Together to prolong the presence of american troops. Welcome to al jazeera. Venezuelas Opposition Leader Henrique Capriles has confirmed he wrote will run for office. In a speech, he lashed out of the government, accusing it of lying to the venezuelans of former president who go shopperss illness and fixing the election to take advantage of his death. Nicolas maduro will be the ruling partys candidate in the april 14 elections. Im going to fight. Together with all of you. I am not going to give you free reign. You are going to have to defeat me with the votes. I am going to for this country. In the capital of car costs caracas. Very strong words from Henrique Capriles. It basically accusing the government of lying in order to hold onto power in the wake hugo chavezs death. Manifesting pentup frustration by the opposition. Things they have been frustrated with with many months now for many months now but have been afraid to say what chavez has been fighting for his life. You can bet chavez supporters will respond by saying one thing how dare you accuse us of trying to use chavezs death to hold onto power . This looks like it will be a very Nasty Campaign and will also be a very short campaign, with only 10 days of official campaigning right before the april 14 election. Henrique capriles established himself as the main opposition candidate after running against to go shoppers last year. He comes from a wealthy family that owns major stakes in newspapers and movie theaters. He entered parliament in 1998, becoming the youngest member ever elected in venezuela. In the october 2012 election he gained 44 of the vote in a defeat to chavez. An author and latin american analyst says he will likely focus on issues of crime and poverty while targeting undecided voters. Kind of a consensus about a lot of the shop is programs, the social economic forms reforms. Perhaps he might stray away from mentioning those policies because they are so popular amongst a very large segment of the venezuelan population. This election might be decided upon who is a chavez light, striking a more moderate tone to independent voters and middle of the road people. Much in the same way as u. S. Elections these days are based on appeal to independent and middle of the road voters. On the right to have the tea party, on the left you have the liberal segment of the voting population. It is an appeal to the independent voters, not alienating them too much. The new u. S. Offensive which are a check hagel has rejected accusations by the afghan president that america is secretly talking to the taliban. These comments came during a difficult visit. Shortly after he landed, two suicide bombers killed people in couple. America says the taliban is not their enemy, but in the name of the taliban air abusing our people. The taliban daily talks with the americans. They claim they are showing a threat to america but they are not. I told the president it was not true that the United States is unilaterally working with th e taliban and trying to negotiate anything. The fact is, any prospect for peace or political settlements, that has to be led by the afghans. Now more from kabul, on the fault lines his trip has exposed. Hagel has had to deal with a number of rifts between the two countries. At the moment, the u. S. Still has control of prisoners. Resident karzai wants control passed over to the authorities this week. The second is the comments president karzai made earlier on sunday that he believes the u. S. And thetaliban of and the taliban had secret talks behind his back. The third has to do with wardak province. President karzai ordered that u. S. Special forces should leave the province after claims they had been abusing and torturing people in the province. Check hagel is hoping to persuade him those social forces can stay, because securities a major issue there. It is not a coincidence that the taliban handed over footage to al jazeera showing how much they can move around with impunity to launch their suicide attacks, and how much detailed reparation goes into those attacks. Crowds of kristen protesters have clashed with police in pakistan as they vented christian protesters have clashed with polic and pakistans they vented their frustration. Police in pakistan as they vented their frustration. Anguished after hundreds of angry muslims rampaged through this mu neighborhood. What wrong have we done . We have done nothing wrong. No one was hurt as residents managed to flee before the blaze took hold, but this home was one of around 170 torched in the violence. It was extremely clear. We did nothing wrong. The incident drew thousands of protesters onto the streets in cities across the country, all calling to greater protection for christians. Police say the attack happened after muslim men accused a christian of blasphemy during an argument. Protesters say pakistans harsh blasphemy laws are too often being used as an excuse to oppress minorities, particularly christians. They say they are given little protection from the mob violence that can follow alleged insults against the prophet mohammed. We are not safe in pakistan. That is true. That sense of anger and desperation turned to violence in karachi. Protesters fought with police. Shops and banks were targeted, vehicles attacked. People were mugged in the streets. Police say they have arrested 150 people, but there is little comfort for Pakistani Christians who say they are a minority under siege. More still to come on the news hour, including after that he would rape me in his car. A victim of child written abuse remembers. Can a new pope ever right the wrongs . And, two years after the tsunami and one of the worlds most developed nations has yet to rebuild some communities. And, Manchester United and chelseas up a dramatic final. Coming up. Serve up a dramatic final. Coming up. Tensions are high across the Korean Peninsula as south korea and the u. S. Begin their latest in a series of joint military exercises. Joining us live now from the south korean capital of seoul. Pyongyang as they are tearing up this armistice agreement. What does this all mean . They are doing pretty much everything they can, so far short of a physical provocation , to respond to the Un Security Council resolution. They said they would knowledge by the armistice agreement. They confirm they have done that now as of midnight last night. They said they would and their observation of the hotline between the two countries, the red cross hotline at the border village. The south korean side says they tried their daily check at 9 00 a. M. And there was no answer from the north koreans. At the same time there is an Industrial Complex in side north korean territory that houses south korean firms. Hundreds of South Koreans crossed the border as usual on a monday morning. There is continued communication on those lines. The defense minister says so far there have been no atypical troop movements in north korea. Nonetheless, the decision to end the armistice, despite the fact the terms have been broken by north korea before, is a symbolic one. There have been multiple verbal salvos fired across the Demilitarized Zone separating north and south korea in the last week, but this one from the north last tuesday was the most definitive. The Korean Peoples Army supreme command has declared completely invalid the armistice agreement. The reason they say is that joint u. S. And south Korean Military exercises will start on monday. The agreement came after two years of negotiation between the un and north korea. It was not a peace agreement, so technically the two nations are still at work. What brought about a ceasefire and established the defective border called the dmz that reaches two kilometers into each country. Despite that, there have been crossborder incidents. The latest, and exchange of fire on the island an island near the border in 2010. There are 4000 bomb shelters here in seoul. Outside of drills, they have never been used before. The 10 Million People who live here hope the increase in tension will not result in the first time they are called down here for real. But experts think escalation will come. Just a matter of how severe and when. They are hard lining because that is the only way they can get what they want. 50 years ago we got a truce. But that was not the end of the war. That was just a positive the war. So now with the new statement, they want to make some political issue that the korean war can start again. A threat from a new leader looking to show he is in charge. Emboldened by advances in his nuclear and missile programs, leaving the rest of the world guessing just how far he is willing to go to make his point. What has been the reaction there in south korea where you are . What is happening there today . So far, no effect of those threats from the north koreans. South korean and u. S. Forces say the exercises began as scheduled here in south korea. 3500 u. S. Troops, 10 thousand south korean troops involved in this computersimulated exercise. It typically runs a scenario where the u. S. And south korea respond to a north korean invasion attempt or attack of some kind. They say this is an annual exercise. It is not tied to what is currently happening on the Korean Peninsula. It is the first time South Koreans have been in charge of planning and leading this exercise as they prepare for taking control, operational control in 2015. That would mean if there were a real conflict on the peninsula the south korean army rather than the americans would be in charge of the south korean and allied war effort. The new president of this country is meeting convening her first Cabinet Meeting today, despite the fact that she does not have enough ministers through the approval process. She is holding a Cabinet Meeting. She attends to a point her somewhat under fire defense ministerial nominee. Thank you. Now, it was exactly two years ago that an earthquake followed by a soon on the and a Nuclear Plant meltdown led to japans worth worst disaster in modern times. More than 16,000 people were killed, but despite promises to help with read reconstruction thousands still live in temporary shelters. Talking to some of the survivors. In the ruins, she braved the wind and the cold. To share a moment with her grandfather. Ought her this flute and hope one day here her play in the fall festival. Before she ever could be soon on the took him from this spot. Now on the second anniversary of the disaster she hopes her music and somehow reach him. Coming here makes me remember him. I feel his presence. I only recently learned to play, and really hope that from now on every time i pick up the flute he will be able to hear me. Many survivors of the tsunami have struggled to get past the sadness and loss. The few times he summoned the courage to return to his home, he has been overwhelmed. Nobody died and his family. He even save his beloved dog. But it is the memory of others that haunt him. When i come here i see the faces of people being washed away. Every single one of them. My neighbors, my friends. I cannot shake them. The synonymy of march 11 killed more than 1000 people here tsunami of march 11 killed more than 1000 people here. The lack of development has made it hard for survivors to yvonne. Despite the government committing hundreds of billions of dollars, reconstruction has not yet begun in communities like this. A new Prime Minister elected in december overhauled the Agency Responsible for reconstruction. Authorities now admit some money was misspent. The rest was caught up in japans notorious bureaucracy. People who face extremely difficult situations, their houses are going to be built soon. We hope this will give them some kind of goal and think, if they way just as much more they will have more reason to live. Well they have found some soulless doing volunteer work and spending time with their dog, two years in their temporary shelter left them cynical. They have watched families drift apart. The suffering in this temporary place we cannot see what is ahead. That is why we have anger and frustration. They make us sit here and ask us just to take it. In many ways, she thanks her grandfather for helping her start to slowly recover. It was so close, she said. Well she hurts from missing him her music is his gift. Offering comfort and strength the last many days. Al jazeera, japan. A six point seven magnitude earthquake has hit papua new guinea. The u. S. Geological service says the quake struck 320 kilometers north of the capital and was centered around 84 kilometers below sea level. No immediate reports of damage and no soon on the warning was issued. Tsunami warning was issued. In the serious city syrian city of homs rebel forces try to capture their former stronghold. The government retook the area a year ago. Shelling was reported in a northwestern city. At least 17 people have been killed. Rebels took most of the city last week. The head of the Un Refugee Agency says the number of refugees could double if conditions continue. He warned of the pressures the conflict will create for the region. E all know how fragile the political situation is in a country like lebanon or iraq. We all know the extreme economic difficulties. We know the palestinianisraeli conflict is just around. How sensitive the gulf area is. If the world wants to avoid a possible explosion in the middle east it is essential that this conflict be stopped. That everybody gets together to make this conflict stop. Conflict hass created a jumble of government and rebelheld regions. Divided loyalties reporting from a northwest province. The rebels control the town, but the government is still paying the wages. The realities of life may politics complicated. The situation is not good here. People will tell you they support the regime, but really those they support are those who give them bread. Many people here are still reluctant to criticize the government. For some it is about living in fear for 40 years. For others it is loyalty to the past. For some it is about every day conditions. We still need the government. There are 10,000 Government Employees here. The government still pays their salaries. It was around this mosque where the first antigovernment protest happened in august 2011. It took over a year before protests turned into armed conflict. It was a government stronghold. Their presence is still being felt. Right next to the mosque stands a municipal building. Services like electricity are provided by employees who are still in government payrolls. For them it is a short drive across enemy lines to the provincial capital to get their paychecks. Even trade continues. Gasoline from controlled territories are sold on the street. It is more than just goods. Some people have their children in universities and fear for their safety. Others have their children in the army. Some are afraid they will not get salaries. Many dismiss government efforts here as an attempt to maintain loyalty in a territory they could not keep. They disagree on how successful tactics have been, but there is one point of agreement. It is nearly impossible to wipe. He slate clean an written egyptian football fans acquitted in the port side riots have had their first day of freedom. They visited the graves of protesters. 21 fans still face the Death Penalty for their part in last years right were where more than 70 fans of a rival club were killed. Saudi arabia and arabian human rights activists are starting 10year prison terms for antigovernment activities. The judge also ordered their group, the saudi civil and Political Rights association, to be closed down. Roman catholic leaders have been meeting last sunday before the election of a new pope to get messages to the public. The cardinals charged with electing a new leader have been Holding Masses across rome. They will come together on tuesday and begin to choose a successor to Pope Benedict xvi, who resigned february 28. One of the biggest issues facing the next pope will be how to resolve the scandal of priests and Church Workers who abused children. Thousands of cases have come to light around the world. Speaking to one victim in the United States. When Adrian Ramirez passes by Saint Ignatius Loyola Church in his los angeles neighborhood, horrible memories, flooding back. This is where his mitt nightmare began. I am constantly reliving it. Beginning at the age of seven, he was originally raped hundreds of times by a man in charge of the priesthood who was in charge of youth activities. After the activities he would rape me in his car. Even at church. He would do it. He would say, imagine it is god that is touching you. Who does that to a kid . God is saying that is ok . What happened to Adrian Ramirez should not happen to any child, but it did, over and over again for decades. To as many as 100,000 boys and girls in the United States alone. It is a worldwide crisis. Catholic clergy have abused children in over 12 countries. Because it is a former priest who is now a advocate for abuse victims. When it comes to the sexual abuse of a child, that pain never ends. It is always there. Church officials sought to cover up the scandals. Bishops like roger mahony of los angeles and bernard law of boston shuffled pedophile priests from one parish to another, and hid abuse allegations from police. The priests or priests and lawyers would say to the child in the family, you really do not want to come forward and put shame upon you and your family. As if it was the childs fault. The followup from the scandal has rocked the church to its core. In the u. S. Alone, 6000 priests were laicized and dozens went to prison for sex crimes. The u. S. Church paid over 3 billion to settle lawsuits brought by survivors of abuse. The biggest thing the church lost is the moral standard. The scandal has dominated the papacy of benedict xvi. He met with victims permit personally to apologize and instituted some reforms, but survivor say what is needed now is action, holding priest and bishops accountable. The new pope has the opportunity to reset the priorities of the church. The most important way the church can rectify problems with its abuse is to listen more to the role of laity. Those of us in the pews, who love the church, desperately want better leadership. For Adrian Ramirez, the wounds have never healed. He struggled to write an alcohol addiction and attempted suicide as a teenager with drug and alcohol addiction and attempt suicide as a teenager. Now married with children of his own, he renounced all religion. He received a financial settlement from the diocese, but he says money does little to ease the pain he feels each and every day of his life. It is constant. Like a videotape. I guess you could say i am not at peace. A tormented man and a church forever stained by unspeakable crimes. Al jazeera, los angeles. Police have her rescue six children being forced to work in a brick factory. The children were trafficked from northern india and worked up to 18 hours a day under the threat of being beaten and forced to eat uncooked food. All six children have been returned to their homes. One of hugo chavezs best friends, at least on the international stage, was president are committing a shout ahmadinejad. He was emotional, but did he go too far when he hugged chavezs mother . In some some clerics think he did. Stay with us. We are watching a new storm system across the central part of china. That will be a good thing for beijing. It will clear out your atmosphere from the dust and the stand as well as the pollution. This is what it looks like on tuesday. Clouds, rain, and snow. High temperature getting to 11. Low temperatures will get very close to freezing in the overnight hours. Down toward shanghai, a High Temperature near 20. That will go up more as we go toward midweek. We do have good news for sri lanka. Finally, the rain is on its way out of the picture and you will see more son. A High Temperature of 32. On tuesday we do expect sunshine coming in toward the central part of india. It will be quite warm. The warmest plate place on the subcontinent, 30 degrees there. Quickly there toward the arabian peninsula, us in doha will reach 29 degrees. Abu dhabi seeing about 30. Temperatures should come down with the northerly wind. Reality not looking too bad at 25. Toward mecca, a very warm day for you at 37. Welcome back. Top stories on al jazeera. Venezuelas Opposition Leader Henrique Capriles has confirmed he will run for office in next months president ial election. He lashed out of the government, accusing it of lying to venezuelans about former president hugo chavezs illness. The afghan president has accused the u. S. Of exploiting violence in his country to push the 2014 troop withdrawal deadline. He made the comments on the second day the new u. S. Secretary of defense chuck hagel visited the country. South korea has begun a series of military drills with the u. S. As tensions run high on the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang seems to have follow through on their pledge to cut the hotline between both sides. Some breaking news now. The man accused of the rape of a 23yearold woman in india that set off a nationwide protest has apparently committed suicide. Of a group thatr attacked a woman on a bus last year. He was found reportedly hanging from a piece of cloth in his prison cell and was rushed to a hospital. Lets get now from our correspondent, joining us from new delhi. What more can you tell us about these reports . This news broke less than half an hour ago. Ram singh one of the six men accused of the rape of this medical student on december 16. He was the bus driver. He was in custody in jail, where he was found hanging by local time monday morning. His death certainly now will be investigated. He was seen as one of the main men who really pushed and instigated the rape. He was accused of not just kidnapping, but also trying to destroy evidence by washing the scene of the crime. He and those men there were huge outcrys across india for the protection of women across the country. Now the Authorities Say that they will launch investigations. There is heavy criticism in the local press. He was on suicide watch. He had threatened to kill himself. His lawyer says there was no indication he was suicidal and he was quite happy with the procedures that were ongoing in court. Lets remind ourselves that this case triggered mass protests right across the country. People extremely anger over what they fear is rampant violence against women. It has not really stopped over this time. Four months since that attack in december. You can open up a newspaper in any part of the country and on the first three pages there will always be some sort of report on an attack on a woman. It seems even this has not been able to stop the it or make people think about what is going on. There is always a demonstration of one sort or another in the capital around the issues of womens safety. Certainly high on the agenda in the newspapers and local media. People are awaiting the outcome. They do not know how long it will take for a verdict. But this case is very high profile. The death of ram singh will bring into focus the security of the jail and who is responsible for the security of these men. Some people on local television stations said that people who got away with it are not being brought to justice. The remaining five will be secure for the foreseeable future well this case is investigated. Thank you. Story onback to our tensions across the Korean Peninsula. Joint military drills between south korea and the u. S. The korea correspondent for the economist shines as joins us live from seoul. The war of words is heating up. How alarming is it that they are tearing up the armistice agreement . Obviously it is quite worrying. The question is, is it different this time . I am not so sure. Three or four years ago we had a similar threat to walk away from the armistice. He had it a few times in the 1990s as well. The same goes for not answering the hotline. They did not answer the hotline this morning. There have been times in the past where they have done that, so it is not completely unprecedented and it does not mean there will be a war or anything. Who knows what could happen. But i really do not believe this is the and. End. The u. S. And south korea are holding joint military exercises. How likely are these to inflame tensions further . These are annual drills, but the timing is obviously very interesting to say the least. North korea obviously hates it. They have announced their own drills. They have announced no fly zones on the east and west coast of the country, their territory. This does it is ratcheting up tensions for sure. It is not a helpful time to have it. It would be too much to back away from. What about the issue of sanctions and chinas involvement . Is beijings position on the north finally shifting . It looks that way. This is a more than 60year alliance. But supporting the sanctions, you get a lot of Chinese Media, staterun Chinese Media saying it is time to move on from north korea, time to punish north korea for their actions. There is a change. The question is, how far is china going to go . How far will they implement the sanctions . We will have to see. Thank you for talking to al jazeera. Mexicos president marks his 100th day in office. As a candidate, and rita Enrique Pena Nieto on this to usher in a new era of prosperity for mexicans. A look at how much she has actually delivered. 100 year days into his term, mexico as president declared he is well on his way to making x ago a safer and more prosperous country. Every decision we have taken has followed the great objective we had. To transform mexico. He said his government was setting in motion a series of reforms to make the transformation possible. Some have been launched under his socalled tax for mexico. They showed just what direction his government is taking. The first was a workplace reform that made it easier for companies to hire and fire workers. Then came the changes to education. Teacher evaluations and other reform to take some of the control away from the powerful teachers union. All with the goal of improving mexicos abysmal education system. For many, security remains mexicos most dressing problem. He has repeatedly promised to launch a new National Paramilitary force to fight the cartels. That is yet to take shape. And he pledged to spend more than 9 billion this year on social programs to give youth alternative to a life of crime. To reduce the risk factors and rewards associated with cultural conditions conducive to crime. Still to come, a proposal to break up Telecom Monopolies and open up the state oil company to some kind of private investment, something previous governments had attempted and failed to do. This man teaches courses on mexican politics and says the reforms were expected. But we have so many obstacles. Corruption, violence, inefficiency. What he is doing so far is starting to take out some of the blocks. But we do not know if he is going to go all the way. He says such arrangements with corrupt officials are a thing of the past. His government ordered the arrest of a Teacher Union boss, long considered one of mexicos most corrupt political operators. She has been charged with embezzling millions of dollars. It is still unclear how far he is willing to go to truly reform mexicos ingrained political culture. Al jazeera, mexico city. The iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in trouble with conservatives in iran, but not for his handling of issues like the countrys floundering economy. This time it is over a hug. Photograph to the funeral for venezuelan president hugo chavez, ahmadinejad can be seen holding the hands of chavezs 75yearold mother. Ahmadinejad embraces her as he offers condolences, and both appear to be crying. But several conservative iranian politicians say this violated islamic norms in iran. Unrelated men and women are not allowed to touch each other in public. A blogger on Iranian Affairs has this response this is the first time on tv i have ever said, well done to ahmadinejad for defying this. I think it will be a lot more embarrassing had he shunned away from a 75yearold grieving mother and not embraced her when she needed some consolation. There has been a wide variety of reactions. I read one cleric who said it is ok because she was 75 years old and if the woman in question is that older does not matter. But the leader of ifsahan said it does not matter how old the female counterpart is, this has nota rohartaam act, and is worthy of somebody who is president of the islamic republic. For the population itself this is just really embarrassing. I do not think this is an issue with the iranian public. European diplomats have confirmed that seven hostages held in nigeria by a group have been killed. Victims from italy, greece, britain, and lebanon were kidnapped in february. Captives werems killed by a joint operation by algerian and British Forces to free them. It is with Great Sadness that i have to inform you we believe a british construction worker who was taken hostage on the 16th of february in Northern Nigeria and has been held hostage since then is likely to have been killed by his captors along with six other foreign nationals who were taken hostage at the same time. This is an unforgivable act of pure, coldblooded murder, for which there can be no excuse or justification. The responsibility for this tragic outcome rests solely with the terrorist who took these people hostage and, as i say, are likely to have murdered them in cold blood. Tens of thousands of people have marched through cities across spain to protest against unemployment and Government Spending cuts. The spanish economy is entering its second recession in three years and the jobless rate has hit 26 or send. 26 . Asking people why they are protesting and they will tell you there are 6 million reasons , one for every unemployed person in pain. Spain. People our age will not get tired of demonstrating. This man and i have been through heart surgery and we are still here although we are very old. Well we are alive we will demonstrate, because capitalism is taking away everything from our sons and grandsons. They are getting rid of all the workers, especially men. They were the ones bringing the wages home to support their families. Now they hire younger people at younger t wages. With more than a quarter of the country out of work, spain is crippled by unemployment. Labor market reforms intended to make Spanish Companies more competitive are deeply unpopular with those of the sharp end of the economic crisis. There is a tension here in spain between the government, which says it has to free up the labor market, and workers like these who say that with 26 of spaniards currently unemployed the last thing the country needs is Companies Finding it easier to fire people. In spain, unemployment benefit lasts for a maximum of two years. It means that by next month for out of every 10 Unemployed People image rid will be getting no state help at all of madrid will be getting no state help at all. A long way to fall for citizens of a country who until recently was considered one of the continents economic successes. A bomb exploded in the greek capital of athens. No one was hurt. The damage several neighboring buildings were damaged. The bomb consisted of at least five gas canisters and explosive material. Police in azerbaijan had used Water Cannons and rubber bullets to break up a protest over possible abuse in the army. Dozens were arrested. Hundreds gathered in the capital, some holding portraits of dead soldiers. The protest was triggered by the recent noncombat death of a conscript under suspicious circumstances. A mother and six of her children have died after a fire swept through a apartment block in southwestern germany. The blaze broke out in the early hours of sunday near stuttgart. Three additional children were able to save themselves from the flames. Several people are still missing. A short break. When we come back, we look at sport. Stay with us. Welcome back. Lets go to the u. S. State of alaska, where a race that tests humans and their dogs to the limit is taking place. The annual iditarod race. 16 teams set out from anchorage, racing across the frozen landscape to the far west. A total of 1600 kilometers. A record time was set two years ago. Eight days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, 39 seconds. Now reporting from roughly a long halfway in what many consider the toughest race in the world. So begins one of the most grueling sporting events in the world. This is the iditarod, the 1600 kilometer trek through the alaskan wilderness. In this sport, the man is called a mosher, from the french word marcher, meaning to go. The iditarods growing International Profile has led to increased competition, with a new record sent almost every year. Some say Global Warming has come in the play. Into play. One veteran has competed in 26 races. He says softer snow has a huge impact. When it softens up it reduces your speed. The temperature itself makes the dogs be more lethargic. Sled dogs really operate best at zero to 25 below zero. Alaskan and siberian huskies are the traditional dogs. But about 20 years ago some dog breeders started producing hound species with shorter coats, making them faster and able to cope in the heat. The iditarod route is inaccessible by car, so we hired a charter plane to track down the team. From the air, alaska looks deserted and a serene, a postcard picture. It does not take long to find a string of moshers separated by just a few minutes. It is wideopen country. Each rail runs across the frozen yukon river and the dogs are running at a steady pace. This is a checkpoint. But the time they pull in here they will have traveled 812 kilometers. Almost exactly the Halfway Point of the race. A strict procedure at all 23 checkpoints. Veterinarians examine each jeff immelt each animal for signs of dehydration, fatigue, and injury. Theyre given a mixture of protein and energy powder. They give everyone a chance to rest. The dogs outside, the moshers inside. Mike williams has crossed the finish line 14 times and uses the race to fight against alcohol abuse, which has devastated his people. All of my six brothers died from accidental deaths using alcohol. All of my brothers are wiped out. Many others in the native community in alaska are killing themselves, suicide. The bond between humans and dogs is unlike any other. I raised these dogs since they were born. I trained them, i run them, i will be there when they die. They are my guys. After a few precious hours of sleep it is back out on the trail. For me, only another 800 kilometers to go. Al jazeera, alaska. A check on the sport news now. Manchester united and chelsea will return to the pits for a another quarterfinal showdown. United somehow managed to throw away a 20 lead in the last halfhour of the game. Having been dropped from Manchester United, wayne rooney was back for this game against chelsea. It was the vision of his teammate that opened up this essay quarterfinal. the stranded. The same thing happened menaced minutes later. This time the cake somehow weaved its way through. United up after just 11 minutes by two. He was able to get a hand on the next effort. And the followup from his own defender. Chelsea fighting just to stay in contention. But the second half saw chelsey returning more possession. That gave them the chance they needed to get the team back into the game. Ramirez seemed to take that process a step further. The columnist of finishes, leveling up the game. The chelsea coach was not able to sit comparably in his seat. It was his side that finished side that finished strongest, but not strong enough. Twoto the final score. They will be reconvening for a replay. The other quarterfinal ended without a goal. That means the semifinal looks like that. Manchester united and chelsea will play man city. Both play on april 13 and 14th. There were two matches in the english premier league. Liverpool a penalty giving liverpool the win. They move up to sixth. Madrid teams were in action on sunday. We begin with real madrid. It has been big weeks for real madrid. Knocking Manchester United out of the champion three. But on sunday it was back to the bread and butter of the division. The battle to overtake Athletico Madrid in second. Real doll slightly flat fell slightly flat. But surely it is only a matter of time. The right place, the right time. 10. They were rewarded two minutes later. A shot making its way to the net. 11. Madrid started to look shaky. They made it 21 a few minutes later. Now in trouble. They combined to win a penalty. That result means real moves to second. Level on 58 points with athletico. If they win their 100 win record at home, they will meet their city neighbors. The record of 13 wins in 13 home games is the best in the league. What is more, they have not conceded since october. Final score 10. The unbeaten home record comes to an end. In italy, napoli lost. Diving in the last minute of normal time. He redeemed himself. The hopes of Champions League football next season got a major boost. A superbly taken care kick. Victory in rome, the first away win in five outings. On the receiving end of a 10 beater. Bolognas goal. South africa has taken a lead against pakistan. They got things going an unbeaten 105. The home side had pakistan up to 190. South africa wins. Venezuela wrapped up their final game at the world baseball classic with a victory. Venezuela starts a massive comeback, scoring six. Miguel cabrera from the Detroit Tigers with a solo homer. An 116 win against spain. Pablo sandoval has won two world series championships with the San Francisco giants. He also scored for venezuela, but the result is of little consequence. That is the sport. Thank you for watching. Thank you. That is it for me. Stay with us here on al jazeera. A full look at news is straight ahead. Thank you for watching al jazeera