investigation, reveals a very different story about who was responsible >> they refuse to look into this... >> so many people at such a high level had a stake in al megrahi's guilt. lockerbie: what really happened? on al jazeera america >> >> this is jm , live from new york -- al jazeera america, live from new york. i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. taking sides with crimea, stand off between activists and pro-government groups. >> new clues in the disappearance of a malaysian airliner. >> it's been seven years since a missing operative disappeared in iran

>> and what does it take to mike it through the iditerod challenge. >> tensions are growing on the ground in ukraine. pro-russian groups attacked activists at a rally. russian troops are in control of key locations across the peninsula. any move to annex crimea would close the door to diplomacy. >> nick schifrin joins us live. do you get the impression russia is gaining ground there? >> absolutely. physically and politically. there's not a single base or government institution that i go to that is not either surrounded by russian troops or flying the flag. it gives you a sense that the russian troop presence is expanding. politically you get the sense that the crowds that support the annexation to russia, or the

vote to join russia here are growing. that's real sense of momentum among the crowds. a lot of these people, pro-russian activists and militias are emboldened by the presence of 30,000 troops, and that gives them a sense that they con come out in bigger -- they can come out in bigger numbers and be aggressive against anyone that goes against them. it seems like crimea will join russia at their vote. >> does there seem to be a coordination between the russian troops and the activists demonstrating. >> this is interesting. moth sides are digging in. troops are moving in. they are spreading out. what you see on the pro-russian activists and militia is

aggression against journalists, prorern activists. they say that they are digging in for a fight. the media that they watch is talking about how the protesters are coming down. there is a lot of talk about war, defending crimea from the invaders. on the other side you are hearing the pro-western government and activists taking similar stances, digging in. we heard the same from the new prime minister a few hours ago, getting the sense that he wants to keep a united ukraine because his ancestors died fighting for it. >> translation: this is our land. our parents and grandparents spilt their blood for this land. we will not give up a single centimetre of ukrainian land.

let russia and the russian president know this. >> if both sides are digging in for a fight, it makes it more likely. >> is the new government in kiev doing anything concrete or physical to stop the referendum? >> that is the key question. from day one the new ukrainian government in kiev used strong rhetoric. parliament passed a lot of strong resolutions and there hasn't been a lot of action. the u.s. and the west trees to convince the government from holding back. keep the moral high ground. that's why you see ukrainian shoulders fold, and right now you see the physical power and the russian shoulders and the political power is with them. so there is no stopping the momentum, until the government in kiev decides to stop it.

there's no sign that they are willing do that. >> it is quickly approaching, that vote. >> meantime crimea's minorities are growing nervous. the leader of the tatars asked the united nations to protect them. we have more on the people of crimea, who are not ready to embrace russia >> they aren't taking chances especially at night, because these days tatars in crimea and minorities feel under threat. >> we need a plan. if the regional government stays, i don't know what will happen to us. >> 300 unarmed men deploying shif shifts. they can't fight a pro-russia militia if it came, but they could fend off provocation. nevertheless people are

receiving threats. many tat tars found the crosses on the gate, reviving dark memory, when 70 years ago similar signs meant you are about to be deborted to russia -- deported to russia or central asia. several houses have these signs. the threat is to serious. this man is afraid history may repeat itself. >> translation: please, stop the war before it starts. it's hard. we grew up with grandparents forcibly deported. >> pro-russian propaganda dominates the debate. it leaves little space for minorities to voice their opinions. trkets. >> translation: there are people that are disagreeing >> the crimean people will go ahead with a referendum.

many among the minorities feel that their identities are being stolen away >> ethnic tatars make up 14% of crimea's population. >> vladimir putin defended breakaway groups by leaders in crimea where russian forces are tightening their grip. randall pinkston joins us from washington. what is the u.s. saying it will do if the crisis is not resolved diplomatly. >> the u.s. is coordinating effort to impose economic sanctions is isolate russia politically. president obama expanded a visa band and the ground work to impose sanctions. >> deputy security director says the steps are having an effect on russia. >> the cost is significant, first of all. second, going forward, in coordination with partners and

allies, we have a mechanism to raise the costs. this is a choice for the russians to make. >> so far the russians are insisting that its actions in crimea are legitimate and accuse the u.s. and western europe of backing an illegal overthrow of ukraine's democratically elected president viktor yanukovych. >> some say it is practically a done deal. >> significantly former defense secretary robert gates said that he does not think russia will ever give crimea up. he, in fact, believes that vladimir putin has a larger objective beyond crimea. >> i think it's part of a long-term strategy on vladimir putin's part to recreate a russi russian sphere of influence.

he won't stop until there is a government in kiev that is essentially pro-russian. with russia in control and pro-russian supporters supporting a return, the next step is the referendum next weekend. >> randall pinkston live from washington. joins us from washington d.c. is truman fellow joe henry >> good to see you. i want to get to the point that the idea about the referendum and pted an-ation of crimea is a done deal. do you feel it's a done deal at this point? >> it's unwise to say anything is a done deal. we are in a fluid situation. i concur with secretary of state john kerry, putin's ambitions are large, larger than even secretary of state john kerry suggested. i think at this point we need to

consider the possibility that putin's objectives are really to puncture the solidarity of the wrn alliance. and -- western alliance. and we should thing in new terms about how we act and react to his moves to deter further action against western nations. particularly in the ball tick region. >> mean what, what do you suggest the united states do now? >> the most obvious thing to do is shore up support for n.a.t.o. allies. we are bound to protect n.a.t.o. allies under article five. if you look at the interviews with the estonian, lith wanian and latvian ambassadors in washington, there's concern about what russia will do next and what the lith wanian ambassador described as roamantizism in n.a.t.o. security guarantees.

it's a serious concern, something that needs to be reinforced than the six extra f-16s that we have sent to the baltics. >> shoring up support for n.a.t.o., but what about ukraine. >> there are parallel tracks. i think the first thing needs to occur with n.a.t.o. in ukraine we need to be laser focussed on a problem which continues to be a threat on a country. it's a serious problem. looking at the actions to date with respect to sanction, they may be good and necessary. the reality is they have not deterred actions in crimea. there is escalating activity that is dangerous. you have ukrainian military forming human shields responding to troops surrounding their basis. it's a matter of time, despite

the ingenuity and their courage, before something goes wrong. in that regard it's important to recognise that the diplomatic offramps are not desirable or acceptable to russia. one could sur mice that. looking beyond a bilateral conversation between an interim government and kiev, the legitimacy of which russia rents, and thinking about -- rejects, and thinking about forming the nation and talking about the road forward. thinking about elections that does not force russia to accept the de facto legitimacy. the referendum in crimea is indicative not just of recklessness of putin, but he believes he can show that people power in crimea can amount to

the same thing that happens in kiev. whether you accept or reject that view, i believe it's an important message. >> i want to get back to the point of focussing on may elections. a lot of people say there's a hot of momentum and leverage on its side. >> i think there are things that the west can do to place more own us on russia. i think if russia considers the possibility that it may inherit a country of 46 people that is fragmenting in civil chaos. that's not a scenery, i'm fairly certain, that vladimir putin would find desirable. there's a whole lot of consternation among russians about what russia can and should legitimately do in ukraine, andway may be advantageous. those are things that skilful diplomacy can take into

consideration. >> let me clarify the point you brought up. the idea that if crimea breaks away, that it can plunge into chaos, you think it's a possibility. >> i do. if you go back to comments made a while ago, the fact that the u.s. has gone on record, we will not recognise a crimean government, if they are separated from ukraine and joins russian federation. it's a serious matter and will escalate the situation and entrench the positions. i don't know if that outcome is unavoidable. there's immediate things we can do to reduce the possibility that that occurs. the only thing we can do to offer that is to bring in a unified government, requiring concessions by everybody.

that's a reapplication of reality of making or remaking a nation under duress. >> joe henney a truman washington fellow. speaking to us from washington. be sure to join us from 8:30, the regular segment "the week ahead", we example the crisis in ukraine. that's at 8:30 eastern, 5:30, right here on al jazeera america. >> still ahead - searching for malaysia airlines flight 377. >> is it the next wave of architecture. homes with built-in water view, no matter where you look. you are watching al jazeera

america. >> the head of interpol said it's "a great concern", two passengers managed to get on a plane with stolen passports. the search continues for the missing malaysian jetliner that

vanished over the south china sea. a vietnamese plane found objects that could belong to the aircraft. >> a day after two large oil slicks were discovered in the south china sea. reports say vietnamese aircraft say they have discovered parts of what may be the plane off south vietnam. navy planes have returned to base and will continue on monday. the misty surrounding the flight of the mh-370. is my have turned from ith path, but -- its path, but never issued a defence signal. questions are asked about how two passengers on stolen passports could have entered the flight. >> form is where kuala lumpur airport - people go through

organizations. ordering to interpol no one check the base for those passports. interpol can't tell if they were used to board other flights. >> interpol is checking other passports against its record of stolen or lost travel documents. malaysian investigators said they are looking at footage taken by security cameras, in particular of the two men travelling with the stolen passports. >> on the possibility of hijack, we are not ruling any possibility. it's important to state that our main concern is to focus or efforts in finding the missing aircraft. >> relatives of passengers on board the missing plane have been anxiously waiting for news. until the aircraft has been found, there'll be no answers, only questions, and an agonising

wait. >> and with more on this let's bring in peter goals, the former managing director of the national transport safety board. thank you for your time. i know we don't know much about the case, but what jumps out at you most? >> what jumps out most is this is another challenging investigation that will take weeks, if not months. an open water search is extraordinarily challenging. we have done them before, but they are very difficult. unfortunately the family members are in for many days of tough times. >> why is it so hard to find a missing airline. you would think in this day and age, that we would know by the minute where plans are in the skies above us. >> you might think that, but in trans-oceanic flights there are

parts of the ocean where radar is less effective. this flight was at the outer reaches of the effectiveness of the radar tracking it. the further you are away from the radar station, the less accurate it is. they are determining that it perhaps could have changed course. it's a challenging issue. one thing that's critical is that the black boxes, the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder - they issue out - they transmit a ping, an identifying tone that leads searchers to them. if you can't get within a few miles of where they are located, you can't hear them. it will raise an issue about do we need to rethink the issue of how we track the aircraft, and maybe we need to consider

deployable black boxes that could eject and float upon impact. >> is there better technology that can track the airplanes or deployable black bombs that could make it -- black boxes that could make it easier to fined. >> there are better technologies. we have relied on the assume line of sight communications, some satle light communications but with today's technologies, we should be able to have the planes pinpointed throughout the flights. >> how long will it take for crews to crack down on the wreckage of their plane. could is take days, weeks, what? >> it will take days, weeks, months. a needle in the haystack is easier than tracking down an aircraft that went down in the

o. it's extraordinarily challenging. >> this will be a long wait for a lot of people. i want to get your thoughts on the case of the two stolen passports. explain to us how it's possible that two passengers could apparently walk on to a plane with stolen passports? >> fix, it's inexplicable and unacceptable. the reality is post 9/11 there's - you get a little complacent. for example, we have developed in the aviation industry a layered approach to security, including at the sale, point of sale, in the aircraft, keeping the cockpit doors armoured and clothes. there are various layers and the hope is if one fails, the next two or three will prevent the event from taking place. in this case, it is fundamental.

you need to know who is getting on the aircraft. if you don't know that, the entire system breaks down. >> okay. peter goelz former managing director at the national safety transport board. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> today marks seven years since former federal bureau of investigation agent and contractor robert levinson went missing in iran - the longest-held hostage ever. his family wants u.s. to work with iran to bring hymn home. >> robert levy son disappeared in 2007, a luxury resort off kish island. at the time he was said to be working as a private investigators, and avoided claims that he worked with the c.i.a. that year his wife christine and his son went to iran in search of answers. >> it does not get easier after

seven years. we have two new grandchildren. one is three weeks old, the other is four months. it's difficult. i know how much he would love to see them and put them on his lap. >> levinson was seen alive in these photographs received last year sent to his family by a private investigator. they released this video. >> i have been held here for 3.5 years. >> last year an associated press investigation reported he had been working on a mission for the c.i.a., spying on the iranian government. livin son's family confirmed his c.i.a. employment, but what he was doing is unclear. seven years later levinson's wife christine holds out hope. >> i think cooperation between the two countries could resolve the issue. >> secretary of state john kerry released this statement on kund:

-- on sunday: >> the iranian government denies holding robert levinson and say they are unaware of his whereabouts. >> the release of a group of greek orthodox nuns kidnapped in the chaos of the syrian civil war hit a roadblock. they are expected to be free. the 13 nuns were supposed to be exchanged for so prisoners held by the syrian government. they were captured when their monastery from overrun by rebels, and they claimed they were holding them for their application. >> diplomatic homes of solving the ukrainian crisis seems to be

at a stand still. >> using the silver screen to bring attention to people with disabilities.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here are the top stories this half hour. still no sign of a missing malaysian jetliner. the vietnamese navy may have spotted debris, but still no confirmation of the whereabouts. two passengers boarded the flight with stolen passports. interpol of grave concern that no one checked their database. >> it's seven years since an american working for the c.i.a. went missing in iran. an investigation by associated press reveals that robert levinson may have disappeared while spying for the c.i.a. >> pro-russian troops attacked at a rally, russian troops control the region.

>> amy knight, an author offer various books of the soviet union and the kgb. thank you for being with us. how badly do you think russia wants crimea? >> i think russia would like very much to have crimea more under its sphere of influence. it's we important strategically because of the naval base, and i think that the possibility that a new government in kiev could change your the terms of the russian agreement with ukraine about this space, in terms of the number of troops and the level of readiness, and actually the amount of time that they have to continue with owning the space - i think that probably moscow was concerned about what this new government might do, if it was more pro-european. >> so every indication we get is

that russia is seizing control of crimea, is basically cutting it off from ukraine to take in its own. this referendum is coming up. is anything happening from ukraine or the west to reverse the moments. >> the more the days go on. the more it looks like this is a fait accompli. i can't see, first of all, vladimir putin backing down at this point. >> there's no offramp for him, as they say diplomatically, an escape clause to get him to pull out. >> exactly. and they have moved the refferent um -- referendum up until march. looks like they wouldn't hold it unless they were sure they would vote in the referendum from ukraine. everyone knows vladimir putin is concerned about russia as a

power, and from his stand point crimea and going back to the tsars has been a symbol of moscow's authority and importance. i don't think that vladimir putin is likely to back down, unless the europeans really line up with the united states, and they enforce very harsh economic sanctions. >> let's talk about that. sanctions may not be a good idea. vladimir put vladimir putin seems to have, again, leverage when it comes to the economies, but that they may not be a good approach because it will further anger russia. >> i don't know. i think there's a point where vladimir putin at least has some respect for a show of affirm line on the part of the west. yes, the sanctions will hurt europeans, less so the united

states if they enforce the sanctions. europe and particularly germany have so much trade and they get so much of their energy from russia, that will be a hard decision for angela merkel, and the rest of the europeans to make. on the other hand, i do think that it could, in the long run undermine vladimir putin's support among businessmen and officials what were high up in the government for whom it is important to go abroad and to have western vestment in russia. >> assuming if europe does not go forward with sanctions - and by all indications they have no desire to do that. are we reaching the point where the west should back off? >> we have to continue with

efforts to get more negotiation with the russians, drawing in the ukrainian government. even if the russians are not so interested. >> of course, because they have declared the government be ilget wait. the important thing is to prevent russia from flexing its military muscles. i don't think it will happen. i think russia is too smart to - for example, to make a military incursion further into eastern ukraine. i don't think it will happen. it's very important that the u.s. and its western european allies make it clear that that can't happen. >> probably the bigger concern is no one knows what is about to happen. that's the bigger concern. thank you for your insight. >> russia's president says a

referendum on the ukraine is legal. ukrainian military - the future of sailors and soldiers is uncertain. >> it's a ukrainian command ship with nothing to command. the crew is doing daily chores, but the armed guards is a sign that all is not well. the ukrainian navy is blockaded by the russians. >> this is why it get up close and personnel. that is a ukrainian gunship recollects right in because the previous crew were to friendly. ukrainians came on board demanding sailors become part of pro-rush forces. the deputy captain says there has been other pressures.

representatives offered food and supplies. we refused. we thanked them for their offer of cooperation, but we don't need the help. wives and girlfriend are worried. they are worried their boyfriend do end up in odessa, where some of the fleet has gone. >> translation: i think the government of ukraine cannot do anything. it will be in the hands of crimean authorities, ukraine can't do anything about it. in the crimean capital, a pro-russian demonstration attracted thousands. a week before the referendum on whether crimea should join russia or stay in ukraine. authorities believe next week crimea will be russian. >> if you could know and feel what it was like in moscow. if you feel how happy the russian government was.

i thought it was not us joining russia, but russia joining crimea. >> last week russia captured a border class base. ukrainian sailors took what ships and vehicles they could. russian forces took another base like it. life in the resort town is uninterrupted by the political manoeuvring. stannize lav lives here and says he will stay, no matter how the vote goes. >> i like it here. i love the sea and the nature. i want to live here. if the majority decides to be with russia, we'll be with russia, but we'll be ukrainians. >> daily chores like taking out the trash is arduous. as pro-russian forces prepare to make it part of russia, no one knows what will happen to the fleet or its sailors. >> e.u.'s foreign policy chief

catherine ashton is in iran. she is meeting to talk about the nuclear program. there's hope a deal can be reached by mid july. >> the e.u.'s foreign policy chief catherine ashton is in carbon on a 2-day visit - a little bit of business, a little bit of pleasure. the war op syria, security in afghanistan and iran. the nuclear issue weighses over iran's foreign policy. the n minister spoke about that. he is hoping an agreement can be reached by the july deadline. a permanent nuclear agreement, but stressed there must be no ambig urty in any agreement. catherine ashton is regarded as the key to getting a temporary nuclear agreement, reached in november. she is here as a friend of the foreign minister, at the

invitation of the foreign mincerminc ministry. she expressed positivity and stressed that there's no certainty that a final agreement could be agreed. >> japan can live without nuclear power - that is the message of demonstrators of the the tsunami killed 15,000 people and caused meltdowns at the fukushima nuclear power plant. >> rising oceans are threatening cities around the world. architects are looking for solutions, helping man live with the see. lori glain gliha shows a

floating village in amsterdam building a water world. >> this is the heaviest objelent. >> this woman explains that her house was built around her bath tub. >> there is the water. >> yes, you can see the water. sometimes i see people swimming with a canoe. >> all it, takes is a peak out the balme window to see why the weightie fixture makes the house tilt a little to one side. the house floats on water. >> sometimes it shakes, because it's attached it will shake not like this, but like this. sometimes it can be funny. this is the kitchen. we spend a lot of time here, obviously. >> do you ever get dizzy. i feel the water go like this. does it make you feel sea sick. >> not really, not at all. i like the water.

>> this is the dining room. and here we have the family in the evening most of the time. in the summer we open kt window and bark cue. also the ducks are always around. we feed them. >> the home is one of 75 similar structures built along a series of artificial islands just outside the center of the netherlands capital city. it's a floating village that may be a model for communities everywhere, threatened by volatile levels and storm surges. >> the netherlands is one of the most densely populated places in the world. 60% of the population lives below sea level. space has been scarce. more than 10 years ago a group of architects designed a way to

utilize the water. >> the architect designed a community of floating houses. it took seven years of research, engineering and designing. they are loosely anchored in shallow water to a pair of polls. >> the rings can go up and down. it can move 60 centimetres in this case. >> the design has been an inspiration to other countries, including the united states. making a neighbourhood like this work requires creative thinking. >> you have to think about where to park the car. where do you make storage. it's an urban question. you have to make a good urban plan. >> olihandra is excited about growing her family in this neighbourhood and anxious to see which other water site communities may hop on board. >> floating houses - they are

like houseboats. a lot of people in new orleans are interested in what they are doing. >> new orleans and maybe new york city after we had to deal with sandy. we'll have to monitor this throughout the next couple of years and pioneer the ideas domestically given the fact that many united states cities having to deal with storm surge. by 20130 we are looking at seattle, san francisco, los angeles, and portions of boston into norfolk, charleston and tampa will have to deal with flooding at the coastline. we have to see it. look at temperatures. very good news across the country. in seattle they are climbing to a high of 57. we started the day on a wet note. most of the showers pushed into

org gan to central california, where they sea a little snow in the mountains. warm air pushing towards the plains and chicago, where they are at a high of 40. you're thinking "is it warm?", but it's a lot better than where they have been. spring is pushing across the country. let's talk about the good news. most of the country enjoying a dry, sunny, beautiful day. that's the story in the north-east, to the south-east. in the west, however, we are looking at the snow because of a lot of the moisture pushing in off the pacific and rain along i-5, down into northern california, where they need the rain, it subsided. out of the seattle area and along i-5. we could see a few more land slides. conditions will improve. we are looking in the mid 50s, around the 60 degree mark

pushing from wednesday to thursday. in minneapolis, 10 degrees warmer. look at the highs for the sunday. i'm really impressed towards denver and rapid city, where it's 20-25 degrees warmer than it should be. talking about the snow storm. it's a little early. we'll see the system making its way in and out of canada. we are looking at a threat across portions of the great lake. it could be eight to 10 inches of snow, especially gin how warm it is. do you think we have another system in the works for the middle of next week? >> i thought we were into spring. a film festival is trying to show a different side of people living with disabilities by putting them on the big screen. we have more.

>> in 1971 sammy lenton was heading to washington to protest the vietnam war, when she was injured in a car accident leaving herself partially paralyzed. >> in the beginning i didn't know what to call myself. >> her focus changed. she been an outspoken voice for people with disabilities, one she channelled into a film called "invitation to dance", if i hear the term people with special needs one more time, i'm going to punch somebody. >> it's one of 23 movies by or about people with disabilities shown in the annual real abilities film festival. it's a week-long event. over 300 film makers applied for coveted spots in the line-up. >> it's interesting to put in a room a person who is deaf, blind, someone in a wheelchair , and a person on the autistic

spectrum and, of course, these people have nothing to do with one another, literally don't speak the same language, yet connect on the topic of inclusion. >> festival organizers are leading by example. sign language is provided for the deaf, audio descriptions for visually impaired and all venues made wheelchair accessible. the pass of the disability act in 1990 was a milestone, but stigma is everywhere. >> if i go to the entrance with a building and there's a wheelchair building that says this way. let's say i'm with a group of people. everyone else go through the beautiful well-designed entrance and i go to the side. that's one of the signals that we get all the time that we are marginal. >> one of the goals is to draw

attention to the underrepresentation of the disabled in the media. another is to portray them as ordinary people. >> you see my disability, i can't see yours. the average joe that holds the door open, and the hidden ones are sometimes the most disabling of them all. society doesn't know it's there. they are learning. thanks to disability activists new york city will require that half the city's 13,000 taxis be accessible to people with disabilities. >> morgan radford reporting. >> 1,000 miles to the alaskan wilder non, the course of the iditerod race. we'll meet some of the competitors next.

>> more than 50 dog sled teams

are closing in on the finish line of the iditerod race in alaska, it's a huge physical and logistic at challenge. we have followed the race on the ground and in the air. >> they call it the iditerod air force. dozens of volunteer pilots with their own craft carrying food, medical supplies and people to the 23 checkpoints along the trail. the dog teams couldn't race without air supports. >> you name it. is there room. i squeeze in, i'm small, you like small, light pilots. light ones too. >> the race passes through remote, rugged country. from above the land dwarfs the dog teams and their human handlers, called mushers, who often run all night, through all weather. scattered hamlets host the cheg

points. food and rest for canin and humans alike. dallas, whose father won last year's race, is reviving a fired team, and keeping up family traditions of mushing and bravado. >> i'm having the time of my life, running the best dog team i have ever run. that's what i love to do. if we beat the competitors, that's a bonus. >> taking a break at cow tag on the you con river -- ukon river is a norwegian team. six or seven nations are represented, including jamaica. making it an international race. >> it's a home-state favourite as the finish line looms in a few days time. this man has been runner-up twice. she's setting records along the trails, with little snow. as one of the last important checkpoints nears, half the town

is out to welcome her. >> first, her dogs need attention. and then she talks about her amazing run so far. >> i don't think i have a secret. i have a good dog team. and i made some strategy moves that worked so they have to work another 300 miles. >> not so far behind are veteran mushers who have won before. one four times. they are determined to use the challenging terrain and the remaining days to press their own claim to victory in what they like to call the last great race. >> the last great race indeed. incredible stuff. the fastest marathon time recorded was clocked in perbin at two hours, three minutes and 23 seconds. the runner from kenya, a runner who produced some of the best distance runners. there's new pressure on children there to tap into the natural talent as a way to outpace

poverty. >> children at this rural school western kenya start their routine evening training session. they are the school's best runners. this region is famous for producing top world athletes. so the children from the primary school, most from poor backgrounds hope to join the list of the running elite. amy is 14, and the best female runner so far. >> i started running when i was in class four. i worked hard. i wanted to be like my favourite athletes. and assist my family and village. >> but gone are the days when running was for fun. it's still a passion of many children. now loaded with pressure to perform and bringing in the big money. winning international races is lucrative. those that made it, millions in

prize money and sponsorships. >> this region produced many champions. >> they assume by excelling that they'll turn out to be bread winners in the gamily. >> like in other sports, many do not name it beyond the tracks at home. those that do graduate to schools in year 10. it attracts thousands of athletes, known as the school of champions. >> this man helped children for over 30 years. it is one of the schools ced ted for the success of distant runners. >> one of our jobs as mentors for the young people is to try to get young athletes to realise

that it's not just all about money. it's not all about the business of it. it's about life, your lifestyle. it's about your values in life. >> back at her home, amy found out she was accepted into the training program at the prest eegous st. patrick's high school. it's a ticket out of poverty. >> incredible. that's the show this sunday night. i'll be back in an hour much headlines after this break on al jazeera

>> this is al jazeera america. live from new york. i'm jonathan betz with the headlines. tensions escalate on the ground in crimea. pro-russian groups attacked

activists at a rally. secretary of state john kerry warned russia that annexing crimea would close the door to diplomacy. russia is undeterred. >> the ascertain for a missing malaysian jetliner conditions. there's reports the navy may have spotted debris, but there's no confirmation on the whereabouts of the plane. >> two passengers managed to board the flight using stolen passports. the head of interpol said it's of grave concern that no one checked their database of stolen passports before it took off. >> venezuela government accused of using brutal force. 20 have died since february. >> today marks seven years since an american working for the c.i.a. mysteriously went missing in iran. an investigation suggests robert levinson vanished while spying

on the iranian government. the secretary of state john kerry said in a statement: the united states is committed to the safe return of robert levinson to his family. >> "america tonight" weekend starts now, that's it for al jazeera america. you can always find us on aljazeera.com. ♪ music ] >> and good evening. thanks for joining us. you're watching "america tonight - the weekend edition", i'm joie chen. we begin in the san francisco bay area, exploring a place called home. the mission is home base for a t