you're watching the al jazeera news hour live from doha. a former lebanese minister with close links to bashar al assad is sent back to jail. a second group of migrants arrives in turkey from greece as part of the controversial e.u. deal. voters in jahuti go to the polls. will they give the president a fourth term? >> pope franz published new

guidelines on family values. he said the catholic church she show more understanding. the masters defending champion has picked up from where he left off. we have all the action from augusta. first, live to cairo where saudi arabia's king salmon is speaking on his second day in egypt. hthe kingdom pledged more than $8 billion last year. >> they have a successful mission in supporting the enters of the two countries. these are blessed efforts. i have agreed with my brother,

his excellency al sisi to connecting both countries in order to support the cooperation between the two countries. this is an historic moment where routes between africa and asia will be established in our countries, increasing the trade exchange between the two continents in an unprecedented way and will help both countries to increase their exports to the international world, so the international community. this will be also for the benefit of the two people and for the benefit of the two countries. this will create a lot of jobs for the young generations of the two countries and of the whole region. today, we are living a new

islamic and arab reality where co listens are important. we have had this coalition in order to prevent anyone to intervene in our internal affairs, and we need to keep stability in the region. also, we have our islamic military coalition that includes 37 countries order to face terrorism and to put an end to terrorism. we have sent a message to the world saying that our might is only represented and clear through our cooperation and through our coordination. this is a new arab era that will keep the dignity of the arabs, and will pave the way for the success of the information of

the arab joint force. at the end, i ask the almighty to bless us, help us for the sake of the arab and muslim nations. peace be upon you. allow me, your majesty, we need to call the bridge. >> there is the king taking us through the rationale behind the ever growing relationship between saudi arabia and egypt, almost as if he's looking to the future more than the past. there are two things coming together. it's not just about money, it's about structuring an economy as well for egypt. >> exactly, and much more than that, peter, because he has

mentioned this historic moment in which the arab nation is putting its act together again, uniting its act in order to send a message to anyone who might think that who might think of intervening in our internal affairs, so egypt and saudi arabia, the two heavyweights of the arab world coming together again. these are sunni heavyweights at the time the sunnies have been coming under tremendous criticism especially in the west, in the united states, they are unable to unite, take a stance in the region, unable to solve the problems of the region, unable to deal with things like extremism, things like in essential struggle or strife inside the region. the u.s. president barack obama is expected in a few weeks to come here, so saudi arabia and egypt are sending this message not only to iran, of course,

understood here, anybody who wants to intervene, but also to the united states, who has been criticizing the sunni nations in the arab world. >> is there a dynamic, people have been saying over the past three or four months that maybe perhaps sisi is not totally secure in his current role and saudi arabia is blending that into its thinking, into its financial planning here? >> of course, sisi is not secure in his position and saudi arabia is not secure in his position. they need each other. egypt has also been leading in terms of military power in the region. egypt has always been the military powerhouse of the arab world and saudi arabia that always been the economic powerhouse of the arab world. now they are coming together, because they have realized that they can't really lay a big strategic roam in the region without the other side. >> many thanks.

turning to lebanon where a government minister with close ties to bashar al assad has been sentenced to a total of nine years and nine months in prison. the former information minister was found guilty of smuggling explosives and planning attacks. he was arrested in 2012, and later sentenced to four and a half years. we'll get more on that story for you before the end of this news hour in al jazeera. meanwhile, let's take you live to the u.s. secretary of state taking everyone on the back foot because it was an unannounced visit for security. let's listen to what he had to say. >> i want to thank stu jones for his leadership here during a very busy and very complicated period of time. i want to pay tribute to the iraqi security forces and the people of rack for their bravery

and fierce determination in the fight against daish. i want to thank our extraordinarily capable brave u servicemen and women, as well as others from the coalition, our partners, all of whom are joined together to fight daish and improve the capability of the iraqi security forces. when i was last in iraq shortly after prime minister abadi was sworn into office, daish was approaching baghdad and launching offensive operations acrossen bar, and soladen provinces. many thought daish was eventually going to come into baghdad and people were clamors for the united states to do something about it and asking for our air power, whatever power it was we could bring to bear to save baghdad and save iraq. i said then when i was here in

baghdad that we would push daish back, we would stop the onslaught and together, i can say we have. today, the situation is completely different, and while many battles still lie ahead, the strong ties between the local forces on the ground and the global anti daish coalition are turning the tide. daish is getting weaker by the day and the coalition strategy of supporting the iraqis with training, with equipment and airstrikes is working. the fact is, in iraq, daish fighters have not been on the offensive in months. they are losing ground, including more than 40% of the territory that they once controlled in iraq. last spring, iraqi forces liberated tikrit and 95% of

tikrit's families have resettled back in tikrit in the time since then. in november, daish crumbled in the face of the advance on sinjar. in december, the i.s.f., the iraqi security forces seized and now holds ar ramadi. this month, we have seen important gains in anbar province and the starting point for the liberation of mosul. just yesterday, the free syrian army reclaimed from daish one of the last key crossings that the terrorists had controlled on the syrian-turkish border. since the coalition was formed in 2014, daish has lost tens of thousands of fighters and coalition airstrikes have taken out more than 100 senior and mid level leaders, including their so-called ministers of war and

finance. our strikes have had a serious impact on daish's cash flow. we've hit more than 1,200 targets, oil targets, reducing by 30% the organization's ability to generate revenue from oil. we have demolished cash storage sites, including six in mosul alone. millions of dollars that would have been used to finance terror have instead gone up in flames and daish has been forced to slash its budget and cut by half the salaries of some of its fighters. so daish is unequivocally losing ground, losing leaders, losing fighters, losing cash and not surprisingly, members of its rank and file are also now losing hope. we see increasing evidence that terrorists are disobeying orders, fleeing their positions, and even trying to escape by

hiding among civilians. daish is on the defensive, that is clear. but it's capacity to inflict suffering regrettably still remains. that is also true, and we take very seriously the threat that it still poses. this is something that the iraqi people know only too well and too tragically. there are terrorists acts in iraq on nearly a daily base, individual acts. recently, daish sent a 15-year-old boy to blow himself up at a youth soccer game. enlisting children to kill themselves and kill other children. this is the depravity we are up against and it has no place in the modern world in baghdad, brussels, istanbul, paris, san

bernardino or anywhere else. as a coalition, we and our partners recognize the need to stay united, to keep sharing information and to improve every aspect of our capabilities and we will not be com place sent at any point in this campaign. in the coming weeks and months, the coalition will work with iraq to turn up the pressure even further. we will continue targeting and taking out daish's leaders and we will train local forces to take and hold more ground. i want to underscore that we share prime minister abadis goal of liberating mosul as quickly as possible. earlier today, i was pleased to here from the prime minister the importance that etch places on empowering local forces to help take back their city, as well as his plans for post

liberalization stabilization. as we said before, this will be an iraqi-led operation with coalition support. the coalition will also continue to provide much-needed aid for the iraqi people, including refugees who have been devastated by daish. the united states has provided more than 623 million just to iraqi refugee situation, and this is in life saving human assistance for the iraqi people since the start of the crisis. today, i am pleased to announce an additional sum of nearly $155 million for iraqis affected by the ongoing violence bringing our total humanitarian contribution to nearly $780 million since the start of fiscal year 2014. as more and more territory is liberated by daish, the

international community has to step up its support for the safe and voluntarily return of civilians to their homes. this is a point that i stressed very strongly in my meetings yesterday with representatives of the g.c.c., the gulf cooperation council. a message i know the president will also reinforce in his engagements with international leaders both at the g.c.c. summit and also at the g.7 summit. now, we know that displaced iraqis are going to need help rebuilding the communities that they were forced to flee. there's a terrible level of destruction and devastation in many of these communities, much more than people thought might have existed, buildings destroyed, electricity destroyed, infrastructure that doesn't work anymore, and so in additional to the humanitarian aid, the united states is providing to rack, we are also

contributing to the funding facility for immediate stabilization. this program led by the undp amounted government of iraq has facilitated the return of over 100,000 iraqis to their homes in tikrit and it is embarking on the difficult challenge now of clearing ramadi of land mines and i.e.d.'s so its population can return home, as well. our support for the iraqi people is part of our larger commitment to a future iraq as defined in its constitution, an rack that is unified, luristic, federal and democratic. we're also working closely with the government as they address critical economic challenges due to the falling price of oil. i just met a few minutes ago with k.r.g. folks who also have suffered from the price fall of

oil and this is placing pressure on iraq as a whole and is something that we need and will help to address. the united states fully endorses the work that the government has done to date with the i.m.f. and the world bank and we are working with iraq to provide technical support as the country diversifies its economy. before i take a few questions, let me reiterate my thanks and particularly, i want to reiterate the support of president obama, vice president biden, myself as secretary and the entire administration in the united states for prime minister abaddi, who has demonstrated critical leadership in the face of security, economic and political challenges. we urge all of the parties in iraq to work together, to come

together, to advance the political process in ways that for certain that's the interests and aspirations and hopes of the iraqi people. we will assist in any way we can as partners and as friends. daish's days are numbered here in iraq, in syria and wherever it exists. we knew from the start that this fight was not an easy fight and that victory was not going to be achieved overnight. we said that again and again, this is not going to happen overnight, this is going to take a period of time. obviously, there remains much to be done, but i made very clear in every one of the meetings that i had today that the united states is determined that together with our friends and allies in iraq and the

coalition, we will succeed. the evidence on the ground indicates that we are in fact doing that now. i am convinced that together, we will not only defeat daish, but we're going to help the people of this country to be able to recover and to go forward and to live a life in peace and tranquility, which is what they desire. thank you very much, i'm happy to take any questions. >> was there any talk about sending more troops on the ground -- >> john kerry, the u.s. secretary of state writing down i suspect one of the questions being posed to him. our microphone not quite picking

up what i suspect he's hearing in his ear piece via the translation. john kerry started to impromptu news conference praising iraqi personnel and all the coalition personnel involved in the fight against isil. he made the point that the last time he was in baghdad, isil was getting closer to baghdad. he said now that situation has been completely and utterly turned around. he said isil is on a tipping point, in the pros of losing 40% of the territory that it did once control. he said what we're seeing right now is at the starting point for the liberation of mosul. >> are at the request of the government of iraq, and at building point in time, i'm not aware that there's some additional request. i think there's been some discussion about some additional

operations, specifically from d.o.d., but there's no -- there was no request from prime minister abadi today for some new infusion of troops at this point in time, nor did we discuss that. with respect to mosul, the mosul operation is in what people call the shaping of the operation in military parlance. that means that the groundwork is being laid, the prelude is being set for this operation, and there are some priorities that need to be achieved in that context, and i, you know, leave it to the military and government of iraq to lay this out. our role in this operation is a support role. this is an iraqi-led effort,

iraqi defined. we did talk about it today, certainly, but what prime minister abadi said to me was clear, unequivocal, that this is a major priority, his major priority. he has his own time frame in mind, and we are quite confident that with the good work of our commander out here, general mcfarland and the coalition that is working with him, that there will be continued focus on mosul and ultimately mosul will be liberated. now i'm not going to go into the time frame. i'm not going to go into the details of what constitutes that shaping, but i will absolutely confirm without any doubt whatsoever, because we support that priority, that mosul is at the top of the list in terms of priority, but there are things happening right now that are helping to shape that particular

operation and i'll let the government of iraq describe when they are ready what they intend to do and how they will do it. with respect to the potential shift in the cabinet, the prime minister made it very clear to me that he has ideas in mind for what he wants to do in the next days, hours. he's holding his meetings. he's reaching out and talking to people as is appropriate. we don't play a role in that. that is entirely up to the prime minister and the government of iraq and he will make whatever announcements he has to make rewarding it at the appropriate time. what we certainly did indicate to him because it is in our interests was that it is important to have political

stability and it is important to have a unified and functions government as rapidly as possible in order to move forward, so that all of these operations are not affected, and so that we give confidence to the coalition and to those who are thinking about supporting the stabilityization of those communities already liberated that the government is in place and ready to work appropriately in order to make that stabilization process effective, so i am confident that given the priority the prime expressed about mosul, given the priority that he expressed about their economic challenges here in iraq, i have no doubt that the prime minister is extremely focused on making certain that there's a strong government in place that has the ability to

move forward and address all of the issues of concern. >> second question. john kerry not directly revocation to the events that we were seeing last week within the green zone challenging mr. abaddi following on with the claims of inefficient government and corruption. we will stay with john kerry for a few more minutes. joseph is the middle east analyst and senior for gulf news. what have you been hearing from mr. kerry? >> well, it's a very nice pep talk that he has to deliver from time to time. at the end of the day, the iraqi

government has demonstrated its inability to really deal with the fundamental threats that are in front of it. it has failed to liberate mouse sell. as i was listening to him i was thinking about the fact that one does not kill a snake by cutting its tail. one kills a snake by cutting its head off. the attack on mosul that has been at the pipeline for god knows how long has been delayed time and time again. i am no military analyst, but to me says that the iraqi government has failed to get its act together and actually put together a program that could liberate mosul. it is true that daish has lost 20% of the territories that it previously occupied in iraq and syria, but 20% of desert is still desert and it seems to me that from the very beginning, the focus had to be on mosul, but perhaps better late than never. we'll have to wait and see. >> when you say they failed to

liberate mosul, could we maybe put one little word into that sentence and say they failed to liberate mosul yet? four months ago, one remembers well before christmas around november, december time, there was a lot of talk amongst the military people, amongst the u.n. pentagon people saying mouse sell is number one on our shopping list but it won't happen for another four or five months. here we are, i completely take onboard what you're saying that mr. kerry has to say these things so often and if it happens in mosul, that's good, but here we are talking about the liberation of mosul. that in itself is huge, because presumably he wouldn't say it unless he thought it were a distinct possibility. >> i think that the united states really cares about the fact that it has to deal with the extremists that daish represent, not just in iraq, but throughout the region and

throughout the world for that matter. therefore, the coalition has been put together a couple of years ago to actually address this particular issue. iraq is not a success story, no matter how we cut it. there have been so many delays, so much time has now passed, i am happy to hear as a human being that in fact, the destruction of mosul will end, the killings will end, the suffering that so many people have experienced in iraq will come to an end, presumably sooner rather than later, but all of this could have been done a long time ago and i don't mean to play monday morning quarterback. what i mean to say, that the coalition that secretary kerry and president obama previously had spoken about, that the coalition that they put together could have done a whole lot more much sooner than just have been too many delays, because the priority was elsewhere.

the united states was negotiating with iran for a good two years over the nuclear program, the european focus was elsewhere, so therefore, the iraq situation festered time and time again, and all of a sudden, here we are, having presumably dealt with the terrorist extremist threat. now we're going to liberate mosul. all right, let's just wait and see what happens, the sooner the better. >> joseph, thank you for joining us from beirut. mr. kerry still taking questions from assembled journalists there in baghdad. he went on to say as well this the depravity of isil has no place in the world and we will continue to target isil commanders and their hierarchy, this will be an iraqi operation with the u.s. coalition providing logistical and practical support as required. he questioned whether mr. abadi had asked for added resources,

said no, we never got that. specifically to go back to where we started to conversation, he was saying as far as mosul is concerned, we are now in the shaping phase of what will happen there and we have to prioritize and come up with our priorities as we move forward so that effort to take mosul away from isil. two boats carrying pakistani migrants have arrived from the greek island of lesbos as part of the deal to stem the refugees reaching europe. >> from what was once the most popular landing spot for small boats bringing refugees, those who made that short but dangerous journey are being sent back to turkey. one by one, each escorted by an officer from the e.u.'s external border protection agency front techs, the migrants and refugees made their way to the ferry. taken from a detention center, they arrived in the port of

lesbos where there was a heavy police presence. as with the first deport is as, e.u. officials said these people, the majority pakistanis didn't want to apply for asylum. they didn't appear to resist deportation. the only sign of disturbance came from a small group of european activists who were protesting against an e.u. solution to the migrant crisis. they were unable to stop what they believe is an inhumane policy. >> journalists are kept as a distance and we are not allowed to speak to those boarding the ferry. it was a similar case when the first group was deported on monday. >> the e.u. has come under criticism for a policy some say lack transparency. civil rights groups question whether turkey is a safe country. this time we were given access

to those boarding. >> today we saw the second round of returns. the situation was calm this morning before people were escorted out by front tex. they are still not fully processed in turkey or greece. >> they will decide on a case by case basis if it is safe to return individuals back to turkey. >> we have the capacity of analyzing. you might say it is not enough and i will tell you that this work will increase in the coming days. that will depend on the number of arrivals. >> more than 350 people have

been deported back, all of them volunteer returns. it's a small number, considering that a few thousand could still be sent back if their asylum requests are rejected and considering thousands more have arrived on europe's shores. al jazeera, lesbos. >> let's get more on that story out of lebanon here. a government minister with close ties to bashar al assad has been sentenced to a total of nine years and nine months in prison. formally the information minister, he was found guilty of smuggling explosives and planning attacks. he was arrested in 2012 and later sentenced to four and a half years, but he was then granted bail pending a retrial. we are in beirut. this individual was said to be close to bashar al assad. how close is that close? >> according to the evidence that was used to convict him, peter, which essentially recorded him with explosives, he

said that bashar al assad personally ordered him or was aware of plots to plant these explosives in lebanon to target different religious institutions and personalities in order to create some sort of civil strife or conflict in lebanon, so according to him, very close indeed. >> some people were saying his first sentence was by and far just too too lenient. was the court reacting to that or was this just part of an ongoing legal process? >> well, i mean it depends who you speak to, really, there is no doubt that this case has been very closely monitored not just by the average person here in lebanon but by all the different sides vying for influence in lebanon or control in lebanon and obviously also the regional powers who are at play in what is becoming more of a cold war or proxy war being fought on lebanon.

with regard to the first sentence since the first sentence was company convict him of being in possession with these explosives. friday's conviction was with rewards to the motives believed to be behind his possession. that's why he was sentenced according to the judge, to that nine, almost 10 year jail time, but obviously, even if it was as the court says, them sticking to the rules, sticking to the books, there is no doubt obviously that there is at least political implications to this. he is somebody as we've just outlined there, who is close to bashar al assad and obviously to the allies of assad here in lebanon, and obviously, that is going to have some sort of an impact in terms of how things come out. we saw a fierce opponent of the assad regime come out today and hail this verdict, saying that what he described as a terrorist

has received his due course. there hasn't been eight defense that has come out from hezbollah, for example, because the evidence has been stacked against him, however, those close to hezbollah have said obviously that whilst he was guilty of a crime, that doesn't change the fact that this case is politicized. >> jamal, thanks very much. the u.n. security council decided to extend sapses on south sudan for seven weeks. they will remain in effect until june 1. the latest report released by the u.n. said half of sudan's population needs humanitarian aid since the conflict began in december of 2013. 13 north korean workers defected to south carolina. it is the biggest number since the leader kim jong-un took power five years ago. people working in north korea

restaurants overseas have defected before but this is the first time multiple workers have escaped from the same location. >> our government respected their wishes and decided to accept them on humanitarian grounds. these workers said they found out the truth about south korea and how unrealistic north korea propaganda is through watching dramas and movies and using the internet while living abroad and they recently decided to escape in a group. >> pope francis published new died lines on family values, saying the catholic church should show for standing on everyday modern life. it lists the views on contraception and the raising of children. robert, if this does not go on to become doctrine, what's the point? >> well, he's reaffirmed the

church's doctrine that the church held for 2,000 years now. he referred to the theology of the body. moreover, it's quite innovative addressing new crises of today's society through an innovative pass foal plan, one of mercy, which is particularly new. dealing with feminism and gender ideology, he encourages men who are husbands and fathers to really affirm their wives, women in their rights in civil society by helping out with housework. for instance, it's just one of the little details. he shows real joy appears in family life when husband and wife really love each other and love each other for the sake of their children. >> surely the church of rome has bigger issues to deal with than who does the housework. >> true. the housework may seem that it's small. if we remember that according to christian belief, jesus, who is god himself became a man and he

lived in a household. this is very important for our redemption that what god wants according to christian belief is that each of us find god and make holy our daily lives. pope francis in this new document is encouraging everyone to seek to look like god, to seem like god, even in divine love, which always lasts, always endures even when it's tested, even possibly hatred. pope francis speaks about responding to hatred, to a lock of forgiveness with patience and joy, with self gift. >> if this all boils down about being about the theology of the body, could it be about the theology of biology and things we all do to pro create the species and in that regard, he's add odds maybe a little bit with the people who run catholicism, people like the arch bishops, like the bishops who have to go out there and spread the

pontiff's word, it's almost as if he's being more liberal than they had like him to be at times now. >> actually, as you mention, there is a kind of tension among some of the bishops around the world, particularly between the german bishops, bishops in austria and developing bishops in africa. there is a deep agreement regarding the teachings of jesus and dignity in human beings. you mentioned science. there is a challenge facing the world regarding invitro fertilization, cloning, ewe again knicks and euthanasia. pope francis is saying that we

must always put the human person with their bodies with respect for biology at the center and always respect them with love. never use anyone. >> thank you for joining us here on al jazeera. the army in afghanistan has had a tough year fighting the taliban. last year, 5.5000 people died, 14,000 were wounded. in february, afghan forces made what they call strategic withdrawals from certain districts, the afghan 215 core is trying to retake territory in hellman. they are receiving training in the hope they will do better this year. jennifer glasse reports. >> afghan soldiers prepare for another harsh year of fighting in helmand province. the 215 army corps has new commanders and everyone is getting fresh training. it doesn't always go smoothly

but they are confident the soldiers are ready for the battlefield. >> we have made a lot of changes and enmean can't do anything at the moment and our forces are ready to defend themselves. >> it's not just fighters they'll face. hidden bombs made from almost anything, like plastic bottles are also big killers. helmand province is afghanistan's largest and most difficult to hold, with the villages and cities separated by large stretches of desert. the taliban has made big gains here. it's the hard of the countries opium growing region. afghan forces will soon get help from the skies. >> this is a typical operation center where they hope to build leadership skills, keep track of the forces, figure out what they have and how to deploy their men. it's an interesting place. it's from here that afghanistan's first drone is going to be flown, from this area here. >> the unarmed drone could fly any day.

one operator said it will bring crucial realtime information for commanders that will help extinguish soldiers on the ground from civilians. >> afghan force activity and also the civilian people. it will be difference between the civilian people and also the enemy. >> corruption has also been a big problem, so accurately keeping track of supplies and getting them to the troops is a priority. this is all happening with american help. hundreds of u.s. soldiers have returned to helmand after they left in 2014. >> we thought let's put some forces back down here to. he move this core, kind of a reassessment of where they were and how do we move forward for the future. >> the afghans say with new leadership and a year of experience under their belts, the soldiers are better equipped

to fight the taliban. they say it's not about the exercises here but what happens on the ground in helmand that will count. yemen faces a severe water crisis now even before the war it was estimated about 40% of the population struggled to find water on a daily basis. today the u.n. believe that is figure has roughly doubled. gerald tan reports. >> we're, clean, drinkable and competingly rare in yemen. these mobile tanks are a boon for muhammed and his family. they contain water donated by rich families. >> i swear it is only god who knows about our suffering this year. it is very difficult to get water these days. thank god we still have good kind and generous people in yemen. we go anywhere, we can sometime get water. >> even in sanna, many homes aren't connected to a water

supply. in those that are, the taps now too often run dry. yemen has always failed chronic shortages, the climate is dry and the water supply system mismanaged. the war has made things dramatically worse. pipes, storage tanks and pumping facilities have been destroyed in the fighting. >> the water crisis in yemen is very old and has become more severe in the last year. electricity has come to a complete halt and the agriculture sector dependency only. in addition, there is a fuel problem. the fuel can be found at any of the local markets. >> that means no fuel for water pumps. many resorted to drilling wells, defying a law that prohibits it. the hunt for water is overtaking the lives of young and old. >> of course my children help me bring water, but it's affecting their schooling. they go out looking for water.

some days, they don't go to school and still come home without being able to get water for the household. >> his story is not unique. his country is in the grip of his a water emergency and every day of fighting only deepens the struggle for this precious resource. gerald tan, al jazeera. lots more still to come for you here on the al jazeera news hour, including these stairs, rough waters, chinese waters boat industry changes tack. even former number once can have a rough day on the course. the worst ever start at the masters.

the annual china international boat show is known to attract big spenders but a corruption crackdown and slowing economy prompting yacht makers to change their sales pitch. >> the china shanghai international boat show, billed as the largest of its kind in asia, but this year, the number of exhibitors has fallen. the boat andout industry here has taken a hit. manufacturers say there is two reasons for this, the chinese government crackdown over the last two years have led the ultra rich to avoid spending on luxury items, left they come under official scrutiny. the slowing economy has only made things worse. yacht makers have shifted their

strategy and are now eyeing a new segment of customers. >> today, we are centered and focused on taking people on the sea, organizing sailing, trying to get people together to go out, soil, compete and have fun. then we can grow a small community. >> in line with the shift in buyers is a shift in product. >> this is what yacht makers are focusing on, smaller boats aimed at people who love sailing. this one goes for $200,000 and it's what its manufacturers consider an entry level product. >> the market in china is still relatively small compared to europe and the u.s. the private sector finds it has the government behind it with a new emphasis on water sports. >> the state council has i should tourism guidelines. it wants to promote water sports as a leisure activity.

we will see strong support for infrastructure being built in the next few years. >> the last couple of years haven't been as smooth sale for the yacht industry in china as some would have liked, but things may yet pick up. al jazeera, shanghai. time for the sports news. >> thank you very much. the first and most prestigious golf major of the season is underway. jordan speith picked up where he left on that while another had a memorable day for all the wrong reasons. we have more. >> 80 years of history as augusta national, some of that had been made by jordan speith 12 months earlier when he became the second youngest winner on record. the now 22-year-old made his first rounds move early with three birdies on the front nine. he added three more on the back nine in a bogey free round of 66. that put the american in front

at six under, as he bids to become just the fourth player to retain his title. >> got a lot out of the round with what i felt like was kind of average ball striking, just scored the ball extremely well, which is something i've been struggling with this season. speith leads it to two shots. the surprise man behind him is new zealander danny lee. he last visited augusta at an amateur but celebrated his professional return with a round of 68. lee is tied in second with laurie who had four birdies within his first five holes. an eagle on the 13t 13th highlighted rory mcelroy's day, four shots off the pace at two under. >> i'm happy with how i played, happy with the score in the end.

it could have been a couple better, but at the end of the day, still being in the top 10 after the first day here and still, you know, within touching distance of jordan, i'm pretty pleased with that. >> world number one jason day made a brilliant start to his round and was five under through his first 14 holes. he would stage a late collapse including a triple bogey. >> i'm not too frustrated with how everything went. it's not the way i planned it out to be, but i played some -- i felt like i played some really good golf going up until then. >> ernie also created perhaps the most memorable moments of the opening rounds. >> what happens when you have the heeby-jeebies? >> you know, it's just -- can't explain it. >> this was the former world number one missing a simple putt

on the first hole. not one, not twice, not even three times. it took him six putts, nine shots in total, making that the worst ever start to the masters. he will lease hohman, al jazeera. making his return to his old stomping ground, while his righties may no longer be split, the score line was. he opened the scoring for liverpool. the homicide struck back. the final score, with the return next thursday. >> i'm satisfied with a lot of

parts of the game of course and i think organization was good. it was a good, organized display and everything good. around the 1-0, we were brilliant. we had a few really good moments playing direct football. we showed what we were capable of. >> dutch man in liverpool was the night's only draw. braga going down to a villareal. they beat sparta 2-1 and also we have the spanish and old spanish between winners that beat athletico. >> south american football giants beat lowly bolivia 3-1. boca had drawn the first three.

the classy opening goal at the half hour mark. coors doubled their advantage, heading into the break before fredrique co sealed the points in the 49th minute. >> the golden state warriors have become the second team to win 70 games in the season by seating the san antonio spurs 112-101. seth curry scored 27 points. they need to clinch their final three games to break the all time regular season winning record. the atlanta hawks avoided the sweep by the toronto raptors. jeff teague hit a late three-point play finishing with 23 points. atlanta winning 95-87 to remain third in the eastern conference. >> regular season is heading into the final weekend and

boston bruins have kept themselves in playoff contention beating the detroit redwings 5-2. the two opening goals coming in the first three minutes of the game. the result places them in a three way battle with the redwings and philadelphia flyers for the final two playoff spots in the eastern conference. some athletes will miss this year's rio olympics due to injury. some unfortunately due to doping. for two yap knees badminton players, a trip to casino could prove costly. he and his teammate had the first conference in tokyo friday in order to apologize for their behavior. gambling is illegal in japan and officials are contemplating their punishment. >> i am deeply sorry for betraying everyone this way. i am so sorry.

>> i am so sorry that i couldn't stop him from going. >> if rio doesn't work out for them, the next goal will be the olympics in tokyo. soarers have unveiled four designs to become the official logo of the games. the original controversial was scrapped following claims of plagiarism. the committee will announce the winner on the 25 of april and consider public feedback before that. that's it for me, peter. >> son in a, thanks very much. we'll see you very soon, i'm sure. >> that's it for me and everyone on the news hour team here. do stay with us. we're back in just a few minutes with 30 minutes of al jazeera world news. in the meantime, check out the website, aljazeera.com. all the very latest news four, it's always there and you can talk to us on facebook and twitter, as well. i will see you very soon.

to give up my family for a drug ever again. >> getting to the heart of the matter. proud to tell your stories. al jazeera america.

>> this is joe berlinger calling, i'm the director of that documentary about the manning case and i know you had told my team not to call anymore-i just wanted to introduce myself, just to tell you a little bit about what we're hoping to do. can i just say one thing-which is'r