>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. security tightening in russia following two bombings in volgograd just weeks before the winter games. israel preparing to release palestinian prisoners. how one woman is reacting. policing the favelas. ahead of the world cup. the white house and the u.s. olympic committee now expressing concerns over those two deadly bombings in two days in the southern city of volgograd,

russia. volgograd is about 550 miles from the capital city of moscow and 400 miles northeast of sochi. that is site for the olympic games which begin in just six weeks. peter sharpe is in volgograd. >> the twisted gutted remains of a trolley bus in volgograd. bodies and debris are strewn across the street. russian investigators say a male suicide bomber was responsible for the blast. it is the second in the last 24 hours. people were killed by a sue sierd bomber in volgograd's main railway station. security at the entrance prevented more deaths. >> the explosive device was the equivalent of 4 kilograms of tnt, it was filled with

shrapnel. and because it was the same as the other incident, this confirms they were connected. >> formerly the kgb is coordinating the hunt for these attacks. the people now worried that this could be just the start of the concerted bombing campaign leading up to the start of the winter olympics in february. the sochi olympics are a major prestige project for president vladimir putin. no one has claimed responsibility for it a of these attacks but earlier, chechin leader, claimed responsibility. organizers have promised to make the games, "the safes olympics in history." peter sharpe al jazeera in

volgograd. kimberly martin is a proaferred aprofessor at barnar. what can we expect? >> there's no question that it's connected to the upcoming olympic games and it is a message to putin that things are not as secure has he would like. >> the ioc issued a statement: "we offer our sincere condolences to those affected by the bombings and that we are always concerned about the safety of our delegation, the sochi games are no different in that regard. we will continue to work closely with the local organizing committee. what are we to make of that statement? well, of course it isn't the first time that the olympics have been threatened by a security concern. we had terrible circumstances at the munich olympics so it makes sense for the ioc and the united

states they are concerned for their athletes and to make sure that the sochi games are safe. >> from the white house, we offer our sirn sear condolences, we are always concerned with the safety of our delegation, the sochi games are no different in that regard, they are also offering assistance with regard to security issues. is this a enthusiasm in the face of vladimir putin or are they sincere in saying they will help out with regards to security? >> i think they are sincere. but one thing we have had in russian-- u.s. relations is russia has beth been unwilling to give out a lot of information to actually cooperate with the united states. it talks about wanting to cooperate on counterterrorism policy but when push comes to shove the united states often finds it doesn't have enough actional information in order to do something to stop something from happening and certainly president putin wants to make these games his personal success story. he doesn't want to make it seem as though he is relying on the

united states or the west for any support or help. >> you are very familiar with the group that is believed to be behind these attacks. how concerned are you about the safety of the olympics themselves? >> i think the olympics are likely to be safe. nothing can be 100% safe, obviously but russia has put into effect metal detectors all over the place, they are saying only people on the approved russian government list will be allowed inside the areas. moscow and sochi are likely to be safe because there is such a strong interest that putin has in making these games a success and it's easy to protect small areas for a limited amount of time. the danger is in what happens to the rest of russia. the russian officials are often very corrupt and that means the russian citizenry i'm most concerned about. >> you are very concerned about what happens after the games in russia. >> yes i'm very concerned. i don't think that putin is

going to take any major policy moves to possibly disrupt the games. but afterwards, there has been an upsurge in ethnic conflict, people elsewhere in the russian space, those from the caucasus, eemigres from other parts, bringing into bear russian orthodox christianity, on behalf of their cause. my fear is extremism on one side can provoke extremism on the other side, putin feels it necessary on his own time and power to take violent action. >> one of the reasons groups do things like this is they want to strike fear and terror in international relations, have

they succeeded? >> they certainly have in both of those so far. they are trying to send a message to putin's personal network and the security forces that they are not as strong as they think they are. one the putin's close network friends is the head of the southern district which is where volgograd and sochi both are located and so this is saying putin, you think you're so electronic, you can't even -- strong you can't even secure the area where your forces are supposed to take charge of. >> do you feel this will lead to a larger attack and that is in the works now? >> no one has a way of knowing. this is not the end of the attacks that will be tried, now that security is being clamped down on volgograd it just likely means the attacks will move elsewhere and russia has a very large territory with a lot of cities -- >> lots of soft targets. >> -- and lots of soft targets. >> kimberly thank you for being with us today.

>> thank you del. >> later today israel is set to release more than two dozen palestinian prisoners all of them convicted of attacking israel sociologist engineers. scheduled to serve 18 to 23 years in prison, that release is set for tonight. nick how is the public reacting to the release of these prisoners? >> hi, good afternoon, del. well, it's very positive right behind me these prisoners arrive in a couple of hours. it will be a celebration, many of these haven't seen their family members in over 20 years but in jerusalem, in israel there is a lot of anger. a new poll shows that 60 to 70% oppose the release. since these politics are so polarized, we wanted to see one who met an israel who saved his life. the day bella froin's life

changed forever, she was wearing this dress. >> when i give him my life for the terrorist. >> 21-year-old palestinian adnan, had just stabbed this israeli boy. della shielded him. the crowd turned on her. >> 500 ton i feel energy of me. i feel they go kill me, they ask me, if you not go on the side we kill you. i ask kill me, kill me, to any -- >> for 27 minutes bella was adnan's shield. they burned cigarettes on her. but she kept protecting him. i chose to sanctify life, she says, both mine and the terrorists. ten miles away in palestinian bullpebbethlehem's prisoner is

released. >> want freedom for themselves, it is wait too long for this. >> as part of the ongoing peace talks israel last agreed to release 100 palestinian prisoners catalog adn isan. as a welcome home gift his family is building him a house. they know what she did and they thank her. she showed humanity. >> like all the rest i was really, really grateful for her and very, very thankful because she was -- i think i don't know even if she is mother but i think that any mother would do the same thing. in her place. >> they ask me on the phone, you -- >> you're amazing you're

wonderful, they told me in arabic, you're beautiful. some labeled bella a hero. but then came the death threats. i was she said socially ostracized and today bella's no longer adnan's defender. bella stands with the majority of israel and protests his release, those process protests increase the distance between israelis and palestinians and when adnan's family calls him a hero, i'm very proud of him, happy what he did. that shocks bella happy to meet him only if he renounces violence, only if there's peace. >> for peace, to life. this is my dream. you know? >> as for the dress, bella says

she'll only wear it again if there's a peace deal or she will be buried in it. she says she doesn't know which one will happen first. >> bye-bye. >> and bella still receives threats. she still receives lots of criticism but she tells me she has no regrets and she tells me if she ever meets adnan she hopes he says sorry, and thank you. >> nick is there any concern in the palestinian territory that if there is a release this is all part of a quid pro quo? >> yes i think what's in the news right now is a lot of concern about a new announcement that israel is going to build 147 settlements in the palestinian west bank. the foreign media has reported that after prime minister benjamin netanyahu called the media in and hirpted that this would happen. and as -- hinted that this would

happen. the worry is this is a quid pro quo. on the other hand, you increase these settlements. the palestinians say you can't have a viable contiguous palestinian state, if palestinians continue to threaten to leave the peace talks. they are even more fragile with these settlements and the anger on the israeli side about the prisoner release. >> nick shifrin, thank you very much. pakistanpakistani activists protesting drone strikes. that blockade could affect route to pakistan. >> they have been here since november 22nd. stopping any trucks suspected of carrying supplies for 92nd forces in afghanistan.

anaya khan has been here every day since the blockade started. >> many a lot of nent people ine have been killed. not stopped by the americans. >> reporter: drone strikes are deeply unpopular in pakistan. it's believed to give its approval to some strikes, whatever the case prime minister noaz sharif does not support the strikes. recently passed a bill which could see pakistan receive more than $1.5 billion in cash but it's linked to the movement of the supply lines and if that stopped so, too, could be the payments. but it's not just the government

that's concerned. said khan says, since the blockade started he's barrel been able to keep his business going. >> this road used to be packed with trucks now there are none. if the 92nd block continues i'll have to close my restaurant because i just won't be able to meet my expenses. >> not all supply license are blocked. a route through the province remains open. still this is the busiest and most important passage used to supply 92nd forces and move military hardware out of afghanistan. and the longer it stays closed the more complicated it bms for coalition partners to withdraw its combat troops ahead of next year's deadline. al jazeera, pashouer.

>> pakistan reopened the route after the u.s. apologized. bad weather affecting the efforts to reach those people stranded on that russian ship stuck in the antarctic, its ietion breaker got close but no cigar. most of the 70 passengers and crew on the scientific expedition ship will be evacuated if the weather cooperates. that ship has been stuck in ice. everybody on board is oscar. here at home a milestone for the affordable care act. the white house now saying more than 1 million people have signed up for insurance on healthcare.gov. added up to others on state sponsored websites, the amount has risen to 2 million. the federal aviation administration choosing six states as drone test sites.

they are alaska, nevada, new york, texas and virginia. companies like amazon and.com noaa's pizza want to use drones for deliveries. commercial drones by the end of 2015. next on al jazeera america, a california family dealing with what could be the last days of life for their daughter. many worry that the gains made in education will not stick in the future. aljazeera's jane ferguson takes us to a school in kandahar city that was long considered a success and is now facing closure. >> it's a place offering more than these girls know, a quality education in real tangible skills, a path away from

positivity and early marriage and towards university and a career. since 2002, the modern stud has been teaching women languages, like management and computer skills. that they are skills that speak of ambition which in the heart of tallle ban country is remarkable. >> we are a unique school, preparing women to go to jobs. our school is preparing women to go to universities. the stream is uniquely interactive television. we depend on you, >> you are one of the voices of this show. >> so join the conversation and make it your own. >> the stream. weeknights 7:30 et / 4:30 pt on al jazeera america and join the conversation online @ajamstream. >> from our headquarters in new york, here are the headlines this hour. >> al jazeera america is the facilit zeera america is the

>> we're following multiple developments on syria at this hour. >> every hour from reporters stationed around the world and across the country. >> only on al jazeera america. as,. >> the people of that 13-year-old girl who was declared brain dead following a tonsillectomy, at oakland children's hospital, expires at 8:30 p.m. eastern time. her family is still trying to find a place for they are to go. >> jahi mcmath is unfortunately deceased, no hope of prayer, or any type of medical procedure will bring her

back. >> the girl's parents are trying to get a hospital to take her in as a patient in this city. friends of michael schumacher, former formula 1 racer, is in critical condition. he was wearing a helmet, but wasn't enough to prevent serious brain damage. an egyptian court has convicted nearly 150 supporters of ousted president mohamed morsi, charges range from rioting to sabotage, each sentenced to two years in prison. al jazeera's alsar sucree reports. >> outside egypt's main university, forces fight each other through a fog of tear gas. egypt remains a polarized

country. since august, the military government has cracked down on the muslim brotherhood. to declare the brotherhood a terrorist organization. morsi faces three separate charges on a litany including conspiring against the state. languished behind bars swept up by the security forces. and as the suppression of the brotherhood started last summer they began an increase on attacks against egyptian security forces, the latest was against the military intelligence building northeast of cairo on sunday. last tuesday 16 people were killed when a car bomb exploded at another security headquarters this time in the nile delta. violence that had previously been confined to the sinai peninsula is now getting closer to cairo. the government says the brotherhood bears responsibility

for the blast and other attacks even though it's not directly involved. >> it was not an objection to the state's economic policy, it was the state's foreign policy orientation. it is clear all of this is a result of the specific situation that the brotherhood is suffering. >> reporter: amid all the turmoil the government is pressing ahead with its political road map which has been significantly rearranged. a presidential election will now likely be held ahead of parliamentary polls. so the ab you dul fattah al sisi could become egypt's second democratically elected president. al jazeera. >> and al jazeera is demanding a release of the team of its journalists in egypt. security forces detaining the form. peter gresti and mohamed fami and bahir mohamed.

all we should point out are experience journalists who have worked for multiple international media organizations over the last two decades. coming up on al jazeera america, drug traffickings has been a problem in rio de janeiro for years. now, attempting to end these problems before the world cup.

>> police in brazil are trying to clean up the notorious slums known as favelas. it's all part of a five year program known as the pacification drive. as rachel levin reports, success has a price. >> reporter: heavily armed brazilian elite security forces attempting to regain control of poor communities in rio, held captive for decades.

many are close to tourist attractions and the world cup and olympics are coming. after the military operation the hard part for people like captain marcella rocha is keeping the peace. >> we arrived and have the obligation to reconquer the community and for residents to grow and trust us. >> the resident friendly police are having success. murder rates are dropping quickly and so is the number of violent crimes but the tactics of the pacification police are increasingly being questioned as more cases emerge of unarmed people being killed or abducted. in some places police have only limited access. this is a community that has yet to be passified by the police and it is under the control of a criminal gang which its illegal activities out in the open. every day people line up to buy

drugs. cocaine, meth and marijuana are sold. the traffickers say the police only show up to arrest people but never stay for long. >> translator: there are more police here which makes it tougher for us to work. most of them earn money from us as well and we just end up getting pushed back. >> reporter: by the time the world cup final is held in rio, officials are hoping to have 40 communities with a permanent police presence. a fraction of more than 900 favelas in the city. >> these are neglected by the program, these are precisely the most voirnlt areas. there is -- violent areas. turn rio de janeiro into an international tourist tickic ce. >> some people worry that the captain is going to leave once the sporting event is over. but he says he's not going

anywhere. rachel levin, al jazeera, rio de janeiro. >> meteorologist dave warren. cold air, but a lot more cold is coming with the storm that will be developing. this is not it, just an area of snow in minnesota and iowa, a little bit of disturbed air, cold air pushing south, arctic air i should say minneapolis two below, chicago at single digits, when you factor the wind chill 10, 20° below zero. the cold air will be in place for the next storm. this area of low pressure is up over eastern canada. this one causes a problem. brings a lot of moisture up into that cold air. now it will move east, an area of low pressure develops along this front here which slows everything down, keeps it in place and just puts a lot of moisture into the cold air which is trapped in place to the north side of that front. that's where you get the steady

snow. this will be thursday and friday. looks like it's north of new york mainly through new england western new york and just northern pennsylvania seeing that snow. to the south not a lot of moisture is making it into the mid atlantic, but it could be rain with the temperatures a little bit warmer. another shot of cold arctic air, this looks like the repeat but this is the forecasted plan thursday and friday. another arctic blast moving in. this area will certainly move east but not south. with that warm air to the south, the colt air is stuck, boston seeing that snow on thursday and friday then maybe a mix of sleet and freezing rain friday, arctic air coming to the east at the end of this coming week, del. >> thank you very much. it is going to be cold. and thank you for watching al jazeera america, i'm del walters

in new york. "techknow" is next. check us out by going to aljazeera.com. hello and welcome. i'm phil torres to talk about innovations that can change lives. we're going to explore hardware and humanity in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check out our team of hard-core nerds. tonight she's on the front lines of a devastating wildfire as a drone takes command of the skies over yosemite. crystal is a molecular neuroscience. she goes to the streets of seattle and santa cruz for a look at how science might stop crime before it happens. lindsay is an ex-cia operator. tonight show