thank you to all of our guests. see you next time. welcome to al jazeera live from doha. also ahead - the prime minister expected to cruise to victory was polls open in hungary. >> voting machines tested as india prepares for the largest election in the world, plus...

>> i'm andy richardson in the sahara desert talking to runners about to undertake one of the world's toughest races. >> we start with controversy surrounding rwandan memorial. france pulled out after the ru wandan president accused the french of being part of t. >> he said: >> he went on to say: >> survivors of the genocide accuse them of not doing enough

to prosecute those responsible. we'll be live to rwanda, but first this report from paris. >> when rwanda's genocide began, this man had been working at the french rwandan cultural center for years. he, his wife and children sent refuge there, sending the rest of his family to stay with relatives. he asked french officials for help with vain. >> translation: we were evacuated to nairobi. the french army refused to do so. my oldest daughter, mother, sister, brother, brother-in-laws, nieces and nephews were exterminated. >> like many rwandan tutsis, venice believes france is in denial. france spent 2,500 soldiers, arriving under a u.n. mandate 11 weeks after the mass kerrs started. some believe they participated,

denied by the military. the common accusation is they offered application to hutu militias, but the general in charge said it's nonsense. >> the french were the only ones, along with a few afghan states who dared to go there. the others 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 integrated. pascal was gaoled for 25 years for complicity in genocide. the first rwandan convicted by a french court. this man brought charges against 20 other suspects and said france's legal system has been too slo fact. >> translation: -- slow to act.

>>. >> translation: france were accused of participating in the genocide, for those that sought refuge in france. >> ongoing investigations may offer hope for the relatives of the victims of the genocide. some say what france is doing is too little, too late. >> in 2010 nicholas sar cosy was the first president to visit rwanda. he said they were guilty of errors that prevented us seeing or stopping the appalling crime. others say it is too early for france to turn the page on the tragic events of 20 years ago. >> one in five rwandans died in the genocide. there has been rapid population growth and for the generations born after the atrocities there was a determination to learn from the horrors of the past. we have this report from western rwanda.

>> this person was three when houthi militia men killed her parents. a neighbour hid her and her brother. she doesn't dwell on the past. >> i want to move on. i don't want to know this is houthi, this is tutsis. >> in this period, i know i don't have parents, because they've been killed, but i don't really want to focus on that. >> that's why hopes of a fully united rwanda are pegged on young people. every month they come from different parts of the country to discuss issues that affect them. everything from the country's laws, employment, patriotic and moving the country forward. >> the youth are important because for them they look at the future in a different way. >> first of all, they are not so much tied to their past.

they are that generation. >> in schools, the history of genocide is a mandatory part of the curriculum. every child born after the massacre knows what happened. >> these children know all about the history of their country, about the genocide, and what caused it. they are taught about the importance of reconciliation, and the power of tribal subdivisions. many say that this generation is crucial in ensuring what happened in 1994 never happens again. >> these boys say talking about the genocide helps make it feel more reel and not something that happened a long time ago. >> i talk to my peers about 1994 and all the bad things that happen. we know that our past must not determine our future. >> that is a mess childrening passed on -- message passed on

to his grandchild. he bribed killers to prevent them killing his tutsi wife. he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for protecting other tutsis. >> i say we are all the same. >> this man grew up being reminded by parentsers neighbours and the government that tutsis are enemies. he wants is different destiny for clementine. we go to a church where our correspondent is. we'll get to how the day is being marked. how are people feeling about the president's comment about france, and france pulling out now, out of the commemorations?

>> people want to know the truth, who was involved and they want an apology so they can get the closure that they've looked for for 20 years. the relationship between france and rwanda has been a complicated one. it's not the first time that a the president is accusing the french. there has been many accusations before of complicity during the genocide. rwanda accused france of giving weapons to the regime, weapons used to kill tutsis. rwanda accused france of elements within the french government of providing military advice in the months preceding the genocide. last month the conviction, a

master mind - an intelligence officer. people want to see more convictions. rwanda has been trying to get other suspects who are on french soil brought to justice. people want more people tried and they want the truth. >> fresh tensions between france and rwanda on this day. what about what is happening in rwanda and the reconciliation process between the ethnic communities in rwanda itself? >> there has been tremendous process, reckon sill suggests - they are -- reconciliations, they are living side by side, in the projects, where they camp together, farming, constructing

houses for the people who lost their home, helping to reconcile the communities the communities that did not trust each other. a lot of people have been talking and saying to me that reconciliation - full reconciliation will be achieved by the post-genocide generation. there's too much bad blood and bad memories. what they are saying is that people are quit interested in peacefully. it's an amazing achievement. they don't really trust each other. it will only take a consideration for ta trust. >> that's katherine joining us live from south of the rwandan

capital. >> to other news now and u.s. president obama congratulated afghanistan about the landmark presidential election. afghan leaders praised the turn out describing the vote as success. 7 million people braved threats from the taliban to cast their ballot. >> the queue started forming well before polling stations opened. >> dispute the taliban threats to target the election, people wanted to vote. in afghanistan's 5,000 year history, this marks the first democratic transfer of power. the people are eager to seize the chancism. >> we don't care about the threat from the taliban. you can see the people coming here. i don't have a fear. i'm not afraid of them. >> 12 million people were eligible to vote. in parts of the country where the taliban held sway, polling

stations were closed. across the count rit people queue up -- country. people queue up after going through security checks. they'll pick up ballot papers, go into the privacy of the booth to cast their votes and cast their ballots in the boxes here. blue is for the presidential election, green for the provincial election. the presidential vote is easy. there's eight candidates. for the provincial election they have six pages like this - 400 candidates in kabul. each voting chooses one of those candidates, so it's not a quick process. >> president hamid karzai was one of the first to vote. the election brings to an end the 12 years of rule since the taliban was forced out of power in 2001. >> translation: i cast my vote as a citizen of this country. i'm certain that today's event and our people's participation

would take afghanistan towards stability. there are eight candidates for president. abdullah abdullah is one of three frontrunners. >> it's a proud day for this proud nation. we have proven that there are people at the ballot, not of the bullet. the public, appreciates dem oblige rahsy, believes in it and is willing to make it work. the constitution is work. this is a day of celebration. kabul was locked down as part of an unprets dented nation-wide security operation that mobilized 400,000 security personal, helping to bring the number of attacks below the daily average in afghanistan. pallet counting started as polls closed. already there are allegations of

fraud being made that will test the independence of the election commission. >> i'm not confident that the complaints would be handled fairly because we don't know how the elections commission and the complaints commission will act during the past experiences that we had with the two commegss. they have not been desirable. this time around it remains to be seen whether they act sincerely or in favour of one of the candidates. >> the commission is not expected to announce preliminary results from four to five days. it's never expected to be a poll free offed fraud. >> voting has begun in hungary's parliamentary elections. the current prime minister and

the ultra conservative party is on course to retain power. lee barker reports from budapest. >> prime minister victor orban ran a carefully choreographed campaign. he commands devout support. the biggest political majority of any leader. his party is almost certain to win an election land sly d slide. >> when victor orban was elected prime minister it signalled a change. he's a conservative and a traditional list and left a message here with voters. his critics accused him of introducing right wing policies of making hungry an autogratic state. among his critics, the leader of the left-wing coalition. >> you have to decide whether you want to make the people be

free or the government. i vote for people. government has to be controlled, not the people. >> the increased sway over the media revote the constitution to strengthen power. brussels accused hungary failing to respect democratic standards. the ruling party is accused of bringing down artificial rates, forcing people into communal labour. this man is a sound engineer. the whole money is 50,000, which is not really enough for a living. he sweeps the streets for $220 a month. victor orban may have his critics, but he's valued for keepi keeping aneye op reforms.

hungary's future in europe depends on finding a delicate middle ground. >> still to come on al jazeera - the polls that could be from the missing malaysia plane. the search conditions, but there's no verification. plus - breathing new life into the eastern pacific grey whales. the mammals on the mexican coast.

>> good to have you with us. these are the top stories on al

jazeera - france pulled out of commemorations to mark the 20th anniversary of the rwandan genocide over allegations of complicity. 8,000 mainly tutsis were killed in the massacre. president obama congratulated afghanistan on the landmark presidential elections. 7 million people braved threats from the taliban to cast their votes. voting began in hungary's elections. the current prime minister and the ultra conservative party appeared on course. >> now, india starts to vote on monday in what will be the largest election in the world. polling is being divided into nine stages. it will take six weeks in the north-eastern state where final

preparations are under way. >> that shreeky noise, the electronic voting machines are tested. this is where the journey began. hundreds gathered from different areas to collect the machines. the election commission is saying this will be the first election in india where the polling votes will be cast by the machines, there'll be no paper ballots. it will be the first time voting for half a million in this area. it sounds like a lot. it's a fraction of the million voters around the country. over 800 voters in all. the election commission hired vidiographers to make sure the election model code of conduct is followed. they are making sure no illegal activity is happening. they are there to make sure

everything stays on budget. monday's vote is only the first. then a few days later on may 16th, the votes on this machine will be counted in india's election. >> there's no confirmation that the signals heard by a chinese ship are connected to the malaysia airlines jet. mh370 disappeared four weeks ago with 239 on board. >> this morning we were contacted by the chinese authorities and advised that "haixun 01"had late yesterday afternoon redetected the signals for 90 seconds within just 2km of the original detection. this is an important and encouraging lead. one which i urge you to continue

to treat carefully. obviously we take any reported leads in the search seriously. that's why today royal australian air force assets will deploy to assist in further examining the acoustic signals in the vicinity of where the chinese ship has detected the sounds. >> al jazeera is demanding the release of its journalists who have been imprisoned for 91 days, the trial of mohamed fadel fahmy, mohammed badr, and peter greste's trial has been adjourned until april 10th. a fourth journalist abdullah al-shami has been detained without trial until august. his health is deteriorating. >> al jazeera detects all the charges against the journalists. >> the gruelling mass is about to start in morocco's sahara

desert. where runners take on the mountains. the route is so top secret that competitors only find out on the eve of the event. temperatures reach up to 50 degrees celsius. the terrain is sand flats to sand dunes. the fourth statement is the toughest, 80km that must be completed in 34 hours. runners compete at their own peril. an italian competitor got lost in a sandstorm, discovered nine days later, 300km off course. he lost 20% of his body weight. al jazeera's andry richardson is live at the start line in the more okay jp sahara. maybe you or your guests there

can shed some light on why on earth people do this. it's a good question. i've asked this for a number of people. och you get an inspiring story and a worried story. no one has got lost as yet. there's two gentlemen here. they'll be hoping to get through in one piece. ted jackson, and dom. ted, you appear to be dressed as the devil. could you explain that for your upcoming adventures in the desert. >> i found out my race number and i was number 666. i thought i would have to buy red gear and run as the devil. it would help me to donate for my charity. >> what brought you here? >> i ran a marathon at the north pole, minus 40 degrees. i thought why not come to plus

40 and run an ultra in the desert. i'm here to raise money for o r overcomi overcoming. >> how are you feel, what is going through your mind? >> i want to get out and run the dunes. i'm so up for this. >> what are your biggest fears for the day ahead? >> it has to be the times in the dupes, and the state of my feet. it will be about the weight of the pack. a 10 kilogram pat. it's a bit of everything. the heat and the running will be fine. when you carry the pack it makes a difference. i haven't done much in the sand myself. >> you are carrying everything you need to survive. what are the essential you have in there? >> essentially food. for me food is a big issue. so i have got enough food to

last me for seven days, otherwise i'm carrying - going pretty light. i have got - i haven't brought a stove with me, i'm having all my food cold. we have essential kit, which is a sleeping bag. >> i understand you have a coffee machine. >> i do. i'm lucky, i managed to find something special. here, old that. >> i'll have to wrap up. >> the handpress expresso maker. >> you have an express j machine and 250km of running. hopefully the coffee ris will get there in the next few days. >> once nearly hunt to extinction. the grey whale is back from the brink and that's thanks to a program involving the community in north-west mexico, david

mercer visited a breeding ground to find out more. >> poir and grace in motion -- power and grace in motion. a grey whale surfaces in the baha peninsula. a people ail travels -- female travels from the antarctica to give birth. scientists have come for decades to study them. >> translation: the st. ignacio lagoon offers the ideal textures for the whale, and it's important for the young whale because fred tors don't -- predators don't enter the shallow water. >> the isolation is what kept thousands coming back. the same isolation kept the communities who lived here in poverty. because of the whales, that is

starting to change. locals used to fear the whales and refer to them as devil fish. over the years more and more tourists came to see the grace and with that local attitudes began to change. fishermen like michael agular never looked back. >> many people here make their living from the wheels. men and women work as shuttle drivers, cleaners, lots of things. >> it's a relationship that means thousands can glimpse through a window where wales up to 15 metres long offer themselves up to be touched by human hands. for many, it's a once in a life-time opportunity. >> it's something amazing and beautiful. they seem to come out of nowhere. they are so friendly. this year there were more grey whales with scientists reporting

a 50% increase. a return from the fear of extinction based in part a new-found appreciation of the giants. >> that story and the rest of the day's news on the website. >> the latest u.n. climate report does not minutes words things are changing fast and in a lot more places. what can the world be doing to cope? it's the "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suarez. this week the inter governmental