is. >> welcome to aljazeera america, i'm del walters, and these are the stories we're following for you. the missing malaysian airline, the search comes up empty. and the potential conflict in the south china sea could mean for the united states, and the sad reality of new orleans devastated by kat and it's unfulfilled promise.

>> we begin with the mystery of malaysian airlines flight 370. the authorities are now convinced that the yet is not in the section of the indian ocean where the pings were detected last month. the exhaustive search off of the coast of australia turns up nothing, and after the search is over, an already tough job is about to get tougher. >> for the past months, the search for 370 has been off of the coast of australia. in early april, search crews heard sonic pins they believed might be coming from the black box data recorders, and then a u.s. navy sonar recorder, blue fin one, was sent 7 how meters down to try to pinpoint the sounds. at the time, the searchers were confident they were looking in the right place, but now a

setback. >> the australian transport safety bureau has now advised that the search in the vicinity can be considered complete. and in his professional judgment, the area can now be discounted as the final resting place for flight 37 0. >> which means that officials must now widen the search again, to an area more than twice the size of belgium, far below the surface of the indian ocean. in waters so deep, they will have to map the ocean floor first. the missing boeing 777 has an excellent safety record and disappeared without the crew reporting any problems into one of the world's deepest oceans for no apparent reason. the australian government remains convinced that flight 370 is somewhere at the bottom of the indian ocean, near where it's last flight transmission was detect, but where it will be

found seems more doubtful. >> a discounting challenge for rescue crews off of the coast of japan on thursday. a japanese tv helicopter capturing this, a smoldering oil tanker off of the coast when it exploded. they rescued several members of the crew, but the captain is still missing. in. >> in china, in the south china sea, in his speech at west point, the president talked about the escalating dispute there. >> regional aggression, when it's unchecked, whether in the south china sea in ukraine, could draw in our military. and we can't ignore what happens beyond our boundaries. >> if the tensions boil over in the patch of the pacific, the effects will likely ripple through the global economy. >> dredgin dredging dredging frf malacca to the strait of taiwan,

islands and rocks are contested by six nations. vietnam, the philippines, malaysia, brunei, taiwan and china. as much as half of the world's shipping and oil tanker traffic passes through this patch of the pacific, amplifying it's economic and strategic significance, well beyond the countries that are border it. >> so many countries, even that be don't have claims in the region, are connected to the security. >> each country laying claim to the sea has the united nations approved exclusive economic zones, giving them rights to the natural resources extending from the coastline, the most controversial is china's nine dash line. drawn in 1947, 2 encompasses the most contended territory. >> the chinese have never

clearly explained what the nine dash line really stands for. they say they don't claim every drop of water in it, but they haven't said exactly what they do claim. >> that ambiguity is a major source of tension, given the south china sea's potential energy reserves. the u.s. government said that the sea contains 11 billion barrels of oil and 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, but china's estimates are ten times higher. 125 billion barrels of oil, and natural gas. asia's insatiable quest for energy is taking it around the islands and the scarborough show. >shoal. >> countries don't want to compromise on what they see as

their lands. they believe they have sovereignty over the land and over the waters. >> the most recent clash between china and vietnam, squaring off in disputed areas. most of the shipping vessels and law enforcement vessels. but with players beefing up capability to extend over the china sea, it's bound to remain vital and volatile. >> in ukraine, pro russian separatists shot down a ukrainian helicopter today, passengers are dead. and rebels have kidnapped security monitors elsewhere. reporting from done effect, the heart of the opposition in the east. >> ukraine's president has confirmed that the government helicopter and army helicopter has been shot down by the pro russian separatist fighters. the helicopter had just been

delivering to an army base near there, where the ukrainian government is launching an assault against the pro russian separatist fighter's positions in the area, using rocket launchers and artillery in an assault in and. but the helicopter had just delivered troops to one of the bases in the area, and it was coming out when it was shot down by the separatist fighters. now, onboard, we understand there were 14 people. and that's the death toll that has been confirmed by the ukrainian president, and including in that were civilians and apparently a ukrainian general. >> nigeria's president vowing to launch what he has called a total war against boko haram. they kidnapped more than 200 girls from a school last month, and in his annual address, the president has said that he has ordered action taken against the

terrorists, and jonathan himself is feeling the pressure. >> during president goodluck jonathan's speech, which was to interrupt the group in nigeria, he has pledged to rescue the more than 200 girls kidnapped now back in april. >> [ unintelligible ]. >> however, as expected by many members of the public, there was no new information about exactly what the authorities are doing to try to bring them home. on monday, nigeria's chief of defense staff gave a statement saying that the military knew where the girls were, but the operation and security refines, they couldn't go in and rescue them with force, which led to the prospect and belief by many that there might be negotiations in the works to try to get them

back, though the government publicly said that they wouldn't be prepared to negotiate with boko haram. so as things remain, there's no new detailed information about what the authorities here are intending to do to get the girls back, and meanwhile, international pressure to find them remains. >> and in zamby a. more than 40% of the young women there married off before they reached the age of 18. now, the african union is launching a campaign to end the practice. >> exams are on many students minds as they walk to school, but others have more than grown up problems to think about. >> i wanted to convince my patients we should marry. >> but it's not marriage that the parents are insisting on. the chief tracked her down and ended her plans. they're part of a group of traditional leaders in zambia that's trying to end child marriages.

he calls uncomfortable meetings like this. the husbands are often much older than the brides. she's in university. and he dropped out of school. >> all of the negative customs and traditions must be done away with. so the tradition, because the tradition that has been embraced now is to see the community in zambia. >> his early marriage was also ended by the chief, who often helps to pay for the girl's school fees. >> i was missing for four days with my husband. my family was looking for me. and when they found me, i was a bit scared of what my dad would do, so i resisted at first. >> reporter: he has spoken at the united nations about child marriage, spreading his message from the village to new york. >> they don't have the power to

send them all back to school, or the main cause of these sorts of marriages, and that's poverty. >> a chance to be a head of a household. but the chief intervened. and now she's back with her mother. >> there's no point we consider the issue of marriage, because she was way too young, we want her back in school. >> reporter: but they can't afford the $3 administrative fee to have her readmitted to could. so even with progressive leadership, poverty is holding her back. >> lawmakers in both parties call onto resign. two hearings are being held today to see why soldiers are returning and some are scheduled to be treated. they called the problem yesterday systemic? >> the white house is looking at

concussions, and they are hosting a summit on concussions in athletes. including athletes from the nfl. the white house is saying that 250,000 children visit hospital emergency rooms each year with brain injuries caused by sports or other recreational activities. the president said that 23 he had a son whopped to play football, he would have to think about it. struggling after economic and natural it disasters. ten years after katrina, we head to the 9th word in new orleans. >> i'm in pennsylvania, and join me to find out what economic recovery lessons that detroit might learn from this city, once the iron and steel capital of the world.

>> they're trying to recreate that economic comeback now in detroit, hoping that $2 billion might help to tear down thousands of structures in the city. the city manager is optimistic. >> this is an unprecedented time and an unprecedented day, because this has never happened before. but the issue of blight has been coming to us since the depression in 1931. here we are now, 83 years later. with the tools to address t. >> driveway. has a massive undertaking on its hands. there are more than 84,000 blighted instructors in the city and out of that number. 34,000 have been recommended to be removed or demolished. there are roughly 6,000 vacant lots and 30,000 properties that

need to be looked at again to see if they should be repaired or demolished. that brings us to pittsburgh. today steel is being replaced by high-tech industry, medicine and money, and pittsburgh is now a financial hub. john is there, and what message do they have in the steel city for their counterparts in the motor city. >> i tell what you, del, they're talking in detroit. and he has regular conversations with the administrator there. and his message is keep the people happy. keep the arts and the culture going, and everything else will fall behind that. pittsburgh's past, the beautiful venting chimneys here, from the old steel mill, this is a large shopping mall, very successful and lots of people come here over the weekend. and this was built on the site of an old steel mill. the question is can detroit

learn from what pittsburgh has learned in the last 30 or 40 years? we tried to find out and here's my report. >> welcome to pittsburgh, the former island steel capital of the world. the city, known for its bridges, is today home to medical centers and high-tech industries. pittsburgh's mayor said that it would have to be flexible to survive when the steel free left town. >town. >> you can bomb a city, burn a city, flood a city or tear the heart out. as long as you invest back into the people who believe in the city, it will come back. >> the mayor said that he has talked to detroit about there. they need 2-$3 billion to clear the blight. blight. earmarked. ed 3 to $4 billion. they have never kept accepted cash, but nevertheless, it has taken 30 years to roll back when factories like this, now long

abandoned, dominated the city. the stacks from the u.s. home instead now stand and employ tens of thousands of people. the city raised $300 million for this shopping mallet site and it carries all of the big brand names. but how has pittsburgh raised the cash? 5 and a half billion dollars have come in in just of the past eight years. >> we have just seen a real influx of funds, and it started with our local companies, our local businesses doubling down on pittsburgh. and committing to investing in this region. u.s. steel, and companies like that, that still call downtown home. and then you couple that with foreign investment. >> google is making a major investment in pittsburgh, expanding it's operation here. investment in arts, culture and people, and the big named companies will follow and bring

with them well paying jobs. >> google's example it one of many. microsoft, intel, disney, all wanting to make a home in pittsburgh, and the companies realize that it's because of the strategic advantage we have, which is talent. >> the city has never taken federal bailout money, and the city does operate as others do in the area, under a safe recovery act. which means that they have to be very very careful balancing their budget. but companies like intel, disney, microsoft, they're cougacueing up to get in the do, and the deer hunter, with robert deniro was filmed here, and so was your favorite movie, flash dance. >> i remember the deer hunter and flash dance very well. >> what a feeling!

>> john, thank you. it has been almost ten years since hurricane katrina struck new orleans, the lower 9th has yet to recover, and andy gallagher went back to the 9th ward where many say they still feel forgotten. >> the truck stop skate park, corporate sponsors, and wealthy musicians, and things looked promising. the money ran out and the state park built inside of a local community center closed it's doors. it was supposed to demonstrate the revitalization of the ward and instead it emphasized it's failure. >> when there's nothing of this nature, and you just close it right then and there, it's kind of like giving a kid what they wanted for christmas and taking it away from them on new year's day and saying, you can't have it anymore. >> that's a recurring theme in this community. despite many of the communities

bouncing back after hurricane katrina, much of the 9th ward remains uncared for. it's a symbol of this neighborhood's persistent problems. it has been ten years since hurricane katrina, and yet it still remains abandoned. only a fraction of the residents came back, and there seems to be very little political will to rebuild a neighborhood that was once vibrant. >> it's a sacred place. >> but the reverend hasn't given up. his church was destroyed by the storm, and he has persevered. now a new building is taking shape. it has been a battle. and the people are returning slowly. >> how do you build a community is by giving them hope and by somebody standing up and saying, we can do this if we work together. >> across the street, a multimillion-dollar community

from is being built. with other amenities like supermarkets and farm fees are non-existent. and time is running out. they're desperately trying to raise cash, but a building that housed hundreds of volunteer workers is dwindling. >> every in new orleans, they have fought for human rights, and we haven't been able to do that. because we have less than one-third of the community back. >> for the lower 9th ward, it's a picture of limited progress and continued failures. it could take years before the community returns to what it once was. aljazeera, new orleans, louisiana. >> and the atlantic hurricane season officially starts on sunday. but hurricanes are not the focus of the forecast today. dave joins us. >> a lot of rain is the focus, and the rain has come over the same area here. the spin has an area of low pressure that is slowly beginning to push out of the

southern plains and the southeast. and it brings us a lot of moisture from the south. heavy rain over the same area, and flood watches, and a few warnings in effect as well. the rain continues to come down and slowly push east. this is the pattern here, the weather pattern, and a bulls eye, the area of low pressure cut off from the flow, and it slowly begins to pull east. bringing a lot of moisture in from the gulf of mexico, and it could bring in atlantic moisture. that's why we're getting so much heavy rain here across the southeast. the rain forecast over the next three days continues to show additional amounts of 3-5 inches. the area has pushed a little farther east. but this will be the focus for flash flooding with the heavy rain continuing to come down, not only today but over the next few days. high pressure has built up over the northeast. and that brings the wind off of the ocean. that's why the cooler air is settling in toward philadelphia

and washington d.c. a big temperature contrast in this area, and you can go from the 60s to the 80s, and that will keep the clouds in place as well. 6 on 0 in washington, and it was in the 80s yesterday. but the cooler air has moved south. 66 in pittsburgh, but by this afternoon, much warmer in western pennsylvania as opposed to eastern pennsylvania. skies partly cloudy and continuing. and the colder air moves farther south with the light rain coming down. >> dave warren, thank you very much. well, the calendar said that there are two weeks left, but time is running out in brazil. >> i'm daniel, and the stadium is almost ready for the world cup. but the rest of the city is far from finished.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters in new york, and these are the headlines. authorities are now convinced that malaysia flight 370 is not in the section of the indian ocean where the pins were detected last month, and now they are shifting to a different area. in the east, authorities shooting down a ukrainian military helicopter, killing more than a dozen passengers onboard. and nigeria's president is vowing to launch a total war against boko haram.

the armed rebel group kidnapping more than 200 girls from their school last no, and goodluck jonathan is telling the army. the race to get ready tomorrow is not over. one of the areas is the stadium in western brazil. on june 13th, chile plays, and the stadium still needs a lot of work. even if they finish the stadium, getting there is going to be a problem. >> the 43,000-foot stadium is almost finished with workers frantically applying the final touches. good news for the inspectors. but it's a very different story. the smallest world cup venue in the heart of the agricultural state. antonio says the city and the geographic center of south

america have turned into a construction and traffic nightmare. >> interpreter: this is a small neighborhood street which all of the traffic has to go through. residents are really angry, it gets worse every day. >> reporter: the 22-kilometer rail was supposed to join the airport to the city center, but it could be possibly years before completion. >> interpreter: this is another blocked street. we'll have to go two streets up. imagine if during the world cup all of this is blocked. i hope they have a magic wand. >> reporter: brazil was granted the world cup more than six years ago. has all gone according to plan? >> interpreter: no, there has been no time to complete some of the work. but the most important roads for the tourists to get around, will

be finished. >> reporter: the plans is ambitious, not helped by heavy bureaucracy and the corruption scandal involving the arrest of the state governor. >> interpreter: as all 12 of the venues, the ones that are the most work to improve the city, but brazilian law makes it difficult to move quickly. >> we're lost. and we'll have to go back the way we came or we'll get more lost. this is one of the main access roads to the stadium. >> reporter: there were no welcome banners, no posters, and little evidence that the half a million or so population, in the middle of a tradition, has been infected by world cup fever. so the stadium is almost ready. but as we see, the city authorities have not met the challenge of finishing the rest of the work on time. it will kickoff, but there will be a high price to pay. aljazeera, brazil. >> and we want to thank you for

watching aljazeera america. i'm del walters in new york, and "inside story" is next. you can check us out 24 hours a day by going to the website, aljazeera america.com, where the news never stops. >> the president told west point's graduating class that america must continue to lead the world. spelling out the obama foreign policy, it is the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. sometimes it's hard to remember that they're talking talking