government and the american government in trying to open those embassies, the americans wanted their diplomats to have freer travel throughout cuba so they could have that exposure to promote not only american values, american ideals in terms of politics and civil liberties but also american economic interests as well. i had visited with a couple of different individuals over the course of the last few days of restaurant owner who has a chic restaurant--full disclosure, i was having dinner there, but he said that business has boomed over the last three months. but part of the problem, and ears the irony and props illustrates what is going on in cuba. there is vees stages of the old command style economy. they canned find things. they can't find produce. they can't find the things he needs to keep a restaurant

running. he has to get create t.v. not just with the menu but the physical operation of running a restaurant. i visited with a family living in a small apartment--three generations living in a small argument in havana. they're all aware of the fact that the president is coming here. and they hope and they are hopeful that all these years of animosity were pointless. they can finally be put behind them and they're hopeful for the young people. there were two small boys in the apartment, they were hopeful that they can reap the fruit from the benefits of what is happening here today. >> let's pause and listen to the "star spangled banner" being played. [ music ]

[ music ] >> okay, so as the review of troops begins here i want to bring in robert valencia, who has been commenting all morning about the significance of this moment. robert, a lot has been said that president obama in some way is legitimatizing a dictator here. with this visit. when you look at these pictures what are your thoughts? >> well, i think that's one of the biggest criticisms that president obama has received is that he's shaking the hands of raul castro while smiling at cameras, and that is considered a big slap in the faces of the many people who have sacrificed their lives when they're trying to cross the strait of florida, or the dissident who have put their lives at stake. but i think that this is just as we have heard this is all about

images. you know, the moment in which most nations have been come together after 50 years of political and diplomatic estrangement. and to me it brings a lot of memories in terms of all the diplomatic tensions that have happened in the last couple of years. the lilo gonzalez case in 2000 when he was technically brought back to cuba to live with his father. we have the other incident that went on in 2012, a version of twitter provider and sponsored by the state department of the usa. that caused a lot of tension between the united states and cuba. who have tried to in a way legitimatize the government. the cuban government. and we have multiple cases like a tv channel run from the united states and has played the played

the airwaves in cuba with u.s. propaganda if if you will call it. you have all these tension and incidents in the last couple of decades. but now it seems that it seems that everything is forgotten. as the guests have mentioned, raul castro will be leaving power in 2018. however, many are skeptical about what is going to happen after this because i'm pretty sure that the castro regime, the castro brothers, anyone who remember the revolution and those who were deeply involved in the revolution and regime. >> on this topic of political transition within cuba, we talked about president obama is laying the groundwork for post castro cuba. how real tick is that? >> president obama just shook

the hand of the heir apparent in 2018. this is an individual who is a hard liner within the castro party. if you look at the embargo. it's a series of different acts. about four of them dating back to 1960, but there is a clause that essential a full normalization relation can't take place between the united states and cuba as long as there is a castro at the top. >> a castro. >> castro has placed a step down but it's not clear if he'll step down from the communist party. and in the cuban constitution the communist party is supreme to the government. the letter of the law there might be some possibility of lifting the trade embargo after more than half a century, it's not really clear whether castro will actually not be holding the

reins of the cuban government. that's when it becomes a political decision. >> as we take a look at the military pictures, let's talk about this nexus between government and military. ted cruz and his rebuttal talked about how the military, they're really the ones holding the purse strings. they're really the ones with keys to the economy. is that true? >> it very much is true. cuba has similar to what you might see in terms of egyptian model where the army is infused in every part of the economy, particularly the hotels. you go to the hotel, and at the top of these hotel chains are military men. when we talk about trade and the star ways and marriotting, they'll not only have to be partnering with the cuban government but the cuban military. that's a difficult line to tow when you talk about politics o, and when they say they want a military normalization it is

this military that tamps down on the dissident, you talk about the ladies in white, these are wives, mothers, sisters of a group of dissident who have been held for a decade. cuba does not do that any more, the long-termed detentions but they do detain people in catch ancatch and release programs. and they say that is not right. so what happens next. it's not just the handshake. it's not just symbolism. these optics really matter in terms of policies as we go forward of what politics should be between these two countries. >> take a look at the flags flying in the wind on a stormy day. i want to bring back robert valencia on final comments of what we've seen today and what lies ahead. robert, i think what this always comes down to is the president saying that he hopes to make

life a little better for cubans. how much evidence have we seen in the last 18 months since it was announced in december o of 2014 that has actually improved the life of average cubans? with. >> well, we've heard previously that business are a booming in havana. there has been an approach. especially from some u.s. officials. i mean, you saw for example governor andrew cuomo, the governor of new york visiting havana as well, and promote what new york, the state of new york has to offer to the island. now we're seeing airlines, u.s. airlines such as united and southwest trying to open new routes to havana from havana to new york, washington, and miami. so there have been absolutely an approach to both cuba and the united states. you have seen improvement,

obviously things are not going to happen overnight. i mean, we're talking about 50 years of complete estrangement. things are begin to go thaw. restrictions will have to ease. that's exactly what president obama is looking for. now in terms of lifting the embargo of what cubans call the black said, still is pending because congress will have its calling the shots on whether it should be lifted or not. you were mentioning the election cycle. we have bernie sanders and hillary clinton supporting the lifting of the embargo whereas the republican party is completely opposing lifting the embargo and easing the relationships between the united states and cuba. so things are not going to happen immediately, but this is such a big, bold step, and it is a necessary step. >> thank you very much, robert valencia. i want to go back out to mike viqueira. i want to talk about the politicia politics of this.

how much political capital did president obama spend on this detaunt with cuba with trade and travel he has changed with executive action? >> you know, political capital when you're in the last year of your second term takes on a different meaning. again, i think what the president is doing is cement this perception that things are normalized. he wants to do that while there is a lot on the line in terms of civil liberties and economic opportunities for cubans as well as american organizations. he wants to create this perception, and through the use of optics that we're going to see through yesterday, today and tomorrow that this is now the status quo. and while the white house does not condition seed that congress will lift embargo over the next eight months, it is very

unlikely and impossible that the republicans will undertake that in an election year. nonetheless part of the goal, perhaps even the main goal is for the president to show the world that the united states and cuba are now having normal diplomatic relations, if not normal economic relations. again, things have not gone. perfectly for the white house here. there is the relatively minor issue of whether the skies have opened up. the moment air force one touched down yesterday, the skies opened up, the umbrellas opened up, and the president and first family went on a tour there. more significantly in terms of the fuel of the criticism, it "the new york times" does not mention the protesters we've talked about, the ladies in white. adding more fuel to the critic

of the republicans in florida and elsewhere in the cuban-american community, while those attitudes as david has discussed have shifted dramatically over the course of the last several years in terms of whether or not they support the continued poor relations or opening cuba that the president has embarked on in a very visual way, there is this perception, this idea born out now by the protests of individuals being arrested that the president has promised a lot in terms of the influence that the united states can have and the reality on the ground from human rights watch and a lot of other third-party organizations, that things really haven't changed that much at all, stephanie. >> we're going to continue to talk about this, mike. thank you. but this really comes down to two leaders. president obama and cuba's president, raul castro, who is younger than fidel and who has plotted a different course than his brother, mending fences with

with america. lucia newman has that part of the story. >> in size and character raul castro could not be more different than the brother he replaced as president of communist cuba. raul and fidel castro fought to overthrow the baptista dictatorship. punctuated by fiery anti-american speeches so long that they broke the guinness word of records. >> he had a vision, and he didn't want anything to offend that vision. he placed a lot of importance in the ideological revolution. >> but for nearly 50 years fidel castro was the unchallenged leader of the revolution. fidel focused on the creation of the so-called new man and blamed the united states for cuban shortcomings.

when poor health forced him to step down most assumed that raul castro, who always stood in his shadow, would simply follow in his footsteps. to almost everyone's surprise in just eight years he has introduced a series of long-awaited reforms from letting cubans open up small private businesses to loosening restrictions on travel abroad. >> raul has been more liberal. there has been more democracy, a lot of reforms. >> raul boffola is a pragmatist. >> he is in fact, pragmatic enough to put ideology and fears aside to reconciliate with his

archenemy. but he's committed to maintaining cuba as an one-party commune test state. >> the same way we have never suggested the united states change it's political system, we demand respect for ours. >> raul castro is due to step down in two years. with the clock ticking on the castro era, he seems to be determined to follow vietnam's example, make peace with the united states, open up the economy, an maintain the grip on political power. lucia new man, al jazeera, havana. >> we want to talk more about raul castro with our correspondent david, do you think when raul took fidel's place, that people knew he would put these reforms in place, that we would see a day like today, where the american president is shaking hands and having a

face-to-face meeting. >> i think there was a concern that he would not last in government. a government without fidel at the top, that was not something that was known for a half century. he sacked other political ministers and put them under house arrests but then we saw a series of liberalized reforms. they didn't make headlines in the united states or around the world, but slow agriculture reforms that were desperate at that point. cuba trout it's history has been reliant upon another power whether it's the soviet union prior to 1990, whether it was venezuela up until recently in terms of the oil subsidies. >> but maduro just met with fidel castro yesterday, and it was interesting is that they put out publicly the photos of that meeting. do you think that was timed to send a message? >> absolutely it was timed. at one point there was talk of hugo chavez when he was alive, giving the state of the union

within cuba. just the thought of that in connection of these two countries and the fact that united states still has sanctions against venezuela. >> but he doesn't have the leverage that he once did because of falling oil prices. >> that has really crippled his position in many ways and put cuba in a position where they have to look at a secondary income, that could be american tourism. people are traveling down there, and cubans need that cash. they've been cash-strapped for a while, and because of falling oil prices they were facing the prospect of even so. >> how has castros held on to power for so long? >> cuba is an island so it can control its borders a lot easier. you don't have that free movement like you have in colombia and venezuela. but these are the perfect yin

and yang of leadership. fidel would get up and give seven-hour speeches, and very charismatic, and raul is more the pragmatist, and he would work behind the scenes you have the bombastic fidel castro and the technocrat raul castro. >> and an american president is open to the idea of warming relations. thank you. more live coverage of president obama's trip to cuba right after this.

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with their unique voice. the question is, do you know how to develop it? >> her life, legacy and song-writing secrets. >> tapping into a spirituality inside of the music is very important. >> i lived that character. >> go one-on-one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> welcome back to our live coverage of president obama's trip to havana. right now he's inside the presidential palace meeting one-on-one with president raul castro. he'll also meet with cuban entrepreneurs, and american businessmen will be there as well. >> all revolution start with just a few individuals. >> if you look at the tractor, you can see that it is very simple. >> they start with a mission, which for horace and sal is to

sell this tractor to as many cubans as possible. they're one of the very first to build a factory in cuba. >> when we look at the best business to go into cuba? well, we need to help them increase food productivity. >> there's is the first significant investment project on the island since the cuban revolution. the two hope to produce so many tractors they'll start exporting them to our countries in south america. >> if we achieve those goals we'll be in the hundreds of thousands of units a year that employ 300 people or more. >> but at at cost of $8,000 to $10,000, it's not clear if many cuban farmers can afford the tractor. some stop by only to window shop. >> yes, there are those who can afford it, but me, for example, i can't afford it, but there are others who can. >> he's hoping that international ngos or the

cuban exile community may be able to help local farmers buy his tractors. >> his booth is the only one from the united states. it really is breaking new ground. >> this is a country of 11 million people. it's not the biggest market in the world. but 11 million people is the size, population of illinois where i live, that's the sixth largest state in the union. there are a lot of opportunities. >> soon it won be just tractors. other american businesses plan to enter the market. the port to the market is eroding fast, and they have called to end it. >> our entire foreign policy has been focused on fidel castro where it should be focused on the 11 million cubans. that's the shift we've seen over the last 12 months. >> the impact of the american embargo on ordinary cubans is tough to assess but as many

blame the embargo for their hardship as those who blame their own government. out in the countryside farmers best options are decades-old russian imports. new tractors would improve liv lives. >> all our machinery is old, and we need to upgrade and improve our technology in order to advance. in order to move forward. we need to make progress. >> clemens believes a prosperous cuba will arrive very soon. >> if we look at what has happened in china and vietnam where they thanke changed their business model, cuba will move faster than either one of those for the simple reason of the cuban people. >> people debate whether change will take a few years or a few decades, but no one questions that cuba will look very different for the next generation. melissa chan, al jazeera, havana. >> bringing back al jazeera's david for comment on this.

there will be investment going into cuba. but the investment will be uneven. what will that mean for the cuban economy. >> when you look at the tractors coming in, and investment in different companies, the people who have ties to those companies, both the united states and in terms of remittance are often the white cubans. when you look at where this investment rises and where it falls it's uneven racially. we'll see the have as and have notes break down in terms of racial lines. it could undermine some of this policy that the policy th obama administration is putting in. maybe this administration is simply trying to change it from within. >> and very interesting comment.

i want to get robert valencia's opinion on that. what do you think about that? what american investment in cuba will do to the cuban economy, and to maybe the social strata there as well. >> i think everything has been explained. i think what i see is how u.s. investment in cuba will have repercussions across the region, particularly the caribbean. puerto rico is facing tough economic hardship. they are at a multi billion dollar deficit, and many are questioning whether a new economy in cuba will present a boom or economic woes for puerto ricans. whether the tourism industry will be affected by a new opening in u.s.-cuban relations.

certainly there is a lot at stake. a lot of things are going to be happening over the next couple of years. whether latin america will see a new serge in cuban economy. let's not forget that before the revolution cuba was a beacon of progress. they were the first country to bring television and railroads to latin america. now we'll see hopefully a new era of progress. a lot of things are still at the back burner. you have guantanamo bay. you have the cuban adjustment law. many things are still discussed. but this is such a historic moment and we should not let it go unnoticed. >> robert valencia with global voices. thank you very much for joining us. i want to go back out one last time to mike viqueira before we wrap up this live special coverage. mike, talk about how the president will measure the success of this trip by which metrics will the white house be able to spin this as positive to the american people and to the cuban people?

>> well, again i think it remains to be seen. there have been some flies in the ointment already. we've seen protesters manhandle with images shown around the world just hours before the air force one touched down. i can tell you that the white house staff was not happy about that at all. they were concerned and went out of their way to say in the speech give to the cuban people will be aired nationally to the cuban people. that was part of the agreement. that happens tomorrow. he'll go to the baseball game with the tampa bay rays. >> right now president obama meeting with cuban president raul castro. both presidents are said to meet with the press.

that will vice president at 1:15. thanks for watching.

>> hello again. the news hour from al jazeera. our top stories u.s. president barack obama has been welcomed in havana meeting with cuba's president raul castro. his tour is a symbolic moment of reconciliation. it's the first visit of a sitting american president in nearly 90 years. yemeni government officials say that a new round of u.n.-brokered talks could be held at the and of this month. the foreign minister of yemen said that the negotiations could lead to a cease-fire. prosecute necessary belgium are

appealing for information about a man who is believed to be an accomplicement to the suspect in the paris attacks. they're seeking details of a 24-year-old who is believed to have traveled to syria in 2013. turkish officials have arrived on the greek island of lesbos to iron out the deal between the e.u. and turkey to prevent refugees from arriving in europe. greece is struggling to implement the agreement because of legal problems with the asylum registration process. we have reports from lesbos. >> hoping that his request for applfor asylum in europe will be accepted but he may have arrived too late. he arrived on sunday, the day new rules came into effect. europe has been closing one border after another over recent months but there is an agreement that will make it harder for migrants and refugees to stay.

>> they took us to the camp and registered us. they told us to wait. we don't know what will happen to us. they're separating syrians from pakistanis and other nationals. in turkey we could not make ends meet. >> they team them to a camp where turkish monitors are in lesbos to super advice the implementation of that deal. >> there is a lot of confusion because first of all for the people refugee who is arrive, people who feel that after registration they will have a permit to travel through greece and then try to cross the border with macedonia, that's absolutely not the case any more.

>> these people are being sent to mainland greece. they're separating the old from the new arrival. for now, they're stuck in greece because roots and borders to other e.u. countries further north have been closed. under the agreement the migrants and refugee who is arrive on greece's families from march 20 on wards will not be allowed to travel to mainland greece. they will stay in centers like this one until their asylum applications are processed and there is a possibility that they may be sent back to turkey. greek officials say that there have not been significant changes in the number of arrivals. there is concern among asylum

works and aid workers. they say that the majority of arrivals are from countries in conflict and if properly processed would qualify as refugees but there is now a new reality. al jazeera, lesbos. >> 36 iraqi soldiers have been killed in separate suicide attacks by isil fighters. 25 other soldiers were injured. the simultaneous attacks targeted military positions manned by iraqi security forces. the u.s. is to send a detachment of marines to join the ground fight against isil in iraq. it's not clear how many troops from the 26th marine have been deployed. there are currently 3,600 u.s. military personnel in iraq. more now from kristen saloomey in washington. >> the marine unit is a combination of ground-air combat unit that will be supporting operations in iraq and in the

international coalition fight against isil. we're told by pentagon officials that this unit is the same unit that suffered losses on friday when isil forces fired rockets into the base, killing one marine and injuring others. deployment was pushed up in response to that attack and we're told this is a group that will continue to provide security for officials at this base. supporting iraqis in their ground offenses in the fight against isil, and providing advisory and support roles. of course, the united states taking part in air campaign against isil. again partly in reaction to the attack that happened on friday. >> three turkish soldiers have been killed in a bomb attack in the southeast of turkey. it happened close to the syrian border. fighting between the pkk and

kurdistan workers party and security forces have increased since the collapse of a cease-fire since july. people in the mainly kurdish region in the southeast are afraid to gather in public in case there are more attacks. laurence lee reports. >> it's the first kurdish new year's since the collapse the cease-fire and this is what it looks like. every single person is checked on the district's 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 and checked every shot. no faces, nothing to jeopardize their control. there is no trace left of the pkk flags that used to fly. the military operation against the kurdistan workers party has been going on for nearly four months. the decision by the pkk to fight

turkey here left kurdish civilians with desperate choic choices. >> i've never seen anything like it. i had to leave home in these clothes. i've worn them for four months. i don't have a wife. my son and his wife have gone to live with other relatives. i'll never come back here. >> i if never left here. i have my family with me, six children. we've been waiting for it to end. we had some food and water and we have managed to survive. >> before the cease-fire ended the area had been getting on its feet with the help of state money. now the regional government is having to pay to put families up in hotels, fighting in these narrow streets caused huge collateral damage. >> we can't go down any of the side streets because they're still looking for explosive devices. but the statistics here really speak for themselves.

according to the turkish authorities more than 300 pkk fighters killed and 4,600 families displaced from their homes. an operation just like the one that happened here is also happening right now in another suburb. >> none would go on camera over fears of repercussions, but the mood is one of fear and loathing. for all sense of oppression by the tourish forces many kurds wish the pkk had never picked its fight in such built up areas. >> the illegal and legal group started to struggle again in the city center this time, but the state's reaction was very harsh. even if there were two neighborhoods supporting the pkk they damaged the whole city. they used to burn villages in the 1990s now they're burning the entire city. >> in a cease-fire where hundreds of thousands celebrat ed just a typy faction turned

out in a land that was should have been full was now empty. it was a sour new year. >> mentally ill patients in indonesia are being abused in constitutions meant to provide help for them. that's according a report by human rights watch. around 400,000 indonesians suffer with severe mental illness. we have reports now from jakar jakarta. some are being chained and kept in dirty sheds. >> for five months now, he has been locked up in a cage where he lives in his own excrement. his family is too afraid to feed him. after he murdered his family and mutilated her body he was taken to a mental hospital. a month 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 chet an.

i wonder if they'll let them out again. >> 50,000 mentally hill patients in indonesia have been chained and live in unhealthy places. >> because of the lack of communication of what mental health conditions are, they have superstitious believes that it is a curse or someone is possessed by evil spirit. their only resort is to lock them up in his room or in chain. >> the report found those living in institutions don't fare any better. one psychologist visits once a week to treat 350 patients. the only medication they receive is herbal. despite that people are still being chained. >> we know indonesia has ban

shackling, but we use it temporarily so the patients can still move. it's only for two to three days if they're getting emotional. we don't have enough space to put them where safe. >> the government said that since 20108000 hundred patients have been freed from from their chains. >> this 26 of-year-old was one example. he was forced to live inside a hen house. >> when i was locked up in the shed it was very dark. there was a bad smell and at night i could see animals coming. i was very scared. >> human rights watches urge the government to empower local community groups so more patients can be freed and taken care of. indonesia struggles with the shor shortage of psychiatrists.

many say that mental health needs to be a priority. they're calling for a nationwide campaign to teach indonesias about this issue. >> we don't want any more, but we're looking to find way local communities can deal with mentally ill patients who are living too far from mental health clinics. so we need to educate communities to take care of them in a more human way. >> he has yet to receive medical care. the recovery that mentally ill patients need care, not cages. >> indonesia's government is demanding answers from a chinese diplomats over a fishery boat fishing illegally. jakarta said that the chinese coast guards chased it was the

troll ships when they tried to detain it, but the fishermen were not engaged in any illegal activity. china's government has vowed to crackdown on the sell of illegal vaccines. it's thought around $19 million vaccines have been sold on the black market and now there is public anger over why it has taken authority so long to act. >> the problem is huge. it's thought that illegal vaccines have been sold to hospitals and disease control centers and at least 24 provinces including here in beijing. now police say they're looking for 300 people suspected of involvement in this case. the main suspects are mother and daughter who have been in police custody since last april. they are thought to have bought vaccines from licensed and unlicensed traders and then sold them on to resellers. the vaccines themselves have been produced by authorized

manufacturers, but the concern is that they may not have been transported or stored in approved conditions, something that could compromise the effectiveness of the vaccine or in worst-case scenario cause side-effects, disabilities or death when induced. now many have taken to social media to express their outrage asking how this case has even been allowed to happen. one suspect is charged with selling illegal vaccines but she was given a suspended sentence and within the following year she was back in the business of selling vaccines illegally. one thing that angers people here is that this case has only been made public recently a year after authorities have evidence that potentially unsafe vaccines entered china's healthcare system. >> australia's prime minister has threatened to take the country to an early election. he said that if the government's

labor reform bills are blocked in month he'll move the bucket forward and force an election for july 2nd. >> coral reeves hosts some of the most diverse ecosystems. many parts of the reeves are experiencing coral bleaching in the vibrant colors that you saw. they're draining away. >> australia's great barrier reef is in trouble. once the kaleidoscope of color, it is turning white and gray, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching. the latest underwater photographs show the extent of the problem. it occurs during times of what is considered abnormal environment commissions. last year was the hottest year on record and the trend is likely to continue this year.

rising sea temperatures are a threat to coral. it destroys their special relationship with algae that helps them to reproduce. the australian government has declared the highest level of alert protecting the great barrier reef is no easy task. the unesco site is about 2300 kilometers long. the effects of climate change are becoming more difficult to ignore. even in the water the distress signals are getting louder. >> still ahead here on the news hour, jo will be here with the sports. serena's frustrations at indian wells. details in the next few minutes.

terror attacks. we'll have more on that later in the hour, i'm stephanie sy. history is being made in havana. president obama is 30 minutes away from meeting with raul >> hello again. on this day ten years ago a young software developer in the u.s. september a message that changed the way that millions people around the cold communicated. it was the first-ever tweet. since then social media platform twitter has had a few ups and down as derek bassly explains. >> it may not be a force of nature, but over the last ten years the twitter bird has become a force online. today, 320 million people use twitter every month pushing out around 6,000 tweets, about 500 million tweets every day. the trouble is these figures appear to have stalled.

twitter's share price has hit $69 after it went public. now it's sitting around $17. twitter is believed to be struggling to attract new users. facebook and google becoming increasingly dominant. >> it's launch was heralded as a new and evolutionary way to communicate. the arab spring it was widely used to help protesters to organize. since then it has been used to launch personal attacks. >> it has become a space where people experience challenging, personal invasion of what is for many a workspace by people who have particular one-sided interests. >> twitter was criticized for responding too slowly to the online harassment and it has set up a reporting system. but for some the public platform

is too risky. >> we've heard the stories where people have been burned by tweets that were misconstrued or tweets that were said in the spur of the moment. giving more control for individual tweets might get people back to the platform. >> twitter has sprawled to earn the kind of money that google and facebook has made online it has lost $2 billion and prompts increasing move of selling advertisement on the platform. >> they're profiling you and monday advertising that information. monday advertising you. that's a lucrative business. but it's against the interest of people who use the platform, who want a quick means of communicating. >> twitter has made changes to its launch of pair scope. users may be taking more care about how and what they tweet

but for my its appeal remains as it's always been, the possibility to connect and communicate in realtime with an unprecedented number of people. >> let's hear now from an award-winning egyptian blogger. he describes how twitter played an purpose role in the 2011 revolution. >> it was a means that activists could communicate with each other. they organized and prepared using twitter and it also was important to tell the people what's going on in the square or wherever there is action taking place during the revolution. whenever supplies are needed and medical aid, legal aid, if somebody got arrested. >> now time for sport. >> adrian, thank you. well, the issue of equal pay for male and female athletes has been an hot topic in sport for

many years. tennis has paid the same to its winners regardless of gender but the debate has been reopened after sexist comments overshadowed the final day of one of the game's biggest moments. >> indian wells, one of the richest joint event in professional tennis. the prized money for the men and women's tournaments are the same. a rare example of paid parity in sports. the man in charge of indian wells remarked about the women's tour of twa. >> in my next life i want to come back as someone in the wta. they arrive on the coattails of the men. they don't make any decisions and they're lucky, very lucky. if i was a lady player i would go down every night on my knees and thank god that roger federer and raphael in a del was born. >> he apologized to his comments

saying they were in extremely poor tests. the wta called them disappointing and alarming. nowak djokovic denounced his words but reopened the debate by saying stats are showing that we have much more spectators in the men's tennis matches. that's one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more. the argument of equal pay in tennis and other professional sport not new. some say that women tennis players should be paid less because they play fewer games. it's the best of three sets as opposed to the best of five for men. but some women's games can last just as long as attract more viewers. serena williams said that matches for female players often sell out even before the men's. >> i'm totally surprised when me and venus and other women on the tour have done well, and in last year's final sold out.

the final was sold out before the men's final. >> tennis is one of the few sports where the major tournaments of offer equal prize money for men and women. but even then the salary of most male athletes far outstrip the women's counter parts. >> before wading into the argument. djokovic did receive an unprecedented title at indian wells. it's a record that places 27 counsel for the world number one. the women's final was unsided. serena williams broke not one

but two rackets and she would go on to win over serena in her first victory over serena. bangladesh in a crucial test. both teams lost their opening encounters so they need to win. bangladesh in bat. and taking three wickets as bangladesh reached 156-5. from there 20 over australia will begin the chase shortly. in the women's world, australia bats first and their wickets began to tumble. at one point the aussies were 4-4. australia eventually steady with an inning of 103-8.

the three-time champion they reached their victory target with six pictures to spare. making it three wins from three and that should be enough from the last four. >> jordan's national football team have had their first training session under new manager harry redknapp. it will be his first experience of international football. redknapp quit his job at qpr last year because of a bad knee but was asked to help. jason day has won the arnold palmer invitation for his victory on the pga tour. the two under par final round. the victory will see the

australian replace rory mcilroy as the world's number two. usa has closed the indoor athletic championships with a record hall of medals. they finished the competition with 23. including 19. usa picked up four on the final night including wins in the 4 x 4 100-meter relay. they would win gold in the men's 3,000 meters before teammate and six-time world record holder won a third indoor world championship gold in the women's race. that is all the sport for now. more a little bit later. >> jo, thank you very much, indeed. that's it from us. we'll see you again. thanks for watching. bye bye.

al jazeera america. >> barack obama and real castro hold an historic meeting at the palace of the revolution. i'm david foster, you're watching ankle live from london. we report on former drc vice president guilty of murder, rape and pillage at the international criminal court. >> security in southeast security as kurds celebrate the spring festival after months of fighting. plus... >> if i was a lady player i would