: pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years. a lot considering that cuba is a small country where the church is not particularly strong. but then cuba has always awakened an interest disproportionate to its size and pope francis' role in helping to reestablish diplomatic ties between havana and and washington makes this upcoming visit particularly significant. mixing politics and religion is as old as time. and both castro and the hope are proving it once again. lucia newman, al jazerra have havana. >>> and french president francois hollande has arrived in cuba for a one-day visit. it is the first visit by france's head of state in more than a century. he arrived in havana where he expects today meet cuban president raul castro and monday and participate in an economic forum. >>> now, under french law almost half of all music played on national radio must be in the french language, it was ins deuced two decades ago to protect the national music industry, but as neave barker reports from paris many feel it no longer a prize. >> r

: pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years. a lot considering that cuba is a small country where the church is not particularly strong. but then cube harassed always awakened an interest disproportionate to its size and pope perhaps as a rolling in establishing ties between huh van and washington makes this upcoming visit particularly significant. mixing politics and relidge inning is asrelidgereligion is as old as time and both the pope and castro are proving it again. >>> still to come here on al jazerra. >> translator: it has to be a bad omen. maybe the gods are angry. >> the smiths associated with the earthquake. nepal's rez knew mission moves from saving lives to protecting heritage. ♪ >>> and we'll tell you why playing french music making waves on local radio stations. more on that. stay with us. >> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the sound bites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". only on

no eu leader had visited cuba in around 30 years. how significant is this visit? >> i think it's pretty big. it is indicative of the ramifications of president obama obama's announcement which is to say no longer on the united states only to be making overtures to cuba, to make more do diplomatic and democratic freedoms there but to go to cuba around try oengage and bring cuba back into the international system. and engage with all the positive benefits that that brings. >> but the really is the eu is already cuba's biggest foreign investor, a third of all of cuba's tourists come from the eu. so is that long positioning france for greater commercial advantage out of the thawing that everybody expects along with relations with the united states? >> i think there's commercial benefit when it comes to the tourist sector, without doubt but the eu as much as they may be big in cuba, cuba is not so big for european union. it makes up less than a percent of their trade opportunities and that's because there aren't a lot of excellent business opportunities in cuba. so whi

limits to be lifted to visit cuba. people with type 2 diabetes come from all walks of life. if you have high blood sugar ask your doctor about farxiga. it's a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. along with diet and exercise farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. with one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. and, although it's not a weight-loss or blood-pressure drug farxiga may help you lose weight and may even lower blood pressure when used with certain diabetes medicines. do not take if allergic to farxiga or its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you have any of these symptoms stop taking farxiga and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis, or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast infections in women an

genie: and francois hollande's historic visit to cuba. florence: the first visit since the cuban revolution in 1959. he not only met with his counterpart while castro -- raul castro, he met with fidel castro. francois hollande was on cloud nine and he mainly talked business, saying that france would be by cuba's situs cuba opens up to the rest of the world, but he also brushed on a minefield of the subject, human rights, but it was mainly subliminal messages. genie: that visit of the president to cuba comes a few days after his visit to the middle east. florence: that's right. you can read more about it here, talking about how hollande is on a diplomatic role and this is part of opportunist diplomacy. he is trying to push forward france's reputation as a diplomatic and military power, putting france's foot in the door and taking advantage of the country's opening, all the while trying to counterbalance the influence of the united states in the region. and in the middle east, francois hollande is taking advantage of the fact that america's

hollande is the first french leader to visit cuba in years. aimed at boosting french and european interest there. and they cut ties with cuba. a decade ago. over a crackdown on journalists and activists. talks resumed last year. castro met with pope francis, and may have walked away as one of the faithful. the long time atheist said he was so impressed by the pope's teachings. he may return to his religious roots. international correspondent ben wiederman live with more. raul cass tre's comments have raised yoi brows. some suggested this was a throwaway line. he did say he was serious. what is being said about this. given cuba has a long line of persecuting, and since his brother raul castro claimed power? >> there is a saying in italian when in good company the priest took a wife. maybe in good company at the vatican, the communist found faith. really difficult to say. it's important. let's listen to what raul castro said yesterday when he was at a press conference, just after meeting with pope francis. this is what he said. >> i said if the

francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years, a lot considering that cuba is a small country where the church is not particularly strong. cuba always awakened an interest disproportionate to its size, and pope francis's role to establish diplomatic ties between havana and washington makes the visit significant mixing politics and religion is as old as time. both castro and the pope are proving it once again >>> we want to go back to live pictures coming out of denton texas, where rescues are under way after severe weather ripped across the mid section. we saw flooding in the town north of dallas fort worth. rescuers are lowered from a chopper to two people we believe are trapped on a car in floodwaters below. we'll keep an eye on the story bringing you developments as it happens, as rescuers move in >>> ahead, a small mississippi down is remembering two police officers killed on a job. it's the first death of an officer in the line of duty. >> put your hands by your head now. do it now >>> plus, they are sometimes forced to make life and death decisions - a closer loo

i could see president obama visiting cuba next year. what i don't see happening is a deal reaching president obama's desk from congress lifting the embargo or lifting the traffic ban before he leaves office. >> carlos, at the cato institute, sir, thank you for for your time. >> a bombing killed four people during friday prayers. the explosion happened in eastern saudi arabia. isil has claimed responsibility. the attack comes exactly a week after another one killed 21 people at a different shia mosque. amnesty international is calling on saudi arabia to do more to protect its shia minority population. >>> new gains in isil in libya. the group has apparently taken control of the airport in sirte. muammar qaddafi's hometown. an estimated 85,000 people have fled the iraqi city of ramadi since isil captured it last week. the united nations said that many of them are still struggling to find safety. it has led to hard questions about who is responsible for the losses. we have this report. >> reporter: for ramadi the scene was frighteningly re

. >> pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years which is a lot considering that cuba is a small country where the church is not particularly strong, but then cuba has always awakened an interest disproportionate to its size and pope francis's role makes this upcoming visit particularly significant. >> euro zone finance ministers are meeting in brussels as bankruptcy threatens greece, but the government in athens refuses to cut spending to meet creditors' demands. the pension system is a bone of contention. >> leisure is perhaps the only luxury left to pensioners these days. their money is usually spoken for. >> i'm paying off a home improvement loan. my children don't have work. i spend the rest of my money helping them as well as property and utility tax. >> pensioners make up 17% of the economy and have become a safety net for society as a whole. they are also the government's biggest expense, despite being cut by half to an average of $900 a month. there simply aren't enough contributions coming into pension funds because a quarter of greek workers are unemplo

we asked the leader of cuba catholic church ortega what he expected from the visit. >> translator: it's natural that the pope reaffirm cuba to open up to the world and the world open up to cuba especially as pontiff is in the dialog between united states and cuba. >> reporter: pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit in 17 years a lot considering cuba is a small country where the church is not particularly strong. >> i think cuba has awakened an interest disproportionate to its size and pope francis role to reestablish diplomatic ties between havana and washington makes this up coming visit particularly significant. mixing politics and religion is as old as time and both castro and the pope are proving it once again. al jazeera havana. >>> and cost troe has flown home to welcome ilan and the first visit by a french president in 100 years and taking part in an economic forum, milan visited the french territory to inaugust rate the mum honoring people of slavery in the caribbean and 14 years since french officially declared slavery a crime against human they. chile president will t

world and the world to open up to cuba. >> pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years a lot since in cuba, the church is not particularly strong. pope francis's role in helping to reestablish diplomatic ties between havana and washington makes this upcoming visit particularly significant. mixing politics and religion is as old as time. and both castro and the pope are proving it once again. lucia newman, al jazeera havana. >> hundreds of women demanded justice for their children. are amnesty international estimates 25,000 people have gone missing in mexico in recent years. >>> venezuela's indigenous groups, its people have long struggled to keep their identity and culture alive and now their efforts are paying off. they brought their language from the brink of dying out. virginia lopez reports. >> the anu people of western venezuela say they are of the water and like the water. there is some commerce and men continue to fish. but their culture and their language nearly vanished. recognizing the importance language has in the process of self determination anthropo

between the united states and cuba. >> pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years. a lot considering that cuba is a small countries where the church is not particularly strong. >> pope francis' role in help to go re-establish diplomatic ties between havana and washington makes this particularly important. >> and there is much more on our website. the address www.aljazeera.com. out of cash. i go through to show you first hand how tax cheats could drive it to ruin, and what should be done to get greek offenses out open. i'm ali velshi, and this is "real money".

pope francis visits cuba in september before his trip to the u.s. in the tell constitution president castro vowed to attend. thanks for joining us. >> hi andrea. >> this has been interesting to all of us that follow pope francis and covered cuba. there's been other pope visits. i've been there. previous popes, benedict most recently. there's a great welcoming of pope to havana despite the communist party anticatholic ideology. this is a completely different message from raul castro after meeting the first latin american pope. >> i think pope francis has tried to put a little heart into a man who was once described to me as by another vatican official as being like a stone. if he can reach this man, that's good. that's good for the people of cuba who have been impressed by this dictatorship for 50 years now. it's good for the church in cuba that needs to rebuild itself after a difficult five decades. pope francis is shrewd man. he knows as you know that a raul castro is a cunning character who may be using the pope even as he professes to be rethinki

pope francis is going itto cuba. it is expected this is the third visit by a pope to cuba. as time goes on, the visits will be more routine and common and religion and particularly the catholic religion will become more free to operate in cuba. >> maybe raul castro will say his rosary. ben, thank you. >> fascinating. i was in cuba when pope john paul ii arrived in 1998. >>> 27 minutes after the hour. we are following the breaking news in texas where a tornado left dozens injured overnight. severe storms wreaking havoc across the country. there is more to look out for today. all of the breaking news next. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> john berman here with christine romans. we have breaking news this morning. a possible tornado in van, texas. about 70 miles east of dallas. emergency officials call it a mass casualty event. what we know so far, at least 26 people injured, 20 plus structured damaged or destroyed. i want to bring in meteorologist pedram javaheri. pedram pedram. >> the storm system coming into van with a population of 2,600 people. seven reports of

the pope will visit cuba in september before he visits philadelphia, new york and washington d.c.. >> there's no sleeping in for thousands of mom's today took part in race for the cure to fight breast cancer. 5k race and walk included lots of fathers sons and daughters and many races on behalf of loved one here in philadelphia. before the race itself 6,000 survivors took part in parade of pink down the art museum steps. >> meteorologist melissa magee has the accuweather forecast. hot today for i run. >> it was really warm for mother's day standards guys. in fact this was the warmest it's been in 24 years for mother's day. very toasty today. it stays warm and humid tomorrow too. we'll show what you is going on. on stormtracker 6 double scan radar showing you it's dry and quiet. no issues with precipitation. but the moisture will be a factor as we go throughout the overnight hours meaning that fog that moisture coming in off the atlantic will play a factor for you early tomorrow morning. we'll show you the picture outside. sky6 live in hd down the shore in atlantic city. speaking of the

the pope is planning to visit cuba in september on his away to the u.s.. >>> relief on jam packed trains. >> and mississippi's governor says the -- in 15mys what led up to the violent confrontation and what is happening today to show support for the police. >> and we're looking at the east bay commute. it looks like highway 4 is doing very well. we'll tell you a little bit more about the morning commute. >> it's a cool pattern in place. it may be a very cool and possibly wet pattern in the next 5-7 days. we'll talk about what looks to be a series of lows moving in. (music) hey! let me help with that. oh, thank you! (music) introducing the one-and-only volkswagen golf sportwagen. the sportier utility vehicle. >>> the san mateo bridge back in business this morning. all the lanes reopened in the last hour after a weekend long closure for road work. we'll tell you about the improvements that were made and how the closure impacted traffic around the bay area. >> starbucks is taking a stand when it comes to the drought. we'll tell you about the decision it's made about the water itself. >>> go

president hollande is in cuba, the first european president to visit cuba since 1956. let's go live to havana and our latin american editor lucia newman. we are also hearing that president hollande will also meet fidel castro. >> reporter: hello julie that's exactly what we're hearing too although it hasn't been made public in cuba. it's very customary for fidel to meet dignitaries who come here. not only is it the first french president to come here since cuban independence but also the first western european union leader to come here since the crack down on 77 dissidents on this country back in 2002. so it is all sort of let's let buybygones be bygones. >> and so lucia did this visit signify an end on religious and political differences do you think? >> well when president hollande was addressing the university, he said he didn't just represent france but the eu. there will be talks with other leaders later on in the week. it does open the door to economic ties particularly as the freeze between the united states and cuba seems to be crumbling. diplomatic ties seem t

. >>> finally pop star rihanna visited cuba. she arrived in havana on wednesday in a private jet in the u.s. rihanna weren't to a restaurant and enjoyed cuban cooking and also did a little dancing. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com . >>> hello everyone, here's what's happening search or for gunman who killed a man and injured three others, happened 2700 block of west third street in chester delaware county. we're hearing that more than 30 rounds were fired from a rifle. no word right now on the condition of the other victims and police are still vick g. >> it is friday, may 29th. i'm ukee washington. >> i'm erika von tiehl. first the storm then the clean up. downpours triggered flooding. look at the hail coming down. hail and heavy rain coming down quickly. in toms river police rescued two dozen stranded motorists. high water levels prevented some drivers from get to go their streets. mosquito infest the waters

. >>> francois hollande has become the first french president to visit cuba. he met with his counterpart, raul castro. the two men met in havana on monday. official details of their talks have not been released. media sources from the two countries report that the leaders discussed ways to boost cooperation. hollande also delivered a speech at a university in havana. he indicated hope that the united states will ease economic sanctions against cuba. >> translator: as you know, france's position has always been that embargoes hindering development in cuba should be lifted. >> hollande also met with former president and revolutionary leader, fidel castro. they spent about an hour discussing economic sanctions and other issues. france is apparently trying to boost economic ties with cuba as the united states works to normalize diplomatic ties with the country. >>> authorities in southeast asian nations are dealing with a growing problem off their coast. they're seeing more and more muslims from mean mar arriving by boths every day and they're now trying to cope w

and cuba relations. >> pope francis will visit cuba, becoming the third consecutive pope to do so. >>> and michelle obama gave a speech on the trials she faced as the first african-american first lady, saying she was held to a different standard than other candidate's wives in the campaign because of her race. listen to this. >> while we have come so far, the truth is that those age-old problems are stubborn, and they have not fully gone away, so there will be times just like for those airmen, when you feel like folks look right past you, or they see just a fraction of who you really are. the world won't always see you in these caps and gowns. >> mrs. obama added that she has since learned to focus on her own truth and suggested the graduates from the historically black university will have to do the same in life. >>> prince's song dedicated to baltimore is out and he talks about freddie gray who died in police custody last month and michael brown who was shot by a police officer last year. ♪ does anybody hear us pray for michael brown or freddie gray ♪ ♪ this is more than the a

and because the cuban government was sure that even the popes that visited cuba and this one had always a -- had a positive approach to cuba to the situation of cuba, to the cuban relation with the -- cuba's relation with the vatican, all that has been well conserved and they have been developed in these years before and that facilitates this contact we have now in this moment. it seems to me you have asked me about the holy father and his role and if it was necessary this pope. i believe the pope john paul ii live in cuba, at the moment live in our country has said cuba must be open to the world and the world will be open to cuba. and in this moment the religious sister of my house, at the moment, in what president obama has announced, the possibility of new relations, he said to me, the holy father is the first miracle of john paul ii because he has said cuba must be open to the world and the world must be open to cuba. >> rose: and now it is. and now is the moment, it is the first miracle, he has said. he was very simple but he's very interesting because it means in the real life and

pope francis will visit cuba in september before his u.s. trip and his stop here in philadelphia and "nbc 10 news" preparing for the pope you can count on us for updates as the papal visit gets closer. you can get alerts to your smart phone and tablet with the "nbc 10 news" app. >>> happening today in alabama, a sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin for a woman accused of killing her granddaughter by forcing her to run until she collapsed. a jury convicted joyce garrard on murder charges. prosecutors say she forced her 9-year-old granddaughter to run for at least three hours because she lied about eating candy bars. >>> today in the boston marathon bombing trial defense attorneys are expected to call their last witnesses. they're expected to begin weighing their punishment. they have to decide whether he should spend the rest of his life in prison or be executed for his role in the bombings. >>> today four suspects accused of killing two police officers in hattiesburg, mississippi, will make their first court appearance. officers beck min

cuba. >>> as we welcome the unofficial start to summer this holiday weekend, cuba is poised to become the new hot spot for american vacationers. our governments are still hashing out their new relationship, so it is still a bit of a hassle to get to cuba. that's not stopping some u.s. tourists. here is harry smith. >> reporter: a lone sailboat arrives in havana harbor. a few more will soon follow. not exactly an invasion, but would you believe the culmination of a boat race that started in tampa. yes, tampa, florida, usa. yankee go home is quickly being replaced with welcome amigo. and tourists from all over are rushing to take in the sights of the country long held in socialism's version of suspended animation. and there is much to see, a once splendid city, long in decay, yet teeming with energy. yes, there is life among the ruins. everyone we spoke with said the same thing. >> things will change, i'm sure. >> i wanted to get here while there is still music, the people, the authenticness of cuba. >> reporter: tourists are rushing to cuba because they're afraid once relations with th

. >>> finally pop star rihanna visited cuba. the singer originally from barbados arrived in havana on wednesday in a private jet from the u.s. rihanna went to a restaurant and enjoyed cuban cooking and also did a little dancing. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. >>> >>> taking a look at the golden gate bridge this early morning, a little bit of foggy. good morning, it is friday, may 29. i'm michelle griego. >>> i'll take care of those weather duties shortly. it's 4:30 on this friday. frank is off this morning. >> but elizabeth is here. >> elizabeth is here. yes. >> we're missing one. >> i'm sure frank is weeping big salty tears that he's not here. >> do you think he is sad he is not here? [ laughter ] >>> we have a little drizzle throughout to shake things up. some fog approaching the golden gate bridge. the numbers now mostly in the 50s in the bay area. the prospec

pope francis will visit cuba in september before his u.s. trip and his stop in philadelphia. you can count on nbc 10 to bring you updates as the papal visit gets closer. you can receive alerts delivered right to your smartphone or tablet with the nbc 10 news app. >>> a police officer killed when a driver going the wrong way hit his patrol car has been laid to rest in western pennsylvania and it was quite a showing. fellow officers remembered lieutenant eric eflari. fire and rescue teams also paid tribute to his service as a volunteer firefighter. >>> in indiana this weekend, a state trooper came to the rescue of an animaled in need. the state trooper found a baby deer on the median of a highway. the fawn appeared to be hours old and its mother was dead ton side of the road. he wrapped the fawn in a towel until it could be taken in for further observation and care. >>> let's head to south dakota where i'm guess nothing one wants to be because it is snowing. forecasters say blizzard-like conditions could last throughout today. the national weather service is warning folks out t

i asked the head of cuba's catholic church what he expected from the pope's visit. >> it's natural that the pope will reaffirm the church's desire for cuba to open up to the world and the world open up to cuba especially as the pontiff has participated in the dialogue between the united states and cuba. >> pope francis will be the third pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years which is a lot considering that cuba is a small country where the church is not particularly strong, but then cuba has weakened an interest disproportionate to its size and pope francis' role in helping to reestablish diplomatic ties between cuba and washington makes this upcoming visit significant. >> the spraying of coca plants has been ordered with a controversial herbicide in colombia. the government is looking at other ways to destroy the plants which produces cocaine. huge areas of the jungle have been sprayed with the we'd killer over the past 20 years. >> many guatemalans have celebrate following the resignation of the vice president. linked to a construction scandal involving several millions of dollars, some sa

why this visit was so significant and what it could mean for u.s./cuba relations. ortho home defense gives you year long control of all these household bugs - roaches, ants, and spiders. spectracide gives you year long control... of just roaches. their label says so. got more than roaches moving in? get home defense. the label tells the story. some weed killers are overzealous. they even destroy your lawn. ortho weed b gon kills weeds... not lawns. our label says it. your grass proves it. get ortho weed b gon. the label tells the story. >>> a historic meeting between the pope and president of cuba. it's only the third meeting between the head of a catholic church and cuban leader. during the meeting, president raul castro thanked the pontiff for helping to father relationship between the u.s. and cuba. joining me is cnn's patrick hoff in havana. >> reporter: it's an extraordinary to see rau castro the head of a communist government meeting with pope francis to leads the catholic church. not only to have an hour-long meeting on a sunday but have the two men emerge a

pope francis will visit cuba on his way to the u.s. in september. >>> it is 4:57 right now. a bay area water district is switching its walter -- water source. the changes customers are expected to experience. >> reporter: and good news, commuters, the san mateo bridge is not only open, it is open early. i'm kiet do, and we're live here at the toll plaza on the eastern side of >>> good morning everyone, it is monday, may 11th. i'm michelle griego. >> and it sure is, hi everyone, i'm frank mallicoat. it is nearly 5:00 and we're going to take you out live from chopper 5. that is the beautiful san mateo bridge. it just reopened within the past 45 minutes following a weekend shutdown. time allowed for crews to resurface the roadways on that bridge it's been a listening time coming. kiet do is in hay ward on the eastern end of the bridge with more on the work that's been done. and on another shutdown that's coming up in just a few weeks, take it away kiet. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, one way the make bay area drivers happy? open the bridge on time to make them really happy? o

to visit cuba. the pop star is in havana filming a music video. president obama has eased restrictions on travel to cuba. part of the landmark rapprochement that he and his counterpart castro announced last december but currently only approved charter flights can connect the two countries. >>> smart luggage is making travel less stressful. a new line of savvy products are hitting the market to make it easier to travel with your electronics. one of the most popular items is a suitcase with a built-in charging device. it also has its own app that tells you how much your bag weighs, a mobile wi-fi hot spot and even a place for an international sim card. >>> 9 minutes before 5:00 on friday morning. next up google unveils its next big thing. and it's made out of cardboard. wait until you see what's inside. you've tried to forget your hepatitis c. but you shouldn't forget this. hep c is a serious disease. left untreated it can lead to liver damage and potentially liver cancer. but you haven't been forgotten. there's never been a better time to rethink y

we asked the leader of cuba's catholic church ortega what he expected from the visit. >> translator: it's natural the pope will reaffirm the desire for cuba to open up to the world and the world open up to cuba especially as he participated in the dialog between united states and cuba. >> reporter: pope francis is the third pontiff to visit in 17 years a lot considering cuba is a small country where the church is not particularly strong. cuba has awaken interest disproportionate to size and pope francis' role in helping to reestablish diplomatic ties between havana and washington makes this up coming visit particularly significant. mixing politics and religion is as old as time and both castro and the pope are proving it once again. i'm with al jazeera, havana. >>> and castro flown home to welcome for the first visit from the french president in more than 100 years and taking part in economic forum and visited guadalope for a music honoring the victims of slavery in the caribbean. now the venezuela indigenous groups and people long struggled to keep identity and culture alive and now

his announcement that he's going to visit cuba before he comes to the united states in september was followed by the recognition of the state of palestine. now, this was for religious reasons, for the protection of christians in middle eastern lands, but it shows that this pope is not afraid to overstep his temporal bounds and have some influence in the world. >> all right. terry. >> well, wolf's agenda has really pushed republicans in the legislature. imagine this -- the house passes a very ambitious property tax reform bill. the senate passes a pension bill. the senate sends a medical marijuana bill. they're considering mandatory age for judges, moving it from 70 to 75. a lot's going on in harrisburg. we'll see if it materializes. >> mm. all right. and jeff. >> this past week or two tom brady's had to play a lot of defense, but now he's gonna go back on offense, and the patriots organization, too. they have a new website -- wellsreportcontext.com -- where they go on the offensive about how to measure the temperature of a football and all this and all that. they're trying to prove t

the first french leader to visit cuba in 100 years aimed at boosting french and european union interest there. the eu cut relations with cuba a decade aget but began talks to restore them last year. raul castro met with pope francis at the vatican on sunday and apparent low came away with a new ideology. the long time atheist was very impressed by francis' teachings and red all his speeches. mr. castro went on to say he may return to his jesuit roots and rejoin the church. >> i said that if the pope continues to talk as he does, sooner or later i will start praying again and return to the catholic church. and i am not kidding. i am a communist, cuban communist party did not alit. it is being loud now. a step forward. >> how about that. the cute ban leban leader plansd every one of the pope's masses when he visits the cuban island. cuba has a history of persecuting religion since castro claimed power. >> as the mexican legislative election draws near. candidates are vying for votes with catchy campaign videos and ads. rafael romo explains why some are saying the trend is a national shame

. >> still coming on al jazeera, the first french president to visit cuba. it will be live from havana and franÇois hollande's agenda. >>> next, a series of corruption scandals, but can she regain her popularity. >>> and ricky fowler has the last laugh at the championship. >> the end of aging... >> eternal youth... >> ...eternal life or eternal youth? >> curing death... >> we're heading from have and have nots... to a world of haves, and super haves.. >> can you afford to live forever? >> what's wrong? >> if rich people who got to live longer than poor people. >> then it's no fair... >> fault lines. al jazeera america's hard-hitting... >> today they will be arrested. >> groundbreaking... >> they're firing canisters of gas at us. >> emmy award winning investigative series new episode the death of aging only on al jazeera america >> it's two days on this boat just to get there... >> unspoiled... unseen... under threat... >> macaws, they're at risk of disapearing in the wild. >> the new fight to save a species... >> we're looking at one of the most incredible

pontiff to visit cuba in 17 years, a lot considering that cuba is a small country where the church is not strong. >> cuba always awakened an interest disproportionate to its size, and pope francis's role to establish diplomatic ties between havana and washington makes the visit significant >>> mixing politics and religion is as old as time. both castro and the pope are proving it once again >>> hundreds of people have been marching in mexico city on international mother's day to demand justice for their missing relatives. they say that the authorities have not bean helping them >>> the pakistan taliban claims to have shot down a helicopter carrying foreign diplomats. ambassadors from norway and philippines were among seven killed. a video is said to show fighters firing a missile na hit the tail of the helicopter. kamal hyder has more. >> the pakistan taliban released a video showing different some ponds of a russian sam- -- components of a russian sam-7 missile to bring down a hint. according to the military and exclusive footage obtained by al jazeera showed that the helicopter was

in fact, it was in 1998, that pope john paul ii visited cuba. at the time, it was considered a historic visit. unfortunately because of the breaking in of the monika lewinsky scandal at the same time, much of the world's attention was diverted away from that story. this long process of normalization between cuba an the rest of the world which -- >> catholic church pushing for an end to the u.s. trade embargo against cuba but no time line as to when that will happen. i imagine that might be top of mind as well in this conversation. >> yes, it will. there's no clear time line when the embargo will be lifted. only this week you should recall that the united states apparently approved two companies to provide ferry service between the united states and cuba. clearly, that is moving ahead not necessarily as planned but it is moving. george? >> senior international correspondent ben weidman live in rome. we appreciate your reporting there. thank you. >>> on saturday, raul castro's daughter led a gay pride march and symbolic wedding in cuba's capital.

. >> francis hollande is on an historic visit to cuba. i'm lucia newman in havana. >>> welcome back, a quick reminder of the top stories. saudi arabia moved tank and vehicles towards the southern border with yemen. reinforcements were send after two were killed, including a saudi national. a saudi proposed ceasefire was due to start on tuesday. >>> the international organization has been asked to find migrants stranded at sea, at risk of death. thousand were detained in bang including dozens of children >>> the european union asked for help to tack the smuggling. they demand military action to destroy votes. >> greaseece's government will face a cash crisis. the finance minister are meeting in brussels to complete the cries chris. >> it promises to be smalla long, tense summer in greece, the protests are small now, they could grow bigger if the left-wing government is forced by lenders to compromise on austerity, in return for a much-needed bail out. the european central bank and i.m.f. are not progressing to unlock aid, but there is skep

this is the group's first visit to cuba since 1930. the maestro said the ensemble is performing one of the same pieces performed 85 years ago. >> they have played during one of those visits, and that was the reason why the local organizers wanted to have this yeah, you come back to play the same symphony you did like 85 years ago. >> the trip takes on even more meaning since the recent evolution of u.s.-cuban relations. in december, president obama took steps to renew formal diplomatic ties with havana. diplomats from both countries do their work while tours like this help build a relationship on a person to person level. >> i want you to get more what i call core to the sound. >> u.s. musicians like tony ross are coaching and playing with music students. >> they seem to have a huge appetite for our kind of classical music, which is our cause to bring that to life. >> we talk about the relationships between nations and countries and in this particular case, this is beyond symbolic. it's very, very important. >> this is incredibly excit

. >> french president francis hollande is on an historic visit to cuba, i'm lucia newman in havana. i'll tell you what this means for both countries. plus we'll tell you about a world tour for cartoonists. more on that - stay with us. >> on hard earned, what would you do? >> the army is the last resort but i will do anything necessary for my family... >> when you're running out of choices... >> maybe i should become a nun... do nuns smoke? >> and your back's against the wall... >> i have a problem... i don't speak english... >> hard earned pride... hard earned respect... hard earned future... a real look at the american dream hard earned only on al jazeera america >> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned". welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. saudi arabia moved tanks and vehicles towards the southern border with yemen. the reinforcement killed two. the ceasefire is due to start later on tuesday. the international organization for migration called on nations to fight and rescue migrants believed to be stranded at sea and at risk of death. monday mala

the move is aimed at boosting french diplomatics with cuba. >> raul castro trough visited the pope this weekend. the two held privately talks for nearly an hour. religion is restricted in cuba. castro thanked the pope in thawing relationles with the u.s. >> i said if the pope continues to talk as does he, sooner or later i will start operating again and return to the catholic church and i'm not kidding. i'm a communist. the cuba communist party did not allow it buff it is loud enough. it is a step forward. >> castro said the pope's teachings have persuaded him to take a softer line on on religion. >> this friday is endangered species day. today we're going to focus on elephants in central africa. their in connection are down 64% in just a decade. nicole, how many elephants a day are killed by poachers? >> just in africa alone an average of 96. there's an organization called 96elephants.org if you want more information. they are known as one of the more intelligent animals. they're very compassionate. sometimes they're killed, tusks taken and left there and the other elephants can sit an

no coincide, i would imagine, that this visit to cuba in september is paired with a visit to the u.s.? >> reporter: yes. he is going to go to cuba apparently for two days, we understand, before visiting the united states. so this probably is going to culminate the gap between the united states and cuba. very much, so far, his greatest diplomatic achievement yet. he is also working on other areas, but definitely he can point to this thaw in relations between havana and washington as his biggest diplomatic accomplishment. >> much more than symbolism here, a change happening. ben wedeman, thank you. >>> i didn't do it, the words from curtis banks. one of two suspects taken into custody after the shooting deaths of two mississippi police officers. this is breaking news that we are continuing to follow this morning. we are going to have more details coming up next. >>> plus, thousands evacuating as a super typhoon makes landfall in the philippines. in this was here in the u.s., it would be a category 5 hurricane. we are going to have a live report coming up in just a moment. [ jennifer gar

and this was the first time a french president has visited cuba. >>> there is growing speculation of a power struggle within isis, following reports the terror group's leader may be seriously injured. we hear from u.s. officials just ahead. >>> also a renowned investigative journalist calls the killing of al qaeda leader osama bin laden a mass evive co up. those details still to come. >>> back to our breaking news story out of bangladesh. a third blogger critical of islam was hacked to death this morning by masked assailants armed with cleavers. we are live in new delhi with what is becoming a regular occurrence in the majority muslim nation. what all do we know about the circumstances around this shocking attack, and do authorities have any idea who did this? >> reporter: not at the moment, rosemary. this is still a developing story in bangladesh. authorities are still investigating. he is a blogger in his 30s. he was actually on his way to work in the morning when four masked men came and attacked him with cleavers. because it was morning, there were few witnesses. so they all ques

as castro meets with pope francis to discuss a visit to cuba, new churches are allowed to be built and old ones allowed to return. i asked the head of the catholic church what he expected from the pope's visit. >> translation: it's natural that the pope will reaffirm the churches desire to open up to the world, and the world open up to cuba. the pontiff participated in the dialogue between the united states and cuba. >> pope francis will be the third pontiff to cuba in 13 years, a lot considering that cuba is a small country in an area not so strong. cuba awakened an interest not property organisationate to its side. this visit is particularly did not >>> in macedonia five police officers have been killed and more than 30 injured in a gun battle with an armed group. erica wood has more. >> reporter: the police action began in the early morning. about 40km north of the capital. it's an area that saw fighting during an ethnic albane yn insurgency. gunfire could be heard, and one explosion. the mainly albanian neighbourhood was sealed off. it's terrible terrible. the government said the a

on monday he become the first western european leader to visit cuba since 1986. the french leader called on the u.s. to lift its trade embargo on cuba. lucia newman has more from havana. >> reporter: untying the idealogical knot 12 years after the european union froze cultural and political ties with cuba, the french president is here to declare bygones be bygones. >> translator: this visit is taking place in a context in which at least it's possible for cuba to have all of the necessary conditions to interact with the rest of the world. as you know france has always been in favor of lifting the u.s. embargo that hinders cuba. >> reporter: speaking at the university of havana he made it clear that france wants to take a leadership role in a renewed dialogue. hollande has made latin america and the caribbean one of his foreign policy priorities. but it's not just political, both france and holland are keen to position themselves economically ahead of when the united states lifts its embargo against cuba which would make trade and tourism flourish. american investm

and cuba. the pope plans to visit cuba on the way to the u.s. in september. now back to "locked up." >>> the word is that it was unescapable. prisoners said that if the guards caught you trying to escape they killed you. and that no one had escaped since poncho villa did in 1912. barbara began formulating a plan. she says -- >> i think you can escape from prison dressed as a woman. >> and we analyzed it. how could i get out in drag? barbara was renting a room at dear friend's home who had a sewing machine. she had my sizes cut out for me. she would then smuggle in clothes. where to hide the clothes? well, about the same time i took some kittens into my cell. i took the dress and the blouse and i hid them as lining for the cat's litter. so when the guards did their periodic searches, i would say -- be careful. don't hurt my kitties. but what about the other things? the lipstick and the makeup. one day her daughter gabrielle was in my cell. she's wreaking of perfume. and she pulled out of the top of her bibs a partially opened vile of perfume. we had our eureka

the first leader of france to visit cuba in more than a century. he's set to meet with raul castro at some point today. he's expected to make a leading role between the europe teean union. >> they canceled this week's trip to meet with the president and other arab leaders. his representatives say it is all due to a scheduling problem. the plan has to do with mounting tensions over the united states working with iran to establish a nuclear deal. >> jimmy carter cut the trip to south america short. he isn't feeling well. he is 90 years old after a brief trip to guyana. no other details are released about the illness. >> and time for a look at who is talking. days after an appeals court ruled an nsa phone spying program is illegal, richard burr the chairman of the intelligence committee defends the bulk phone records collection. >> i think it should continue for the simple reason that it is effective in keeping america safe. in addition to that we have had no incident of anybody's privacy being incruded on. >> we collect numbers they are de identified

pope francis will visit cuba in september before he visits the united states. they will talk more bit then. >> is there indications he may come to philadelphia a the pope right. >> just a rumor though right. >> in late september. >> i cannot wait for. that it will be great. >>> one of the two operating units the in the nuclear power plant north of new york city will likely remain off line for some time after a transformer fire on saturday night. anytime you have a problem in a nuclear power plant people get upset. >> yeah, officials say it could be weeks before indian point is reopen. clean up is underway after thuses of gallons of transformer flute leak in the hudson river. new york governor cuomo say clean up should take a day or two at least. >> at least. >>> coming up, danger lurking in the water. we told but this on friday. look at that that is a shark still on the move. great white shark mary lee is the the shark's name mary lee, on the move again this morning, where she is headed right now. >>> plus, president obama springs mother day surprise on three l

this is the group's first visit to cuba since 1930. maestro says the ensemble is performing one of the same pieces played here on the last tour, 85 years ago. >> they played the 3rd symphony during one of those visits. it was the reason why the local organisers want this. they play the same sim phoney, like you did 85 years ago. >> reporter: the trip takes on more meaning since the evolution of u.s. cuban thawing of relations. president obama took steps to renew ties in hav receiver, which the diplomats cut. while diplomats from both countries do their work. tours help to build a relationship on a person to person level. >> i want you to get more core to the sound >>> u.s. musicians like principal cellist are coaching and playing with cuban music students. >> they seem to have a huge appetite for our kind of classical music, which is our cause to bring it to life. >> we talk about the relationships between nations and countries. in this case it's beyond symbolic, it's important. it's incredibly exciting. to be the first major orchestra