conditions and risk their lives to report the truth. >> thanks to our guests. until next time, raj and i will see you on online. >> this is al jazeera america. i am thomas drayton in new york. let's get you caught up on the top stories this hour. >> it was really tough. seven military observers are free in eastern ukraine. an attack that killed more than 40 russian supporters dramatically increases tensions in the country. the grim reality in afghanistan, thousands liable dead. many more thousands now homeless. >> the language of the blind, why braille may actually become extinct. we will take you to one of the

most polluted places in the u.s. where developers are planning to build luxury high-rises. we begin in ukraine a country moving ever closer to civil war. the military stepping up the offensive against pro-russian he rebels in the east. the conflict is spreading to other parts of the country. in the east, seven european observers who were taken hostage more than a week ago have been freed. this comes a day after fire in the southern city of odessa killed dozens of pro-russian activists. secretary of state john kerry currently in africa spoke with his russian counterpart in another effort to reduce tensions. there is no solution in sight. paul brennan has the latest from the eastern city of it constaniovka. >> the burning cars and day bre which limited the streets were evidence of what looked like a day of heavy fighting between

ukrainian soldiers and pro-russia separatists. vehicles and tires have become makeshift barricades set alight to try to keep the government troops at bay. >> translator: there are a lot of victims from both sides, from the civilians and the fighters at the checkpoint. people are simply going to work were injured. there were a lot of injured and a lot of dead. they were shooting at buildings from the tanks for about half an hour. >> a stockpile of petrol bombs was on hand to throw at soldiers who came near. it didn't stop the advance of armored vehicles nor did the angry chant did of residents. checkpoints are now controlling traffic in and out. but not all traffic has been halted. after eight days in captivity, a convoy carrying a team of osce observers did make it through. they embraced freedom with an over powering sense of relief. a carefully coregraved

happenedover. >> you can't imagine. it's happiness, deep relief. the situation was really tough the last two nights as we saw the situation developing every minute gets longer. and finally, with the cooperation of all of the key players, it went prefrnl. thank you very much >> the men looked calm but tired, the tension of the captive and their neshz was obvious to seeperfectlnerves was obvious to see the released men said the self-proclaimed mayor kept the promise to keep them from harm. but diplomats said any other outcome was simply unthinkable working for international organizations has hostages is

unacceptable. it was extremely important to get through the next. >> it was made more intricate by the offensive ongoing against pro-russian militia around slovyansk and other towns. there has been fierce fighting. military personnel began by attacking a pro-russian checkpoints at dawn. a t.v. tower has also been recaptu recaptured. organizing a hostage handover in this environment was far from straightforward. it has taken days of delicate negotiations to reach this point including the final stay from the mayor. the men from the osc are free. as you can see, returning home. paul brennan. >> there is sorrow and anger in the southern city of odessa where pro-russian activists were killed in a fiery attack friday.

jonah hull has the story. >> after the appallingents of friday night in odessa when a peaceful march became a riot and an inferno prayers were held in which dozens burned or suffocated to death. others perished inside as they traded gunfire and malatov cocktails with a rival crowd outside. so-called pro-russians clashing with so-called pro-kiev or pro-unity demonstrators despite government accusations of direct foreign involvement, most are fellow citizens on opposite warring sides. >> stop killing our people. police, stop killing our people. >> the police, many say, did nothing to stop or present the violence. >> what happened here on friday night was the single most deadly

incident since the killing of protesters on independence square in late february. opposing sides in ukraine are forming more clearly now with every passing day and the divide between them is growing. >> on the square, i met a lawyer from odessa who feels his country is falling apart. >> i am terribly upset. i am very angry at what happened yesterday. i can't explain. it was just murdering the crowd of peoples, people died only because they had the other opinion than other people have in kiev. >> in one of the hospitals, i met an 18-year-old student who still believes in the future. . >> we are all people. we all want to live well, to create conditions in ukraine. so, it's good for everyone. . >> for many, that hope is fading as deadly violence and hardeping

attitudes move from the east of ukraine to the south. jonah hull, al jazeera, odessa. >> earlier, i spoke with nin nina kruschkevka. she said the crisis in ukraine is reaching a tipping point. >> we have been on the brink of an official civil war. people are fighting. people are dying i am sure russia is not in control of a lot of developments that happen on the ground although they do ex asper ate thosents and support those who become the ring leaders. however, i am sure the situation already has gone out of control. so we are essentially in a war. >> she said tensions in the country will remain high until kiev assures russia it will not seek nato membership. the sem for survivors in the devastating landslides in a north afghanistan village has been called off. more than 2 people are feared dead, buried you under hundreds of feet of mud. heavy rains are blamed for the landslides.

the focus is on those left homeless in harsh conditions. we get more on the disaster from al jazeera's gerald tan >> reporter: they spent the night in the open enduring near freezing temperatures looking over what used to be their homes and praying for any sign of life. >> seven members of my family were here when the landslide happened. four or five of them were killed here i am half alive. what can i do? >>s as of yet, we have not received any assistance. all of the villagers are digging with shovels. it is a big challenge. people who survived the landslide have already left this area. as you can see, there is no excavator digging last night. we have more machinery. working with shovels is not enough. >> days of rain caused the side of this mountain to collapse, a wall of mud and rocks swept into the village below destroying all

in its way. ships of homes buried, many with people inside. >> until now, we have only managed to find one would's body. we took that away. with regard to the aid operation, we have used all of our resources in the province and sent them to the area. >> volunteers from nearby villages have come to this area of northeastern afghanistan with crude tools and shovels to help rescue user but the focus has quickly shifted from trying to find survivors to keeping those who did alive. >> what we are doing now is helping facilitate the needs of around 700 families. more than 4,000 people have been displaced directly or indirectly of what has happened in barakshan. needs from food and water to medical help as well as shelter needs. >> it's been hard. the narrow roads have been damaged by rain and can't take the heavy machinery typically used in such recovery efforts. and the hill side remains

unstable adding to fears that another part in the cave in. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> three people are dead in two differentplosions. the blast occurred in mumbasa. an unidentified person threw grenades into a crowded minibus. another explosion occurred at a holts possibly from an ied. no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. >> in neighboring somalia, a bomb has killed at least seven people including a prominent politician. the explosion went off on a busy street in the capitol. somali policemen say a government vehicle was the target of the attack. no one has claimed responsibility for these attacks either. >> there is a break in the war in one of the most violent regions of syria. a 48 hour cease fire is underway. part of an agreement between government forces and the opposition. the idea is to allow families trapped and starving in a war

zone for months to flee the area. we get the story from al jazeera's zana hoda. >> the last rebel strong holds in the city. some 1,000 fighters are inside. but for months, they have been under siege. now, they may be given safe pamings out as part of a deal with the government. the rebels will reportedly tr retreat to the northern countryside of the city. those areas are under siege. the deal would allow the state to regain control of a city known as the capitol of the revolution. >> now, it is impossible to take back the city. we were so hungry. we couldn't even walk 100 meters. i used to way 73 kilos. now, i way 53 kilos. >> this 24-year-old arrived in istanbul a few days ago. he said the bombardment and the government siege on rebel-held areas forced neighborhoods to surrender one after another.

in early 2012, the regime began its campaign to retake lost territory in the city. the neighborhood came under one of the government's intense assaults during this war. activists like halid absula appealed for help when observers visited at the time. the world didn't act. it was a symbol of defiance when the rebels lost it, he left. >> at first, i thought we would return. then the situation got worse. we didn't lose homms today. it was lost a year ago. >> it is strategically located. the corridor linking damask united states to the government strongholds along the coast passes through homms. >> the regime and opposition know they cannot control the whole country. the regime is concentrating on retaking strategic territory.

>> once the rebels withdraw, homms city will no longer be divided. rebels may loses what they call the heart of the revolution. the war is still not over. al jazeera istanbul. >> a week of student protests at rutgers ends with condoleezza rice declining an invitation to speak at the graduation ceremony. she announced on facebook saying it had become a distraction at a special time. students are declaring victory. they waged campaign against rice on twitter and on campus arguing they played a role in the iraq war as part of the bush administration. rutgers officials say they stand behind the invitation but respect her decision. >> the blind and visually impaired have relied on braille to read and write. now, its use is declining. tonya moseley reports on why. >> joyce shumacher is not reading in front of her computer

scene. she is listening. words are being read back to her using an automated text to talk device. she is legally behind. she has been losing her vision since the age of 12. she never learned braille and thanks to tech nothing, shumacher believes she will never have to. reading braille, i think, for me personally, i don't have the time or the brain space honestly. for years, reading by touch on em bottsed paper has been the standard way for blind people to read and write. it has fallen out of favor. the national federation for the blind says fewer than 10% of the 1.3 million blind people at america know braille. >> it's a pathway for literacy. it's reading and writing. and, you know, think about raising a child if they don't learn to read and write, that's a problem. >> danielle miller, the director of the talking book and library

is working to teach younger generations of the sight impaired they miss learning important skills like spelling when they rely on high-tech devices. >> i think the problem lies. you have this whole generation that can't compose an e-mail or can't read information in a database to do a job. so, it's a choice, but if you don't learn it, you don't even have that choice. >> in the anal of con convenience, miller admits, braille may not be very appealing. >> here is a copy of the best selling novel "twilight." here is the braille version. it's four volumes. and this is the audio version. >> braille is also expensive to publish. libraries like this one are now investing in digital braille which transfers the texts on screen to a braille display keyboard. it's cheaper to produce but expensive for readers. the key boards can cost up to $5,000. but blind braille library

researcher shannon curry says there will always be a reason to learn traditional braille. >> knowing braille is the way in which i am literate in the way that knowing print means that a sighted person is literate. >> braille, a fading system of small but dedicated population believes is vital to hold on to. tanya moseley, al jazeera, seattle. >> straight ahead on al jazeera, the potentially deadly disease discovered for the first time in the united states. the search to find people who may have been infected by the man carrying the viruvirus. also, the catholic church takes advantage of new york's booming real estate market. we will tell you how it plans to spend a healthy profit on some of its pricey properties.

welcome back. doctors in indiana are treating the first case of mers in the u.s., linked to six countries near the arabian peninsula. concern is focused on the route that victim traveled just before being hospitalized.

>> healthcare officials are scrambling to track down people who recently traveled the same route as a man who has tested positive for the deadly mersvir u.s. he just returned from saudi arabia. he left rhiad and connected through heathrow airport and landed in chicago. he fell sick and ended up in the hospital. the deadlyvites has hit the healthcare industry in the middle east hard. it's fatality rate is quite high but experts say the risk of a widespread outbreak is low. >> there has not been a clear case of person to person transmission outside of the healthcare setting yet. so i think so we need to keep this in per sfespective. >> it originated in the middle east first in camels and spread to several european countries. it's estimated to have infected more than 600 people resulting in some 200 deaths. right now, there is no specific

treatment, cure or vaccination. >> the vast majority of cases are in the middle east. it can progress fast. it has a case faut ability rate is about 30%. now, contrast that to a 11% for the seasonal flu. >> morgan radford,aj. >> steven morris, a professor of epidemiology at columbia university school of public health talked to me about the symptoms. it starts out as a flu-like illness. it is a respiratory disease so it starts out with flu-like symptoms, fever, chills sometimes. sometimes diarrhea and, of course, difficulty breathing and it gets more severe as the disease progresses. it becomes much more difficult to breathe and usually, of course, that's when people seek

medical attention. >> it can be deadly. >> about one in four have actually died of it. >> is there a vaccine? any treatment options >> there isn't a vaccine yet. there was a lot of talk during sars about making a vaccine but it ended before a vaccine was actually produced and this may reignite interest in making a vaccine. it's rare enough i think if people take the right precautions, avoiding contact with other infected individuals, if they are their healthcare workers or close family members taking good highgenic precautions, washing your hands, covering your coughs and sneezes and in the hospital, taking those hospital precautions, i think you will be pretty safe. >> professor morris says mers is only spread through close contact with an infected person. a mission to advise pope francis on sex abuse in the catholic church is holding its first meeting at the vatican. the commission for the

protection of miners is drafting protocols for the church to follow when a priest is accused of sex abuse. victims groups have pressed to have priests accountable. >> a vict of abuse by a priest in higher land. >> i am there are many, many survivors around the world who are hoping and great expectations of this commission and so what i can say so far is you can't make concrete promises but as a survivor myself, i am hopeful we are going to achieve what is hoped for. >> once again, pope francis established the commission in december. property prices in new york city have been on the rise. owners of some of the prime spots are cashing in, including the churches. mary snow reports on some of the plans for those profits. >> father christopher ballard is a man of prayer with an eye on

property. >> this was renovated. >> he is an associate rector at this landmark church of saint luke and saint matthew in brooklyn but a big part of his job is to develop real estate deals for the 150 churches in his diocese? >> i have learned a lot about real estate. >> is this current market a blessing? >> this current market is a blessing. >> it's a blessing because the real estate market is soaring. he says there are about a dozen deals being considered in his diocese. one of them is at his church which has put its parking lot and rectory on the market for an asking price of $86,000,000. the church, itself, will stay intact. father ballard says the money made will go towards maintaining decaying churches and toward expanding its charity work like the kind it did after hurricane sandy. >> we need to focus our mission on helping other people. these buildings allow us once we

start leveraging them, finding building partners, joint venturers, we can allow these buildings will allow us to do more and better things. >> clergimez looking to cash in on the real estate market are becoming familiar to real estate brokers like dan mark. he is seeking a developer for this 120-year-old baptist church. it's property reportedly valued at $20 million. >> over the last couple of years because we have seen land prices double, a lot of chufrpz just want to know what their options are. sol churches are selling outright. some are looking for partnerships. we are speaking with a lot of different churches that are enter taping these different ideas. >> along with churches, some charities who work along with them are also deciding it's time to sell their property. at a time church mission house is 1 opinion park avenue. home to the welfare agencies that works with a host of non-profit groups. >> sometimes you have to strike while the iron is hot. and what we are seeing in this

community is that the iron's really hot right now. >> executive director jennifer jones austin says her organization bought the building 50 years ago for $900,000. now, it may fetch 50 million. she says that profit will help it fight poverty. >> i am a firm believer that it's not about where we sit. but it's about the work that we do. >> from the pews where father ballard sits, if churches aren't making real estate a part of their mission, they are missing the boat. >> this is real opportunity that will not come this way again. >> mary snow, al jazeera. >> coming up next on al jazeera america, on this world press freedom day, we are bringing attention to our colleagues being held in egypt. what a judge told them at their latest court appearance today. plus a third of homeless people in detroit are children. we will show you how one group is trying to help.

welcome back to al jazeera america. here are the top stories. >> in ukraine, separatevists freed seven mediators they held captive. the government is stepping up its nilt campaign to retake some separatist strong holds in the east emergency crews and search for survivors, a did he haevast landslide. more than 2000 people are feared dead. the focus now is on the villagers who have been left homeless the u.n. says they are looking for shelter for more than 4,000 people. doctors in indiana are treating the first case of mers in the u.s., a virus that has killed dozens in saudi arabia. centers for disease control officials say a healthcare worker contracted mers in re rhiyad. there is a low risk to the public. >> at a time prosecution rested this morning.

the defense begins it's case in egypt. the group remains in jail without bail accused of providing a platform to the outlawed muslim brotherhood. their appearance fell on the international press freedom day. we get more now from al jazeera's stefanie dekker >> reporter: their 7th appearance in court ended like the others, bail denied. mohammed fatmi was allowed out of the cage to address the judge. he tried to explain journalists need to explore all sides of a story. this is something completely routine for me. i work hard to get an interview with a be officer. i work hard to reach my sources. that's what journalits do. >> saturday is world press freedom day. our three colleagues shouted out happy press freedom day as they were led back to their jail cell. >> it's ironic we are here in

court on world press freedom day. we have seen another adjournment. it's getting increasingly difficult for us, the family and the guys inside, you know to endure this process. >> he has been held without charge since last august, on hunger strike for more than 100 days. he has lost 35 kilos and said he has not received any medical attention. >> this is unprecedented case. we we have never seen a government go after an international news network for nothing more than doing their work and using terrorist-related charges to keep them in custody journalists are finding it increasingly difficult to work in egypt. >> as a reporter, it's been harder to go down and cover

treat protest. you are in a greater risk of being swept up and lost in the prison system. many journalists are being held without charge in egyptian jails. the prosecution rested its case on saturday. the defense will have a chance to have its say when the trial resumes on the 15th of may. the network continues to deny all of the charges against its staff and demands their unconditional release. stefanie dekker, al jazeera, doha. international press freedom day is the topic in our "deeper look" segment coming up at 8:00 o'clock eastern, 5:00 o'clock pacific, a deeper look right here on al jazeera america. the u.s. has offered to help in locating around 300 young girls abducted in nigeria. it's been more than two weeks since the school girls were kidnapped. frustrated parents have been calling on the government to get help from other countries. dodgeses much people held a

rally. they say the government knows where the girls are being hidden but it's not taking any action to gain their freedom. >> we don't know what it is. the government is not doing anything else. everyone is speaking up about this except the government. why 234 lives is not that important to them to do something about that? we are tired of silence. >> the state department still advising on investigative techniques. secretary of state john kerry called it an uncon shownable crime. >> we spoke earlier to jon campbell. he says the boka haram fighter group has been silent putting into question whether they are responsible for the abductor. the government's response has been badly coordinated, there

have been demonstrations essentially designed to pressure the government to step up efforts and do something what the relationship is between the federal government and local government authorities so in terms of competency, the government is not looking very good right now. >> ambassador campbell says the nigerian government has asked for assistance. the kind of help they have requested is still unclear. across africa other children accident happen and they are being asked to serve in militias. one of them is returning home. al jazeera malcolm web was there

for his emotional journey. when he was 10 years old he was abducted by the lord's resistance army in 2001. he was forced to become a child soldier it was 13 years before he could escape. >> many children were beaten to death. you have to follow the orders or else they kill you. the chirp who try to escape were killed. you have to follow orders until al chance comes to escape. >> in wrooenthz, this rehabilitation center run by the charity world vision has been his home. at the peak of the war, hundreds of child soldiers came through here every month. the murals they painted are still here. an estimated 10,000 are still missing. most of them will never come home. a trickle of former child soldiers escape, now grown adults. it's christinea rama's job to

counsel them. >> psychologically, they keep on recalling. >> dennis has completed his counsel ling and is finally, it's time to go home. he was a boy when he last saw his family and neighbors. since then, he was forced to march hundreds of kilometers across four different countries. he escaped in the central african republic where they abduct people. he said he has seen and done many things he doesn't event want to talk about. many child soldiers were forced to kill relatives or neighbors. they are often scared to go home. they don't know how people will react. people come running he is made to tread on an egg. it's a ritual of reconciliation. there are no grudges here he is safe. >> all of the people from the surrounding villages have come to join in the celebration. people are singing and waving branches, almost everyone here

is sthinking dennis had died years ago. his parents had carried out the funeral ritual in the absence of a body. now that he is home and et cetera alive after 13 years in the bush, people here are delighted. >> then he arrives. thousands of the abducted children were killed. nobody ever thought he would make it. malcolm web. >> secretary of state george kerrvy 4 days into his trip in africa. his focus has been promoting res spect for human rights, security and democratic development. today, he has spoken about the commitment to the continent but stressed africa's fate lies largely in its own hands. >> when people say that kind of development that happened in europe and asia can't happen here, we just plain disagree. it's already happening.

you are shaping it for yourselves. we want to share in your effort and help to provide and drive for assured prosperity. >> after speaking in ethiopia, secretary kerry moved on to congo. he will meet to discuss security gains against rebel groups. tomorrow for our regular week ahead segment, we will take a look at the fighting in south sudan that has displaced around a million people. >> will be at 8:30 p.m. eastern, 5:30 pacific. south africa will hold its general election this week. it is the first time that those born after the end of apartheid will be able to vote nationally. the economy is proving to be a major issue. tanya paige has more from johannesburg. >> the blue of the democratic alliance filled the hall like a riding tied. although it's more popular than ever, it's small tom paired to the africa national congress. it's south africa's biggest opposition party.

>> if our government was doing its work properly, south africa would be attracting much more investments, and the economy would be growing much faster to create the jobs we need to tackle our biggest problem, which is unemployment and poverty. >> all opposition parties say they can create the jobs. the african national congress hasn't. the da has one major problem. >> the democratic alliance is perceived by many people to be a party that protects the interest of whites even though some it's leaders and the vast majority of the crowd here are black. that will perception holds it back. >> the amc has the influence of nelson mandela in its corner. it's given people houses, better social services. they say they won't turn their blac backs on the former liberation movement. th like the freedom fighters say the amc is corrupt. eff is promising to national eyes mines and banks.

it's targeting first time voters like ebanazi passing by the rally on her way to work. she isn't convinced by the eff nor daa leader, helen zila. >> when i see her campaign the way she campaigns, i see a lot of symbolic transformation. but i don't see her addressing the bread and butter issues. >> inequality is rife, especially in the poorest province, the eastern cape. most of these young men are out of work and hope. >> i will not vote because the government is doing nothing for us. we can't get work. >> they aren't likely to be many changes at this election either. the amc's dominance is guaranteed although it appears to be losing some of its appeal. tanya paige, johannesburg. >> let's get a check on your weather forecast a milder weekend after abeds week.

. >> it was actually the strongest storm system we have seen all year long pushing through. it began last sundays. we are dealing with some of the remnants of the storm toward florida. heavy rain pushing into miami and warnings with all of the flooding that we have had is still in effect. you can see across the panhandle even mississippi, it's dryer there but they are still seeing a lot of standing water in the area. the good news is there is no rain showers back in that region. here across the northeast, things getting a little cooler. for new york, 67 degrees yesterday. we were actually into the 70s. we are seeing rain showers pushing through but we don't expect to see really any accumulation. it's going to be the off and on rain shower over the next day. sunday looks to be the same. monday, tuesday, wednesday, beautiful conditions at about 66 degrees. now, here across the central plains, a lot of people are clearing up after devastating tornados. we shaw tornados pushing through the region. what's in store over the next couple of days? these temperatures.

look at this on sunday. oklahoma city, 97 degrees. >> that's not the end of it. we are going to be seeing those temperatures rise more. lubbock texas almost reaching the triple digit point. you factor in the heat sxwnings, we are talking about 102, 103 degrees across that region. you need to stay hydrated and out of "the sun." >> springtime after all. >> not summer yet. kevin. thank you. a troubling report here. many of the homeless teens in detroit were forced on to the streets by abuse, violence and neglect. some good samaritans are pounding the pavement in hopes of improving their future. >> >>. >> bisi onliere. >> one in every three homeless is a child. many come from broken homes, young lives afflicted by drugs, violence, abuse and neglect seek ref union on the streets. >> what's going on, young man. >> danny pogan and stephanie

taylor are outreach workers for the nonprofit covenant house. >> how old are you? 15? not 15 years owed? why aren't you in school? you late, too? >> it's their job to search the city for homeless youth and show them a way out. >> what's up, man? >> you guys over there? >> floyd, who is 22, has lived in this old junk yard for 10 years. >> what they are doing is literally strip mining the ground for old pieces of meldz and iron and chunks of just copper or whatever they can find in the ground to recycle it to make themselves some money. >> haven'ting floyd to leave won't be easy. it's not always this hard. >> there was times where i was being shot at, i got stabbed. i was in and out, you know, of juve. >> sexually abused and abandoned by his parents, 19-year-old ronnie harrison reached out to

covenant house in november. since then, he has earned his ged and has a job. without help, he says he would be dead. now, he sees a future. >> when i leave outside of these gates, i want to leave with a purpose, you know. >> covenant house has helped more than 54,000 youth since 1997, a challenge it and other groups working to reduce in childhood homelessness is great. there are over 30,000 homeless children in michigan. there have been some modest successes. the total homeless population declined in michigan from over 94,000 in 201193,619 in 2012. >> the challenge is how can we respond enough to all that's out there? >>. >> if you need help, i can help you. i can get you a referral. >> until that challenge is met, danny and stephanie say they won't stop severaling for those who have no safe haven.

bisi one liere, al jazeera detroit. >> coming up on al jazeera america, it's win or go home for the la clippers. the headlines off of the court still focus on the team's owner, plus: >> i am kaelyn forde at the guan guanos canal where one of the most expensive environmental clean-ups in history is just getting underway.

ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america it was a rally today in belfast in support of jailed northern ireland politician jerry adams. he spent his third day behind bars being questioned about a 42-year-old murder case. critics say his arrest is politic politically motivated. we get more from tim friend in london. >> the arrest of jerry adams is ref valling old arguments and

images from northern ireland's trouble past. martin mcginnis is not ruling out withdrawing future cooperation over policing is anybody here thought jerry's arrest at this time is not intended to interrupt that election cam paper? >> it's not just in the north where the arrest is sparking a reaction. just over the border in dundork, mr. adams' irish constituency, there are supporters who say privately that he is carrying too much historical baggage. an opinion that was strengthened as police questioned him about the murder of jean mccomville by the ira in neep 72. he denies involvement. >> it was here on a beach in county lof that her body was found in 2003. it's now part of mr. adams' irish parliament constituency.

the coincidence and now his arrest by police may prove too much for some irish voters. >> local observers believe mr. adams' power base is assured for now. >> gerry adams was elected in 2011 with 15,000 votes. i think he had have to lose 7 of those for his seat to be in danger. to lose 50% is quite unlikely even though every way is talking about the arrest this week. what he has been arrested about is a serious matter. what's in the public domain f it doesn't manifest itself, i don't think there is significant long-term damage. >> the dpoefts of the past are never far away in ireland. once again, they are haunting gerry adams' political future. tim friend, al jazeera. >> one of the world's most contaminated bodies of water is here. the $300 million clean-up is slated but well before it's due

to get under waifrmthsways, luxury condo developers want to build. kaelyn forde reports. >> kater kelly called this home renovating a brownstone and raising two children. but the neighborhood she loves and writes about has a toxic legacy. just two blocks away is some of the most contaminated water in america, the guanus canal. >> i worry about the fact that without really understanding where i skoez to live my life, i might have definitely put myself at risk and certainly put my children at risk. >> since the 1870s, gas plants and factories have dumped chemicals into the waterway. joseph alexio has studied the canal's history. >> there is a 1922 news article from the "new york times" that says $100 million worth of goods were shipped to the guanus canal in a single year and they call it the shortest, dirtiest and one est most important water wafrmingsz intoot entire country. >> it flows into the new york

harbor and has been popular for fishing. but when heavy rains overwhelm the city's plans, raw sewage flows into the canal. >> here comes the g bashage. >> katia said she knew it was dirty but not toxic. some thought it could be healing. >> some people in the neighborhood thought that, you know, the air, the strong air in the guanus canal was good for healing croop. >> that changed in 2010 when the environmental protection agency put the guanus canal on the super fund list. scientists found pesticides, heavy metals and cancer causing chemical did called pcbs? >> it's your witch's brew of contamination from the turn of the century until now. to give you a perspective, when we measure contamination at sites, sometimes we measure it at parts per million or parts per billion even depending upon the contaminant.

in the case of the guanus, we are finding contamination at parts per 100. >> the clean-up will cost half a billion dollars and take more than a decade. more than 20 feet of toxic coal tar will have to be dredged from the bottom of the canal. centuries of contamination have given the canalal its color and it's overpowering smell but despite the epa clean-up plan is not underway. real estate developers are making plans for luxury condos here. >> a $300 million development known as guanus green is slated to open in 2017 with 744 units of housing. but long time residents like katia want the canal cleaned up before it is built up. >> you are going to have 12-story condo glass buildings where people pay a lot of money that are in flood zones and are next to open sewers. we think it is funny if it wasn't so sad. >> in a city where housing is as in demand as new york, stemming the tide seems almost

impossible. kaelyn forde, al jazeera, new york. >> the final episode of al jazeera's critically acclaimed series "border land" airs tomorrow. it's a look at the potentially deadly challenges migrants face when trying to cross the u. u.s.-mexico border. here is how six are making the journey coping. >> three of the almost 6,000 my grants perished in the last 15 years due to dehydration, heat exhaustion or hypothermia. >> did you notice the pieces of clothing along the trail? shoes, pants back there a ways? >> measured by the number of border patrol apprehension, the government's policy of driving migrants into the desert has brought down the number of illegal crossers substantially from over a million in 2006 to 420,000 last year. but while lesser crossing -- less are crossing, more are

dying. a my grant crossing is 8 times more likely to die than a decade ago. >> it's weird to be in the footsteps of thousands and thousands of people that have come through here i mean it's kind of eerie in a way. and then, take it one more level and who knows which one of our people that we followed their story, who knows if they passed right there. so, i think it's, for me, kind of tough. >> myra succumbed on the first day of her trek. two hours into the hike, kashana is already feeling the strain. >> it's tough. it's hot. i think i over packed. i don't feel people can do this for long. you have to be so indicative. the rocks are slippery. there is no flat land you have to be careful. you are watching your feet, you know, for snakes and other critters. you have the rocks and branches and then you are getting stuck like on both sides of your skin.

so, it's hard as you get hot but then you've got to put something to cover your arms. it's a lot to think about. >> come on, guys. as hot as it's going to be, you don't want to be caught in the canyon. it's difficult to walk in the daylight. if we get caught in the dark, it's going to be really bad. so we need to move out a little faster. >> vamos! >> i don't think i have been prepared at all for the crossing. mentally trying to prepare. physically we try though prepare with the right clothing. nothing prepares you for this. we have seen back packs and shirts along the way where people peeled it off or lost it but it just seems like if you look at the different articles of clothing, you can see no one is prepared for this journey. >> "border land" airs tomorrow night right here on al jazeera america. hope you will join us. still ahead on al jazeera america, a crucial game tonight for the la clippers but one keep

person won't be there. we will tell you why the woman heard in those infamous audio recordings said donaldstering is not a racist.

welcome back. never before in basketball history have we seen three game 7 deciding matches on the same day. >> would normally be the story in the sports world. right? stealing the limelight, new details about racially charged comments made by the owner of the los angeles clippers. >> the spotlight should be on the excitement of play-off basketball. saturday marks the first time ever in league history that three game 7s will be played on the same day. adding to the mix, the drama for the grizzlies will play their win or go home day without zac randolph. he becomes the first player ever to miss a game 7 for any reason after leading his team in scoring the entire series.

instead, the focus shifts back to disgraced clippers owner donald sterling after v.stiviano talked on camera for the first time since the nba suspended and fined sterling telling barbara walters she was not a girlfriend but a personal assistant to the 80-year-old nba owner and that she doesn't think et cetera a racist. >> you have heard him say derogatory things. >> yes. >> don't they sound racist to you? >> i think that the things he says are not what he feels. >> asked as to whether sterling should apologize, she said, absolutely. as for the owner, himself, the only remorse comes from how he handled the situation. while sterling hasn't spoken publically about the fine or banned the league, he did tell an la magazine, i wish i just paid her off. thursday's nhl play-off game between boston and montreal saw bruins fans get nasty on twitter

after montreal's pk subin, a black player, scored two goals including the game winner in the canadian's over time game 1 victory. >>. >> president cam neilley said the class lone starless views on thursday's game leare in no way refl reflection of anyone in the bruins organization. >> subin has yet to respond. many bruins say those are not true boston fans. >> there were some grat story lines. it was the favorite who stole the show. california chrome shines bright in the kentucky. >> moments ago, a horse owned by two novices to the racing business took a run for the roses. california chrome wins the 140th y. the two retired nevada men used

their savings to pi the horse. not a bad investment. thanks for joining us. i am thomas drayden. back with another hour at 8:00 eastern, 5:00 p.m. pacific. stay tuned. fault lights coming up next. ne fault lines" coming up next. >> a group of armed vigilantes is trading machine gun fire with members of the knights templar cartel until early this year, the town of nueva italia in mexico's western state of michoacan was under the control of the cartel