. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. here are the stories we are following for you. >> a deadly blast rocks the suburbs of damascus - killing more than a dozen soldiers. >> a nationwide manhunt for two convicted killers who walked free from a florida prison thanks to forged documents. >> six months of talks have stalled but workers are off the job in san francisco - stranding thousands. [ ♪ theme ] >> fighting and bloodshed again in syria, despite the presence

of international weapons inspectors. today an explosion outside damascus. it left 16 government soldiers dead and others wounded. it happened after a group of lebanese hostages had been freed, after being held captive for a year. >> omar saleh is live. tell us about what you know about who is claiming responsibility for this. >> what we know is that at least five rebel groups, including nusra and a group affiliated to al qaeda launched a joint operation against a government army complex. the attack - the offensive started with a suicide car bombing at the entrance of the complex. it killed... >> and it appears as they we

just lost omaral sala. it's difficult to keep connections. we'll keep more information shortly. in the meantime chemical weapons inspectors report progress on the ground in syria. they say they have checked 14 of more than 20 sites on the list so far. syrian state tv released a video of inspectors checking one such site. the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons says security remains a concern for its experts inside the war torn country. inspectors have about nine months to find and destroy all of syria's chemical weapons >> the manhunt for two convicted murders continued. they escaped a florida prison, franklin correctional institution, and the manhunt is now 300 miles south in orlando. >> these are the most recent

photos of joseph jenkins and charles walkr. they were taken just days after authorities say the convicted murderers used forged documents to get out of prison. they posed for pictures. after they got out they reported to the sheriff's department in orlando. they registered as required by law as felons. the sheriff says there's reason to believe the fugitives are still there.. >> certainly this is frustrating to all of us who work in the system. it's certainly frustrating to me as a law enforcement officer. these individuals murdered individuals in this community. we want to bring them back to justice. charles walkr and joseph jenkins have been serving life sentences about 3-00 miles away at the franklin correctional institution. police say someone faked the judge's signature to help them get out. the judge was impressed. >> i have never seen anything like this. you have to give them an, "a"

for being imaginative. >> an obvious question - whether it was an inside job. >> the key is they had an insider. they had a person at the courthouse that was able to take this document and slip it into the paperwork chain. that opens up a question that they could have had things slipped in for years. >> florida corrections officials are adding extra checks to prevent a repeat. in the meantime they are facing tough questions about how the system who let two men who were never meant to go free walk out of the system in front of everyone. >> texas activists will fight at the alamo, testing the limits of the state's gun laws. texans are not allowed to openly carry handguns, the law does not apply to long guns for rior rifles. heidi is there.

seems like a sizeable crowd that seems to be growing. what is happening? >> you are right, the crowd has been growing. it's estimated that a thousands people would grow. it's hard to tell who are the protesters, and who are the tourists. it's a sizeable crowd. they are carrying long guns, rifles and shotguns. they are loaded. it is legal in the state. they are taking precautions. they are not putting bullets into the chamber. they are trying to make the sight of people carrying a long gun in public normal in texas. i want to bring in our guest. christina. good to see you. tell me about the gun that you have. >> this is an r15. i designed it with my boyfriend and i - pink and black. carrying it to support our second amendment right to be here, to educate everybody that because i'm carrying a gun

doesn't mean i'm dishonest and not a law-abiding citizen. i'm a mother. i'm here to support everyone who has a right. now they are trying to infringe on the rights. >> by that you mean police officers are arresting people in texas who are carrying their guns. some tourists are alarmed to walk into this. how is this promoting your cause? >> now we are here to educate people. we are trying to get them to understand that we are out here as law-abiding citizens. we talked with the san antonio pd. we have permission to be out here. people are walking around with rifles. we put straws, a lot have them, to let people know the magazine is pull but there's nothing in the chamber. it's not technically loading. there's nothing alarming. in texas it is a right, it's something we are allowed to do,

part of the second amendment, the constitution and we are here in support of that. >> after the sandy hook, aurora a lot of folks around the country say something like this is insensitive to victims or carries the fear that people feel from those events. what do you say? >> i don't think there should be fear. we should arm the teachers. if we have people mentally unstable that can get hold of guns and do these things - i'm the mother of a six-year-old. i would rather have teachers armed and ready to protect our children rather than sitting there like a sitting duck on a pond. i think it's a good thing to have guns and openly have them that people can carry. >> thank you for sharing your thoughts. obviously a lot of supporters of the opinions at the rally. two blocks away is another

protest. that one called for mums for gun reform. they are trying to obviously get the opposite message across, saying something like this is violent and does not contribute to the national conversation at all. >> thank you very much. live from san antonio, texas. >> no deal in san francisco and that means hundreds of thousands of commuters are without a ride. the union for the bart public rail system went on strike friday, the second time in four months. lisa joins us now. i imagine that every day this goes on people get more and more frustrated. >> that's right. absolutely. frustration is growing. i can tell you that now. the bart strike is on the minds of everyone we spoke with - those working saturdays, those that are small business owners and have social plans on this side of the water. bart trains run beneath the bay,

which is how people get from oat land to san francisco. they can't do that. stations are closed, locked up, no trains running. those we spoke to seem to have an opinion on this strike. >> a lot of people were missing at work. they couldn't make it to work. they couldn't make it. bart wasn't running. i had to do their work. >> the economic implication of the bart issue is it goes both ways. it goes to small businesses, and employees of the bart. workers of the bart. if the workers do not earn enough money, that has the effect of local economy. if the economy does not run in by bart, if the bart does not run the economy will have effect. actually both ways. >> like the man you heard from,

some are sympathetic to the unions. many are out of patience, and can't believe that the two sides have not been able to reach a compromise. essentially the two sides got close on the economic issues - in terms of wages, pension, overtime - sorry, not overtime - wages and pension. they have come to an agreement. overtime, scheduling and arbitration. the work rules are what are keeping the two sides apart. basically those who are sympathetic to wages - the commuters, people in the bay area who understand that issue are getting more and more frustrated and not really understanding this issue of work rules, and why the two sides can't simply come to an agreement. >> the woman that you spoke to who said she had to do some of her colleagues' job. have you to wonder whether bosses are trying to be understanding, but at some point

they may run out of patience and say, "you have to think of a way to get here, even if you can't afford the cab." >> i discussed that with her. she said there probably was a one-day grace period for friday. we saw lighter traffic. i think a lot of people stayed home. i think monday will be worse. if it carries on into the weekends, the weeks ahead, it will cost of the region millions a day. >> literally millions. it's not an overstatement. thank you lisa bernhald live from san francisco. >> dick chaney said he took the possibility of a terror attack to heart. he told cbs's "60 minutes" that he had the wireless function of his defibrillator disabled because he was worried it would be hacked and he'd have a heart attack. >> pulled from a bus in front of

classmates, ordered back to her native country. what is kosovo teen is saying to the french president. a family takes legal action. their daughter survived a plane crash only to be killed. she survived the plane crash. she was killed so they are taking legal action. hr

>> welcome back. same-sex couples are filing applications today and many plan to be married monday. friday new jersey's highest court ruled the state must allow gaye marriage. governor chris christie said he'll comply with the court's decision, but says the decision should have come from the voters. new jersey is the 14th state to allow same-sex marriage. >> a second arrest in relation to a dry ice explosion at lax. a ground employee was arrested. he was a supervisor for the

first employee arrested. the men planted the devices out of personal curiosityie. >> the family of a 16-year-old killed after surviving a plane crash is planning legal action, according to their attorney. the teen was run over by an emergency vehicle responding to the asiana airlines crash in july. the firefighter who struck and killed her will not face criminal charges. >> a 15-year-old girl arrested in france and deported with her family has been told she wan return to the country. france's president says the rest of the family can't join her. tim friend tells us what the teen had to say. >> the developments mark a twist in this extraordinary week in paris. a local incident where a young 15-year-old schoolgirl was detained whilst on a school trip in front of her classmates. there was outrage, and this local issue became a national

controversy. it's ended saturday with a meeting, discussion between the interior minister who returned from an overseas trip, the president and the prime minister. they came up with this compromise. they are going to offer leonarda dibrani the chance to come back to france, but not her family. leonarda dibrani, herself, says she doesn't want that. she wants to come back with all of her family. her father described it as a kat as trophy. the problems are not over for president francis hollande, and not least because we have heard from the leader of his socialist party, who said he supports the idea of all of the family, apart from the father, being allowed to return to france. just to set this briefly into context. what has been happening in france in recent months is the far right has called for tougher immigration laws. an the left you have people who

are outraged by the way in which this young girl, schoolgirl was treated by the police. even though the asylum denial was perfectly proper and legal. so they are the two arguments on either side, if you like, that president francis hollande is caught between. >> tim friend reporting. it's expected to be a busy weekend at the nation's popular parks and monuments. it's the first weekend they've been open since the government opened. we talk to tourists in louisiana. >> these folks fought for our freedom. >> jeff schulz travelled 300 miles from minnesota to indiana. >> as he awaited his trip to the

chalmette it was the battle in washington that shut down the government and sites like this one. >> major part of our trip was gone at that point in time. we were going to have to restructure what we were going to do whilst down here. >> after the government reopened park rangers went to work, cutting overgrown grass and people poured on to the grounds. >> everyone is saying, "we are glad you are open and glad you are here." i'm giving it back. i'm glad i'm here. >> people come to see where american troops won a decisive victory over the british in the battle of new orleans. this is not just a roadside attraction. >> greg and teresa krill spent six months planning their trup. >> i love history. i've been to a lot of battlefields, learning about the war of 1812. >> it angers me that the deposit can shut things that our tax dollars pay to keep open. >> they are glad it opened in time for them to take the tour.

they cut it close. >> it's a shame that the american people were deprived from visiting their historic sites during government bickering >> for that greg krill hopes all americans have learnt from the past. even the recent past. >> standard & poor's systematics the shutdown -- estimates the shutdown took $24 billion out of the economy, a massive chunk of that tourism. >> australia is battling 68 fires of their own, burning near sydney. fireofficials say these are severe breakouts and started earlier than they have in the past. so far the fires have destroyed about 200 homes, and damaged another hundred. more damage is expected, with conditions described as dire by the firefighters.

>> i'm metrologist ebony dion, tracking weather conditions around australia, where unfortunately it doesn't look like we'll see much in the way of moisture over the next 48 hours. continuing to stay dry where the fires are concentrated around new south wales. there's a high pressure sitting offshore. as it moves inland it will pump in the moisture, rain by the time we get into the day on tuesday - getting much-needed help for the fires. for now it's breezy and low to mid temperatures. we are tracking supertyphoon francisco. it's heading towards japan. we'll watch this closely. it's an organised system at this time, equivalent to a major hurricane in the u.s.

wined over 16 k/hr. we continue to track a cold front over the west. rain and windy activity concentrated across louisiana. rain will taper off. to the north rain across indiana and ohio. colder air. here is a closer look at the rain coming down. we are drying out across mississippi and texas. to the north-east it's clouds and sunshine. most of the rain is inland. it will bring better chance of late-night showers. rain for now. snow later on across northern areas of north dakota. >> a water shortage in zimbabwe is becoming severe. the capital is on the verge of becoming a city without water. >> this is neither a lab nor a

recycling factory. it's a kitchen in zimbabwe's capital harari. it looks like this because water is in short supply. for peter and his family huge waterbills made matters worse. tackling the water crisis was a campaign promise of the government. the city council did wipe off dues, but decided to disconnect residents who were not paying bills after july. many can't make the full payment. >> yes, it was 50. they disconnected my water. i paid 50 from 80. it's a chronic crisis for harari - a cash-starved city council faces challenges. cracking infrastructure and lack of capacity means it can barely meet half of the city's water needs. lack of revenue is a key problem. >> people who do not want to

settle bills on time or at all. so it's one of those policies that we are using. if we can have them pay up now, so that we ensure service delivery. >> no funds means they cannot run treatment plants like this. solutions like those from a chinese bank are not working as planned. residents will ensure shortages as the city decommissions plants to recommission machinery. >> translation: we go for days without water supply. when it comes back it's dirty. people fall sick. they must improve on treatment. >> water in warren park is an issue. not being affected by collera is god's grace. >> more than three-quarters of the population is unemployed.

it's impossible for many to afford to pay for water, a necessity transformed into a luxury. >> making history more than 100 years later. an iconic treasure from the "titanic" gaining a record price. >> and how the art community is putting africa on the map.

a deadly blast rocks syria. an explosion near damascus led to 16 government soldiers' death. several other injured. it happened after syrian rebels freed a group of hostages that had been held captive for more than a year. >> a manhunt continues to two killers released from prison by mistake. both from serving life sentences but walked free with the help of forged documents. police believe the fugitives are hiding in the orlando area. >> london is playing host to the

world's first contemporary arts fair. barnaby phillips reports on the exhibit. >> from zimbabwe a take on michael angelo's "last judgment." from mozambique sculptures made from guns and bullets - destructive weapons treated with humour and irony. photographs that celebrate the dandes of congo brotherville and hairstyles of nigeria, brought together thanks to this woman, the daughter of a moroccan painter. with 54 countries in africa, is there such a thing as different art. >> it's full of energy. this is what you can see on the wall. there's no theme. what is surprising for all the people is the diversity of it.

>> the thing is european history and kav can culture are intertwined. >> ideas are merged from african and british history into sculptures and feels african art is sold cheaply compared to that from europe and america. >> we've probably done more than some of our white contemporaries that are more successful. we have an african tag. people are shy of looking at what we do. >> the fair has been busy. people have been buying, which, after all, is what it's all about. although much of the art is new, is this the same old story of wealthy europeans taking the best from africa? most contemporary african art is still bought by collectors in europe. that is changing fast.

dealers at the fair tell us that more and more wealthy collectors from countries like ghana, angola and nigeria are investing in their own country's art. for years african sculptures take every day art and reform them. that skill is getting recognition at home and here in london where the organizers hope that this fair will become an annual event. >> and the fair is titled 1:54 representing 54 african countries and runs this weekend. >> sold for a record price - the violin played to calm passengers on the deck of the sinking "titanic," sold for $1.5 million in the u.k. the original owner was band leader hart , who

drowned, along with 1500 others. it took experts many years to authent kate that interest. "techno" is up next. i'm phil torres to talk about innovations that can change lives. we're going to explore hardware and humanity in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check out our team of hard-core nerds. tonight she's on the front lines of a devastating wildfire as a drone takes command of the skies over yosemite. crystal is a molecular neuroscience. she goes to the streets of seattle and santa cruz for a look at how science might stop crime before it happens. lindsay is an ex-cia operator.