>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. here are the top stories we're following for you. secretary of state john kerry in vegeneva, and a refugee camp fights to educate themselves. ♪ >> secretary of state john kerry is going to be on the move again headed to london tomorrow. he arrive in geneva just this

morning to negotiate iran's nuclear program. the goal to, stop iran from developing war heads. something that the british foreign secretary said this morning is the biggest threat to civil stability. phil, i don't want to overstate this, but how well could it possibly be going if secretary of state john kerry already has plans to be leaving? >> reporter: there is a lot being read into that. obviously things are very carefully managed here. the flow of information has been very tightly restricted. but just that fact that now there is a finite limit on these talks does indicate that in some shape or form they are drawing to a close. the other interesting thing that we can report indicating again there is some sort of wrapping up going on here at the press

center where we're located we're seeing preparations for some sort of briefing. we can he expect a statement later this evening. the p5+1, the u.n. security council plus germany have been in a lengthy meeting. it's still ongoing. even before that meeting started there was a statement by the head of the iranian delegation in which he did outline one of the things that appears to be a sticking point. >> an enrichment program that iran has will continue with any agreement, and that is a an inalienable right. >> reporter: now, the west does not like that term, inalienable right. they say a civilian program, sure, but not just any program. that is a big issue here in

geneva. >> what is the west's so-called red line? >> reporter: well, on the other side of the equation what we're looking at--what we here are the hurdles as far as the p5+1 are concerned are two-fold. firstly, iran's already standing stock pile enriched uranium. that might be manageable because there are procedures, scientific procedures you can do to basically turn that into a benign substance. the other issue is a heavy water plant in iran called iraq. that is still being constructed but the west in particular the french are very concerned about it. as a by-product of that plant they produce plutonium. that is a very dangerous substance. it's used in dirty bombs and other nuclear weapons systems. those two things going forward for the p5+1 are what they are deeply concerned about. it does look as show we are

wrapping things up here. we hope to hear very soon where things stand. >> phil ittner. thank you very much. let's wrap this up for a moment. negotiations appears to be gaining momentum. iran said there is accomplices they simply will not budge. they said that they will not compromise on the red line, it's right to enrich uranium. the united states and other powers say there is no right to enrich. iran said it wants to use enriched uranium for medical and research purposes but that can also be used to nuclear weapons. which is why leaders want to say they want to stop that. the p5+1 wants iran to allow greater access to its facility. iran wants the economic sanctions to end. afghanistan's loya jirga or tribal council continue to

deliberate it's future. >> reporter: today was the final day for delegates at the jirga to study and debate this bilateral security agreement. tomorrow they're expected to give their opinion on it publicly to the president of afghanistan. now, senior source from the government involved in the jirga has told al jazeera is that we're likely to see the edition of one line or one clause to this security agreement stipulating that american soldiers must not enter of a damage homes, arrest afghans or hold afghans in detention centers of their own in afghanistan. now entering afghan homes has ban very political topic over the la few days being debated. and it was addressed by barack obama in a letter to karzai, which was handed out to jirga members. they are now saying they may want to have that inside the security agreement.

but beyond the jirga hall itself, the political crisis has ton about this security agreement as delegates are leaving after their day of debate today the head of the jirga was extremely anger in response to news recently that afghan hamid karzai said he will not sign it until after elections this next year if at paul. the members of the jirga were angry saying karzai had no right to say something like that and that it was not said in interest of afghanistan. now there may be an around this crisis. potentially instead of one signature from the president of afghanistan they may be able to substitute that for two senior

members the signatures. what everyone is waiting for is karzai's closing speech tomorrow where he will explain if and why he would de play the signing of the agreement. it started the mood for this whole jirga from the beginning, and people will be watching closely to see if his closing speech continues with this crisis. >> jane ferguson reporting from kabul. 30 people dead, and others interested after a pipeline exploded in china. one pipeline sprung a leak and exploded soon after. crud pipelines in the area shut off until they've passed safety checks. oil is flowing out and has contaminated the nearby sea. protesters are calling for an end to the u.s. joa drone st. they have blocked one of the main roads leading into

afghanistan. the turkish ambassador to egypt has been expelled by kay row. the morning minister said the turkish government has worked to undermine egypt's interim government. turkish's president responded to egypt with a quote, i hope our relation also get back on track. president obama used his weekly address today to tout the ways the american economy is improving. >> obama: our business versus created 7.8 million new jobs in the past two months. the american auto industry has come roaring back with 250,000 new jobs selling high tech, fuel efficient cars that the world wants to buy, and they're leading the charge in a manufacturing sector that has added jobs for the first time since the 1990's. a big reason why our businesses sell more goods and services made in america than ever

before. >> the president also highlighted that the u.s. has reduced its dependence on foreign oil. for the first time in 20 years america is producing more oil than it buys from other countries. the wife of an 85-year-old veteran has asked for the release of her husband. she said we've had no worth on the state of his health, no word if medication was delivered or why he has been detained. the family feels there has been some misunderstanding leading to his detention. >> well, you can well imagine how distraught the family is, and right about this time particularly heartbreak something that merle numan in north carolina to his family and friends. and right now about family and friends are receiving those post cards. in them are the messages from merle numan about how wonderful

the trip has been and how wonderful the weather has been. he was actually on the plane about to complete his trip when the north koreans decided to detain him. his wife very distraught asked for his release saying this has been a misunderstanding. and that her husband is in need of medication. she's not certain whether the north koreans are providing the medication that he needs. now, merle numan is not the only american to be held in north korea. there is kenneth bay held at this point for about a year. >> medical shah chan reporting there. more than 350 peopl 50 peopd after a roof collapse in latvia. the president is calling the disaster murder. the police have opened up a criminal investigation to find out what caused this

tragedy. we're getting word that a third section of the roof has collapsed, no other injuries reported. since typhoon haiyan tore through the philippines humanitarian teams are working to provide food and medical in the most difficult conditions. >> there is barely a building left standing in this town, go a quarter mile from the sea. inside town hall hall it is hotk and dirty. water pours from above as the sick and injured stream in because this shell of a structure is the best they could do here for a hospital. >> reporter: one bright spot here is that the mayor is also a pediatrician. he's been working around the clock since the storm. >> no matter how tiring it is, i just do not consider it fatigue

at the moment because i have supervised service for my people. >> reporter: people are coming from miles around with fevers, diarrhea, and infected wounds. this man whose home was destroyed told him it took him ten days to get here. getting medical attention was more important than rebuilding his house. >> reporter: they are still finding bodies in the rubble and these trenches and mounds of dirt are where they're burying hundreds of bodies in mass graves, but now they're stopping that because this is where they'll put up the new hospital because city hall where they set up the city hospital is far too damage. >> there is water falling everywhere, no electricity. we had the roof collapse. >> reporter: louise johnson, msf's field coordinator. >> we have critical cases that we can reroute to tacloban and

we'll be having a pediatric ward here for kids because there is no care here at all for pregnant womewomenwomen and childbirth. >> reporter: using tents that inflate in ten minutes they can get a fully functioning hospital up in less than a day. in the court yard in downtown tacloban 12 miles up the coast, msf will run an er and surgical intake center. >> we've been working all night, and quickly as possible because people need treatment and can't wait. >> reporter: msf said they'll stay here until tacloban rebuilds hospitals. given the scale of the destruction here, they probably won't be leaving any time soon. al jazeera, tacloban, the philippines. >> when we come back we'll take you to the world's largest refugee camp and the

extraordinary lengths people are going to educate themselves. >> we have a right to know what's in our food and monsanto do not have the right to hide it from us. >> so join the conversation and make it your own. >> watch the stream. >> and join the conversation online @ajamstream.

>> the republic of honduras will choose a new president tomorrow in its first election sinc since 2009. wife of the leftest leader is head of the ruling nationalist party. it has been talking about an issue single, it is th has the t murder rate of any country. horses took their first exam. >> it's a big day for

dr. joseph, the first of a refugee students in their first semester exams. this is a test of not how much it has learned but if the idea of a refugee university works. until their campus is finally built the lectures and examines take place on weekends at the local high school. >> they're very enthusiastic because they know when they have a diploma, it becomes the door through which they can wit walkt of the camp. >> and the camp is not a place that most young people want to stay in. refugee versus been coming to the sprawling camp for the past 22 years. [ whistle blowing ] >> for most of them football is a pastime, not a career option. but unemployment and boredom are

huge problems here. the government refuses to let anyone leave without a special permit. at last the students emerge after half a million refugees who live here, just 90 got scholarships for the two-year diploma courses. >> it brings an air of perfor of permanence to a place that the government always determined to be a temporary shelter for refugees. >> he sees his hours of nutrition and health as a way of not only helping his young family but also his country. but there is no academic culture here. no institutions to support learning, not even electricity.

>> sometimes the difficult because sometimes we don't have access to the libraries. the library here does not always have the textbooks to read. >> they still cling to the course. he has been trapped here since he was four. and the diploma ma may be the ticket out. al jazeera. >> amazing. one year ago plastic bags were banned in new delhi, india. activists supported the move, but it failed to make the capitol cleaner or greener. >> happy with her job cleaning plastic bags for a conservation group is far more appealing and safer than what she's used to. she's one of 70 workers who keep the production lines that

conserve india going. this fashion company makes all sorts of accessories out of recycled materials. the plastic bags are fused together to make the sustainable fabric that these men are working with. they're doing their bit by recycling. the ban has had little effect on the environment. plastic bags jot out like sore sports at land fills, and with millions of them still in circulation the local government pan has done little to curve their use. the failure for ambitious policies and new delhi is in need of better waste disposal system. >> right now the garbage ends up here and the plastic bags are impossible to miss. the people who make the bags say

the product is not the problem. they say the local government is using plastic bags as an excuse. >> you can see them wherever. >> it's rather real in cases like this. because plastic bags in the indian capitol are used to carry tea, vegetables and just about everything else. while these color carriers are an environmental problem to some, to millions of others they're an essential item particularly for the poor. without cost effective sustainable alternatives it's hard to imagine most people here using anything else. al jazeera, new delhi. >> when we come back, helping the homeless keep their possessions. a new backpack for safety.

power of the people until we restore our free

♪ >> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. let's take a look at your headlines right now. talks in geneva over iran's nuclear program. they're being held at this hour. secretary of state john kerry arrived this morning. progress is being made but a resolution does not appear emanant. north korea has confirmed it has detained a u.s. man for nearly a month. 85-year-old merle newman has been held on unknown charges. the swedish embassy is working to secure his freedom. a demand to end of u.s. drone strikes, the crowd stages to block aid on a road that is used to ship supplies to afghanistan. for those living in shelters arounor on the streets in the u. living is a struggle.

they have to protect not only themselves but their possessions. there is a program that is trying to help. >> reporter: as nightfalls on chicago the city's homeless find shelter anywhere they can. there is always fear their few possessions could be stolen. among 2,000 homeless chicagoans getting free backpacks to hold everything from clothing to personal documents. >> there are a bunch of compartments, i can put my blanket there and it's waterproof, too. >> it's the brainchild of chicago businessman ron kaplan. >> we're going give everyone one. >> using money from a family foundation kaplan partnered with high sierra to provide the packs. he started giving them away last year at chicago churches and expanded the program this year to boulder, colorado. >> living in chicago, and seeing people on the streets with plastic bags and inadequate means to carry their stuff

safely, i just said, well wait a minute. shouldn't there be a backpack for these people? or some device. >> these packs were designed specifically for the homeless. they're extra large and weather resistant. inside is a rain poncho that is detachable, and this is a strap that can be worn around the owner's wrist so it cannot be stolen while the owner is sleeping. >> reporter: it was designed city packs, this version for the homeless in maui will be made in a lighter color it deflect heat. >> a lot of those in hawai'i have a larger build so we made it larger with a larger hoping, that was critical for us. >> reporter: city pack hopes to have 5,000 packs on the backs of the homeless in chicago and

boulder. maui next month, and boston and austin, texas, next year. it's been a month since brian got his city pack. he said since then he no longer has to hide his belongings to prevent theft when he rides his bike to the soup kitchen or the library. that's a bit of security at a time when he has little. diane estherbrook, al jazeera, chicago. >> meteorologist: well, the city packs are certainly a wonderful idea for the homeless, i'm telling you its super cold across portions of the plains, and that cold air is on its way to the northeast. we're dealing with quite a system pushing across the desert southwest bringing in rain, snow, and quite a bit of wind across portions of albuquerque. now it's this system across the southwest that is going to go towards the east. portions of texas, the gulf

coast, as we head into the next couple of days we're looking at an area of low pressure to team up with that system and perhaps produce a nor'easter across portions of the northeast as we head on into the next couple of days. let's take a look at the system that is producing that across portions of texas right now really if you live in santa fe, albuquerque, lubbock and into abeline. you're dealing with a mixture of eyes and that's turning into freezing lane rain as we look as the area. underneath that snow black ice, so you need to be careful if you're traveling. take a look at this roadway. it's hard to see certainly at nighttime. and the temperatures are expected to drop below the freezing mark, and folks there will have to use caution. the area draws moisture up from arizona. a wet day for phoenix. they'll be hit again and again and also it looks like that is

turning to snow once you hit flagstaff, so be careful if you're traveling there. >> thank you. tomorrow the vatican will unveil a controversial exhibit, a rel relic, bones aggravated to be that of st. peter will be on display. vatican said the bones are genuine, however, scholars say the evidence is inconclusive. the streets of mexico city were filled with music and celebration. [♪ music ] >> yes, that's more like it. hundreds of bands entertain the crowd all in honor of the satann saint of mexico. thank you for watching al jazeera. i'm richelle carey.

"the stream" is next. and check out our website at www.aljazeera.com. thank you for your time. you're in the stream. could you live in just 100 square feet? joining us as we explore how living small is challenging the american dream. >> from mcmansion to tiny houses is a growing movement here in the u.s. where people are trading in big to live small. one, the tiny house movement has hundreds of members, and one community said it's a very charr