had been dreaming about for so long. >> getting to the heart of the matter. proud to tell your stories. al jazeera america. president obama hails an historic opportunity in havana for reconciliation between the u.s. and cuba. you're watching al jazeera, live from our headquarters in doha. coming up from the next half hour, hopes for a ceasefire as the warring parties gree in principle to hold peace talks former d.r.c. vice president is found guilty of murder, rape and piilage. and date day. >> i'm daniel schweimler in brazil. where both sides in the

political divide are choosing their colours. the u.s. and cuban presidents pledged to set aside decade-long differences in an historic meeting. president obama recalled a new-day. raul castro was forced to defend cuba's record on human rights. patty culhane has more. >> reporter: after decades of silence between cuba and the united states, this... [ american national anthem played ] a moment most americans and cubans never thought they'd see after half a century of animosity, the u.s. president on cuban soil celebrated. a closer look shows there are still deep differences. the man escorting president

obama helped stop the u.s.-sponsored bay of pigs invasion in 1961, a huge embarrassment for america. the president sent his own message in this guest book, paying tribute to a 19th century hear, writing his passage for liberty freedom and telephone communication lived on. asked about political prisoners, president raul castro issued a change. >> translation: we talked about political prisoners, give me a list of political prisoners, and i will release them immediately. what political prisoners, give me names, if we have them, they'll be released before the night ends. >> he criticized the human rights message of u.s. pointing out areas he says the u.s. falls short, calling it a two-faced approach to human rights.

president obama went out of his way to show he didn't take offense. >> president castro addressed what he views as shortcomings in the united states. around basic needs for people and poverty and inequality and race relations, and we welcome that dialogue as well. >> the president will continue the dialogue, but with opponents of the castro government on tuesday. officials tell me this is a highly unusual vision for them, because frankly they are not sure what the cuban government is going to do. a big question is will they interfere with the president's meeting with the dissidents. these are carefully and choreographed meant to show the country is moving on, but also highlighting that distrust will not be washed away by a few

ceremonies four gunmen attacked the european union's military mission in mali's capital. there were fods of a soldiers standing over one of the attackers. in november, 20 died when doesn't men stormed the radisson blue hotel a yemeni government official says a new round of u.n. brokered talks could be held by the end of this month. the negotiations could lead to a ceasefire. >> reporter: 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 controlled the capital, saying they are a

legitimate authority. the government, backed by a saudi-led coalition insists 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 sanaa. >> the national army has been formed nine months ago, but has expanded and leads the fight. we are making major gains the army backed by tribesman is on the offensive in 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 breaken through enemy lines. >> reporter: fighting continues in the city of tiaz. the government is trying to retake the third-largest city, or the highway that links the south to the capital. hundreds of soldiers and civilians have been killed here. all of this is a reminder of the challenging task facing the united nations envoy russia has asked for an urgent meeting with the u.s. on how to maintain the cessation of hostility in syria. moscow warned that it could use force against those it accuses breaching the pause in fighting. syrian factions participating in indirect talks in geneva accused each other of delaying negotiation. a diplomatic editor james bays has more. >> reporter: the syrian government knows that attack is sometimes the best form of

defense, and their chief negotiator accused the opposition of delaying tactics, and not taking the negotiations seriously enough, and said on what many believe is the key issue, the president bashar al-assad, it's not something they are prepared to discuss. >> reporter: are you prepared to discuss the future of bashar al-assad. >> bashar al-assad has nothing to do with the syrian indirect talks. the references of our talks do not indicate anything. do not give any indication what over with regard to the issue of the president of the arab republic. this is something that is already excluded from the scene later at the same podium the u.n. special envoy stefan de

mistura said he was in a hurry to start discussions about political transition, and said he would raise the issue with ambassador javry. >> he said he was - i'm not revealing a secret - premature at the moment to talk about it. my message was premature means imminent as far as we are concerned. it is important to address their own understanding. it is clear the political transition is the issue. no one questioned that. neither the gun nor in vienna nor munich or the if-15. we'll have to be realistic on that. >> reporter: a spokesman for the main opposition bloc, the high negotiation party said bashar al-assad was the issue and the reason for all the parties in syria. he said if they are not prepared to discuss that, why are they here 36 iraqi troops have been killed in separate isil suicide

attacks. 25 others were injured north-east of ramadi city. the attacks in central iraq targetting positions manned by security forces meanwhile an influential leader in iraq is continuing his cause for political reform. >> first to speed up reform was a political regime, the judicial authority, the legislative authority, second to define a timetable to form an independent technocrat government with all its institutions, not only the solution, and third a division of sectarianism. >> reporter: there has been a protest near the green zone, demanding a new government. the cleric and his supporters ta a technocratic administration should be formed to fight rampant corruption. a former vice president.

democratic republic of congo has been convicted of war crimes, international criminal court found jen pierre ben ban guilty of murder, rape and piilage. this is the first time the i.c.c. has focused on rape as a weapon of war. we have this report from the aying this is jean pierre ben ba, businessman, politician and convicted war criminal. there is evidence of how the army waged a campaign of rape, murder and pillage against rape and the public. >> small platoon's were organizers. groups of three or four soldiers invaded houses one by one. they stole possessions that could be carried off.

and rape. regardless of the age. ben ba never issued an order of rape and murder and the defense team insisted once they crossed the boarder they were under the command of that country's leadership. in 2007, before his arrest, he was interviewed on al jazeera, brushing away questions of the i.c.c. . >> we will know the international criminal court... >> no, i'm not involved in any of these things. what i'm saying is they have you in their sites, don't they. >> no, no, that's not true. so there's no question of you having to go to the hague? >> nine years later, the i.c.c.

had found unanimously against him. >> the five year trial of jean pierre bem ba heard details. cynical cruel, sexual humiliation by the soldiers under his command. rape was commonplace, there were gang rapes, people were raped in front of relatives, one woman raped by two soldiers and diagnosed with h.i.v. it was the court's decision to put the sexual crimes at the front and the center of the case against jean pierre bem ba, setting the case out as a landmark ruling. >> reporter: ben ba faced charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and was found guilty on all fives counts. sentencing will be at a later date. and he faces 30 years in gaol, and a life sentence if the court considers it is justified by the gravity of the crime. the victim spects is to be a

long sentence indeed in yemen, aung san suy kyi has been nominated to become a member of the government. it's not known what her position will be. the parliament has been in session. the names of 18 new government ministers have been submitted for consideration. consideration. aung san suy kyi's national league for document okay rahsy party won a land slide in the election in november. it was the first national vote since a civilian government was introduced in 2011, ending nearly 50 years of military rule still to come on al jazeera - locked up. how traditional beliefs are affecting the treatment of indonesia's mentally ill. plus, vibrant colours bleached away. footage shows the devastating effects of climate change. te change.

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change the way you experience tv with x1 from xfinity. al jazeera america. welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera, and the u.s. and cuban presidents pledged to set aside their decades long distances in an historic meeting in havana. president obama welcomed what he called a new day. raul castro was forced to defend cuba's record on human rights. >> a new round of peace talks between yemen's warring parties could be held by the end of this month. there are hopes that those negotiations would lead to a ceasefire in the year-long conflict the former vice president of the democratic republic of congo has been convicted of war

crimes. the international criminal court found jean pierre bem ba guilty of murder, rape and pillage in the central african republic more than a decade ago. turkish officials arrived on the greek island of lesbos to iron out a deal to stop refugees entering europe. greece is struggling because of legal problems with the registration program. zeina khodr reports. >> reporter: this man may have arrived too late, reaching the shores of lebos on sunday, the day new rules came effect. europe has been closing one boarder after another, now there's an great making it harder for migrants and refugees to stay. >> we are yout 3:00a.m. on march 20th. they took us to the camp and registered us. we don't know what happened to

us. they are separating syrians and iraqis from pakistanis and others. we can't go back to syria because of the war. >> he was taken to camp, where those that arrived after the e.u. turkey deal that came into force are staying. others are in lesbos to help with the implementation of that deal. interpreters are arriving as well. >> there are people that still think after the registration they can have a permit to travel to greece, and then to try to across the boarder with macedonia, that is not the case any more. knew now it's been emptied by

refugees that arrived before. >> reporter: these people have been sent to mainland greece. once they reach the main lant the asylum seekers will be placed in shelters, for now, they are stuck in grease, because roots and boarders have been closed. under the agreement the migrants and refugees who arrive on greece's islands in will not travel to mainland grease, they'll stay in stars like this one until their asylum applications are processed. and there's a chance they may be sent back to turkey. the deal has not thwarted people making their way to europe. there's concern among asylum seekers, and aid workers of mass deportation. the majority of arrivals are

from counties in conflict. there is now a new reality. >> u.s. republican presidential candidate donald trump says he'll dismantle the iranian deal if he makes it to office. he made it while addressing the american-israeli group. >> reporter: as an organization promoting israeli interests, a.p.a. c hreframed from party politics. >> he may be the worse thing to happen to israel, believe me. >> trump promised to keep enforcing sanctions against iran's missile tempting and to dismant its global terror network. as for comments about maintaining neutrality between

israel and pakistan, they were forgotten, spoken from the party handbook. >> when i become president, the days of treating israel like a second class citizen will end, on day one. >> reporter: and on jerusalem. >> we will move the american embassy to the eternal capital of the jewish people jerusalem. and we will send a clear signal that there is no daylight between america and our most reliable ally the state of israel. >> reporter: while trump attacked hillary clinton as a disaster, the democratic attender promised to use force in necessary. but she defended the deal. without mentioning trump by name, she changed his comments

signalling a risk to reduce the role around the world. >> candidates for president who thing the united states would outsource middle east security to dictators, or that americans no longer had interests at stake in the region are dangerously wrong. >> the approval shot for trump doesn't many everyone would vote for them given the misgivings about other comments, including undocumented foreigners and barring muslims. it put an accident in hillary clinton's confidence in winning the overwhelming majority of the jewish vote millions of brazilians take to the streets demanding on end to government corruption, to ensure the movement gains momentum the protestors adopted national symbols.

daniel schweimler has the story. >> reporter: an estimated 3 million protestsors took to the -- protesters took to the streets of brazil. the movement has no history, apart from wanting the impeachment of dilma rousseff, and the prosecution of former president lula on corruption charges. it adopted green, yellow and blue of the flag. >> the brazilian colours are back. we want justice, an end to corruption, and a removal of the president that we hope will happen soon. >> reporter: many government supporters are unhappy with what they see as the high-jacking of nationalist symbols, an army of vendors is quick to made the needs of a demanding public, including these foot shirts. >> scales have dried up since we lost 7-1 in the world cup, now they are popular again. >> reporter: the movement's

growth boosted sales, especially of the national flag, at a time when unemployment is rising, and the economy shrinking. everyone was looking for flags of different sizes, my stock was low. we worked extra hours until midnight. and we met the man. >> these dolls sell well too, and the message clear and simple. >> a political movement trying to force a culture and identity. and entrepreneurial culture. it's a match made in heaven, especially since a large part of the movement. the affluent middle class with a disposable income. many of the street vendors benefit from policies designed to help the poor. if they support dilma rousseff and the workers party, they are not saying, or they are going with the flow. they know what is goods for business. >> i thought the workers party would be good. lula started in a good way.

we will not rest until he's in gaol. >> government supporters wear the red of the governing workers party. here supported by former president lula. on the streets in a country that has become hollerize said it's -- pollerize said it's easier to see what side of the political divide they were on. for some, business was booming. >> in indonesia, mentally ill patients are abused in institutions meant to provide help for them. human rights watch says some are chained and kept in dirty sheds. we have this story. >> reporter: for five months they have been locked up in a gauge where he lives in his own excretement. his family sometimes too afraid to feed him. after he murdered his mother and mutilate him. he was taken to a mental

hospital. four months later he was back. >> they said he was cured. he injured the head of the village. my frequent and i were wounded. i'm worried if we let him out. >> reporter: human rights watch found 57,000 mentally ill patients in indonesia have been chained or confined to inhuman places. family see no solution due to a lack of knowledge or money to seek care. >> because of a lack of information about what mental health conditions are, they have superstitious believes. their only resort in their mind is to lock them up in a room, or lock them up in chains. >> the report found those living in institutions or clinics do not fare any better, and the private institution one psychologist visited one a week to treat 350 patients.

the only medication is herbal despite a ban on shackling, people are still chained. >> we know shackling has been banned. but the patients can still move. we do not have enough space to put them somewhere safe. >> reporter: the government says since 2010,8,600 patients have been freed from chains, local community workers step in and persuade families to have them treated. this is one example. he was forced to live in a hen house. >> translation: when i was locked up, it was very dark. it was a bad smell and i could see animals coming. i was scared. >> reporter: human rights watch is urging the government to empower local groups so more

patients can be freed and taken care of. >> indonesia struggles. while the government urges to tackle serious abuses, many say mental health needs to be a priority, and is calling for a campaign to treat indonesians about the issue. >> we are looking at finding the way patients can deal with mentally ill patients. we need to eddued kate communities to take care of them in a more human way. he is yet to receive care, the recovery is that mentally ill patients need care, not cages coral reef hosts some of the words biological diverse ecosystems, many are affectedly climate change.

australia reefs are experiencing the devastating effect of coral reefing. >> reporter: australia great barrier reef is in trouble. once a kaleidoscope of colour, it is starting to die, turning white and grey, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching. the latest pictures show the extent of the problem. bleaching occurs during times of normal environment inclinations, last year was the hottest on record. the trend is likely to continue. rising heat is a threat to coral. the heat stress destructs the special relationship. the death of the coral is coupled with the loss of fish and other delighted. protecting the great barrier reef is no easy task. the u.n.e.s.c.o. site is 2,000 years old.

with each passing day the effects of climate change are more difficult to ignore. in the water the distress signals are getting louder a quick reminder, you can get the latest news and analysis on the website. the address is on the screen at aljazeera.com. >> thanks for joining us i'm joie chen. we have seen cases of police misconduct in which police