univision for 500 more defiance from north korea with four projectiles being fired into the sea of japan you're watching al jazeera. also on the program, cuba welcomes obama. a row over sexism as a tennis official accusing women of

riding of on coat tails of men. north korea has launched four projectiles into the sea of japan. the launch comes amidst among tthe tthe righting tension. >> reporter: can you hear me? we seem to have lost adrian there. >> reporter: yes. i can just hear you i'm trying to find out what happened? we will go back to him when we can. sorry about that. obama has become the first serving president to visit cuba

in 90 years. just how far apart this has grown is in a singular image. >> reporter: with in single step, obama is hoping to change the course of history. the first sitting american president in 88 years to set foot on cuban soil. >> i'm glad that you had a chance to bring your families here because i always like taking pictures with kids. that's the future that we hope for. young american children, young cuban children. by the time they're adults, our hope is that they think it's natural that a u.s. president should be visiting cuba. they think it's natural that the two people's are working together. >> reporter: that wasn't the case here for more than five decades his predecessors hoped to topple the castro government.

president obama hoping engagement might work better, so he has made it possible for americans to do what he and his family did, become tourists. he has also changed the rules so that some american businesses can operate here, running flights, moving cargo, selling communications equipment, but he can't lift the embargo without congress. that won't happen unless cuba takes steps first >> reporter: first of all, if you can't here, you can't hire who you want. you have to go through state run organizations. there's a dual currency and a 10% charge if you want to use dollars. >> reporter: despite the focus of the international media, the cuban police arrested the ladies in white just hours after the president arrived. >> reporter: this isn't the moment for the u.s. government to come to cuba. cuba hasn't changed. nothing has changed about human rights. >> reporter: the president is

under pressure back home to show that he is going to pressure the government over its human rights record. during its visit he will meet with dissident $and speak to the people. he is walking a fine like because he needs them to speed up the reforms because if not the next president could simply pull the plug. >> reporter: that's something the cuban people seem well aware of >> nobody knows what will happen. we think cuba and the u.s. will be open. >> reporter: they're hoping that this visit it will ensure that seeing a u.s. president will be an event but not a moment like this, one that history will remember going back to that story. north korea has launched four projectiles in the sea of japan. the launch comes amidst among the rise rise rise willing

tension. rising tension. >> reporter: earlier on today south korea's military said that the north fired at least five missiles into waters off its eastern coast. we're not sure what size these projectiles were. it's not thought that they were particularly large, but, of course, this comes after the north fired two mid-range ballistic missiles on friday and last week the north korean leader warned that his country was preparing to carry out multiple ballistic missile launches and a nuclear war head test. so the question is, is what happened today, is what happened on friday a prelude to all of that. during the past few weeks, north korea has ignored appeals for restraint. it continue to defy not just its close friend china but the governments of japan, the u.s. and united nations.

for the moment the north korean leader refuses to listen to those appeals for restraint and who knows what he will do next you do wonder what the international community can do to rein in these tensions now. >> reporter: that's right. china, which, as i say, about the only friend that north korea has, is really at the moment taking the lead in having to impose sanctions against its old ally. 70% of what north korea receives from the outside world passes through the chinese area in the north east. the question is how rigorously are china going to enforce these sanctions because it is time consuming to inspect every container, every shipment going into north korea. i think the outside world are scratching their heads and

saying is china up to it, is china's heart in it. it is worth pointing out that in many ways north korea is treated as a domestic issue for china. it is ultimately the leadership, the party and the ministry of commerce that dictate policy over north korea, not the foreign ministry. at the moment north korea, i think, senses that china is not prepared to turn the screw even harder because the north korean leader has gambled. he knows that china won't do anything that will risk the regime crumbling and creating what the chinese leadership fears most, a refugee crisis right on its border thank you for that. air strikes in northern iraq have killed at least 25 people and injured around 70 others. the u.s. and its allies hit an area, mosul's university and shops nearby. the city has been held by i.s.i.l. for over a year. on sunday the u.s. military

confirmed it had carried out 16 air strikes on i.s.i.l. over the weekend. talks are said to begin between the syrian government and the opposition in geneva. u.n. special envoy is hosting separate talks with the high negotiations committee and the syrian government delegation to find a solution to end the war in syria. a football match between two of turkey's biggest teams has been cancelled over security concerns. the istanbul derby had been scheduled for sunday evening. it was called off because of intemgs about a potential threat. our correspondent is live for us in istanbul. what do you know about this potential threat? >> reporter: we do know that the

governor had talks with the two clubs and discussed the security threat and then they decided to call off the match. the initial decision was to have the match without fans, but then later because fans were still gathering outside the stadium here in istanbul as well as in the public transport area, so they decided to call it off. it is simply because the security forces here are really searching for three people. according to local media reports, three suspected i.s.i.l. members or affiliated men are on the run. the security services here based on intelligence saying that those three are planning attacks. they don't know where the attacks will be, but everyone from within the security services are looking for those three across turkey i should imagine everyone there are pretty spooked considering this comes so soon

after this weekend's attacks. >> reporter: yes. absolutely. there were initial reports prior to the attack that there are six suspected suicide bombers on the area here in turkey and security forces said they're trying to, perhaps, carry out big-scale attacks in the kurdish new year, which is the beginning of the spring. that didn't happen. instead, on saturday there was a suicide bombing. everybody here is nervous and i think the nation is in shock. there is fear, there is anger. it is a nightmare for the security forces because they're battling on multiple fronts. one is to chase i.s.i.l. suspect and then you have the kurdistan workers party, the p.k.k. and the affiliated group. what is clear, this country is

gripped by a wave of bombings this year. every single month. there have been bombings thank you. monday marks the kurdish new year, but festivities will be muted in the south east region. clashes between the two sides have left many people homeless. >> reporter: it is the first kurdish new year since the collapse of the ceasefire and this is what it looks like here. every single person is checked on entry to the district for explosive belts. up and down the main commercial street almost every side alley is blocked by armed police. the turkish police followed us

while we filmed. there is no trace left of the p.k.k. flags that used to fly over the area. the military operation against the kurdistan workers party has been going on for nearly four months. the decision by the p.k.k. to fight turkey here left kurdish civilians with desperate choices. >> translation: it hasn't ended yet. i've never seen anything like it. i had to leave home in these clothes and i've worn them for last four months. i don't have a wife. my son and his wife went to stay with other relatives. i live with my friends. i won't come back here. >> translation: i never left here. it was very difficult with the sound of bombs and guns. i have my family with me, including six childrenment we have been waiting for it to end. we had food and water and we managed to survive. >> reporter: before the ceasefire ended, they had been getting back on its feet. the government is having to pay to put families up in hotels.

fighting in these narrow streets caused huge collateral damage. they won't let us go down the side streets because they're still looking for explosive devices. the statistics speak for themselves. according to the authorities more than 300 p.k.k. fighters killed and 4,600 families displaced from their homes. an operation just like the one happening here is also happening rate now in another suburb. there kurdish men watch the soldiers and their armoured vehicles from the outside. none would go on camera for fear of repercussions, but their mood is fear and loathing. kurds say they wish the p.k.k. never picked their fights in such built up areas. >> translation: the legal and illegal groups started the fighting in the center. even if it were two neighborhoods supporting the

p.k.k., they used to burn villages, now they're burning the buyer city >> reporter: many say they will not attend the new year festivity uz because they think-- festivities because they think it is too volatile. there is not of left for them to celebrate coming up, a ukrainian pilot on trial for murdering two russian journalists awaits her verdict. we will bring you the latest on that. protesters and presidential candidates alike descend on aipac, the israeli lobby group. obby group.

welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. north korea has launched five projectiles into the sea of japan. they flew approximately 200 kilometers into the airspace off the north korean coast. obama is the first president to visit cuban in nearly 90 years. the trip is the latest sign of warming relations between the two countries. a football match between two of turkey's biggest teams has been cancelled. it was scheduled to sunday evening and was called off because of intelligence about a potential threat. a court in russia is considering

its verdict in the case of a ukrainian pilot on trial for the murder of two russian journalists. you can see her being spoken to there in the court. she is accused of directing mortar fire at the journalists in eastern ukraine in 2014. she denies the charges. our correspondent is in moscow. what has been going on today? >> reporter: the court started delivering its verdict. that's not a process that will - it is a process that will take some time. it is supposed to go throughout today and into tuesday before we hear the final verdict. the prosecution accuses her of being, because of her military background, of being the spotter who directed mortar fire that killed two russian journalists in journey 2014. the defense says that is not true. they say that the phone records prove that she was actually

kidnapped by the pro-russian separatists before that incident happened and she was actually nowhere close to that incident when it occurred. the second point of contention between the two sides is that the defense says that she was then kidnapped and smuggled into russia whereas the prosecution says that after that incident she tried to sneak into russia among the refugees and that's when she was captured i should imagine that this is being viewed very closely by both countries. >> reporter: absolutely. i think it has become the symbol of what has happened between the two countries. she is considered a villain, someone who killed two journalists. people in russia believe she

should be sentenced. she is facing up to 23 years and a fine of $500,000. in ukraine she is viewed as a hero. she is called the joan of arc of awe crane. there has been pressure to have her freed unconditionally. president obama mentioned her during a phone call as early as last week with the russian president. putin then said he has to let the judicial process go go on and he could not interfere with anything before the sentencing, but she is a big symbol australia's prime minister threatened to take the country to an early election. malcolm turnbull says a vote will have to be held in july if legislation isn't passed to regulate trade unions.

>> reporter: he is threatening to call what is known in australia as a double disillusion election. that means that all mps, both in the house of representatives and the senators in the reviewing chamber, the senate, are up for election. ordinarily half of senators are elected each round. there are two theories for that. the official reason that the prime minister gave is that he is fed up with the upper mouse blocking some key legislation on industrial relations that he wants to get through. he says that unless they pass that legislation, this double disillusion will put all positions out to tender. the unofficial reason is that he is hoping, perhaps, that they do continue to block this legislation and he can have this early election which he thinks he can win. opinion polls suggest that if there was an election soon, then he and his party would probably win it, and win it in the senate as well as in the house of

representatives because of new voting that laws that came into effect just last week that would ensure that tiny micro parties and independents would find it hard to get into the senate. that means he would have a clear run in both the mouse of representatives and in the senate. that's why many people here are saying he wants an early election on july 2 staying in australia where the great barrier reef coral bleaching has spread. it occurs when they lose color due to warmer sea temperatures. they have turned white and grey in more parts in the reef than previously thought. u.s. price president has said there's no political will for israelis and palestinians to move forward on peace.

>> reporter: this year a record 18,000 people have made the journey to washington. it means lobbying effectively for military aid to israel. in past years fighting sales to arab governments, such as this plane. the perceived arab threat has been outdated by the greater men acis rail sees in iran >> in some way the traditional enemy of me enemy is my friend. they now have a common interest >> reporter: aft year aipa confronted the obama administration in relation to the nuclear program. it undermined the traditional policy against taking sides between democrat during that times and republicans in the u.s. political arena.

still, the group promised to keep up the pressure on iran. these delegates heard one opponent of the deal, warned that remaining sanctions are losing their power to kerb iran's regional ambitions >> today, even when things are printed, people will erode the sanctions of the margin. >> reporter: that assessment disturbs activist. >> it is very important, especially from where we stand in this conference, to get the right answers and how afraid we really should be and how deep the problem is. >> reporter: most americans agree with two in every three opposed to the nuclear deal according to a recent poll >> it may not reflect the full range of opinion among the american juice who constitute less than 3% of the population, but one measure of them, four presidential candidates will be here niger's president is

expected to have won a second term after sunday's election. voters in the capital and other cities went to the polls dispute an opposition boycott. they said the process was tainted. fish confirmation of the result is expected in the next few hours people have been voting in zansi zansiba. the opposition declared victory after last year's poll but it was annulled. >> reporter: hundreds of people queued to vote at this polling station in object. 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. we found a group just down the road. >> translation: we don't

recognise the vote. if they declare the results, we do not accept it. >> reporter: this polling station in a nearby town is busier. supporters say that that they are voting today and it is in urban areas where people have benefited from government jobs. the president voted in the capital. he heads the semiautonomous government in tanzania. his ruling party is said to have rigged the rerun. officials deny it. the c.c.m. party has dominated the politics since independence from british rule in the 1960s. his father led the country to independence. >> c.c.m. is the only party that i believe can hold this country together.

any other party comes to power cannot control this country. >> reporter: opposition leaders say the parties controlling it by intimidation and not through the ballot box. the opposition party known as cuf has documented dozens of cases from the last yeah of its members being shot, beaten or stabbed with screwdrivers. cuf says police and military are responsible. they're allegations the c.c.m. party denies. >> c.c.m. has prepared all the method of grabbing this election, to make sure the c.c.m. wins, and this is very dangerous to our people. c.c.m. is using government orders, security police, army. >> reporter: cuf officials showed us this party office that they say was ransacked by armed men. many supporters are angry. the government is not taking any

chances. police and soldiers have been deployed across the islands during the polls. the opposition boycott means c.c.m. is almost certain to win, but many here say they won't accept the result 2016 has been a bad year for those involved in professional tennis. they've had to deal with match fixing, claims of doping and sexism at one of the richest competitions. the man in charge of the indian-wales tournament has made comments >> in my next life when i come back, i want to be someone in the wta because they ride on the coat-tails of the men. they don't make any decision. they're lucky. they're very, very lucky. if i was a lady player i would go down every night on my knees and thank god that there is a

rejer federer and nadal were born he has simply apologised. he said they were in poor taste. also: serena williams was also upset. >> yes. i'm totally surprised. especially me and venus and other women on the tour who has done well. last year the women's final was sold out before the men's final twitter is celebrating its 10th birthday since it made an entrance on the social media scene a decade ago. it is a popular tool for

celebrities, activists and journalists. it is third behind facebook and twitter. there is our website aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. >> in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, we did some things that were wrong. we did a whole lot of things at a were right, buthat were rightd some folks. >> it's been more than a year since america admitted to torturing people. we're trying to interview one of them. omar