>> hello and welcome to the news hour. syrian refugees are the latest victims as another boat capsizes in the mediterranean, killing at least 34 people. a powerful cyclone bears down on india as hundreds of thousands of people flee their homes. delicate diplomacy after an

afghan custody. and helping people of guatemala reconnect with their ancient past. >> welcome to the show. rescuers are searching for survivers after another boat carrying migrants capsized in the mediterranean. at least 37 people died and 143 people have been rescued. most fleeing the war in syria. the latest incident happened off the italian island of lamedusa. >> reporter: the victims included women and children, and it's becoming a depressing ritual. this latest incident claimed 34 lives but over 200 were rescued. teams were quickly on the scene.

on this occasion there were life rafts. it is barely a week since the last migrant boat tragedy. that was the worst yet, claiming 330 lives. on friday this child was rescued along with his father and mother, they're thought to be syrian. the child's three-year-old brother didn't make it. >> when we knew about this we knew that a helicopter with ten injured people was on the way. we're all here ready to take action. >> reporter: there seems no end to the problem despite the danger people are desperate to reach european shores. on saturday morning a maltese naval vessel arrived with dozens of survivors on board, many children. all of them shocked, cold, but alive. the maltese prime minister appealed for e.u. help saying the mediterranean was becoming a seminarcemetery.

>> we feel totally abandoned. there is no minuting with words. we feel abandoned. we're not our own front. we are europe's front. these desperate people are looking for a future in europe, and in europe our colleagues cannot turn a blind faith towards this. >> reporter: many of my grants are thought to be syrian and palestinian, and some of them join the hundreds who have paid the ultimate chanc price for a e for a better life. >> india is preparing for the strongest cyclone in decades. it's expected to hit the coast in a matter of hours. cyclone phailin carrying winds

ohighwinds, and phailin will hit south, and 300,000 people have been evacuated and flights across the region have now about canceled. we have the latest from new delhi. >> reporter: storms this big are rare. cyclone phailin with winds speeds almost as fast as a formula one racing car and is heading straight for india's coast. >> damage will be very serious, especially inhabitants >> reporter: even before it

makes landfall, phailen has caused flooding and cutting of electricity. >> here there are damaging electric wires and we're facing a lot of problems to work in this condition. the electrician versus been working here last night. >> reporter: flights across the region have been canceled effects thousands of passengers, and people in the most vulnerable states have been stocking up on food and other supplies. back in 1999 a cyclone killed around 15,000 people. but whether forecasters say phailen is not expected to be as strong and technology is helping people in the region to be better informed, making it more likely they'll be able to get out of the way in time. but none of that makes phailen any less dangerous.

null deli, al jazeera. >> our reporter is in the state which lies in the path of the cyclone. joining me live now, tell me about the shelters you've been visiting on the coast. >> reporter: well, one of the shelters i went to is actually in one word, pathetic. it's almost like a cruel joke. it's right next to the ocean and on paper this village has been evacuated. a village of 5,000 people but they have only been evacuated down the street. most people are on the beach underneath shelters watching the tidal waves. from what they told us they didn't seem too concerned. they say storms have come before in the past, and they didn't think this would be any different. it looks like either they don't care about the severity of the storm or the government has not communicated to them just how big this cyclone might be. >> in terms of evacuation

centers there are along the coast do you have any idea of the location and also how many there are in numbers? >> well, on paper they say there are hundreds of them. many of them are in land. but some of them as we saw this was supposed to be in land but it was actually on the ocean. so we're not sure. there seems to be a large discrepancy on what the government says on paper and the reality on the ground. >> are you getting any word from where you are when the storm is actually meant to hit? >> well, the estimates have been somewhere between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. local time. that's right about now at the beginning. we haven't heard anything yet confirmation on when it's supposed to be. it hasn't hit yet. but it will hit the outer edge of the center of the storm and

it could be any time now. >> giving us the latest on that storm. thank you. well for more on this we can speak to al jazeera's meteorologist, tell us the latest you know about when we're expecting the storm to hit? >> we've been calling this severe tropical cyclone, but it has achieved super cyclone status. you can see the extent of this, it will lose it's central identity, we're losing it's eye wall and it's becoming more of a mass. at its peak it has a central pressure of 10 mb, and sustained winds of 270 kph, that's super

monica. the reason why we're so concerned about this region, 25 of the 36 deadliest storms in the entire world occur in the bay of bengal. it's shallow water and the water tends to build up. that's the big concern of the extent of the storm surge. and with these winds still in this order and the system moving steadily towards northwest, then it's still going to produce an awful lot of severe weather. we've talked about this storm surge. ran the five meter mark. we know there are ways around the 17 or 18-meters, and so you're looking at the height of this building. a phenomenal amount of water pushing in in places. and then the rainfall. the rainfall is going to be a significant issue over the next few days. we could well see many parts of northeast india and bangladesh

seseeing 250 to 500 millimetersf rain. the rain will push in land with the storm system. it folds and then probably tend to come back out again as it works its way down the river. we could see different areas flooding over the following few days. >> richard. thanks. more bad news on the weather front. a storm in the philippines has killed 13 people and millions more are now without power. the typhoon hit the region on saturday ripping roofs and buildings and toppling trees. large areas of farmland also flooded. thousands of people will move to government-run shul materials in the lead up to that storm. coming up for you in the news hour, find out why canada's plans to create a nuclear waste storage facility is being strongly opposed 37 plus it's been 100 days since president

hamaed morsi was deposed. and the push for world cup qualification. i'll tell how is pound for brazil later on in this hour. >> the first u.s. forces in afghanistan have captured a senior commander of the pakistani taliban. now his group has been blamed for many groups in pakistan as well as the attempted bombing of time square in new york in 2010. the capture comes as the secretary of state is kabul negotiating a security deal in afghanistan. jane, what can we make of the news that kerry and karzai are now extended talks for a third day? are you getting impressions that talks aren't as on going as they

hoped? >> these talks seem to be keep be the doors closed very tightly. it's hard not to see this as an indication as the talks being extremely fraught. they said they will go into a third round of negotiation this is evening. they certainly have not come to any agreements at this point. but it's important to remember as well that they've been negotiating these terms for this for a long time now. bakley two sides have not managed to come together. today as you have said there has been a high profile arrest here with pakistani taliban commander, that was fraught with controversy with the afghans accusing the americans of snatching him from their own custody. so that really is an indicator of how both sides seem to be very much so on opposite ends of the negotiations at this point,

coming together in the center is going to be unlikely in the coming day. it's really a case of john kerry having to push forward at least some progress. >> what are th they saying? >> they're saying it was a joint event of american and afghan. he was then seized by the americans and brought to their main base just above kabul, and he is now in their custody. this of course will be extremely controversial for the kabul government because they really see themselves as having been sidelined by the americans in peace talks. that is crucial because this particular commander could potentially have been a part of a go-between between the afghan taliban and the afghan

government themselves. any time a high profile taliban prisoner is captured they become very useful potentially to both the afghan government, the americans and pakistani government. >> that's jane ferguson live for us near kabul. syrian government warplanes are bombarding rebel areas in the southwestern city. they're trying to stop fighters from advancing into the city. on wednesday rebels seized a crossing on the jordanian border. activists are reporting government shelling of a downtown neighborhood in the capitol of damascus. well, the influx of syrians fleeing into narrowing lebanon is putting a lot of strain on the economy there. the lebanese said they will not close their border to the refugees but they'll enforce stricter rules. we have the late fes latest fro.

>> reporter: in lebanon alone, it registers 3,000 syrians today. many syrians are not looking for assistance. they believe refugee status is a ticket to europe or the united states. >> we believe this will allow us to go to a foreign country. it is a better future for my family. as a syrian you're looked down upon in lebanon. >> reporter: syrians are blamed for lebanon's failing economy and volatile economy. all right 80 thundershowers syrian versus registered with the u.n. but there are 1.3 million in the country. the government is imposing stricter rules at its border crossings. new conditions have been set. >> we will not close our borders. people who have come here to abuse, they will not be allowed.

>> reporter: many syrians are competing for jobs with lebanese. others have had open business and this has had a social impact on lebanon's 4 million people. >> reporter: they say lebanon is heading to disaster due to the influx of refugees. it will have doubled the unemployment rate b by 120% and they will join the 1 million who live below the poverty line. >> reporter: it is an extreme strain for this tiny nation which has already seen security incidents. hostility towards syrians is growing and some refugees feel that. >> they're complaining of the syrian existness in lebanon. they're saying we need support, i guess the syrians, why they're sending us to some charity in.

>> reporter: he's hoping to be among syrian who is are relocated to germany over the next few months. this program will only take 4,000 syrian migrants. it is a small number that won't relief the burden on lebanon or the suffering of the refugees. al jazeera, beirut. >> now thousands of workers in egypt's largest state-owned textile company are continuing to strike. they're demanding payment of their delayed bonuses. a workers also hold several protests against former perform mubarak before the 2010 revolution. it's just over 100 days since the egyptian army oust president morsi from power.

>> protesting against the government. the original plan to march to tahrir square, and egypt has been in crisis for the past 100 days after hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the elected president's rule of law. his former defense minister was ready to capitalize on the growing unrest. >> i ask that next friday all honest and trustworthy egyptians must come out. but why come out? they come out to give me the mandate and order that i can confront violence and terrorism. >> reporter: provoking the muslim brotherhood to take to the streets as it's leaders were

rounded up. what happened next divided the country further. a crackdown killed over thousand in violence. >> when they began to kill people and began to kill in this group we were a unified. we're talking about justice. >> reporter: on october 6th the anniversary of the 1973 war with israel this division, in tahrir square supporters of a new government out on the streets protests against the coup. another 57 are killed. >> the president has been clear we're not are the to continue with business as usual and we're not proceeding with the delivery of certain military systems. >> reporter: president obama had questions bu about morsi's principles but his successors are no better.

>> reporter: many have been killed in the protests. >> we're not living to the americans cutting aid. what matters to us and the important thing is the opinion of the egyptian people. >> morsi will go on trial for those killed outside of the presidential palace, but what about those who were killed? we should start looking for those killers. >> reporter: they're desperate to keep the protests growing but the security forces are trying to strangle the momentum, and stopping them around cairo. they're also facing the majority of egyptian people who are just too scare or just not interested in joining the protests. >> across town life goes on. the silent majority, now they just want to get the country back on its feet. al jazeera, cairo. >> we've been hearing about the biggest storm to threaten india

in 14 years. cyclone phailin. but there is a second cyclone in the area heading to vietnam. >> meteorologist: well, yes, this is making its way away from the philippines and we're hearing about this throughout the day. it's clearly making its way across the south china seas and will continue to do so as we go on the next couple of days or so. the weather making its way in and the band starting to have an affect as we go through sunday afternoon. very, very heavy rain coming through here. some could see well over 200 millimeters of rain over the next 24 to 48 hours. move on through sunday and you can see the wet weather continuing here. very, very strong winds pushing through at the moment winds are around about, we're looking at something like 150 kilometers per hour and with significantly

higher gusts. further north in japan, we have press sunshine to come across japan over the next couple of days. the area cloud making its way over the northeastern china and that will sink further south wards and east wards, and heavy rain coming in here actually. nasty conditions into north korea. tokyo at 21 degrees. >> thanks. now african leaders are calling on the u.n. court to defer cases against the kenyan president and his deputy. the prime minister said the court is unfairly targeting africans. >> they have displayed with regard to the request deferral

for persecution is particularly worrisome. other countries, even under controversial circumstances neither the icc nor the u.n. security couple hav council have repeated requests we've made for several years. >> let's get more on that. malcolm webb, malcolm, they're still ausing the icc of targeting african leaders. but now the focus is on the sitting leaders. what can we expect to come out of the summit? >> well, first you have to bear in mind central to this meeting are the trials that have been faced by the kenyan president and deputy president. they've both been charged with

inciting violence. and the deputy president's trial has already started. his trial is meant to start one month from now. so outcome from here cannot legally change that situation. any message from here would be political rather than legal in terms of pushing for any kind of immunity. countries here can reach a consensus. they could put out a statement asking the u.n. security council but they can be deferred after certain conditions and can only be deferred one year after time. >> what about those who are not so critical of the icc. what arguments have they been making in the last couple of days. >> the countries that have been mostly against the people who are--let's just be clear. kenya has been critical of the

icc, those countries are critical. but there has been opposition from nigeria, south africa, and one of the main reasons that they're giving us is simply the rule of law. the body of law that governors the international criminal court. and many of these countries have signed up for that. they're saying they don't want to put any statements out of the summit that would would interve. >> the government will the doors to national parks again. they will pay the national park services thousands of dollars a day for a chance to let in

visitors. now a plan to set up canada's first underground nuclear waste storage facility is running into option from local people and across the border, too, in the united states. environmentalists and residents are concerned that the waste could contaminate the great lakes and drinking water for 40 million people. we have reports. >> the richest nuclear power plant in the world plants to store waste deep underground. it's near lake huron. that's where the opposition began, from those who have enjoyed the lakeside scenery. >> some of that is going to be radioactive for 140,000 years. we don't know what could happen in 10 100,000 years.

we can't let that happen. >> they want to significant waste storage beneath the power plant site. officials say the thick limestone bedrock won't allow radioactive the to the land or water. >> there is no risk. we don't see any impact at all. >> reporter: storing radioactive waste anywhere is controversial, but putting it next to a lake that is shared with the united states and provides drinking water to tens of millions of people is another challenge entirely at public hearings into the issue u.s. legislature came from neighboring michigan to express their opposition. community leaders in other u.s. states have also objected. >> the great lakes are life and livelihood. they matter to us in michigan as much if not more as anybody. we as a state we're defined by

at great lakes. >> reporter: but poll show widespread support for the nuclear industry i in the quiet towns around the power plant. the community actively sought the construction of waste storage facility. >> we wanted to be proactive and take the leadership position as opposed to taking the easy way and just saying we won't even consider it. >> reporter: this is canada he's first attempt to deal with accumulated waste, and a decision on both sides of the debate is probably going to be impossible. >> still ahead for you on the news hour we take a look at the multi billion dollar renovation in mecca. find out why russian circuses are struggling to survive despite being very popular. coming up in sports, the

verge of the formula title. details next.

>> syrian refugees arsyrian refe latest victims. the latest incident happened off the italian island of lampedus at an typhoon phailin are

expected to hit india in a matter of hours. and the capture of a leader of a taliban group responsible for attacks in pakistan and an attack in new york in 2010. the governor the saudi arabia has launched a renovation in mecca. many believe the project jeopardizes the holy city's legacy. >> walking to the holy mosque,

the most sacred site in islam. this is what you see from above. the skyline is filled with cranes. multi million dollar development project is underway. saudi officials say mecca will have state of the arts infrastructure and one of the best transport systems in the world. this 3-d animation shows our mecca will look like in 2020. tall buildings, shopping malls, bridges, and high speed rails. the center of the new project, a massive expansion of the holy mosque to ease overcrowding during peak season. the big expansion and renovation project are a necessary to accommodate the many pill grams. but many are worried that sky scrapers and sprawling mall

centers will be at the expense of the identity of the center. they all agree that mecca can modernize but it should maintain its authenticity. >> i'm here to enjoy the spiritual side of the pilgrimage. i understand the need to build for pill grams. >> the whole terrain has been changed. the mountains are actually being leveled. that's sad. one of the--these are the same mountains that the prophet muhammad used to herd goats on. >> reporter: the mayor of mecca. he shows me the oldest picture of the city. it was taken 130 years ago. all the buildings neighboring have been knocked down ever since. >> people are seeing the huge

infrastructure projects and asking questions. they have to understand that we're laying down the foundations, building roads and modernizing electricity and water pipelines. but at the same time we're committed to preserving the spiritual and cultural identify of mecca. >> reporter: it will continue to be a huge challenge. this luxury hotel was built wi where an ottoman fortress once stood. >> senegal's capitol is suffering from a shortage of drinking water. floods have damaged the pipes to its water source and entire neighborhoods have been displaced. >> this is what happens when a city of a million people runs out of water. to each his own.

most taps are dry and people are thirsty. there is little to drink, bathe, cook, or clean. hospitals are running out of reserve and water has become so precious that it is being rationed, but there isn't enough for everyone. >> we are tired of this. we wait here morning, evening and night but not a drop in sight. we're fed up with the situation. >> reporter: the problem began two week ago whe when the pipe o the water source broke. they're working around the clock to repair it but its taking longer to help. they are know asking for international assistance, and china is willing to help. >> our politicians don't care about our problems. they have disregard to our daily difficulties. >> reporter: every years during the rainy season heavy downpour

displace entire neighborhoods. this year was no different. the rains have stopped but the water has still not receded. this neighborhood has been like this for weeks. there is water all around but drinking water is nowhere to be found. this is an ideal breeding ground for diseases such as cholera. 100,000 people are in need of immediate assistance. >> this situation can lead to political outbreak. >> reporter: senegalese have promised to move those displaced into new homes. but there isn't enough cement needed to build new homes. >> we're working on a ten-year plan to find a solution. we don't claim to be able to solve the problem in a year.

>> reporter: this water crisis is turning into a major challenge for the government. for those waiting the solution cannot come soon enough. >> eight of the biggest universities in greece have closed because of the strike by administrators. they stage the walk out because of planned job cuts. we report now from athens. >> reporter: it is a tense meeting. half of these 800 employees at the athens polytech will have to take the brunt. students have arrived for orientation but there are no enrollments, no graduations and no teaching. students are siding with staff. students, who are worried about the job market they will find. >> we support the strike and fight with the staff. not just because 400 households are being shuted but it's a blow to our public universities and

studies. >> reporter: this wave simulator which tests hubble works for clients. >> in 2005 we had a 105 teaching positions. now we have 65. we are struggling to keep up standards. >> reporter: state funding for higher education has fallen by half in just two years. a drop of a billion dollars, putting greece at the bottom of the european union. the polytechnique has decided enough is enough. students, faculty and staff stand united with the government. in 1973 students locked themselves on to this campus demanding representation. there was the use of tanks crashing through the gates and brought it's own down fall.

>> closing three universities and 104 departments. it plans to divert more young people to the technological school. >> there is nothing wrong with technological education, in being acquiring skills and getting out in the market. >> reporter: it's a brave new world for universities as well as graduates. they're being told to top off their budgets are private money. here fees, which are unconstitutional, will only be a matter of time. >> reporter: let's go back to up of our top stories. the capture of a senior taliban commander, we're joined live now, i wanted to ask you first about this visit to kabul, secretary of state kerry and

karzai are working towards an agreement. >> if i hear you well, i don't think president karzai is serious about the agreement to be signed between washington and kabul, but i think there are major points which are important to kabul, and the same with washington. that they can't really have an agreement. i think john kerry is in here in kabul for almost 24 hours. i think there are serious negotiations going on in the president balance to reach an agreement on the matter. >> we'll have to wait and see what happens.

moving on to the seizure of pakistan commander, do the u.s. have the right to take someone in custody who is in the custody of a began forces? >> reporter: the afghan government has yet to talk about the issue. there have been reports on the subject. thi think one of the main reasos why the bsa, the united states has not signed yet because of the matter afghanistan needs really strong legal framework between kabul and washington to see the better relationship in the future, and the rule that the united states forces will

play in terms of considering the afghan sovereignty, and the security that afghanistan should be granted by international forces who will be present beyond 2014 in afghanistan. at the same time, kabul thinks that it will give a good opportunity for the united states in terms of giving a good presence, i mean the ground for presence of u.s. forces in afghanistan. >> okay, joining us live from kabul, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this news hour. >> still ahead for you, back in the game, find out how an ancient mayan sport is helping young guatemalans reconnect with their a ancestry. and keeping world cup hopes

alive. all the action heading your way in sports.

>> hello again. circuses in moscow are still part of a nationalized industry but it is struggling to survive in the new economic climate. there are also allegations of animal cruelty, warning you may find some images in this story disturbing. [♪ music ] >> reporter: every side seat here in moscow where the world

festival of circus art has just opened will cost you close to $80. that's a lot more than the average family can afford. but there was no shortage of spectators for this performance. the circus still holds a special place in the heart of the people here. traditionally the circus in russia has always been recareereveredas an an art forme soviet times that the circus reached its peak. and the performances were being watched by more than 70 million people a year. these days they still say it has an important role. >> it's a big family occasion. the children love it. >> children

: yes. >> it's our pride. it's unmatched by any other country. >> but they have condemned the brutal methods training some circus acts. but in moscow they say such methods are never used and wouldn't work. >> they say we're torturing animals. it's absurd. it's nonsense. it's impossible to force an animal to perform using violence. >> reporter: there is no doesn't that a circus crowd hoping is dangerous will happen. happen. unfortunately, it did for these performers in the usa during this trapeze act. but no serious injuries resulted. it's said every country gets the circus it deserves. spain, bull fighting, italy, the church, and u.s. hollywood. now in russia it's hanging in the balance. al jazeera, moscow. >> it's time for the sport.

>> reporter: yes, thank you very much. 14 of 32 spots have now been decided for next year's fifa world cup in brazil. switzerland and germany secured their qualification on friday. >> reporter: it was never in doubt but a moment to celebrate for german supporters nonetheless, the six daytime their side will be heading to the cup. they have the 3-0 defeat of the republic of ireland. >> i think we showed again today that we set the tone for this group. we marched on ahead in the beginning with the result of eight victories in nine games. we really should have won the ninth one. this has been a great fortification for the team.

>> reporter: they rise as a football power continues. everton's, 2-s the results seeing them secure their first world cup appearance since 2002 sparking plenty of celebrations in the capitol. netherlands had already qualified but it was a night to remember for their captain. the striker netted a hat trick with the county' country's all-e scorer of 38 goals. >> the country is proud of him. the way we worked so hard. every time we lost the ball we worked really hard to win it back again and luckily we had good attacking moments.

>> reporter: on top of group h they must beat poland in the final patch to secure automatic progression to brazil. al jazeera. >> also in europe, switzerland will compete. spain and russia are also on the verge of qualification after wins on friday. colombia will take part in the first world cup since 1998 after a thrilling match against chile. they found themselves three goals down after the break. they dominated from the start. chile went ahead before sánchez scored twice in search minutes to make it 3-0. but the tables turned at halftime. a red card for chile gave hope to the colombians.

they would score twice from the penalty spot to secure a heroic comeback. 3-3 is how it finished. colombia qualified. >> i think that today it's a fair price for knowing how to play in the qualifying, how to overcome difficulties. today was one of the hardest times, but we've had several hardest times. and we always had confidence that we will achieve this. >> also argentina who has already qualified 3-1 in a quarter down, 1-0. they'll face chile in the final match on tuesday and both sides advance. next keeping hopes of qualifying alive after a thrilling match against panama. mexico took the lead in the 40th minute. they would square things up in the 81st minute. throwing the home side i in,

making it 1-1. but to the rescue, the goal came in miraculous fashion just five minutes from time. a beautiful bicycle kick lifting mexico to 2-1 victory. the result moved mexico into fourth place in cancacaf. they're vying for the final automatic qualifying spot. they will take on new zealand the last match to be played on tuesday. final stage of the qualifying in africa gets under way in the next few hours algeria and ivory coast at home. fifa has been asked to provide security guarantees or risk having the next match home to a different venue. >> australia has qualified, but

that is not enough to save the coach. the german was stepped down following 6-0 loss. also been beaten 6-0 in the frenzy. football federation has confirmed they're in talks to take charge of the side for next year's tournament in brazil. the formula one and teammates will start on the front row of the great japanese grand prix.

the australians with almosts wo. >> in general, it was pretty good. there was a problem in qualifying for a little bit of a hollow poll, if you like, but yeah, i'm happy, and you have to grab the opportunities when you can. >> reporter: the family of formula one test driver said the sudden death is linked to injuries from a race crash last year. she was found dead in her hotel room in spain on friday. she had lost her eye in a horrific crash while testing for the racing team in 2012. she displayed the trademark on saturday at the grand prix and a number of other drivers wore the

star on their helmets. qualifying fastest at the malaysian motor, he will miss the race after fracturing his ankle in practice. marquez dominated with the lap record on this circuit. the spaniard was ahead as he aims to exceed his standings. djokovic through the final a week after losing his number one crown. he looked to defend his title against nadal. the long to tsonga means that he'll miss out on next year's world finals. deciding game one of the baseball national league championship series. the st. louis cardinals and l.a.

dodgers were tied, 2-0. carlos beltran finally hits a rbi in the 13th after four hours and 47 minutes. the winner of this series will face the boston red sox or detroit tigers for the world series. that's it for me. >> thanks. the ancient mayan ballgame has been brought back to life through technology. the 3-d video game helps people reconnect with their country's past. >> reporter: it's a game of life and death where two warriors are chose ton defeat the lords of the under world and save the mayan people. the pits offer a modern take on a ritual ballgame a played for thousands of years throughout meso america. they hope technology will revival guatemala's ancestral

culture. >> we want people to know about the ballgame and how it was played there, and that mayan ancestors, we're proud of the incredible things they did, and this motivates us to try to do great things as well. >> reporter: manuel and his brother daniel got started by researching the ballgame. for months they studied mayan archeological sites from mexico to honduras and based the game's narrative on the stories from thknownas the mayan bible. >> for each ball court there is a site design, location, dates, and an idea of what happened here. the idea is that people played, they realized that, yes, this place existed. yes, people played the ballgame here. and it motivates people to visit these sites. >> in just a few months thousands of people from as far away as china have downloaded

mayan pits. but it's here in the heartland where it's hope that the game will really take off. helping young people reconnect with their roots is part of the game's primary goals. they explain the historical importance of the ballgame, and it could reach hundreds of communities. now the video game has been nominated for two awards for using technology to promote the country's culture. >> we're really excited about this. let's see if we can bring some good news to guatemala. >> that's it for this news hour. don't go anywhere because i will be back in two minutes time with another full bulletin of news. for now, thank you for watching.

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm richelle carey with a look at the day's top stories. another saturday session for the house of representative as the government shutdown drags on. these are live pictures, president obama, congressional republicans let face to face on friday. some of america's iconic national monuments will open again despite the government shutdown. the statute of liberty, mount rushmore. the state will be paying for park personnel while private funds will be used