President ial election. Im in havana hours ahead have president obamas historic visit to this communist island. Mercedes driver wins the australian grand prix and Fernando Alonzo walks away after this huge crash at the Season Opener in melbourne. Turkey says the bomber responsible for saturday attack in istanbul was a member of isil. Five others were killed, many others wounded after a suicide bomber. This is the heart of istanbuls commercial lifeline, a place where locals and tourists hang out. After a suicide bombing saturday, the avenue is overshadowed by fear. People here hold a vigil for the victims. We came right after the incident and left red carnations to share our pain. Security footage captured the blast around noon. Hundreds of people ran for cover when a loud explosion was heard. A day later, the Security Forces are still searching for clues. The Forensic Police are still collect are evidence from the explosion silent here behind me, and also there are some signs and banner to say reflect a sign of defiance, one saying we stand united, others saying we wont give in to terrorism, but the general sense among people here is one of concern. This woman said anyone could be a suspect. Istanbul has millions living here and many visit from abroad. Now anything can help and everyone can be a suspect. Media reports say d. N. A. Tests are being done to investigate a possible suspect linked to isil. Terror once again showed its ugly and heinous face targeting civilians. We should act together in hour fight against terrorism. There have been a string of attacks in turkey over the past months. Last week, a blast in the capitol ankara killed 37 people. Kurdish separatists linked to the armed group p. K. K. Claimed responsibility. The government insists the country is safe. It will have to convince not only its citizens, but the millions of tourists who contribute to its economy. Al jazeera, istanbul. Lets get a view on all of this from the editor in chief of away english newspaper in turke. This is the fifth attack in a month. Something is wrong, isnt it with the Turkish Security apparatus if it cant prevent this kind of thing. First of all, the response of any terrorist attack is terror itself. You should first blame the chief of the attack. Turkey has been subject to a lot of terrorist attacks, lost hundreds of lives and many wounded. We can see that two organizations held responsible from those attacks. I mean, one is the eastern state of iraq and levant and p. K. K. The way that the attacks are carried out are the same. Thats suicide bombers. As the interior minister explained, the suicide bomber killed many around. Security apparatus has been under criticism by parties and some press, as well. The government keeps saying that there cannot be 100 security proper in the world, so thats very different. Turkish authorities are attributing this latest attack to isil. Could turkey be witnesses some form of blowback here from a policy that turkey issued whereby it perhaps tolerated isil in indy the early days. It didnt target, didnt secure its border or target them, because they saw the group at the time as a counter to their bigger enemy, the Syrian Kurdish y. P. K. Which her linking total p. K. K. It could be perhaps said that turkey could not understand in time, timely understanding of what isil is like. Many our countries in the world, qatar, United States, russia, it was too late, but qatar and United States and russia are not nail i was of syria. We have 910kilometer of border with syria and lots of interactions along that border. There was certainly something wrong. Greece has begun sending back to turkey. That was supposed to have stopped. The crisis is far from over. The latest arrivals are refugees from syria, many from the war tone city of aleppo. They are still making the dangerous journey across the aegean sea to reach the greek islands. The European Union hoped that a recent agreement with turkey would discourage asylum seekers, but people who managed to reach europe are hopeful they wont be turned back. The situation in turkey is bad for us. These people want to make their way to mainland europe. Others want to be reunited with family members who made the journey before them. The situation is very bad in aleppo. We endured four years of war and bombardment and attacks. I dont want to be sent back. My father and sister are in germany and i miss them. Tighter restrictions and closure of the balkan route means these people will be stuck here. Greece is no longer a Transit Company and there are new rules in place. According to the new agreement, these new arrivals will be given the chance to apply for asylum, but there are no guarantees it will be accepted. Human Rights Groups criticized the deal that would involve the e. U. Resettling refugees from turkey. They fear the majority of those who do arrive in europe qualify as refugees and require protection. Its 10 or 11 kilometers from greece to turkey. This port now they told me six hours inside the water, we lost, ok, and the smuggler go back to turkey, so i dont think they will be agree to go back to turkey. Little child and her brother know that they managed to escape war and are hopeful that their lives will become better. She tells us she was scared crossing the sea. She also knows why her family had to do it. The situation in aleppos very bad because of the bombardment, she says. The agreement to send back new arrivals on the side has entered into force on sunday. The e. U. Promised greece assistance to deal with all the asylum cases, but that may not be the hard part. These people wont accept any move to take a step back. Syrian refugees in at your keep at the moment, we hear about europes refugee crisis, but its dwarfed by turkeys refugee crisis, isnt it . How do turks people about the number of syrians to are in their country at the moment . Very frustrated. How do they people about the e. U. Deal . First of all, were going to see how society will react to that, to the deal, but rewarding the refugees, turkish people very functionsfully separated the political side of the story from the refugee side. I can give my example. My grandfathers on both side are born in territories which are not turkey now but was turkey then. You never turn back anyone coming to your doorstep for his or her life. Syrians are welcome in turkey. You dont turn back, they are welcomed for life. Thats a rule. That is separated from the political side of the story. Some of Syrian People who are in turkey now, some 3 million, its like that they might integrate with turkish society, as well. Some of them especially in the last year when Bashar Al Assad started to hit big cities, upper and middle class people started to flee with money, with contacts and with perspective to go to europe. They actually forced this situation. I mean, we didnt have that much of a flow to European Union before the last year, actually, but speaking of that, sorry, you were going to ask me a question. If syrians are so welcome in turkey or welcome i didnt say we dont have problems. Why do so many of them want to get to western europe. So many of them, meaning 1 million for the last two years, 1 million to European Union of 480 million population. We are 87, sorry, 78 million and 3 million syrians are inside us, most of the syrians are here, still. They are going to stay here. Some of them are in the camps, some of their living as part of turkish life. Last week, there were 600 new business set up by that syrians only in that town last year. It is a problem. There are problems. Its not without problems, but that doesnt mean that we want to kick them out. All right . So this agreement, with European Union, i think its importance is both humanitarian and political. After of the geneva agreements for russia for the cease of hostilities, this is the shaping future of syria. We have roadmap or if not roadmap, framework for if and when civil war is over in syria, its not very clear, but almost clear where will the syrians go. Many thanks indeed, its good to get your perspective. 14 people, most students have been killed in a bus crash in spain. The bus was carrying local and foreign students on its way to bars loan i cant. It overturned on an eastern highway. Many students object board were part of an Exchange Program between the european universities. Relatives, friends and the public have been paying respects to victims of saturdays plane crash in southern russia. More and more people have been laying flowers outside the terminal in attribute to the 62 passengers and crew. En route from dubai, it came down short of the runway in bad weather. The black boxes are in moscow for further examination. Just under six hours, barack obama will become the first sitting u. S. President to set foot on cuban soil in nearly 90 years. Lets get straight to our latin editor following preparations in havana. Today, president obama arrives. What can we expect in the coming days . What will he be doing . Hello, adrien. Clearly this is a tremendously important visit, politically and symbolically potent. President obama will be arriving here, the first thing he will do will be to visit the new u embassy, the old intersection use that behind me. He will tour old half in a briefly and tomorrow meet with president castro and attended a state dinner. Clearly the most important part of this visit which all of the country is waiting for will be the speech i will give at the Grand Theater of havana, addressing all of the cuban people live on television and radio. There of course he will be speaking to people, he says and touch on some of the torier issue that have been dividing these former cold war enemies for decades. He is expected to touch on the issue of home rights and then even meet with cuban dissidents right after that meeting. That has been a bone of contention here in the planning process, but the cuban president has agreed to accept all this and as i say, the cuban people are waiting anxiously to hear what president obama will say, whether he will make new announcements about the easing of the u. S. Embargo or other restrictions against this Community Island before leaving. He will be finish off with a baseball match between the u. S. Team and Cuban National team. Presumably, president obama will throw the first ball. En that thanks, live from havana. Were going to talk to a guest about what more we can expect from this visit in a moment. First take a look at these picture, fidel castro, releases between the u. S. And cuba frozen for 50 years, and lucia mentioned the hopes of the cuban people about what president obama might be able to say about the lifting of the embargo. Lets bring in jennifer mccoy. Its not the president that controls the levers that operate this embargo, is it . Theres not a lot he can do, or is there . Thats exactly right, the u. S. Congress controls the trade embargo against cuba and must decide to lift it. President obama has done a lot. Hes done pretty much what he could do with executive regulations in opening up travel and new airlines going cable communications, telephones, et cetera, but the actual embargo itself, the rest of it really dependency on the u. S. Congress. What kind of press is this visit getting in the United States . How do americans feel about their president going to cuba . Well, theres overwhelming support for opening relations with cuba, and for the diplomatic relations that were restored last summer and for increasing travel, and lifting the embargo. Public opinion is definitely in favor of that, as is much of the private sector. In fact, partly of the Republican Party itself. I think this visit is viewed as highly symbolic. Obama wants to leave a legacy, but wants to try to make the things that he has changed stick in u. S. Policy even under the next president by having enough citizen, american support. I they he wants to help encourage the cubans to make it stick, this opening, as well, because they have a lot of uncertainty to face and they want it to be a gradual change in their country. From the cuban side, will the cuban government try to manage the p. R. On this visit . Well, they definitely have, but as weve heard, they are permitting president obama to meet with the dissidents. This happened, former president jimmy carter was actually the first president to visit cuba since the revolution but as a former president in 2002, and he made a similar effort, gave a live speech, met with dissidents and human rights and that garnered a lot of attention in cuba and around the world. This one by president obama as sitting president , will garner very much attention within cuba and to the cuban government, is, yes. I was just going to ask you what easiest on the agenda . Im sorry to have interrupted you, we talked about the trade embargo and travel restrictions, which Many Americans are keen to see lifted. What else can we expect the two leaders to discuss . Well, i think they will discuss guantanamo, which is something that is not yet resolved, what will happen with the naval base in guantanamo bay. Property disputes, property confiscated back in the beginning of the revolution is a continued thorny issue, but they will discuss human rights. They will discuss continuing to open telecommunications, internet opportunities, and theyve already made progress on a number of things like counter terrorism, cooperation, environmental cooperation with potential oil spills, you know, in the waters between our two countries, so there are a number of issues that they may continue to discuss and have already made a great deal of progress on. Jen i have mccoy from the Global Studies Institute at george state university. Still to come on the program, elections in niger go ahead despite an opposition boycott. A gold star or black mark, senegal in a constitutional referendum. South africas cricketers celebrate a victory. Details coming up with jo. People in the republican of congress are voting under a nationwide communication blackout. The 48 hour shut down includes the Telephone Network and the internet. Its also prevented voters from using their cars, telling them to walk to tolling stations instead. Thankfully, we can still communicate with our correspondent who joins us now live. We have this complete Communications Blackout, radio, television, mobile phones and internet, which is extraordinary. Why have they gone to such extreme measures . The government said its for security reasons. They say in the past, some activist opposition members had been sending out preliminary results on their phones, so trying to avoid other people getting too excited or angry and taking tole streets. Opposition fear the government is trying to manipulate the selection, trying to control things a built too much and they fear there would be some voter fraud. People on the ground, you can see are really frustrated that they cant use tests. Just a simple telephone call to find out how your colleague is doing in another city, you cant do that. People are really limited on information that is coming in and it is frustrating. What is the turnout been like so far . It depends where you can,en opposition strongholds, people thought there were boy cots, but we saw fairly long lines in opposition strongholds. They want to come out and vote because they want change. They want to try to push this election into a second round. If that happens, Opposition Leaders will try to unit around one candidate. The polls will close in just under two hours time, counting will then start and Officials Say it could take a few days to see what the results will be. The opposition says if the president wins, they will reject that result. In niger, election are going ahead despite an opposition boycott. They say the pros has been tainted by fraud. We have this report. Decertified the controversy, people in niger have been voting in the president ial runoff. The president is the front runner. He got 48 of the votes in the first round last month and he is expected to win a attacked term. Five years, a single term is not enough to overcome challenges, in particular the security challenges. The opposition is boycotting the vote. We asked our militants and democratic to say stand down and not vote. The government is accused of repression in electoral fraud. The first rammed of elections held on february 21 were characterized by irregularities and massive fraud on a scale weve never seen before. Former House Speaker and Opposition Leader came in second in the first round of votes but has been in prison since the november over accusations of child trafficking, which he denies. With his health deteriorating, hes been taken to paris for treatment. The coalition of opposition parties, copa, wants his immediate release. Supporters of the ruling party say its a reaction to not getting enough votes. Boycotting at this stage is not just defiable. The opposition has participated in a manner that shows we have a free and fair election. Now theyre leaving only after they realize that theyre going to lose. The opinion on the streets of the capital is reportedly split on the controversial runoff. What everybody agrees on is the need for political stability. Al jazeera. South africas ruling party has been meeting today, saying that the future of president zuma is not officially on the agenda. The gathering is overshadowed by even more allegations of a scandal involving south africas leader. His opponents are calling on him to go. It very much revolves party issues, but also, theres been a push forward, some focus on the scandal that youve mentioned, which resolves around the president and his relationship with a fromment immigrant indian family in africa. This goes back to december last year, when the president fired the finance minister at the time with what appears to be very little reason. There was speculation around why he had done that and if it had anything to do with his close relationship with the gupta family. In the last few days, the deputy finance minister confirmed that he was approached by this family just b