>> this is al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton in new york. let's get you caught up on the top stories this hour. a massive earthquake shakes northern california, dozens injured, thousands without power. we go live to california. peter theo curtis - his name is new to us. he's an american writer freed by al qaeda-linked rebels in syria. who is james foley's killer. investigators say they are close to identifying the man. family and friends prepare for michael brown's funeral.

"the week ahead" examines the next steps for the community. thanks for being about us. a state of emergency is in effect for parts of the san francisco bay area, after a 6.0 magnitude quake hit there in the early morning hours. it's the strongest one to hit this area in more than two decades. 122 people were injured, three critically. californian officials say it is too soon to estimate the damage - they've been battling first, gas leaks and power outages. the quake hit between napper and american canyon. how bad was the quake? jacob ward joins us live. >> certainly on a scientific basis it wasn't as bass at the

loma priator, that was a vasty more powerful - 15-20 times for powerful. nonetheless this was scary, 20,000 people out of 80,000 that live her are without power in napper. as we heard at a press event, the local hospital was seeing a steady stream of injuries. >> we have had an early, very early, big wave of folks with lacerations and bumps and bruises, related to folks getting out of bed and walking on things that had broken at night. what we are seeing now is a lot of folks injured whilst doing clean-up. >> thomas was happiest is these are not the injuries you expect

with something like this, because of the place it happened, two two major areas, and people were in bed, not out in the streets hit by falling debris like behind me. >> we have a major jolt. 6.0. oftentimes we talk about after shocks. how worried should residents be by the aftershocks. >>. >> pretty much it's something you should always worry about. there is an over 50% chance of an aftershock of 5.0 or greater, as compared to 6.0. this morning there was an early morning system that is prototyped at u.s. berkeley, and it sent out on early morning, and it has officials and residents wondering how soon a state wide system, which theoretically is in development, could come online. they are the kind of thing everyone would love to have a

few seconds warning of. once again this happening in the early morning hours. how is the work going to restore the power lines to fix the gas leaks and watermain breaks. >> well, when we first heard from officials here, they were saying that there were as many as 100 reports of the smell of gas, 60 water lines that have broken, but no major mains. in many ways this has been a lesson in luck. right now it closed off - fixed off 20 of those breaks. the electricity is slowly coming on, and fortunately no major roadways were disrupted. emergencies vehicles were flooding into the area past surrounding counties. this overwhelmed what response napper could muster. we continue to learn so much from the earthquakes. jacob ward joining us from napper. an american adjourn lift that spent nearly two years in

captist why in syria is free. peter theo curtis has released. the family expressed thanks to the government of the u.s. and qatar who helped to meed quat his release. >> i'm peter theo curtis... >> in this video obtained by al jazeera, peter theo curtis appears to be reading from a script as he sends reassurances. >> i have everything i need. everything has been perfect. food, closing and friends now. >> reporter: his family credits qatar for his rl, saying they don't know the exact terms, but his mother nancy said: >> reporter: >> reporter: curtis was taken captive two years ago, the u.s. believes by the al nusra, who released him to u.n. in the golan height after nearly two years in captivity. peter theo curtis was a new

name, he changed it after publishing a book. his release came on the same day a funeral was held for james foley, an american journalist beheaded in syria by the islamic state group. a rare moment of success. celebrated for one american who is finally headed home. i want to bring in courtney kealy, she is a reporter from war zones in the middle east and knows how dangerous such areas can be. the stakes are high right now? >> it's been a horrific week for journalists. we saw this video released by the islamic state, a different group than the group holding curtis.

this loup islamic state said more would be killed if air strikes were not stopped, and they have not stopped. this was great news in dark files for journalists that covered syria, that can't cover syria, and for almost 200,000 syrians killed in the conflict. >> it raises the question why would a journalist venture. >> a dangerous area? >> it's interesting. curtis studied arabic in damascus. he had written a back in yemen. clearly he had found the love of the region like i did and others had. i had the pleasure years ago during peacetime to go through all of damascus, syria, aleppo. did you feel safe. ? it's part of your job to tell when things are turning. but in these times, like october 2012, when the ground was shifting quickly, and the kidnapping started, a lot of it - journalists were going in

at that time, were freelancers, without the backup of main stream news organizations, a lot were taken, some were released. some of them have lost their lives. >> do you think it raises concerns for westernerses those that are journalists or doing humanitarian work? >> this has always about a problem. kidnapping is a high stake game for the troops. we have seen it in somalia, niger. it was about $40 million ransom for hostages, and an aid group was told their members they don't want americans going into syria and iraq. the price of an american is, unfortunately, very, very high. and so much so that james foley lost his life. that was his price. >> as you stated, we are dealing with a different group, a violent group, the islamic state, a group al qaeda deems too radical.

>> more voibility than we have seen, and barbarity. we are hearing of children being buried alive. slaves taken in. we have seen violence in this region, i know it well. i never saw it to this level. >> appreciate your insight. one family celebrating, another mourning this evening. a service was held. the american journalist executed by fighters. >> the mass of remembrance took place in rochester new hamp sire. the islamic state group released a video showing a masked man beheading foley. james foley was capturedy is fighters in -- captured by is fighters in 2012. the british government says it's close to identifying james foley's killer. here is what the ambassador to the u.s. told "meet the press"

this morning. >> we are not in a position yet to say who there is, but there is sophisticated recognition technology that should allow us to be clear before long. it's believed to be a british citizen fighting for is in syria. >> an air base in syria was captured. it was the last stronghold. a monitoring group says the is fighters stormed the base after a day of violent clashes. syrian state tv confirms the government forces evacuated. the islamic state group seized other government bases in the area. in northern iraq kurdish leaders appealed for help in the fight against the islamic state. they say the is fighters are equipped with more modern weapons. iraq's outgoing prime minister met with iran's foreign minister in baghdad. nouri al-maliki greeted the

iranian delegation at the start of their 2-day visit. they'll address security concerns and stability. iraq will form a new government by september 2nd, while also battling the islamic state group. in ferguson, missouri, a peace rally is taking may. michael brown's father is taking part. violent protests has given way to peace and the community is getting ready to mourn michael brown. his funeral will take place tomorrow. deest joins us -- diane eastabrook joins us live with more. michael brown's father spoke at the peace-fest a few moments ago. what did he have to say? >> he spoke a while ago, calling for a day of silence, so he, his family and the community can mourn the loss of his son michael. the peace festival has been going on all day today. it will be wrapping up in an

hour. people have been enjoying music, they have been enjoying food, listening to speakers. this festival has been in the making for months before michael was kill. the focus definitely has been on michael brown. >> i think it will take more protesting in a slept matter, nonviolent, non-threatening, as well as the leaders in the community to step up and reach out to the mayor, and working with the police department, and just - i think each part has to do it's half and meet halfway. >> the reverend al sharpton spoke, reiterating what michael brown's father said before him, that tomorrow will be a day when there should be no demonstrations, the focus will be on warning michael brown, and getting justice for michael

brown. >> the funeral set for tomorrow. diane eastabrook joining us from st louis. coming up in the week ahead we'll look at ferguson missouri, and the civil right issues, we invite you to join us 8:30 eastern, 5:30 pacific. it's been four months since afghans cast their votes for president. we look at why they don't know who their next leader will be. >> and swirling around in the caribbean, the latest projected path - when we come right back.

welcome back, afghans cast their vote for a new president four months ago, with a vote on, citizens are waiting to find out who will be the next leader. jennifer glasse is in kabul with more. >> reporter: in warehouses like this, afghans and international observers are trying to figure

out who won afghanistan's election. former prime minister ashraf ghani, or foreign minister abdullah abdullah. supporters argue over which ballots will count, like this dispute, over a ballot box from eastern afghanistan. >> we have 568 on the sheet. 568 votes. when we opened the box, there was nothing. >> so he wants the votes thrown out. that will ultimately be the decision of the election commission. its deputy chief is satisfied with the progress here. >> translation: i am confident because such a thorough review has never been done anywhere. it's 100% ordered by afghan and observers. this is the only one. >> reporter: neither candidate won a clear majority during the first run of elections. when preliminary results gave ghani a million vote lead, his

opponent alleged fraud, threatening to form his own government. john kerry has been trying to resolve the deadlock. >> the outgoing president hamid karzai would like to see it wrapped up in time for the inauguration on 2 september. it will be a tight dead line. 6,000 boxes chose for a recount. >> each chose half. they are the most contentious and have taken longer to e-val utility. the commission must decide how many of the votes that gave ghani the lead has been thrown out. nobody will get everything they want. >> whatever one or two people, or 100 people, in a nation of 30 million, if 1 million people don't accept it, it won't be the end of the world. >> president karzie met most of the candidates and urged them to cooperate. the long delay damaged the

economy and security. rebel groups in libya say they have tape taken control of an airport in tripoli. a terminal at the airport was burnt down, unidentified war planes attacked targets in the capital, according to residents. this is the worst fighting in libya since muammar gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. israel's prime minister warned residents in gaza it leave all areas where palestinian fighters are active. >> translation: we have proven in the past days that there is not and will not be imnupty for those -- imnupty for -- immunity for those shooting at israeli citizens. >> there's more rocket strikes. israeli air strikes hit residential areas in gaza. jane ferguson is there with this

report. >> there's little of this shopping center left. this part of gaza was bombarded by the israeli military. the area housed many small shops. dozens of businesses were destroyed. >> it's an attack on the palestinian economy, and it's an attack on the people rely on this place. it's a civilian area, there's no fighters, rockets, nothing of the sort. al jazeera was filming the aftermath of an air strike when another hit. [ explosion ] >> also on saturday in gaza city, the remains of an apartment building that stood 14 storeys high. the israeli military said hamas fighters were operating out of the building. the people living here denied this. residents were warned by israel to leave. hundreds left. no one was killed here. but this man lost everything. she returned the next day.

desperate to find some of her family's belongings. >> the kids were downstairs playing. the dinner was ready, we were waiting for the children to come up. suddenly someone started knocking on the door historically with the kids saying "we need to leave quickly, they are going to bomb the building." . >> her friends took her in, along with her husband and four children. many in gaza had to open their doors to host a number of growing families. >> in gaza, we can be in the same situation. and once you imagine that your friends can be alone without shelter and they are striking their homes, that you can't - you can't just watch and do nothing. >> for many here, all they can do is salage something from the rubble. dozens of families remained homeless when the building came

down. not everyone can find other homes to shelter in. they'll have to sleep in tents like this one. they add their names to the hundreds of thousands of palestinians displaced by this cop flight. >> artillery shells fell on a hospital in the town of donetsk. no one was killed. the morgue and other sections were badly damaged. a spokesperson denied government forces were behind the attack. pro-russian separatists were responsible. separatists hold most of the city and recent fighting on the outskirts has driven out hundreds of thousands. that attack came hours before parades marking the 1991 independence from the soviet union, as neve barker reports, rebels in donetsk took the opportunity to mock their opponents. >> reporter: in the city of

donetsk, pro-russian separatists held a ceremony in defiance of kiev. dozens of prisoners captured during months of fighting were paraded through the streets. also on show, destroyed ukrainian military hardware. as the rest of the country marks 23 years of independence, the separatists fighters remain loi to moscow. donetsk has been under bombardment for weeks. hours earlier... a shell landed on the hospital mort u airway. in the ukrainian capital, a different scene. thousands celebrated independents day with a show of might. the government promised to send much of the hardware to the frond line. president petro porashenko used the occasion to announce a $3 billion increase in military

spending. >> the events in the last couple of months is a war, not officially announced but still real. it is a war for the honour and glory, for the people and independence. >> reporter: in eastern ukraine, not far from the fighting people of slovyansk staged their own celebration. [ speaking foreign language] >> reporter:. >> reporter: there's confidence this ukrainian forces are back in control. several weeks looking slovyansk was the center of separatist activity, now this band of people are showing loyalty to kiev. it's hard to imagine everyone here feels the same way. >> quietly, behind the scenes, ukrainian forces are doing anything to eradicate separatist sympathies, it's normalies, but not quite. >> dozens of towns have been

recaptured from the separatists in of the last few months. >> but only a few kilometres from here ukraine is divided and at war. neve barker, al jazeera, slovyansk. in the caribbean cials tropical storm christo bell moved that haiti and other areas. where is it heading now? >> it looks like it's taking a turn. first a look at how much rain fell in porta ryk joe. and the unique part of this. the bright reads - the mountain range where the wind wrapped around, sent the moisture into the mountains. the rain and extra lift in danger of immediate slide which is what happened. as we look at the satellite, it

enhanced. you can see the cloud tops and how high they are billowing up with the storm. it is slowly moving. it's held itself together, but it has not strengthened. and we don't expect to see a lot of strengthening initially. there's a nice weather feature that is helping us out, coming off the mid-atlantic coast, sheering it apart. national hurricane center expects it to detract east, away from the bahamas. system bring heavy rain, and continue throughout the course of the week to stay offshorement this is a great -- offshore. this is a great track. we'll still get rip curls developing. it will be very strong along the east coast. along north carolina, south carolina. we have a big concern about rain fall over areas of wildfire. we have video to show you that

in the last several address, we had so many mudslides and debris flows. you see this house teetering on the edge, and damages to highway 20. both closed earlier this week. because the rain and the slides took them out. we are watching closely, but thunder storms are here. and we have a flash flood warning. just to the south of the wildfires. maybe over countries here, but we have a problem with the tornado warning that has been listed, north of minnesota and we'll watch in place a big area causing code temperatures. the heat is on in the south or mid west. >> it will never be where you see shades of orange or yellow. thank you. tomorrow, 18-year-old michael brown will be laid to rest. for ferguson, missouri, much

work is left to be done. next - a look at what it next for the community and its police force in the "the week ahead" segment.

welcome back to al jazeera america. here are the top stories we are following. more than 100 people in northern california were injured after a 6.3 earthquake struck napper. a state of emergency has been declared. authorities are assessing the damage. the fact that the damage occurred in the early morning hours reduced injuries. peter theo curtis, held for two years in syria has been freed, handed to officials in the golan heights. peter theo curtis is expected to be reunited with his family soon. peter theo curtis was held by the al qaeda-linked syrian group al nusra front. >> a government air base in north-east syria was captured by

the islamic state. the is fighters stormed the base after a day of clashes. >> it is sunday night and time for our regular look at "the week ahead". we focus on the future of ferguson, missouri. 18-year-old michael brown will be laid to rest tomorrow. his father asked for a halt to the protests on monday as they bury their son. after two weeks of often violent confrontations on the city streets, the country has a great deal of healing to do. we begin with this report from diane eastabrook. [ singing ] >> reporter: at christ the king church worshippers lifted their spirits in song. but the shooting of michael brown weigh the on their minds. >> and we as a community will enter a time of mourning so that

his family can bury their child. >> since the unarmed teen was shot on august 9th sz. the neighbourhood erupted in violence, then settled into an uncertainly calm. the community in recent days took steps to heal itself, posting "i love ferguson signs", in front of homes and businesses. a march from teens and clergy called for better relations between the country and law enforcement. >> this is personal for all of us. there's 1 degree of separation. we may have two ferguson, and two americas, but when you scratch the surface, we are connected. >> reporter: for some. the outrage and violence lingers. protests continue across from the police department. once hundreds of process, now

just a few. this demonstration may end, but the crusade for change will not. >> this situation is not about race or religion, but human rights from everyone over the world. >> reporter: and for a country that capture the attention of the world, it could take years before the hearing is complete. >> one of the main issues that has been brought to life by ferguson is the increasing militarization of police forces. in light of unrest, senator clair mccaskill will hold hearings to examine the heavy arming of police departments. president obama offered a review of federal programs transferring military equipment to local police. another issue in the spotlight is the difference between how white and black people feel they are treated by the legal system. a research center shows african-americans feel they are treated unfairly by police. and 60% feel the same way.

in ferguson itself, young people are using social media to express them, starting a hashtag ferguson syllabus to share and discuss their thoughts. >> for more, and how ferguson moves forward, let's bring in a criminal defense attorney and professor at brooklyn law school. and atoll fizz pruitt. head of the n.a.a.c.p. mr pruitt, i want to start with you. those numbers are troubling here. 70% of african-americans feel that they cannot trust the legal system. what is the conversation they are having here tonight. >> the conversation should be the fact that not only will they feel that way, if they look at the evidence as related to the ratio and stops and encounters that african-american have, and

police men overwhelmingly hired white folk. >> we hear so many say this is a wake-up call. as a criminal defense attorney, are you surprised to here many african-americans don't trust the legal system. >> it's a well-known fact that they are -- that there are mass disparities in the way drug offenders are created. there's momentum in congress now to cut mandatory sentences. cut crack sentences and congress has taken actions to remedy the disparities. it's a well recognised fact that there are discrepancies. part of the problem with stop and frisk is that the supreme court has upheld. driving while black is a prevalent problem. if you have a busted tail late,

they use it as a pretext to pull you over and search vehicles. you can blame the high court for that problem. >> is this a civil rights case? >> absolutely at the end of the day we had an individual, one race stopped by a white police officer and subsequently was killed. unarmed and whatever the calls may be at the end of the day, there's no reason to use that type of deadly force against an unarmed team. it's not called, it's not necessary. where are the tasers, the batons, and the other measures that police are used to train to apprehend individuals. >> were any fill rights violated? >> i think it's a mistake to rush to judgment and conclude it was a civil rights case or the shooting was or was not justified. i do not know what happened there. the grand jury will sort this

out. if it were a civil rights case, it's by no means a slam dunk case because the federal civil rights statute requires a showing of racial anmetment that has to be the motivating cause of the shooting. it's a difficult burden to establish, particularly in a he said/he said case, where we know the defense was going to be self-defence. >> does it trouble you that we haven't heard from officer wilson? >> not necessarily. he's subject to serious charges that will change his life forever. i'm not surprised he'd take a defensive stand and protect his rights. it's interesting the other panellist, what he said justifies your original question as to white people having a problem with the justice system, people of colour. that is why. it's the fact that we have any number of witnesses who's the

gentleman was facing the officer, hands up, and he was not doing anything to the officer. he's dead. if you look at the civil right cases before the courts in the past, rarely is a police officer convicted for using excessive force against anybody, especially anyone of colour. all of that shows whether a white african-american community has a problem. >> from what our fellow panelist said, you may think he was there and obvioused the shooting. none of us was there and none of us knows what happens, and that's the purpose of a grand jury, and why they are held in secret is precisely to clamp down these passions. it's understandable that people will be outraged and want justice swiftly and immediately. the justice system - the wheels grind slowly and fine. we don't rush to judgment. we hear the evidence.

we figure out who's hearing the truth. the damming piece of evidence appears to be not a witness testimony, but an autopsy report, that the young man was shot while backing away. given the grand jury process, and it's a low standard of proof, probable cause. not for ponderance of the evidence. we'll see an indictment. the jury empanelled and the case tried. and facts determined as best they can be. >> once again, as there been a rush to judgment. should we not let the legal process play out? >> no, absolutely not. yeth so. i think the legal process has to play out. no one is saying we need to bypass the process. if this kid had been white. and there were eighth white witnesses coming back, i don't think we'd be having the

conversation today. because the witnesses are black, there's a thing about maybe the eight witness, even though they are saying the same thing, that that would happen. let's talk about the investigation. local state and federal agents are conducting separate investigations into the death of michael brown. here is lisa stark with more. >> why would i be any place other than here and now, to talk to the people in this area, who are deserving and need help. >> reporter: attorney general eric holder is spear heading the federal investigation into the police shooting of unarmed teen michael brown. the department of justice will try to determine if there had been any civil rights violations. its investigation could take weeks. [ chants ] . >> reporter: and despite the residents of ferguson demand the federal government file charges, that may not be easy, local and state officials could charge

officer darren wilson if they determine his shooting of brown was unjustified. for federal cases the standard of proof is more stringent. to win a civil rights violation against officer wilson, prosecutors would have to prove that not only was the shooting unjustified but the officer shot brown because of his race. the jury decision would need to be unanimous. if the federal government lost, there would be no opportunity to appeal. >> the federal government has been pretty successful in prosecutions under this particular law which affects government officials like police. however, those cases often involve brazen attacks by corrections officers, or police officers. in cases where there's a question about self-defence, many times charges will not be brought. >> a criminal says is not the

attorney-general's only option. congress passed violent crime control and law enforcement act. in the wake of the police beating of rodney king. it gave the civil rights division of the justice department the ability to sue police agencies if they exhibit a pattern of violating people's rights, including using excessive force, unlawful stops and searches. under attorney-general eric holder the d.o.j. opened 20 investigation into law enforcement agencies, more than twice as many in the previous five years. 13, including police departments in new orleans, seattle and detroit agreed to make changes under the oversight. d.o.j., rather than be sued. >> most of the time the police departments involved will sign on because if they choose to have it litigated, it would be worse and more expensive and

embarrassing for them. >> as for the ferguson investigation, eric holder has deployed 40 fbi agents and top prosecutors to the town. there's no set timetable, but in an op ed in the st louis newspaper, the attorney-general promises that he will stand with the community long after events have proceeded from the head line. >> do you think we'll see federal charm come out of the investigation? >> i would be surprised if there were federal criminal charges brought against officer wilson, i think your guest, professor levin was spot on about it, and in the lead up to it. as i said before, it's a tough birdon of proof, and there's no such thing as a general, federal police power. the proper allocation of prosecutorial responsibilities rests with the state in the

first instance. it's a different matter to bring a civil action for declar itry relief as a whole. the press department had a lot of difficult incidents in the past. i could see the federal government getting involved. in the absence of a gross miss carriage of justice, in respect to this, i don't see any criminal charges colling out of it. >> in relation to the action with the browns, did that make a difference? >> i think it made a little bit of a difference. i think it was respectful for the attorney-general to come down and meet with the family. i think it made a difference. i think what was upsetting is the fact that it had to go to the grand jury. there was a seasoned prosecutor. he brought charms and indicted

individuals over the last 24 years. he could have looked at the evidence and made a decision, whether he's going to charge someone or not. i think he took a political efficient way out. no matter what the outcome is, i doesn't hurt them one way. i have a problem with that. >> what do you make of the white house review looking into the way the police force is equipped, mr pruitt? >> i think it's a good review, but the interesting thing to come out is the press department out there in ferguson, it turned out the equipment they had did not come from the white house programme. the police departments use the taxpayer's money and would purchase this stuff on their own. so that is more troubling, because they didn't need the white house or the federal government or equipment

programme to do it. do you think we'll see changes coming out of the ferguson, regarding the police force. >> as a criminal defense force, i'm no defender of police officers. we talk about the equipment. and they are put between a rock and a hard place. we heard throughout the '80s, and '90s, the war on drugs. we'll militarize police and turp them into swat teams. that's why they are loaded up like this. is that the image you want to project to the community that you are trying to serve, that you are trying to have better relations with. >> i think the debate is on the war on drugs and why there's better pressure on the police department to portray the image. we are seeing push back, and they have a nasty face in front of the community and they lose respect and are viewed as bell imerrant and are politically

motivated. they are in a tough spot either way. >> how do we fundamentally change the conversation about race? >> you know, we have to reach a point where we have to understand that we are all in this country together. we'll be here together and find a way to respect each other's differences. at the same time we have to address economic issues. at the end of the day, at the end of the day, i want to say one thing, if you look at the response for the young african-american male in ferguson, and look at the response of the young males in gaza - i'm not trying to make a geopolitical statement, but the cause and response are one and the statement - that is being confined to a close you're gan ghetto - for lack of a better term - over securitized and over-policed and having rights taken away from them. >> that is a preposterous

comment to try and in some way reference what is going on in the middle east. >> it's a fact. >> it's out of bounds. and completely misunderstand the israeli-palestinian conflict. i would not take the shooting in ferguson as a referendum on race relations in this country, there are good police, there are bad police, just like every other walk of life. this is one incident and it is not - i repeat emphatically - not a referendum, on race relations in this country. it's an awful incident, a tragic incident, a horrible incident for which we do not know the cause at this moment. >> i want to move the conversation forward. i think this has been the problem in the media, the coverage, but talking about the situation in ferguson. let's talk about moving forward. we have a funeral for an 18-year-old boy who was gunned down, who is no longer with us. how do we move the conversation forward, mr pruitt. where do we go from here building better relations within the country and the police

department? >> we have to versify the police department. especially those policing predominantly african american chounties, and we have to address the socioeconomic differences. you can't have young men when they leave their homes going to working school or play, to be stopped, searched, questioned, to have their licence ran. you can't have that. anybody would feel that at the end of the day, it there was any other community where encounters with police officer were 6, 7, 8, 9 times, everyone else in the community, the other community would feel the same. others do not understand how the young men feel. they do not experience that many counters, you don't experience them. i don't. these young guys will. >> your final thoughts in moving forward. >> i agree with what my colleague said. there are disparities, police are given a difficult job to do.

and i would urge caution and let's just wait for the facts to play themselves out. as i said, the autopsy report in the case seems like a damming piece of evidence. >> the jury will sort it out. >> this investigation will take time. a pan's life is at stake, the shooter, and the family deserves to know as close to the truth as our system can get us. it's a good thing that passions are yelled and we go through this, and i think the town is looking for political cover to put it in the people's hands. that's what our system condemn mates, it's ex-peed yet, but the right thing to do. criminal defense attorney and professor at the law school. and adelphis pruitt. from the n.a.a.c.p. thank you for being with us on "the week ahead". other event - monday - us open

championship begins in new york. serena williams is the number one seen. tuesday - primaries will be held. in oklahoma voters will choose between a u.s. senate candidate and a run-off election. friday - final report on the health system to be released. when al jazeera returns, the ebola spreads through a fifth

afghan country. e >> nothing can be worse than this people burnt to ash... >> horrendous conditions... traffic labor on us bases... management stealing wages... exploited children put to work... >> how many of you get up at 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning

to go out to the fields? don't miss our award winning series fault lines labor day marathon only on al jazeera america welcome back. sri lanka is facing a drought. the lack of rain faced crop failures. we report on the crisis of sri lanka. >> reporter: this woman is digging a try tank bed to look for lot us roots. she has little choice after crops were destroyed by drought. educating the children and paying for everything with the

money i earn here is difficult. what else can i do? it's back-breaking work. villages can earn $6 selling the roots. 10 month of dry weather wiped out a percentage of crops in this agricultural economy. 16 of the districts are expected, successive crop failures caused hardship. both planting seasons have been affected. that's why people are badly affected. previously if one person failed, we could recover with the next. in the worst affected district including here, the amount of land cultivated fell by a half. authorities predict that the harvest would fall by 13%. this tiny waterhole is all that is left of the giant irrigation,

and dozens like it. despite welcome signs of rain, farmers say more is needed to reverse the effects of the prolonged dry spell that damaged the crops. sri lanka's agricultural system relies on large-scale reserve voirs to store and distribute water during dry spells. the network suffered through poor maintenance. >>. >> translation: some of these have not been desilted for 50 or 60 years. we can use the time to our benefit to clean the reservoirsers so we are better prepared in the future. >> the government said the impact on livelihoods is the primary concern, spending millions to clean up and repair the irrigation network. in the interim people will rely on water bowsers for supplies. >> translation: there's not enough to bathing drinking. when cooking we need to use

water carefully. the lack of rain not only affected tens of thousands, but also livestock and wildlife, hoping for a speedy end to the dry spell. officials have confirmed ebola related deaths in the democratic republic of congo. the country's health minister say it's uprelated to the outbreak in west africa. the congolese cases are a different strain to the one killing 1400 people in 14 other nations. this would be the 7th outbreak in democratic republic of congo since the virus was discovered. mcdonald's is in a fight. they are seeing the worst sales. employees want more pay, and there's questions about the safety make-up of their burgers. they may be suffering an image

problem. >> reporter: this mcdonald's commercial showing happy workers dancing their way to a transaction paint a pretty picture and is a stark contrast to reality. in may, the workers demanded better wages. this protest in chicago is one of dozens. last week bad news for the burger behome ith, the worse sales, slumping 2.5% in july. some analysts say a contributing factor is what happened. a meat plant was shut down after a tv report showed workers picking at meat from a factory floor, and shipping meat. meat sent to mcdonald's restaurants all around asia, but it doesn't end there. russia announced last week that it's taking the company to court over insanitary positions saying

coal in sal ids 10 times above the safety levels. to top off a difficult summers, monds is having a hard -- mcdonald's is having a hard time convincing investors. underperforming rivals, burger king and jack in the box. then there's a bad press saying mcdonald's is in a growth stall, having two quarters of declining sales. that doesn't bode well for the growing ampers. >> it was a disappointing day for the americans at the little league world series. the kids from the south side hoping to become the first team comprised of afghan americans. the team from south korea proved to be too much. the koreans jumped out to an 8-1 lead, to win the world cup 8-4. it's the third-straight year a team from outside the u.s. won

litle league's biggest prize. they should be proud. >> thank you for joining us. i'm thomas drayton where are in new york. i'll be back with another hour of news at 11:00pm eastern. al jazeera presents "borderland." @

>> welcome to the city of culiacan sinaloa, a place that is known as the cradle of drug trafficking. >> ahead of you lies a treacherous border crossing. >> people have died there and so we're like practically walking into a death trap. >> this is the most dangerous part of your trip. >> so the first day don't kill ya, it's the third day that kills ya.