♪ ♪ >> and you join me, david foster, for this al jazeera news hour. these are the stories we're covering in detail in the next 60 minutes. the u.n.-syrian envoy arrives in damascus. argentina's president loses ground midterm elections killing off her hopes of a third term in office. demanding answers and e.u. delegation heads to washington on claims that the u.s. spied on

leaders. no planes, trains or angels. the crippling the u.s. transport system. >> we begin with syria and this number. 2,100,000. that is the total number of people, individuals, that the u.n.est hates has now fled syria because of war. that's on top of the 5 million who have been displaced but still within syria's borders. well, that figure comes as the latest diplomacies as they try tto drum up another round of

talks. we're live from neighboring beirut. take us through what they're hoping to achieve. all right, i don't know if you can hear me. i hope you can. now in da mas damascus. what do me hope to achieve. >> reporter: more than anything he wants to hear from the syrian government what it would take for the syrian government to attend a geneva conference. he has been shuffling around the region but all of this is really talk about what it would take for all it would take to sit at this same table. a date has not been sent nor have the invitations formally issued. but also have saudi arabia who is not on board. they wanteing to there, but from

what we understand the saudi government refuses to meet with them. and it's angry after u.s. and russia reached a compromise on syria's chemical weapons. they need to all come to the same table and each have specific demands. >> we're going to di ask you to stay there for just a moment. we're now looking at geneva two, but this is geneva one. they. agreed that they should come to the negotiating table and agree on the transition of power, but none of those agreements have been achieved so far. if the geneva meeting takes

place, what are the hopes? >> i did not hear your question but i think you asked about the syrian council and we also heard from factions on the ground who clearly stated that they did not recognize the diplomacy. anyone who would go to the geneva two conference would be considered a traitor. and that conference goes against the aspiration of the syrian revolution. you also hear from the syrian government that it doesn't really recognize this opposition, the one that had been recognizecally recognized representative of the syrian people. the syrian government said it will talk to the patriotic opposition, meaning an opposition that doesn't have much support on the ground. an opposition that has no links to foreign power. so a very fragmented opposition

that would not have a stand if it reaches geneva. a lot of people here would say that every would need to pull their wait to accept sitting at the table and talking to each other. but this is a very challenging opposition as well. >> the report of pro government forces have recamped in sadad north of damascus. fighting is still going on nearby. and in northern syrian activists have burned a church. they up loaded these pictures which they say shows the aftermath of the fire. all the fighting in syrian has destroyed tens of thousands of homes. it's impossible now to get ahold of building materials. people, therefore, are going back to basics. here is more.

>> preparing the foundations to his house which he is building himself out of bomb. bashar al-assad's army bombed his home, forcing him to flee to the countryside with his wife and seven children in search of shelter. he has to resort to primitive methods to put a roof over his head. >> our lives were destroyed. we had to flee. >> reporter: but he's not the only one building his home out of mud. they say they can't afford cement or proper building material so they, too, have resorted to building their houses out of earth. >> cement and bricks are too expensive. so we decided to build our home out of mud, all you need is dirt and hay. >> reporter: with the cold season just around the corner building these basic homes is

probably the only thing that will make a harsh winter slightly more bearable. as these families are forced to live in mud houses, there are those who trying to build the tallest buildings. that makes living in a mud hut even harder to take. >> the war is affecting neighbor be lebanon. and it is the second city of lebanon, gunfire as rifle groups continue fighting. more than a dozen people have been killed. the military has been sent in to control the situation. pro assad gunmen from the neighbors clash from sunni fighters. a hearing began with a police officer shooting during a

rally in june. these are the latest pictures from cairo where university students are on the streets. they have come out on the streets on the university. three policemen were killed by masked gunmen at the checkpoint in northern egypt. nobody has said they were behind the attack. the democrati democratic ref congo army has captured a fifth town from rebels in the east of the country. among them the stronghold of march 23, the m 23 group, after talks broke down last week. one u.n. soldier fighting along side has died in the fighting. i spoke with the editor o

africa international. >> for years the government has been accusing rwanda of militia fighting and rebels and this group called m 23. nothing has not happened much. at times the u.n. has sent troops there sort of to wash on, to watch what was going on and not really interfering or reacting. now this has changed. now the troops allowed to fire back when they are attacked to protect the population, to protect themselves. on the political level now the government and the u.n. and even the friends of rwanda, the

united states, have recognized that rwanda is part of the problem. >> mozambique, a group said they were not behind the ambush on saturday that has killed one person. government forces raided the hellrebel base after a declaratn that the two-decade peace deal was over. from mozambique. >> it's still tense. them recently captured from the formal rebel group as soldiers go o in the bush on patrol many fled to the mountains during the assault. the village nearby is deserted. people are still afraid to come home.

>> the gunmen have gone. the soldiers have gone. we want to be home. >> reporter: after the attack on the base a few years ago, renamo said the peace deal signed was over. the rebel group want more say in the running of the country. it wants its fighters integrated in the army and it wants a share of the lucrative coal minds and gas exploitation. armed men regularly attack people using the road at night. so these truck drivers have been told to stay put. they can't go any further because its getting dark and dangerous. the north-south are highway has not been safe for months. >> so now, i don't know what the

government can do to protect us. >> reporter: army reinforcements have been brought into the area, but renamo civil war is unlikely. the insurgency could be a headache for the government, costing the country billions of dollars in lost revenue. >> early results in georgia's presidential election shows that taking over 62% of the vote. he campaigned on a promise to improve the country's relationship with russia. we report from the capital of at tblisi. >> reporter: taking two-thirds of the total votes, and he had one man to thank, the prime

minister. >> i would like to thank a person who is very important to me, who is and always will be a very serious authority. >> reporter: although the new president will remain head of state constitutional changes will change power. claims to restore georgian democracy, and he believes the nation should be grateful. >> georgians do not have a sense of gratitude, and i didn't want it. we would have won any way. victory would have come, but i wanted to make sure that my feelings were right and i understand you correctly and i do love you. >> reporter: they conceded defeat, but has pledged to hold out until official results are

in. >> i know people are very active, and we had really support, i'm sure the numbers, which will come, will be absolutely different than the exit polls which have been publicized. >> reporter: leaving after ten years of talks. his departure completes a peaceful change over of power which began with his administration's defeat last year. >> georgia will go through a period, it looks like it no matter what will be the result of these elections. we already have serious set back, unfortunately, in the economy, in law and order. and i hope it's all reversible. >> reporter: the prime minister is georgia's richest man and denies he'll continue to influence after he steps down.

georgia is about to begin a new era of parliamentary democracy, although it's unclear where the real power will reside. al jazeera, tiblisi. >> a little more of what we have coming up. some people making the best of the storm. but for many in britain it's far from fun for them. thpowerful figurers meeting. and the red sox bring the team up. >> to argentina where they have managed to keep control of the midterm elections. so the only result from the

victory party in four of the largest districts i. what does it mean? >> reporter: putting on a brave face. argentina's ruling party celebrating even though it has been confirmed that they have lost in key districts in the country. >> we will continue to build this dream of a better argentina said the vice president defian defiantly. in buenos aires province, the president's former chief of staff now arrival comfortbly beats the star candidate for congress. also mentioning a possible frontrunner for the 2015 presidential race. >> let's open our hands and be respectful of our differences,

which is the only way to build a country. >> reporter: this election was clearly a litmus test of the public mood and a sign that the ten-year era is ending. a year ago the ruling party was hoping for yet another landslide, another support to allow it to reform the constitution to allow the president a third term in office. now that possibility is out. soaring inflation, corruption, and crime as well as the president's often authoritarian style are to blame. her victory front party is still the largest political force with the largest number of deputies in congress, but the president will no longer have a free ride. >> she's going to need to compromise in congress to obtain legislation. there is no doubt that that complete control that she has

had in the last ten years is finished. >> reporter: just how the often tempetemperamental president wit remains uncertain after recove recovering from emergencies surgery earlier this month. >> in colombia, rebels have freed a former marine. he was kidnapped in june while trekking through the jungle. colombian police had warned him not to travel in that reason. >> reporter: 26 years old, kevin scott was released on sunday after spending four months in the colombian jungle. he was captured by the biggest rebel group while backpacking through the remote region in southeastern colombia. he has been turned over to a delegation of the norwegian, cuban and colombian government

with the coordination of the international red cross. he seems to be in good condition and should be able to travel back to the u.s. probably late on sunday. negotiations for his release has been going on for months, actually since the beginning of his ordeal by have been committecomplicateed by the face was a mercenary in. activities in colombia. the release was further complicated by agreements between the groups. he is a veteran of the war in afghanistan, and since his discharge has been travel to go central and south america as a backpacking trekking through many regions until w he got to a revery moat area that is a conflict region a rebel

stronghold, and a very well-known drug route. local authorities tried to warn him not to walk through that area, but it seems like he didn't follow the advice. >> the worth storm has hit britain in years and disrupted travel across the country. two people have reportedly been killed. lawrence lee has the latest. >> reporter: the worst storm in britain for several years made its presence felt at the heart of government. in the center of london a crane toppled on top of the roof of the cabinet office which is to help ministers work effectively. like many people they all had to reschedule their timetables. most of the damage happened overnight between sunday and monday. the winds were strong enough to be classed as hurricane speed with tragic consequences. a 14-year-old boy was kept away. another 12-year-old died when a tree fell on the family caravan.

one might think that a camping holiday was not the wisest idea but they lived to tell the tale. >> it same in two sets. the first set came and hit. and then it was quiet for a while. then the direction changed. it was at the tree flying. i'm not squared of th scared ofs but that got me going. >> reporter: in contrast the previous occasions when people were taken by surprise it was widely flagged and as a result, the country was able to shut down. many rail services were stopped while emergency workers checked for debris on the tracks. many had to simply stand and wait for trains that would never come the roads around london were quiet. it coincided with the start of school holidays and people seemed to make a virtue of not

being able to go to work. by the morning the storm had moved to the sea leaving behind a lot to clear up. this may have been the worst and most of the damage will be to the economy in lost working hours. >> and the prospects for everybody else in the country for the next few days, what are they? >> meteorologist: they're not looking too bad. it will stay mild but not quite out of the woods as far as scandinavia is concerned. the storm will move up and we'll see windy weather push into the likes of denmark and sweden over the next four or five hours. these are the kind of conditions we were looking at the south of england. very heavy seas and those violentcy strong winds. those winds at their peak gusting at 159 kilometers per hour. you can see the line of strong

winds running their wray through the english channel. it's on either side where you see the wild wind pushing through as we said, at 159 kilometers. and in belgium, getting up to 98 kilometers per hour. and in norfolk we winds getting up to 193 kilometers per hour. we can see those wind strengths going up denmark and sweden. it will sweep its way through come tuesday. it's right where it's clear. it's gone through there. london at 12 degrees celsius. it will stay mild but breezy over the next few days, david. >> thank you very much, indeed. two of the most powerful people in the british media have gone on trial on charges of phone hacking. they deny breaking the law as working at senior levels.

they're accused of hacking voice mail messages left on the phones of murder victims and celebrities. let's go to the u.k. in central london, tell us what has happened to far today. >> reporter: well, there has been a delay of about three hours. the trial was support to start at 10:00 this morning. coming up at 1:00 it still has not gotten under way. it is starting now. the reason for the delay were the storms that lawrence was talking about in his report. the travel disruption along the southeast of england. some of the people crucial to this trial could not actually get here. but its getting under way now. the first day of trial is not particularly enthralling, it's mostly procedural. you get the selecting and swearing in of the jury.

but what you will get to see are the defendants in court. rebecca brooks and andy collison. the rebecca brooks went on to the boss of news international, that's rupert murdoch's u.k. nub arm. her husband, charlie brooks, also a defendant. andy colson went on to be the spin doctor, the director of communications for david cameron. five other defendants from those three, they are all facing a variety of different charges, but basically it boils down to conspiracy to intercept communications in the course of their transmission. that's basically the phone hacking portion of this trial. conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. conspiracy to convert the cause of justice. all eight defendants are pleading not guilty to the charges.

>> we'll be back with you for more on that case. for now, thank you very much, indeed. in the philippines more than 30,000 village leaders are awa awaiting to see if they've been elected or not. security was tight during monday's voting. 32 people have been killed during campaign. often, application politicians e re-elected. >> reporter: over 54 million people are expected to vote today. here in this public school alone thousands have already come in as early as 6:00 a.m. local time. they're looking for their names on ballot lists, and they're expected to vote for village government positions. now the system is still being used after being introduced more than three years ago. >> it's taking a long time for me to find name on the palate lists. i went everywhere. there are those who have died but still on the list. i went to other precincts, but i

don't see my name. they should exercise their right to vote. there are allegations of fraud but you have to vote. >> reporter: now this may be just local elections but it is one of the most crucial. government positions such as this one are considered to be the microcosm of political dynasties. over half of government positions are coming from long-standing political families. this has been seen to be one of the reasons why corruption and injustice is so endemic in this country. it is also one of the bloodiest. the government has already recorded over 100 cases of electoral violence. over 22 people have already been killed, and despite government assurances that safety mechanisms are in order, election notice philippines are considered to be one of the most bloodiest in the world. >> hundreds of people in sudan's disputed region are voting in a referendum of whether or not to join sudan or south sudan.

abyei is territory on board and both groups claim it is theirs. the monthly results will not be recognized by either sudan or south sudan. still after the news hour we have this. [♪ music ] >> palestinians pray for a return home 65 years after being forced out. steely resolve or stirring discontent. we look at why cambodia's opposition refuses to accept election results three months off. and another great year for another great tennis player.

>> i'm david foster. the top stories here on al jazeera. the special envoy for syria has arrive in that country's capitol damascus for support for proposed peace talks next month. m 23 fighting in congo fighting began after peace talks broke down. in london two former newspaper executives arrive for their trial on phone hacking.

now the scale of alleged hacking in the u.k. has been overshadowed by reports of spying by america's national security agency. according to nsa leaker eric snowden, there has been eavesdropping. the e.u. envoy will arrive in washington. >> reporter: that's right, they'll be joined by members of congress, think tanks and telephone companies to discuss the surveillance of citizens. this is a delegation that had been organized some months ago. the european parliament had set

up an inquiry as a result of the news from eric snowden. we are expecting some sort of emergency delegation of intelligence officials from both germany and france to washington in the next few days to have talks, but we're not sure when that is going to happen. as for whether they're going to get any joy through congress we heard that europe should be grateful for the surveillance, it's keeping europe safe. we're not sure what you all are complaining about. >> they have also said that the french and the germans spy on the usa so don't be surprised we do it to you. this is quite interesting. angela merkel, apparently she has been bugged, if you like, for years and years, but the nsa saying barack obama, he doesn't know anything about it.

>> reporter: this raises a number of questions. the leak to the wall street journey, this is the main way the obama administration communicates with us to the press and to the world despite their crackdown on whistle blowers. the fact that president obama knew nothing and it was a review that took place in the white house that 35 world leaders were being surveyed, including angela merkel. as soon as he saw that he stopped the surveillance on angela merkel. if you're not a world leader you're not out of the woods, apparently. but in reports in the german media as early as 2010 the director of national security recreation told mr. obama personally that ms. merkel's phone was being tapped. president obama not only allowed that to continue, but any intelligence from that surveillance went directly to the white house, and didn't even go through the nsa. certainly there is push back

from the white house. owofficials from the obama administration saying there is nothing on the records there. and fundamental questions are being raised about president obama's knowledge of all this, and if he doesn't know, why doesn't he know about this. >> it seems a face-to-face meeting is the only thing that will count. she had a phone call, but it's not enough. >> an explosion after an israeli strike, no reports of injuries. israel said the attacks targeted two hidden rocket large. they say it was in response to rockets fired in gaza in the early hours of monday. the second stage of a deal brokered by the u.s. in july to restart peace talks. in august another 26 palestinians were released.

the two groups are among more than 100 palestinians who had been held in israeli jails since before the 1994 oslo peace accord. and israel will decide on tuesday if a group of palestinians can continue their peaceful protest of their destroyed village. they were forced out of their homes in 1948, and 65 years on their fight to return of the christian village is strong endeavor. stevie decker reports. >> reporter: their faith remains strong but the longing of the people can only be answered by israel. the village church has been restored and offers a place of hope and unity for the families who have lived here for generations. at 87 years old, a man takes us to what remains of his home. forced to leave during the creation of israel in 1948 and

the houses bombed five years later his feelings are still raw. >> one i fear everything here, i see my mother, my brother, my neighbors, i cannot describe for you exactly what i am feeling. it's too bad for this situation. >> reporter: to try to change that the villages have set up a camp to send the israeli government a message that they have a right to return. they are israeli citizens and have a supreme court rule from the early 19 50's that says they must be allowed to come back. it's a ruling that the government here has always ignored. now a court date to see if this peaceful protest should be allowed to continue. >> we're trying to fulfill the dreams of our grandparents who want to move back here, and then we will start life again. >> reporter: for the moment dying is the only way that

israel will allow villagers to return. generations lie here and the struggle now for both young and hold is to be able to come back here alive. and so for now they call themselves refugees. unable to come to terms with the past. >> i remember everything here. i left here--i have no memories of some other place but of here. >> reporter: the village lies empty. all that these people want is to be able to live here again. it's a simple wish, but one with complicated implications. [ bell ringing ] >> reporter: israel fierc fearss precedence for other people. >> the israeli government said that in 1951 should be allowed

to return to their village but it goes on immediately there after the state issued legal warrant in residents appeal against those warrants were rejected by the supreme court. we're going egypt. we've got pictures coming and clashes between students and security forces. this is a place that has protested, all the people have protested continually since mohamed morsi has been ousted as president. they're protesting the military coup there. what have you been hearing, sue? >> reporter: for the last couple of hours we've been seeing a demonstration outside of the main university campus. the demonstration has been fairly good natured, but we were seeing some of the students staging a small sit-in just next

to the line of apc, the army there lining up, stopping the students moving through the famous square where there was that huge crackdown in august, and it's a symbolic iconic square for students constantly saying they want to move to that square, and told by security forces they can't. in the last 15 minutes we were told by students on the ground, they allowed police to move through the line and then they started firing tear gas. the students were pressuring the army line to try to get closer to the square, and possibly that has inflamed the situation. but that now has been cleared, and students are going back to the campus. we're hearing from the tear gas was fired both outside of the campus and inside the campus. >> ale we find out more in cairo. now to the battle in

cambodia. opposition politician are refusing to sit in parliament. they're saying the ruling party stole the election through voter fraud, and monks are joining the anti-government movement as we report from phnom penh. >> reporter: in cambodia, religion has been mostly a guidance of people, rarely crossing into the political realm, but that is changing. one of several monks who has taken part in recent anti-government protests defying warnings from chief monks in the country. >> according to buddhist teach, monks have the right to participate in social activities, especially when people are suffering from injust. >> reporter: the opposition accuses the ruling party of using fraud to return to power. it has led a series of mass rallies in the capitol.

thousands of people marched across phnom penh. they're trying to pressure the government into allowing an independent investigation into the election. >> the government has knowledge, the government cannot do business as usual with the rest of the world unless this issue is resolved properly. >> reporter: opposition politicians who won 55 seats out of 123 are boycotting parliament. on the day that members of parliaments from the ruling party was sworn in the opposition were in another city. the government has indicated it's not about to give in to their demands. >> it's a tactic by the opposition, by their leader to gain power. the national election committee has already said the cambodian's

people party has won the election. >> reporter: the only concession the government has made is to announce it would hold a forum on election reform without saying what those reforms will look like. cambodia's political stalemate looks set to continue. al jazeera phnom penh. >> one of the most influential musician of his generation but his "walk on the wild side" will be best remembered. the musician died in new york on sunday night. we look back at his life. >> reporter: for lou reed life was expressed through music. his band "the velvet underground" set up music in the

50s and 60s. >> for those in punk rock lou reed was as important as the beatles. >> reporter: they used what they saw in the holloway hallways ofs hotel as influence. >> reporter: remembering what his music meant to them. >> velvet underground was years ahead of his time. lou reed punk rock, really. >> when i was in high school he was my musical taste. growing up in wyoming and listening to that kind of music, and it was just so bizarre and different from say all the country western that i lived to. >> reporter: reed and the velvet underground mixed music with art, but it's first album sold few copies. >> only 30,000 or so people

bought velvet underground records but every one of those people went on to start a rock band. so much of what lou did pre-staged punk and everything called alternative rock in the 80's and 90s. [♪ music ] >> reporter: reed had greater success as a solo artist. >> he never stopped making music. he never stopped changing. >> reporter: reed made no secret of his problems with drugs and alcohol. he underwent a liver transplant earlier this year. the velvet underground was inducted to the music hall of fame in 2006. he contributed to vocals to

syntheticca but it will be his time with the velvet underground when people will remember lou reed. al jazeera, new york. >> let's take a look at this. it's been dubbed a wearable app. we'll tell you more about the computer technology that you can put on. and athletic caca madrid and wel have more on sport.

>> you may dream one day of living by the sea. but for some people in india the sea is too close. as construction projects go ahead at a rapid pace there is a huge demand of sand, and some people are complaining that their beaches are simply vanishing. >> reporter: remembering the days when these waves broke way out in the distance. today during high tide at the annual monsoon he said the sea reaches the front stepped of his house. the indian government built this wall to protect the village from sand mining but it has not solved the problem. >> they mine the beach from

8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. when no one is watching. >> reporter: sand mining started small here but in recent years it has become a lucrative business. less than ten years ago the shore on this side was as wide as the football field but there is not much left of it now. and the seawater is mixing with the fresh water river on this side of the bank. this community trade is also damaging land and livelihoods away from the sea. this family has owned and farmed this tall river bank for nearly two centuries but over the past three years illegal sand mining has caused landslides that has washed away ten meters of his property. >> the sand mafia is running the street. we can't fight against them. the school and houses on the bank are also under threat.

>> reporter: 44 rivers and try beatributeories is erode away. >> reporter: sand mining poses a big threat. >> sustainable development, not this type of development. what they're building now in kerela is destructive development. >> reporter: he said he will live on the coast line for as long as he can. like many others all he can do is hope that people in positions of power act before his home is washed away by the sea. al jazeera, kerela. >> all right, fire into the

sports. >> reporter: lots to tell you about. boston red sox has leveled the world series at two games a piece. the best of seven series, jessica taff has more. >> reporter: the red sox put that heartbreaking loss behind them and focusing on game four. the star of the show was not even supposed to be in the starting line up. johnny gomes making the start. he gets this huge three-run homer in the sixth inning. that gave the red sox the 4-1 lead and proved to be the game winner. so now the series is tied at two games a piece. >> there is one thing i fought for since i signed up for this game, and that's the opportunity. whether that is to pinch hit, uniform or to start, when my number is called i got to be ready so i got in the box and took some hacks. >> we needed--we needed it.

we have a good offensive team, and i know our guys are capable to get it done. and yeah, they have to go fishing but they tried to go over the plate. >> reporter: for the second time in a row the game ends in an unlikely manner but this time advantage red sox. game five both teams sending their aces to the hill. for the cardinals it's adam wainwright. for the red sox it's onles jon . >> reporter: the two-one win over oppenheim will not be replaced. going wide and then it crept in the net in the hole of the side of the netting. there was an appeal for a rematch. chelsea moved back second thanks to a late winner.

giving chelsey the 2-1 win over manchester city, and the game's opening goal. equalizer rescued a point for city, but torres' effort as they slide to their third defeat of the season. and the spanish league athleticco madrid easily beating real. they could not have bought a better start. they led their first game of the season last week. oliver torres with the goal. he was making his first league start. 5-0 athleticco. serena williams has ended her stunning season with yet another victory. serena has been showing signs of exhaustion throughout this tournament in instance bull and lost the first set to the

chinese player. this was serena's 86th match before. the world number one was able to killing deep one last time to win in three sets to claim her 11th title of the year. an egyptian kung fu champion will be de ported from russia and banned from his next tournament for making a political gesture. he wore a pro morsi t-shirt while collecting his gold medal at the world championship in st. petersburg. now he won't represent his country next month. the miami dolphins threw away a lead and lost to the patriots. and detroit lost to the dallas cowboys. it was the second regular season

nfl gaming to played in london this year. >> my experience was great. got to see the city a little bit. a lot of people here are really nice, had a great time. it's been a great overall experience. >> i'm happy with the result we had today, and we'll get back to the states and get back to the comforts of home. >> reporter: rory mcilroy finally got a win albeit an exhibition match against tiger woods. the pair faced each other in china. mcilroy shot a 6 under par for an one-shot victory. the northern irish men began the year as world number one but he has dropped down to sixth. that's all for sports. >> $2 million to woods and $1.5 million to mcilroy.

technology that you can wear. computer fans from around the u.s. gathered in seattle as brain stormers. >> reporter: here in the war room at the hack-a-thon in seattle it's not about breaking into computers but creating ideas that will become the next big thing in technology you can wear. >> by day i'm a manager. but night i'm a fashion designer. >> reporter: at her seeing machine, she and her softwarening near friends are merging their skills. >> we're creating a glove that can turn into an air guitar. >> reporter: and maybe one day into something that could change someone's life. >> creating something where people who are challenged in terms of mobility have the ability to interact with computers in exciting ways. >> reporter: alex created this event three years ago.

>> coming to these hack-a-thons, meet ups and experts in the room, asking the questions they need to level up on the knowledge. >> reporter: hack-a-thon by definition is taking one type of technology or product and making it do something else. take jose torres' product it's a sensor played inside of a shoe. it could be used to monitor activity or for video games. >> we want to get creative people, developers, designers, hackers on board to play around for the possibilities. >> reporter: hack-a-thons like this one is to find news ways to already existing technology. like this brain wave. based on what is happening inside, the cat ears move. this could be recorded and shared and used for marketing purposes.

>> who has access to that data and how transparent are they. >> reporter: professor hanson hoison wears a watch that tracks how much he exercises each day. he does not share that where third parties could collect that data. >> first of all who is going to use that data. as the healthcare system becomes more expensive and more expansive. could insurance companies look at your exercise you did today and your fridge said you ate this many calories, we may charge you more. >> reporter: as wearable apps become more commonplace, so are concerns about how they can help and possibly hurt our lives. tawni mosley, al jazeera, seattle. >> just keep watching the tv. thanks for watching. we'll have another half hour of news in just a moment.

>> this is al jazeera america live in new york city. i'm del walters with a look at today's top stories. a group of european lawmakers arrived in washington to discuss the nsa spying program. a number of reports suggest that the u.s. has been spying on a lot of countries and their leaders almost all of them based on the information leaked by former nsa contractor edward snowden. reports deny that president obama knew that nsa was spying on angela merkel. news executives are in a london courtroom charged with tackinhacking phones and bribing