hope francis has arrived in mexico for a five-day tour. the upon tiff was welcomed-- pontiff was welcomed by a huge crowd and will have a mass later on saturday. there are more developments on the situation in syria and we're getting reports that nearly 20 people have been killed by russian air strikes carried out in the town of alkanto. that's in homs province. video shows parents who are weeping over children who have been hit in these attacks as well as others covering the dead. in another part of alganto, a man called for help following the russian air strikes. >> translation: for god sakes, we are being slaughtered, exterminated. we are finished. we no longer have houses. where could we go? tell me. where do we ego? >>> now to libya where an air force jet has been shot down over the eastern city of benghazi. according to the libyan air force chief, the pilot ejected and landed safely, but his whereabouts remain unclear. this is the third libyan shet to be downed in 40 days. -- jet >>> here is something we have been monitoring here thi

a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful >>> donald trump disputes that pope francis could hur his campaign. >> town hall meeting to connect with voters >>> history made with one tweet. president obama confirms he's going to cuba. he hopes the trip will help the island. >>> and app connection with a shooter in the san bernardino attack. >> pope francis stole the spotlight in the american presidential campaign, saying that donald trump'sed in of building a wall on the mexican boarder was not christian. that drew angry response and reactions from others. patricia sabga has more. >> reporter: criticism of the highest order, travelling home where he called for immigrants, pope francis took aim at the presidential hope: over the plan to build a wall to keep illegal immigrants out of the united states. >> this man is not a christian, if that is what he said. not known for turning the other cheek. trump pulled no punches with the pontiff. >> for a religious leader to question a push's faith is disgrace. if and when the vatican is attacked bid i.s.i.s., which everyone knows i

pope francis meets with the head of the russian o orthodox churc. young people in afghanistan, air strikes putting them in hospital. how an old technology is staying relevant in a rapidly changing world. top story this hour, the syrian president bashar al-assad has vowed to defeat the rebels and retake control of the entire country. his comments were made public less than a day from announcing a meeting for syrian ceasefire. >> we have any believed in political negotiations since the beginning of this crisis. however if we negotiate it doesn't mean we stop fighting terrorism. the two are inevitable in syria. first through negotiations and second through fighting terrorism. >> zeina khodr is on the border with syria. >> clearly, the syrian president speaking from a position of strength. last july he was an embattled leader. he made an admission that the army is suffering from a lack of manpower and what he also said was the army is forced to he concentrate on the crucial territories, core territories, damascus, political seat of power and alawite, te

pope francis is on route to mexico city. he rearranged his schedule to come here to cuba. and cuba is neutral ground, if you will. it has nothing to do with the sort of difficult history between the two churches, and president raul castro did play a hand in making this happen. >> so an historic meeting. as you say there are some differences between the churches. there are divisions that remain. what are they? >> well, to go into recent history, the russian orthodox church has concerns that the roman catholic church is impeding on its fiefdom, process loaly advertising in its areas and these divisions still exist. they're not going to be ironed out immediately. but the focus is really on unity and working towards a common goal. the common goal here for both churches is to take a look at what is happening in the middle east as well as afte africa they believe in those two spots christians are at risk of being persecuted. that's why they come together in the spirit of collaboration to help christians in those areas. >> thanks so much. pope francis will continue his tour of la

pope francis prepares to speak in one of mexico city's toughest naindz promising to address corruption and crime. the stand-off between turkey and kurdish fighters is intensifying as the turkish army continues to shell positions occupied by kurdish fighters for the second day running. turkey wants syrian kurdish ypg fighters to withdraw. the ypg who have the support of united states are refusing to give up their gains and say they will push bad any advance from isil. the syrian government has called on the u.n. execute council to intervene and stop turkey's shelling in northern syria a report from the turkey/syria border. >> the battle for syria's northern corridor. opposition groups are holding out the russian government ground forces are a few kilometers away. the kurdish arm group, the ypg is approaching from the east. turkey stepped in. for a second day, it shelled positions of the ypg and its alleys causing casualties. the art i willery bombardment is not just a message to a group turkey calls a tear ri69 organization. it's to force it to retreat from territories close to the bord

pope francis visit to the south mexican state was about the indigenous community. the pontiff used the visit to side with them and denounce hundreds of years of exploitation. on many occasions, the people have been misunderstood and excluded from society. others intoxicated by power, stole lands and contaminated them. few expected the visit alone to change things. paramilitaries had killed 45 people, including six of his family. the propose weren't sis came meant something. >> i feel like this is the reel pope for the marginalized and survivors. particularly because i lost six of my family in the massacre. i'm happy that he came. mexico's government may feel differently. it is famous for an army of farmers who rose up against authorities in 19194 and is still active. >> pope francis prepared for the heartland. including some areas suffering from marginalisation, poverty and corruption, he's taking a different line. francis used the moment. it may slow down the rush of followers to other religions. and even islam. the state has the lowest personnel of catholics. thi

the pontiff told the person who told him, not to be selfish. >> reporter: and pope francis is now on his way to juarez on the border with the united states. for years the city was one of the most dangerous places on earth. as adam raney reports. >> reporter: this is how this father tries to lift the spirit of kids in this poor neighborhood. the daily workouts keep them off of the streets. and while the streets are somewhat safer than a few years ago, they still offer few opportunities. >> translator: these places are full of young people, young people that don't go to school, don't have a job, or work on the border factories for a low wage. i think we have a lot of work to do, neither the church, me includes, nor the government is doing enough for them. >> reporter: there is still much to be done, but for the police the first step was taking back control of the city. in 2010 more than 3,000 people were killed in juarez, last year, just over 300 were killed. the lowest number in a decade. in fact it is now safer than some american cities. the police chief says the key to this happenin

pope francis has been to mexico's poorest city. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: pope francis's visit to the city of chappas was all about the indigenous community. they make up most the population here. he used the visit to side with them and denounce hundreds of years of exploitation. >> translation: on many occasions in a systematic and organized way your people have been misunderstood and excluded from society. some have considered your values, culture and traditions to be inferior, others intoxicated by power, money and market trandz have stolen your lands or contaminated them >> reporter: few expect his visit alone to change things, but for one of the survivors of a massacre in which para military called 45 people, including six of his family, the fact that pope francis has come means something. >> translation: i feel this is the real pope in favor of the indigenous communities, marginalised and survivors. i'm very happy that he came. >> reporter: mexico's government may feel differently. chappas has been a problem for

pope francis met with the head of the russian orthodox church. it is the first time the heads of the two churches have ever made. natasha ghoneim is in havana. >> the two men exchanged hugs and kisses. they called themselves brothers. but in a joint declaration issued after the almost three-hour meeting here in havana, the two leaders focused on the despair in the world. they talked about the need to have a common goal and work towards a solution that would combat the extermination of christians in the middle east and north africa. they sited iraq and syria specifically, and said the international community needed to do it part to bring an end to the quote, violence and terrorism. they said they also believed that the international community needs to give wide-scale humanitarian assistance to refugees. and they promoted this notion of interfaith dialogue. now this entire meeting has been framed as a way to unify the two sides, but critics have said what this really was was a shrewd geopolitical move on the part of russia. it is likely putin signe

pope francis says in 2014 he told him he will go wherever you want. just call me. >> reporter: cuban president castro helped orchestrate the meeting. the leader's schedules kon verged with having official visits in latin america. they spoke for three hours in the international airport in havana. the men emerged saying they're uniting to help fight what they call the ex-termation of christians in the middle east and north africa. they say the international community must help bring an end to the violence and what they called terrorism in iraq and syria and help the refugees. >> translation: we need to defend the right of christians the world over >> reporter: the two sides framed the meeting as a reconciliation, but critics say it was an shrewd move on the part of russia. the meeting comes at a time when russia is facing pressure from the west due to its military action in syria and ukraine. critics say this was an attempt by russia to bolster its profile in the west. the historic meeting raised the profile of cuba. a triumphant president told reporter

pope francis visited mexico, mass for hundreds of thousands of people. he praised the therapy of affection, saying sometimes a caacare caress helps. >>> obama spoke to putin on the phone and urged putin to focus attacks on extremists russia has been accused of attacking moderates who want to topple the syrian regime. >>> president obama will welcome leaders from the association of southeast asian nations, or asean. the agenda will focus on economic issues including the newly signed transpacific partnership. president obama will urge, likely, countries who haven't joined tpp to do so. while the u.s. takes no position on the territorial claim ever south china sea, china's economic influence and military power. some asian nations want the u.s. to remain a strong presence in the nation to counter beijing whiler others have criticized u.s. involvement. al jazeera'sing patricia sabga has the coverage of the summit. >> this is what rebalancing looks like. president obama standing shoulder to shoulder last year with leaders of asean. the association of southeast

. >>> and pope francis making a police statement with a visit to the u.s.-mexican border. ♪ >>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'll del walters. this morning a court order is sparking a fierce debate over privacy, security and government overreach. a judge ordering apple to help the fbi hack a phone used by one of the san bernardino, california shooters, but apple is saying no. >> reporter: in a letter to customers this morning, apple ceo time cook called the government's demands chilling. adding: the court is ordering apple to disable think pass word feature on this woman's iphone. the fbi hasn't been able to get into the phone for more than two months as it investigates the san bernardino shootings. he used the phone as an employee of the health department. disabling it would allow the fbi to try tens of millions of pass chord combinations without losing the information inside. >> our job is to look at a haystack the size of this country for needles that are increasingly invisible to us because of end to end encryption. >> reporter:

. >>> pope francis is back in rome after his historic trip to mexico, taking part in a brief farewell ceremony before boarding his plane last night. it came hours after going to the u.s. mexico border in juarez. heidi zhou castro has more. >> the vatican down played the potential controversy of the pope's visit to the border by saying he cares for the welfare of migrants and refugees from around the world, not just here at the u.s.-mexican border. the pope's message was one of compassion, allowing your fellow man to seek a life of dignity and of peace. >> a historic image with his feet planted in mexico, pope francis issued his blessing across the border, over the u.s. border fence and into the immigrant community on the american side of the rio grande. the plight of the migrant was a centerpiece of the pope's mass. >> in this place, i want to implore divine mercy. i want to give the gift of tears, the gift of conversion. >> juarez is at the center of the human trafficking trade, a midway point for hundreds of thousand was central american migrants on their way to the united states. t

pope francis is more conservative predecessors preferred to visit catholic heartlands, but choosing areas like this which suffers from poverty and corruption, he is taking a different line. he has used this visit to decree that indigenous languages can be used in mass. people sang and parade in prayed in their own languages. the state now has the lowest percentage of catholics in mexico. it has encouraged the faithful and those struggling in this poverty-stricken state >>> it appears some inmates at a mexican prison where a riot claimed at least 49 lives last week were living a somewhat luxurious life. authorities for the first time entered the prison. they found cells that were decked out with big beds, air conditioners, paintings and even an aquarium. >> reporter: authorities have been cleaning out tons of luxury items in a prison of north mexico that was the scene of a riot last thursday. 49 people were killed during a bloody battle. clearly there were a lot of luxury at stake because they have been removing televisions, digital cable, beds that are larger than the standard issue, many

pope francis called into question the fate of republican presidential candidate donald trump. on a flight back to roam from mexico, he said that proposing a wall was not christian. he was asked because he is pope francis did not understand problems at the mexican border, and that preceded lis visit to the border. now we have the race to the white house, trump opponents arrived to responds. patricia sabga reports. >> travelling home from mexico, we call for compassion. pope francis took aim at republican hopeful donald trump, over the candidate's plan to build a wall to keep the legal immigrants out of the united states. the man is not a christian, if that is what he says. >> known for turning the other cheek, trump pulled no punches. for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgrace: i.s.i.s.'s ultimate trophy, i can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed trump was president. with two days before the campaign. trump smack down with the holy seer left some bobbing and weaving. >> i love the pope. i don't think it's the whole quote. >> i'd like

and pope francis is on his way to cuba where he'll be meeting the head of the russian orthodoxsy. the first such meeting in almost a thousand years. ♪ the conference call. the ultimate arena for business. hour after hour of diving deep, touching base, and putting ducks in rows. the only problem with conference calls: eventually they have to end. unless you have the comcast business voice mobile app. it lets you switch seamlessly from your desk phone to your mobile with no interruptions. i've never felt so alive. make your business phone mobile with voice mobility. comcast business. built for business. ♪ >>> the syrian president bashar al-assad has said he will retake its entire country. as world leaders agree to aim of a temporary halt in hostilities in syria within seven days. >>> thousands of egyptian doctors have been protesting in the heart of cairo in the wake of repeated attacks they say against medical staff. >>> there have been violent scenes in athens during an anti austerity protest. >>> an agreement signed a year ago was supposed to end fighting in ukraine. and orph

pope francis and the leader of the russian orthodox church. >>> russian air viekrussian aire resumed in syria. speaking today in an interview with the agents trance press, syrian president bashar al-assad spoke. >> translator: we have fully believed in negotiations and in political action since the beginning of the crisis. however if we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fight are terrorism. the two tracks are inevitable in syria first through negotiations and second through fighting terrorism. and the two tracks are separate from each other. >> and tonight there are many unanswered questions about the new deal that is supposed to put a stop to the fighting in syria. al jazeera's jamie mcintire reports. >> antonio, if you cut through all the diplo speak, the potential for a ceasefire in syria comes down to how the russians define a single word, terrorist. russia continues to pound targets in syria even hours after the diplomatic meeting was announced. air cover for forces loyal to yrntosyrian president bashar al-assad. air strikes will continue but some groups will no longer be

pope francis is on his way to mexico for a week-long tour. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: the sites and sounds of a russian orthodox service. in the great schism of 2054 political and theological differences split christianity in to what are now the eastern orthodox and roman catholic worlds. >> translator: the main topic is going to be defending christians in the middle east who are being destroyed. there have been loud voices, especially from the russians, calling for people to pay attention, unfortunately these voices haven't been heard. >> reporter: for some of russia's faithful, meeting is a welcome, if rather abstract event. >> translator: i think any negotiations are good. maybe they are going to discuss some issues or solve some problems. >> translator: we hope this meet willing be useful for people, for world, for everything. peace is the most important thing. >> reporter: though president putin doesn't among the priests waiving him off on wednesday, the kremlin has presumably given this trip its approval. the two men will s

pope francis met with patriarch karil. the first time the heads of the roman catholic and russian orthodox church have met. natasha guinane has more. >> in a joint declaration issue after the almost three hour meeting here at the international airports in havana, the two leaders focused on the despair in the world, the need to have a common goal and work towards a solution that would combat what they called the extermination of christians in the middle east and north africa. they cited iraq and syria spix anspecifically and said they needed to bring an end to the terrorism. the international community needed to give wide scale humanitarian aid to refugees. both leaders mentioned they had sympathy for other individuals who had been impacted by the region and they promoted the ideal of interfaith dialogue. to unify both sides. critics said what this really was a shrewd geopolitical move on the part of russia. slowsly aligned with vladimir putin, and likely, putin signed off on this meeting. russia is isolated from the west d

. >> pope francis and archbishop of the russian orthodox church. >> the conflict hasn't finished. i personally believe the ukrainian military are needed. >> a year afterward. the minsk ceasefire. >> and the riots in athens by bailout lenders. good evening i'm antonio mora. this is al jazeera america cps international new'snews hour. tonight, we begin with bashar al-assad says he supports the effort to bring about a ceasefire in his country but he vows to retake all of his country no matter how hard it takes. >>> russia's prime minister offered some advice. dimitri medvedev warned about sending forces into syria, doing so i.t. could spark another world war. for now it's mainly syria's war backed up by grim numbers, more than 11% of the pre-war population has either been killed or wounded in the past five years. assad says the fighting could continue for a long time. >> translator: we have fully believed in negotiations, and in political action, since the beginning of this crisis. however, if we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism. the two traction are inevit

with hugs and kisses hope francis and russian patriarch began to heal all almost 100-year-old wound in the christian faith. >> translator: we spoke as brothers and we agree that peace is made by working together. >> reporter: the patriarchs and the pope's plane side by side here on the runway in havana provided another symbolic image to this historic day. the meeting was years in the making dating back to the 1990s and pope francis says in 2014 that i will go wherever you want, just call me. cuban president castro helped orchestrate the meeting and the leaders' scheduled conversed both having official visits in latin america and spoke in a meeting room at the airport in havana and the men emerged said they are united to help with the extermination of christians and say the international community must bring an end to the violence and what they called terrorism in iraq and syria and help the refugees. >> translator: the right of christians the world over. >> reporter: the two sides framed the meeting as a reconciliation but critics say it was an shrewd gee yo political move on the part

you see pope francis while the president addressing the audience. the president you see enrique peÑa nieto and take a look at the crowds outside. thousands were aligning the streets of mexico city. none of the pope's predecessors were invited to the palace. even the heads of state are greeted there. the pope will highlight the country's difficulties we'll keep an ear and eye on what the pope is saying inside the palace. as we bring in our correspondent adam raney, who is standing under the blue mexican skies. the pope will bring up migrant and drug problems as well, but it's more than just the speaking to the country with the second highest number of roman catholics in the world. >> indeed. focusing on the way that francis--he's sitting there politely and listening to president enrique peÑa nieto speaking, but he'll be mentioning all these problems, corruptions, thousands of people disappear in this prime minister. president enrique peÑa nieto is a savvy politician to embrace pope francis. he's an extremely popular pope, the first pope from the s

. >>> now, pope francis has visited a children's hospital in mexico city. he was accompanied by mexico's first lady angela rivera. earlier the pope held mass in front of millions of people in a notoriously violent and poor suburb of the capital. pope francis is now visiting the poorest state, the indigenous population has been marginalized there for years and has the lowest percentage of catholics in the country. >> the father looks more like a freedom fighter than a catholic priest. he is one of the movement of the clergy who say their place is outside of the church with the forgotten and desperate. >> now pope francis is visiting chappas paying attention to its three-quarters mostly indigenous population who live in poverty, and to priests like marcello rebelling against the conservative catholic hierarchy and local politician who is act more like feudal lords. >> corruption creates poverty and violence. because i expose it, they want to kill me. they put a price on my life. now it's 100 million pesos. >> he does not leave the church now without his bodyg

. >>> there have been mixed reactions to pope francis's statement on contraception. the pontiff said women could use contraception if they are concerned about the zika virus. reporting from guatemala. >> you'll find a catholic church in the center with millions of devout followers catholicism has shaped this conservative central american country. but if you thought that pope francis's suggestion that creptiocontraception might be cd during the zika crisis would upset catholics you might be wrong. >> i was surprised the pope said this but it's a big victory because he governs church. it is a big chai change and it l affect whole region. >> the children who suffer because of this illness and so women could take more care. >> far trlt vatican little appears to have changed. father eric monzon assures us that pope francis does not support contraceptives but using contraception could be better than abortion. >> we are not in favor of abortions or contraception. the church is always against them and the pope also knows this. >> reporter: inside this public health clinic wo

. >> pope francis urged followers in mexico to transform their country into a land of opportunity. a suburb in mexico city plagued with violence and drugs. they were arriving the to stay and help out. adam raney met some of those that attended. >> hundreds of thousands came to celebrate mass with pope francis on sunday in the community. many sleeping here, camping out. they didn't care because che shared the message of peace and love. when they responsible, creating opportunity. people don't need to immigrate to other countries, they don't have to fear being exploited or destroyed by words. his, of course, in reference to drug gangs, violent cartels and this resonates to the people we have been speaking to that came from some of these communities. >> translation: i hope god will guide any government which is corrupt and violence. >> translation: neighbours, friends and relatives. violence effects us all. we expect them to bring hope. >> by celebrating here, this community on age. the pope is standing about these people. to spread the message to the south of mexico to the north wher

pope francis has visited a children's hospital in mexico. he met the young patients. earlier on sunday pope francis held mass in front of millions of people in a notoriously violent and poor suburb of the capital. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of people came out to celebrate mass on sunday in this area, many sleeping and camping out and they didn't care because they wanted to share his message of peace of love. a mexico that they don't have to worry about death. this really resonates with the people we have been speaking to who comes from some of these violent communities. >> translation: i hope the pope through god's word can guide the government, especially in my home state, which is totally corrupt and violent. >> translation: whether we're neighbors, friends or relatives, violence affects us all. we are expecting the pope to bring hope to all mexicans with his message. >> reporter: a mass here, this violent area, he is standing in sold arlt with them because he shows that he understands the problems they're going through. he said he will spread this message a

. >> hundreds of thousands gather to see pope francis on the mexican side of the border but u.s. worshipers are kept away. >> good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america's international news hour. we begin tonight in ankara, the turkish capital was the scene of another deadly bombing on wednesday, at least 28 people are confirmed dead, 61 others were wounded. investigators say a car packed with explosives blew up next to a group of military buses. turkey's leaders have promised a forceful response. president recep tayyip erdogan said his country was more than ever entitled to use its self defense. a mini summit was cancelled. al jazeera's sonia gallego has more. >> the capital of turkey rocked by another explosion. the governor of ankara says this was caused buy car bomb to target a convoy of service vehicles, and the country's military headquarters. security officials say initial signs indicate that the kurdistan workers party the pkk may be behind the attack. >> translator: the purpose of this attack is to intimidate our country and to inflict fear in our citizen

lady, earlier pope francis held mass in front of millions of people in a violent and poor suburb of the capitol and al jazeera's adam rainy was there. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of people came out to celebrate mass with pope francis here on sunday in this community on the edge of mexico city, many sleeping here, camping out in freezing temperatures and said they didn't care because they wanted to share with him the message of peace and love. when he spoke during mass he spoke of trading a mexico of tune about a mexico they do not need to fear being exploded and a mexico where they do not have to fear being destroyed by dealers of death and the words his of course in reference to drug gangs and r cartels and resonates with the people we have been speaking to who come from some violent places. >> translator: i hope the words can guide the mexican government and the home state of vera cruz that is corrupt and violent. >> translator: whether we are neighbors, friends or relatives it affects us all and hope he brings peace to all mexicans with the message. >> reporter: the violen

pope francis will hold talks during the whistle stop tour to the country. he'll then head to mexico on friday. natasha ghoneim is in cuba's capitol. natasha why is this happening now and why in cuba? >> reporter: i'll explain in just a second, felicity. we haven't seen them together just yet, but take a look behind me, and the symbolism of the two planes side by side is a pretty powerful image. you talked about the fact that this has been an almost 1,000-year-old rift. it created an east-west christian europe, if you will. this meeting orchestrated by president castro, was always years in the making. preparations were underway since the '90s. plans dissipated over existing grievances, but when pope francis began his papalsy he made it clear that meeting the patriarch was a priority. what has happened is cuba became a neutral and a convenient country. the patriarch was already going to be here for an firm visit to latin america. pope francis was en route to mexico, and he rearranged his schedule so he could be here in havana to meet with the patriarch. both

of the majority indigenous population and we report from san cristobol. >> reporter: pope francis to the visit was about the indigenous community and makeup most of the population in mexico's poorest state and the pontiff used the visit to side with them and denounce hundreds of years of exploitation. >> translator: on many occasions in a systematic and organized way your people have been misunderstood and excluded from society. some have considered your values, culture and traditions to be inferior, others intoxicated by power, money and market trends have stolen your lands or contaminated then. >> few expect his visit alone to change things but for mendez a survivor of a massacre where they killed 45 people including six of his family the fact pope francis has come means something. >> translator: i feel like this is the real pope in favor of the indigenous communities, the marginilized because i lost six of my family in the massacre. i'm very happy he came. >> reporter: mexico's government may feel differently and has long before a problem area for them especially famous for an arm

francis has used his visit to decree that indigenous languages can now be used in mass. it may help slow down the rush of followers here to other religions. the state now has the lowest percentage of catholics in mexico. this brief visit has at least encouraged the faithful, and those struggling in this poverty-stricken state. >>> sports news coming up on the news hour. we'll hear about the former top player who is looking in top form at the dubai tennis championships. details in a moment. ♪ >>> fighting has left afghanistan littered with decaying relics of war. now one artist are turning those machines of death into her canvas. >>> in afghanistan's former battlefields, now graveyards for tanks, rusted carcasses of war machines are getting flowery makeovers. she is the makeover artist. the 28-year-old iranian came to afghanistan on a visit last year, liked the people, and decided to stay. when you told your family, i'm going to afghanistan, what did they say? >> you are crazy. >> reporter: when starting an art magazine didn't pan out, she started her campaign. >> i enj

pope francis continues his first visit to mexico. he called on the country's government to do more in relation to the country's poverty. the brazil's army is deployed in relation to handing out leaflets in relation to the zika virus. a >>> pope francis is delivering a mass in mexico city this evening. during his week long visit he plans to address immigration as well as the country's drug problems. our correspondent joins us live from mexico city. pope francis seems to be calling on church and political leaders in mexico for the corruption and violence in the country. how does this go down? >> reporter: me is, but as you mentioned he is ending the day, this mass that he led at our lady of in the area. he has been criticizing the political and religious and church elite here in mexico on saturday. he held a talk with bishops at the largest cathedrals. get out there and help the flock to live a more peaceful life in this country where corruption and violence is so common. he had hash worpdz for the leaders of the country himself. this

. >>> pope francis has begun a five-day visit to mexico. he was welcomed by huge crowds in the capital. mexico is the second largest catholic population after brazil. we're looking at live pictures where he's surrounded by lots of security. he has a heaviy schedule in a few hours. before arriving in mexico, pope francis and the patriarch of the russian orthodox church met for the first time. the historic meeting took place in cuba. it's been described as a way to heal the divide that split christianity in europe many thousands of years ago. we. >> they said their meeting was an expression to the world of their hope. with hugs and kisses pope francis and russian orthodox patriarch began to heal a 1,000-year-old wound in the christian faith. >> we spoke as brothers. we agree that peace is made by working together. >> the patriarch and the pope side by side here in the runway provided another simila symboling image to this historic day. pope francis said in 2014 he told the favorite arch i'll go wherever you want. just call me. >> cuban presid

. >>> and pope francis makes ocontroversial visit to mexico's indigenous community to bring attention to their plans. h >> haitian lawmakers have elected joselerme privert. as interim president. teresa vo reports from port-au-prince. >> it's been weeks of tension and protest in haiti but many hope that joselerme privert is the man that will take the country owl of the current political crisis. >> translator: these are extraordinary circumstances. we need to learn from this. the political crisis shows us the necessity to take advantage of this moment and we can show the world that we can do it. >> reporter: he's a man close to former president rey anyway are preval and close to jean bertrand ayer aristide. >> can make something into change the situation, the people live if now. >> privert was officially sworn in on sunday at haiti's national palace where he vowed to reinforce democracy in the westerwestern hemisphere's poort country. president privert is supposed to stay in office for 120 days, and in that time, he needs to guide the people to free and fair democracy. in fact many peop

pope francis has spoken out for migrants and suggested donald trump is not a christian. he criticized the republican presidential hopeful over his immigration policy. donald trump called the comments disgraceful. >> reporter: it is the latest twist in an election also stirred by donald trump's controversial rhetoric. pope francis had this to say about the wall to be build as proposed by donald trump. >> translation: a person who thinks only about building walls wherever they may be and not building bridges is not christian. >> reporter: donald trump seemed undaunted by the dressing down from the leader of catholics around the world >> the pope said something to the effect that maybe donald trump isn't christian. okay. he is questioning my faith. i was supplied to see it and i am a christian and i'm proud of it. >> reporter: he fired back as only donald trump can >> a religious leader to questions a person's faith is disgraceful >> reporter: it is a confrontation unlike any other in american political history. >> it pins the needle on unusual. it is as unusual as it gets

pope francis urges mexican leaders to provide justice to the victims of drugio

pope francis finished his visit to mexico with a mass just metres away from the u.s. he has long been a supporter of migrants and admonished rich countries to do more. >> translation: the human tragedy that has forced migration is a global phenomenon today. this crisis which could be measured in numbers and statistics, we want instead to measure with names, stories and families. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands attended the ceremony. thousands watched on cctv over the border. this was one the most violent city in mexico. people were touched by his visit here. >> translation: we're hurting as a city with so much violence, so much fallout from the violence, so many children and youth, so many who have lost their way and many families that fled. we're still here giving it our all. >> translation: we're hoping for peace to arrive because of all the violence we've had. we ask him to bless our city and the whole world, but especially here so there won't be so much violence. >> reporter: earlier in the day pope francis visited the prison that was once run by drug gangs and

. >>> there have been mixed reactions to pope francis's latest comments on birth control. on wednesday, he implied catholic women might use contraception in areas affected by the zika virus. the catholic church's official stanchion is birth control is unacceptable. the pope suggested there could be senses. david mercer reports from guatemala. >> in the center of antigua, like every city in town in guatemala, you will find a catholic church with millions of devout followers, catholicism has shaped this country but if you thought pope francis's suggestion that contraception might be condoned during the zika crisis would upset catholics, you will be wrong. >> i was surprised the pope said this, but i think it's a big victory because he governs the church. it's a big change. it will have an impact on the whole region. >> i think this method he talks about is good. it's the children who suffer because of this illness. this way, women can take more care. >> reporter: while it may appear the pope's stanchion on birth control might be softening, far from the vatican, little appear

but if you thought that pope poe francis's suggestion that contraception might be condoned during the zika virus outbreak, you might be wrong. >> translator: i was surprised the pope said this but i think it's a big victory because he governs the church. it is a big change and it will have an impact on the whole region. >> i think this method he talked about is good. it's the children that suffer because of there illness so this way women will take more care. >> but while it appear the pope's stance on birth control may be oftenning aside from the vanity can, little appears to have chain. father monzo nfenzon suggested t pope francis never changes his position on contraception but it may be an easier situation than abortion. >> translator: we are not in favor of abortion or contraception, the church is against this and the pope also knows this. >> reporter: inside this public health clirch clinic, haf guatemalaguatemalans. >> it's better to use contraception. >> an exception to the church's contraception ban due to the zika crisis could have enormous impact. for some of the church's f

pope francis has landed in mexico. he was welcomed by a huge groud. the country has the second largest catholic population after brazil. our correspondent has more now from mexico city. >> reporter: thousands have come out here to watch the pope pass through the city after he landed here. he is coming for those talks-- came from those talks in cuba. his official functions begin on saturday. he will give the key to the city of mexico city. he will hold talks in the heart of the capital. after that it is on to more controversial aspects of his trip. he will be holding a mass on sunday in a violent suburb on the edge of the city. that decision to hold the mass there and to travel to other parts of the country wracked by violence is hoping to show solidarity to those people who are threatened by organized criminal groups who sometimes rule large parts of the country without fear of retribution. after that mass on sunday he will travel to other parts including the southern state where he will meet with indigenous leaders. for a long time the catholic churc

the muslim enclave, many of them say that the situation has begun to improve after the visit of pope francis in november, however, the peace feels somewhat tentative. there is cautious optimism. many say it is not so much what happens today but what happens in the coming days and weeks as to whether the population should accept the voting results and whether the new president that legitimacy in the eyes of the people. >> in terms of what we've seen happen, developments over the past 12 hours, 14 hours or so, does it look likely that any

. >>> poach francis is visiting the heart of mexico's drug country today. these are pictures of him live. the pope will meet with young people he says are the key to a better future. another focus of his trip has been making amends with mexico's indigenous people. >> pope francis' visit was all about the indigenous community. they make up most of population in mexico's poorest state. the people have been misunderstood and excluded from society. some of considered your values, cultures and traditions to be inferior. money and market trends have stolen your lands or contaminated them. >> few expect his visit alone to change things, but for manuel mendez, one of the survivors of a massacre in which paramilitary killed many people, including six of his family, the fact that the pope has come means something. >> i feel this is the real pope in favor of the indigenous communities, the marginalized and survivors. i lost six of my family in the massacre. i'm very happy that he came. >> mexico's government may feel differently. chapas is famous for an army of farmer

antonio. >>> poacpope francis played andd mass in el punto. the focus of his homily. >> a step, a a path loaded with victims of violence, many of our brothers and sisters are the products of human trafficking. >> tens of thousands gathered oon both sides of the border to hear francis say mass. i'm antonio mora, thanks for joining us, for the latest news any time head over to aljazeera.com. ray suarez is up next with "inside story." have a great night. night. >> have you heard? there's a vacancy on the united states supreme court. the top court of appeals in the country. the constitution of the united states lays out the rules for filling that vacancy, but one of the power centers involved in that task has already declared, basically, we don't want to. make no mistake. it's a high wire act for everybody involved. the president who wants to shape the court, a senate determined to avoid just that, and it's filled with constitutional and political risk. rolling the dice, it's the "inside story".

well, a war of words erupted between donald trump and pope francis. last week the pope does not understand immigration issues along the mexican border and on a flight back from mexico pope francis was asked about trump's immigration plan. >> translation: a person that thinks only about building walls wherever they may be is not christian. it's not in the goss >>> trump spoke about this in south carolina. >> if and when the vatican is attacked by i.s.i.s., everyone knows i.s.i.s.'s ultimate trophy. i promise you that the pope would have wished and prayed that donald trump would have been president. >> donald trump said a religious leader questioning faith is disgraceful. moneying alistair is a political analyst. he joins us from pittsburgh. good to have you with us. what do you make. back and fourth between donald trump and the pope? >> nothing surprises me with donald trump, he's been doing different things that should have knocked them down. aside from coming in second place in iowa, he has been invincible with his base. he can say and do what he wan

turning your attention to mexico where the pope francis has been celebrating mass. he is on a five-day trip to mexico, home to the second largest roman catholic community. >> translation: god awoke and awoke the hope of the lowly of those who suffer of the displaced and discarded and all those that feel that they do not have a dignified place in these lands. in the storm god comes closer and closer to the suffering but strong hearts of so many mothers, fathers, grandparents that have seen their children lost or strachd criminally-- snatched criminally >>> he will hold a mass in what is the largest municipality in mexico and one of the violent areas. >> reporter: this poor suburb on the edge of mexico city. it represents the problems and promise of mexico, and, perhaps, that's why pop francis is coming here to say mass. hundreds of thousands of people commutes to the capital to work every day. they work hard and scrimp to save. they're often held back. this man moved here from mexico city 25 yeahs old. land was chief and heap wanted to be his own boss. he succeeded,

al jazeera. >> there's more to come on al jazeera, including pope francis speaking in one of mexico's toughest neighborhoods, promising to address corruption and crime. >>> the stars come out in london at britons press film awards, the baftas. teachers loved him. >> we were walking the river looking for him. i knew something was really really wrong. >> all hell broke lose. >> people were saying that we were terrorists. >> how are you providing a cover for your brother to do this? >> we saw the evil side of the social media take off. >>> turkey has shelled kurdish fighter for a second day. the kurdish government wants fighters to withdraw from areas near syria's border with turkey. >>> central said african republic are choosing between two prime ministers after two years of fighting between christian and muslim communities. >>> hundreds of palestinians have traveled to the gaza border with egypt, which has opened for the first time this year for just three days. >>> in other stories we're following, iraqi armed groups are involved in renewed fighting outside tikrit. ten months ago, ira

at one point pope francis fell all the way down. when he got up he said in spanish, don't be selfish. this was the flash of any natural human emotion. it showed mexicans that they already knew, this pope is an emotional one who sometimes has passion about charity, and about mercy, but also expresses passions and fear and concern of his own well-being. it's a side of his humanity as he nearly fell down. >> thank you. >> now, apple says it will fight a court order to help the u.s. government crack the encrypted iphone of one of the san bernardino attackers. they shot and killed 14 people last year. he said that the breaking into this iphone would threaten the security of all of its users. here is tom ackerman. >> the legal fight of apple and the u.s. justice department came to a head at a second attack when two open fired at a christmas office party in san bernardino, california. he left behind a facebook entry pledging loyalty to isil. fbi investigators try to obtain evidence from the iphone farouk used for help and asked apple for h

pope francis meets with the head of the russian o orthodox churc. young people in afghanistan, air strikes putting them in hospital. how an old technology is staying relevant in a rapidly changing world. top story this hour, the syrian president bashar al-assad has vowed to defeat the rebels and retake control of the entire country. his comments were made public less than a day from announcing a meeting for syrian ceasefire. >> we have any believed in political negotiations since the beginning of this crisis. however if we negotiate it doesn't mean we stop fighting terrorism. the two are inevitable in syria.