french duo, called tokyo reverse with nearly 100,000 hits online we have made it the web video of the week. we will see you next time at "the listening post." lynetta kizer good to have you with us. this is al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton in new york. let's get you caught up on the top stories of this hour. an emotional day of the parents of bowe bergdahl, who are yet to speak to their son. the release of the taliban prisoner sparks criticism in afghanistan. inside territory held by pro-russian rebels, our reporters are escorted by guards. the g7 summit gets under way, but vladimir putin will not be at the table due to crimea.

that's in "the week ahead". >> i'm proud of how much you wanted to help the afghan people. a mother and father send a long-distance message. >> you are free, i will see you soon, my beloved son. >> as an american soldier held captive for half a decade. >> bowe, you are not left behind. >> begins a journey home. bowe bergdahl is free, but is not home just yet. he's staying at a u.s. army hospital so doctors can evaluate his condition. back in his home state of idaho the celebrating is underway. allen schauffler is joining us from boise. this is a family that wants their son back on u.s. soil. do we know when that will

happen, allan schauffler? >> reporter: no, we don't know yet. bowe bergdahl's parents held a press conference, they didn't take questions, but discussed a lot of issues and talked directly to their son, orindirectly. the time line to getting him home to idaho is not clear at this time. johnny and jenny bergdahl haven't spoken to their son directly, but spoke indirectly knowing he'd see this press commence. >> five years is a seemingly endless time, but you made it. i imagine you are compassionate, but you are free. i'll see you soon, my beloved son. i love you bowe. >> i'm so proud of your desire and action to serve this country

in a difficult, long war. but most of all, i'm proud of how much you wanted to help the afghan people. >> reporter: bowe bergdahl's home town. hailey idaho, a place where a quiet morning can be disrunned by sheep ranchers moving sheep through the streets is draped with yellow ribbon, as it has for five years. new signs fill the main street and people are willing to set aside the controversy surrounding bowe bergdahl's capture and release. >> i'm glad he's released and we have to continue to fight the terrorism. >> reporter: members of the p.o.w./mia community supported the family and say a bergdahl rally and concert planned for june will be huge, whether the soldier is here or not. >> we could have thousands and

thousands of motorcycle resist. it would not surprise me. i'm counting on it. >> the remarkable local support, comfort for parents hurting and waiting to see their son. >> bowe, i love you. i'm your father. [ speaking foreign language ] i have written to you over and over. [ speaking foreign language ] can't you speak english still, i would write him. but now i hope that when you hear this, and when you are ready to hear this, and when you see this, i hope your english is coming back, and i want you to know that i love you. >> bob and jenny are back in hailey idaho. they have been greeted by friends and are trying to get a little peace and quiet. they can't wait to talk to their son and give him a hug. that meeting and those hugs will have to wait.

>> it's going be an emotional reunion. thank you. steven farrell joins me, a romper at the "new york times". -- reporter at the "new york times". he was kidnapped by the taliban in 2009 while reporting on a story in northern afghanistan. tell me about september 5th, saturday, 2009. >> me, my colleague and i, were reporting on an air strike in northern afghanistan. we went to the scene. we stayed too long, frankly, and the taliban came down, grabbed us and whisked us away to a series of houses. we moved about five different houses each day. we never stayed anywhere more than 2-3 hours. it was a procedure that we had in place. they didn't want us found. we were constantly on the move. >> were they hostile? >> they had guns, they bound us, handcuffed us. my afghan colleague was hit by a

gun stalk at the beginning. after this, no. they apologised. they fed us, they gave us water. and they treated us well, water from letting us go, which is obviously what we really wanted. >> you were held for four days, what went through your mind when you were transferred from house to house? >> i think - i talked to other people that this happened before. every time you move there's a new instability, a nuisance of precariousness, every new person in the room, every proprietor, every change of guard. it destabilizes you. there's little to cling on to in these situations. staying in the same place or getting to know the people around you is one element. you can't do that if you are moved. >> were they questioning you, asking you what you were doing in the area? >> all the time. there were phases.

the first phase was who are you, what are you doing, are you a soldiers, are you a spy, are you a contractor? >> in our case we had the television footage of interviews we'd been conducting about the air strikes. lots of questions about were there civilians and children. they could see that for themselves. it was their own villages interviewed in their own language on the camera discs. they quickly satisfied themselves that we were journalists. then we entered a new phase which was - are you going to be traded, ransomed, none of which was clear. we picked up whispers, overheard words here and there. it was a precariousness, a vulnerability in other people's hands. >> once they understood you were a journalist of the they were showing off. >> they were - they were showing off from the first minute, but they drove us up to within a few hundred yards of a german military post and said look how

close we can get. they gave us a tour of armoured vehicles that they blew up. anyone could have blown them up. they were very clear on demonstrating that this was their territory, and that they owned it. gown if it was or they did -- i don't know if it was or they did. but that's what they were claiming. >> at one point they tried to convert you to islam. >> yes, but again it came in burst. there would be a change of guard, and one would think it was their duty. i remember an assault on my colleague, killed in the rescue attempt, he said "listen, be under no illusion, this is the most dangerous part, one wrong word or nuance, say one thing that fnds them and we could -- offends them, and we could both be dead." . >> tell us about the day you were freed. >> it was british led special

forces operation. they came in in helicopters out of the sky at night. they actually came in 24 hours earlier on, the night before, but had gone to the wrong house. we had a feeling they may come the next night. the first time - after the first night the taliban moved us to a school, surrounded us with young children, so clearly there was a human shield aspect. they did that presumably to deter a future rescue operation, and the pattern was moving, moving, moving. the second night rescue forces got the right house and came to us and got us. a british soldier died. my colleague died. i got away. it w it was terrifying and incredibly risky. i could understand why, in a vast area such as the one sergeant bowe bergdahl was held, a decision to find these people

and be sure you could go in without large loss of life would be difficult. >> there's a cop draft being -- contrast being hold four days and five years with sergeant bowe bergdahl. i don't think anyone in the situation like this could understand it. i don't think anyone in a situation like this for four or five days, can understand what it's like to be in for four or five years. what happens - after a few days, is what's is fizz igly on -- physically on one level you are aware you are ou. as you go through the -- you are out. as you go through the debriefing, questions that people from numerous agencies asked me, and will ask him, mentally your mind is back in the battlefield or the house. it takes a long time for your mind to catch you have - your emotions to catch up with the reality that you are out. >> what words would you offer sergeant bowe bergdahl. >> i wouldn't presume to so far

somebody - i wasn't alone, and i was there for a few days. he was alone, and for a long ever period of time -- longer period of time. one thing that is common, once you are out in the world, you meet a lot of people who think they know about kidd naps or they red something or a book about a syndrome or studied some crash, bang, wallop history of special forces and think they know what they would have done. everyone will have an opinion, and everyone - some will be critical. >> it's important to point out there's nonmilitary personnel, private citizens that are still being held. >> yes, absolutely. and a difference for me is i was a nonmilitary captive. he's a military captive. i am sure the dynamic is different.

he was in uniform, it teems, so they knew that dynamic. they would have had a different set of calculations. they are different people in a different setting at a different phase of the war. all of those things would have made it a rough ride mentally. >> in our final moments, did you have a different or better understanding of the taliban? >> yes. i think you - some of the things they said to you, some of the things - they would explain why they were doing what they were doing. it didn't make you want to take their side. you could see where certain people from a certain background would feel an assistance of despair. yes, to some extent. >> thank you for sharing four story. we should note taliban detainees released in exchange for bowe bergdahl were greeted in qatari. these were tweeted by a member of the taliban. the u.s. has no diplomatic relations with the taliban, so

the exchange was brokered by qatar. >> reporter: the taliban leaders are in doha. they were released in a prisoner swap mediation by qatar. foreign minister said the mediation was humanitarian, but stopped short of elaborating on what role qatar played. >> translation: i thank the negotiating delegation who adopted the best practices, and with respect to the detail, excuse me for not disclosing any. when qatar takes the role of intermediary, it plays the role on a humanitarian basis. >> the release of the taliban leaders who spent 12 years in guantanamo was in exchange for a u.s. soldier bowe bergdahl, who spent five years in captivity in afghanistan. u.s. president barack obama said national security would be safeguarded.

>> we worked for several years to achieve this goal. earlier this week i was able to thank the emir of qatar for his leadership in enabling us to get this done. as part of this effort united states is transferring five detainees from the prison in guantanamo bay to qatar. the kaary -- qatari government has assured u.s. they'd put in evidence to ensure national security. >> reporter: u.s. gns secretary chuck hagel -- defense secretary chuck hagel said the u.s. acted quickly to save bowe bergdahlful. >> whether that co have led to -- could lead to possible breakthroughs with the taliban - i don't know. hopefully it might. but we power sued this effort specifically to get -- pursued that effort specifically to get

bowe bergdahl back. >> reporter: the deal could signal a softening in the taliban's hardline position, and pauf the way for -- pave the way for the future of talks with afghanistan. we don't know if the five will play a political role, but it's been a crucial demand for the taliban to launch talks on afghan reconciliation. we do want to point out throughout our coverage of the story, we want to mention that al jazeera america's america parent company is based in qatar, financed in part by the country's government. afghanistan's foreign ministry condemned the transfer. the ministry said they should have been returned to afghanistan. the release might help ignite talks between the taliban and afghan government, some fear it will do the opposite. >> there is a possibility that the release of these five people

may help the future peace process, and that they may become elements, and, you know, go between in the peace process, but at the same time, and probably a greater risk is that they may join the taliban against the afghan government. >> the rehabilitation from washington is mixed. the white house is defending the trade. a number of republican lawmakers say the transfer of the detainees from guantanamo bay may have been illegal. >> reporter: news of bowe bergdahl's freedom is tingeinged criticisms over deal made with captors, to release five leaders from guantanamo. the big issue is what is going to happen to the five individuals. senator john mccain said he thinks detainees swapped for bowe bergdahl posed a threat for u.s. security. >> it is disturbing that these individuals would have the ability to re-enter the fight,

and they are big, high-level people, possibly responsible for the deaths of thousands. >> reporter: house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers worries that it is setting a press dent. >> we have set a price, putting our soldiers at risk for a notion of if i can get one, i can get five taliban released. >> reporter: rommers and others accused -- rogers and others accused the administration of blacking the law, failing to notify -- breaking the law, failing to notify congress 30 days ahead of a release. >> the reason there is notification 30 days prior, is to keep congress currently informed, number one. you don't want to talk to each other about something as sensitive of this. >> en route to afghanistan, defense secretary chuck hagel said the deal was necessary to save bowe bergdahl's life.

he was in failing health and negotiations by the emir of qatar required quick, quiet action. >> this was an operation, i think as everyone recognises, that this to be very closely held. only very, very few people knew about this operation. we did not want to jeopardise any leaks. weigh couldn't afford any leeks any wear. justice department lawyers concluded it was an urgent matter, permitting the administration to make the swap without notifying congress. >> we had reason to be concerned that this was an urgent and acute situation, that his life would have been at risk. we didn't have 30 days to wait. had we waited and lost him. i don't think anyone would have forgiven the united states government. >> the focus is on the health and wellbeing of bowe bergdahl.

we invite you to stay with al jazeera america for continuing coverage. army sergeant bowe bergdahl's release and the exchange of the taliban detainees. we'll bring you updates as soon as we get them. still ahead - vladimir putin will not meet with world leaders at the g7 summit. we take a look at how his absence affects the meeting on "the week ahead". across the u.s. - targets posing a fire risk in the west. rebecca stevenson joins us with the forecast. >> we'll talk about tripple digit heat. temperatures near a record. and gusty winds add to a fire threat. that's coming up next. next.

saturday on techknow. the earthquake business, it's similar to the weather business. understanding our earth. but everything happens faster. limiting disaster. these are the guts of the early warning system. saving lives. having 30 seconds of advanced warning is like a lifetime. techknow, every saturday go where science meets humanity. this is some of the best driving i've ever done, even thought i can't see. techknow. we're here in the vortex. saturday, 7:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. in nigeria at least 12 are dead and 14 injured after a bomb exploded, in the town of mubi. it targeted a location where a

large group gathered to watch soccer on tv. >> reporter: the target of the attack is a popular bar in a viewing center. customers gathered to watch football matches and drink. the explosions happened when dozens of customers were expected. not far from the bar is a military facility. it sits chose to the boarder of cameroon and not far from borno. dozens have been killed in attacks in the last few weeks. borno and other places have been upped a state of emergency. attacks by boko haram members continued unabated. no one claimed responsibly for the mubi attack, but blames by the security agency seem to point to boko haram. seven died after a private plane crashed outside boston. lewis cats, a co-owner of the philadelphia "inquirer" is among

the dead after returning from the fundraiser at an author's place. >> there was a significant post-crash fire. the aircraft went down an embank. into a gully with water. it came to rest. it made the initial examination recovery process difficult. >> the crash took place at 9:0. nearby residents said they saw a fireball and felt the impact. it's been a busy fire season in the west. the u.s. forest service is taking steps to prevent new ones, issuing a ban on what are called explosive targets. jm huli reports. >> the targets add a dimension to the shooting experience. as these youtube videos show,

they explode when hit, sending potentially flammable debris in all directions. >> it's a real danger. >> this man is with the rocky mountain region of the forest service in colorado. this video produced by the forest service shows how easily the targets could start a fire. >> if that went on a bail of hay. when it went off it started a fire. >>. >> reporter: results like this have been costly. >> in the last couple of years these have become popular. we saw 16 or so fires. $33 million. >> the fires occurred across the u.s. from california, utah, pennsylvania. in colorado, they are linked to six fears in the past six years. an exploding target was the cause of this wildfire, destroying thousands of acres. >> the targets are not illegal to sell, you can get them from a sporting good store.

they cost $5 a shot. even though the targets are not allowed by the forest service, they can be used at private cubs or on millions of acres of private land and could spark fires in brush and timber. >> i have used tees. >> this sportsman knows the lil when the chemicals mix together. >> there's two components. an oxidizer and kata lift. >> ignited by a high-speed bullet. this instructor knows the dangers. >> folks use these, put them into metal or glass containers. there are fragments that could hurt people. >> that hazard led to the targets being banned at many centers, like this one outside denver. the forest service is considering a permanent ban. anyone caught using such targets on forest land could face a fine

of $5,000 and six months in jill. rebecca stevenson joining us with a look at the forecast. there has been areas of concern. >> definitely the south-west sitting in drought, specifically the state of california, parts of it in extreme drought. if you move to neffed yr, there's -- nevada, there's fire weather concerns for you and new mexico and arizona, because it's so hot, so dry. we'll add gusty winds to the scenario. that will exacerbate a fire start. at least there's no dry lightening on the way. the hot temperatures spawned concerns. we have heat advisories and warnings for southern arizona. temperatures will be anywhere from 110 to 112. almost record temperatures, record heat in the first part of june. 106 for phoenix. it's warm outside.

the winds are expected to pick up with a disturbance offshore. southern oregon and northern california. strong winds will be associated with a storm system into the midwest, giving 40-60 miles per hour. they have been clocked higher. 40 miles per hour for wichita and albuquerque. these are dumping a lot of rain very fast. anywhere from one to two inches an hour, coming down from kansas to nebraska. northern iowa in the last several hours has four tornado reports and in the last hour another tornado report in northern kansas. these are dangerous storms and a lot of lightening associated. a severe thunderstorm watch continues for the midwest, and so too the flood concerns. for the forecast. thunder storms continue. heavy rain is going. this storm is a slow mover.

we'll get the rain pushing to the great lakes. one thing it will help with, the wind and the rain, is air quality. it's moderate to unhealthy groups. california and chicago. two places that could use cleansing wind and rain. >> it will be a busy wpd. thank you -- weekend. thank you. >> still ahead. world leaders are preparing to meet in brussels. it's who is not attending that's shaping the agenda of the g7 summit. we take a look next in "the week ahead".

welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at the top story - the parents of prisoner of war, army sergeant bowe bergdahl, thanked the people that helped to free their son. bowe bergdahl is receiving medical care in germany, held for five years. his mum had this message for him. >> i will see you soon my beloved son. i love you bowe. >> it is not known when bowe bergdahl will return to the u.s. his parents arrived for privacy

when he returns meantime the five guantanamo detainees exchanged for bowe bergdahl arrived in qatar. they will reside in qatar for a year with their families. it's sunday night, time for our look at "the week ahead". tonight we discuss the g7 summit in brussels. it was set to be held in sochi until russia was uninvited from the talks. for president obama, it's one part of the president's trip. randall pinkston has detail. >> reporter: the group of seven nations focuses on economic issues, but president obama will deal with more matters - the deadly conflict in ukraine between government forces and separatists loyal to russia. president obama begins a tour in warsaw on tuesday, where he'll cohost with polish president a

meeting of eastern european leaders, worried about security after crimea was taken from ukraine. it resulted in russia being dismissed, turning the g8 to the g7. on thursday, the president joins g7 allies in brils to discuss the -- brussels to discuss other issues. president obama may talk about exporting natural gas from the u.s. to europe in response to conflicts with russia. russia currently supplies most of europe's gas. president obama will end his visit in france for the anniversary of d-day, paying tribe out to allied veterans, including the soviet union, which was an ally of the u.s. >> vladimir putin will be there for the meeting. but so far no meetings have been scheduled between him and president obama. randall pinkston in washington.

g7 meetings are supposed to focus on economics, and often get sidetracked by politics. the organization will be the g8, but russia's annexation of crimea, and its role in tensions in ukraine, led to it's expulsion from the group. economic and political tensions sometimes go hand in hand. one thing sure to be discussed is the $30 billion gas deal by russia and china. many european countries depend on russia for gas supplies, and some wonder if the russian-beijing agreement means the access to gas could be in danger. for more on the talks, let's bring in the reporter for reuters, and a professor at u.c. berkeley. starting with you mr rodan, was it the right move, isolating

russia? >> i think it was. things have slowed down, he succeeded with crimea. the push into eastern ukraine was a way to stir the pot. he pulled his forces back. >> the russians foreign minister had plenty to say. renaud lavillenie says: does this isolation of the g7 matter to russia. >> i think it does matter. vladimir putin valued his own and his country's international status. his own status as a statesman. he has been respected since he bim president in 2000 -- became president in 2000. the exclusion from the g8 is a big deal. he cares about international prest eege, and i agree it was the right thing to do.

>> in addition to tensions with russia in the ukraine, there are other topics on the dispaenda. the g7 -- agenda. the g7 doesn't always stick to its plan. there are other topics. how likely is it that the g7 will get around to addressing the issues. >> i think they will. there's a long record of not much movement. many say that the recovery in the west is not fast enough. there's no major movement on climate change. president obama mentioned that in his speech last week. he has not moved forward. i think russia will dominate the summit and difficult issues that they don't make much progress on. >> among the issues, imposing tougher sanctions on russia. the problem is the e.u. does 10 times as much trading as the united states do. do you think europe and america

is on the same page? >> i don't think they are. that's the key things. all politics are local. these would be more painful for the europeans. it's not clear why vladimir putin has done it. she's taken a step back by withdrawing the forces on the border. that seems to have reduced the pressure on europeans to enact sanctions. vladimir putin cleverly let the air out of the balloon. >> angela merkel has an interesting relationship with putin, will that factor in? >> it will. it's interesting the way she handled the crisis. on the one hand-germany is more depend on russia. it gets a great deal of natural gas from russia, and business ties are greater. on the other hand she has been rhetorically, in her public statements, tough from the

beginning, when russia started afghanistan into crimea and putting pressure on ukraine. all along she's been firm in saying landforces on a massive basis, a mass landinvasion. that would be a game changer. her rhetoric helped a bit. on the other hand she is constrained by the fact that her economy and russian economy are tied together. >> do you think g7 leaders can work together to increase security. >> there's a lot of concern about exporting natural gas. the problem is the u.s. has been slow. there's talk about opening the first port on the east coast that can send the natural gas boom off to europe. it will not open until 2017. this is far into the future and some believe the u.s. has been caught flat footed. >> what do you make.

china, russian deal? >> it's interesting. what vladimir putin is doing is people call it putinism, authoritarianism, hard authoritarianism. it's an effort by russia and china to say "we don't need western instructors", we have large enough economies that we don't depend on you. it will we interesting if that turns out to be true. >> despite the dispute between the east and west relations, washington wants other diplomatic business with moscow to continue. that's overseeing syria's toxic stockpile. >> that's right, there's other issues - syria, iran, afghanistan. frankly, it will be hard to go back to business as unusual under these conditions. as long as ukraine is unresolved

and there's no movement on ukraine beyond what i regard as a temporary tactical pull back of troops from the boarder. it will be hard to make progress on the other big issues. including energy and arms control, syria and so on. i think there'll be up in the air. progress on the issues will be on ice, until ukraine is dealt with more squarely. >> do you agree? >> i do. this is a temporary pull-back here. and the new president of ukraine, he'll be meeting with obama. he has been aggressive militarily. and will he push ahead. will the army try to crush the rebels. that could cause putin to respond. >> the goal of persuading putin to reeling wish crime -- relinquish crimea, is that a lost cause. >> yes i had a source saying

he's backed off. he never wanted the east of ukraine, he wanted crimea. i don't think that will danger. >> your thoughts? >> i don't think all he wanted was crimea, i do think he wanted it, he got it. i think he regards a ukraine friendly to the west with regular open elections, not aligned to his regime in russia is a threat. i think he will not be satisfied with a politically or internationally mill tare illy neutral ukraine. he wants a ukraine that is part of his neighbourhood. i think he'll keep pushing. i don't think his ambitious in ukraine are limited to crimea. for now, he's stepping back. sanctions had some effect, and before the g7 meeting, it's smart for vladimir putin to let the air out of the balloon.

at the same time it's a temporary tactical retreat. i think they have stirred the pot in ukraine. >> do you agree. >> i agree. what is dangerous about the way he's doing this is it's malicious, it's russian ultra nationalist. they are using a term, creating a greater russia, that happened in yugoslavia. if the militias get out of control and carry out aprofit yis, this -- atrocities, and this could spiral to violence. >> i agree with that completely. it's interesting that vladimir putin played on an ethnic russian nationalism which heretofore in the past has not done - talking about protecting russian speakers. very different to his old rhetoric. he's been an international lift who has not spoken in terms of

ethnic russians, and under these conditions with ethnic russians need no application. >> what do you think the take away will be to the g7? >> i think there won't be specifics from president obama. europeans will be disappointed about that. the pols and europeans - i think obama will step back. i'm not sure there'll be much of a take away. the president will say to an american audience, that he's standing up to russia. >> the takeaway in "the week ahead"? >> i tend to agree with david. i don't think there'll be much of a take away. there's a possibility that western leaders will stand together more firmly than they have so far. now we'll see whether the west has leaders. president obama and angela merkel and other big players in

the g7 have been steady hands. they have run foreign policy with intelligence. they have run it well, it's time to step up to the plate and show a degree of unity. this calls not just for good managers. we'll see if the g7 meeting will give us a hint of the possibility that they are there. >> thank you for joining us. appreciate your insight on "the week ahead". . >> before wrapping up, let's look at other event - on tuesday eight states will hold primary elections, the most watched will be in mississippi. friday is the 70th anniversary of d-day, when world leaders gather in norm anedy. vladimir putin is expected to attend. despite tensions with the west.

saturday it's horse racing's belmont stakes. california chrome has the chance to become the first horse in 36 years to win the tripple crown. n on al jazeera america - the family of a sudanese woman sentenced to death is awaiting word of whether she'll be released. violence in syria, we spoke to a million refugees about their hopes for the future of the country.

>> misbehaving children

locked up doing time while they should be in school. >> they have to prepare for jail >> throwing away our future >> we're using the same failed policies in districts throughout the country >> are we failing our kids? fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the doors... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... >> truth seeking... award winning investigative documentary series fault lines the school to prison pipeline only on al jazeera america in ukraine the government is vowing to fight pro-russian separatists until order is restored. in the east rebels took over

police buildings and government buildings. regions are getting more dangerous. we have this report. >> reporter: driving heest towards the russian -- east towards the russian boarder you pass checkpoints manned by cossacks. they are manned by fighters from as far afield from kazakhstan and a springling of chechians. the guards are vigilant. on the roadside we pass two men forced on to the ground with hands tied behind them. the separatist fighters if as an armed guard in the van and took them to the headquarters. the town takes its name. the main role is different. it's a passport hub for weapons. hundreds of fighters have used

this route over the last few weeks as the pictures testify. we asked a local cossack commander to go forward to the area where a supply convoy had been ambushed. he advised us against it. we asked him if we could film in the town. he told us we could send up shot. whoever was in charge, it was not him. we were arrived to sample the traditional cossack hospitality. it's not an invitation you can refuse. we talked about the recent fighting. >> we have been sharing a meal with the cossacks manning the roadblocks. and we have been charged americans were there, polish there, and women snipers from the ukranian battalion. here it is written in ukranian - we do not want to separate the country.

the government is dividing the country. >> reporter: at the latest rally, the loudest cheers were to honour those kills in the fighting at the airport, when it was announced the bodies of 33 fighters were repatriated to their homeland in russia. >> thank you russia. thank you to russia. >> moscow's troops may withdrawn from the border. volunteers from throughout the soviet union are rallying to the calls of defending the people's republic. there is concern about the release of a christian sued niece woman sentenced to death for rejecting islam. meriam ibrahim will be released shortly, but it depends on a court order. her attorney has doubts. >> this is a political statement. even is not depending on the judiciary of sudan. they are the body that has to determine the situation.

>> meriam ibrahim was thrown in gaol for marrying a christian man. last week she gave birth to a second child while in prison. >> in spite of conflict in syria, presidential elections will be held on tuesday. bashar al-assad is expected to defeat his changes. the u.s. and opposition leaders are calling it a sham. syrian civilians fleeing fighting, an all-too familiar scene from the 3-year-old conflict that displaced over 2.5 million people, and killed more than 160,000. with opposition fighters determined to launch attacks on the government-held city to disrupt elections, images show civilians leaving the city. supporters of bashar al-assad are turning out in the tens of thousands to vote at embassies abroad. i hope syria will go back to how it was before. i hope piece and stability will

return, so we can live together. the turn out - about 80,000 syrians was unexpectedly high. >> there's a basic support of rehab. it's deniable that we see people who support him. >> reporter: many of the 2.5 million refugees ab stained or were excluded from the voting. >> syria is gripped by the war. many called the election a farce. earlier elections, bashar al-assad was the only candidate. this time he's running against two rivals, and new rules requiring candidates to have lived in syria, excluding most opposition leaders. the commander of the rebel free syrian army urged syrians to avoid a vote run by a rebel regime. they had gained traction, aided

by hezbollah fighters and continued support from iran. >> you have a lot of atrocities endemic on all sides, and violence that people do not want to live are any more in syria, and they need a break. there's only so much that can go on without basic necessities, shelter or without stability. a lot of people have reached that exhaustion point. bashar al-assad has been confidently campaigning in public. during the appearance in a christian town he vowed to rebuild, and envoked the same phrase saying the crisis could only be resolved with an iron fist. syria contributor says many syrians will vote for bashar al-assad. we are not giving her full name or showing her face. >> it's strange, maybe half the country cannot vote even if it

wanted to. then the people who can vote are wondering whether or not they can get away with voting for someone other than bashar al-assad. there are rumours running around saying "if i don't vote does it mean i'll be stopped at checkpoints, will there be a record of me not voting in a computer in the sky." will they come after me. everyone is confused. a lot of people who oppose president bashar al-assad are planning to vote for him, based on the rumours alone. >> what is done to assure the safety. you mentioned forwards of retaliation. >> a lot of residents are wondering can i live in my own country, can i be blacklisted. there's a lot of rumours, and the government made no effort in dispelling any rumour, it's almost as if the resume or are part of the campaign, let the

people believe what they believe. >> do the people of syria feel this is theatrics. >> absolutely. the loyalists who will vote for bashar al-assad because they want to, they know that this is three at ricks, that bashar al-assad will win. there's a joke among loyalist communities saying we know the results. it will be 70% for bashar al-assad, and the other two candidates will get 15% each. there are talks that rebuilding factors, a reconstruction tax. is it too early to talk about rebuilding. >> very much so. i mean, i was in the area a couple of days ago. it's impossible to think how it will be rebuilt. i'm talking about blocks upon blocks. 10, 15. as far as the eye can see, a rebel.

five, seven, 10 storey blocs that are collapsed with nothing salvageable. there's no talk. where money for restriction will come from. it will be a huge project. people are still - a lot of people are still missing. a lot of people - they've been killed, displaced. a lot of syrians are worried right now about sectarian tensions and wondering how they'll live together again. >> difficult time for so many. our syrian contributor. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. still ahead on al jazeera america - he got his start making vodka adds, designing waps and paint -- watches and painting cars. the story of this miami artist and his own story next. tive,

consider this on al jazeera america become back. actress ann b davis, known for her work on the "brady bunch" has died. she played alice. and won two emmys for bob cummings show. she fell at her home in texas, never recovered and died in hospital. she was 86. he's a well-renowned artist with installations in lowned and

paris. brazilian born moraro says the key to his success is simple - it's all about love. >> hi, i'm an artist. i live in miamy beach, florida. [ ♪ music ] >> i think the message in my work is a positive message, and is about love. i think this is what i put on my work, lots of love. well, i was born in brazil. since i was a kd, i loved drawings. and i did a lot of drawings on noteworks. they said "don't do too much drawings on the paper, you need to leave space to do homework." i drew on my mother's walls, and everything i could put my hand on it. one of the biggest things to happen is a did a series of

paintings, and after that i designed watches, painted cars. so much that i wouldn't imagine. i think it's so important to everybody in the world to do something for somebody else. you can do it to your family, for your community. i love the idea of giving back. i'm thankful for the opportunity and be given to have the gift to create my art and that people relate to it. but there's a picture here. you see here, there's a picture of me working the pyramid. i want to do a large installation like i did in hyde park in london, like a few others here in miami, with the super bowl. it's great to know that a lot of special collectors collect my work. the idea of my art is it can be enjoyed by the masses. a lot of people see my work and

think i must be the happiest guy in the world. what i paint is what i want my life to be every day. that's how i do it. creative. i'm thomas drayton in new york. "the system" with joe berlinger starts now. >> this is joe berlinger calling, i'm the director of that documentary about the manning case and i know you had told my team not to call anymore-i just wanted to introduce myself, just to tell you a little bit about what we're hoping to do. can i just say one thing-which is, we're not here to talk about the guilt or innocence of mr.