>> >> this is al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz live in new york. a painful anniversary for rwanda and the world 20 years after a genocide. pro-russian supporters clash with the police in ukraine. >> in texas - remembering those randomly gunned down at fort hood. >> the votesar cast in

afghanistan. -- votes are cast in afghanistan. we'll watch it in the weeks ahead. >> two decades ago humanity showed its worst - nearly a million people were butchered in rwanda. cut down by machetes as a country turned on itself. >> vigils and memories to honour all that was lost. a frame of remembrance is travelling over the country. >> 20 years ago today a plane with the president in it was shot down. >> i'm here to ask god to keep me well, thank him and to ask that the genocide never happens again. >> there has been services across the country. people gatored at a church. members of the ruling hutu group, tutsis and moderates. >> people have been divided after belgium colonized rwanda

in 1916. it introduced identity carts. the minority tutees being an elight over tutsis. 20,000 tutsis were killed in riots. in 1994 the president's plane was shot down, setting off the 100 days of violence. many girls were raped and some made painful choices whether to keep the children. they are still trying to make sense of what happened. >> tears of pain. for the past 20 years these women relive the trauma of seeing their families hacked to death and getting raped. they can barely narrate the event without breaking down. most members of their families were killed.

>> translation: today is too much to bear. we have scars of genocide. our children give us hope. >> this woman was seven when her brothers and sisters were murdered. she fled, was caught by militia and raped. she lives wh her daughter, 19 years old. >> a kind neighbour took me into his home and advised me against abortion. he told me i would die if i did it. i never regretted keeping my child. she is all i've knot. >> it's not every woman who was raped and got pregnant in the rwandan genocide who chose to keep her baby. many give up their children, and little ones ended up in orphanages like this one. >> this man ran this center for children in distress for more than 30 years. a hutu, he saved the lives of hundreds during the genocide by hiding them at the orphanage.

after the killings stopped he raised the numerous often abandoned babies. >> translation: they would mostly leave the babies close to the orphanage. some did not wish their babies to live, so they threw them in the latrines. few wanted to keep their babies. >> this is a country of thousands of traumatised women - wives, mothers and leaders who suffered for each other. and it has taught them to separate their children for the hatred they feel for those that hate them. it >> this girl was 14 when her father and brothers were killed by the hutus. she was raped and on the run for weeks with her mother. she shared her story earlier. it was hard. it was difficult for myself, my mum and my siblings.

it was very, very hard going through the bushes. i remember a place we went and this person was, of course, a neighbour of my mum for so many years. when we wept asking for -- went asking for refuge, he took a drum and called killers at the roadblocks. >> this was supposed to be a friend of the family. >> a really good friend of the family. >> outing you to the hutus. >> calling to kill us. there was a man there with a machete and wood, thick, with nails on top. i am sure you have seen it on television. many times they have shown that. they used to call it enmess. he was staying there witting to kill us. he just said -- waiting to kill us.

he just said, "run." >> i'm trying to get my head around 20% of the population killed in a horrific way. how much it haunts and how much it is brought up in day to day conversations, is it something that is in the back of everywhere's mind? >> it is been difficult for our people to have a conversation. we had to live side by side. we are the people. >> the awkwardness of that alone. >> it's been hard. individual - some have forgiven those that have murdered their loved ones. >> have you forgiven? >> i think i did, yes. yes, i think i did. >> you are not convinced. >> i did. because the reason why i am where i am, i think, is just because i don't carry any hatred towards those people. >> how do you get to that point, how can you not be consumed with hatred considering what they did. >> it took me a long time.

i'll be honest with you, it's not like it was overnight to be able to get to a place where i feel comfortable enough to be around these people, but i fete like it's for my well being for me, to live a healthy and fulfilling life, i have to do something that is good for me, yes, for my wellbeing, yes. >> she moved to new york in 2001 and wrote about her experience in rwanda. some rwandans are too young to remember the adrafties -- atrocities, but for some they are making sure it's not forgotten. >> this boy was three when hutu militia men killed her parents and three older brothers. hutu neighbours saved her life and her younger brother. at 23 she doesn't dwell on the past. >> i want to move on with my life. i don't want to know this is hutu, and this is tutsi.

in this period of "94, i feel like paining. i know i don't have parents because they've been killed. i don't want to focus on that. >> hopes of a fully united rwanda is pegged on the young people. they come together to discuss issues that affect them, from the laws, employment, being patriotic and moving the country forward. >> the youth are important. for them they look at the future in a different perexpect of. they are not tied to the past like the older generation. >> in schools the history of genocide is a mandatory part of the curriculum. every child born after the mass anger knows what happened. >> these children know about the history of their country, their

genocide and what caused it, and talk about the importance of reconciliation and the power of tribal divisions. many feel it's crucial in ensuring what happened in 1994 never happens again. >> these boys seed talking about the gen -- say talking about the genocide helps make it feel reel, not something that happened a long time ago. >> i talk to my peers about 1994 and all the bad things that happened. we know that our past must not determine our future. >> that is one that constantly is a worry. worrying that - a hutu, he protected his tutsi wife, but he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing other tutsis. >> i tell her we are all the same, that we cannot exist, but

look at us now. >> he says he grew up reminded by parents, neighbours and the government that tutsis are enemies. he wants a different destiny for clemmen type. >> renewed protest in ukraine. the anger forced the country's current president to cancel a foreign trip. protesters fighting with police in the east. hundreds surrounded the security services headquarters. they threw eggs, then stones and a firebomb. >> there was a scene in donetsk. pro-russian fighters fought. we are there with the latest on the growing unrest. >> taking their protest to the seat of power.

pro-russian activists lay siege to the government's administration building. covered in symbols of their allegiance. demonstrators controlled the building, and began calling on the thousands standing outside to join them. protesters set up barricades, welcoming those carrying supplies. many arrived with weapons, telling us they are ready for a fight. >> main say this region is not being listened to, a referendum giving them a chance to join moscow is the only way to go. >> translation: we want the people's referendum and the federalization of the ukraine and freedom for arrested leaders. >> translation: we will remember uk as the best of our presidents. >> joining us through the building. it's hoped they'll be annexed because local authorities have not acted fast enough and set up

a people's council and will elect their own representatives. >> there were similar scenes where protesters stormed a building. there, three people were injured and more than a dozen arrested. by nightfall police lowered their shields some resigned to the power of the protesters. it's a sign kiev may be losing control of the east, ahead of the presidential elections. >> officials are trying to determine if sounds heard in the indian ocean are from the missing malaysian flight. a chinese ship picked up two pulse ships matching the frequency of the black boxes, a british vessel is trying to verify the ping. an australian ship heard a third signal in a different area, and it is something it is now analysing.

>> yes, we will inform about the detection by the chinese ship and the australian ship. they are there now. they are there now, and we have to verify the thing, the detection. >> what about the frequencies. >> they say that it is 7.5. that is the - we have to verify, we are not sure. there's one or two ships verifying and we have not got any information. >> verifying the frequency is a critical next step. chinese ships listen to the signal. >> fort hood is remembering the victims of gun attacks. president obama and the first lady will set up a memorial to

honour the victims. heidi zhou-castro joins us live. this is a difficult sunday for so many people there. >> sure, it is. in fact, they call is deja vu. another soldier on soldier attack on home soil. it's left the community surrounding fort hood wondering if it's coincidence or has this ford become a tart? >> this is not the first time flags and crosses adourned the lawn of central christian church in killeen texas. 13 crosses in 2009 marked the lives taken by major nidal hasan. three are here for the soldiers killed by specialist ivan lopez. unfortunately we've had another tragedy, we have set it up again. >> church elder said they had found closure from the earlier incident. he was sentenced to death last august. at a memorial service at the baptiste church people say they

are in disbelief after the latest act of violence. our hearts are broken. our community is hurting. we pray we'll have encouragement and remember those lost on the day. >> representatives visited the wounded on saturday and remembered the three soldiers lost. >> sergeant danny ferguson, a brave soldier whose brave act of blocking a door prevented further bloodshed. sergeant carlos, dedicated 20 years. and a dedicated soldier who planned on spending many momor more years serving. >> the question on everyone's minds, how could this happen again. in 2011 the vigilance appeared

to pay off when the federal bureau of investigation arrested an awol soldier who was convicted of planning to bomb a restaurant popular with fort hood soldiers. on wednesday, ivan lopez, with his personal gun, not registered with fort hood, and his troubled mental health flipped through. >> it's not unusual to hear fort hood's name come up because basically nidal hasan planted the seed. >> i think the community is strong. the military family - they don't look forward to anything like this happening, but definitely brace yourself, like, you know, for blows like this. >> and the community finds itself here again. after five years, wandering why the violence has taken root here, and what can be done to full it out -- to pull it out. >> the latest shooting reawoke

the debate of whether to allow soldiers to carry weapons on military bases. the department of defence checking all bases. >> still ahead - clashes at a syrian refugee camp in jordan turned deadly. what sparked the violence between officers and civilians. >> votes are being counted - 7 million defying taliban threats. we look at afghanistan's future coming up at the bottom of the hour in our special segment "the week ahead".

>> deadly violence in a syrian refugee camp in jordan, one is dead, dozens hurt. security forces are blaming each other. jordanian security your used tear gas against stone-throwing

refugees. more than 100,000 people live in that refugee camp. >> the libyan government struck a deal with protesters that occupied key oil ports. it's a major breakthrough after several rounds of negotiations. andrew simmonds is in tripoli with the details. >> the deal means the reopening of two out of four eastern ports after an eight month blockade by armed groups. it cost billions of dollars. after talks between the protest leaders and government intermediaries, there's a deal. >> the mediators reached an agreement approved by the government to reopen the port in two stages. one port will open, and another in two to four weeks. other companies and terms will

occur. >> the first signs of movement came less than a week ago with the release of three men who stole an oil tanker with up to $30 million of crude on board. the men had been detained, they raided the tanker and handed the men to the libyan government the the man's leader received a hero's welcome. its head, ibrahim jabram was behind demands for autonomy. it's believed that there is discent amongst some armed groups about making a deal with the government. and it happened on a day when the eastern city of benghazi was expressing anger at the way leaders were running the country. >> strikes were held, shutting down schools and the university. >> approach roads to benghazi's airport was blocked and staff stopped work in the terminal.

all flights in and out of the airport were cancelled on sunday. protesters demanded that the general national congress should be disbaned, and say that infighting amongst parliamentarians has been a factor in the break down of law and order. any semblance of it throughout the country, particularly in the east. well, there may be optimism with the oil due to flow soon. a combination of anger, depression and frustration is bearing down heavily on the government. >> al jazeera journalists have been in prison in egypt for 99 days. the trial of peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy, and mohammed badr, has been adjourned until april 10th. egyptian officials are accusing them of providing a platform to the muslim brotherhood. a fourth journalist al jazeera arabic's abdullah al-shami has been imprisoned since august.

after 76 days on a hunger strike, his health is deteriorating. his brother gave us an update. >> the lawyers tried to ask for a release on bail, but they insisted he'll stay in prison until a trial is to be decided. there's nothing, there's no reply from the authorities. what we ask from the court is always refused. and abdullah al-shami's health is getting worse day after day, and they said 76 days of the hunger strike, and nothing is happening to him from the prison. >> al jazeera rejects all the charges aknaeps the journalist -- against the journalist and is demanding the release. >> a stop for defense secretary chuck hagel. he's reportedly going to tour an aircraft carrier tomorrow. he'll be the first foreign visitor. it's part of the a naval expansion, continually urging

china to be more transparent about its military expansion. he's on a 10 day tour of the asia pacific. >> time for a check of the weather. storms rolling through the south. >> they are so intense. they are bringing in rainfall. it's increasing. we've had 3-4 inches of rain, and now another 3-4 inches on top of that. yes, we are talking about flood warnings, and we are talking about a major rain event happening right now. we are seeing intense rainfall coming down with rates up to an inch and a half an hour. the storms are causing flooding around the city where there's a canal. we have reports across central mississippi, flash flooding, roads flooded, rains coming down fast and hard. we'll see a band of heavy rain stretching from north-east lousy

jpa and into north -- louisiana and into north georgia. the rain is coming down heavily all night into tomorrow. we are seeing as much rain come down here and more in the south-east than what we had in the pacific north-west in the cascades. it's very wet. as we look at what is happening for the hazards, there's a tornado watch. she is thunder storms that are popping up - they have the participation of creating a tornado, and if we get a tornado, it will be a strong one as we review the data coming in, so much moisture coming up. we are looking at the flood event. the forecast will be to see the heavier rain tracking to the east and heavily rain and risk of a tornado. it will track to georgia and

north florida. it will be an increasing rain event especially for the south-east tonight and tomorrow. look at this. rain will continue to the north-east. we are tracking this through the day. by the time rain reaches new york state, it will be a little later into the afternoon and evening. where it's dry and very, very warm, 20 degrees above normal things will be cooking in california. it doesn't help the drought. it will make you feel good. >> they are cooking in space. n.a.s.a. recorded images of a spectacular solar flare. look at the eruption of the sup peeking wednesday afternoon, solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. harmful radiation cannot pass through the atmosphere. radiation can disturbed the atmosphere. the pictures look fierce, but it

was nearly a mid level flare. still ahead - the people of afghanistan picking a new president. we look at how the vote will shape the nation in our segment "the week ahead".

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here are the top stories. pro-russian demonstrators broke out in several cities, clashing with police as they stormed government buildings. once inside ukrainian flags clashed with pro-russian ones. >> in fort hood, it was a day of reflection and prayer, iraq war veteran ivan lopez killed three and injured 16, before killing himself.

president obama and the first lady will attend a memorial service on wednesday. >> the flame of remembrance is making its way across rwanda as church services are held for victims and survivors. >> it's sunday night and time for "the week ahead". tonight - afghanistan's future. yesterday they voted for a new president. a lot is riding on this. we start with bernard smith with an update from kabul. >> afghan's election past off comparatively peacefully and deployment of security personnel would have helped with that. there has been few allegations of fraud. so the votes are being counted. it will be weeks before there's an official declaration of the winner. the winner needs to win more than 50% of the vote to be declared winner outright.

without that it will be a run off. that seems to be the conventional wisdom. it will not be held until the end of may. once the votes have been counted it may not be until the end of the summer before afghanistan knows who the president will be and waiting to decide it is the bilateral security grement with the u.s. -- agreement with the u.s. government. all will sign and u.s. government wants the afghans to sign it. it wants to maintain a u.s. troop presence for training or keeping the pressure on al-qaeda rem nants in the country. the problem is logistics. because the agreement has not been signed the u.s. government doesn't know if the troops will be able to stay here. time is running out. the afghan and u.s. governments. if this agreement is not signed before september or october.

it will be difficult for the u.s. military to sort out how and where it will leave troops here, and that could be a participation concern for the future stability of afghanistan. >> there are eight men in the running for the president of afghanistan. these are the leading can't dates. this is the front runner ashraf ghani ahmadzai - he's somewhere around here, we saw him a second ago - there he is. he used to be the finance minister and worked for the world bank for a decade. then there's zalmai rassoul, the top pick of hamid karzai. his running mate is a woman. and abdullah abdullah, karzai's former minister, but ran against him and lost. joining us to discuss this is a senior staff writer at al jazeera. he has years of experience covering afghanistan, and sara nice, with the international rescue committee. they are on set with us. a lot of people are looking to

this election in afghanistan, claiming a victory, patting themselves on the back. there's not a lot of violence. is this a huge step forward for democracy in afghanistan? >> we have been working with afghan community for 30 years. the fear is that there has been elections, military and international forces are drawing down, maybe it's time to wash our hands of afghanistan. >> that is the thought, and they look at the election as maybe it is time to pull away. >> there are massive needs in the country. the u.s. government spent 1.6 trillion for the war effort. 0.025% could provide urgent life-saving needs for all of the people with urgent needs this year. it's staggering what a small commitment the international community can redouble efforts and provide afghanistans with

support for the future. >> looking at the moment. of seeing the election with 7 million people coming out to vote. nearly 60% of the voting population, what are you struck by when you look at what happened this weekend? >> in the lead up to the week we saw horrific moments of violence. what struck most people is that i read it was almost less than a normal day in afghanistan, that the turn out was high, but it was high in certain places, in places where the taliban influence is strong, for example in the south-east, in some provinces, many did not go out to vote. there are places where the polling stations were closed. it speaks to people looking not at a democratic handover, but what happened after. they expect the taliban there before the u.s. and international community who arrives to be there after the u.s. and international community

leaves. there's app overriding factor. you mentioned the civilians, they have paid a heavy price for years and years of wore thousands have been injured and killed. more were killed last year. civilians in the past five years, close to 2300 civilians died in 2013. when you look at the numbers, it does raise a con certain you bring up -- concern that you bring up, that the country is not ready. >> right. exact lay. when we were out there i was talking with our staff, and they told us the top three concerns of communities is security. two and three are jobs, livelihoods, education. they are asking for support. please don't abandon us now, let's build on the fragile gains we have made, and prepare for a stable future. >> a lot of people will say wait a minute. afghanistan - the united states

does not want to abandon you, but the current president, hamid karzai, wants the united states to pull back. he's not signed a long-term security deal keeping american forces in afghanistan. what do you say to the people that say this is in afghanistan's hands. they chose hamid karzai, and he is beak difficult. >> there are two things. one is we raise the alarm saying don't abandon people with human tary needs. also, there's a way to provide assistance that is effective. we work in 4,000 villages. what we learnt from the staff, which is 99% afghan, community led sh at the local level, regardless of what is happening at the central level, the handover and the transition of power, at the local level where community is responsible for setting their priorities for the outcome of their priorities, that's shown to be effective.

the irc is staying in the communities, providing support with fewer resources and there is more that can be done. >> back to the point of having american forces, men and women, boots on the ground, one thing i'm having a hard time understanding is etch i speak to, every expert on afghanistan says it is clear the afghan people want american forces to stay. why has hamid karzai not signed the deal guaranteeing that american forces will stay? >> whatever hamid karzai wants now will be irrelevant in the next few weeks. time is ticking. it's not a decision they can make at a moment's notice. >> i don't think that anyone believes the incoming president will not sign a bilateral situation. >> are we convinced about jamie. all say we are going to sign the deal. rest assured, the support is

appreciate. hamid karzai said the same thing in the past, in the distant past. how are we convenienced that the candidates will sign the deal? >> whoever comes in will need american help no matter what, no matter how much they like it. if they want to sustain the capabilities of security forces they cannot do that with the economy. the afghan economy can't afford to pay the salaries of security forces. we are on the hook going forward just with a security capability. when the incoming president comes in, and he surveys the lay of the land and understands what is at stake, whether they want to return to the taliban, whether they want to give up everything that they have achieved so far, we'll be looking at signing the agreement quickly. >> let's talk about the numbers of american men and women over there. throughout the bush presidency the number was constant, around

30,000 american troops. by september of 2010 it was boosted to 98,000 in 2010. two years ago the u.s. began to scale back and the numbers of u.s. troops in afghanistan is 38,000 people. do you agree with jamie on this. do you think this is a guarantee that that deal will be assigned and american forces will remain in afghanistan for years to come. >> i have to say people are exhausted about hearing about afghanistan. there has been heavy investment, lives lost. there needs to be a commitment to the afghan people. our message from the irc's perspective. regardless of politics, assistance to people on the ground is needed. now is the time to redouble the evidence at the local level. >> do you get the impression on the local level with the people in the villages, that they

appreciate all that has been devoted and spent around the world? >> absolutely. >> the afghan communities that the college works with they say, "don't abandon us, stay committed and involved." everywhere that the irc operates, they operate with community acceptance. we would not be there if they didn't ask us to stay. >> there's concern that foreign aid has not been accepted, because they have a lot of issues with corruption and fraud and a lot of dollars have been wasted. >> it's one of the most corrupt countries. we have spent - there is - we spent $80 billion on afghanistan's reconstruction. there's 20 billion left that has too be appropriated by congress, they have to decide which projects to spend it on. half of that money has gone to the afghan army or police.

the rest on to reconstruction projects that have been mismanaged. that have - here is a thing about the local - contrary to iraq, where we saw a lot of corporatisation, a lot of american big companies, kbr, et cetera, taking over construction, going into afghan, it was afghan first, it was going to be contracted to the afghans, and subcontracted all the way down. when you talk like that, look at those things and see the contracts in your own mind, i see kick back, kick back, kick back. >> one of the issues with the contracting and corruption is when the avt gans see how much comes in, and they know a tremendous amount of money has come in and they see the corruption created. it's a mixed bag over whether it's successful or not. and the issues that we deal

with, 41% access in the military to 25%. what is the ore sight going to be. how do we access the areas to verify that the things we spent the money on is used for those purposes. >> that's the concern for americans, that hard-earned tax dollars are wasted in kickbacks. >> i understand that. there has been mistakes in the past. we need to build on what has worked. the national solidarity program is in all four provinces, implemented at the local level. communities have to be accountable. you need to make investments where there has been proven success. >> when you look at the cost of the war in afghanistan, the number is $707 billion. expensive for the u.s. a lot of people say why should we continue to throw money at the country, if it's not going

to the people that need it. don't just throw money at the country. for a fraction of the effort you can provide life-saving assistance, and help people through the time of uncertainty, and in an effective way, in an accountable way, making sure that all programs are monitored and aid is used effectively. we want that, the avt gan people want that and the international community to want that. the other big topic is the taliban. we do not see a whole lot of taliban attacks. a lot thought it was a victory for of afghan forces. when you look at the future. how concerned are you that the taliban may come back to power and continue with a role in the country. >> there's a huge concern. many people in some provinces did not vote because of the taliban influence. it wasn't so much that they were

worried about their own personal security, but the day after when everyone will see you go to the polling center and vote, and say "we saw what you did." we find that example to be illuminating in relation to the reach that the taliban has. and the fact that they are of the people, and that they were there before, and continue to be there regardless. and the less reach the u.s. forces have, the more influence the taliban is likely to have. is the approach for the afghan government to include the taliban in the government, trying to reach out and negotiate. >> we would hope for people process. >> that's a difficult subject for a lot of people. >> we hope for piece throughout the communities. i do need to point out that there is taliban presence, there's government preps, we work in areas where there's taliban presence, and so there is room to provide sps.

we don't -- assistance. we don't travel with international troops. there is a possibility to operate in the country, stand by the people at this time, regardless of what is happening at the political level. >> sara and jamie, thank you both for your insight. >> al jazeera america will continue to follow afghanistan's election in the coming weeks. here are a few event in the week ahead: india goes to the poll to choose a new parliament. it's the largest democratic election, spreading over two weeks. >> president obama will announce two executive orders to promote equal pay for women, thursday, arguments on same-sex marriage maps in utah and california. still ahead - the u.s. navy to the rescue, how it helped to save a sick child adrift in the ocean hundreds of miles off the

coast. >> and we explain an historic

achievement. >> a baby girl is in stable condition after a dramatic rescue at sea. the family called for help on thursday when the sail boat became disabled off the coast of mexico. the national guard par chuted in and stabilized the one-year-old until a ship could pick up the ship today. the navy trip circled the boat until they could be picked up. >> republican leadership has been split over some issues, outside republicans rely on undocumented immigrants every

day. this report from central california. >> mornings golden sun over california's valley. one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the world. at a show-piece farm, some 1,000 workers start delay day. the 14,000 acre operation depends on a steady supply of labour. most from mexico and central america. most have been frustrated by the laws. >> you need to have a system and a don't ask, don't tell policy now. it doesn't necessarily work. >> owner john harris says it has become more difficult to hire workers and the u.s.'s immigration policy is a factor for the shortage. we obviously have a lot of latino friends that are employees living in the

community and do business with us and we wanted to make sure they are treated fairly, and the u.s. has a policy that is more workable. >> in the reddest part of calvia. farmers -- californias, they take a different position. workers that arrive are age out of physically taxing work in the field. the deposit's failure to come up with a farmworker visa program frustrated many. >> when you have significant agricultural interests and california is an example of that, each jurisdiction s that are red and conservative. the on the ground realities for the people dictate different ideas about immigration. >> farmers with the western growers association produce half the country's fruits and vim tables. what that group would like to

see is immigration reform allowing workers the opportunity to become permanent residents. that's good news for growers and employees. >> this man worked in the fields. an american citizen, he'd like others to have the same opportunity to pursue the american dream. >> when you talk about farm workers, people talk about seasonal individuals. the majority of people are like me, they have been here all their lives. >> any policy change impacts undocumented immigrants, the most in any state. they already called it home. >> jessica is here with sports. when you think of athletes, you think they are the ones that hold the records. here is a referee that gets it done.

the league had not yet urged the aba. the kings were in kansas city. 40 years later, it hasn't changed. and they have proven he is basketball's ironman. >> last wednesday night's n.b.a. referee dick refereed his 6,032 consecutive gay, one more than ripcan's streak. >> i would argue that cal would have been a greater player if he had tape a few days off. >> on the football field future hall of fame quarterback brett farmholds the position for a position player, 297 consecutive games over 20 season, he made 11 pro balls, three mvps and led the packers to a victory in super bowl.

everyone has to go to work and they like a player who has the same mentalality. every day they'll get up, go to work and do their job. >> the n.h.l.'s ironman streak is held by center doug jarvis with 954 straight games. he won an astounding 424 championships. >> this is a guy playing every game, down to the minor leagues and that was the end of his career and streak. >> we end where we begin on the hardwood. the record for consecutive games played with 1, 192, playing for three seasons and won two championships. >> fans love numbers and the idea of comparing one player to the next, and one era to the next. >> the 74-year-old whose 40 year

career spanned seven presidents and five popes streaks along. >> just impressive is the fact that refs don't sub out like players. 74-year-old running up and down. >> he's running at much as the athletes. good for him, 74 years old. >> other extreme athletes, an extreme sporting event. a race through the sahara desert. more than 1,000 runners take part in the gruelling event. andy richardson has more from the starting line in morocco of the 156 miles. >> adrenaline, nerves and fear. runners getting ready to take the first of oh so many steps on this year's marathon. >> i'm feeling ecstatic and can't wait to run and have fun. this is why we are here. >> i've been following this for 20 years. 20 years it's taken, wanting to do it. and i'm here.

>> six stages covering 250km of brutal desert terrain wry ahead. the sahara dupes look beautiful. less so when the food and kit you need for the week is on your back. >> the dunes are never ending, you constantly go up and down. there's no end in sight. >> one marathon veteran described the runners as being like roetizary chickens, marinated in sweat and sand and cooked by the sun. it won't surprise you to know the medics expect to hand out more that 6,000 pain-killers over the coming days. the medical tent is set to be a busy place. >> it's difficult on the skin. we are sure to see the runners. they have a lot of blisters. >> placing yourself in harm's

way is an attraction of the race. >> i find is a life-changing experience when i did it before. it makes you appreciate what you have back at home, gives you time to sleep and takes people to dark places. it gives you time to get your head straight. the challenge not just getting through the days ahead, but what to do when it's all over. >> before we go, we have to show you this, a world record broken in dubai. a member of the ua sky diving team completing the smallest parachute pump. it's very dangerous. the parashoot he's using is 35 square feet. much smaller than average. last record broken in 2008. that does it for us on this sunday night. i'll be back with more news. headlines after the

>> you're watching al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. there was growing unrest in eastern ukraine, pro-russian protesters clashed with police. demonstrators say they plan to

stay overnight. they are demanding a vote to join russia. >> it was neither an accident nor unavoidable. rwandans carrying a flame. church services were held for victims and survivors. >> deadly violence for a camp in jordan. syrian refugees and jord an security forces are blaming each other. >> fort hood texas will hop our the victims in a shooting. investigators are trying to figure out why an iraq war veteran wept on the rampage. >> officials are working to determine if sounds heard in the indian ocean are from the missing malaysian flightment a chinese ship picked up two pals signals matching the frequency of the plane's black box. also today the australian ship "ocean shield" specificed up a

third signal in a different part of the search zone. >> those are the headlines - "google and the world brain" starts now. you can find us online, head to aljazeera.com. >> there is no practical obstacle whatever now to the