the eaglets have not been named yet. welcome to another news hour fromming al jazeera in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes, barack obama hails in an historic opportunity in havana, his visit a symbolic moment of reconciliation between the u.s. and cuba. paris attack suspect saleh abdeslam arrested. accused of crimes against humanity, the former president of the democratic republican of congress awaits his verdict at the international criminal

court. i'll cover the sport, including. >> if i was a lady player, i'd go down every -- every night on my knees and thank god toeragger federer and rafael nadal were born. >> apologizing for comments over female players, reopening the debate on equal pay in the sport. it is the second day of barack obama's historic visit to cuba, historic bang word that journalist's tend to over use but in this case is true. the symbolism have the visit was captured from a single image from a street in havana, air force one soaring over cubans driving 1950 sedans. it is 367 kilometers from miami

to havana. it took lee hours to fly there mom washington, d.c. he is the first president to cross that stretch of water since 1928. we are covering the story. let's begin by watching patty's report. >> with this single step, u.s. president barack 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, we hope they think it's natural that a u.s. president should visit cuba, that they think it's

natural that the two peoples are working together. >> for five decades, his predecessors hoped to topple the government with economic strangulation, even assassination attempts. president obama hoping engagement might work better so has made it possible for americans to become tourists. he's also changed the rules so that some american businesses can operate here, running flights, moving cargo, selling communications equipment. he can't lift the embargo without congress and his commerce secretary tells al jazeera that won't happen unless cuba takes some big steps first. >> first of all, if you come here, you can't just hire who you want. you have to go through state-run hiring organizations. there's a dual currency, which is a challenge. there's a 10% charge if you want to use dollars. >> despite the focus of the international media, the cuban police arrested the ladies in white after their weekly protest just hours before the president arrived.

>> this isn't the moment for the u.s. government to come to cuba. cuba hasn't changed, nothing has changed about human rights. >> the president is under pressure back home to show that he is going to pressure the castro government over its human rights record, so during his visit, he'll meet with dissidents and speak to the cuban people. top aides tell me he's walking a fine line because he needs the cuban government to speed up reforms. he needs the momentum, because if not, the next president could simply pull the plug. >> that's something the cuban people seem well aware of. >> nobody knows what will happen, but we think cuba and united states, you know, will be open. >> the president hoping this visit will help ensure that eventually for these children, seeing a u.s. president will be an event, but not a moment like this, when the history will remember. al jazeera, havana, cuba.

>> inside the miami studios, these broadcasters have a unique mission, that seven days a week via short wave radio, they transmit to the people of cuba and say theirs is a message of resistance. the 10 years they've reported on cuba's opposition movement and for many here, president obama's visit is a step in the wrong direction. >> what obama is doing is not engaging raul castro, he is befriending raul castro. the only thing positive towards cube is to use substantial international leverage to call for free elections on the island. >> it's a sentiment echoed by many in the so-called exile community. for those who came here many years ago, any move towards normalization isn't well received by them. >> every time raul castro takes the microphone, he reiterates that they are not going to change. >> sylvia arrived as a teenager and has spent her adult life fighting for change on the

island. like many in her generation, she thinks president obama's visit sends the wrong message. >> we are going to go there at a moment when there's more repression, when our visit will serve to empower those in power. >> among miami's mostly older cuban americans, there is still deep skepticism for the normalization process. they say it began over a year ago and they are not seeing concessions for the people. >> he is sympathetic to how older cuban americans feel but is ready for a new approach. >> folks of my generation tend to be a little bit more curious about what changes in policy could yield. it's just very different. i don't have the scars and the trauma of being in exile the way that my grandparents do. >> ultimately every cuban american in miami wants better

things for the island. it's how that's done that causes the most friction. >> you said that cuban people are aware that time is tight. do you detect any will in cuba to genuinely implement reform and how do cubans back home view the president's visit? >> i can tell you the congress has been very divided about this issue and they've flat out said they have no intention of lifting the embargo so what the pot is trying to do is work around that. i spoke to a very senior administration official last night and he said this is unlike any foreign trip that president obama has ever taken and the reason for that is they have no idea how the rest of the visit is going to play out. they're having a formal meeting with president raul castro. they usually do a press conference after that.

i can't remember a foreign trip where the president didn't have a press conference after that. they've been pushing the cubans to do that. they still don't know if it's going to happen. the president is going to begin his day laying a wreath at memorial to jose harti, reminding people that the u.s. did help cubans get independence from spain, but of course, they also know the history that then led to the u.s. basically backing two brutal dictators, then for the last half of the century trying to overthrow the castro regime. president obama's message is going to be that they no longer want to overthrow the castro government but is going to be doing things they ready acknowledge think will lead to the fall of communism, meeting with entrepreneurs and dissidents on tuesday before he leaves. he's going to be taking in that baseball game. >> 367 kilometers away in miami is andy gallagher. you talked the age dividing

opinion there between the cuban community. is the view of the older generation still relevant? >> well, i stood on this very corner 10 years ago when fidel castro ceded power to his brother, raul. there were hundreds of people around here. it was a very historic moment for the million cuban americans that live here. today, you can see behind me we've got four or five people out making their voices heard. that really shows you the muted reaction to this whole normalization process that happened over a year ago. there is some generational divide, the older cuban americans here that made the journey to the united states still carry the scars. for them, any sense of normalization, any sense that a president should set foot on cuban soil is not greeted well,

and they say look, this has been happening over a year ago. we still haven't seen any concessions for the people of cuba. in fact on sunday, the ladies in white that march every sunday, there were arrests, they say there are even more arrests since this whole process began, so they are extremely angry. ten years ago, miami tended to speak with one voice, the older cuban americans had that dominant voice, there is a new generation here that says look, the embargo didn't look, we want to try something new. we want to see what this normalization process will yielded for the people of cuba. there is this generational divide, this generational agreement. what does this all unit all people here in miami is a desire to better conditions for the people of cuba, they just disagree on how that should be done. over a year after the normalization process began, we are still not seeing concessions for the people of cuba. we are not seeing free democratic elections.

we still see one family run that entire island, but people are waiting with baited breath. they want to see what happens, but again, those older cuban americans don't want to see any process of normalization at all. they'd much rather see the embargo in place and not see a u.s. president on cuban soil. >> andy gallagher, live in miami. russia asked for an urgent meeting with the u.s. over how to control the ceasefire in syria. the syrian government delegation just arrived in the venue in geneva where talks are due to resume soon. let's take you live now to geneva. our diplomatic editor james bays is there. james, what are we to make of this russian request? >> well certainly, i think this is puzzling diplomats here from other countries. they all felt there was an agreed procedure for the cessation of hot stilts now in place for over three weeks. there have been some violations, but also a significant reduction in the level of violence, 80 to

90% less violence than over three weeks ago before this came into force. what is supposed to happen is there is a coordination center here at the u.n. in geneva. it includes u.s. officials, including military officials, russian officials, military officials from russia, as well and the united nations and they, too have succumbed to military officials for a number of countries. they're supposed to look at all the reports of violations. russia it seems doesn't like that approach. it would like a more punitive approach towards those that have violated the cessation, the problem with that is that most of the violations have actually come from russia's allies, the syrian government, and there have been even been violations, according to some of the other countries monitoring this by the russian air force themselves who have been on occasion bombing members of the opposition who are here in part of these talks, even though the cessation is technically in place, so big

question marks about what the russians are trying to achieve by these statements. the suggestion perhaps that with the u.s. secretary of state on his way to moscow for meetings with his counterpart, the russian foreign minister, perhaps this is a bit of public arm twisting. >> where does this leave the talks that the syrian delegation has arrived back in geneva. what can we expect from these indirect talks as they resume? >> well, we're getting to the big difficult areas, which is the mother of all issues, as staffan de mistura the mediator described it, which is political transition in syria. until now the syrian delegation have been talking about the procedure for these talking about, talking about the agenda. over the weekend, staffan de mistura gave both sides a questionnaire, 29 questions, they are all about how political transition should work from the view of each of the delegations, so the syrian government will

have had to address these issues that i think many observers believe they have been trying to ignore. it will be very interesting to see whether the syrian government come to speak to us after the meeting, which is getting underway now. we certainly here in a few hours time will be hearing from the u.n. special envoy. >> james, manage thanks. still to come on the program, hopes for a ceasefire. yemen's warring parties have agreed in principle to hold peace talks by the end of the month. >> the early bird catches the world. twitter marks 10 years of tweets. ahead in sport, the west indies make two of two. jo will have all the details. >> a yemeni government official says that a new round of u.n. brokered talks could be held by that the end of this month. those negotiations could lead to

a ceasefire. the announcement was made after the country's warring parties met with u.n. envoy. we have this report. >> as he arrives in the yemeni capital, the job ahead for the united nations envoy isn't easy. he is trying to convince all sides to end the war and negotiate a political compromise. past attempts to strike a deal failed because of growing divisions. houthi rebels will still control the capital say they are a legitimate authority but the government backed by a saudi-led coalition inserts the war will continue until the shia rebels disarm. on the ground, hopes for peace are overshadowed by the fighting. this is a district in the oil-rich province close to the capital. it's been retaken by pro

government troops. the army says it's waiting for orders to go into sanna. >> the national army has been formed nine months ago but has expanded and now leads the fight in taiz, and we are making major gains. >> the army backed by tribesmen is on the offensive in shebwa, one of the last remaining rebel held areas in yemen. the houthis have put up a strong resistance. hundreds of their fighters are holding ground in the mountainous region. >> my unit is advancing. we have retaken villages and broke through enemy lines. >> fighting continues in the city of taiz. the government is trying to retake yemen's third largest city on the main highway that links the south to the capital. hundreds of soldiers and civilians have been killed here.

all of this is a reminder that challenging task facing the united nations enjoy. al jazeera. >> going to show you live pictures now from the hague where the verdict is being handed down in a landmark war crimes trial against a former congolese politician. this is the first case the international criminal court he to focus heavily on rape as a weapon of war. we'll bring that you verdict as soon as it is indeed announced. in the meantime, let's speak to al jazeera's paul brennan, with us at the hague. give us some background to this case. what is he alleged to have done? >> as you can see, as you saw from those pictures, judge sylvia steiner has begun reading out the summary judgment in this case. it has been since 2010 when he was put on trial here at the hague. closing arguments finished in

november, 2014 and it's been 18 months for the judge to guess try to work out exactly what the verdicts are going to be. five charges he faces, two crimes against humanity, murder and rape and two counts of war crimes, rape and pillaging. they date back to 2002, when he sent his private army across the northern border to prop up the president of the central african republic who was subject to an attempted coup at the time, but what they did when they got there has led to international horror. some of the victim's stories are too horrifying to report. he is accused of war crimes with rape as the main weapon.

prosecutors allege he sent his personal militia across the border to the central african republic in too 2002. he was hoping the c.n.r. government would crush the rebellion. his fighters took over where the fighters were and moved house to house, raping, pillaging and killing. five years later, he was living in exile in portugal. al jazeera then asked for his response to the allegations. >> i am not of course involved in any of these things. >> he has since argued that he wasn't in control of what his fighters did on foreign soil. at home in the democratic republican of congress, bemba has his supporters and even ran for office as vice president. many want him jailed. >> while in the c.a.r., men from his congolese liberation movement ran amok for months employee the wounds inflicted will take generations to heal. >> the judge still reading through the charges. the verdict may take some while

to deliver. paul, remind us of the significance, the wider significance of this case. >> the wider significance of this case basically goes to it being the first major case here at the i.c.c., which is concentrated on the use of sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war. feminist groups, international human rights groups applauded the international criminal court for bringing this case and for prosecuting bemba on this basis. the repercussion of that will go to conflict around the world where that conflict back in 2002 is not the only place where rape is alleged to have been used and it will, many people hope put other dictators and regimes on watch that their crimes, alleged crimes will one day be prosecuted. >> paul, we'll be back with you when that verdict is announced. paul brennan at the hague.

prosecutors in belgium for appeal for information about a man believed to have been an accomplice of the main suspect in the paris attacks. officials are seeking details of a 24-year-old man. he is believed to have traveled to syria in 2013. we have a report from brussels. what more do we know? >> we await a joint press conference of the french and belgian, prosecutors, but already, we have had some new information from the belgian prosecutor's office. they say that they are now appealing to the public to locate the individual who is a known accomplice of saleh abdeslam. he had also been going under an alias using false documents. according to investigators, he

had been identified through d.n.a. found at two properties, two different locations in and around brussels where it's believed he had been staying possibly with saleh abdeslam. it is believed that he had traveled to syria in 2013 and that last september he had traveled, along with saleh abdeslam in a hired car to hungary on two separate occasions. they had even been stopped at the border between hungary and austria by border guards before being allowed to travel on. it's now very much down to a public appeal by the belgian authorities for more information. this is of course the first named individual to be identified by the belgian and french authorities since the arrest of saleh abdeslam. they had always said that new information may arise as a result of that arrest and we know already from instructions

given to interpol on sunday that security has been beefed up on the borders between france and belgium and other european states precisely over concerns there could be a movement of further suspects. >> many thanks from brussels. you may have seen the news reports about how extraordinarily hot the beginning of 2016 has been. the figures are out for 2015 and here he is tell us more is our meteorologist. >> they were released about 15 minutes ago, a confirmation of the things we already knew, 2015 was the warmest year that we've ever recorded. .76 degrees up on what we started recording it before the industrial revolution. the c.o.2, which is the main cause of this warming is now registered on the hawaiian islands at 400 parts per

million. mankind has never felt that sort of level of c.o.2. we are halfway there to our warming target. we're already halfway, do you think we'll reach it? we parole will. most have felt the result of that clanging climate. it is harmed by el niño. colorado, the accident and oklahoma have record rainfall because of a fairly active hurricane, the carolinas got 70d upon them. in contrast, in california, the snow pack that brings the water supply was down to 5% of its normal level. it has since then improved to some degree. there is snow falling now. there is also snow falling in massachusetts for the first day of spring, so there is a major difference. tweet used to be what birds

did, but 10 years ago, a software engineer changed our vocabulary and the behavior of millions of people. we have this report on the impact of twitter p.m. >> it may not be a force of nature, but over the last 10 years, the twitter bird has become a force on line. today, 320 million people use twitter every month, pushing out around 6,000 tweets every second, that's about 500 million tweets every day. the trouble is these figures appear to have stalled. twitter's share price hit $69 after it went public, but now sitting at around $17. twitter is believed to be struggling to attract new users as archrivals facebook and google become increasingly dominant. >> at its launch, twitter was heralded as a new and revolutionary way to communicate. during the arab spring five years ago, it was widely used to help protestors organize, but

since then, it's been used to launch often vicious personal attacks. >> it has become a space where people also experience really, really challenging personal invasion of what is for many a work space by people who have particular sort of one-sided interests. >> it's an account of being creepy or obnoxious, use block. >> twitter was criticized for responding too slowly to the harassment. it has set up a system, but for some, the public platform is too risky. >> we've heard stories of people who have been burned by tweets that were misconstrued or said in the spur of the moment. to give more control for individual tweets might get people back to the platform. >> twitter has struggled to earn the money facebook and google have on line.

there are increasing moves to sell advertising on the platform. >> what they're really doing is they are profiling you and monetizing that information, monetizing you. that's a very lucrative business. but the commercialization is against the interests of the people who use the platform which just wants a quick way of communicating. >> to win over more users, twitter has been making changes, including last year's launch of its live video streaming site periscope. users may be taking more care about how and what they tweet but for many, it's appeal remakes a possibility to connect and communicate in realtime with an unprecedented number of people. >> lets talk more about twitter now. it's no overstatements to, is it, that twitter has fundamentally reshaped the media landscape over the last decade. >> indeed. twitter, they have not just

created the micro blogging news environment mentality mindset with what it is doing and reporting. sometimes, we face this challenge of are they competing with news agencies or news organizations. i think twitter created this atmosphere of making this reshaping the way we engage with the people, or and they came up with the hash tag, hash tag was brilliant way of classifying news, find news and many people are using it for campaigns. beyond that, i think hash tag became the art of creating framework of technologies. >> all in 140 characters or less. twitter lauded of course for the role it played in the arab spring. i just want to pause for a moment to hear from an award winning egyptian blogger

describing how twitter played such an important role in the 2011 revolution. >> it was the means with which the activists communicated with each other. they organized and prepared stuff using twitter and it also was important as a live and trusted tool to tell people what was going on in the square or wherever there was action taking place during the revolution, whenever supplies is needed and medical aid, legal aid if somebody got arrested. >> it wasn't just the arab spring, other big news stories, operation cast led for example with the israeli operation against gaza. it allowed information, images and alternative narrative to be brought to an international audience. it was different to the story that israel was telling about the wars. is it a tool that circumvented traditional centers of power?

>> indeed, indeed. i think at a point, they were losing such -- because of the source news -- the news coming from the citizens. i would say also, twitter, they also tried to move from one party collectors and videos and have been trying over the last year fob live video coverage with periscope. twitter has always been -- trying now to capture more users to come to their platform. >> it wasn't just activists using the platform. governments soon began to catch on particularly in the arab spring. here's how the government used twitter for its own benefit.

>> a huge number of accounts, fake accounts, of course of twitter that harass and swear at and mislead the public and trying to discredit and the activists and spread false rumors and false information about them. it's becoming some kind of a war, because the government realized that the activists are influential and the they want to take from this influence and destroy it and have the old influence on the public to spread their own propaganda. >> i hate to cast a shadow over twitter's tent, but is it still relevant, as poplar as it wont was. is it losing market share? twitter is not even publishing all of its numbers anymore. is it eclipsed by other platforms?

vine, periscope. >> twitter, they are struggling right now. i think they are waiting to take it to another stage. i think they need to come up with something further that will engage or attract the imagination, whether it is video, live coverage, or maybe messaging or open up more environment, i think twitter are struggling, but we have to admit that twitter, they really helping journalism. we can use twitter which is very ,very important in the amount of misleading information or rumors. >> twitter's going to hang around for quite some time yet.

we are going to stop there. many thanks for being with us. >> thank you. >> still to come on the program, we're in southern turkey where kurds are marking the first day of spring with the to celebrate. >> a whiteout under the ocean, great barrier reef is bleached due to global warming. >> the spills and thrills of moto g.p., all the action from the season opener in qatar a little later.

>> hello, again. >> the verdict is being handed down against bemba, the first to use charges of rape.

the new publication known as the commentaries aims to bolster the geneva convention as a binding body of law. it stresses the importance of delivering humanitarian aid to people trapped in car zone. let's speak toe director of international law and poverty at the international committee of the red cross. many thanks indeed for being with us. one thing instantly comes to mind, non-state actors like isil who are not signatories to the geneva convention. >> international humanitarian law, or the law of war as you spoke about it is unique area.

it also binds all parties to a conflict, both regular military and non-state armed groups. there's a range of diplomatic way that is pressures can be brought upon individuals but at the end of the kay, they can be prosecuted for war crimes. it's an and i remember to deal with all parties to a no one conflict. >> you say that ps can be brought against anyone breaking the articles of war. some of the signatories to the geneva conventions have also been accused of war crimes. i'm thinking in particular of the case this week where america was accused of bombing the hospital and no one is facing charges over that. how can you bring state signatories to the convention to

justice? >> well, the geneva conventions themselves require states to prosecute territories under their own jurisdiction. that doesn't always occur. that's why you have a range of international tribunal courts. the choice of who endo it individuals is often a complex political choice and often comes down to the prosecutors themselves. i think it is important, particularly from the international committee of the red cross's point of view to continue to stress that the rules of law are a critical and vital element to try to reduce suffering during times of armed conflict and like all international law and law itself doesn't revolutionize human behavior but is a guideline that needs to be enforced and understood more widely. >> helen, many thanks. three turkish soldiers have

been killed in a bomb attack in southeastern turkey close to the syrian border. fighting between the p.k.k. or coward stan workers party and security forces who increased since the collapse of a ceasefire in july. heightened security threats in turkey are overshadowing celebrations for the turkish new year. people in the southeast of afraid to gather in public in case there are more attacks. lawrence lee reports. >> it's the first kurdish new year since the collapse of the ceasefire around this is what it looks like. every single person is checked on enindustry to the district for explosive belts. up and down the main commercial street, almost every side ally is blocked by armed police. the turkish police followed us while we filmed and checked every shot. no faces, nothing to jeopardize their control. there is no trace left of the p.k.k. flags that used to play

fly over sur. the military operation against the kurdistan workers party has been going on for nearly four months. a decision by the p.k.k. to fight turkey here left kurdish civilians with desperate choices. >> i've never seen anything like it. i had to leave home in these clothes and i've worn them for the 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. >> i left, it was very difficult, the sounds of bombs and guns. i had my family with me, six children. we have been waiting for it to end. we have some food and water and we have managed to survive. >> before the ceasefire ended, they had been getting back on their feet with the help of state money. now the regional government is having to pay to put up families in these hotels. fighting in the streets caused huge collateral damage. >> the kurdish military won't

let us go down any of the side streets where the fighting was worst, because they say they are still looking for explosive devices, but the statistics from here speak for themselves. according to the turkish authorities, more than 300 p.k.k. fighters killed and 4,600 families displaced from their homes, and an operation just like the one that happened here is also happening right now in another suburb. >> kurdish men watch the soldiers in their arm vehicles from the outside. none would go on camera over fear of repercussions, but the mood is one of fear and loathing. for all the sense of oppression by the turkish forces, many kurds say they wish the p.k.k. had never picked such fights in built up areas. the illegal group started the struggle again in the city center this time but the state reaction was harsh. even if there were two neighborhoods supporting the p.k.k., they damage the whole city. they used to burn villages in the 1990's, now they're burning the entire city.

>> for many kurds, it is a sour new year. lawrence lee, al jazeera. a judge in russia has said that a ukrainian pilot is complicit in the killing of two russian journalists. the formal verdict is still to be confirmed. nadia is accused of directing mortar fire that killed the journalists in eastern ukraine in 2014. she said that she was driven by political hatred. she was captured by pro-russian separatist and should have been treated as a prisoner of war. the case has come to symbolize the tensions between the two countries. >> things continues to rise on the korean peninsula over

pyongyang's nuclear program. it's not clear if missiles or artillery fire were launched. >> mentality ill are being abused in institutions meant to help them according to a human rights watch report about indonesia. 400,000 suffer from mental illness. some are being kept changed and in dirty sheds. >> for five months, he has been locked up in a cage where he lives in his own excrement. his family is sometimes too afraid to feed him after he murdered his mother and mutilated his body, he was taken to a mental hospital. four months later, he came back. >> they said he was cured, but after three months, he became aggressive again. he injured the head of the village with a ma chetee. his friend and i were wounded. i am worried if we let him out

again. >> 57,000 patients have been chained or confined to inhuman places. families often see no other solution due to a lack of knowledge or money to seek medical care. >> because of the lack of information about even what mental health conditions are, they have often superstitious believe that is cause because of a curse or someone is petsed by evil spirits, and therefore, their only resort in their mind is to lock them up in a room or lock them up in chains. >> the report also found those living in institutions or clinics phones fare any better. in this private institution, one psychologist visits once a week to treat 350 patients. the only medication they receive is herbal. people are still being changed. >> we know indonesia has banned it but we use it temporarily so that the patients can still

move. it's only for two to three days if they are getting emotional. we don't have enough space to put them somewhere safe. >> the government says since 2010, 8,600 patients have been freed from their chains, often local community workers step in and persuade families to have them treated. 26-year-old is one example. he was forced to live inside a hen house. >> when i was locked up in the cell, it was very dark. it was a bad smell and at night, i could see animals coming. i was very scared. >> human rights watch is urging the government to empower local community groups so more patients can be freed and taken care of. >> indonesia struggles with a shortage of psych cysts with only 800 for a population of 200 million. while the government urges to

address abuses, they are call for a nationwide campaign to teach indonesians about the issue. >> we don't want anymore -- but we are working to find ways local communities can deal with mentally ill patients who are living far from mental health treatments. we need to educate communities to take care of them in a who are human way. >> while he has yet to receive medical care, the recover has showed his community that mentally ill need care, not cages. >> we'll tell you why australia's great barrier reef is losing its vibrant color. >> serena williams frustrations boil over at indian wells. we'll tell you why with jo in a few minutes.

coral reefs are some of of the most biologically diverse eco systems. many parts of the reef are experiencing the devastating effect of coral bleaching. the vibrant colors are draining away. we explain why. >> australia's great barrier reef is in trouble. once a kaleidoscope of color, it is turning gray, a phenomenon known as coral breaching.

latest underwater images taken in once pristine stretches of the reef shows the problem. coral bleaching considers during abnormal environmental conditions. last year was the hottest on record and the trend is like toy to continue this year. the heat stress disrupts their special relationship with algae that help them grow and reproduce. it is coupled with the loss of fish and other marine life. the australian government has declared the highest level of alert. protect the great barrier reef is no easy task. with each passing day, the effects of claims change are becoming more difficult to ignore. even underwater, the distress signals are getting louder. al jazeera. >> heartbreaking. all right, time for sport, here's jo. >> one of the biggest tennis tournaments have been embody in

an argument over sexism. indian wells tournament finished up sunday. attention turned away from matters on the court and on to the role of women players. gerald tan has more. >> indian wells, one of the rich evident joint events in tennis, the prize money for the men and women's tournaments are the same, a rare example of parity in sport. the man in charge has caused a controversy after a remark he made about the women's tour on w.t.a. >> in my next life when i come back, i want to be someone in the w.t.a., because they ride on the coattails of the men. they don't mick any decisions and they're lucky, very, very lucky. if i was a lady player, i'd go down every night on my knees and thank god that roger federer and rafael nadal were born. >> he eventually apologized for his comments, saying they were

in extremely poor taste. the w.t.a. issued a statement calling them disappointing and alarming. djokovic also denounced moore's words but reopened the debate on pay equality saying stats are showing that we have much more spectators in the men's tennis matches. i think that is one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more. the argument over equal pay in tennis and in other professional sport isn't new. some say women tennis players should be paid less because they play fewer games and that in the grand-slams, it's three sets, but some women's games can last as long and attract even more viewers. serena williams said matches with female players sell out >>jews i'm totally surprised, especially when me and the other women on the tour ever done well

and last year's, the women's final sold out before the men's. >> tennis is one of the few sports where there is equal prize money for men and women, but even then, the salary of most male athletes far outstrip their female counterparts. last year, the top 10 highest earners seen either by winnings or endorsements were all male. >> there was a strong response from tennis legend billie jean king who wrote disappointed in raymond moore's comments. he is wrong on so many levels. we are down to the sweet 16 at the ncaa tournament. >> disposed in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, a record. the women's final was equally one sided, defeating world number one serena williams who broke not one, but two records in a frustrating display.

going on to win 6-4, 6-4 in her first victory over serena since 2016. she is in the top 10 for the first time in two years. a big boost for the win against man city, the only girl taker of the game at the stadium, the 16th winner strike from the 18-year-old making him the first ever scorer. both teams are still in the relegation zone. south hampton came back from 2-0 down. leicester five points with a 3-0 win at home. >> the gap that they have and

manchester city, we need to reduce and it's true we need to try to fight and believe. australia and bangladesh face each other in a few minutes time. both teams lost their opening games. australia were beaten by new dealt. bangladesh suffered a defeat to pakistan. bangladesh are without two players who were both suspended over illegal bowling actions. >> we are very upset with the decision, that is for sure and we are very disappointed. we still believe that he is all right. >> they've still got quality bowlers and we don't take any side lightly.

it's about making sure that we do what we do well, what we can control and if we do that, hopefully we'll have some success. >> the west indies chalked up their second big victory sunday, beating sri lanka. sri lanka batted first and made 122-9 in their 20 overs. the i understandees were off to a flying start. they help the care bean side to a victory. in the women's world t20, new zealand's all but secured their place in the semifinals, taking australia into bat first. the aussies were 4-4 at 1 point when she took her third wicket. australia eventually steadied to put on an innings of 103-8.

the three time champion set about the chase. rachel priest led the early charge and they comfortably reached their target with 60 wickets to spare. that should be enough to see them into the last four. raining champion lorenzo won the first round of moto in qatar. competing for the lead with his teammate, he crashed out. he was unhurt. yamaha rider lorenzo went on to win the race. jason daewon the arnold palmer invitation roll for his eighth victory on the p.g.a. tour. two under par 70 final round was enough to beat kevin chapel by one shot at bay hill. the victory will see the australian replace rory mcelroy as the world number two.

u.s.a. closed the word indoor athletics championship for the record haul of medals. they smashed the old mark of 19, finishing the competition with 23, including 19 gold. u.s.a. picked up four on the final night and wins in both the four by 400-meter relays. >> indonesia arrived under a doping charge. they are one of five countries where drug testing wasn't stringent enough. one gold in the men's 3,000 meters, before teammate six time record holder won a third indoor championship gold in the women's race. that is all the sport for now. >> many thanks. that will do it for the news hour. he is throwing his pen on his desk. i'll be back with another full bulletin of news in a moment.

>> barack obama hails this opportunity in havana in the reconciliation of the u.s. and cuba. hello again, this is al jazeera live from doha, also ahead. police in belgium issue information about leamed accomplishment t accomplish--led accomplice to