until next time, we'll see you online at aljazeera.com/ajmstream ... >> good afternoon to you and welcome back to al jazeera america. i am morgan radford live in new york. here are our top stories. a gunfight breaks out in ukraine and strong words from the country's prime minister. he said a power hungry putin wants to re-draw the map. >> anger and frustration in south korea, the last moments of the sinking ferry captured. grieving families prepare to face their worst nightmares. plus, wiggle your toes. we will tell you how an amputee

is helping victims of last year's boston bombing get back on their feet. it's been a tension easter in ukraine where three people are dead after a gun fight broke out in a pro-russian city in the east. ukrainian right sector nationalists deny they attacked a checkpoint in slovyansk but this gun fight dismantles a truce made last week between the interim government in kiev and russia. jackie roland has more >> reporter: local people are calling it the easter massacre, although what took place at this makeshift checkpoint in the early hours of sunday remains unclear. villagers say that unknown attackers drove up and opened fire on the probe russian activists who were manning the barricades. >> translator: they came in four jeeps, lit up the

barricades with their headlights and started shooting. my neighbor got a bullet right between his eyes. then other people from slovyansk came to help us. if they hadn't come, the attackers would have slaughtered everyone like chickens >> reporter: the interior ministry says three pro-russian activists were killed. local people say the other side also suffered losses. but the attackers took the dead and wounded with them. there are a lot of unanswered questions here. for a start: where did the two cars come from? secondly if there was a shoot out between men at the checkpoint and the vehicles, how come there are bullet holes in the back of the second car, and how did it happen that the two vehicles ended up completely burned out? forensic experts are trying to answer some of those questions but with the cars torched, the evidence they can gather is limited. they found shell cases, bullets and some dried blood. whatever the truce behind the

incidents, it plays into the hands in to those who do not want a negotiated solution to the crisis in ukraine. rebel leaders declared a curfew and are calling on moscow to sends in peacekeepers. this may be the we knowage of the political deal reached in geneva only a few days daago. >> ukraine's interim prime minister sizslid mirror putin wants nothing less than the complete restoration of the former soviet union. in fact, in an interview this morning, the prime minister pointed to putin's influence in ukraine where russia's geopolitical interests have contributed to mass unrest >> president putin has a dream to restore the soviet union and every day, he goes further and further. god knows where is the final destination and he was very clear saying this stuff in his state of the union two years ago. and i believe that you do

remember his speech, famous munich speech, saying that the biggest disaster of the former century is the collapse of the soviet union. i consider that the biggest disaster of this century would be the restoring of the soviet union under the auspices of the putin >> meanwhile, it looks like crimea isn't the only region stepping closer to region. trans mystery i can't wants to put its future in russian hands. it's asking president putin to bring it back into the russian federation. david schader has those details >> reporter: the celebration of the miracle of easter in a capitol of the state the world does not recognize. they call it a country of some half a million souls in a thin sliver of territory on ukraine's western border. they have just urged president putin to recognize them as an independent state.

it seems the kremlin has been hering the prayers of his brethren >> this is nothing else but an exer size in democracy if we let these people do what they want. >> in the capitol, the symbols of the old soviet union still have pride of place. but the end of the cold war led to a civil war here as the region broke away from maldova, to protect their language and their links with russia. more than 1,000 people were killed in the bitter fighting on the eastern bank of the river. was only we would with moscow ordered troops to enter seening >> the soldiers remain as peace keepers to this day. many politicians would like them to stay as defenders of a new sovereign republic >> the people in crimea voted for it. but to some extent, we are a little -- there is sort of a jealousy in our situation.

>> sandwich between a casino and a shop selling soviet memorabilia, the embassies, two break-away regions of georgia equally unrecognized by the world and now hosting russian troops. the american senator visiting maldova made clear his views of the russian strategy >> that is a gas station masquerading as a country. and i apologize for that because actually, it's a mafia-run gas station masquerading as a country. >> on the banks of the donista, the for trest established by the genoans, taken by the ottomans 16th century and captured by the russians in the 18th century. for eight centuries, this has been an out post of desires guarding the trade routes to the east. now it's set to be a

battleground once again between russia and an exup and downing europe >> set on a kitt critical fault line, history has a habit of continually repeating itself on the banks of this river. david chater, al jazeera, transmistria >> we will look at russia's approach to foreign policy until light of the recent ukrainian crisis. >> iran said a dispute over one of its nuclear facilities is pretty much over. the country's vice president said in an interview that iran had agreed to redesign its iraq plant to limit exactly how much plutonium it can make. it would be a major concession for the u.s. and its allies all in talk in tehran over the nuclear program >> the issue of the iraq heavy water reacto has been resolved. we have no problem with that. they agreed to the proposal and called it a sensible offer >> the deal with would cut the output of plutonium about 80%

and give the u.n. more oversight. international talks on the country's nuclear program are expected to restart next month. the death toll in south korea is rising as divers continue to pull bodies from a ferry that sank off the country's coast. officials say nearly 60 people have been declared dead. 476 of those people were on board the boat and 325 of them were children on a school trip on wednesday. and dramatic ougaudiotapes have been released revealing audiotapes that took place while that ferry was sinking. harry fawcett reports >> reporter: this previously unreleased audio of the exchanges between the jindal port authorities and some members of crew on board the bridge of the ship are extremely interesting, fraught exchanges between these two groups of people it seems the exchanges finish at line 37. they start at 0906 on the morning of the accident. the jindal port authorities

appear to be telling them: we can't tell you when to evacuate your passengers. we don't know what the situation there on the scene it. as far as the accrual is concerned, they seem to be reluctant to evacuate the passengers because they are see nothing rescue ships. they are asking: how soon are they coming? and all of this does add to what the captain, himself, was say in a court just a couple of days ago when he was facing charges of breaking maritime law and negligence. he gave his apologies to the parents and to the nation as a whole. but he said that he was wary of simply telling people to jump off of the boat into cold, fast-flowing waters unsure of their fate, unable to see any rescue craft at the time. as well as that today, we have been seeing more and more bodies brought aboard ashore. the operation to dive the wreck appears to be gathering pace. they appear to be getting greater access inside the ship. so for the first time, the number of people brought out from the ship is really climbing very rapidly and so people here at the sports hall waiting for

so long to get confirmation of what's happened to their children. some are getting confirmation. but it's extremely grim. great grief is already here and only going to get worse in the next few days >> meanwhile, prayers for the dead filled churches all across the country where pastors tried to hold back their tears as they led services for easter sunday. south korea issun with of the most christian nations in all of asian. nearly a quarter of the population is propertestants an another 5 million are catholic speaking of which a crowded saint peter square this morning where pope francis greeted catholics for easter mass. more than 100,000 filled the sun-filled square reflecting the worldwide reach of the church and the crowd led arecord prayers and passages from the bible in multiple languages, russian, korean, spanish and today is one of the holiest days for christians all around the

world marking the day of jesus's resurrection. christians here in new york gathered to here cardinal timothy dolan deliver easter mass. he was on cbs's face the nation this morning to talk about possible reforms to the catholic church. out in uengland, the archbishop of canterbury delivered his message, focusing on the suffering of those facing conflict around the world. then in ukraine, people came together to celebrate the holiday despite despite the ongoing conflict. people wound up to be blessed by a local priest in donetsk say they are praying for a peaceful solution to their crisis. syria's president made a very rare visit to an ancient christian town recaptured from rebels last week. assad's visit highlighted the government's confidence over recent gains against rebels around damascus and along the lebanese border.

thousands of christians flocked to the holy land and took part in sar known ease at the holy church. nick schifrin has more >> reporter: how old is this document? >> this one is 1,261. >> adebe's documents don't only unlock his family's past. >> so this is the sultan's stamp? >> this is the sultan's stamp. and this is written also in gold. >> unlock the past, presence and future of christianity's most sacred site >> they keep the church in peace. >> for 1,000 years. >> each sultan gave your family a new documents? >> yes. >> jerusalem's rulers have

bestowed his family with trust >> the keys for the holy sup c suplecer church >> almost a thousand years ago. >> yes. >> he is muslim. he holds the key that opens the church of the holy seplecur built where jesus is believed to have been crucified. >> why did he entrust your family with this responsibility >>? >> okay. this is an old story. >> that story starts in 1187. a muslim sultan recaptured jerusalem from christian crusaders. his father wanted him to destroy the holy s. plecer but he protected the church. he handed over the keys to the same family charged with the careful of nearby mosques. adebe's family. >> he was a very smart man and he keep the church in peace.

not only the holy seplecure church. all of the churches in the holy land >> he is proud of his responsibility and his heritage. today, the tradition continues through the alleys of jerusalem's old city, he escorts his oldest son, 19-year-old jawad to his destiny. for the first time, jawad carries the keys to the church's front door >> are you nervous? >> quite nervous. >> but he did just fine as his father, grand father and more than 100 of his ancestors have done, he hands the key over to christians. this time, the francisans who run a portion of the church. >> it turns out there is another reason a muslim family keeps the key. the seven christian sects who run the church don't get along. adebe and his family are neutral, trusted observers. >> five minutes, the church will be open.

>> and so on this day, like every day, adebe and another muslim family officially open the church. but just because it isn't holy ground for them doesn't mean it's not sacred. >> i am a muslim. this is the holy day for the christians. this is my holy day. >> how do you feel every time you walk in here? >> not good. wonderful. >> so on this easter, the keys to christ's tomb are and will continue to be in good hands. nick schifrin, al jazeera, j jerusal jerusalem. in greece, people are celebrating easter with a traditional feast. the greeks roast an entire lamb over charcoal. people say despite being affected by the economic crisis, today is a very special day to be with family and friends. over in serbia, people are also taking part in traditional festivities, cracking an egg. the contest contains two people becaminging eggs together and the one that cracks first is the

one who loses while the person who wins goes home with a trophy. one step, two steps, three steps, four. we will tell you how one amputee is using his own personal tragedy to change the lives of last year's boston bombing. you are watching al jazeera america.

runners in boston are preparing for their first big race since last year's bombing. more than 36,000 people are expected to take part in monday's big race, and this year's event will feature a long list of new security measures. 100 security cameras willing added with a pa system so organizers can talk to the runners while they are running the 26 mile race. organizers have extended invitassess of those who weren't able to cross the finish line last year. >> june terrett introduces us to one man who helps runners stand up and get back on their feet

>> if you didn't know an especially if he wasn't wearing shorts, he would probably never guess aaron home is a bilateral above-the knee amputee who walks on prosthetics worth more than $200,000? >> these are the latest and greatest, micro process or-powered knees built by autobot and they were built by the military >> aaron was hit by a car helping a colleague change a car. his not-for-profit, wiggle your toes, helps poerz who lost limbs. after the boston bombings, wiggle your toes was busy coming to the city multiple times to offer advice >> you don't know what the rest of your life is going to look like. you have no idea. am i going to walk again? am i going to depend on a wheelchair? is my house even equipped? you know, there is a lot of steps in my house. how am i going to get from the main level to how am i going to get in the house? >> this nonprofit provides

grants to buy prosthetics when insurance companies fall short as they did with jane richard. >> jane is really loving her running leg, and she is using it as her primary leg, which a lot of the kids that we do equip with a running leg, that turns out to be their primary leg. they are kids. they want to go >> geoff bowman who lost both legs and whose photograph became an iconic symbol of the day? >> i love the support i get. aaron, you know, he is a great support team member for me. i call him up and shoot him texts here and there and e-mails. and, you know, he is always there for me. >> wiggle your toes is not aaron's full-time job, but it is his passion, a passion that drives him to help others on the road to recovery. john terrett, al jazeera,bot, massachusetts. he was known as the hurricane and thanks to his devastating flury of punches and vicious left hook, but it was what he did outside of the ring that has the world giving pause

to remember former middleweight boxer ruben "hurricane" carter who died at the age of 76 today. he spent 19 years in prison for a triple murder that he didn't committee, accused of shooting two men and a woman in new jersey back in 1966. he then went into create innocence international advocating for others who were wrongly convicted and he died today of prostate cancer. aedz on al jazeera america, thousands of children going at it alone. the dangers they face as they cross the border into the united states looking for a better life and a better future. stay tuned. [ grunting ]

i'm taking off, but, uh, don't worry. i'm gonna leave the tv on for you. and if anything happens, don't forget about the new xfinity my account app.

you can troubleshoot technical issues here. if you make an appointment, you can check out the status here. you can pay the bill, too. but don't worry about that right now. okay. how do i look? ♪ thanks. [ male announcer ] troubleshoot, manage appointments, and bill pay from your phone. introducing the xfinity my account app. ♪ good afternoon. welcome back to sashingz. i am morgan radford. here are today's headlines. audio out now detailing the final harrowing moments of the ferry that sank in south korea as divers pull more bodies from the wreckage. at least 60 people are confirmed dead. an attack at a checkpoint in eastern ukraine, three people

are dead after gunshots go off breaking a cease fire made just three days ago. so far, no one's taking the blame. today is easter sunday. more than 100,000 worshippers gathered in rome to hear the pope. he addressed a crowd with hymns in italian, french, spanish and russian pointing out the fact that the roman catholic and orthodox easter fell on the same day this year. this week, the white house called again on congress to move forward with immigration reform along the u.s. mexico border, a growing number of young people are trying to cross it alone. >> that's up to 60,000 kids a year. al jazeera's paul beeban is in the border town of nogale is with their story >> reporter: a vast, remote, and dangerous desert surrounds the city of nogales. a tall, steel fence slices through it. over the last month, this teenager and two cousins have

traveled 2400 miles on foot, by bus and by train to make it here to the mexican side of this border town. my name is axil fernandes. i am 15 years old, and i am from honduras >> we first met axill when catholic bishops from around the u.s. held a mass and cross-border communion honoring migrants who have died in the desert. the journhe and his cousins were about to undertake >> i want to see my dad and study. the journdidn't get to me. i feel good but they tell me the hardest part coming. we will see if it's hard in a moment >> after the mass, axill lined up for a free lunch, a sandwich and a coke. he had little more than the clothes on his back. >> i left with about 700 honduran limpera, about $40 >> his home is one of the most violent cities in the world.

after crossing illegally through guatemala and into mexico, axill and his cousins made their way to puebla where they climbed atop one of the freight trains collectively known as the beasts. a dangerous and dusty ride more than 1400 miles all the way to the border in nogales. the trip wasn't easy because we came on the day. when you don't have water or food, you get hungry you are always afraid because people are telling you someone has fallen from the train, that the train can kill you. >> night, the three cousins, axill, evir and omar stayed in a cheap hotel. in the morning, evir told me why they had to get out of honduras. ? >> there are killers, go over your house and they ask you for money. if you don't pay, they kill you. it's horrible. >> border patrol agent knows how

hard the last stretch can be. he drove us 13 miles east of nogales where the aboveder fence gives way to open desert >> these people that come to the united states looking for a job, which is most of them, they are very vulnerable. these people, they don't know the criminal element that exists on the border. once you are out in the desert, they have no where to go. axill and his cousins couldn't afford to pay a coyote to guide them. they printed out maps of a desert at an internet cafe and hoped for the best. >> i bought a really big backpack so i could fill it with a wad cash after i hope make it big. i will leave with socks and return with dollars. >> you guys are leaving in the morning? are you ready? how do you feel? >> a little bit scared.

>> we asked them if we could follow them when they left, but they said that moment was just for them, not for our cameras we thought this was the last time we would ever see them. we are back at the hotel on the mexican side in nogales, because the guys, we stayed in touch with them. they tried to cross the border. they said they were picked up in the night by a group of narcos who told them that is their territory and they got robbed. now we are going to try to get the details >> the guides are here now. they are holed up in their hotel room. they are nervous. they actually think somebody might have tipped off the narcos. they were here they will like they stands out because they are darker skinned, traveling with back parks, in a small group. anyway, they won't even come out of the room to talk to us now. they don't want the cameras here at all. they feel like they are so out of options that they are going to turn themselves in at the border to allow themselves to get deported home. they don't have the money to get

home. the situation is more desperate than ever >> finally, evir came out and told us what happened. those people come up. they told us we are not supposed to be there. >> were they armed? >> yeah. >> the narcos or bandits, whatever they were took their money, their cell phones and killed their spirits. evir said axill was so rattled, he was thinking about turning himself in to u.s. authorities hoping they would send him home. they were going to spend another day or two in the hotel wondering what happened to their dreams, stolen in the desert. join us for the second episode of our series "borderland" at 9:00 p.m. eastern. thanks so much for watching al jazeera america. i am morgan radford. "talk to al jazeera" is coming up next. remember, for news updates throughout the day, head over to aljazeera.com.

>> i do get angry when i think of, you know, the unsustainable lifestyle of so many of the materialistic culture. >> jane goodall is famous for her trailblazing o with champ pan zees. the subject of her latest book isler love ofnator chimpanzees. >> she has been called the woman