this is al jazeera america. i am racial carry in new york with a look at today's top stories more people take to the streets to protest the kidnapping of hundreds of nigerian girls. eastern ukraine prepares for tommy's vote for index. as more nations threaten sanctions against russia. returning the unidentified remains of those killed on 9-11 ground zero sparks anger and protest. the controversy over new traffic cameras in chicago. their focus goes well beyond cars and trucks.

>> like millions of people across the globe, my husband and i are outraged and heart broken over the kidnapping of more than 200 nigerian girls from their school dormitory in the middle of the night. >> the first lady as her voice to the international cry to find the kidnapped school girls in nigeria. first, government officials on the defensive denying reports they knew in advance. boko haram fighters were planning to snatch more than 200 girls. they say that's not true. also today u.s. personnel are in nigeria to help find the missing students. >> more from abuja. . >> the nigerian military broke its silence issuing a rather detailed statement trying to exonerate soldiers from allegations that they had advanced warning hours before

the attack but failed to act accordingly. instead, the military said what they did receive were calls for reinforcements once the boko haram attack was underway, that it had to dispatch reinforcements to more than 120s kilometers away in a very rugged and difficult terrain that soldiers were ambushed, that they were receiving misleading information. their investigation into the conduct and what exactly happened that day is still underway. this as international at teams of experts from the united states have already started arriving in nigeria to provide assistance to nigerian authorities in areas where they are particularly lagging. these are believed to be areas such as satellite imagery and intelligence gathering. the emphasis has been that these are not troops, not boots on the ground, but rather technical experts, military personnel, law enforcement personnel, specifically skilled in the areas of intelligence, hostage

negotiations, information gathering and victim assistance. >> reporting there, we are also hearing more now from some of the young girls who escaped their kidnappers, hearing accounts of fleeing from captors in a hail of gunfire. >> they took us away in a convoy of lories. we traveled before reaching the final destination in the forest. we are sent to fetch water. >> that's when we seized the opportunity and bolted. even when they were shooting at us, we took the chance and god helped us arrive in shuba two days later. >> they threatened to shoot anyone who tried to escape. the vehicles slowed down along the road, i jumped down with my friend. we spent the night in the bush and trekked back to chibuk the next day. >> mothers of the girls still in captivity, they listened in absolute horror. now, back to mineral obama speaking out praising the courage of the young school girls. her mother's day message quickly

turned to the tragedy in africa. >> in these girls, barack and i see our own daughters. we see their hopes and their dreams and we can only imagine the anguish their parents are feeling right now. the girls, themselves, also new full well the dangers they might encounter. their school had been closed due to terrorist threats. but these girls insisted on returning to take their exams. they were so determined to move to the next level of their education, so determined to one day build careers of their own and make their families and communities proud can the first lady make a difference? for. >> this is annub move, the first time the first lady, michelle obama has taken over the weekly address from her husband, barack obama, she said as you heard, for her, this is personal. she is the mother of two school-aged girls. at the same time, this isn't

expected to change glus policy. they are sending just about a dozen experts to try to help with the search. the official white house position is that the united states has no intention of helping with any rescue operation. there will not be special forces on the ground. publically that is what they are saying. >> that's not expected to change despite this address from the first lady. >> the sdpirs lady's outrage is matched by protests around the world. several hundred took to streets in chick today. it was part of the world wide bring back our girls campaign initiated odd social media. in nigeria, there were marches, some of them descending on the home of the deputy govern. thousands were demanding the government find girls and bring them home. in a t.v. address the nation's director of defense said the country should not suck om to fear tactics.

>> activities for terrorists. >> the director of defense urged keeping faith in the government. >> eastern ukraine preparing to vote. this coes as western powers th t threaten deeper sanctions. the presidential elections scheduled for later this month. as to tomorrow's vote, russian president vladimir putin has urged officials to hold off. sfinlz in the east say it must go forward as planned. the self plow claimed mayor says local polling stations are fully prepared for tomorrow's vote. >> we are ready for the refer evenedum, ready to run the elections at full capacity. we did a territoryial commission, poll stations are ready for voting. everything is fully organized. >> ukraine's acting president is warning against the referendum saying it would a

self-destructive step. some parts of the east, they are reflecting today on deadly violence. on friday, up to 20 people were killed. southeastern city of mariupol. >> that's when ukrainian forces clashed with pro-russian separatists. it claims forces tomoved in to take over a government building. they are many have called it i will legitimate. some say it may be the only way to restore peace in the building. blood thirsty ultra nationalists waging war on the peaceful communities of donetsk and its surrounds. the only answer, a tick for "yes" to the idea of their own people's republic. opinion polls suggest that popular support for the idea is low. we found it to be divided at

best. >> i will be voting "yes" in the referendum. i want peace. i don't want the west to come here and shoot at our kids. >> i am not going to vote but, of course, it will have an impact on us. >> you will go and vote. it's not that i don't support us. it's the fact that i don't find this referendum legitimate. >> nieleither does the governme in kiev but there doesn't seem to be much it can do to stop polling sfraingsz opening. >> the head of the central election commission of the people's republic ofd donetsk says it will meet all international standards. here is something that international observers might have cause to question: a sign in the window with the instruction to the republic. but of course, there aren't going to be any international observers. >> and among volunteer polling station workers, the outcome isn't in much doubt.

when it come to the percentage, i cannot tell but i believe it will be no less than 60% in favor. >> if polls are right that there is a majority against, veteran civil society campaigner says there is good reason to stay silent in recent weeks, many have been abducted, beaten and intimidated. the ukrainian colors have all but vanished from the streets of the east. >> at the beginning, it was hooliganism. then this evil group, they started to arm themselves and wouldn't have our hands. >> security and civil society have fallen away, so violence and lawlessness have risen on both sides. it's hardly an ideal environment for any exercise in democracy. >> i spoke with lenkon mitchet,

an advisor to the human rights institute at columbia university and asked him about the legitimacy of tomorrow's referendum. here is what he had to say. >> i don't think it's legitimate. i think you have some kind of thuggish actors who want to be separatists who have formal and more importantly, an informal support from russia who are calling for a referendum, there is no real legal foundation for this referendum. we have no sense that the process will be a real one. it's hard to put an election together, in 72 our 96 hours' notice. in this environment, if i were living in donetsk and did not want to separate from russia, i might keep my head down and not vote because it's a climate of fear now. >> no matter what the actual results are, the pro-russian separatists in those regions will claim a victory. in yes, ma'men, a bomb went off the president's home in the southern city of aden. know energy were reported. the president was in the capital

city where four soldiers were killed in a separate attack. the golf says it killed 7 alleged mil tans >> reporter: tight security in sanaa, soldiers search vehicles of a northern entrance. a massive hunt for potential suicide bombers and al-qaeda operatives is underway. >> i am worried sending my kids to school walking by government buildings and constantly thinking a blast might happen any time anywhere. unknown gunmen near the presidential palace on friday. security enforcers and government buildings have been targeted many times by al-qaeda. there are concerns al-qaeda might take the fight to the heart of the capitol and launch major attacks across the

country. the beefed up military presence comes against a backdrop of a major onslaught against". this was an al-qaeda's main military camp. abandoned by occupants leaving behind weapons and explosives devices as well as communications equipment. we have defeated the terrorists. i want to reassure you that we will chase those who fled until they surrender or get killed. >> the army now controls most of the area. al-qaeda may have lost some battles but not the war. many of its fighters and leaders are believed to have retreated deep into the mountains and a vast district land controlled by sympathetic tribesmen. i tried to kidnap them a couple

of weeks ago. official say the two american workers were no longer in yemen. the "new york times" says the yemeni government allowed the americans to leave. christopher swift, a professor of national security at georgetown yurt says the enlist is providing some support for yem yemens' fight against al-qaeda. >> it'st the absolute number of it u.s. forces on the ground in yemen is very, very small. it's mat yooned sized. they are training people on the ground in the field fighting. the u.s. approach to yemen has been to help the yemenis help themselves. not go in places like iraq and afghanistan. the targeted killing program is a little bit didn't isht there is a lot of collaboration. what target were hit, when they hit and who hits them. >> drone strikes in yemen have led to resentment against the

u.s. a solom sar known e, the unidentified remains of those who died during the 2001 world trade center attacks have been returned to the site of the attack. al jazeera john terret reports. early saturday morning, bracing for an emotional return under police escort, some of the unidentified remains from september 11thing, 2001, are brought back to the world trade center site for the first time in 13 years. this is one of the three caskets transported to the new 911 memorial and museum which is due to be formally dodge next week. these family members are not happy about it. black arm bands cover their mouths to signify they were given no voice and no choice in where the unidentified remains would end up. they are angry at the city of new york for putting the remains

in a vault seven stories underground inside a pay as you interview museum which has been built on a flood plain, demanding on more referential location for the remains that represent all of those who died here and whose bodies have never been recovered. >> i think they deserve something beautifuls because they never got a chance to go home to their family cemetaries of all of the remains from 9-11, these are the ones who should have been given the most beautiful, most dignified place to rest. >> families have written to president obama appealing to help. he will be at the museum's formal opening ceremony next thursday. >> the city says it did consult family members about where to place the remains. the family members here to see them come back to the place where they died say they will boycott the new memorial and museum until a more suitable resting place is found. john terret, al jazeera, ground zero new york. >> a fiery crash in a tragic d ending for a hot air balloon in

virginia last night, three people were in a hot air balloon when it hit a power line and caught fire and came crashing to the ground. police recovered a second body. the balloon and the person who was piloting it have not been found yet. the hot air balloon crashed and the fact we have not been able to make any contact with any of the three occupants that were in that hot air balloon, we are now transitioning from a krefk u operation to a recovery operation at this time. >> those aboard the balloon fell or jumped before the balloon hit the ground. c coming up on al jazeera america, the first gay marriage licenses are issues in arkansas. the fight fight for gay rights lets up. dedicated to nelson mandela, what they are saying about a landside election.

. >> south africa's president is promising more jobs and infrastructure projects after voters handed the anc a convincing election victory. many want more from the party. a report from johannesburg. >> that's the sound of anc supporters people are celebrating the victory. jacob zuma addressed them and told them that he is happy that they have given him another five years in government. he told them about apartheid and said the anc is doing the best it can to deliver on the promises to the poor. he promised jobs, and sanitation, water, electricity, all of the things that people really want. jacob zuma knows his party

didn't do it in other elections. he has a long road ahead. he said tonight people will celebrate. people will dance. come tomorrow morning, he says he and his administration will go back to the drawing board and find a way forward. he promised he will do the best he can the next five years to deliver on promises. >> a report there. united nations placed sanctions on the former president of the central african republic. it comes as u.n. special envoy mary robinson visits the country. she metaphor talks with the interim head of state behind closed doors. later, she visited camps for internally displaced people in the capitol. she plans to visit neighboring countries for regional support in resolving that nation's kong conflict. long awaited peace talks on south sudan began today. the president and rebel leaders met since ethnic violence began spreading across the country >> reporter: after five months

of little progress in peace talks here in addis ababa, it is felt it was time to bring to go the president and his former deputy, now the rebel commander and they were not disappointed. a day of marathon talks was not only the mediators but the ethiopian leader they managed to sign an agreement which calls for an immediate cease fire, one that will come into being within 24 hours from the moment it was signed. the agreement also looks into how the people of south sudan can get a transitional national government which is not only going to be formed out of the party in the conflict but also political parties in the country as well as the civil society organizations. this agreement might take a while before it has an impact on the ground. south sudan is a huge country

and news of these might reach some of the troops of the two men. days from now. the humanitarian community sees it as one that is going to really help alleviating the looming humanitarian situation in the country with millions of people needing food aid and being scattered across the country. a red shirt movement rallied support today. the former prime minister yingluk shinawatra thrown out of office this week. the red shirts say today was an attempt by the country's government to install a new prime minister and can result in a civil war. >> bangkok with more. >> thousands and thousands of demonstrators have streamed into this area to show their support for the government of yingluk shinawatra. she was ousted on wednesday as prime minister because the constitutional report ruled that

she had abused her power and acted against the constitution. they was shen the next day by the national anticorruption commission set for impeachment at the senate. >> that's a process that's expected to play out over the next few days. it would prevent her from running in elections that are due in july. leader after leader this group here has gone on to the stage. you can probably hear them now. it's noyes here they have been saying that what they've got to do is safe guard democracy and what happened on wednesday was a judicial coup. they want to guard against the possibilitity of further judicial decisions that may dismantle the government further and against the possibility of a military youp. they voted in a majority for this tie government to come in, the name of the party and they want the people that they elected to be in power.

there are various of what the opposition want. they say they want to get rid of the corrupting influence of the yingluk shinawatra political dynasty's influence on society. but there are those who also say that they are backing ab establishment that is loathe to give up power. this is a country. analysts say it is really possibly on the brink of all conflict. many people on the ground here are agreeing with that sentiment because they do not want to see the government they have voted for ousted. >> veronica reporting there. the vatican moved a stet closer to name making another pope a saint. this time, it's pope paul xi, pope francis gave the seal of approval, the final step before sainthood. paul xi was pontiff from 1963 to 1978. he is remembered for many for --

by many for the church's ban on contracepti contraception. >> "borderland" is airing a special episode with the cast members coming together to talk about experiences crossing the border. you can catch it here on al jazeera at 9:00 p.m. eastern. next, the debate over the driver's licendeath penalty. an expert calling for a total overhaul of capital punishment. struggling to save for the golden years, america's growing financial gap when it comes time to retire.

welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at your top stories. the nigerian government denies reports today that they were warned hours before the kidnapping of 276 school girls. the military called the accusations faults, breaking a si silence.

today, thousands marched through cities across nigeria demanding the government do more to bring those girls home. two regions in eastern ukraine are scheduled to vote in a referendum time. the question at hand: whether to secede. a number of western nations are calling the vote illegal, including the u.s. meanwhile, france and germany are threatening russia with deeper sanctions if the presidential election does not take place later this month. in yemen, miltants are pushing back a bo went off from the president's home in the southern city of adden. the president was in the capital city of sanaa where four soldiers were killed in a separate attack. the government said it killed seven alleged militants in the latest round of fighting. the supreme court officially deemed the death penalty constitution al in 1976. although a handful of states have abolished it, there are 32 that use it. as you can see here, there have been 1,357 capital punishment executions since the ruling. nearly 40% of them took place in

texas alone. myth states use lethal injection. other states allow hanging or the electric chair or firing squads as options under certain situations. the botched execution of clayton locket in oklahoma last week reignited the debate over capital punishment. he died after a heart attack after his execution was called off when there were problems administering the lethal injection. president obama called for an invehiclegation into how the death penalty is administered. this week, the state of oklahoma granted a six-month stay of execution for another death row inmate. joining me is sarah tuberville, a senior counsel of the criminal justice program, a bipartisan think tank based in washington, d.c., last wednesday released a 208 page examination of the death penalty in the united states. we appreciate your time so much. first, what was your reaction when you heard of what happened

at the clayton locket execution. >> a lot of people, this is what we had been fearful of for a while, ever since we have learned that states are shrouding their execution processes in secrecy and they are using new drugs that have never before been used on humans and executions, new drug combinations, different dosages so it really is sort of a wor horse-case scenario. >> -- worst-case scenario. >> why the new drugs, why the secrecy? >> states have had difficulty obtaining drugs to be used in lethal injections since about 2010 and as a result, they have started to implement new protocols that have been hastily adopted, often adopted without any sort of public comment or any transparency in that process. and then, they have shielded the

actualnate of the drugs or the source of the drugs from the public and the courts as well. >> is there -- is it difficult to -- how do i put this? is it difficult to engage the public on something like this because the people that this affects aren't necessarily sympathetic people? >> well, that may be the case, but, you know, when these really horrific crimes happen, we have an obligation and this is our view of the constitution project, to adhere to our constitutional principles and be absolu absolutely sure that the process we have in place are fair and that they minimize the risk of executing an notices person. >> that's something that should be of grave concern to all americans. >> absolutely. your project, the constitution project, again, as i said, this report was released this week, and you said there should be an overhaul of the death penalty prosgoing back tots arrest from,

from the arrest to the execution. why do you say that? >> that's right. our report was actually issued by a bi-partisan group of experts, both opponents and proponents of the death penalty. it was chaired, for example, by a former texas govern governor mark white, a conservative democrat who believes in the death penalty and actually nineteen discussions took place while he was governor of texas. and it's the committee's belief that as long as any state implements capital punishment, it has to be as fair as possible and reduce the risk of executing an innocent person. >> starts at the investigation of a capital case. so there are -- there are things that law enforcement, for example, can do to min muse the risk of a wrong full conviction when they are undertaking an investigation of a homicide that might be a death penalty case. fox, there have been over 140 people who have been exonerated from death rows across the country because of evidence of innocence and in a substantial

number of those cases, it's been faulty eyewitness identifications that have led to their conviction and so law enforcement, for example, can institute a reform like double blind administration. >> means that both the law enforcement officer as well as the witness don't have any idea who the suspect is while the witness is making the identification. and that helps to reduce the rate of false identifications. >> do you think that your -- this report has been received the way you hoped it would be? >> i believe so. i mean, you know, our view is that what happened in oklahoma is sort of symbolic of the greater dysfunctionalty of the death penalty system. so, from the moment of arrest through the judicial process, through the clemancy process and now we see through the execution, there are significant challenges that we are pacing.

>> thank you very much . >> thank you. >> the death penalty is very controversial in many other parts of the world. many consider it torture. ending torture is the topic this sunday night when our regular look at the week ahead joining us tomorrow night at 8:30 eastern and 5:30 pacific. >> today, arkansas became the latest state to perform same-section marriages. on friday, a judge struck down the state's 10-year-old constitutional ban on gay marriages and this morning, kristin seton of fort smith arkansas, they were married, the attorney general has vowed to appeal the new ruling. next door in mississippi, there is a new campaign for a lesbian and gay equality on the heels of a state law called the religious freedom restoration act that supporters say will protect religion many in the lesbian and gay community says it will open the door to more discrimination. >> joycelyn pritchett and carla web are happily married and

living in jackson, mississippi. >> federally, i am married. statewise, i am sing. >> they have two biological daughters and while the women got married in maine, mississippi doesn't recognize them as a couple. >> i have been told i am going to hell. i have been told all kinds of things. >> they are worried they will have even fewer rights after july 1st when the mississippi religion freedom restoration act goes into effect. the law protection residents from any mississippi laws that might violate their right to practice their faith. critics say it opens the door to discripnating against gays. >> i think we are being governed by people who don't represent us anymore. >> we reached out to numerous lawmakers who support the new law. no one responded to our request for comment on camera. but we did manage to get ahold of one by phone. state representative andy gibson who helped push the bill forward? >> the only thing you is you understand in order to tell the

story fairly, we need to get lawmakers who voted, you know, on camera to talk about this. so, it's hard too tell. >> you've got a job but we are not in session. >> right. >> we won't be until the end of january. uh-huh. >> could i ask you one more question? are your -- are your views antigay and lesbian, or what's your take? >> i am not sure what you are asking me. am i anti? >> are you antigay and lesbian? >> i don't know where that question is coming from. i don't know how to answer that question except to say i don't believe in that lifestyle. >> mississippi lawmakers are also facing opposition to the law from some business owners. mitchell moore, a straight,

married, republican christian who owns a small bakery in jackson started support campaign with a simple message, if you are buying, we are selling. >> straight, gay, christian, atheist, whatever, they are all business owners and they are saying, hey, we support you as well. we are here for you. >> for joycelyn pritchett and carla web, the fight for equality has only just begun? >> i think mississippi is, i think we are starting to stand up a lot more than we ever have. liberals, progressive people, african americans, poor people, lgbt people, everyone. >> several couples are planning on suing the state of mississippi because of this law. in the words of joycelyn pritchett, if equality can happen here, in mississippi, then that's a good thing for gays and lesbian s across america. robert ray, al jazeera, jackson, mississippi. >> a final day of the n.f.l. draft and all eyes are on one man, michael sam could be the first openly gay player to enter the league. the line backer excelled at

missouri, named the conference defensive player of the year but his mediocre performance in pre-draft may leave him out of today's pick. he may be a free agent. we will see. the senate recent rejejtd a proposal to raise the minimum wage to contract 10.10. it has remained at 7.25 since 2009. low wage workers are organizing efforts and strikes in their efforts to secure higher wages. courtney qeely has more from a march and pray-in recently at new york city's riverside church. >> the marching workers chanted demands for a higher minimum wage in both spanish and english. >> state leaders joined the march filing into new york's riverside church this week for an enter denominational, inter racial and international service. >> we people are faith are here to stand in solidarity with low-wage workers and families.

>> the two-hour program was filled with testimonials by workers. >> they have no respect for us, plain and simple. and the abuses are too many. >> sermons? >> i want to say yes to fair wages for all workers and yes, to showing up for the change that's already begun. >> and songs. ♪ many have been given this pledge written in english and spanish. you can jotake a bus to al been on may 20th and join the boycott. >> the greatest income inequality in the nation according to local leaders like melissa mark deverito. >> more than 3 million men and women are working but still live in poverty because the state's $8 minimum wage is just too low and clearly not enough.

>> she says something needs to change. >> pending legislation would allow cities and counties across new york city to supplement that minimum wage by raising their local minimum wage and recent poles show 73% of new yorkers this mess you're. >> opponents say there are other ways to help the poor that raising wages will make it parter for businesses to hire younger and lower skilled workers. >> while president obama called for a minimum wage hike and made it clear that income inequality would be the focus of his remaining time in office, some thing it's already too late. >> people thought obama was going to do something. people see now it's already too late. his book is written. he is out the door. >> the movement continues on. >> let's march to al been a on the 20th in the spirit of joshwa. let's march on the spirit of jesus. let's march on. >> courtney keeley.

>> in the spirit of mohammed, let's march on. >> al jazeera. >> americans are living longer lives than ever, but as life expectancy goes up, many struggle to save enough for their later years according to the center for retirement research, americans should collectively have over $6 trillion saved for retirement but we are far behind that. lease a attacker has more. >> when karen konker works these days, it's primarily as a volunteer. she managed to retire a few years ago at age 52 after nearly three decades as a county government worker. >>. >> one of the main reasons for taking the job was the excellent retirement that fairfax county had. >> her 28-year-old daughter, sandra greenberg has a management job with a small company but has not been able to start saving for retirement? >> does your company offer a retirement plan? >> no, not at this time. >> have you ever worked for a company that offered a retirement plan? >> no. i haven't.

>> more than half of american workers do not have a workplace retirement plan. middle income workers who are offered a plan at work are much more likely to start putting money away than those without company plans. >> people making between thirty and fifty,$000, when they are covered by a plan at work over sent % of them participate, savings plans like 401(k)s but when they don't have access to a plan at work, then less than 5% of them save on their own. >> conquer says having money automatically deducted from her paycheck was key. >> i did not get to factor that dollar amount in to my monthly budget. >> the retirement situation is especially dire for blacks and hispanics. a recent report found those families have about 30 dollars socked away compared to 120,000 for whites near retirement age. >> let's do more to help

americans save for retirement. >>pom pom highlighted the issue and through executive order created a new type of retirement fund called a myra. >> businesses can voluntarily offer the program at little or no cost to the company. many deducted from paychecks would into a government backed fund. workers can start saving with a little bit would $5. here is a low-risk, low-cost but also low balanced a lot tentive for folks who haven't gotten started yet. >> sandra says between living expenses and paying off student loans, saving for retirement is tough? >> it does worry us. >> but our hands are tied. >> her mom supports any new retirement plan option for young workers? >> it gives them the opportunity to start thinking about the future. >> it's never too early to do that. >> lisa stark, al jazeera, fairfax, virginia. >> we will take a deeper look at the challenges facing americans

as they grow older tonight at 8:00 p.m. do join us. coming up on sashingz, these aren't your average traffic cameras. the new feature that has some saying they violate civil liberties. >> chesapeake choosing between personal safety and education, the dmrilemdilemma facing girls nigeria. vé

>> we're here in the vortex... only on al jazeera america >> this unconscionable act was committed by a terrorist group, grown men attempting to snuff out the aspirations of young girls. >> as the first lady said today, the kidnappings are forcing berrymans in nigeria to make tough decisions. the group targets schools as parts of enforcement islamic law.

>> leaves familiess having to choose between safety and going to school. howa, a mother of 4 lost her husband to boko haram a few years ago. she dreamt of her children becoming doctors and lawyers, but boko haram has forced her to change her mind? >> i wanted them to go to conventional schools. abductor made me rethink. i put them in a koranic school. at least they will be safe there. it's painful what they are going through. >> her youngest daughter said it was a painful decision for them. >> i feel sad when i see my mates going to school and i am not. to be honest, i am afraid of what is happening in schools but at least i go to a koronic school. >> her stories is echoed throughout the region why it's proving a real struggle. evidence that boko haram threats and attacks have affected school

enrollment. dozens of schools have been destroyed and economic activities sdrutd. >> schools like this in the states remain closed event except for students taking vinyl exams. they were shot two months ago. >> he said giving in to boko haram threats will have serious consequences. >> they don't want anyone to go to school, particularly women. if we cannot train our children, cannot train our daughters to become engineers, doctors, lawyers, whatever, our society is doomed. >> despite the government's promise to secure schools, attacks and killings continue with a significant impact on school enrollment and pupil numbers. more than 10 and a half million children are now out of nigeria's education system. an increasing number of attacks on schools, especially in the north, means many parents face a stark choice: their child's safety or education mohammed

edris, al jazeera, nigeria. it's been more than a week since a massive landslide buried a village in northeast afghanistan. villagers say distribution of aid has been chaotic. numerous fights have broke out as people scuffle over supplies. doane assess have been piling up at warehouses because of all of this confusion >> reporter: life isn't getting any easier for survivors of the landslide. for over a week, they have had to live rough in tents and have struggled to get food to eat the weather has turned making this makeshift camp a cold and muddy mess. s ha-ha d lost everything this is the first hot meal he and his family have had in days. we survived this disaster by the grace of god but we need more help from the government. they keep making us promises but problems are getting worse. they can see us sitting here in

the mud. i worry if it ranges again, we will die. >> his concerns are shared by many here, the consistent problem of poor aid distribution has only added to the misery. this police officer is responsible for keeping supplies meant for survivors safe. >> this aid was found on someone who shouldn't have had it. we took it back. we are doing our best to prevent people from other areas from taking the aid. it is not easy after speaking to him, peek started shoving each other for the supplies time and again, we see scuffles like this, people fighting over whatever aid they can get. it really just under scores how chaotic the delivery for supplies is for people who badly need it. >> asir wasn't able to keep the aid safe. a group men managed to get ahold of it and started fighting each other for the supplies.

>> shah adib is the govern of the prove incident. he estimates although international aid agencies say the figure is closelr likely to 250. thousands are homeless and in desperate need. >> this is a very challenging situation. distributing aid has b become a more difficult task than deeding with the landslide. god willing we will help these people and make their lives better. >> few here are convinced. >> northeastern afghanistan. >> still ahead on al jazeera america, how much surveillance is too much. why some say chicago's newest crime fighting tool is a violation of

>> i didn't go back to the person that i was before i left... >> an emotional borderland reunion >> this trip was personal to me... this is real... >> long held beliefs >>...illegal in mexico too.. >> learn the language! come here... >>...most ridiculous thing i've heard in my life >> tested by hard lived truths... >> these migrants are being exploited >> beyond borderland... only on al jazeera america an update to a story we brought you earlier, michael sam has become the first openly gay player to be drafted by an n.f.l. team.

he was selected in the 7th and final round, the 249th pick, st. louis rams took him. he will be taking in missouri. he played for mizzou. more on the historic event on al jazeera america. big brother is watching and zooming in, in the windy city. chicago's traffic cameras are about to get a major upgrade. here is john hendren with more. >> in the windy city, big brother is busier than ever. chicago's traffic cameras are now doing double duty, catching red light runners and performing surveillance. what we don't know is, are we tracking a terrorist, or are we just tracking someone else? are we tracking someone when we don't like because of their political views? are retracting that person because simply they are an attractive person? >> chicago is among the most watched cities in america. by the end of may, it's 352 traffic cameras will be replaced with new models that can pan 360 degrees, well past the traffic. >> how do you feel about that? >> a little violated.

>> chicago's traffic cameras are nothing new. for years, you could walk from one end of downtown to the other without ever being out of range. what's new with the new cameras is that they can pivot to follow an individual on are zoom in for a positive i i d. some say that's just too much information. >> imagine that that person takes that walk and along the way, they stop for a political meeting and it may be they stop to see their therapist and it may be they even stop to see someone whom they are in a row mantic relationship that they are not married to. >> inside this building, police and emergency management officials can watch those cameras along with 24,000 others from train and bus stops to housing projects to private office buildings all networked together in a web of constant surveillance. >> it's a little bit scary, yeah, to no someone is watching me at all times, i guess. >> authorities say cameras like these help capture suspects like

the boston marathon bombers. >> i feel safer with the cameras here. >> they also capture the mundane acts of everyday life. >> see that little bulb? >> yeah. that's a traffic camera. >> wow. >> does that bother you? >> yes. no privacy. no privacy at all. >> city officials would not discuss what and who were being tracked odd camera. the only time the mayor has addressed traffic cameras came after his motorkade was caught running red lights. >> since i heard that, i said follow the law. nobody is above the law. >> there are few laws governing traffic cameras. what the rules are on who watcheses who, when and how, only the workers inside this building know for sure. john hendren, al jazeera, chicago. >> a stellar discovery, one of the oldest stars in the universe. more from the desert. >> spectacular and desolate, the

atakarma is the oldest desert on earth and the driest. some parts get no rain at all. >> that's why it lures astron members like professor anna freebel time and time again? >> it's dry and that's good for austronomy that essentially the stars don't twinkle as much. it's of course very pretty when the stars twinkle but astronmembers don't actually like it at all. >> the twin imagine he wimagic telescopes, and others perched in the desert air, a focus of our yearning to know more about just what is out there. here is my baby, my favorite telescope. >> tell us about the discovery you made. >> we use the telescope several times a year, and we also are here in 2013. so about a year ago and one of the stars that we were observing turned out to be a second

generation star of the universe. >> mark fillops is the direct offer of the magellan observatory and knows the significance of the discovery. >> we have to understand the universe and in particular our own galaxy. >> his work is fundamental in understanding how life on earth came about actually. >> it's our start beating down. all is quiet in the living quarters in the technician of visiting astronmembers. they are creatures of the night. >> they prepare to find their star targets above the con stallations continue their relentless march across the skies full much mystery and unanswered questions. >> ask you go to target number 13? >> the telescope homes in on the second generation star. it's faint light is passed

through a spec toe graph. >> we have carbon absorption. >> we think that the second generation of stars in the universe have formed from the ashes of the very first one that that generation included some stars and we have found one of those guys. >> that's, of course, absolutely terrific that we have the tools and the telescopes to fish out that's fossil records of the very early time and we can study the early chemical conditions of the universe. >> just outside the observatory, the raw wonder of the sky at night is compelling and bewildering. a nighttime compressed into seconds shows the milky way sweeping across the sky as the telescope tracks its targets. amongst it all too feint to be seen here is an old, old star

just discovered taking us close to the beginnings of everything. nick clark, al jazeera, atakarma, chile. >> thanks for joining us. "fault lines" starts right now. children once sacrificed their childhoods, even their lives, working in american mills, mines and factories. the us rooted out child labor practices 75 years ago. but today, us agriculture remains a stronghold for child labor. >> i know most kids come out here to help their parents out, get the money to pay the bills. >> it's just another day on the