>> >> announcer: this is al jazeera. >> hello there, welcome to the newshour live from doha and london. these are the top stories - yes to democracy, no to the taliban. afghans turn out in big numbers to choose a new president. >> plus, a ship looking for the missing malaysia airliner detects a signal in the indian ocean. >> and from london with the latest from europe - see you in court. ukraine threatens russia with

legal action over a steep increase in gas prices. >> five years on from italy's earthquake. why much of a town is damaged. >> the artistic side of george w. bush, how he really sees russia's vladimir putin and other leaders around the world. >> despite all the threats from the taliban, afghanistan has carried out historic presidential elections. more than 7 million turn out to vote. that's 58% of the electorate, higher than in the united states. afghans had three main voices, abdullah abdullah, ashraf ghani ahmadzai, and zalmai rassoul. we probably won't know who has won for several weeks. as bernard smith reports, this is a proud day for many afghans.

>> the queue started forming well before kabul's polling stations opened. despite the taliban threats to target the election, people wanted to vote. in afghanistan's 5,000-year history it marks the first democratic transfer of power. people here are eager to seize the chance. >> we don't care about the threat from the taliban. i don't have a threat from taliban. >> 12 million people were eligible to vote. in parts of the country polling stations were closed, where the taliban held sway. this is the scene across the country, people queue up after going through a security check. they dip their finger in indelible ink, go in to the booth to cast their vote and ballot. the blue one is for the

presidential election, the green for the provincial election. the presidential vote is easy. the provincial elections, they get six pages, each like this. there are 400 candidates in kabul. each person has to choose one. it is not a quick process. >> president hamid karzai was one of the first to vote. this election bringing to an end his 12 years of rule since the taliban was forced out of power in 2001. >> translation: i cast my vote today as a citizens of this country. i'm glad and proud that i have voted. i'm certain that today's event, and people's participation will take the taliban towards security and better lives. >> there are eight candidates for president. abdullah abdullah is one of a front runner, ashraf ghani ahmadzai another, and zalmai rassoul. kabul was locked down as part of an unweres dented nation-wide

security operation mobilizing 4,000 security personnel, bringing the number of attacks below the daily average in afghanistan, according to security forces. ballot counting started as polls closed. there are allegations of fraud being made that will tst the independence of the let ral commission. >> -- electoral commission. >> i'm not sure if the complaint will be handled fairly, we don't know how they will act. during past experiences with the two commission, they have not been desirable. this time around it remains to be seen whether they'll act sincerely or in favour of one of the candidate. >> the commission is not expected to announce preliminary results for four to five days. this was never expected to be a poll free of fraud, but how much

there is will determine whether afghans accept the time condition on the winner. >> the chief observer of the european union election assessment team in afghanistan says that although there were problems, they are crucial for the country's future. >> even though a proportion of polling stations had to remain closed for security reasons, it's the only and best way to secure a peaceful transition, this is one thing then, it's a pity so many have not been able to cast their votes. if you see the turn out. it is likely to be higher, higher than in 2009, which is, in itself, a good sign. it means that afghan citizens choose the elections as their moment. we know foreign froops are

leaving -- troops are leaving afghanistan. and many people i speak with are longing for the troops to leave and take the future of afghanistan in their own hands. this is the moment. that is why you see so many people highly motivated standing in cues before the polling station. >> pakistan shut borders. the interior minister said the government would release 13 taliban prisoners to aid peace talks with militants. the interior militant said on saturday that he hopes the taliban will release some of the its own prisoners as well. >> in surria there are reports that the government has taken over a strategic hill north-east of aleppo. forces appeared to be stepping up an offensive in the country side of damascus.

>> the aftermath of what activists say was a soars government forces attack in alemo on friday. -- aleppo on friday. "these are all civilians", says a man pointing to corpses that appear to be covered in sheets. >> translation: asaad forces hit the neighbourhood, the hospital and civilians. >> this video reportedly shows syrian jet bombing a rebel held area elsewhere in the province. al jazeera has no way of verifying the picture posted on the internet. >> around an eastern suburb of damascus, there was heavy fighting. at least a dozen people killed since wednesday. it has been under siege for material six months. activists say syrian fighter secrets targeted rebel held

areas for a third consecutive day. >> fighting also continues in latakia on the mediterranean coast. the battle a control of a checkpoint known as post 45 - overlooking large areas of countryside to the north of the city. activists say government forces dropped barrels filled with explosives on areas in deraa to the south. the syrian army made gains against rebels in the west of the country near the lebanese border. the united nations says 140,000 people died since the war began. >> egypt's interim prime minister met the afghan governor. they arrived in the southern province following the killing of 23 people. 12 others were in soars

condition. violence broke out on friday following a breakdown of talks between tribesman and villagers. >> antimilitary protests are continuing across egypt. demonstrations are in support of the depost president mohamed morsi. his trial for ipp sitement of -- incitement of violence has been adjourned until monday. the trials are described as absurd and legitimate. >> al jazeera demands the release of its journalists that have been in prison for 98 days. the trial of peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy, and mohammed badr has been adjourned until april 10th. a fourth, abdullah al-shami, has been detained without trial. after 75 cause on hunger strike his health is deteriorating.

al jazeera rejects all charges against its journalists. >> a chinese ship looking for a missing malaysian airliner detected a missing signal. a black box detector on board the ship picked up the signal. the plane with 239 people went missing on board almost a month ago. >> chris united states is an independent aviation analyst and said search teams relying on the black box don't have much time left. >> there are other issues crotching up with the story at the moment. including, for example, the location that this pinger sound is heard from. somewhat north of the safe area that's been predicated today. and that giving the - the reports an our of doubt at the

moment, but having said all of that, you know, it gives us at least a glimmer of hope. the black box has a shelf life really of 30 das before the bat -- days before the battery will start to run down. we are on 28 days now. the possibility is that that battery will be in its final state of charge, if you will. so the power continues to decrease, and with it, of course, the range of the pinger will start to decrease as well. >> ukraine's prime minister is threatening legal action against russia over the price of its natural gas. felicity bar is in the news center with that story. >> two price increases by russia nearly doubled what ukraine pays for its gas, a move that the

ukrainian prime minister described as economic aggression. arseniy yatsenyuk held talks with neighbours to secure more supplies. russia provide half of ukraine's gas needs. >> the russian government, together with gaz prom, part of the russian government declared ukraine has to pay almost 500 per cubic metre. it's the highest price, not an economic price. russia didn't manage to invade by military aggression, but is now trying to invade by economic aggression. >> a flag was rolled out to show support for people in the recently annexed crimea region. >> the eastern city of donetsk

has been a support base for viktor yanukovych, and there has been calls for it to become part of russia. the area has seen the report dwindle. we have been sent this report. >> beneath a symbol of the past, pro-russian ukranians rally. they repeat calls that they've been left behind. >> we are here against the government in kiev, we do not recognise it. we have been here for three months. some believe that viktor yanukovych is the lij wait president of ukraine. there's pore for the idea of serialisation. people here believe it would give autonomy from give, and the ability to join moscow. >> chanting referendum, a group of protesters moved to the city

council. police were ready and waiting. numbers of pro-russian protesters are dwindling, and opinion polls show it's the same across the region. later prounity sentiment is growing. football fans from the east and west meet to support opposing teams, sumonning up a united chance. >> since the revolution, fans who were stark enemies like us and odessa are friends and play football toot. >> translation: we are united by the idea of nationalism. >> walking side by side is easy for those moving in the right direction. >> all of eastern ukraine is watching politics play out in kiev. it's their response that decides the future stability of the country. >> we'll have more from europe a

little later in the newshour. >> lots more to come here on the al jazeera newshour. activists in the u.s. planning protests against an increase in deportation. president obama will be live in washington. >> we report from rwanda where people are commemorating the victims of the 1994 genocide. and barcelona received help as it picked up a win. that and more sport late. >> several protests against president obama's immigration policy is taking place. this is the scene in atlanta. it's estimated that the number of illegal immigrants deported during the aborigine rsh will reach 2 million.

while there's a couple of hundred protesters gathered in front of the white house, that is where patty culhane is at the moment. a lot of strong feelings about the deportations. >> they do. they are hoping to send a message with large demonstrations across the country. the turn out is less than expected across the way from me. there's a couple of hundred people. he is out golfing. it's not going get media coverage, because - mainstream coverage, because it's a small protest. they have been calling president obama the deportation president. under his terms in office they are about to reach 2 million deport. numbers can be misleading. here is the reason why. immigration officials are challenging the way they count deportation. they never did that before. it could be a little skewed, and

it could seem as if more people were reported. >> if you look at the numbers, president obama's focus is getting ilcriminals out of the country. immigration officials admit 150,000 people were deported for being in the country without deportation. there are real stories behind the numbers. here is an example. >> 4.5-year-old warren bradley does not smile much since his smile has been gone. he has nightmares and often cry, and has been told his father has been away working for the last four months. he doesn't know he is being held at chrome, a detention facility operated by ice. >> translation: it's hard, i'm here alone. he is an undocumented argentinian immigrant who has

lived here for 14 years, and deported in 2005. he returned two months later. last december he was pulled over and arrested for driving with an expired licence. on this day his wife and son joined other florida activists visiting congressman ted's office. they were lobbying for release. >> we are not criminal. we came to the country to keep our family together. we have a dream. icedeported 130,000 people. 82% had committed crimes. that includes traffic violations. an ice spokesman says. . activists say president obama

shouldn't lump immigrants into the same category, who comprise less that half deported. they want obama to conduct a mass of deportations, especially since imx-raying reform is elusive. >> we need a moratorium. the president has the power. >> until there's a change in policy. like so many other kids, they'll live with an incomplete family. >> well, in may 2011 the u.s. president said his deportation policy was focussed on violent offenders. the ice agency depoured 360,000, one in five convicted of an aggravated felony, referring to

30 crimes ranging from murder to foiling a false tax return. earlier we spoke to michael graham, radio talk show host, and i asked about concerns that illegal immigrants were being deported regardless of whether they committed crime. >> you are tarring illegal immigrants when you have advocates saying there should be no difference to people who come to america legally, fill out the paperwork, pi a lot of money versus those that steal and cheat their way into the system. when you say the stealers and cheapers and take jobs, are entitled to the same treatment as law-abiding immigrants, it's astonishing. of all the people that suffer because of the open border approach, the legal immigrants are the ones that suffer the worst. >> a lot of pressure on barack obama to defer the deportations

and the caucus laid out demand. do you think there'll be a change in policy? >> there's a lot of pressure from democrats and business trts that align with republicans. keep in mind, there's no surge in deportations. the past week the los angeles times, a pro-am nesty newspaper acknowledged people that come and make it across the border plujed by 30%. it's the border security that increased, and the president obama administration changed the definition of a deportation to include people ta are turned away at the border. by every measure, president obama has been the most pro open boarder amnesty president we have had. >> he did say he wanted to reform immigration policy. we have seen 2 million deportations. is it time for serious

legislative change? >> what's the change? as the acting head of the customs and immigration enforce. said a few weeks ago, if you are in the united states and a run of the mill illegal immigrant. there's zero chance you'll be deported. what is it that those who want america to act like every other country on the planet and deport people illegally, what's in it for us. if the policy is everyone gets to stay, and we demand laws that let's everyone to stay, that's a lose-lose. >> the word is humane. there should be a huge an way of doing this. we are saying that every other country in the world, mexico, ireland, spain, that deports illegal immigrants is inhumane. we are the only country where people demand to come to our country and life here as a human

rite. if it's a human right to come to my country, there's no america. if you don't have borders, i challenge your viewers, would you allow this in your country. where people show up, compete for jobs, use your hospitals and schools and say "i'm entitled to be here", and you, as a citizen has no right to stop me. >> george w. bush unveiled an exhibition of his finest works, painting portraits of 24 world leaders, including tony blair, and his father. >> when in it was former president bush had trouble expressing himself. >> fool me once - shame on... >> so out of office he's trying a different tact - painting. he's taking lessons. >> she said "what's your goal?" and i said "there's a rem brant

dropped in this body, your job is to release him." >> has she. >> time will tell. >> in an interview with his daughter, turned journalist, he has given an insight. >> an art critic says the portraits say everything president bush couldn't when in hospitalment. >> indesuggests. hamid karzai's fas is not fixed. indecision. >> german chancellor angela merkel. >> perhaps a bit bitter. >> likely the most telling - take a look at how he sees russian president vladimir putin, whose soul bush once said he could see. >> it's not a friendly painting. he seems to have changed his mind. whatever he saw he was wrong. >> started with a self-portrait. >> the former president turned the art on himself. do you think that's confidence? >> yes. >> there's neck fat.

>> well... >> there's a big proportion of the net fat. >> it's very real. >> this is a former president with a few more of those, and could be seep as bush responding to critics, in a way. >> he's so reluctant to make a statement about his administration. he's wrestling with what it meant. is he painting or sending a message? much like his presidency people will likely be polarized in their opinions. >> interesting stuff. essel love et is an art critic and lecturer and told my colleague that the former president should be applauded. >> a lot of people are saying they are not good. i think they are not that bad. they are pretty good. the 43rd president, to leave the

white house and pick up a paint brush. a lot of people expected him to pick up a pen and write memos, no, he did something more powerful than the word on paper and picked up a paint brush. good on him. it's easy for people to paint kittens playing with balls of wall. he picked the hardest subject, the human face. >> what about the painting of hamid karzai. he is worried and undecided. i would be to if i had the taliban breathing down my neck. he captured the essence and personality of a person. more than that, he captured a good likeness. the one tip that i give him is that perhaps he should have choose his next subject from someone in front of him, so he's not too reliant on photographs. photographs are two-dimensional.

that's why some paintings look a little flat. >> a thought about tony blair. there seemed to be artistic admiration for the former prime minister. >> that's a great one, and the americans and the english have a special relationship, and bush was inspired to start to pick up the brush by reading winston churchill's memoirs, when he retired, churchill picked up a brush, he was so enthuffed. his signature may make the paintings worth more than the paintings. >> some art critics that savaged the collection say bush paints as he speaks. do you think art history is likely to be kind to the former president. >> if obama would have painted the pictures the world would have loved them. >> still to come - five years on

from italy's devastatiing earthquake, why much of a town is still in rouinruins. >> can manchester city hold its nerve as its race goes down to the wire. more details later on. [ male announcer ] it's here -- xfinity watchathon week, your chance to watch full seasons of tv's hottest shows for free with xfinity on demand. there's romance, face slaps, whatever that is, pirates, helicopters,

pirate-copters... argh! hmm. it's so huge, it's being broadcast on mars. heroes...bad guys... asteroids. available only on mars. there's watching. then there's watchathoning. ♪

>> welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera - turn out in afghanistan's elections on saturday were at 58% according to the election commission. voters braved threats from the taliban and bad weather. there has been fighting in syria and government forces. rebel held areas in aleppo were targeted. chinese state media says a ship looking for the malaysian airliner detected a signal. australian and chinese authorities are yet to determine whether it is related to flight

mh370. >> the united nations screg ban ki-moon is in central african republic to assess the conflict and warned against violence after troops from chad is accused of killing civilians. the fallout from that led to them leaving the country. it's the latest in a series of violence from chadian troops from the car. >> it parse they came in to -- appears they came in to evacuated chadians, and others who had been under attack from the anti-balaka. so the chadian army has, in the past, came in and evacuated people, and saved many lives of people who are clearly in danger. this time they started to shoot civilians, men, women and children in the marketplace.

>> the prime minister of chad says the allegation is offensive and the troops must try to stop the violence. >> in the face of this unspeakable attitude, which is an insult in the face of brave soldiers, and thousands of other chadian, foreign and other victims. i would like to remind those that are forgotten that if the pre-planned genocide did not come to fruition, it was because chadian troops were there. >> sunday is 20 years since the start of one of the worst atrocities. one million people, mostly belonging to the tutsi minority were massacred. we met a survivor. this report contains scenes which viewers may find disresing. >> i'm at a school that has come

to symbolize the international community failing to come to the need. it was a peacekeepers base and u.n. peacekeepers were withdrawn. they left thousands of people at the mercy of killing mobs. many died. the killings happened in broad daylight and government officials hid people to pre-arranged places of slaughter. we visited a place in rwanda. >> this is the marambi genocide memorial, a place of the dead. 50,000 died in this school at the height of the genocide, in which ethnic hutus killed tutsis. the government had encouraged them to come here so they would be safe.

it was a trap. now only the remains of the dead remind the living of what happened. >> this site represents a crisis of humanity. it's easy to say it happened in a small african country, it's nothing to do with me. but, in fact, it's a representation of the sites in the world. >> this man survived, but his parents and eight brothers and sisters were murdered. he works as a site curators, his by choice, his way of dealing with what happened. >> i'm proud to be at the site because i feel it's my responsibility. i'm concerned. i'm feeling the voice of my dad, mum and other brothers and sisters. >> in the 20 years since genocide rwanda made insights

into avoiding representing the past. >> in a field where mass murder was committed farmers worked together to feed the face, and the government of present continues to implement a plan. >> for all children and enforcing a zero tolerance to corruption, to embracing technology, the nation is facing the future with the knowledge that slipping backward is not an option. >> the tragic events will remain in our memize. they can't stop us moving forward. >> that is a legacy we are having from the leadership led by the president government. >> rwanda's progress is partly due to financial aid from

western countries. at a western hub people are hard at work, developing software and computer applications. through technology, they can pull themselves out of poverty. >> most roou wantans say -- roou wand jans say they'll never forget those that died. how could they. everyone in this country was affected and lost a family member or has someone in prison. in three mons of relentless killics. >> france will not attend after they were accused of participating in the genocide. let's go back to the news center. a french-led humanitarian

mission were there. they were there to escape from paris. we have this report. >> when rwanda's genocide began. they had been working at the cultural center for years. he, his wife and two children sought refuge there, sending the rest of his family to stay with relatives. he said he helped officials in vein. >> we were evacuated after the french army refused to do so. my oldest daughter, mother, sis ders, brother-in-law, nieces and nephews were exterminated. like many, venice beliefs france is in denial. paris sent 2,500 soldiers. they arrived under a united nations mandate, 11 weeks after the mass anger started. some have refused french troops -- accused french troops of participating. they have been denied by the

military. the common application is that they offered protection. the general in charge says it's nonsense. the french are the only ones with a few african states that dared to go though. whereas the other major nations did nothing. france can be proud of its intervention, which saved tens of thousands of lives. >> there's still an open wound, the presence on french soil of rwandans implicated. >> last month this man was child for 25 years. the first rwandan convicted by a french court. his lawyers helped to bring charges against 20 other suspects. he says france's legal system has been too slow to act. >> chance didn't want to change its position the ongoing

investigations may offercm form of hope for the relatives and victims. some say what france is doing is too little and too late. in 2010 nicholas sar cosy was the first to visit. the international community, including france was guilty of errors which prevented us from seeing or stopping this appalling crime. it's too early for france to turp the page on the tragic ents. >> hungarians go to the polls on sunday in the parliamentary elections. the current prime minister and his ultra conservative party appear to have a strong lead. second place is a hard-fought battle between the central potential and the far right country. >> we have is this report from budapest.

>> the prime minister has run a carefully corio grared campaign, and commands devote support, the biggest political majority of any leader. his party is certain to win a second election. when he was elected prime minister four years ago it signalled change, especially after eight years of left wing leaders. he's a conservative and it goes down well with voters. grittics accuse -- critics accuse him of introducing right wing policies. >> among fiercest critic the former prime minister turned leader of the left-wing "ing. >> -- coalition. >> you have to decide wh to vote for people or the government. >> i vote for the people, the government has to be controlled.

>> all bans increase sway over the media. reforms raised concerns in europe. brussels accused hungary of failing to inspect democratic standards. the ruling party has been accused of artificially bringing down unemployment rates by forcing people into communal labour. this man is a sound engineer. he's struggling to get work. i don't make enough for a living. >> he sweeps the streets for $200. the prime minister may have critics but he has kept a grip on forces threatening to steer the country to the right. the yokic party is on the verge of being the major opposition. hungary's future depend on finding a middle ground.

>> five years after a devastating earthquake much of the italian town is in ruins. despite restriction. some of the temporary housing is starting to feel permanent. corruption and infighting are being blamed for the delays. >> this man has the up to almost to himself. he's one of a few restaurants who didn't abandon the town after a devastating earthquake killed more than 300 people on april 6th, 2009. >> you can't see a window open or here the sounds of music in the air or hear children playing, there's no life, only death. >> five years later this is a ghost town. >> lack of funds, mismanagement. corruption slowed down the res foration. repair works are on the way.

the town center will be reopened by 2016. >> it will be even more beautiful. once it's fit, it will be better than it used to be. more modern with better infrastructure. >> the mayors prediction will be habitable. it seems a little optimistic. most buildings are kept together and works to repair them have started. >> thousands of former residents fear temporary housing is becoming a permanent residence. >> translation: we'll probably stay for four, five, 10 years. we don't know when we'll go home. they don't involve us in any decision. >> while that man waits for orders to be able to return, on the fifth anniversary of the

earthquake, he remembers those that have gone forever. >> and a norwegian skydiver released film showing what he says is a close encounter with a metre item. the sky diver filmed this jump in 2012. on close examination discovered a rock passing by. the majority of the metre items burn up when they enter the atmosphere. scientists have not been able to find the remeans -- remains of that rock. >> still to come - a twisted generation, how mongolians are willing to tie themselves in knots for international recognise negotiation. >> and i'm in the sahara desert talking to runners about to

under take one of the world's toughest races.

ump >> welcome back, good to have you with us. time for sport. >> the top two in the spanish league, atletico and barcelona recorded wins. the title race goes to the wire. barca given a first-half penalty when sanchez was tripped in the box. messi scored, putting the homeside in front. their advantage was doubled after the break. jordie scored an own goal.

castro with a goal. messi wrapped up a 3-1 win after a penalty saved. the second point for athletica. >> atletico madrid in front beating villa real. only one goal for the home side, with a sixth straight win. atletico's victories in all the six remaining matches will be enough to secure them the title. >> a fair place in action, they have sewn the lead a -- taken the lead against socio dad. >> chelsea on top of the premier league , beating stoke 3-0. an observing cole for mohamed

asala. lampard with a second. chelsea could lose top spot if liverpool defeat west ham. >> manchester united beat newcastle. a win which david moyes's site goes up to sixth. they missed wayne rooney through a toe injury. >> manchester city are two off the top after a 4-1 win over south hamp tonne. pele greeny's men have two points on the leaders. >> the important thing is to depend on what we can do now. important to continue to play in the way we did. >> in germany, bayern munich's 53 game unbeaten streak came to an end.

bayer lefer cuesin's coach - the former liverpool defender paid the price. lefer cuesin won three games, losing to hamburg. they are in danger of champion's league relegation. >> mercedes third straight poll of the season, the first for the germans. lamont-doherty earth observatory dom -- hamilton dominated the practice sessions. australia's red bull driver daniel riccardo finished third but denoted to 13th. sebastien vettel will start from 10th on the grid. >> he cost the yankees $175 million in the off season. and a japanese player on friday made a debut.

it was far from a dream start, suffering a home run off his third pitch against the blue jays. he finished an eight stricters and two home rons. the yankees winning 7-3. >> the boston red sox were wearing their 2013 ring. the red sox beaten 6-2.the milwaukee brewers. l.a. dodgers took on the giants in their home opener after beginning their season in australia. the sell out crowd at dodger stadium were disappointed. >> n kevin durant equalled a record held by basketball legend michael jordan.

>> durant reached the 25-point mark for a 40th consecutive game against the houston rockets. his tally on friday was 28 and he was outshop. it took the rockets to 111 to 107 victory. >> the czech republic are the first tennis tam to qualify for the -- team to qualify for the davis cup final. they combined in the doubles to give the czechs a lead over japan. they are aiming for their third-straight title, facing germany or france. >> italy held off a challenge. britain are trying to reach their first davis cup semifinal

since 1981. >> khazakhstan moved within one victory of advancing to the semifinals after their team bad roger federer and partner on saturday. they'll have to win the first to keep switzerland' hopes alive. >> new, it's described as the toughest foot race on earth, over the next week more than 1,000 runners will find out how true it is. the marathon of the sand is about to start in morocco. it's where runners push their mind and bodies to the limit. as they take on the equivalent of six marathons. >> sports most convenient race reconvenes. many are in the sahara desert to

take part in a marathon. seven days, six days of running more than 250km to suffer. all whilst carrying a kid and food you need to survive. >> you can del yourself that everything is in the mind. if you want to achieve something, it's within you. there's no limit. the limit is what you put on yourself. >> the view from above underlines the scale of the change. sand, salt pans, mountains and sun. these elements combine to make a race. >> in 1984, patrick bauer decided to go for a whack. he came here. days and kilometres later an idea came upon him to share his experience. two years later he organised a

marathon desaab. runners are here to win, the vast majority only to prove a point to themselves. i remember when i couldn't run around the block. to watch people go from the start to the end is amazing transformation of not just body wise but mentally. marion is one of the oldest entrants and he's back for a fifth time. >> if you are young and fit, you think you can burn through the systems and come up the top. at my age i take it slower. at the end of the day it's punishing me. >> eastern here to gain a unique understanding of their limits. >> dark ter acing is all bet

getting off the beaten trap. this rally drive rolled his car. it happened at another place where a driver crashed a day earlier. >> more sport on the website. aljazeera.com/sport. there's details on how to get in kuch with the team using -- touch with the team using twitter and facebook. >> thank you for that. an el salvador fisherman who claimed to be lost at see passed a lie detector test. he claims to have survived on turtle blues, fish and birds that he said he caught with his bare hands. he was washed up. skeptics had doubt in his story. >> finally a matter of national pride in mongolia that they are the bendiest nation on earth. so much they want their

contortionist precision named by unesco. >> this young girl and others want to become contortionists. they learn from a great. for 66-year-old, teching the children how -- teaching how to contort the body is a matter of national duty. >> the body is aesthetic, giving flexibility strength and beauty to the female body, but the young and audiences are given inspiration. >> this woman was a contortionist for years, starting her career at the aim of in my opinion and says contortionism dates back so the 12th century when they performed

for their leader, genghis kahn. >> it is an important event and among the highlight are the contortionists. it's seen as an art form. mopping owlians wan this recognised and protected. if unesco grants its petition it will be the 12 recognition for intangible cultural matter in need of preserving. >> we don't need musical instruments outside our body, we look for music within. norm addic mongolians came up with the art forms as they meditated. >> for mongolia the art form is a statement of who they are. a celebration of the past and beauty of their her timing. -- heritage. >> that is amazing. that's it from the newshour from

me and the team. thanks for watching.

>> you're watching al jazeera america live from new york. i'm jonathan betz. >> a chinese ship picked up a signal from the floor of the indian ocean. the crew reportedly heard a ping matching the black box frequency. the source has not been determined. >> turn out in afghanistan was large as they voted for a new leader. there was an upsurge of violence notice lead up to the vote. >> full support for the middle east