t. >> a real look at the american dream. only on al jazeera america. >> this is al jazeera america. i'm erica pitzi, in new york. with a look at today's top stories. a verdict - a case of a controversial police shooting in cleveland. the officer charged shooting suspects 49 times is found not guilty. severe weather in oklahoma, and texas, officials are ordering evacuations in ireland a resounding vote in favour of legalizing same-sex

marriage. and in a deeper look the lasting impact oil spills will likely have on the californian coastline. >> i find by a preponderance of the decision to use force against russell and williams was based on probable cause to believe they threatened imminent harm to him and the other officers, not to mention the public not guilty - a judge cliring a police officer of firing bullets at an armed suspects involved in a police chase. outside protesters. some demonstrators were arrested on charges of aggravated

rioting. 9 trial of officer michael brelo played out amid concerns about the relationship between police departments and community, after the verdict 200 gathered for a mock funeral. they were also marking the death of 12-year-old tamir rice he was shot by officers while he carried a pellet gun. protesters chanted "will i be next." the governor issued a statement urging calm saying: bshbisi onile-ere has been following the developments from cleveland. evening. >> good evening. i can tell new the last hour or so the situation in downtown

cleveland has gotten pretty intense. i want you to look at video. our cameras rolled as a number were arrested. i'm told there has been multiple arrests over the past few hours from demonstrators that became unruly. police tell me earlier this evening one man was custody after throwing an object through a restaurant window. one person was hurt. when the brelo verdict came down earlier, protests were peaceful. >> reporter: not guilty, the 31 year old police officer michael brelo is acquitted of all charges in a chase and deadly shooting that claimed the lives of timothy russell and melissa williams three years ago. the judge spent an hour explaining the decision before handing down the verdict. >> i find the state did not

prove, beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers caused the death of both. i find the defendant not guilty of counts one and two. >> reporter: outside the courtroom, peaceful protests, some demonstrators responded in anger. [ chants ] during the trial prosecutors said the police chase that november morning in 2012 began when russell's old blue chevy malibu backfired. when an officer tried to pull the 43-year-old over for a traffic violation, russell hit the gas when he was pulled over. for over 20 minutes russell led the officers on a high-speed chase, ending with police unleasing in a hail of gunfire. they fired 137 shots. brelo fired the most. it included the final 15 round when he unloaded. the former marine who claimed self-defence was the only

officer charged in the case. >> officer brelo risked his life on that night. we regret and we acknowledge that two people died. none of us like that, that, in fact, was a tragedy russell's family is disappointed by the judge's decision. >> none of the officers that are - they are not being held accountable for what happened that night. it's one of the worst things in this decade. for nothing to de done it says a lot. >> not guilty comes at a time when police conduct is under the microscope, and in cleveland a community waits on the results of an investigation into the death of tamir rice, the 12

year old playing with a toy gun when shot and killed by a white cleveland police officer. today the mayor asked for calm. >> we all understand and respect the fact that people have a right to protest and let their voice be heard. however, while we encourage and support peaceful protest, i want to make sure that those who are here that have a different agenda understand that actions that cross the line, whether by police officers or citizens, cannot and will not be tolerated. >> this case helped to prompt a u.s. department of justice investigation into the cleveland police department, which uncovered a pattern of force in civil rights violations. broad reforms are being negotiated between the federal government and the police department that many in the black community feel they can't

trust. . >> shortly before the verdict came down the u.s. department said they would look into this case as well. officer brelo would remain on unpaid leave pending charges. >> bisi onile-ere life in cleveland. cities in northern texas and sworn oklahoma are ordering evacuations as a threat of tornado bears down on the area. let's bring in kevin corriveau for more on the severe weather. >> conditions have been deteriorating every hour. we are talking about seven tornado reported in oklahoma and the flooding is extensive across the region the reason being the weather pattern has been staggered. we see rain and whether in the same areas week after week across this region. first of all i'm going to take you to oklahoma. and you can see the line of thunder storms that have moved through, very distinctive through oklahoma and tulsa.

this is the damage report the green is the flooding but the red is the tornados and take a look at the video to the south of oklahoma city this. is a wedge tornado that moved through. this is one of seven that pushed through the area right before sunset this evening as well as - we have seen over 250 tornados across the united states in may. now the flooding. take a look at this across parts of the suburbs of oklahoma city. they have now seen over 17.5 inches of rain for the month of may. that has broken a record for may of over 14 inches and we are not done yet, we'll see more rain across the region and across to texas, we are talking of flooding to the north, and to the south to austin and san francisco, and these are the damage reports in green across the area as well as north, and it will be a mess through the next couple of days.

the warnings are out. the light red indicates tornado warning, and it is in effect for eastern parts of oklahoma and the austin area and we are looking at flash floods as you can see, and the darker red across many of the same areas. the only good news is the drought that texas has been experiencing as you see here in dark red has been eased by the amount of rain we see over the last couple of areas. we could almost say that the draught is almost fixed in this area we are talking about flash flooding. for the next 72 hours, the next few days we expect to see more rain over the next 72 hours, 6-8 inches over the same regions, so for a lot of people it is a wash out. >> wow, all right. thank you, kevin. >> time is running out on the patriot act. the controversial bill that authorised massive surveillance in the wake of the

september 11th attacks. the senate failed to extend the bill. mitch mcconnell ordered south-easterns backs from their -- certains back from -- senators back from their holiday period a day earlier. >> this is a high threat period. we know what has gone on overseas and what has been trade here at home. my colleagues do we want the law to expire. >> the failed vote came after the senate narrowly blocked the u.s.a. freedom account. and that brings an end to bulk data telephone information revealed by former n.s.a. contractor edward snowden. >> i've taken a look at this for those that want reform and want to prevent the government holding the data the freedom act is the only way to do it. the house is past it the president wants it, intelligence personnel have agreed to it.

>> backers of the act argued that this provides effective national security while eliminating controversial parts of the patriot act. the senate managed to give president obama a victory before the memorial day recess. 62 senators approved a bill a rare show of support, most of the democrats, fellow democrats voted against it. the bill gives the president fast-tracked powers that could clear the way. the house is expected to take up the bill next month. >> ireland has become the first country in the world to approve gay marriages in a nation-wide vote. >> the referendum to change the constitution won overwhelmingly friday with a 62% vote in favour. ireland now joins 18 other countries that legalized same-sex marriage including

canada brazil france. it's legal in some states in the united states and the jourt will rule on whether it's protected by the constitution. we have reaction to the historic vote from al jazeera's tim friend. >> the yes vote campaigners are jaub lant. the -- jubilant. the size of the victory is bigger than anticipated. it's the world's first national vote on the issue, and not long ago the result would have been unthinkable in this staunchly catholic country. >> i never felt happier as i did today, because we did it. we did it. >> i'm so proud of it. >> i'm so proud of this country. >> i'm so proud to be irish. you don't get many times when you are proud to be irish, but this is one of them. >> before the declaration, it was clear who won. all the main political parties backed a yes vote along with big business and celebrities. >> i'm proud to be irish. it's been an emotional journey

for many that have been campaigning. stories have been told in rooms around the country, and on the air waves. >> in the time between the wedding and reception party, newly yeds found time to vote. >> this is about equality. no one told us whether we could or couldn't get married. if you want to you should get married to the person that you love. not everyone feels the same way, many cling to clath lick attitudes. -- catholic attitudes. but its influence is waning. at the dublin airport irish floored home from around the world to vote. >> my flight is booked to tomorrow so i changed the time to come home to vote. ireland was the last place to decriminalize homosexuality two

decades ago. opponents of the latest move raised concerns over parenthood and surrogacy rights for gay couples. >> i.s.i.l. fighters have broken. >> a museum in the captured city of palmyra, syria. syrian officials say the antiquities on display had been removed and were face. i.s.i.l. seized control. it raised concern about the temples and toons. the u.s.-led coalition continued air strikes on targets near the area in iraq i.s.i.l. fights for control of anbar. the group captures ramada. shia militias and military will be deployed on saturday to prevent i.s.i.l. advancing on the strategic base. hoda abdel-hamid reports this man makes enough money to just get by. like a lot of young men here not enough to get married. the problem here is not

i.s.i.l. lee says it's unemployment -- he says it's unemployment. the city in southern jordan is closer to the border with saudi arabia than it is to the jordanian capital. many feel the distance. it has the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the country. the city has been neglected for decades. after i.s.i.l. burnt to death an air force pilot, the kingdom intensified its role in the u.s.-led war. some who made clear they don't support i.s.i.l. say jordan shouldn't fight the group in iraq and syria. >> this is not our war, we lost a pilot. will we lose others if we continue. emotions made us feel sympathy with the pilot. the brains say we should be far from war. >> the mosque and markets are crowded with boys and young men with little education, and no jobs. >> they wouldn't speak on cam yes, they say they'd be

arrested. some of the young men say they support i.s.i.l. and that is because i.s.i.l. kills those who deserve to be killed including the jordanian pilot executed for dropping bombs on other muslims. the mayor welcomed the shake-up by the government. the police force withdrew from the city during violent protests three years ago. since then they re-entered mainly to arrest people. >> i think the only city in jordan where there are no police officers is manh. for the past three years we've lived with these circumstances and atmosphere. he warns jobs aren't created, more young people will turn to i.s.i.l. abdullah is one of the many parents whose sons have gone to fight in syria's war. his youngest son was killed and the eldest gaoled on his return. both were fighting with al nusra front.

>> will >> translation: young people went to fight. some were martyred. and then they found that this is an international game a big one, they came back with different parties. >> reporter: he says while the jordanian men are being taught to fight, he punishes them he said when they return they should be welcomed home. >> reporter: an iranian ship loaded with food and supplies for yemen has been inspected. the vessel is in djibouti across the nation from yemen. iran agreed to an international inspection of the ship ending a show down with saudi arabia forces fearing that they were carrying weapons for rebel forces. peace talks are faltering before they start. as the fighting intensifies in and around yemen's largest

cities. gerald tan reports. [ gun fire ] >> reporter: aden - yemen's second city is at the crux of an unrelenting war. in the north, the east and the west, fighters loyal to the embattled president abd-rabbu mansour hadi tried to overcome their enemy. they are fire at positions held by houthi rebels and airlines of former president ali abdullah saleh. scenes like this are playing out across yemen. the u.n. is trying to broker peace talks in geneva later this week but the yemen president who fled to saudi arabia, is now indicating that he will not attend. his government in exile is demanding that the rebels commit to a u.n. resolution and pull out of yemen's cities. this position doesn't only represent the yemeni president. it emphasis that the political

forces don't reject dialogue. we held many dialogue sessions with the houthis, we don't need more dialogue we are looking in how to implement agreement such as results with the conference and the u.s. resolution 2216. >> in the capital sanaa, saudi-led air strikes hit military outposts held by the rebels. the bombing campaign target training camps, and the presidential compound which they seize last september. further north, both sides exchanged fire on the border between yemen and saudi arabia. the rebels have shown little sign of backing down since the saudi-led coalition nations intervened in the war with the launch of an assault. neither side will put down their weapons, and now neither appear to be willing to talk either new details about the cause

of tuesday's oil spill in california. that is coming up next along with an examination of the long-term impact in our deeper look segment. we'll introduce you to slab city one of the strangest communities in the united states. and we'll explain why buddhists in south korea have begun working to attract new followers to the ancient faith. only on al jazeera america.

it's saturday night, it's time to take a deeper look the topic the impact of oil spills. we are learning the broken pipeline wreaking havoc on the californian coastline was not equipped with an automatic cut-off. the company responsible for the accident disputed that claim.

>> our system acts no differently to any other liquid pipeline sentence across the united states. >> claims all american pipeline has been told to suspend operations and make safety improvements. the accident sent more than 100,000 gallons of water in the pacific ocean on tuesday. crews have been working around the clock to clean up the damage, which officials say is effecting nine miles of shore line. jacob ward has more the state beach is the place you see in oil paintings in the local restaurants. now it's covered in oil. federal and state officials are just beginning to come to grips with how much is out of a pipeline and into the water. >> with a response, there's things that complicate the response. for example, tonight we had to stop our skimming operations this evening because of weather. the high winds and the waves were a little too choppy.

>> the spill comes through the migratory season for grey whales and sea lions. they are swimming through a toxic creation. with each high tide more oil continues to hit the shore line. resources are limited. >> why not have boom along the store to keep the high tide from bringing the oil in. >> a lot comes down to the amounts of boom available. it's impossible to get all the oil. the crews are trying to get as much as they can, while it's at sea. as it comes ashore, we have to have crews address it. >> as the clean-up continues, one thing is certain, memorial day is not going to happen for the coastline, there are armed guards posted to keep people off the beach. officials say it could be weeks, months before anyone uses the besch again the latest slick to clog the coastline is a drop in the

bucket compared to some of the world's major spills. the worst example was an oil spill in 1991, when iraqi forces destroyed kuwait's oil, facilities, releasing 520 millions of gallons of crude into the gulf. in 1910, a well near california malfunctions sending a giser of oil and sand 200 feet into the air. the lake view gusher was brought under control 17 months later. by then it had spewed nearly 400 million gallons of oil. fast-forward 100 years in april 2010 a blast ripped through the b.p. deep water horizon rig, killing 11, spilling more than 200 million gallons of water. in 1979 the oil well blew out in the gulf of mexico spewing 140 gallons of oil into the ocean. it may not be the biggest oil spill history. the exxon valdez accident is considered one of the worst disasters. in 1989 an oil tanker ploughed into a reef pouring 1300 miles

of oil into the water. pristine shore line was damaged. millions of animals died. many nearby residents suffered from health problems and alaska has not recovered. >> let's bring in our guest, david valentine is a professor of earth science and biology from sanda barbara. and bob deans is the director of strategic engagement for the national resource defense council, joining us from richmond virginia. thank you both for joining us. let's start with you, we know it's the worst oil spill to hit santa barbara, but how does this compare to the others. >> this particular spill, it's very localized and impact of the in that local area, we are dealing with an area of shore line, 4-9 miles in length.

because the oil came from land it was at the shore when it hit the ocean, so the impacts on the shore will be more severe. >> you said it was impactful on a local level. could it have a regional impact? >> there's no indications that it will have a regional impact. a lot of what we are seeing at the moment is oil that stayed on the shoreline, or went into the ocean and came back to the shore line. and oil also that submerged beneath the service is on the floor of the sea, and in that same region. the oil that went out to sea probably will not have as significant impact as the way it changed chemical properties. it looks like it will be a local more so than a regional effect. >> the coastal town on friday declared a state of emergency, and using strong words saying

the spill could cause peril to people's safety and property. do you agree? >> certainly if you come into contact with the oil or the fumes from the oil, that will certainly cause harm to you. and in terms of property, you can certainly, if you go down to the coastline, which normally people don't have property down there, but if you have boats and other things, there can be impact, but as of right now it doesn't appear that the oil is making it as far as skeleda. i'm optimistic that they will not come to pass. >> let's bring in bob deans. what is the current threat of this spill to the overall environment there? i think the threat is huge, we are seeing damage to marine habitat. birds, fish, that kind of thing. coastal waters. it's similar to what we saw, as pointed out in a smaller scale

in the gulf of mexico five years ago, as we know from new data this week, we are having animals dying as a consequence of that spill, which was 5 years ago you mentioned the exxon valdez disaster, we are seeing effect in the prince william sound. certain fish populations are yet to recover from that disaster. this thing, though local, can be long turn and catastrophic to the animals population there. >> keeping the focus to wildlife, a new report is linking dolphin deaths to the deep water horizon disaster in the gulf of mexico. sea creatures have been stranding themselves on beaches in record numbers. take a listen. >> scientists blamed the oil spill for the string of dead bottle-nosed dolphins. a report backs up what scientists suspected, millions of barrels of crude from the

spill caused dolphins to die at four times the normal rate. . >> this is showing - okay we are seeing something that is unusual in the dolphin bodies themselves, and this is linked to oil. the national oceanic and atmospheric organization focused on a bay, a heavily oiled region, tissue samples from dolphins that died between 2010 and 2012 in that area, revealed half had adenyl diseases. >> the glands are here. >> the doctor at the institute for marine mammal studies collected tissue samples from some of the more than 150 dolphin carcasses analysed in the report. they succumbed to pneumonia, and could have issues with the

brain, heart, liver and kidneys. researchers examined dolphins found dead along the gulf in louisiana, and 33% had adenyl or lung disease compared to 7% of dolphins in other regions, unlike other reports, this is part of the official data the federal government is using to determine the damage to the gulf's natural resources caused by the spill. >> what we have seen over time is mounting evidence showing that that is the case. >> b.p. responded to the report saying: . >> more study needs to be done. >> despite the study, the doctor says it's too early to make a final determination, there's no baseline data about the health of dolphins. the only way you can see something changed if you know

what was before it so, bob, you heard the story, bp insisting the dolphin deaths were not caused by the oil. there are reports saying 1400 dolphins died since the deep water horizon disaster, and you say the numbers are likely higher than that. >> likely, for every animal you find dead any number of them died, have been sunk into the water, eaten by predators, we don't find the animals, we see the tip of the iceberg, there's no question about it. this has been the largest and longest running die-off of dowlins recorded in the gulf of mexico, what noah said, which worked with scores of scientists, they said after five years of study, the lesions, the pneumonia, the

adrenyl gland efficiencies in the dolphins at sea, this was linked largely to that macondo oil let's bring david back in here. i want you both to see this. since 2009, the annual amount of accidents in oil and petroleum has gone up 60%, there has been since 1995, more than 2,000 accidents that caused 3 billion. why are we seeing a growing number of these accidents? >> there's a certain amount of dating in the pipelines in the united states, and some technologies used in the pipeline, particularly for codings and corrosion and those sorts of things. they have improved over time.

when many of the pipelines were put in, they may not have been effective. it's a reason. >> the news tends to cover the larger spills, what about the smaller spills we don't necessarily cover, what is the cumulative effect of those accidents overall? >> the accumulative effect is huge. we had more than 5600 pipeline blow outs or leaks. they have spilled nearly 100 million gallons of oil and toxic waste into the wetlands, streams and lands. it's a huge problem. there are three ways we are not keeping up. we are not keeping up with inspections, and two, not knowing about the spills. we are alerted by other people. the time to respond, 6, 8, is it, 24 hours.

it all needs to be improved. >> david, do you agree. >> it's not my area of expertise, i'm happy to tell you about the pipeline, it was not as egregious in terms of timing. it would if there was less flow. it certainly not not like the mayfair case. . >> i think a lot of details are coming out. and not like we had in the may flare case. we had a type line. >> david ballentine for us in california, and bob deans in virginia, thank you for joining us. coming up on al jazeera america, how a struggling

economy and scandal may influence results of elections in spain. a controversial catholic bishop. is now a step closer to becoming a saint.

vladimir putin is cracking down on foreign organizations operating in russia. the russian president signed a law on saturday giving prosecutions an ability to declare organizations undesirable and shut them down. it is seen as stifling dissent in russia when voters go to the polls on sunday it could provide a sign of what is to come on the national ballot later this year. the ruling conservative party faced a series of scandals and these races offer a reading on how fractured spanish politics has begun.

>> the anti-austerity podamo and kudadanos - upstart political parties attesting how fed up spanish voter are with politics. >> they have little in common but share a distaste for the dew op ollie of power. political power traded hands for the ruling center right people's party of the current prime minister. and the opposition socialist party. high unemployment punishing austerity and a series of corruption scandals have transformed the country's political landscape, giving support to hugh a center right party founded in 2006 opposed to nationalism. but the biggest beneficiary of discontent with the two-party

system is this group. the radical left anti-austerity party is led by this academic. with a base support of youth voters grappling with the 50% unemployment rate the message is resonating with older voters whose standard of living is yet to recover. >> that's a considerable constituency in spain. >> the economy is crawling out of its deep hole groint .9." but with unemployment topping 23%, it's not known whether they are recovering give the usual suspects a mandate to keep conferencing from spain to ethiopia where the ruling party is facing a test. polls are opening, turn out expected to be high.

mohammed adow reports on how the country has been transformed in recent years. >> this is a country under construction. workers are busy day and night paving roads and building bridges, and are constructing a light rail system to stitch toot the end of the capital. this is the first light rail project. the infrastructure is a reflection of the government's ability to deal with financial institutions and countries like china, where borrowing grants are coming in. 6-5,000km of road have been constructed in the last 10 years part of a policy to open up ethiopia where most agricultural culture takes place. >> everywhere you look the cities have changed in the past five years. development, property boom and

economic growth form what government officials say will give them land slide victory in the elections. >> it is known for policy. it was sexist and known for hunger. >> reporter: that success has not helped everyone. according to the united nations 30% of the people live in abject poverty. we met this woman with four children selling sawdust from a timber factory, on a good day she earns 1 usd. >> this is not work. i can't call it work. i work all day, but still cannot buy enough food. >> it's that type of matter that caused many to trek across the desert. many do not make it. the government says it's trying

its best. >> if you look at the last five years, we created 8 million jobs. with a population. we have done that. still, there is - we have to create opportunities, and we have to convince people to seize opportunities. >> the problem with some of this opportunity is a salary ethiopia has the minimum wage and one of the lowest rates in africa for now, many are infuriated by the lack of opportunities, many cannot help but be increased with the country's transportation. >> a controversial catholic figure is one step away from sainthood. archbishop of el salvador was beautified at a ceremony in the capital's main square. he was assassinated by a right wing death squad in 1980.

a champion of the poor he spoke out against a u.s.-backed militariship. he was accused of practicing liberation theology. michael lee is a theology professor at fordham university. >> liberation theology emerged in the last century, putting the question what does salvation have to do with human liberation cries for justice, poverty and violence. what does the christian gospel and church have to do and say about it. you see in the ministry of archbishop this denunciation of a system creating poverty, denunciation of human rights torture and abuse, and to make this man a saint, it's to talk about holiness not just in personal virtuous which he did have but to think about his

sainthood in terms of a social holiness. that attempts to transform the world. >> lee says that for centuries, the catholic church in latin america was tied with governments, and ram aero helps to change that. hundreds of people in the desert are worrying about taxes, laws and governments, and are about to change forever. a dedicated demonstrator chains herself to a ship in seattle. in korea, women marching for peace across a militarized border in the world.

>> trafficked labor on the front lines? >> they're things, they're commodities... >> we go undercover... >> it isn't easy to talk at this base >> what's happing on u.s. bases? >> the tax payer directly pays the human trafficker >> fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> today they will be arrested... >> ground breaking... they're firing canisters of gas at us... emmy award winning investigative series... fault lines america's war workers only on al jazeera america the recent bikers shoot out in waco texas is bringing issues of the roll of police back in the spotlight. this week on "third rail," imran garda asks if this is a racist country. >> is there anything we can

provide to white america for make them believe that there's a problem with the people. it's not black communities, it's white communities being unreasonable in the suspicion that racism is a problem. >> let me quickly say, look of course there are black young people who are criminals, who shoot people just like there are white young people brown, asian young people - fill in the blank. that's not the question. can we expect systematically that people of all different backgrounds can be barely and equally treated in the eyes of the law by police in the criminal justice system and the like. that's the question. it's not about defending individual criminals. >> the question is not whether we expect people to be responsibility. you look at waco. we don't say let's look at why the people are doing this we are holding them up to responsibility, we are calling them thugs and criminals because they were thugs and criminals. >> a fiery debate and you san say the episode at 6:00 p.m.

eastern, 3:00 p.m. pacific there's a community in the united states where lawlessness is a way of life and crime is not a problem. it's in the desert of south-east california and a u.s. military base stood. people have been living rent free for 50 years, it's known as slab city and some of the residents like it so much they are talking about buying the property. jennifer london reports. >> 140 miles east of san diego near the middle of the desert there's a place you will not find on any map. >> slab city is a place i can come and stand on the planet without owing, paying offending. >> william and hundreds of others who lay claim to the desolate stretch of dry land the last free place in america. >> i think i have the right to stand on the planet drink the

water and growth the air without owing someone. >> in some ways slab city is like a refugee camp for people that hit bottom. aman moved here 16 years ago. this old r.v. is home. is slab city a place to come and start over and build a new life? >> it's certainly has been for me. i'm more of somebody in the world now than i ever was in my whole life. others came to escape the confines and trappings of society, here they don't pay taxes or rent. they are squatters on state-owned land shunning the outside world. >> there's a reference that we use about the outside world being the beast or babylon. >> lynn moved to slab city from canada six years ago, what it moons is all the people on the grid were connected with electricity, water and power, and all the services that you

get in civilisation versus this there's nothing here. so the magic is caught up with that ideology of being off the grid and not being influenced by outside forces. >> the 600 plus acres used to be camp doesn't lap. a training base. they took everything with them except for the slabs. soon after the squatters who called themselves slabbers arrived and stayed. now it's a free for all, anarchy. today it is a ramshackle community of 300 or so residents living in tents, r.v.s or mobile homes. rampant crime is not a problem here and slabbers learnt to survive with little. that's 300 gallons. that lasts me about three months. there's no running water, electricity or sewer system. when a toilet flushes, the waste is dumped into the ground.

trash is everywhere. but there is a library, a church a cafes and a concert stage. there's this salvation mountain an art installation made and thousands of gallons of paint. it's a sacred place, and a tourist attraction. >> but there's trouble in slap city a group of slabbers led by william and lynn are worried the state of california might sell the land and with it their way of life. so they want to buy it. >> if the slabbers are landowners can you stay off the grid and maintain the place. >> i think we should we can be a beacon for other communities. not all slabbers agree. gary brown is part of a faction that says buying the land is a bad idea. >> it's against the philosophy. a lot of people self-profess to be getting away from society,

why would you want to own the land and be subject to state country and federal regulations. the state committee tells al jazeera it's not looking at selling the land but is considering offers leaving the future of slab city up in the air. what is clear, is the growing feud turning slabber against slabber is a steep price to pay to live in the last free place in america in seattle, an unusual protest against arctic oil drilling. activist kiara rose suspended herself from a ship's anchor chain. the vessel is anchored north of seattle, part of a flotilla for royal dutch shell's drying programme. the ship is not scheduled to sail for a few days. the coast guard says they have no plans to bring the protest jor down at this point. buddhists are celebrating the

buddhist's birthday that includes new severals to attract -- efforts to attract followers, join us tomorrow as we look ahead to the next steps in the warming of diplomatic relations. in the week ahead tomorrow 8:30

eastern, 5:30 pacific. a rare peace march is under way in korea, a group of female peace activists marching across the demilitarized zone separating north and south korea. it's unusual for them to allow any crossing. they are pushing for reunifications. buddhists in south korea are gearing up for a big religious festival. this time around celebrations are around boosting a slide. >> under south-eastern grounds, an unlikely game of football. these youngsters experiencing life as monks. the programme is part of an effort to reach out and attract new followers, trying to shift a perception much passivity in the face of declining numbers.

south korea's biggest buddhist order says a new approach is needed. >> we didn't really try to do anything with the growing number of cultural visitors to the temple. this may have something to do with the principle of our teaching. we are trying to adopt an aggressive strategy to propagate our religion. >> a poll this year showed the numbers of people describing themselves as buddhists fell by 8%. 59% of buddhists say their religion is important them compared to 90% of protest ants. >> in this time of the year it looks like a rely limingon in de -- religion in decline. it has competition from other religions, more active evangelical protestantism. it was not helped when video emerged of monks gambling and

drinking. the scandal was used as an opportunity to confront and resolve problems it is reaching out with a message tailored to modern south koreans about using muslims in daily life. for some it represents a departure from the core teachings. >> buddhist teaching talks about releasing worldly goods and offering compassion to others. popular buddhism today headed in the opposite direction. that is part of the appeal the ability to get. >> i pray that lots of nice people work for me helping to make the company grow.

>> it is also preoccupying south korean buddhism as it tries to be more business like and focused on its own recruitment well it's a beautiful weekend for golf unless you are planning to play on the course on the top of the country club at branson missouri it expanded by four holes, the sinkholes are more of a hazard than an opportunity to sink a puck. the biggest 35 feet deep, 60 feet wide no golfers were injured. today a birthday, this woman turning 116 making her the world's oldest living person. experts say you are more like lacly to win the lottery than reach 116. i'm erica pitzi, stay tuned. the news continues next. goodnight.

yemen's government says it will not attend u.n.-backed peace talks as saudi arabia air strikes target houthi strongholds. live from our headquarters in doha coming up in the programme an opposition leader in burundi is shot dead in the capital after tensions in the capital bujumbura oirld makes history