do have the majority of support of people on the streets, at least given this poll. i will say that her supporters came out in force on friday, more than 100,000 people in the city alone, thousands more here. they were saying that they were going to continue to fight in

support of the president. they think this is nothing more than just a coup attempt, in their words by the opposition. the opposition doesn't agree. they believe they are going through the normal avenues. it is very unpopular. clearly the situation here is very, very different politically. one newspaper said the political situation here in this country is kill or be killed. that's really essentially what it has become in politics in brazil to developments there, thank you for that. greece has begun the process of sending refugees on the island of lesbos back to turkey. it is part of a deal struck between the european union and turkey, but even as the operation begins to remove some people, more refugees are arriving. >> reporter: this was supposed to have stopped, but the boats

keep coming in. europe's refugee crisis is far from over. the latest arrivals are refugees from syria, many of them from the war torn city of aleppo. they are still make itting the dangerous journey across the sea to reach the greek islands. the european union was hoping that a recent agreement with turkey would discourage asylum seekers, but people who manage to reach the shores are still hopeful they won't be turned back. >> translation: i don't think they will reject us because we're coming from a destroyed city. we're asking for asylum on humanitarian grounds, not only as the war in country. >> reporter: some are in search of a better life. others want to be reunited with their family members. >> translation: the situation is very bad in aleppo. we endured four years of bombardment and attacks. i don't want top be sent back to

turkey because my father and sisters are in germany. >> reporter: the closure of the balkan route means these people will be stuck here. greece is no longer a transit country and there are new rules in place. according to the new agreement between the european union and turkey, these new arrivals could be sent back to turkey. they will be given the chance to apply for asylum but there are no guarantees it will be accepted. human rights groups has criticized the deal that would involve the e.u. resettling refugees from turkey. they feel most that will arrive in europe qualify as refugees and require protection. >> it is 10 or 11 kilometers from greece to turkey. so this port now, they told me, six hours inside the water we lost and the smuggler go back to

turkey so i don't think they will be agreed to back to tur can key. >> reporter: this family are not aware of the restrictions. they only know that they escaped war and they hope their lives will become better. she tells us that she was scared kwil crossing the sea. -- while crossing the sea with you she knew her family had to happen. it is very bad because of the bombardment. the e.u. has promised greece assistance to deal with all the asylum cases, but that may not be the hard part. these people say they won't accept any move to take a step back two refugees have died while trying to reach the greek island of lesbos. they were found dead on an over crowded rubber boat that had

arrived from turkey. medics performed cpr on the two men but failed to revive them. 12 boats had already arrived near the island's airport by early sunday morning. still they'd on al jazeera, we visit congo which has been voting this sunday and we will examine why elections there are so important. not seen in almost a century as cuba welcomes a current u.s. president. we explore the history between the two nations. the blow of the defending champions in the cricket action to compaore up in support. p in support. t. st. pt. ot. rt.

>> stopping the next generation of isis recruits. teaching the youth on the front lines. working towards a better future. >> this is one of the most important sites in the century. >> proudest moment of my life. welcome back. obama has touched down in cuba becoming the first sitting u.s. president to visit the country in the nearly 90 years. he was greeted on the tarmac by the cuban prime minister and is expected to meet the president

later. iraqi sources say that u.s. marine is being deployed to arack to fight i.s.i.l.-- attack i.s.i.l. on the front line. the turkish officials say an i.s.i.l. fighter was behind saturday's bombing in istanbul which killed four people. more on the top story now, obama's visit to cuba. it cements a new era in in relations between america and cuba. >> reporter: for more than 50 years this was the image many americans had of cuba, the country's leader, the passionate voice of a revolution. he led the overthrow of a brutal dictator that had been backed by the u.s. relations between the two have a fresh face >> change is hard in all lives. change is harder when we carry

the heavy weight of history on our shoulders >> reporter: that is marred by suspicion and animosity which took the world to the brink of a nuclear war. direct u.s. interest in the island goes back to the 90s. cuban ruled their land, about the leaders governed with the backing of the u.s. there was growth but there was also poverty and resentment. in 1959 castro and his followers fought their way. he was the leader and cuba became a one-party communist state. he soon travelled to the u.s. only to be very publicly shunned by the president who went golfing to avoid the meeting, farming it out to his vice president. >> it was very awkward. he said they're going to go there but not do cowtow to get

money. >> reporter: that's when the president began an embargo and that is what the u.s. began in earnest trying to overthrow him. the u.s. sent annex sil in what was known the bay of pigs. behind the scenes the c.i.a. tried to kill him in a series of botched plots. in 1962 cuba became the center of a cold war. the u.s. realized the soviet union had placed missiles on the island. >> it shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from cuba against any nation in the western hemisphere as an attack by the soviet union on the u.s. requiring full retail yatry response >> this was the most dangerous

time of the cold war. >> reporter: necessity removed the missiles but they remained firm enemies. the countries remained in a stale mate until this. his brother took over and this handshake with obama signalled things could change. and they did. now with this visit president obama is hoping to solidify his new approach. he can only do so much. the embargo can only be lifted by the u.s. congress which has shown no indication it is going to do that syrian government forces say that they've retaken control of a mountain near a town in homs that had previously been held by i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. sees five checkpoints near appear-- seized five checkpoints near an oil field. the sudden withdrawal of russian forces in syria last week has

changed the dynamic at talks in geneva. the syrian opposition now says it rejects any delay in the next round of talks. james bays reports from geneva. >> reporter: in the spotlight and under pressure at the geneva talks, the chief negotiator for the syrian government. while the opposition represented by a committee of political figures, the bashar al-assad regime's interests are in the hands of one man who is ambassador. he is known to his loyalty to his bosses in damascus. he shows he is prepared to defend his country's case even when countered with clear facts to the contrary. for instance, these images in madaya were fabricated she had >> the best way to torpedo the geneva talks and prevent the

talks taking place is by raising a humanitarian issue, defaming the syrian government, demonizing the syrian government, bringing us again to the security council, as a guilty government to defend ourselves >> reporter: many observers believe that both sides are in geneva, it is he who is doing his best to tore people dough the talks. it is a role they played time. last time there were negotiations in 2014 he argued constantly over the agenda items. a compromise was suggested. >> unfortunately, the government have refused which raises the suspicion of the situation. >> reporter: by then the ambassador used his favorite

tactic, stern defiance. >> reporter: why do you not accept his order for the discussions. why don't you accept them? >> we said that we cannot move from one item, item one or to 2, to 3 without finishing this item and concluding with a common vision >> reporter: two years on observers believe he is trying to use the same play book. one western diplomat said he should be called ambassador filibuster. staffan de mistura has shown he is not prepared to accept endless delay and with the start of the russian military pull out, ambassador must know he is no longer guaranteed unwavering support from moscow hundreds of people have been killed in yemen's third largest city taiz during the latest

fighting between houthi rebels and their rivals. hospitals are struggling to cope with the rising number of casualties. joom a shell hits near a group of people in taiz. fighting for control of yemen's third largest city has destroyed many areas and killed hundreds of people. the city is divided. the government patrols districts in the south and east. houthi rebels and former president control the west and north. hospitals are overwhelmed with the rising number of casualties. >> translation: the street was busy with people when the barrage of shells fired by the houthis land here, killing many innocent people. >> reporter: these are government troops trying to hold a houthi counter offensive. days after suffering losses in taiz the shia rebels are on the

attack to. fighting has turned into street battles. the government of the president is sending reinforcement. these fighters have been deployed to secure the mountains surrounding the city. this is another battle field in yemen's conflict. government troops launching an offensive to recapture areas and the houthi control in the area. it is one of the last remaining houthi-held areas in southern yemen. government forces are backed by local tribes and coalition fighter jets. >> translation: the moment has arrived. we have been instructed by the government to launch an offensive to recapture the last remaining areas. we are ready. i have started to make gains. >> reporter: new recruits are joining the fight. the government loyalists, they all say they are determined to defeat the houthis, but the

fight may not be over any time soon as neither side seems able to achieve a decisive victory polls have closed in senegal where people were voting in a referendum to scale back presidential powers. a yes result would see the president term reduce from 7 to five years, but turn out has been low and critics say the proposals are too little too late. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: we're outside one of the voting stations. the counting is continuing and some of the results are coming out, won't have an official tally until monday morning. it has been a fairly peace. election with a low turn out. only 10 to 15% of the electorate came out to vote by sunday midday. the reason being, programs, is that people were confused. this wasn't just about the

reduction of the presidential term from seven to five years. there were 15 other clauses, giving more power to the opposition, local government, et cetera, et cetera. people were confused on what they were voting why or no about. this is the first time that the head of state is actually calling for a referendum telling people that he wants to reduce the term in office and no matter what the outcome this is an historic day police have fired tear gas at 200 opposition supporters at a polling station in congo as the country voted. the president is looking to extend his rule but opposition party says they won't accept it even if he wins >> reporter: sunday's election in the congo began with a few problems. some of these people can't find their names on the roll.

the police try to calm them down. eventually voting starts. it seems people in the capital are determined to have their say. there were other problems. this man says his name appears twice on the voters' roll with different dates of birth but the same address. >> translation: the names are the dead poll and there are names twice. what is going on. >> reporter: the if the held a referendum last year to change the constitution so he can stay in power. he had led the oil rich nation for most of the past 30 years. >> threat the country there is no reports of problems. people are voting freely. it will move the country forward. >> reporter: government has order ordered for communications to be cut over the weekend.

people cannot send messages and they can't drive. they have to walk to the stations. >> people know very well the functioning of the politics in our country. i think that we are not going to accept the result which is not correct. >> reporter: on the whole, voting was relatively peaceful. the african union accepts. >> reporter: this is the opposition stronghold and people are lining up to vote. opposition leaders say they want it to go into a second round and if that happens, they can unite behind one candidate. the electoral commission says it will announce the results in a

few days people have been voting in zanzebar on sunday. following last year's policy the opposition declared victory, but the electoral commission annulled the election. >> reporter: hundreds of appeal queued to vote at this polling station in october. this time hardly any came. that's because opposition leaders had called for a boycott of the elections rerun and they have many supporters here on the island of pemba. we found this group just down the road. >> translation: we don't recognise the voting. we do not accept the results this polling station in a nearby town, more people are coming to vote. they say they are voting today and it is in urban areas where

people have benefited more from government infrastructure and government jobs that the ruling party has its support base. the president voted in the capital zanzibar city. the party officials and the electoral officials deny rigging. this man's father led the country to independence. >> it is the only party that i believe can hold this country together. it has been proved that any other party that comes to power cannot control this country. >> reporter: opposition leaders say the c.c.m. parties controlling it by intimidation and not through the ballot box. >> you've got fracture

>> reporter: cuf has documented dozens of cases from the last year of its members being shot beaten or stabbed with screwdriver screwdrivers. >> c.c.m. has prepared already all the method of grabbing this election, to make sure c.c.m. wins. this is very dangerous to our people. c.c.m. is using government, police. >> reporter: officials showed us this party office that they say was ransacked by armed men. many opposition supporters are angry, but the government is not taking any chances. police and soldiers have been deployed across the islands during the polls. it means c.c.m. is almost certain to win, but many here say they won't accept the resulresult

still ahead on the program we will at the you who came out on top in the manchester round. round.

a controversial film predicting a grim future for hong kong under chinese rule has been nominated for best picture in the city's upcoming film awards. it has been selling out in early screenings despite apparent moves to limit its release. >> reporter: the film is called

10 years. it's actually a feature length package of five short films by different directors that predicts what life will be like in hong kong in 2025. it is a bleak picture of a city firmly in the grip of chinese communist party control. that's in spite of the so-called one country two systems form of government that is supposed to guarantee hong kong a high level of autonomy. >> the two system is not work. i believe freedom of speech. >> reporter: production started before the umbrella movement street occupations of 2014 demanding greater political freedom. those real-life events became woven into parts of the film helping connect with the hong kong audience. >> some of the moment during the umbrella movement that as hong kong people can never imagine,

so i think the tone and the mood become a little bit about pessimistic. >> reporter: events since then seem to confirm that pessimism. the street violence that happened at chinese new year, which many believe was fuelled by discontented youth. and the case of the hong kong book sellers who produced works critical of china's leaders, detained and paraded on mainland television. the early screenings of the film have sold out in hong kong, made on a budget of less than $100,000 it has taken nearly a million at the box office but some cinemas are afraid of showing it. >> even with that smashing record, suddenly the cinema will say they are not going to show the film >> reporter: there's no speculation the upcoming hong kong film awards won't be shown in mainland china because of the

movie's nomination for best picture. combine that with the apparent reluctance of some cinemas to show it and the film makers can be excused for thinking their totalitarian prediction is starting to come true now you can get all the sport with robin. >> reporter: thank you very much. football first. manchester united have given their hopes of a top four finish a big boost. with the only goal, the 16th minute strike from the 18 year old makes him the youngest scorer in the fixture. they are just one point off the champion league place. >> i'm very happy balls otherwise the game was too big when they won or a draw is still four points. it should be very difficult.

now it is in our own hands, i think. we have to win our games. we have more home matches than away matches. we don't lose so much on old trafford, so we have a big chance. >> reporter: also on sunday, newcastle drew is sunderland. >> they have arsenal and manchester city went into reviews and it's true that they have a good advantage, but we tried to fight and believe. we need to believe. this is the most important th g

thing. >> reporter: barcelona have stretched their run to 59 matches now. they drew two two and real madrid bet sevilla. the derby on sunday has been postponed during to a security alert. fans had already arrived but the governor's office said they decided to call off the match after the assessment of serious intelligence. five people were killed by a suicide bomber in the center of the turkish city on saturday. three fans have been killed and 54 injured in more object e-- morocco. it happened after the final whistle of the match.

more than 30 people have been arrested. the the west indies cricketers have had their second win in the world twenty20. a repeat of the finals. . the windies off to a flying start. 84 not out. a 7 wicket victory. the win came without the help of the dependable batsman chris gale who scored an unbeaten century in the last match >> we know what we're capable of. we know the strength of our team. we batch ourselves to win the world cup. it is good to see that we have two wins under our belt.

we take it from there into the finals and for sure once we continue playing the cricket, we are doing the cup a second time. >> reporter: a win over afghanistan in mumbai. they made 209 for five. he fell to chris morris who took four wickets. south africa winning by 57 runs. formula one driver fernando alonso says he is lucky to be alive after a crash. his car was left a mangled wreck. >> reporter: formula one promised it would be back and less predictable than before. the same old faces were on the

front of the grid and you would think nothing much would change in 2016. but the opening race in melbourne proved to be anything about bland. champi champion lewis hamilton slipped down. disaster struck for vet aran fernando alonso. a passing move left fernando alonso's car a wreck. the fact that the spaniard could walk away with no obvious injury proves the changes made to safety are a step in the right direction. with the track cleared and the race restarted, the hopes of dominating the podium went up in smoke when a car had to be put out with annex tinge wisher. when a bungled tie change.

nico rosberg took the front and never looked back. sebastian vettel. came in third. >> this has been unreal today to beat the ferrari it's doing great. so we absolutely loved it. i'm super excited. >> i loved the fact that we had to come from far behind. it was very tricky out there. just possible around here. i'm really happy to get the results. a great result for the team. >> reporter: this season's opening race putting new positions of safety put the sport firmly in the spotlight. >> reporter: that's the sport that is it nor this news hour. stay with us because we're going to have more news in just a few minutes. i hope you will be able to join me then.

me then.

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york. >> at 7:00 - "news roundup". tony harris gives you a fast-paced recap of the day's events. >> this is the first line of defense. >> we have an exclusive story tonight. >> then at 8:00 - john seigenthaler brings you the top stories from across america. >> the question is, will these dams hold? >> and at 9:00 - >> i'm ali velshi, on target tonight... >> ali velshi on target. digging deeper into the issues that matter. >> i'm trying to get a sense for what iranians are feeling. >> coming up tonight, we'll have the latest... >> does the government give you refugee status? >> they've marched to the border. >> thousands have taken to the streets here in protest. >> this is where gangs bury their members. >> they're tracking climate change.

hopes for a new era in u.s. cuba relations as be that as it may lands in-- obama lands in havana you're watching al jazeera live from london. thank you for joining us. also coming up on the program the american military deploys u.s. marines on the ground in iraq to help coalition forces fight i.s.i.l. turkey identifies the istanbul system suicide bomber as a suspected i.s.i.l. member and deobtains five other people. no let up, desperate refugees continue to brave the dangerous