in washington, i'm ray suarez. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. we're following a story very close to our organize. a global call to free our completion who are now jailed in egypt. >> today is day 100. 100 days now that our three al jazeera staff members have been in prison in egypt. the trials of the three

journalists rule set to resume on thursday. right now a group of journalists are set to hold a news conference in new york city. they'll be joining journalists from around the world and the white house calling for egyptian authorities to release our colleagues. john, everywhere i go people ask what did they do? they do what journalists do when they cover a story from all sides. >> they certainly did. that's one of our many mantras here. one of the things that we always pride ourselves on whatever story we do we always give you both sides. none of this one-sided journalism that you see on other channels. for us its both sides. the journalists were posted to cairo in the immediate aftermath of coup that no one wishes to call the coup. the army overthrew the morsi >> they were odds with us, the

fact that we called it a coup before other news organizations did. >> the white house and congress angive egypt money every year, o they are away in a different situation. but our three journalists have been reporting. what they've been doing is reporting false news. that's the way they phrase it, false news. they accuse them of having links with the maui under the new administration in cairo has been named a terrorist organization. the al jazeera media organization say the allegations are simply absurd. so now you have a situation where this is threatening the

freedom of speech and the work that journalists do, good honest journalists in countries like egypt. journalists around the world have joined in sol dare eight with us today in a little protest to keep this on the international news agenda ahead of the reopening of the trial which is going to be on thursday. i would like to take to you london, pictures that we have coming in from the bbc. now this just speaks to how important journalists around the world feel this story is. what you're looking at here is staff of the bbc, a huge, huge news organization, that is outside of broadcasting house in portland place in london. as you can see many journalists have black tape over their mouths, that's one of bbc's lead presenters on bbc world. you can see his work here in the united states and other journalists are holding up signs saying that journalism is not a crime. that's the main thrust of that. now we come to new york and what's happening today.

we come to new york right now. we she had point out that our al jazeera staff has been deta detained without bail since last year right before christmas. one of the journalist's brothe brothers: >> he is a professional journalist and is no way associated with a political group. seeing my brother in this situation is absolutely the worst feeling. i cannot even describe it in words. he is a very fine and warm person who is always concerned about us all. we miss him too much and we need him back. >> in the meantime as you might expect this has been tremendously hard on the families members of those being held. we sat down with peter greste's parents saying they're hopeful that h he will he be released t. >> he has two children. he's expecting a new child, he

is a very kind person. all our relatives and friends like him so much. they had trained as a professional journalist. he was trained by journalists in japan. he was trained by three bureau chiefs in japan media. journalism is not a crime. >> that is mohammed fammy's brother. and we go to news conference. it's being chaired today by

daniel lack, daniel is our canadian correspondent. spent most of his career with the bbc in south asia and a man who could have found himself in the same position as peter. let's go to the news conference in new york city. >> right now they're taking a moment it reflect on everything that has happened. a moment of silence. we will do so as well. [ silence ] >> thanks very much. we'll hear more about them when one of our speakers talk about them. to get things going today to mark 100 days in an event we wish we didn't have to have. we're journalists. we're usually reporting the news, not making it, i would like to ask our executive

producer of news gathering owen watson to say a few words about our colleagues, our friends. >> it was on december 29th that my colleagues were arrested in cairo as they simply did their job. they swine--they join another colleague who was already in prison. they have endured conditions at times including being held in cells that had no access to light, little food and water. they have slept on floors without blankets or pillows.

during those 100 days their access to the outside world has been strictly controlled by the egyptian authorities. during those 100 days they were portrayed as terrorists in a disturbing video that was released and sanctioned by the egyptian authorities. the outside world got a first glimpse of the ajam staff a few weeks ago. they were displayed in a cage like animals. durinduring those 100 days, my colleagues around the world with the simple message" journalism is not a crime." in response to their plight, there have been more than 800 million impressions of free--the hashtag free aj staff.

the u.s. government, european union and british and australian government have made their press voices heard that freedom matters. press agencies around the world large and small have made it clear that they stand with al jazeera in calling for the immediate unconditional release of our journalists. the charges they face are false and baseless. we are convinced as we were on day one that there was no justification for the detention of these innocent journalists. later today a vigil will take place at columbia university in new york city. it will take place under the statute to you ostatue of one og fathers, thomas jefferson.

thank you. >> thanks, owen. as he said one of the things that is if anything positive about this, it's that journalist who is are normally fiercely competitive actually come together around these most important moments to try to get their colleagues out of trouble, out of captivity. we're pleased to have many journalistic organizations here today and they've supported us throughout that. we're grateful. i would like to ask gary pruitt, the ceo of the associated press to say a few words. >> thank you. we all know that a free press is the backbone of any country that calls itself a democracy. yet around the world those whose mission it is to shine a light on power are increasingly under attack. once recorded as the impartial eyes and ears of the world journalists today are targeted in an attempt to influence and control the news.

sometimes they are literally presented friday gathering the news. deported, detained or even imprisoned as we're speaking about today. other times government officials and courts work in secrecy to block access to information that the public has the right and need to know. and tragically sometimes journalists are intentionally murdered in an effort to prevent news from being reported or to intimidate those who passionately believe in the mission of journalism. as all of you now know ap suffered a tragic loss last friday when photographer anya was targeted and killed while covering the run up to the afghanistan election. ap and a region of fans around the world are mourning her loss. kathy gannon was also wounded in that attack, and we wish her a speedy recovery.

aunya's death, the detention of journalists worldwide and in egypt make our responsibility to bear witness to history more challenging and more dangerous than ever. but also more important. ap abhors the trend of targeting journalists, and will always champion the right of journalists working without fear to bring vital information to light around the world. thank you. >> thank you very much, gary pruitt of the ap. we're grateful to be in new york city, the center of journalism in america, and we're extremely grateful to have susan here from the new york sometimes assistant managing editor, if you could say a few words. >> i wanted to echo what other speakers have said. this is a very difficult and concerning time for those of us who believe that the active work of a free press is essential, not only in democratic nations

but more particularly in totalitarian or authoritarian ones. in my work as assistance managing editor i had been foreign editor from 2004 to 2011, and i can assure you during that time we worried increasingly about the way that journalists not just from the times, but from around the world were being targeted in a deliberate attempt to intimidate or to prevent them from reporting on what they saw. aunya's tragic death shocked a many of us. we have many colleagues who had times to work with aunya and kathy, the dean of the afghan press corp. she had been in afghanistan before the fall of the taliban, and during the war, and is a remarkable person. our correspondent carlotta was

one of the many who expressed great shock and horror at what happened, but sadly these folks are not alone. all over the world journalists are being targeted as an attempt of intimidation. the we have been tracking these delts, andeaths, and we need toe concerne. we have been tracking the events in egypt, and they and their colleagues have bee felt the tet intimidation, but the intimidation will not work, and we will go forward and shed light where we can while thinking of our comrades. we're here to share that support

today. >> you're you listening to a news conference taking place in new york city. the heads of abc, "new york times" and al jazeera english. they're talking about the detention of 100 days of our colleagues being held in egypt, and pointing out that we're not the only media organization under attack when it comes to issues related to how we do our jobs. the associated press reporting on friday one of their correspondents, a photographer, was shot and killed. john terrett, it's interesting to point out. why are we doing this? because we have to. >> well, yes, sometime has to do this job. sometimes it gets pretty messy, and unfortunately our three guys in egypt have gotten themselves in an unfortunate situation. 100 days. no one can believe that their detention has gone on so long.

and there is a fourth one, because abdullah al-shami was taken in august. and he has not been charged with anything. the reason why we talk about peter mohammed and baher is because they have been charged with the crime of spreading inaccurate and false news, and having links with what the egyptians now consider now to be aa terrorist organization, the muslim brotherhood. >> it bears to point out why these organizations don't want to be covered. >> well, i think it's something that--for years, for 20--26 years hosni mubarak ruled egypt with a rod of iron. he achieved things that suited the united states like peace agreement with israel. you know, egypt was a key anchor

in the middle east situation. and so now that he has gone and the immediate president who followed him, the president who represented the muslim brotherhood, mohamed morsi, he's being deposed in that coup that no one wishes to call a coup. the authorities don't want anyone snooping in their business. that's just the culture of many countries around the world. now in the united states and western democracy we accept the role of journalists in our society, and we understand that journalists will ask questions of both sides. that's not the case in many countries around the world, and that's not the case in egypt. >> it's interesting that they quoted thomas jefferson you cannot have a free society without a free press. we'll take a break. we want to invite our colleaguing around the world. we invite you to join in on the conversation by using hashtag free aj staff. we want to hear your voice on

facebook and twitter. we'll be right back. call obama care. and my staff has read the entire thing. can congress say the same?

>> these protestors have decided that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance.

>> we want to get you caught up on the day's other news. there are new developments in the search of that missing malaysian airlines flight 370. two different shifts have picked up audio from the indian ocean that are consistent with the black box in planes. while it's difficult to discern if they're coming from the missing plane's black boxes. >> in what they're calling the most promising leads from fly missing malaysian flight 370.

>> detecting signals that are similar to those he mitted from airplane flight boxes. from the cockpit voice recorder. >> the hunt for those black boxes can quite literally a race against time. >> the life of the batteries must be getting somewhere close to the end of life. it's 31 days, so we're already one day past the advertise the shelf life. >> reporter: with the british navy ship to help the chinese authorities are urging caution. if they detect nery signal a

drone like this will be dropped into the sea to scan the floor for any sign of the jetliner. that unmanned underwater vehicle as go as deep as 15,000 deep, the same depth of the area that they're searching. >> so we're right on the edge of capability, and we might be limited by the capability if, for example, the aircraft ended up in deeper water. >> with the one-month anniversary of flight 3 70's disappearance almost here loved ones held a vigil in the malaysian capita capitol to remr those on board. >> the new developments over the last few hours have been the most promising lead we have had. i urge all nations to unite in their prayers and not give up hope. >> al jazeera.

>> wall treat is starting the week in the minus column down 138 points right now. russia's main stock index falling as well more than 2% today this after unrest in eastern ukraine this weekend. they are seizing government oh offices in two ukrainian cities on sunday. the sports is set for the initial game between uconn huskies and the kentucky wildcats. we are in arlington, texas, with the dubious distinction of having to work tonight, hey, ross. >> reporter: how are you doing, del. they're expecting another record crowd here, some 80,000 fans for tonight's national championship game between uconn and kentucky. now there has been a lot of hype and hoopla behind this kentucky team, and rightfully so. they're starting five freshman

in the final four. the last team to do that is the michigan fab five back in 1992. but the kentucky team is looking to do something that the michigan fab five could not, and that's to win a national championship. >> i'm definitely not satisfied. we have one more game to go we've been through a lot this year, and we deserve to reward ourselves to go out there and play hard and give it all we got. definitely not satisfied. >> reporter: despite being ranked number 1 to start the season kentucky fell short of expectations. early losses sent them tumbling down the ranks. by the time march madness rolled around the wildcats were not a top five team. >> they have an unbelievable will to win. they have been ridiculed, criticized, i mean, they were absolutely mauled, and i think it made them stronger and it

made them come together. >> proving it's not how you start, but how you finish. kentucky used a clean slate to start again. and led by aaron harrison to put kentucky up for good in three straight games. >> guys that make game winners are not afraid to miss them. he's not afraid to miss. if he misses, he made another one. i'll make another one. the best players i've had to play that way, who make those kinds of plays, they have amnesia from play to play. >> for kentucky it's not youth but experience. going into the national title game and for th the upper classn it began last season. uconn was not allowed in last year's tournament because of academy progress grade stores. while the junior and senior players could have transferred, they opted to stay the course. >> we've been through a lot with each other. this group of guys have been

together for three years, and in those three years we have been through a lot. we love each other and we believe in each other. >> this is going through the dark days believing. they just believe in each other no matter if they're down. no matter if they can't play in an ncaa tournament, they just believe, and they keep fighting. when everyone counts us out, we get back up. that's what this university is all about. >> now uconn's national two national championships have been captured in the great state of texas. 2004 in san antonio, and 2011 in houston. they'll be looking to score the trifecta tonight in arsenal, texas. should be a good one, uconn and kentucky tip offset at 9:10 eastern time. >> i'll be watching. ross, thank you very much. well, coming up on al jazeera america, finally starting to feel like spring in the northeast. stay with al jazeera america. your national forecast and

headlines straight ahead.

>> i'm dave warren, the tornado watch still in effect part of the area. the conditions are there for these strong storms to begin to spin or possibly rotate.

here is this line of severe weather and there were a number of warnings issued. win reports so far and no warnings issued right now. that can change as it continues to push east. farther north just the heavy rain and this heavy the rain spreading to the northeast temperatures north of this warm front pretty cool. only about 40 or 50 degrees. it's all rain. and it will be heavy. you could see flooding as a result of this. throughout the day today and early tomorrow they are starting to see know up in canada as it moves into the colder air. this front will move through. behind it cooler temperatures. it's this weather pattern that we need to see changed as storms come up into canada and pushing to the south. so look at the rain over the next five days. one to three inches across the southeast and the northeast, but where we need the rain the areas under the drought across the southwest, nothing predicted for the next five days. the weather patterns just can't

seem to change. >> dave warren. thank you very much. thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. the stream is next. check us out 24 hours a day by going to al jazeera.com where the news never stops. >> hi, i'm lisa fletcher and you're in "the stream." 9 million americans are taking prescription drugs that may have dangerous interaction. are you one of them? find out in the next 30 minutes. if you're like nearly 70% of americans, you're taking at least one prescription medication, and as you age, that number is likely to go up.