. >> i'm lucia newman in quito ecuador, in advance of pope francis's vista where millions of catholics have abandoned the church. >> because i was african american i was trying to fit in. >> misty copleland's journey wasn't easy. >> dancing gave me the opportunity to grow into the person... i don't think i could be without it. >> now, this trailblazer is opening the door for others. >> i wanna give back to ballet what it's done for me... >> welcome back. i'm shiulie ghosh. the top stories on al jazeera. from the president to the common man. greeks have start ed voting in a bailout referendum that could decide the country's financial future. whether to accept the baitout proposals by european leaders or reject them. evenly split is the expected vote. >>> military and police now have extra powers in tunisia. president beji caid essebsi says attacks could continue without them. sustained set of strikes against i.s.i.l. targets. raqqa, displied key supply routes restricting the movement of the fighters. >>> let's go back to our top story now. the landmark referendum in greece, the country'

let's speak to lucia newman. lucia, this reaction to a pretty historic day in havana, cuba itself. >> hello barbara. it's been a very exciting morning and day here in cuba. people say they have been waiting for this, for so long. actually at the u.s. embassy there were very very subtle differences compared to the very big ceremony that took place in washington at the cuban embassy. here, there were a few members of the u.s. embassy walking around with small american flags. even the cuban staff were walking around with little flags. they had painted the sidewalk with yellow and there certainly were fewer cuban police outside which is notable. people who came out told us that the staff inside were more friendly than normal but by and large for ordinary cubans this is a huge, huge difference for them. psychologically they have been in a loss tile relationship with their northern neighbor, just 140 kilometers across the caribbean space. they felt like they would never live to see this day. these fortified walls were

. >> i'm lucia newman, the pope's tour of spanish speaking south america where billions of catholics have abandoned the church. >> greeks have started voting in a becamea bailout bailout referendum. put forward by european lenders in exchange for more financial aid. prime minister alexis tsipras insists on a no vote, to get him a better deal. but john siropolous joins us from the greek capital. what's actually at stake here for greece? >> much is at stake for greece darren. the question whether they will be forced to dip into their depositor savings they don't know if the european central bank will continue to release liquidity into the system, or they'll have to rely on the deposits that are left. they don't know if the government will receive another financial aid package. in addition to the imf bond it didn't pay last week. and we don't know what the fate of the private sector will be, be the backbone of this economy enormous unemployment, high taxes, a lot of businesses are simply unable to continue. the market has been shrinking there has been a recession as people are unsirn of

lucia newman, al jazeera. >> what do you think? tell us on aljazeera.com/americatonight. we'll have more of "america tonight," tomorrow. >> the egyptian government vows to crack down on groups in the sinai peninsula. hello there welcome to al jazeera also ahead on this program: pensioners in greece queue outside for a second day as greeks decide on sunday whether to stay part of the euro zone. >> the country is on the brink

be lucia newman, al jazeera. >> what do you think? tell us on aljazeera.com/americatonight. we'll have more of "america tonight," tomorrow. >> i'm ali velshi, "on target" tonight. in tehran. >> how much could nation possibly trust the ufts,. >> the same wild accusations against united states. >> comprehensive diplomatic resolutions and the most difficult and long lasting

lucia newman, al jazerra paraguay. >>> in china fire in an apartment building has killed at least seven people and injured 12 others. the cause of the blaze is being investigated in the city in central china. some residents died after breatheing in smoke from burning electric cables. >>> stay with us here on al jazerra, we've got another full bulletin of news straight ahead. and don't forget, plenty more on our website, you can get i'll the latest on that decision on greece's future, aljazerra.com. >> i lived that character. >> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> gripping... inspiring... entertaining. no topic off limits. >> 'cause i'm like, "dad, there are hookers in this house". >> exclusive conversations you won't find anywhere else. >> these are very vivid, human stories. >> if you have an agenda with people, you sometimes don't see the truth. >> "talk to al jazeera". only on al jazeera america. >> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy... >> this is another significa

lucia newman. >>> up next a drastic jump in the number of u.s. prisoners the age over 50. growing old with a prison record. and what happens when they get out? plus -- >> they are not sending their best. they are bringing drugs. they are bringing crime. their rapists. >> reporter: donald trumps comments about mexicans drawing new fire from some in his own party. ♪ >>> welcome back to al jazeera america. it is 10:45 eastern, taking a look at today's top stories. four kentucky couples, two gay and two straight are suing a county clerk who refused to issue them marriage licenses. the clerk won't issue the licenses to anyone now, including straight couples. the state say she is violating her duties. >>> a string of shark attacks along the east coast have officials warning swimmers to be extra cautious. north carolina will add extra beach patrol rangers this weekend. officials are strongly encouraging visitors to stay in shallow waters. >>> and officials near knoxville, tennessee are putting plans in place to lift evacuation orders near the site of a train derailment. dozens

let's go to lucia newman who has more. how important of a step is this to restoring diplomatic relations between u.s. and cuba? >> lucia, let me try asking you that question one more time. not sure if you can hear me. >> i seem to have lost--i have lost-- >> all right, well apologies for that. we'll re-establish connection with lucia newman. we're expecting within a matter of hours cuba and the united states restore openings, restore relations, i should say reopening embassies that have been closed a half century, a symbolic moment, a historic moment. let's get up to speed with some of the other stories we're covering. chinese state saying tourists exported. they were watching a documentary about ghengis khan, a mongal warrior leader who died 800 years ago. >>> now committing suicide after being embroiled in a phone hacking scandal. they denied claims they used spyware to monster south koreans. >> the 46-year-old agent of the nis was found dead in his car on saturday in an apparent suicide. next to him a three-page will. p

lucia newman, al jazeera quito. >> inventions, vibrating pen to help those with parkinson's disease and oglove that allows you to carve products as they were made of clay. simon mcgregor wood found out more. >> these are the displays that might launch careers. this is science for the real world that may change our lives. for example there is morton groenig's power glove it could revolutionize the world of sculpture. >> for them it's about being as close as they can really being intimate with the stone or with the work and really understand understanding. >> then there's a brand-new way of harvesting wind power. imagine thousands of these stuck to a sky scrape are. and this vibrating pen is designed to help sufferers of parkinsons disease be whose hands city ofen as the disease takes control. >> enables you to write clearer and smoother. it makes the pen traverse across the paper easier and it also reduces the stiffness of the muscles. >> the innovations on display here if you like are a combination of art and science. this stuff has the work and it has to look good at the same time. the

the opposition and the government to call a truce while the pope is here. >> lucia newman from ecuador. homes going up on what might be contaminateed land in san francisco. >> finding a place to live in the san francisco bay area can be tough. prices are high and affordable homes are scarce. new homes are being built with incredible city views but some residents say that the land may be contaminated. lisa bernard has the story from san francisco. >> so there is a shortage of affordable housing in this city. is this one of the answers? >> no. no, i can emphatically say no. >> marie harrison advises against buying here hat the hunter shipyard and she feels the same way about housing at nearby treasure island. the navy is cleaning up the building. the n nuclear regulatory commission said that the navy used to decontaminate warships after nuclear testing and use of radiation experiments on animals here. >> i can't see people moving in here while all this toxic land surrounds them. they're still cleaning up. not just building, they're doing the actual clean up. digging into the ground, brea

lucia, newman al jazeera, havana. >>> up next a drastic jump in the number of u.s. prisoners over the age of 50. >> it is no place to be especially 57 years old. >> reporter: growing old with a prison record and what happens when they get out. >>> plus a new development in greece this morning, as voters prepare to make a major decision about their financial future. stay with us. >>> four kentucky couples are suing a county clerk who refused to issue them marriage licenses. two of the couples are gay, and the other two are straight. the clerk says her christian beliefs prevent her from issuing licenses to gay couples, so she says she will not give them to anyone. in tennessee all of the staff at one county clerk's office has resigned saying they also cannot comply with the supreme court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. also in tennessee officials near knoxville are putting plans in place to lift evacuation orders near the site of a train derailment. the train was carrying a toxic chemical when it ran off of the tracks and caught fire. dozens are being treated

i'm joined now by lucia newman. what has he been saying so far? >> hello lauren. this is his first very first mass in spanish-speaking latin america. so there will be not only a million people listen to him in ecuador's second largest city. family values which the church believes are under threat especially because of just the increase of divorce even amongst catholic families, and he's probably not going to mention it directly because of the increasing acceptance of same sexg marriage in this region. so he will be talking about diseending fannie mae values, the poor also the weak, that is a constant theme weakness pope, and he will speak about reconciliation, not only with the environment which he talked about, but also between countries and mankind. there are a lot of people from colombia for example war or the colombia who have come to listen to his mass. he's speaking to a much broader audience not just ecuador. >> lucia why has he chosen to go to ecuador and bolivia and paraguay and not his other than country? >> there are a lot of folks coming from be argent

let's go to havana and speak to latin america editor lucia newman. an historic day, what is the reaction there? >> hello barbara absolutely this is a huge, huge change for ordinary cubans. you can imagine that while it's important for the united states, the restoration of diplomatic ties, which would spell the end of hostilities or most of them, has a bigger impact on this tiny island nation than it does in the united states. so cubans are just very emotional at the former u.s. intersection. the staff were carrying american flags. the ceremony where the u.s. flag will be hoistedder, it won't take place for another three weeks when u.s. secretary of state john kerry comes to havana. but still for ordinary cubans it is an historic and emotional day, as i said before. one that many people felt that they never thought they would live to see. >> these fortified walls were built when cuba was a spanish colony a testament to a country under siege. then from pirate attacks today from the united states. students would help to build this bomb shelter one of hu

the head of the catholic church held an open air mass in the capital acencion lucia newman reports. >> this is the largest mass pope francis has given throughout his three nation tour, here in paraguay the world's most catholic country where more than 90% of the people say they are roman catholics they spent the night ankle deep in mud to get the blessing of the pope. they were not disappointed. they wanted the pope to speak directly to their leaders who quote open up their hearts to the poor and dispossessed. people here are applauding his very progressive message particularly here in paraguay which has a very conservative catholic church hierarchy. the pope had said earlier that corruption was the gangrene of society. that's another message that people here say that they hope that their leaders will hear. the question of course is, how much of this message will really, really have an impact or how much of an impact will it have once the pope has left? >> lucia newman reporting there and you can find out much more about the pope's visit or anything else we have been covering on our w

lucia newman al jazeera, keto ecuador. >> the 40 trest island near nagasaki has been given world hair strategy status by unesquea after januaryap after wartime forced labor. >> japan was prepared to take measures yet allow an understanding that there were a large number of koreans and others what were brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions in the 1940s at some of the sites. and that's during world war ii, the government of japan also implemented its policy of requisition. >> other sides around the world including singapore's po tancal gardens and france's champaign region have been recognized. here is erica wood with more. >> reporter: the sites in southwest china, green mountains dotted with old 40 tress and palaces. more than 500 years old. they have been designated as culturally significant. the baku region of south korea io has been given unesco status. administrative buildings flu one of the earliest kingdoms. >> they established tieses with the countries in east asia across the sea. they enjoyed the most glamorous and superior culture. now, it can b

lucia newman has more. >> the heat there was unbearable, but first open air mass in spanish speaking south america, his home continent. the pope dedicated his first major address to the catholic family. the pillar of society which in pope francis's view is suffering from the ills of modern times. miracles are performed every day out of love he said, but sometimes that love and patience runs out. the pope has taken a more liberal stance on divorce and homosexuality but remains opposed to same sex marriage which is being legalized in many north and south american countries. pope francis says he hoped the bishops meeting scheduled for october would provide concrete solutions to the many challenges facing families in our times. this was only the first of some 22 speeches that pope francis is expected to make during his week long trip to south america so very soon he will be switching gears and focusing on another of his favorite themes which is climate change. and the need for mankind to protect mother earth. less than a month ago pope francis issued a bitter critique of capitalism in an

lucia newman, al jazerra havana. >>> an amazing store there. you can get more on it if you head over to our website as well as all the other stories. >>> i'm david shuster, in for ali velshi "on target" tonight. >> the free world cannot allow iran to have a nuclear weapon. >> how much could faces trust the united states. >> this morning iran's president offered the same wild states. >> we seek a comprehensive diplomatic solution. >> this will not change iran for the better. >> one of the most difficult and long-lasted security problems we faced in a long time.

lucia newman, al jazerra. >>> now, finally this bulletin the actor omar sharif best phone no his award winning roles in the classic films lawrence arabia and dr. zhivago has died the at the i'm of the 83. >> reporter: a regular on red carpets around the world omar sharif's actioning career spanned six decades and several continue nets. he was born michelle shalhoub in the egyptian city of alexandria and began acting in productions in the 1950s but his meteoric rise came in 1962 with the relieve of his first english film lawrence of a arabia. >> truly for some men nothing is written unless they write it. >> reporter: for which he would receive a host of awards, including two golden globes and an oscar nomination asked about his performance in the movie he said i think it's a great film but i am not very good in it. three years later he would be a further golden globe with the title role in dr. zhivago he wound working in to old age his last film credits were in 2013. >> i was a shy boy somewhat. and i enjoyed not being shy because i was somebody else, you know that's -- i think that's w

our latin america editor lucia newman has more. >> reporter: the heat was often unbearable, but hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who were undeterred as they gathered for post francis' first open-air mass in south america his home continent. the pope dedicated his first major address to the family which the catholic church considers the pillar of society but which in pope francis' views view is suffering from the else of modern times. >> the family is the greatest social wealth that no other i institution can replace it needs top helped and strengthen saidstrengthened. >> reporter: the pope has taken a liberal stance but remains opposed to same-sex marriage, he hope the the bishops' meetings scheduled for october would provide con cleat solutions to the many -- concrete solutions to many challenges facing families in our times. >> translator: we would like the pope to bless our family and our country that meets more faith. >> reporter: back in the capital thousands of gathering hoping to catch a glimpse of the pope as he heads towards the presidential palace and the cathedral. here he wi

lucia newman, al jazerra havana. >> and i can watch lucia's full interview with gerardo hernandez on the next edition of talk to al jazerra that's on saturday at 0430 gmt. >>> an eyewitness in north carolina has been recounting what happened in the latest string of shark attacks off the state coastline. >> a 68-year-old man who was repeatedly bitten and he's still in hospital. there have been seven reported shark incidents in the u.s. state in the past three weeks. park service officials say a gray shark around two meters long pulled the man under water. >> it was about 1:00 and i saw a car speeding down the beach, an unmarked police car and i knew something bad had happened. so i walked down here and saw the blood and saw the guy laying down on a towel, you could see a pretty decent size, about baseball sized gash taken out of his knee. a tarp over him. e.m.s. around him. >>> nepal is one of 20 countries with laws that discriminate against people with hleb is a although the disease is now curable, patients in nepal say they have to fight social stigma as well as these laws,. >> repo

lucia newman reports. >> reporter: pope francis chose bolivia latin america's most indigenous nation to issue an apology that many have been waiting for. >> i humbling ask for forgiveness not only for the offenses of the church itself but also crimes committed against the native people during the so-called conquest of america. >> reporter: the pope is seeking to heal rifts between the country's indigenous people and descendants of its spanish colonial conquerors, but also years the strained ties between the church and the left wing government. it was no so long ago that president able morales labeled catholicism as an instrument of domination. but the argentine popes defense of the poor and repeated calls for social justice have brought church and state closer together. roman catholics from all over the nation traveled to santa cruz do hear to hear and see pope francis. >> translator: the pope's blessing is for all of us so we are united and able to work according to all of the pope's messages. >> reporter: santa cruz is also a strong hold for opposition to the government. >> transla

lucia newman our correspondent with those queuing to see the pope. >> here thousands of people are lining the streets waiting to see pope front citizen for the last time before he leaves ecuador. the pope has been speaking out forcefully about the need to protect mother nature. dismissing criticism that the catholic church should stick to religion. he said that the degradation of the soul and planet are inseparable. and before leaving he weighed in on the issue of oil drilling in the amazon rain forest. he also spoke about the old. and he visited an old age home run by nuns. the pope has been talking about the need for reconciliation and dialogue but it is to be seen whether his words were heated here in ecuador where the leftest government and opposition has grown increasingly heated. >> lucia newman. now volcano in western indonesia spews ash. it has been erupting since early june. 10,000 people have had to leave their homes. until this moment it had been dormant for 400 years. the threat level had been raised by authorities to the highest possible status. this is on one of indonesia's

there is an embargo in place and a lot of tensions between the two countries. >> lucia newman, speaking to us from havana, lucia thank you as always for that. just a reminder for the viewers we are waiting for that news conference between the u.s. secretary of state john kerry and be cuban foreign secretary bruno rodriguez. we'll bring that to you live as soon as the two men appear. the u.n. security council has unanimously endorsed the iranian nuclear deal. the five permanent members of the council along with germany have agreed to lift sanctions against iran and in return iran has agreed to limit their nuclear program. james bays has more. >> binding international law starts the clock for the program for the implementation of the deal known as the joint plan for comprehensive action. the sanctions will be lifted once the nuclear agency the iaea has confirmed that you iran has scaled back its program. >> 90 days from today when we have had a chance to review the provisions the sanction he relief will begin only when iran verifiably completes the necessary steps to bring its nuclear pro

we go to lucia newman, what has been the message from the hope today? >> hello the message before this mass has really been on the family. but now this message is on politics. he started off issuing a warning about violence and war. he was making--he was alluding, of course, to isil, and the continuous persecution of christians of catholics. he said that christians has been a resurgence in this type of attitude, but it was up to threats to you night them, to turn the other cheek although he didn't use that conference. he spoke out about the abuse of power in personal life, intolerant of other people's ideas. there were people here from colombia who were wanting for the pope to intervene on their behalf. this is a very political poll, as we know, it has already played an important role bringing the united states and cuban together. >> it's been suggested that the pope is capitalizing on the trip. >> even before the pope arrived there had been posters put up by the government poping the pope's continuous and just description of health, and they've been he

lucia newman reports. >> the signs read, "we are all rodrigo." his last words were, "the soldiers burnt me alive. ." carmen yah quintana, 18 at the time of the attack against the two pro-democracy protesters, survived. >> they covered our bodies with petrol and set us ablaze and dumped obodies 20 kilometers away. >> this is the place they were set on fire by aa military patrol. a simple plaque commemorates a of an act committed during the pinochet dictator ship, those who took partly were paid for their silence and their military commanders actually promoted. in an unprecedented move fernando guz guzman came forward. >> there was a pact of silence the military fade me but i had to keep my mouth shut. >> reporter: the breaking of the so-called pact of silence that has allowed most human rights violations to go unpunished, has opened a panzora's box has led to the arrest of officers including the captain who allegedly gave the order. protesters shouted assassin, where to last week he was still working for the army as an advisor. carmen gloria quint

with us is our latin american editor lucia newman. what is the pope saying to the crowds? >> hello felicity. the pope has an overriding theme which is reconciliation. he was talking about reconciling the family, he calls the family the cornerstone of society but the catholic church believes that the family is at risk particularly in modern times and with catholics more and more accepting divorce abortion and also homosexual or seam-sex marriage. all -- and same-sex marriage, all things the church does not accept. he does not condone same sex marriage most recently in the united states, strengthening the family and family values. he's also talking later on about reconciling man with the planet, he's very concerned about the environment, and also, about people reconciling themselves with their governments. he's already mentioned the need of different governments hinting that ecuador's government in particular needs to be more open for dialogue at the opposition, be which protesters are against president raphael correia. >> there is always concerns that he's up for doing all

lucia newman last been following pope and filed this report. >> reporter: it was fitting perhaps that pope francis end his tour in south south america's poorest nation he in be the poorest yet paraguay. solace to the ill old and poor. like residents of benal del norte. we have no land, we canned afford to buy proper homes on our salaries, said this woman. with every leg of this trip, he haded a page to his social gospel, economic order that he says creates widespread inequality. here in paraguay where at least a million people turned out for his final mass the recurring theme was corruption. which he called the gangrene of society. it's muddy and it's wet but none of that seems to matter to the tens of thousands that are here. waiting the entire night to you see and hear pope francis. they want a message of hope not only for themselves but also for pope to address their government directly. >> translator: we'd like them to tell them to pay more attention to the humble, it suffers from began green as the pope says. >> reporter: but the pope also acknowledged some of the catholic church

. >> lucia newman has more from quooeto. >> reporter: least 1.5 million came for the pope's last mass in ecuador. he spoke out forcefully against the war and violence that is ravaging the world, and told the pilgrims no matter how much catholics are persecuted it's up to them to unite the world. >> translation: while this some countries there's form of war and country, we christians insist on recognising other injuries - healing and constructing bridges. >>> pope francis appeared to direct criticism at many latin american leaders, whom he said were too obsessed with interests and power, and unable to appreciate movements proposing different solutions to people's problems. tens of thousands spent a freezing night under rain entire families in order to ensure they'd see and hear the leader of the catholic church. >> what is noteworthy unlike the millions that went to see the pope. in brazil a large percentage are those relegated to the periphery, the poor the indigenous and the old. >> thanks to lucia newman in ecuador >>> a marriage of sight and sound. a museum where music is used to h

let's go to lucia newman, speaking to us. now, we do know that pope francis is known for his austere ways, he has been championing the right of the poor while on his latin america tour. is he expected to do the same in paraguay? >> yes, he is. in fact, he has begun. he - right now i'm in the noib our hood -- neighbourhood where the pope visited a paediatric hospital where many children are suffering diseases. tens of thousands waited since the early hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pope as he zoomed by in a car, which was once used by john paul ii when he visited the country in the late 1980s. the pope in his first address since arriving in paraguay, the second poorest country. he went to the presidential palace and appealed for the government to do everything it could to address corruption and ensure that no child goes hungry and no farmer left without land. this is a thorny issue in paraguay >>> /* >> this 46-year-old goes through the same ritual every day. paraguayan farm workers, the mother of eight had no joys. we

we really can't say. >> lucia newman. thank you. >> meet some of hong kong's urban farmers. >>> and in sports the world cup winner on his way from munich to manchester. >> putting loved ones in a nursing home... hoping for the best. >> my father died because of the neglect. >> are they betraying your trust? >> it's a for-profit business. >> you're watching the al jazeera news hour reminding now of our top stories and 136 newly identified victims of the srebrenica massacre has been buried during the 20th anniversary commemorations. 8,000 men and boys were killed by soldiers in the u.n.-protected enclave. >>> saudi arabia has broken a cease-fire with yemen hours after it was started. it said that it was not officially told when the truce was to begin. >>> pope francis is delivering open air mass to to paraguay's pilgrimage site. >>> let's go back to our top story on the 20th anniversary of the srebrenica massacre and the events this led up to the atrocity. now the former yugoslavia began to disintegrate after independence w

lucia newman. paraguay. >> time for sport with andy. hello there. >> thank you so much. djokovic said he hopes to be winning grand slam titles for many years to come. he has nine titles to his name. zoe cummings reports. >> it was a match that promised so much defending champion against the greatest the game has seen. after federer's decline just after his french open disappointment djokovic was not about to relinquish this title without a fight. with the crowd in federer's favor, nowak needed all his skill to take the first set. as the ironman tightened his his grip he fought back in the longest of wimbledon final in 15 years. djokovic had all the chances but it was roger who would rally to level the match. djokovic's disappointment clear. as the sky darkened, opens were doused by the drizzle. djokovic returned to court determined and devastated. his dreams of a fairytale finish faded fast. his bid to become the oldest wimbledon champion passed as djokovic nudged nearer to his title. >> i lost against the world number one at the moment. that's the kind of guy you probab

i'm joined by our latin american editor lucia newman. presumably we were expecting this kind of message from him. >> reporter: lauren he has had several messages. the overall one is reconciliation. but at this first mass which was attended by more than a million people his main message was reconciliation in the family because the church believes that the family is at risk of disintegrating. this poem has taken more liberal stance towards divorce and towards homosexuality but it does not disagree with for example same sex marriage which has been legalized in many countries in the americas, most recently in the united states. he was focusing on this on the needs of families ostick together to love each other and especially for people to care for each other the old the the infirm and particularly the poor. >> and we understand that he's been involved in politics. has he weighed in on the current political conflict? >> well, this is a jesuit pope and the jesuits since they first began thousands of years ago have been particularly political.

plus... >> i'm lucia newman in ecuador, the first stop of pope francis's

lucia newman reports. >> reporter: it was fitting perhaps, that pope francis and his tour of south america's poorest nations. if he offered solace to the ill very poor. we have no land. we can't afford to buy proper homes on our salaries, said this woman. >> with every leg of his trip, pope francis added a new layer of his gospel. his defense of the poor his crypt simple of political intolerance and political order that creates widespread inequality. here in paraguay where a million people turned out his final mass he calls corruption the gangrene of society. >> it's muddy and wet but none of that matters for the tens of thousands of people who came, they spent the entire night to hear and see pope francis. they said they want a message of hope for themselves but to hear from the pope directly. >> we would like them to tell them to pay more attention to the humble, to the poorest because our government doesn't. it solvers from gangrene as the pope says. >> but the pope acknowledges some of the catholic's church's since. in bolivia he asked forgiveness for the crimes against the indigenous pe

lucia newman has his story. >>> the man you seay rooiing in havana, seems an unlikely central character, in a drama that changed diplomatic history. cuban intelligence officer has been sentenced by a miami court to two life terms. the last thing he expected was to suddenly arrive home to a hero's welcome. >> i learned about it in december 16th -- the day before. >> reporter: hernandez had spent the last 16 years in u.s. maximum security prisons, a cuban spy implicated in the killings of four american pilots shot down by cuban fighter jets. his wife had repeatedly been denied a visa to travel to california to visit him in prison. so cubans were dumb founded when they saw that she was nine month's pregnant when her husband arrived. >> translator: i had frozen my eggs anticipating that when the time came it might be too late. >> reporter: their daughter was born shortly after her father's return to cuba six months ago. she was conceived as a diplomatic gesture of goodwill. the u.s. government has allowed her to undergo fertilization treatment in panama with her husband's early sperm flown

lucia newman is there sending this report. >> people have been lining the street for hours to hopefully be gain a glimpse of the pope in his pope mobile. this is giving priority to those often considered on the periphery. sshes pope francis reaches out to people. he is with the sick with those who need him and ecuador needs him. >> reporter: ecuador bolivia and paraguay are the countries that have remained most faithful. the pope has said he wants to acknowledge them. reconciliation, very timely in ecuador because there have been mass protesters against the government some of them violent over the last few weeks. the church has intervened calling on both sides the opposition and the government to call a truce while the pope is here. >> second case of middle east respiratory syndrome, mers, there is no known transmission to the community. 36-year-old tourist that showed symptoms after arriving in manila in july. the department of health says the government is tracing contact with people who came in with him. >> last saturday around 11:30 in the morning we received a referral about a fore

lucia newman has the report. >> fricke-year-old echeverria goes through the same ritual a day. the mother of 8 had no choice but to migrate to this inner city slum. >> we had no money only $4 a day. >> now her husband picks through rubbish in this ever-expanding waste land where one man's waste is one pan's ticket out. land owners have turned to highly mechanized export crops that have put land owners out of a job. 20% live here, children, parents even their grandparents living from the rubbish and in the rubbish. that's why the pope is coming here to show his support for the landless and the dispossessed. father jose luis is one of many catholic priests who work with the peer and fight for better land distribution. >> translator: the powerful land division, i hope francis seriously criticize hes our government. as the accumulation of wealth in few hands grows. >> reporter: in 12, president fernando lugo was impeached. paraguay has a long history at theaments at better land distribution. that's why here, the pope's visit, to take notice, would truly require a miracle. >> don't

we cross to lucia newman. tell us about the significance of the papal trip? a great deal of excitement and anticipation around it. >> absolutely. i'm standing now on one of the main thorough fares of ketowhere the pope is expected to come by in the poem mobile. there are thousands of people lining the streets, excited, and hoping to get a glimpse of the pope. this is an important visit. he's coming to three of the fore most poorest nations. in is in keeping with a determination to give priority to those that he says is on the periphery of power. very have a high indigenous cop u population and they want to handling that. when the church is facing massive defections ecuador and paraguay are countries where there's a lot of loyal towards the catholic church. they are members of the church. ecuador has 79% of the people profess to be catholics, higher than in brazil which was once latin america's catholic country, but is no longer. it's exciting for him and his people who have not seen people for 30 years. >> the papal trip has a theme. reconciliation is the one

lucia newman, al jazeera. >> what do you think? tell us on aljazeera.com/americatonight. we'll have more of "america tonight," tomorrow. >> the egyptian government vows to crack down on groups in the sinai peninsula. hello there welcome to al jazeera also ahead on this program: pensioners in greece queue outside for a second day as greeks decide on sunday whether to stay part of the euro zone. >> the country is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe in yemen. >> and president obama be restores diplomatic ties with cuba and vows to thrift trade embargo. >>> egypt's cabinet has approved new laws which it says will help the security forces tackle what it calls terrorist attacks. it follows a series of raids on egypt's sy anyway pence sla peninsula which led 100 dead. simultaneous operation from fighters calling itself sinai province. jerald tan has this report. >> egypt's military strikes back. targets in northern sinai gaza in israel. the area is in a lock down after a series of coordinated attacks on egyptian security forces. after hours of combat, the military police

>> lucia newman reporting there and you can find out much more about the pope's visit or anything else we have been covering on our website. the address is on your screen right now, aljazeera.com. ran of today. host americans knew her as sister mary, a spokeswoman for the iranian students na seized the u.s. embassy. the media dubbed her sister mary, because her head scarf looked like a nun's habit, and she became the first bomb swrn vice president. ali velshi sat with her in tehran. you are a face recognisable to some americans. you were on tv constantly, before i was on tv, as the face of the hostage crisis in 1979, and now you are a vice president of iran, and you said that together the u.s. and iran could work against violence, against radicalism, against militia in this part of the world. you'll forgive me, some in my audience associate iran with those things, say that iran can help solve rad illegalism and world. that? >> speaking realistically, we have to see things in the broader context. we can't get important parts of our history, our joint history. the united states had a lon

lucia newman has more. >> reporter: the decision to renew diplomatic relations, which will be announced by president obama and perhaps secretary of state john kerry with an announcement made in havana some time on wednesday morning their time will open the possibility for the end of season it's not clear when the embassy will open the doors, probably the cubans in washington. according to u.s. legislation, two weeks has to transpire before the united states turns the ipp tree section in havana into a full-fledged embassy carrying or flying the u.s. flag after all these years, believing that this could allow them to have economic prosperity more trade and travel between one country and the other. most cubans have relatives in the united states. it's a major change for them. >> coming up on the programme... ..hold on a second an extra tick of the clock just passes by. we'll explain why. plus... >> i'm laurence lee in calais where thousands of migrants and refugees are fed emergency rations by a french charity. the first time it happened on french soil. be their last chance? >> i have to d

our national men editor lucia newman reports. >> reporter: pope francis chose bolivia, latin america's most indigenous nation to issue an apology main waited for. not only crimes committed against the church but the people. >> reporter: he is seeking to heal wrists against the people and it's spanish concerners. and year of estranged ties. it was not long ago that president morales labelled catholicism assist an distrument of domination. recalls for justice brought church and stayed closer together. wrath lecks from all over -- roman catholics from all over the nation travelled to see and here. >> the pope's blessing is for all of us so we are all united so we are able to work according to all of the pope's messages. >> santa cruz is a strong hold for opposition to the government. >> the expectation we have is to have a better world. a country with more justice, social justice. so there's no political persecution. >> in bolivia, the pope urged the world not to few pros parties as wealth. it's a message he repeated through his south american tour. in meetings with the clergey and the gr

lucia newman, al jazerra, havana. >>> an amazing store there. you can get more on it if you head over to our website as well as all the other stories. >>> i'm david shuster, in for ali velshi "on target" tonight. >> the free world cannot allow iran to have a nuclear weapon. >> how much could faces trust the united states. >> this morning iran's president offered the same wild states. >> we seek a comprehensive diplomatic solution. >> this will not change iran for the better. >> one of the most difficult and long-lasted security problems we faced in a long time. >>> should iran have a nuclear programme, after years of intense discussions the talks are coming down to the wire. as part of the manoeuvring aimed at breaking the stalemate. the head of the international atomic energy organization is in train meeting with -- tehran meeting with officials to provide provisions. have you met with the president yet, sir. have you had a chance to meet with the president, sir? are you on your way to meet with the president, sir? >>> as you saw, ali velshi is

. >> lucia newman is in havana. >> it may look exactly the same but this is no longer a u.s. intersection under the care and sproaks of the swissprotection of the u.s. embassy. that plaque is now gone. now once again the u.s. embassy it was always meant to be. the american flag is not flying here, at least not yet that will have to wait until u.s. secretary of state john kerry comes to oversee an official ceremony. there are changes from the tiny american flags that the embassy staff were carrying to the number of tourists and even americans carrying their passports and flags to mark this day. >> it's such a historic day and hoping this brings about changes. >> cubans who went inside for visas say the requisites have not changed but the consular staff were more friendly than before when they denied her a visa. clearly the establishment of diplomatic relations has a more impact here than in the united states. preparing themselves for a possible u.s. invasion now u.s. consular staff will be able to travel around this communist island freely. of course both countries have a long

be lucia newman, al jazeera. >> what do you think? tell us on aljazeera.com/americatonight. we'll have more of "america tonight," tomorrow. >> i'm ali velshi, "on target" tonight. in tehran. >> how much could nation possibly trust the ufts,. >> the same wild accusations against united states. >> comprehensive diplomatic resolutions and the most difficult and long lasting national security situations we've faced in a very long time. >> it's early thursday morning in tehran, and optimisti optimis building that a deal could be made less than a week from today. but president obama and ayatollah khamenei have said they are willing to walk away if they don't get the deal they want. during this show i'll give you more of our unprecedented access while i'm here in tehran. and david schuster is in new york. david. >> head of the be international atomic agency, is headed to where you are, to meet with the ayatollah khamenei, is that seemingly a positive sign? >> it is david. both to do with the inspection and the goals of iran's nuclear program. iran has complainted that it is a peace

investing in cuba is a risky business, as mirjana lucic-baroni reports now from the -- lucia newman reports from the town of hershey. >> >> it's still called the hershey train, the town named in 1916 after its founder, the american chocolate magnet. milton hershey, he built a town for his workers, around a giant sugar refinery. the train took the sugar to the nearby ports, to be sent to the u.s. to make the famous chocolate bars. 88-year-old vincent remember that has a child he spoke english. his family came to hershey from jamaica to cut gain, when sugar was king. >> now it's all over. there's no more sugar production. they closed the refinery. when they did that, the town was finished. >> reporter: hershey is a shadow of its former self. the refinery, once the largest, is being dismantled. all that could change with a renewal of diplomatic ties between havana and washington. >> cuba has become a magnet for visiting dignitaries and investors, interested in making all this come back to life. >> in the last month it's been a nonstop pilgrimage for the french president to european and asian f

lucia newman is there she sent us this report. >> people have been lining the streets of quito for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of the pope in his pope mobile. pope is come to three of the most financially endangered countries in latin america. >> translator: pope francis reaches out to people, to those who need him. ecuador needs him. >> reporter: these countries have something else in common. santa time when the catholic church has faced mass corruption ecuador bolivia and paraguay are the countries where the catholics have remained the most faithful and with large indigenous populations. the pope says he wants to recognize them. the theme is reconciliation. which is very timely in ecuador there have been mass demonstrations against government and calling on both sides to call a truce while the pope is here. >> pakistani rangers have voimented aviolated a ceasefire with india. spent time outside their house he as mortar shells were fired from pakistan's borders. last year thousands were killed with border extensions with pakistan. >>> philippines has confirmed its second case of mer

. >> lucia newman, thank you very much indeed. >>> california's agriculture industry has taken a huge financial hit because of the state's ongoing drought. research has shown that lack of water has cost the state $3 billion, much higher than last year's losses. >> our team has been covering the drought ever since the declaration of the state of emergency jerry brown in 2014. and here's the thing. there is a level of drought but the drought this summer is a lot worse than the drought were last year. the university of california-davis put out the report that said economic losses in 2015 are expected to be $2.8 billion. and half a million feel like this one will lie fallow. 20,000 jobs, almost 20,000 jobs will be lost. we spoke with mike wood, one farmer and his family, they own 1900 achers. >> there is a little over 700 acres that is fallowed. what is planted, a lot of research went into things that would not take a lot of water. we've grown garlic for a number of years. on this ranch we would normally at this time of year if we were in full production we would be employing between 25 t

editor lucia newman has this update from ecuador's capital. >> reconciliation is his overriding theme to his first trip to spanish speaking south america. he talked about the family and the need to protect the family to reconcile one self with one's family particularly santa time when the church blees that it is in danger of disintegration. the pope has been far more open minded about divorce and all about human sexuality but does not ambassadors same sex marriage which has been legalized in some areas of north america, particularly united states. the subject is likely the shift to reconciliation between man and his environment. the colombian government says it's ready to consider a ceasefire with farc rebels even before the end of peace talks currently taking place. but farc rebels will have to prove they genuinely want peace. peace process has been taking place in cuba since 2012. >>> politicians in the u.s. state of south carolina will shortly debate whether to remove the confederate flag which is seen by some as a symbol of slavery and racism. last month's shooting at a black chur

here is lucia newman. >> reporter: the heat here was often unbearable, but hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were undeterred as they gathered for pope francis's open air mass. the pope dedicated his first major address to the family which the catholic church considers the pillar of society, but which in pope francis's view is suffering from the ills of modern times. >> translator: the family is the greatest social wealth that no other institution can replace. it needs to be helped and strengthened. >> reporter: the pope has maken a lower liberal stance on divorce and homosexuality. pope francis said he hoped the bishop's meeting scheduled for october would provide concrete solutions to the many challenges facing families in our times. we would like the pope to bless our family and our country that needs more faith, says this man. back in the capitol, thousands are gathering hoping to capture a glimpse of the hope as he head headed towards the presidential palace, where he will probably address climate change and the need for man to reconcile himself with mother earth. ♪ >> reporter: less t