or reach me directly. i'm ray suarez. >> >> this is al jazeera america. i'm eve in new york. here are -- michael eve in new york. here are the top stories. iraq crumbles in the face of i.s.i.l. john kerry meets with allies in the region. teenagers judging teenagers. and dot date. >> you have to intervene quickly to save the image of your

society. the war in syria as seen through the eyes of passionate film-makers. an escalating crisis in iraq. the yislamic state of irq and levant or i.s.i.s. is gaining momentum as it moves towards baghdad. rebels fighters took over three more towns. the iraqi army responded with air strikes. hundreds of thousands of residents were forced to flee as i.s.i.l. makes its way to iraq's capital. resident there prepare for violence. jane is in baghdad. residents familiar with violence for several years.

what do you see as preparations for an invasion of i.s.i.l.? >> well, certainly there are a lot more security forces around, a lot of iraq yes trying to -- iraqis trying to leave now that jordanian border falling. it makes it difficult for a lot of people who would have gone by road. as you mentioned, these are drumsic developments. here in baghdad residents have been struggling with danger for years. >> reporter: this man was out with his mother when a car bomb exploded. he is eight years old and for as long as he can remember, he has been afraid. the explosion two weeks ago killed 20 people, they were his friends. >> i knew them well.

two were brothers. >> his friends were not officials or policemen. they sold vegetables. living in baghdad made them a target. in this neighbourhood hopes and dreams were reduced to rubble much. >> it's an ordinary street. it's close to an entrance to the green zone, the home of the iraqi government and u.s. embassy. six in this building were killed. people are rebuilding their shops, that's what iraqis do. the question is can iraqis rebuild faster than the country is being destroyed. as many as five left the country in 2003. those that remained tried to survive and cleaned up the damage. this man owned this shop for almost 40 years. he was at evening prayers at the

mosque when a man parked a car packed with explosives on the corner, walked away and detonated it. >> translation: i heard the explosion. people wouldn't let me go back. vehicles were burning. people were panicked. some were dead, a lot injured. >> the blast cost tens of thousands. almost no one has insurance. he is reopening his shop as soon as he can. with fighters moving through, some fear baghdad could fall. on the street corner, it's already fallen. a lot of residents of baghdad are not sure that they are going to be faghters on the -- fighters on the doorstep, but they are watching the disintegration of a country they love. >> a lot of international

pressure our on the iraqi government, how was the government responding to the latest move by i.s.i.l.? >> well, it's definitely scrambling, because we have seen an onslaught of an organised military force against an equally extraordinary retreat by iraqi security forces trained over the past decade - much by the united states and other western powers. when the jordanian border fell, we were told by security forces that soldiers and border police melted away when they were told that i.s.i.l. was at their doorstep. what we are seeing is a retreat by iraqi security forces and an iraqi government struggling to deal with that, as well as calling on help by the u.s. government. that report live from baghdad.

thank you. meanwhile the leader of neighbouring iran, ayatollah kim an yea speaks out against the united states saying: he went on to say the iraqi government and its people will end the crisis, the iranian government said it would consider aid for the shia-led government in baghdad. secretary of state john kerry arrives and jordan. he met with egypt's president abdul fatah al-sisi earlier today. for more we bring in john terrett, live in washington d.c. what did we learn about kerry's stop over in jordan? >> we know that he's there in imam. that meeting with the foreign minister is wrapping up. there's nothing more planned today. he met in cairo with president

abdul fatah al-sisi. he met with the foreign minister in egypt the. the message was that the u.s. recognised that egypt has been through a difficult transition, there was a dire in washington for the transition to be suckful because they share strategic interest. the u.s. is seeking reformed in areas of the judiciary. talked about the imprisonment of n.g.o.s, including the three al jazeera journalists. secretary of state john kerry on iraq said that they are not to blame for what happened with i.s.i.l., and asks the iraqi people to look at leaders that will represent all of them. on the issue of i.s.i.l., secretary of state john kerry, who calls name i.s.i.s. said

it's important to clear them out and stop them creating a terrorist base in iraq. i.s.i.l. is a threat to all country in the region, in our conversation with president abdul fatah al-sisi, and the foreign minister, both expressed deep concerns about a group like i.s.i.l. and what it means for the region. no country is safe from that kind of spread of terror. secretary of state john kerry in ayman right now, heading to europe. we know that. later in the week he'll call in in brussels and paris, he'll talk to allies and discuss international and local politics as they pertain to iraq. secretary of state john kerry visiting with allies. one of them is israel. we heard from binyamin netanyahu for the first time on the crisis in iraq. pretty strong words from the

israeli prime minister. >> he had a two-tone message. he was speaking on the line to n.b.c. earlier on a sunday broadcast. his point was do what you deem necessary in iraq to sort out the prble involving -- problem involving i.s.i.l. but do not let iran dominate iraq in the way they dominate syria and also lebanon in recenters. here is exactly what he had to say on n.b.c.'s "meet the press." >> what you see in the middle east in iraq and syria is the stark hatred between raddicle a shi items led by iran, and radical sunnis led by al qaeda and i.s.i.s. both are enemies of the united states. when your enemies fight each other, don't strengthen either one, weaken both. the worst outcome is that one of these factions, iran, would come

out with nuclear weapon capability. that would be a tragic mistake. it will make everything else pale in comparison. >> the israeli prime minister. now back to egypt, and the state department released $570 million of $1.3 billion it gives to egypt for military spending. congress has been seeking to withhold. $70 million has been withheld. it's gone over as a goodwill gesture at the start of the abdul fatah al-sisi administration. the u.s. is looking for judicial, political and human rights reforms. unless it sees it the rest of the $500 million will stay in the bank. we are joined by al jazeera international affairs contributor from michigan. juan, thank you for the time. >> thank you. >> the sunni rebels are on the

border. jane in baghdad hears they may have taken over a border town with jordan. how significant is it that the two areas are controlled by i.s.i.l. >> it's an alarming development. this is a very vicious group that thinks nothing of killing innocence and has wiped out international borders between themselves, syria, iraq and jordan, i think all three are in danger. it seems from looking in it's inevitable - at least people feel that way - that i.s.i.l. will make its way to baghdad. jane said the citizens don't feel as if it will happen. from your standpoint isn't it inevitable that i.s.i.l. will reach baghdad. >> i think they'll make an

attempt to establish foot prints, experience in the west. baghdad is largely a shiite city of some 7 million people. it must be 85% shiite with its own neighbourhood militias who are well armed. i don't expect i.s.i.l. to be able to take the capital. i think it's been able to make the advances because it has formed coalitions with disgruntled sunni arabs in majority cities. i don't think it can come down into the she item areas easily. >> do you to the numbers and military resources compared to the iraqy government? >> well, also the lack of popular support. in a place like mosul people were so done out with the government of nouri al-maliki, a shi'ite government, that they were willing to tho it off in a -- throw it off in a popular

convention, in conjunction with i.s.i.l. no such sentiment exists in baghdad. >> what do you see, in terms of what is going on in iraq, is linked to the civil war in syria. there's a lot of criticism from a lot saying people should have been involved in syria, is that a direct correlation to what is going on in iraq? >> the syrian civil war is part of the story. the i.s.i.l. was among the effective fighters. once it turned to civil war, it took syrian army bases and looting them for munition and equipment, gained battlefield experience. it's deploying back of iraq. the american stance, and that of most of its allies in the region was such that made them allies

of i.s.i.l. de facto. they didn't give them military or other support. i.s.i.l. is fighting against the bashar al-assad government, aligned with iran, and the u.s. was trying to undermine the bashar al-assad government and iran's reach in the region. there's a real contradiction that the u.s. is supporting the shi items in baghdad and the sunnis in iraq, syria, i mean to say. i think they have to choose a team. >> interesting perspective. international affairs contributor from an-asho, michigan. a fatalities in israel. a 15-year-old boy killed in the golan heights. israeli tank fired at syrian army positions in response.

bombings have spilt to the golan heights area, including intentional attacks. today is the 73rd anniversary of the nazi invasion of the soviet union. president petro porashenko said he sees parallels in the world today. >> translation: unfortunately these days the issues of war became a reality. that's why the day before yesterday during my fist, in the zone i made a decision to give peace a chance. >> petro porashenko was referring to the week-long cease fire that he imposed on the ukranian military. there were similar observers held in russia. vladimir putin expressed support and described the event in ukraine as great tragedy. he was hopeful that a truce would lead to peace talks. a new round of violence takes lives in nigeria.

the community's target was close to where 276 school girls were kidnapped. 57 have come home. andrew simmonds reports. >> reporter: these are the schoolgirls who managed to avoid capture by boko haram fighters. their classmates are missing. the pain shows. somehow they are preparing for exams. the teachers believe talking about what happened helps. >> we have had a talk. we ran out of the room. >> the school principal is here, losing count of the appeals she made for the release of her pupils. >> there's nothing i can say, daughters, grand daughters - they should do something for the

innocent girls. >> reporter: all the girls have been brought to the state capital for better security. teachers say they are doing well, managing to relax and concentrate on their studies, despite the fact that they are away from home and don't know what happened to their classroom friends. >> those with close friend missing are getting more distressed by the day. >> it's painful that we are separated together with them. i'm asking to help us find our mates for you us, please. we are asking to help us, please. >> reporter: no one has a positive answer. the state government is trying to get schooling back to normal. >> we immediately resume. we relocate the students where

it is safer and provide security and continue on with normal schooling. >> there can be nothing normal. only the safe return of their friend would make it possible. coming up, a unique experience for teenagers in trouble with the law. >> they have the tools they need. tried by a jury of their peers who may not be old enough to vote. >> i'm tom ackerman at a laboratory with a pharmaceutical company finds counterfeit drugs.

o a verdict in the trial of al jazeera gaoled in egypt is scheduled to be announced on monday. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed is accused of collaborating with outlawed muslim brotherhood. bill ims has the story much. >> you are watching closely the trial of al jazeera staff and

journalists in egypt. >> it's a message that resonated far and wide that journalism is not a crime. the men in the cage paid a heavy price. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed respected journalists they have been behind bars for 176 days. egyptian authorities accuse them of spreading lies, having links to a terrorist organization. across the world many disagree and many spoke out in defense of the al jazeera team. >> we would like to live in a world where we can go about our legitimate lawful business without interference, as anyone could, as a doctor, a lawyer. it's not about democracy, but about freedom. not saying that journalists are above the law or tlir special

rules. in -- there are special rules. in this instance people should not be obstructed in the course of doing their job and put in prison. >> reporter: campaign event have taken place in 30 countries around the world. 69,000 tweeted using the hashtag free aj staff. the people have sent out a total of 181,000 tweets. and those tweets have reached for than 74.4 million twitter account. the al jazeera campaign attracted support from people all obvious the world. but the challenge for any social media campaign is to translate success in the virtual world into results in the real world, to turn the retweets and online petitions into pressure on people in positions of power. after all each the most famous of tweeters backing honourable

causes don't always come out on top straight away. campaigners helped peter greste's family raise 58,000 signatures calling for his release. they feel it made a disifference. . >> e -- difference. egyptian authorities respond to international pressure. the feedback from the families, knowing they are there with thousands behind them gives them the strength that they can have the conversations, knowing they are backed up. >> reporter: now peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed wait for the court's decision. they and supporters right-hand the world foal the case -- feel the case has gone on for way too long. israeli troops killed two palestinians in search for three missing israeli teenagers. israel has been conducting raids searching for the missing boys near the israeli settlement a court programme in maryland is offering teenagers a

chance to clear their records. the punishments may be harsh, but the rewards are life changing. >> you need to make major changes. right now you are not cutting it. >> reporter: stern words from a judge. hardly unusual. this is no ordinary court room. the judge is a volunteer. the jurors are teenagers, and the person on trial admitted her guilt. as part of a deal to have her shoplifting case heard here. >> there was no real reason. it was just we lined them and we just took them. >> welcome to teen court, where young people get a chance to erase their mistakes and have record wiped clean. in this court jurors asked question, figuring out where the teens went wrong, and how to get them back on track. >> do you steal often? >> do you think you'd steal again if you were caught?

>> reporter: when the questioning is over, jinny leaves the room and the jurors deliberate. >> she said she wouldn't do it again, i think she would. >> yes. >> teen courts are popular, there's 1200 nationwide, up from 80, two decades ago. it's minor offense, misdemeanours that end up in teen court. speeding, theft, assault - and in some countries they work with kids who have been caught with marijuana. sara von runs the prom for charles county maryland. >> the purpose of teen court is to give them a second chance, give them a tool to avoid the situation. von handles 200 cases a year, thanks to an army of volunteers like diana donohue, an attorney by day. >> the fringe benefit i get from being a judge in teen court is i

get to lecture teenagers, and they have to stand and take it. >> stealing stuff and lying about stuff is not productive in the long run. >> along with community service, gipy was ordered to write letters of apology to her parents, and the store she stole from. not to go to stores without a chaperone. guinea has to create a plan for her future. >> i may have to cut a few people from my life. >> like the people you hang out with. >> they are not the best. >> in this county 9% complete sanctions. those that do are less likely to become repeat offenders. if jinny completes hor sentence, the -- her snrnings the shoplifting -- her sentence, the

shoplifting charge comes off her record. to learn more been juvenile just fun in to "the system" with joe berlinger. he'll go deep into juvenile sentencing, including two cases that question whether children convicted of murder should be sent to life without parole. the u.s. supreme court is to rule on two major cases. we'll examine those in "the week ahead". coming up next - world cup fever around the globe. later - the effort to protect the milestones of human history. you're watching al jazeera america.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm michael eaves, here is look at the top stories. islamic state of iraq and levant or i.s.i.l. is closing in on

baghdad. now the tsunami rebel fight -- sunni rebel fight erts are taking over border crossings. they could be a threat to the main power supply. meanwhile secretary of state john kerry's meeting with u.s. allies in the east is in jordan after meeting with egypt's new president. the world health organization estimates 10% of stock is fake. the phoney medicine is dangerous, killing more than 100,000 people. tom ackerman visited a lab helping to take fake drugs off the street. >> reporter: the human growth hormone that rick injects himself keeps him alive. one prescription that he had refilled could have killed him. >> i asked the pharmacist and i

said i had stinging and there could have been an issue with water in packaging. he said "you should go home and check if you have some of the fake stuff.". >> reporter: rob rts is a victim of count fit drugs. most commonly sold over the internet. in this lab, at the headquarters of pfizer more than 1,000 suspect samples from northern south america has been tested. they've been seized by border protection agencies or brought by under cover agents. >> they pose as patients and make purchases from the individuals on the internet. >> it's a different colour blue. it's close. >> to an experienced eye the bogus packaging can look identical to the genuine product. pfizer's scientist spots of counterfit.

>> in some of the dosage forms they don't put in the active ingredient. sometimes they put it in at the wrong level. sometimes they use the wrong active ingredient. under a new law every drug sold will include a marker to trace its origin and track it through its supply chain. it's a case of buyer beware. >> you have to stay within a system that is safe because of the regulations in place. if you go outside the system, you go outside the safety net that's there for you. >> there's no reliable safety net in south-east asia and africa where a third of drugs tested have been found fake or infective. drug companies have been donating hand-held devices that can perform chemical analysis in the field. tools preventing unsuspecting

falling ill to counterfeiters. food is a huge day for team u.s.a. at the world cup. the team is in action in a couple of hours, facing portugal. with the win, team u.s.a. advances out of a group some called the group of death, and fans are cautiously optimistic. >> i think portugal has opinion overraid for some time. if they can bett italy or -- beat italy or the united states, they are the force. >> my heart says welwyn 1-0. any win they'll take. we had an exciting performance against ghana, the fans are expecting something better. >> it's a wonderful opportunity, you have to love it. for the americans, they control their own deftinie. portugal goes forward. america will be without their top playmaker who ipp john

howard his ma'am -- injured his hamstring in a match against ghana. nextman up. jorgen will turn to aaron johansson or chris to take his place. as for the team captain, chris dempsey. he suffered a broken nose against ghana, he will be in the line-up with so much at stake. all eyes on cristiano ronaldo. he is a score aring machine, the best player on earth. portugal is in desperation mode. if they lose, they'll be done for the tournament and cannot advance. expecting to be a major factor, it's sfocted to be -- spect to be 80 degrees. a lot of hype on cristiano ronaldo. and another fun factor. his base salary of $25 million is more than the starting line up of 11 americas at 19 million.

portugal is a little banged up and pepe is out because he had a red card in the last game. >> the timing is perfect. let's see if the americans can take advantages. jergen feels it is the time. >> do you have a good feeling? >> yes, i do. >> if they win, first time in group play. >> and advance and be above the germans believe it or not. as you mite imagine fans -- might imagine fans of team u.s.a. are beginning to kather -- gather. the kid in the hot green soccer shoes that he got is cyrus, a boy with an illness brought on by world cup. >> my mummy says i love football so much that i have football fever. >> reporter: mum is happy to indulge him. >> not just that i want my kid

to play in the u.s. this is a sport played in every place in the world. it's a sport where you don't need much. you need a ball. you don't even need shoes. >> the fans are soccer parents. the fields are just astroturf. the kid, and maybe the coaches are dreaming about playing for the u.s. team one day. for now they can't wait for sun's game. >> i'm superstoked. >> reporter: the television ratings for world cup are at a high, up word of 12 million watched the u.s.-ghana match. the city of chib is adding more -- chicago is adding more soccer fields. why doesn't soccer catch fire in the u.s. the way it does in other countries. >> we have an american dream, and that's the mexican dream. their dream is grow up, play soccer, get out of poverty if the will, support the parents, have a good life. >> the kids can't wait for

sunday's game. here at the biggest seller of soccer stuff they have had to wait forever. since monday, they have done tripple the amount of business. >> we had little rushes. >> i'm looking at some of the store window merchandise. this is my last name, and if the usa doesn't make it to the files, this is the team i want to win. >> the excitement of the world cup is giving the kid something to chase. well, the big party is 5,000 miles south of chicago in brazil. we are joined from rio de janeiro. and we see american midfielders clint was talking about the american presence giving team u.s.a. a big lift. how well had the fans been

represented in brazil? >> well, i found out today that the united states leads the list as the country that bout the -- bought the most tickets to the world cup. there's thousands of americans here on copa cabbana where the fan fest is about to start. people with american flags sipping, excited about the game that is about to start. in fact, the americans were in the americana stadium to watch the game between belgium and russia. russia qualified for the first time in 12 years. they will be the host country for the next cup in 2018. >> the russians are coming to brazil to preght a hospital -- project a hospitalible image. at the inauguration the first

russian house in lat jip america, the -- latin america the vodka was flowing and visitors glowing with admiration at the exhibit of every world cup football since inception. up to 30,000 russian fans may come to cheer the team on. >> we are all here for russia. >> reporter: never mind that russia's performance thus far has been anything but memorable. might was measured by, among other things, an ability to excel in ports. that's something vladimir putin is committed. when it comes to football russia is taking a leap of faith. >> we qualified - first time in 12 years, they have to be astonishing for the fans, they have no other chaise. ver -- no other choice. at the russia house passion

for football converges with diplomacy and international interest. >> the russian investments in brazilian economy are growing. and we also as you mentioned, we have projects especially related with gauze and pet role -- gas and petroleum extraction. >> reporter: like a good diplomat. >> we are dreaming to have a final between russia and brazil. >> proof that russia is a nation with strong ambitions. >> now that russia lot to belgium, does that mean that the national team and officials are headed back home? >> you know, there are a lot of russians who have come far for the world cup and they are praying for a miracle. if al jazeera were to lose the

next game and russia was to score a lot of goals, they could go on to the next stage. as i say, hope is the last thing that people lose. it seems like a festive atmosphere behind you. i wonder from the fans internationally, but locally, are these parties and festivals going on all day, to wee hours of the night? >> they go on all day, all night. they do not end. they don't stay on copenhagen, they go to other parts of the city. people are partying over the city 24 hours a day. >> hope you are enjoying some of the festivities as well. when it comes to the world cup, the passion of soccer fans seems to have no boundaries. >> i have made robin van persie

model, made of milk, and other ingredients. it is fully edible. this indian sweet shop opener a fan of the german has been sculpting a variety of delicacies for his customers, including an edible model of the world cup trophy. cameroon's ouster led people at home to dump jerseys and world cup gear. soccer fans are packing local bars, because of the time difference are open all night. despite watching their team lose, the iranian soccer fans took to the streets to celebrate an effort on saturday. what an effort. it was the fourth appearance in the world cup. well, back here in the u.s., in parts of the state it's a good day to be outside. meteorologist rebecca stevenson joins us with more. >> it sounds good. you were talking about a candied

world cup. >> that would be nice. >> tasty. a lot of folks will be out enjoying things filled with sugar in the heat and parts of the central portion of the united states. tennessee, kentucky, and down to atlanta georgia, you are sweltering. it's the stormy weather that is brewing up into the midwest because of humidity, meeting up with storm systems. you see on the video a bit of damage around illinois. saturday night, this morning, there was significant rain. wound gusts up to 50 miles per hour. some spots around lake county were recording 70 to 75 melbourne cups. a lot of hail that you can see clearly. damage was widespread from split trees to trees on powerlines. 70,000 people were out of power while the storms rolled through and people had to wait for the power companies to get that going. here is where the storm reports

are through this morning. a couple of tornado reports in parts of colorado. mainly it's wind, hail and flash flooding that illinois had an issue with. chicago over an inch and a quarter of rainfall was recorded for you. you go to joy et. two inches of rain fall. some of this came down as fast as an inch of rainfall. here we are looking at this happening again. through the day, and tomorrow. we continue to see the rain fall coming through. you have to watch for the lightening and hail: doppler can send a beam out. it estimate how large the hail is with the storms. that is what they were doing last night as they rolled through illinois. miles per hour, wettest june on record. we are we are with the storms, we'll see it happen again

through the afternoon. parts of west texas could become severe. storms just brewing again. right along the line where dry air meets up with wet air. these are due points to make it - putt temperatures in with the due points to show it what it feels like. in memphis, drink your water, find the shade. it feels like so 4 when it's 90 degrees. all the humidity surge. now in miami, we see the humidity lift along the east coast. more rain coming in for parts of western washington and orgep. thunder storms not done with us yet. thunder storms, warm temperatures, sound like summer. thank you so much. coming up on al jazeera. preventing the world's cultural and natural sites from fading into history.

california's red wood trees are in danger because under the cover of darkness thieves are sneaking into the national park to cut and steal parts of the industries. rob reynolds reports on the burl bandits. >> reporter: park rangers jeff and laura deny are approaching a crime scope. the victim, an eldery long-term resident of the area was attacked in the dead of night of the his assailants mutilated the victim with a chain saw. this is the victim, a towering ancient red wood tree. >> what we have behinds us is a tree that is probably 700 or 1,000 years old. >> the chainsaw wielding thieves

were after these, redwood burls, the knobby lumps that grow on the side of the tree. >> burl is a type of wood that is valued by wood workers. >> reporter: each fetches up to $1,000. dozens of trees have been defaced and more are likely to be undiscovered. >> every time we discover a burl site, it's shocking. >> the road to redwood national park is lined with shops selling carvin carvings, and slabs cut from the burls. >> it is hurting my business. >> reporter: two alleged burl bandits have been arrested. >> we were able to match burls cut from a site to a gift shop. one man has been convicted

of felony theft and vaneda lus -- vandalism. refer rens to the trees is a problem. when the first settlers came to the area, they saw the redwoods not as irreplaceable wonders of nature, but as lumber. >> down they come, some of the oldest, biggest and tallest trees. this 1940s educational film celebrated redwood logging. by the 1960s 95% of old growth redwoods were gone. in light of that sad history today's burl bandits hurt more than trees. when you come into a place like this that can be described as cathedral like and you see the desecration, it hurts the sole. this tree, rangers say, will survive. they are counting on public

awareness to foil future burl burglars. >> the united nations is voting this month on places it mite add to the world heritage list, the sites that make the lit are some of the world's beautiful, cultural natural treasures. think ven. >> vatican city. florence louie on a site that made the list. >> reporter: it's a world away from where the decision makers are. it does not stop the people asking for dive in intervention. they are from a town near one of the three ancient cities and regard a u.n.e.s.c.o. heritage listing as an honour. >> translation: there are many cultural relics and buildings in this old city. >> reporter: the three ancient cities are part of the pew kingdom, existing for 1,000

years. its people started trading with india around the fifth century, leading to the spread of buddhism throughout south-east asia. not much is known about the pew. they lived in big cities. they built a sophisticated system of irrigation and spoke a language that is extinct but related to the myanmar language. archeologists work at the biggest of the three cities believe they may have uncovered 20% of it. the importance of the pew site is that they are rare and unique examples of urbanization of society from that era. experts want the area protected, something a u.n.e.s.c.o. world heritage status offers. >> the area is fragile. we are submitted to great pressure. in very quick time, we can have a disaster.

because only you judges can disappear very quickly. >> reporter: they have staumping protectors. the people here set up a heritage trust in the 1950s, fund asked staffed by volunteers. they run a museum helping to ensure the artefacts remain in myanmar, sometimes by buying back items sold on the black market. >> translation: the cities of pew existed more than 2,000 years ago. it is the history of our forefathers. it may be the little interest to some people. we want to resolve it. >> reporter: a world heritage listing would help to bring in fund and technical know how for that cop srves. -- conservation. more than that it gives a sense of pride to the people, it willing them their history is

word preserving. there are 981 sites on unesco's world heritage list. among them. a silk mill, north-west of the tokyo, built in 1871, the oldest silk wielding factory. a factory in rotterdam built in 1935 and 1921, prosed tea, coffee and tobacco and now houses design and media companies. and in saudi arabia, a major port on the red see, and is a gateway for muslim piil bridges on their way to mecca. and the kurdish region of iraq. it's been occupied for 7,000 years, making it the oldest site in the world. life from war-torn syria as seen through the lives of ordinary syrians.

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for the last 3.5 years the world watched syria tear itself apart. images we have seen is horrific. barrel bombs devastating towns and cities. victims of chemical weapons. and desperate people fleeing for safety. while we watch from the safety of the living room, one is watching a busy civil war. now as christen saloomey reports, they are bringing their story to the screen. >> reporter: families eating, children being children. yupping men talking. abu calls the work emergency cinema. >> emergency cinema is like emergency medicine. you have to intervene quickly to save the image of your society. we wanted to show people with

dignity. we wanted to show people without reducing them to be victims. the contrast of the ordinary people living in extraordinary circumstances provides molts of insight on syria that are hard to find. like the siblings playing in a tent that has become their home. or the unseen cameraman trying to cross a war-ravaged street guarded by snipers. a selection of abu's films were part of the human rights watch area in new york. a chance to bring part of syria for removed from the conflict. organizers hope it will raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in syria. does america have an apathy to syria. >> i say that's true. i feel the unique stories,

images and music and story telling can break through that. >> reporter: members of abu najura remain anop mouse in -- anonymous inside syria. they insist their work is not political. the award winning short of "gone and dogs", shows the agony of a rebel fighter who believes he's killed an innocent man. >> we just need people to say "wow, it's a good film. ". >> reporter: when it comes to conveying the human cost of syria's war, it may be enough. an adventurous couple from south africa made history. they arrived in new york after rowing over 6,000 miles. the couple left morocco in december in a 22 food row boat. their 6 month journey included a

stretch of two months with no land in site. after docking in new york, they are the first pair to row from mainland africa to mainland north america. congratulations to them. i'm michael eaves. ""america tonight" weekend is next. go to aljazeera.com for more updates. [ ♪ music ] on "america tonight", the weekend edition, an abuse of faith. >> he said we have the find the thing in your life that caused your rape. and i just ran. at bob jones university one of the nation's influential christian colleges, young women who say they were sexually assaulted find themselves under scrutiny. sara hoy investigates the accusations against the accusers. also -