welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. here are the store yis we are following for you. washington d.c. confronts the issue of eaves dropping after reports of spying on its allies. protesters take to the streets. >> deadly violence ahead of aid heading to syria. >> saudi arabia women unit after the issue of driving comes to a head in that country. [ ♪ music ] >> the renewed theory over u.s. spying continues around the world and here at home.

on friday brazil began to push the united nations to take action. it's one of 21 counts ris seeking rules to rein in the surveillance done by the nsa and other entities. in washington protesters are staging an anti-espionage rally. we go to the rally. tell us who is behind this, jean? >> this is a number of different privacy groups. it's attracted several hundred buildings. you don't see them behinds me because they are in motion - marching on mass from union station we can see them coming down the road now with placards. there's about 1,000 or so of these protesters. we spoke to one of them, representative of the people here today. >> i think it's vitally important for all americans to be vigilant with what their

government is doing regarding privacy. i don't have problems with surveillance, as long as there's cause and we are not abrogating fourth amendments rights. we have been, and that's what has troubled me the most. >> and when the rest of the proteste proteste protesters get here they'll hear a number of speeches from a current member of congress, justin omarta, a republican, and others from the private community and whistleblowers. they have a petition with them saying it has... >> as you can tell, we lost jean. she'll stay at the protest. there's a lot across the political spectrum that feel strongly about the issue. the protest comes on the heels of a report suggesting the u.s.

government has intensified efforts to collect data from its own citizen. >> >> every day here in the suburbs outside washington information gathered by 17 different u.s. intelligence agencies is collected, retained and analysed. this is the national counterterrorism center. even americans not suspected of terrorism come under scrutiny. that is something yasmeen and ivac wants stopped. they are literally walking the halls of the u.s. congress, looking for anyone that will listen to their pleas to stop the firing. >> for me it's personal. working for the arab peninsula, our community is targeted by a lot of these post 9/11 efforts.

>> they are literally vacuuming up everyone's information, combing through that. it contradicts fundamental principles of our constitution >> that information is not just being collected, it's being stored - sometimes for decades. >> according to a new report the fbi is able to keep intelligence the longest. >> 20 to 30 years. basically on the theory that it might be useful in the future. that information will only be gotten rid of if it's going to be of no use to the fbi or any of the other 16 agencies in the american intelligence community. >> the agencies include the nsa and u.s. counterterrorism center. they can search information about a person's phone use for five years, even if they've never been suspected of a crime. every month it's been revealed the nsa's superkey score tracks more than 41 billion information

on the internet. >> so much information is collected by the nsa that a data section is under construction. when it opens it will hold 300,000 square metres of american's personal information. >> privacy advocates say that monitoring is a violation of civil liberties. despite that, it continues - surveillance of domestic and internet communications. it's changed the way some americans go about their daily lives. >> you don't feel as free to say what you think. the most mundane phone conversation about what you are going to have for dinner, with spouses about what your child is doing or something. you are wondering if someone is listening to you. >> it appears they are - just in case what is said now becomes useful later.

>> in syria, at least it 100 people killed when a car bomb exploded outside a mosque on friday. the attack happened outside damascus, while worshippers attended services. the latest violence happened close to bashar al-assad's seat of government of the according to the united nations more than 100,000 people have been killed in syria's wars so far. in addition to the growing number of casualty. >> the war produced an unprecedented number of refugees in need of the basics of life. we have their story. >> syria's civil war is creating a nation of refugees. this was the aftermath of what activists say was a government bombardment of a rebel-held suburb on friday. trying to escape the destruction, around 5 million syrians and refugees in their own country. many sheltering in buildings and schools. others are in more informal

basic camps. nearly all are reliant on outside help. increasing violence and bureaucracy reduced aid deliveries to a trickle. a security council statement at the beginning of october urged increased humanitarian access hasn't made much difference. >> i have expressed deep disappointment to the council that the situation on the ground has not change the as a result of the state. we are doing everything that we can to look at ways in which operationalisation of the statement would help us meet the political support of the security council members, but also other members of the united nations to really make a difference. >> security council resolution on syria's chemical weapons threatens consequences.

valerie amos says the syrian government and rebel groups ignored the humanitarian appeal because it is unbinding. both sides are accused of daily indiscriminate attacks on schools, power plants and medical personal. amos says no one is taking seriously obligations under international law. >> five people accused of plotting the 9/11 terror attacks tried to argue against receiving the death penalty. the lawyers say the cia violated the men's heights by torturing them in prison. >> one of the major issues that dominated the discussion at the 9/11 pre-trial here at gan tan mow is the matter of torture. the defense wants to bring in the un convention against torture, which allows the five men accused of planning the

september 11th attacks to gain something from the torture suffered in cia custody between 2003 and 2006. one part of the strategy was for a defense lawyer to bring in an outside counsel who specialed in war crimes. cheryl ill was not allowed to bring in tony caddman to talk about what he could bring to the proceedings. here is some of what mr caddman had to say. >> if you don't deal with the issues now, it will cloud the entire judicial process. i think this is a defining moment for the u.s. i think everybody looks at the u.s. as the beacon of human rights and democracy. this is setting the u.s. back, almost into the dark ages. >> each though the five defense teams entered a number of motion, tried to get more evidence about the cia's rep

digs program entered as evidence in this trial, they have tape the step of writing directly to u.s. president barack obama, asking him to declassify the rendition program because they say without that information there are people in the united states who will know more about how their clients were treated then they will be able to say in open court. in a defense case that involves the death penalty, that is inexcusable. what does the prosecution think of this. >> the public will know what the prosecution knows. our case in chief will be to the public. there won't be any so-called secret evidence. >> the next pre-trial hearing in the 9/11 case will not be heard until december. during that time you'll see more efforts to try to bring up more of the questions about torture and how it might affect the outcome of the trial brought into play in a number of filings. there's no possibility of the trial starting at this point before 2015. >> roslyn jordan, reporting from

guantanamo bay. >> women in saudi arabia are demanding the right to drive. 17,000 signed a petition calling for women to be allowed to drive. saudi authorities were threatening access - punishment ranging from prison time and stiff fines. one woman told al jazeera the campaign is not just about driving. >> it's to start asking for more rights in general, not just for women. the way we have gone about this is in a calm, peaceful way. we are not having any part of gatherings or process in that sort of way. >> saudi arabia is the only country in the world where women are legally prohibited from driving. >> this time last year new york was bracing for superstorm sandy. in the queen section. rocca ways, the storm flooded streets, forcing heath care clinics to

close. most have not reopened. an international aid organization is stepping in to fill the gap. >> so in this room what do we need >> dr amber featherstone is stocking up on supplies. the heath center will open in a week. it's a procedure for doctors of the world. in is in new york city, in an area called rocca way. >> before the hurricane it was medically underserved. after the hurricane it's got worse. doctors have not been able to return. their files were washed away. they can't provide the services they provided before. >> this area, 25 miles from manhattan's financial hub is struggling >> the rocca way is home to 30,000 people on the western peninsula. during the storm much of the area was flooded.

electricity and public tran pore tags was cut off, forcing many businesses to shut down. some repairs are ongoing. >> 5 seven-year-old howard cohen walked 76 blocks to visit the clippic, he lives with his mother. none have insurance. health care providers are reluctant to set up shop here. >> for those who are seniors, there has been a rise of depression in the area, and fear. tremendous fear. if i have a heart attack, where do i go >> before sandy, financial problems forced the shutdown of health care facilities, now there's one hospital for the areas 15 neighbour ads. drs of the world hopes to be a second choice, offering free primary and preventive care like diabetes and cancer screening. >> at the end of the day everyone is human. we are all the same people with the same basic sets of needs,

and whether you are not refusing health care because, you know, you are caught in a war zone or whether it's because you are in an underserved community and the industrialised world, i don't think the needs change. >> people who live here and watch their health options wash away say having this clinic open is a relief. >> the u.s. air force academy changed their honour pledge for cadd et cetera. now they'll have the option of saying the last part of the oath reading, "so help me god", changing a complaint by the religious foundation, saying it represents the constitutional concept. pumping petroleum for the first time in 20 years, somalis find convenience in new safety measures.

pumping petroleum for the fir

>> the bulgarian roma couple accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old girl are her parents. the birth mother says she gave the child away and didn't tell her. the girl was found by a roma settlement in greece with a different couple. the girl who was thought to be abducted triggered a global search. we meet with a mother who says this case hits home, and knows what the terrifying experience is like. >> ingrid johnson's daughter went missing in 2004. >> it felt like a hole in your stomach to not have your child home at night, feels like somebody died. >> she was 13 when she disappeared from home in erveining tonne, new jersey. >> i don't think there are many words that can describe the feeling of loneliness and despair that a parent went through. i think i touched the surface of

understanding of what it felt like to be hopeless for a second, and yet bounced back and say, "i'm not going to give up." ingrid, a nurse, desperately wanted to care for her child. she searched the neighbourhood every night, putting up posters, handing out fliers. >> it turned out the girl had run away from home. she crossed state lines and ended in one of new york's outer burrows. the disappearance made the papers. ingrid's despair grew deeper as the months went by. >> i had never lost a child, but i wondered if i was experiencing what parents who lost a child went through. to go op -- to go on from day to day you dig deep. >> over time ingrid began to wonder what her daughter looked

like and saw her face whenever she went. >> you think it's her and him. >> 11 months after she had gone missing ingrid was reunited with her daughter. nine years later, every time a child goes missing ingrid knows first hand the anguish the family is going through. >> in somalia, stations are opening up for the first time in 20 years. the violence that plagued the country for decades kept oil companies from setting up shop. we have more. >> for the past 20 years this is what a petrol station in mogadishu looked like, street vendors filling up your tank using jerry cans. security has been so bad that no country wanted to risk investing in the somali capital. a significant but fragile calm has been restored, allowing

three petrol stations to reopen. >> translation: the security situation encouraged us to reopen the situation. a lot of the drivers are happy. they can buy good quality petrol at a reasonable price. >> it now means drivers do not run the risk of damaging vehicles with corrupted petrol. >> translation: this fuel is better and pure. before it was ruined. hopefully the petrol stations will get rid of the other vendors. >> with vendors still selling petrol. the somali government is trying to help them. >> we have given street vendors a grace period. soon we'll issue a law banning the sale of fuel except on

licensed vep -- venues. >> the sale of fuel has destroyed some neighbourhoods. the hope is with the reopening of the stations one part of every day life in somalia will be safer. i'm meteorologist eb one dion, watching rain and thunder activities. an area of weather drops dawn across texas, moving into oklahoma. we are seeing heavy rain activity to the north. keep it in mind for travel plans. not expecting widespread activity, a few strong storms will be possible. high pressure dominates across the south-east. that will keep us dry. temperatures will stay below everything average.

we started off cool. temperatures down to the 20s. we are up to 54. it's 54 in attanta and 54 in birmingham. it's refreshing across central orlando. for this time of year that is actually very nice. lets we are going to keep it cool throughout the eastern u.s. it will be colder across the upper midwest around minnesota, expecting a high of 44. we have changes on the way. watch the clipper system across the lakes, spreading rain to the north-east. i'm watching a storm system developing here across parts of the inner mountain west. that'll bring snow into montana as we get into the late part of the weekend. by sunday, late in the day we'll see the snow showers. there's a winter storm watch in montana, where we could see 4-6 inches in the lower elevation,

in the high elevations, a foot to 2 feet of snow. light rain showers across the north-east along breezy conditions. most of the big cities will stay dry, but it will be breezy and cool. . >> quincy jones is suing sony music and michael jackson's estate. he produced some of jackson's popular songs "thriller", "billy jean", "don't stop until you get enough", jones says the songs were reed ted to cut him out of royalties. sony music is yet to comment. >> trying to save the tallest animals in africa as they compete for limited space with humans.

welcome back to al jazeera

america. i'm richelle carey in new york. here are some of the headlines today. a rally in washington dc opposing government surveillance brought out hundreds. it's been organised by a coalition of groups including the american civil liberties union m and others. the deadly bombing in syria has killed more than 100. a bomb exploded outside a mosque. it caused the entrance to collapse. syrian rebels blame others for the attack. >> authorities are threatening action against anyone involved in the protest. prison time. saudi arabia is the only country in the world prohibiting women from driving. >> conservations are sounding the alarm about giraffes definedling population in africa - they could be ex-contingents in days.

>> in the beauty of savannah it is the top animal. they may not be threatened by poaching as lions and elephants. these majestic creatures are in danger. conservationists are worried about humans encroaching. from about 100,000 in the "90, only 80,000 remain in 2012. >> the numbers have declined. the trend is worrying. the number declined by 30% across the continent. two of the subspecies are listed as endangered. >> many including rare subspecies are found in kenya. this is a subspecies originally from the west of the country. because the existence was so threatened, they had to be put in protection about two decades ago. >> to increase the numbers the

giraffe has to be kept in protected areas, such as this giraffe center, where they can breed. these are the lucky ones. they are outside of game reserves and sanctuaries, and where they are isolated from one another. >> because of human settlements, agricapture and clearing of the natural areas. we have ended up in a situation where we now have fragments of them across the country. this is where you find the giraffes and other wildlife. we know from our own research that most extinctions in this wild have occurred in habitat fragments. >> the endangered giraffe may be assessed. there's a policy to guarantee this. >> what is woried is sense

tieing those that live close to them. >> our main mission is to create awareness through learning institutions and other organizations >> it's a hard sell, when you consider fast-growing population in the wildlife competing for the limited space in a rapidly industrialising country. conservationists say this is a fight that must not be lost. losing africa's wildlife is not an option. >> a smashing event has become a coveted university tradition. watch. okay, so each year, this time, students drop a piano off a dorm use to symbolise the last day they can drop classes without penalty. they've been doing this since 1972. >> "techknow" is next. for updates you can go to the

website aljazeera.com. >> welcome. i'll phil torres, here to talk about innovations can change lives. we are going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity. this is a show about science, by scientists. let's check out our team of hard core nerds. lindsay moran is an ex-cia operative. tonight she has a real drama, a face transplant that almost ended in death, and an invasion that saved a woman's life. tonight she is in the mountains of california where condors are making a come back, thanks to a simple use of technology.