tv BBC World News America PBS March 21, 2016 3:59pm-4:29pm PDT
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♪ this is bbc world news america. possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation giving all profits from newman's own to charity in pursuing the common good. pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and hong kong tourism board. to know hong kong's most romantic spots? i will show you. i love heading to the day for an evening stroll. it is the perfect stunning
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utterly for making it unforgettable. i have lived in the city for years but hong kong still makes me fall in love with it time and again. ♪ >> now bbc world news america. anchor: welcome to this special edition of the bbc world news america. from cuba. more than just a handshake and a smile, the presidents of cuba and the united states make history here in havana. after decades of cold war tensions. cuban exiles in miami protest to the president's trip. others think it is time to bridge the water between the two nations. with all this activity in cuba, you would imagine it would be hard to find a hotel room. one american company is looking to cash in. ♪
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welcome to our viewers on public television in america. this special edition of world news america live from havana. the presidents of the united states and cuba held face-to-face meetings at the city's palace of the revolution. just one highlight of an extraordinary day. sites and sounds of many thought unimaginable. john: somewhere under this canopy of umbrellas is the president of the united states the first lady and their two daughters. this was meant to be a walkabout to meet the puddles. they entered the national cathedral. he spoke to an american network. president obama: the time is right. our intention has always been to get the ball rolling knowing
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that change was not going to happen overnight. we've already seen is the reopening of the embassy and although we still have significant differences around human rights and individual liberties, we felt that coming now would maximize our ability to prompt more change. only be 90 miles from here to the u.s. coast but there is a golf on a range of issues. the weatheruite that the white house had anticipated when they said they would come to cuba. the atmospherics remain extremely difficult. officials say there are still big disagreements between the two sides. a cuban military band played the u.s. national anthem. a remarkable image itself.
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with the ceremonial over, there was much discussed. the u.s. wanting to talk about human rights and freedom of expression. the cubans saying they will take no lectures from the u.s. while guantanamo bay is open. the difference is yes. in a relationship that has been transformed. obama's legacy. with the middle east in turmoil, the normalization of these relations can be claimed as a foreign policy success. these images will be for the scrapbook. acker: the two leaders held a joint press conference. before oner been seen cuban television. president obama said it was a new day for the two countries. , theor point of contention trade embargo, will end but he couldn't say when. it depends on finding
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common ground on human rights. president obama: we don't view cuba as a threat to the united states. this is a new chapter in relations. as is true with countries around the world, we will continue to stand up for basic principles that we believe in. anchor: president castro countered the issue head-on. not have any such people in his jails. castro: give me a list of the political prisoners and i will release them immediately. give me the names. names,can give me those
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they will be released before tonight and is. ends. anchor: senator patrick leahy is traveling with the president. he's been a leading force for normalization of relations. anchor: since you came to the senate in 1975 you have wanted to see new relations between cuba and the a's states. what does this mean to you? leahy: i hoped an american president would visit cuba. i didn't know whether i would actually see it when i was in a senate. 50 years of shunning them in the embargo did not work. do we agree with everything in cuba? of course not. to have theoolish
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embargo. i was in a position to bring messages back and forth between the two countries. we saw the steps being taken. anchor: in january the cuban government arrested 1400 activist. is the leopard changing its spots? etc. leahy: that action goes beyond stupid. i have told them that. understand that it is a different world. if they really want to take advantage of this opportunity, you can't run it as an old soviet style country. it has neither the power nor the resources to do that.
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they know that with a declining birthrate and an aging population there will have to be changes. isn't there a risk that the cuban government uses this visit as political cover to carry on persecuting its people? sure.r leahy: got to make it different. otherwise the best trained test educated young people are going to leave. the whole country will suffer. history will blame the cuban leaders. i guarantee you it will be a two step forward, one step backwards process.
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it will still be better. they are allowed to keep in touch, i have met with many of them. at the u.s.ou wish had insisted the prisoners would be released? senator leahy: the big mistake we have made for 50 years is saying to the cubans here is a 20 point list of things you have to do. that is never going to happen. they can say that was you have to close one time obey. that is not going to happen on our site. is it a democracy? of course not. that it is a lot further than it was even a decade ago. anchor: how has president
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obama's trip gone down with cuban-americans back in the u.s.? there has been protests in little havana in miami. there are also those who think it is time for fresh thinking. >> protest is a way of life for the cuban exiles in little havana. for decades they have been venting their fury at the castro brothers and any american president who flirted with the idea of normalizing relations. so president's visit is a scene -- is seen as a betrayal. >> i never thought i would see a wouldere air force one land in a communist cuba. i hoped there would be a day where the president woodland in a free cuba.
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>> many did not part in the protests. many younger cubans think it is time to move on. >> i think it is a good thing. we will see what comes out of it. >> at this time of new departures america has signed an agreement with cuba to reestablish scheduled air service between the two countries. be more than ald hundred daily round-trip flights. minutes flying time between the tip of florida and cuba. the countries of been estranged for more than 50 years. many cuban-americans believe the embargo has been not just ineffective but counterproductive. it allows castro to blame america for cuba's problems.
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our pilot tony anderson was born in cuba. for usderson: it is time .o connect once again we are all cubans. some of us live here, some are there. but we are one family. this march lasted only a couple of streets because the exiles are so old and frail. attracted hundreds rather than thousands. a pale imitation of decades past. days when the exiles could dictate american policy. anchor: we'll will have more on havana later in the broadcast. judge in russia will continue to read the verdict in the trial of a woman accused of
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coordinating attacks that killed two russian journalists. the judge began the summing up today. he did not get to the verdict. >> the trial has now reached its final phase. she appeared to hear the verdict in her trial. complicityused of the murder of two russian journalists. a charge that she has denied throughout. the process of reading the verdict takes an extremely long time because the judge reads all the argument on both sides. that process began today and went on for more than eight hours. we are only a fraction of the way through it. she has said throughout the she is innocent. she denies that she is the person who directed the artillery fire that killed those two journalists.
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they are expecting that she will be found guilty. they say it is a show trial. the verdict is expected tomorrow. is says the only way out some kind of political solution. her fate is in the hands of president. it is a political case and not a criminal one. universities in south africa have been gripped by student protest. karen: first there were protests over student fees. then the work contracts.
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now here's the university of pretoria is protests over afrikaans as a means of instruction. elections government due later this year, the timing seems more than a coincidence. the wider question of what it means to be a south african. >> this generation is bringing the issues to our attention. karen: it is only now that the university of pretoria has returned to an uneasy calm. there is a statue of the late president nelson mandela. a symbol of reconciliation. the city's university was once dominated by whites.
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the pilot of rubble left behind feels like a bad hangover. the university rugby game turned protestersaos when stormed onto the pitch. was it the work of a minority intent on derailing progress? that is the view of the student leaders. trying to present a united front. >> when i is a black student disagree with another black student in a dialogue. karen: they are still grappling with that sense of identity. >> many of the buildings are still named after political figures from the apartheid era. i can understand that some
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students are upset about it. karen: the racial harmony that mandela had in mind is still a ways off. but things are changing. africa isin south still seen through the prism of race. they are mixing much more than their parents ever could. the economic fault lines are still incredibly politically potent. mandela's shoes may be hard to fill. time these youngsters reach university age the hope is that there will be new heroes. anchor: you're watching bbc world news america. finding room in the hottest hotel market around. the tourism boom in cuba.
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♪ men's number one novak djokovic has waded into the controversy by saying that men's players sure to earn more than their female counterparts. novak djokovic and serena williams both took home one point 9 million pounds. equal pay. suddenly that equality is being questions. a tournament organizer described to the women's game in less than flattering terms. >> they ride on the coattails of the men. they are lucky. if i was a ladies player i would go down every night on my knees malehank god that the
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players were born. they had carried the sport. >> he later apologized. the men's number one novak djokovic promptly reignited the controversy. he said he felt man should get more money than women. the stats are showing that we have many more spectators for the men's tennis matches. that is one of the reasons why we should get awarded more. wimbledon itat attracted twice as many viewers as the women's match. billie jean king said on twitter she was disappointed in the comments. she said he is wrong on so many levels. to thelayer contributes
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success. the question of the value of that success is threatening to divide the sport. anchor: let's return now to our top story. the historic day we have had with president obama in havana. quite a day wasn't it? that's very rare press conference. i have never seen president castro in a setting like that. he has never had to face direct questions about his human rights record from the media. he said who are these clinical prisoners? it was an extraordinary moment. i don't think he was comfortable in that context. it is not something he wants to do again.
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anchor: we are all talking about change coming to cuba. what changed you see yourself? will: here in havana we meet a lot of people who are around the areas the changes affecting. tourism. more americans day by day. more tourists from around the world. they aree countryside not really see much change so far. if you're going to move the economy in this direction they may need more people to service the hotels. anchor: what is the yardstick by which we measure change?
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there's a communist party congress next month. will be trying to see what kind of economic announcements they will make their. 25% already lose about under the control of private hands. cubanaren't many medium-sized business businesses . that is all state-controlled. we're waiting to see if there is a cracker to announcement about the economic policy. president obama himself will have the chance to address the cuban people live tomorrow. it will be carried on state television. will: it is so rare. think it isople
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unprecedented. there is no way the u.s. president should be doing this under the rules of the revolution. that was a right reserved to fidel and the leadership. even that happened very rarely. we're fascinated to see exactly what he will say. anchor: thank you so much. obamaisit by president and the concert by the rolling stones will put many hotel options to the test. that is what they're facing in havana. everyone is looking to get in on the action.
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the stunning coastal setting up havana has an old world charm makes the city and irresistible draw for tourists. the iconic 1950's american cars. underway to meet the demand. this is the hotel nationality. one of the most famous places in havana. people to buy movie stars and mobsters alike before the cuban revolution. hotels like this are facing competition. a bit of american-style capitalism. bnb has been in cuba for only a year. the owners can accept bookings from all over the world.
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many more travelers will be coming this summer. there will be 100 flights a day from the u.s.. a huge influx of additional tourists. the company can really help this country. pedro has been letting out rooms in his house since november. apart from our benefits this can do more things. opportunities can be bigger for everybody. anchor: officially cuba's rulers describe these changes as adjustments to the socialist system. but for many cubans the society seems on the cusp of great change. that brings today's special broadcast to a close. we will be back here again tomorrow. you can find much more on our website.
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check out our facebook page. thank you for watching. ♪ make sense of international news. wasing of this presentation made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the kohlergood, the foundation pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, and hong kong tourism board. want to know hong kong's most romantic spots? i will show you. i love heading to the bay for an evening stroll.
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