damage and destruction - people in the philippines face the aftermath of typhoon haiyan, that left 100 people dead. >> i want to emphasise there is not an agreement at this point in time >> there you have it, no deal yet, but signs from the secretary of state that decades of chilly relations with iran could be thank you thank youing. >> we take a look at an experiment currency in massachusetts, that could be going global. [ ♪ theme ] hello and welcome to al

jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm morgan radford. >> vietnam braces for typhoon haiyan. 300,000 people have been evacuated as a storm is expected to make land fall there sunday. in the philippines people are dealing with the aftermath of what is considered the worst storm on record. more than 100 people are dead after the storms struck the island on friday. leyte was the hardest hit. south-west of manila. it caused landslides, blew off roads and shut down electricity. >> for more, we are joined by mar margo ortiguez. what is the scope of the devastation? >> the full extent the government can't begin to estimate. we are seeing pictures of the worst areas - way beyond the first 24 hours since the storm

hit. particularly on leyte island many homes - in fact, some witnesses are saying all the homes on that island have been destroyed. this is not a small island of fishing villages, there was a full-blown city, almost 2 million inhabitants, concrete structures, and the roads have been damaged or blocked. many areas are flooded and impassable. communication lines have been down for over 24 hours. people have been calling for help from satellite phones, at least those that have been able to get to them. one of the first things that the government is doing is sending soldiers and relief workers in, to help those in place over the last several days. the philippine government worked to be proactive this time around in terms of a national calamity and predicted the coming of the typhoon, as they tried to get relief workers and rescuers in along the path of the storm before it hits. there's only so much they can do

to prepare for such a kallam itty. >> what types of challenges will communities face in the aftermath of the storm? >> one of the communities people are worried about is bohol island. this was on the path. bo hole suffered an earthquake a month ago and hasn't begun to recover from that. hundreds of thousands were left homeless. this will make that situation worse, adding millions more to those affected by a previous calamity. >> rescue workers are trying to make their way to areas affected by the storm. i'm joined by the emergency communication delegate by the international red cross in the philippines. what is the theme like where you are.

>> well, in bohol we had the typhoon pass through about 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon. it didn't make landfall on this island, but we experienced high winds and torren shall rain for 24 hours. and the implications of that here are particularly serious because this island was the most badly devastated by the earth quake three weeks ago. we had localized flooding and landslides in some areas. also on this island we are talking about a few hundred thousands people living in tar paulins because their homes were destroyed weeks ago. >> what recovering efforts are under way? >> the philippines red cross had already put emergency response teams in place in the areas they expected to be worst effected.

people were on the scene before it happened yesterday. in the coming days we have emergency supplies to distribute to those areas. that will include things like tar paulins, walker, carriers, hi gen kits, sleeping mats for the relief. that's reply cade in other areas affected. as we now now, the island of leyte, and particularly tacloban has been completely devastated. there'll be a really intense need there now. >> given that complete devastation, how long do you expect recovery efforts to last? >> i think at this point it's difficult to say, until the assessment is continued. we have an assessment team out now that is deployed into tacloban, to try to find out the extent of the devastation. i think it will take months and months to recover.

>> nicola jones with the international federation of the red cross in the philippines - thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> typhoon haiyan is making its way across the south china sea after leaving philippines devastated. we are watching feeder bands ahead of the storm making their way across parts of southern vietnam, where the second land fall will take place. up towards the north-west near the city of hugh sunday morning - we could see between 10-12 inches of rain. cooler temperatures are making their way across the north-east as we go towards saturday, and for the north-west - we'll see rain coming into play. to the north and parts of british columbia, it could be snow. you can see where the dark greens are and a little bit of red indicating where the

heaviest station will be. let's thick a look at the forecast for seattle. it will be rainy for seattle and rainier as we go towards seattle. there may be a break in the rain on monday. down to south welsh. things are looking nice. warmer temperatures across southern areas. saturday los angeles, 74. warming up to 78 as we go towards monday and warmer on wednesday. how about sunny skies with 86. >> we are getting a lot of rain and clouds coming in from the south-west. we think the rain will stay in your forecast for the next day, with dallas seeing a high temperature of 68. clearing up as we go towards seat. most of the rain towards the south. sunday, 72. by the time we get to tuesday. look at the drop in temperatures of 58.

a low texture for dallas of 32. >> to the south-east we are looking at clear skies, showers towards miami and rain will not be in the picture except for fort lawed adale. >> talks on the u.s. program continue in geneva. a us state department official says secretary of state john kerry and his iranian counterpart are making progress. diplomatic editor james bays reports from indonesia. >> smiles from the u.s. secretary of state but still no deal. a thumbs up. it is clear these talks reached a crunch face. john kerry, along with his counterparts from the u.k., france and germany dramatically change plans to fly here to personally take charge of negotiations with iranians. so far though, no agreement. >> i want to emphasise that there is not an agreement at this point in time.

but the p5 is working hard. i look forward to meetings i'll have shortly. >> no one is giving a running commentary on the progress of the talks, but the iranians said even though a deal is close, there are difficult sticking points. >> translation: we have entered a difficult, sensitive phase of editing the text should agreements be reach. it's possible negotiations will take more time. given the sensitivity of the discussion, we can see the ministers are eager to participate. we have to see what the results will bring. >> >> reporter: clearly the foreign ministers can't stay in geneva for days on end. if the talks are adjourned many in israel, the arab world and the u.s. who would try to kill an agreement before it was signed. .

israeli prime minister benyamin netanyahu voicing his opposition. he's against a deal lifting some sanctions on iran if it agrees to nuclear expansions. >> it's the deal of the full court for rain, and dangerous and bad for peace and the international community. >> mag president obama called -- meanwhile president obama called benyamin netanyahu to ease tensions. white house speaks people said any talks of an agreement is premature. >> tensions between iran and the u.s. - michelle carey has more on the issue. >> talks to end iran's nuclear program will go into a third day. there are five sites where iran is believed to be enriching and converting uranium, and a facility where it's suspected that iran is conducting nuclear research and development, prompting sanctions against the

country. they target 18 countries from a variety of industries like oil production, banking. the bulk restrict tractions. the iranian people are the ones seeing the effect of sanctions. they hope that the end of the sanctions will bring jobs and international isolation. the hardliners are opposed to bowing to international pressure. >> translation: the u.s. wants iran to be a member of the world which it designed. we don't accept it. if our ties are going to be normal the u.s. should change interactions with iran. i don't think society has reached the point where the government will accept a conagree scending relationship. >> sergei lavrov is expected to join the talks. russia is most receptive.

it's been called an historical expansion of mental health care coverage. the obama administration is maintaining that mental health deductions be matched by others. >> now, that is incredibly important law, combined with the affordable care act will expand and protect behavioural health benefits from more than 62 million americans. this is the largest expansion of behavioural health coverage in a generation. >> the obama administration is facing problems with its healthcare.gov website. problems with user overload are popping up. the leader of tech teams to fix the glitches say they are making progress. >> the navy put two of its admirals on leave whilst they are investigated in a bribery standard. prosecutors say it cost taxpayers more than $10 million.

vice admiral ted branch seen on the left and rear add miral bruce loveless are accused of inappropriate conduct. five others have been charge the in the scandal. including two accused of leaking confidential information, first class travel and prostitutes. >> a family of a victim killed in the navy yard shooting took the step to claim a $37 million lawsuit. they said the navy and department of veteran affairs ignored mental health issues. they ignored them and 12 died. >> split in italy arrested a -- police in italy arrested a man for the deaths of hundreds of migrants killed in somarly. the somali man was part of a group that organised a boat that

capsized off the coast of lampedusa. some of the migrants that survived were taken host ig. >> a stronger than expected jobs growth last month despite the government shutdown. some people may be giving up on trying to find work. our series champions of the economy - an experimental local currency in massachusetts is growing in popularity and could be going global.

a mexican mayor who spoke out against drug lords that terrorized his small town was found strangled to death. the area is allegedly dominated by the knights teme particular drugs cartel. the group extorts money from the town's 12,000 residents. mendoza held a hunger strike, drawing attention to police whom he felt turned a blind eye.

40 mayors have been killed in mexico. >> the cofounder of frozen yoghurt chaining pink berry was convicted of a crime. he was charged with beating a homeless man with a tyre iron. the victim was pan handling on a hollywood street. a los angeles county judge order him gaoled without bail until jan. he helped to found pink berry but is no longer involved with the company. >> the monthly jobs report came out friday. it turned out to be an october surprise for economists. they have been specting weaker numbers because of the shutdown. patricia has more on what the number tells us. >> reporter: the 16-day shutdown was expected to dent a job markets. u.s. businesses stuck to hiring plans, adding 204,000 jobs in october - blowing away

estimates. the unemployment rate edged up slightly to 7.3%. more worrying the percentage of working age people participating in the labour force fell to 62.8%, signalling discouragement against the long-term unemployed. >> the best remedy to address labour force participation is to grow the economy. that's why the president is talking about investing in road infrastructure, passing immigration reform. as we create the jobs coming from those investments you'll get more people back in the workforce. >> the job market is still suffering - a lack of higher paying jobs. >> the employment situation in the united states is lacklustre. we have a situation where for most of this year there was enormous creation of low jobs. >> more than 50% of jobs created

in the private sector this year came from three of the lowest paid groups - retail, administration and hospitality, >> discouraging news for the economy, with the key shopping season around the corner. >> if americans had more income, spending would take care of itself. instead we have record numbers of employment. if you take home less, you won't put more under the tree. >> analysts understand that will be the worst holiday shopping season in five years. the spire of new york's one new york trade center is glowing red, white and blue. 300 led lights are being tested. with beacon and spire, the building stands 1,756 feet tall, built on the site of the 9/11 attacks, and the spire is made of steel from the world trade

center remains. on a clear night it will be visible up to 50 miles away. one world trade center opens for business in 2014. this week al jazeera is focussing on innovative ways americans are succeeding in tough economic times. we call them champions of the economy. in one town residents are trying to buck the dollar by making their own money. the idea is gaining traction abroad. >> reporter: the burke shires in new england is a place where the offbeat is a way of life. home to a workshop that makes thousands of u.k.a laicallies a year and where the money of choice is not the dollar. >> phyllis has her people use burke shares. >> it's exciting. we develop a relationship

>> reporter: launched in 2006, it is a currency for burke shire massachusetts. it was a way to strengthen the economy and expect small business from national chain sauce. when you have burke shares you may not go mcdonald's, but a locally owned restaurant. >> at 25 alice's job is to convince customers and stores to embrace burke shares. >> we have local heroes on the front and artwork on the back >> reporter: many are in circulation. five banks exchange them. >> a lot of people think this sounds crazy. >> i have to remember that sometimes. it's not like all businesses taking berk shares. there are excavators and dentists and lawyers and accountants. >> there's a discount built into the exchange rate to encourage people to get berk shares.

$20 gets you 20 berk shares and an extra dollar. it's a 5% discount, but can hurt businesses. >> they can't pay the electric company or vendors with berk share. the merchants take that 5% hit. >> >> reporter: burke shares ha international attention. a nonprofit extended a grant to hofr burke share loans, thinking local currencies could prevent towns from events like the euro crisis. >> the banks are not willing to support low enterprises, introducing systems been the berk shire is important. >> for now, it's seen as a way to connect with neighbours. >> i'm showing you that it means a lot to me to support local. i have taken the extra step. >> keeping it local for a place

where the money doesn't travel. go ahead and get ready to dust off those turntables. according to music industry bosses in the u.k., vinyl record sales doubled this year, reaching 600,000. vinyl producers say records have a vintage cool appeal thanks to indy rock band. it's a nearby market. 1% of u.k. album sales, 10 times what it was six years ago. coming up we'll tell you about an artist who is trying to drape miles of cloth over a river - crazy, or a conflict of the environment. we'll take a look next.

conversation

going high tech. rhino poachers in kenya started using microchips to track the animal's movements in the park.

chips are inserted into the horns, tails and necks of the park's 1,000 ryano, if poachers get caught. the chips will tell authorities where it came from. poaching is going to be punishable by life in prison. >> christo is known for large-scale installations. he's fighting battles over his latest project, to drape miles of fabric over a river. >> it's called "over the river," and this is the river, the arkansas in south central colorado. what christos wants to do is suspend hundreds of huge panels of silvery cloth, six miles of it, in eight sections along a 42 mile stretch of the river. his drawings show how the sunlight will filter through the fabric. christos says the best way to seal is is underneath on a raft.

drifting through the canyon. >> it is spectacular over the hill. that's a play of life passing through the fabric, reflecting in the water. >> up, not down. >> >> reporter: christo and his team have been working on "over the river" for 20 years. they had to have approval because most of the project is on protected land. christo is raising the $50 million it will cost by selling hundreds of preppa tory works which he makes by hand. christo and his late wife and collaborator were namous for their out sized and outlandish projects - every one controversial in its own way. "over the river" is no different. >> outline our projects have this journey, when the project is in the minds of thousands who

try to stop us and help us. . i say to the opposition, you are part of the project. willing for not willing you create to the project. >> christo says he and jean-claude scouted 89 rivers in the rocky mountains before deciding the arkansas was perfect. critics of "over the river" says this is anything but the ideal location. >> it's on a scale of a mining operation. >> ellen is the vice president of roar - ration -- ration over the arkansas river. they have taken legal action to stop t. >> it's a major project in an area of critical environment concern. >> christo's team says they'll minimise the damage. others support the project.

>> it will create a lot of attention for this part of colorado. i think it will do a lot to put this area of the state on the map. >> assuming christo wins the final rounds of legal wrangling work could begin as soon as next summer. construction could take two years. christo is famous for outmanoeuvring and outlasting his opponents. at 80 years old it will be one of the last works of his long and winding career. >> moscow is trying to get ahead of the 2014 winter olympic games in russia. so to bring olympic values of healthy living into people's daily lives subway stations will accept 30 squats instead of 30 rubles the russian equivalent to be a dollar.

thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm mag ford. i'll see you again -- mod ford, i'll see you again at 4 o'clock eastern. nearly three years after fukushima's nuclear disaster, how safe is it for residents and the rest of the world? >> raj, in many ways, the whole story of fukushima has passed from the world's attention, but there's so much daily suffering going on is there. >> and our videos have not forgotten. fukushima has been one of the top five favorite show topics in the last five years.