... you are watching al jazeera america, live from new york city. i am jonathan betz. fighting for fallujah. iraq's brian mim sister proms to take over a group that's taken over parts of the country. brutal weather spreading from the mid kept bringing dangerously low temperatures. rescuing the rescue you'res, another stip is trapped in the antartic ice. ♪ wake up, little susie. ♪ wake up. >> we look back at the life after rock in' roll pioneer.

>> battles ranging in iraq have u.s. officials concerned. the iraqi government is fighting al-qaeda-linked militants for control of parts of western iraq. you can hear the gunfire in fallujah where 8 have been killed. fallujah is one of the two main cities in iraq's rambar province. ramadi has been under siege. they are affiliated with al-qaeda. they call themselves, the islamic state of iraq and lamont. that grew wants to set up a sunni islamic state in iraq and across the border. al-qaeda has taken over control of parts of syria as well. for more, we go to imran. >> the fighters claim they have taken over the main highway into the town of fallujah. one man shouts "god is great" as he gestures to a burnt-out

vehicle they claim to be from iraq's army. they say they isn't reinforcements to battle tribuntribal fighters there. if the front line has moved to the outskirts. sunni tribal leaders have so far not allowed iraqi fighters to enter the town saying they should head any operation. it's a sign of how little they trust the government of the prime minister. the prime minister, though, is not backing down. he is described the operation as vital to the security of iraq. >> there is nothing left. we have to unite to fight for ones who are destroying our country, to stand by our security forces and to make sure we succeed in the political process that they want destroyed. the main noun anbar province managed to route the fighters and in corporation with the police force secured the city.

fallujah remains tension. >> sunni tribal leaders say they have been harassed, targeted and arrested by government forces in recent years and are calling for the reform of the para military force disbanded after al-qaeda was defeated in 2008. with little trust on either side, the baghdad government and the sunni groups in anbar province are at a stalemate. >> for more, we talked to the former u.s. acambassador, christopher hill via skype about what this means for security there. a real threat. anbar has been the toughest proposition for the government. the government has a light footprint there. it has been turned over to tribal leaders. the various kind of -- i don't want to use the term "maliss malitias," they were maintaining

security. approximately with the uptick in sort of extremist, sunni violence he there, has been quite a nasty struggle going on between those tribal leaders and these al-qaeda-affiliated elements. it's not a pretty picture. but from the point of view of the tribal leaders, they cannot be turning to the government in baghdad because that would be -- that would worsen their position vis-a-vis other sunnis. it's a tough sunni on sunni problem right now, let alone the problem with the baghdad government. i think the government in baghdad absolutely has to regain control, but i think they have to do it through some mechanic name of involved the tribal leaders. that means they are going to have to let those tribal leaders abobe in the lea and i think they absolutely have to take control. they cannot have this -- allow this afifiliate to grow in strength. that will cause

further problems in shiia-sun nighs relates almost at the breaking point because it has gone on for years without any mitigation. thanks to christopher hill, former u.s. ambassador to iraq. the same group is claiming responsibility for the bombing in beirut two days ago. at least five people were killed after a suicide car bomb exploded. danna hoda reports. >> protests are growing and they are becoming more widespread. people in the rebel held north of syria want the islamic state and the lavont to leave their country. it is not just protests. armed rebel faxes have also turned their guns against this al-qaeda-linked group and pushed them out of some villages. there have been fierce battles in parts of aleppo, in this video, f they say they captured a commander of the group. a newly formed syrian

residential alliance went as far as declaring war on the islamic state. it demanded that isli fighters join the ranks of other rebel groups or hand over their weapons and leave syria. the alliance accused isl of spreading strife and insecurity and liberated rebel areas spilling blood of fighters and wrongly accusing them of heresy. >> islamic state equal the assad regime. we decided to fight them. we wouldn't stop until they finished. the islamic front hasn't of announced but they helped us in battles. >> the fsa commanders say they are receiving help from the alliance in the north. it was one of its commanders who was tortured and killed by the islamic state a few days ago that sparked the wave of protests. >> they took thhim in and execud

him. it became emblem attic as what they see as the highjacking by frorners. >> at the start of the uprising, foreign fighters were welcomed by the opposition that. changed when the islamic state began taking territory and imposing what some called brutal tactics against the population. they have arrested, killed and forced into exile secular obviouszition activists who called for democracy. >> reynolds have turned their gowns each other in recent months, but this is the most certa serious violence between the armed opposition and al-qaeda. some are calling it a new revolution. it may be too early to compare to iraq's aquakening -- awakening movement which is tribal militias pushing out al-qaeda. >> undoubted al-qaeda's presence has tarnished the revolution's image. the west has been talking about fighting terrorism in syria

instead of focusing on the regime. p beirut. >> the leader of another al-qaeda-linked group died while being treated at a beirut hospital hospital. he suffered kidney failure. he was from saudi air aaria andn the country's most wanted terrorist list. he was behind the bombing of the beirut embassy in november that killed 23. >> the u.s. secretary of state says some progress is being made in the mid east peace talks about they are far from a deal. john kerry returned after meeting with mahmoud abbas. he is trying to encourage peace talks between israelis and palestinia palestinians >> reporter: john kerry has met 40 times in the last year and finally, today, he said he is making a little bit of probat n probation. slow work, shuttle sdpoemacy for people who have been fighting for much of the last six decades. he is determined to do itupremar

people who have been fighting for much of the last six decades. he is determined to do it. all he is trying to do is create, in his words, the framework for the guideline of peace. he is not trying to solve middle east peace this weekend. all he is trying to do is get the two sides to agree on what they are going to talk about in the future. that basic step is what he is aiming for. what's emerged in the talks in the last week is a real sticking point. israel is demanding is that the palestinians accept it as a jewish state. that's new. isral didn't demand egypt or jordan accept it as a jewish state. nonetheless t israel says palestinians, in order tore know they are going to be a true person partner must say israel is jewish. palestinian said you have a right to exist. if we identify you as a jewish state, we are not only marginalizing the 20% who are arab but accepting your narrative about land that both of us claim is our own. that fear of accepting that narrative, john kerry addressed that earlier today, speaking to reporters in ramala. >> this is hard work. there are narrative issues am,

difficu difficult, complicated years of mis trust that have been built up. all of which have to be worked through and undone. >> the palestinians are being asked to concede to israel's demand that they identify as a jewish state. the israeli were asking they am stop building settlement. what they say is we can build anywhere after the border of west bank andis because we captured it in the 1967 war. the palestinians say, if you really expect us to build a state, we are going to live side-by-side with two states, how can you build on our land? how can you build not only homes but an entire network of roads, patchwork that basically splits our people off from their brothers and cousins and other -- in other towns. kerry acknowledged that and that the two sides are speaking past each other and far apart but he remains optimistic. >> we are working with great intensity, with serious purpose,

with a commitment to try to resolve this conflict that has gone on for many years too long, and which i think in the presents us now with the possibility it of trying to find a framework agreement. which would really lay out the end game and lay out the framework for the major issues to guide the negotiations from this point forward. and that homework is due very, very soon. kerry says he will be back here next weekend. it will be his 11th twip in 12 months. nick schifrin for us tonight. in the u.s., fridgid temperatures are gripping a large part of the midwest. the deep freeze brings dangerously low temperatures not seen in years in the dakotas. it could feel as low as 50 degrees below zero. several states across the

midwest may face negative temperatures for days. many people in the region are still digging out in the from the winter's first major snowstorm. david hawkins joins us from detroit where it's below freezing. it could get to 1 degree on tuesday. what are people doing to prepare for the storm, david? >> he jonathan, people are doing what they often do to prepare for storms there. they are going shopping, getting food, things like milk and eggs, things you might need over the next few days when you don't want to venture outside your house and go to the grocery store. it's expected to be very action very cold here right now, as you said, it's just below freezing, but over the next few days, it's -- the temperatures are expected to drop to record lows. it's not just the temperatures, though, that are problematic. along with the low temperatures, there are going to be high fwhindz many parts of the northern united states. that could drive the effective temperatures with the windshillchill as low as minus

50 or seventy degrees. >> that's cold weather. >> so david, i am trying to get an idea of how concerned people there because detroit sees cold weather. this is unlike something they are used to. right? >> right. well, there is no sense of panic or impending am catastrophfee here, at least not in detroit, where people are used to cold winters. now, i think this is going to be as cold as it's been in 40 or 50 years. so people may not know what's coming for them. but nonetheless, this is michigan -- michigan is a cold-weather state. it's been snowing here and cold over the last several days. so, i think people are doing what they would normally do to prepare for a particularly nasty storm. in this case, it's not going to be the snow that is the problem. it's going to be the very low temperatures and high winds. >> very cold temperatures, dangerously cold.

dave hawkins, live in detroit. thank you. >> let's go to kevin karvo. this is rare to see these kinds of temperatures? >> it is absolutely rare. we haven't seen this in a long time. it's because we have seen one polar outbreak after another. it has been getting colder and colder with each and every one. what we are looking at right now is the northern planes. this line that you see right here is actually a cold front. so behind the cold front, high temperatures are much lower. right now, current temperatures look like this. fargo, this is the ambient temperatures, like you would get from your temperature, minus three degrees. minneapolis is minus three degrees. the windchill warnings in the area. what does that mean? first of all, windchill affects anything that is warm-blooded. it pulls away the natural layer of heat away from your body. the stronger the winds are, the more it is going to pull it away. so the -- it's going to actually

make you lose that heat faster and that's why the stronger the winds are, we get those very low wind chills. let's put this in motion. feels more like 45, minus 45 in fargo, north dakota. we will ant mate in the about 24 hours. the area up to the north, minus 61, minus 64. by the time we end tomorrow afternoon, it looks like it will be fargo will feel more like minus 57. you definitely want to stay inside and off of the roads. jo be than? >> good advice there, kevin. thank you. one of rock in' role's earlitest icons has passed away, phil everly died yesterday at the age of 74. he influenced bob dylan and the beatles. t month are on the man and his music. >> two brothers, 2 voices, always in perfect harmony. ♪ ummm. dream, dream, dream.

♪ dream, dream, dream. older brother, don provided the low melody. phil took the high note ♪ only trouble is, gee whiz, i am dreaming my life away. fauxed. >> their soring invoices t, they helped usher in rock in' roll with their first hit, "bye, bye, love." ♪ bye, bye, love. ♪ hello happiness. ♪ i think i am going cry. >> the everly did put 19 top 40 hits on the charts between 957 and 1962. ♪ wake up, little susie. ♪ wake up. >> familiar themes of love and angst resonated with a generation searching for its own voice ♪ when i feel blue, in the the night, and i need you, to hold

me tight, whenever... ♪ >> but paul simon wrote in "rolling stone" their impact exceeds even their fame ♪ here he comes. ♪ that's cathy's clown. ♪ >> the brothers cast a long shadow on simon and many other performers who came after them. the beatles described themselves as the english everlys. bob dylan said rock owed these guys everything. they had a major falling out in 1973 but came together for reunion concerts. ♪ don't ever leave me lonely. >> as phil battled lung disease, his family said he never lost his angelic voice. timeless music without question. earlier, we spoke with rolling stone about his influence and

his relationship with his brother. >> strangely, a lot of groups they profoundly influenced like the beatles began to take center stage but the everly brothers, you know, were american and were part of an earlier thing, you know, rock music is about fads in a lot of ways. people got swept up. yeah, they had a little bit of a tough time for a while. certainly their personality conflicts, you know, after their initial success, i mean like a lot of brothers, like simon and garfunkel, themselves, they never really got along that well. >> they had their famous split, i think, what? 1973. >> yeah. about '73. they -- you know, they came together again and very interestingly, in 2003, simon and garfunctionel brought them out on tour. it was a funny thing because, you know, the everly brothers had been a profound influence. simon and garfunkel had problems. to see the four of them on stage, you know, simon and garfunkel refused to have the everly brothers open for them so they brought them out during

their their set. they thought we are not going to follow the everly brothers. >> they are like our icons. they would come out. they would perform and it was really quite moving to see them together. it was a real high point in the latter part of the everly brothers' career. >> an icon to the music industry, phil everly died at the age of 74. okay. anthony with "rolling stone" g thank you for your tile. >> it was a pleasure. >> still to come on al jazeera america, they raced to rescue passengers aboard a ship stuck in its in antartica. now, they are stuck. "america tonight" investigative series >> we traveled here to japan to find out what's really happening at fukushima daiich >> three years after the nucular disaster, the hidden truth about the ongoing cleanup efforts and how the fallout could effect the safety of americans >> are dangerous amounts of radioactive water, leaking into the pacific eververyday? >> join america tonight's michael okwu for an exclusive four part series, as we

return to fukushima only on al jazeera america

real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. s. welcome back. the u.s. coast guard is now being called on to help stranded ships in antartica because of a chinese ice breaker that the need rescue 52 passengers is now stranded, itself. ice breaking ship, the polar star was already there for another mission. the latest on the chinese ship

that's now stranded in ice. >> after more than a week on rescue duty, the swalong, snow dragon is, itself, trapped. it's helicopter had been vital in collecting the passengers from the russian research vessel and ferrying them to a ship to take them to safety. 52 journalists, researchers and tourists were air lifted across the thick sea ice. as an ice breaker, the swalong is used to these severe conditions. it's voiming to the south poll is to resupply the ant artic station, jonchan. it's slfrp # problem is that the sea ice is shifting, meaning that what may be a safe position one day is not the next. the captain has made it clear that the current situation is manageable and that his crew does not need any assistance.

he hopes the ship can free it's itself from the ice in the near future. dominic cain, al jazeera. we try to copy and back up important documents in case the worst happens. what if that could be applied to buildings or monuments? one company says it can. stephanie stanton has more on new technology being used to save world treasures. >> from the leaning tower of pisa to mount rushmore, a small company called ziark in the san francisco bay area is doing big things, mapping out the world's cultural landmarks using high-tech, 3d imaging. >> the core of the mission is to document these sites before they are lost so that we have an everlasting record of them. >> justin barton oversees the project which uses this to record images of sites. the technology is so precise, it can duplicate an image within a few mil meters.

>> a little over 6 and a half minutes will have a full 360 degree scan. the founder came up with the idea of digitally preserving historic sites after thetab taliban's destruction of the bud buddhas in afghanistan. they were documenting syria and egypt icons due to political unrest in those countries. >> in a time when we have natural disasters increasing and frequency, wars and we have all sorts of transformation, to have that cultural heritage preserved is essential. the spanish colonial era, syark hasma mapped five landmarks including mission to juarez, the oldest building here in san francisco. >> the company was started in 2003. so far,scientists have mapped

100 landmarks including the sidney opera house and mount rushmore which proved to be one of their most difficult assignments? >> we had to design a customized rig that could lower the scanner over the faces and basically, we had to lower the scanner into the position, you know, up in the eyes, under the noses, underneath the rope team to lower the machines down. >> now, it is embarking on a more ambitious plan, mapping another 400 important historical sites within the next five years. >> it's hard to save the world but something we are trying to do. at the very least, it saved the world's history. >> saving the ancients while using the modern the. stephanie stanton, al jazeera, oakland, california. >> german lawmakers are trying to ban a new wave of designer drugs that have invaded the club scene. backroom chemists are selling them but they are legal. nick spicer has more from

berlin. >> for many people wanting to rave all night in a berlin nightclub, a little chemical boost is hard to resist. in fact, ab estimated one new drug a month is released on the global market, too fast for police to catch up. even dealers admit it's getting out of hand. there are always new drugs emerging. people are creative and it has taken on perverse dimensions what people take. it is increasingly unhealth for mind and body. >> getting legally high is as easy as going online to order up the offerings of the chemists working in china or india, for example. >> the chemicals they contain will be very close in their molecular structure to an illegal drug wibut just differe enough to evade the law. this, for example, is a dose of lsz or zed, with the same effect as lsd but legal in most countries. >> users of the drug say they can be safer than illegal drugs because they are purer, not cut,

for example, with caffeine or rat poison. >> if someone takes a bag of that stuff into a bar, then it's a disaster. people will die. >> that's what happens. drugs have a stigma attached to them. those who deal them don't necessarily know their pharmaceutical profile so they can't advise you. >> the european union is trying to cut the time it takes to ban new drugs from two years to 10 months. but the market is growing rapidly. in germany, alone, it's estimated over 120 new drugs have emerged in the past eight years, some 400,000 people have taken them. nick spicer, al jazeera, berlin. there is a lot more ahead on al jazeera america, including a big change in the florida everglades. >> i am natasha. an air boat ride through the swamps has become synonymous with the florida everglades but airboating is phases out. we will tell you why. >> we are looking at a massive

change in temperatures across the northeast. a lot of snow on the ground is going to melt but as we begin the week, it is going to refreeze. all of the details on that when i return right after this. >> i am john henry smith, live in philadelphia. coming up on a preview of what promises to be a fridgid nfc wild card game against the saints and the eagles. >> al jazeera america is the only news channel that will brings you live news at the top of every hour.

welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at your top stories this half hour: u.s. says it is concerned about the situation in western iraq where the government is battling an armed group linked to al-qaeda. police in the main city of fallujah say rebel fighters control the center of town. at least eight people have been killed in the violence there. u.s. coast guard is being called on to help two stranded ships in antartica because the chinariese ice breaker is stran. u.s. ice breaking ship, "the polar star" is already in the reamingon for another mission. >> cold on the midwest, deep

freeze bringing lowest temperatures in years. in the dakotdakotas, it could fs low as 503s degrees below zero. several states may face negative temperatures for days. certainly we have seen a dumping of snow in the northeast as well. temperatures are apparently expected to climb. is that right? >> believe it or not, look at the radar, it looks a lot better than it did a couple of days ago, but there is still quite a bit of snow that is still on the ground. >> that's because we haven't got above freezing to melt any of it. so in tain parts of the region, it is very sloshy. here in new york, this is what the taxis are dealing with. i haven't actually taken taxi. i have taken the sub waifrmths because i haven't really trusted thiswaifrmthsways because i hav really trusted this. we will see new york city at 26 degrees. the windchill, which isn't very great at a time because the winds have come down, to 1 degrees here philadelphia feels more like about 18 degrees, and we do have some freezing rain advisories coming into play here across pennsylvania and new

york. that's going to make it dangerous on the highways. we will keep you informed on that separately. now, watch what happens to the temperatures as we go to sunday and this is pretty much what we are going to be seeing on monday. 42 degrees. so, all of that snow that we have seen across the region is going to begin to melt. as it melts, it's going to make it, you know, very liquidy. overnight as we go toward tuesday night, we will go back to about 19 degrees. a lot of the standing water across the region is going to be ice. so, if you are traveling tuesday, wednesday, it will be a skating rink out there. jonathan? >> okay. thanks, kevin. frankly out there in that snow, in those freezing cold temperatures, a lot of n.f.l. players and their fans? >> the fans. they don't have nearly the heat that the players have on the sidelines. with the upcoming super bowl set to be held outdoors in the cold for the first time in its history, some of this weekendts n.f.l. play-off games could give us a preview of what we might see. john henry smith is live where the eagles are set to host the

saints. we heard some of the weather specifics from kevin. from your standpoint, how does it feel there on the field at lincoln financial field? and how do you think it will affect the game tonight? >> e jack frost is nipping at noses here i have to tell you how it feels. i've got four -- three layers of longjohns on, four layers of clothes. i have two sets of dmrofz. one here and one theregloves. one here and one there. and i am freezing. i have to imagine that i think that particularly, it's going to be a difficult time for the players tonight with their hands in and their feet, catching the ball, handling the ball. we see if that comes into play later on tonight. temperature at kickoff is supposed to be about 15 to 20 degrees. you know, of course, the saints are a dome team that passes a lot so that could be an issue for them. they did practice inside of their practice facility this

week, climate controlled at about 65 degrees whereas the eagles practiced outside in fridgid philadelphia. we will see if that practice in the cold makes perfect for the uplinks. one thing that may might play into the saints' favor tonight, they have signed a kicker in the last couple of weeks, named shayne graham. he has an 85% success rate over his career and kicked in mostly cold weather venues, places like buffalo, cincinnati. watch for that if the game gets close tonight. >> by virtue of the nfc east division crown, the eagles will host the game despite gnarls with a better record. how muchnew orleans with a better record. how much of an add vantage is that for philadelphia? >> it's interesting, michael. since they revamped the n.f.l. format to allow all of these wildcard teams, 17 teams with better records have had to go on the road to open up wild card play against the team at their house with an inferior record

and in those games, the home team is only 9 and 8. the advantage wouldn't seem to be that great. >> that's why eagles say they know they've got to bring it tonight against the good saints team. >> everybody is so excited for us to be here, but we should be here. everybody is excited about us, you know, being here. we prepare each game. we have so much talent on this team. on the way we prepare. we prepare to be the champs of this division. we are prepared to win this game. >> they have been unbelievable. the fact that we got a chance to win the division and get to come and play a game at home is huge for us. we are excited. we know it will be rocking on saturday. >> so, michael, as you can see, certainly, the philadelphia eagles, they have to bring it tonight. they have been the hottest,

biggest play offense in the n.f.l. this season and they have the number 1 rushing attack, certainly it seems it will go well for them in a cold weather game. >> the eagles making the first play-off appearance since 2010. john henry smith live in philadelphia. john, enjoy the game. >> now to basketball whether former nba champion dennis rodman is following through to take a group of former players with him to north korea to an exhibition game, kenny anderson, cliff robinson and ben baker with he craig hodges will team up to take on al north korea e afternoon senior national team which happens to be kim jon un's birthday. he says he considers the leader a friend for life. now, rodman is calling this game his version of basketball diplomacy. >> we will see if it leads anywhere then. ? >> we will see. >> thanks, michael. dramatic footage on the coast of the united kingdom.

>> here we go. there it goes. look at that. the moment part of a cliff collapsed following days of rough seas along the coastline. local officials are urging the public to stay away. the area is usually frequented by fishermen and popular with tourists in the summer. sgluk has bi ben hit with flooding. in the southwest many homes and roads are under water. >> for days, parts of britain have been battered by bad weather. the huge tidal surges, heavy rain and gale-force winds striking hard. the deluge and destruction was not as bad as many forecasters have predicted. as day broke over the southwest, the worst of it seemed over. for now, at least, with the defendants holding back the tide. >> we will be out of the woods

here, but we have hefty flooding going up on upstream. we have a number of flood alerts and flood warnings >> reporter: it has come at a price. protecting the town of unto upon 7 has cost around $7 millions. in this area, people were resigned to flooding. this very modern flood defense system is keeping the water at bay. >> much to the relief of many people in the area. >> up until they put the wall in, we got flooded six times, and the worst was in 2007 when it actually came up to this level, which inside was three feet >> reporter: some of the defenses may have worked, but the agency which looks after them have found itself at the center of a political storm. flans to cut more than 1500 so johnsplans to cut more than 150 johns has led to questions about whether the future environment agency could cope with major

weather eventevents. the taints taxpayer dollar has under demands and new challenges over the climate. >> areas of existing urban infrastructure, major parts are now in a high-risk flood area. we are going to have to work out a way of managing redevelopment which are flood resistant >> reporter: it feels like a lull before the storm as forecasters predict there is more bad weather on the way. emma hayward, al jazeera, glouchester. >> al jazeera is demanding the release of our colleagues being held in egypt. producers along with core spented peter grista have been held since sunday. they face further questioning tomorrow. he job description prosecutors say they are being held on suspicion of joining a terrorist group and spreading lies harmful to state security. al jazeera says the allegations

are fabricated nonsense. journalism say egypt, syria and iraq are among the most dangerous countries. am sharif, thanks for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> how would you sum up the current state of freedom of press in egypt? do you think it's get eg better or worse? >> the most undprentsd number of attacks and violations against the press we have on record for egypt isn't the organization started documenting flu he 1992. this year, egypt for the first time was among the top 10 areas of journalists and the top 3 most dangerous bloody environment for journalists with six dying doing work this year alone, 2013. so, it's by far the most deterioration we have seen in egypt. >> typically, what happens when a journalist is arrested in

egypt? >> they are take taken for prosecution. if they are lucky within a day or two they are inteargation gated. al jazeera was intein tear gate and referred to a prosecute. they typically stay in this kind of questioning phase for weeks. sometimes, if they are lucky, they are appearing in front of others. this shows how flawed the judicial system is because they have been partnering with the government in turbots of using legal and illegal ways to sensor media and go after journalists. they have detained since july 3rd, dozens of journalists, some of them for extended period of time. and they were just held for quote, unquote questioning with

charges that later on they say, okay, we will let you go. some of them actually work with al jazeera right now have been in detention for now up to five months without officially being charged and without seeing a judge. >> in fact, sometimes they are released, does that give you any kind of sense of confidence in the system? do you feel like any part of the judicial system in egypt can be trusted? >> not at all. i think some of those releases are political in nature like the cases, itself. it's brought by political motives so the government, everywhere there is a strong outcry. if they are a citizenship of foreign national and their government intervene in their behalf to ask for the egyptian government to release them, that has a lot of difference in the political calculation that the regime does right now. >> a lot of difference, also, in the impact to public society if

there is no clear source of unbiased news. what does that do to the country? >> that's in a country that's right now running in terms of preparation to a refer end um in two weeks. it's a violation of every citizen right of receiving independent and critical information. we have a constitution that has been drafted by a committee that was appointed by the interim government and the military, and this appointed constitution committee have introduced dozens of new articles and amendments that should be a real discussion and a dialogue about those amendments amend going after critical independent voices is going to stop people from receiving necessary commentary about the good and bad on each of those articles. >> sharif manzur with the committee to protect journalists.

thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you for having me. >> of families are fleeing their home in the south sudan ea sout sudanese city of bor where the number of most displaced people is concentrated. those loyal to the former vice president has caused over 60,000 people to fee. they have been at the city of the fighting since it began last month. negotiators for the opposing side will meet in ethiopia for reconciliation talks tomorrow. earlier, morgan radford spoke to the head of the united nations mission in south sudan. she said the first step is getting the two sides to agree on ending the violence. >> if the parties can agree to a cessation of hostilities where the talks take place, that will mean that we have collected with

the scenario. >> that's the main point. it is to halt and stop the violence because otherwise, it can side down and get out of control. nobody wants that, and that's why the talks are now happening. >> there was much more ahead on al jazeera america including the question: paper or plastic? it is now a thing of the past in a big u.s. city. details ahead. everything she's ever known... >> she's gone through a ton of orphan stuff... >> if their hopes don't turn out to be the reality...are they gonna crash? >> an unflinching look at a family learning to love >> i think she could have used a hug... >> dark matter of love on al jazeera america

>> scholars and writers, policy makers and cultural icons >> don't miss the best of "talk to al jazeera" revealing... >> he said he was gonna fight for the public option, he didn't do it... >> personal.... >> from the time i was about nine, i knew i was different in ways other than just my face... >> shocking... >> being babtist...they always talk about don't judge other people.. but they judge everybody... >> the conversations people are talking about >> forget the democrat party and forget the reublican party, they're all one party... >> talk to al jazeea on al jazeera america. the aerospace capital of the

world, what washingtonts governing is calling his state. a deal that will ensures the aircraft manufacturer will not move work out of state. boeing is the biggest private employer in that state with some 80,000 jobs. skimming the swamps in an air boat is synonymous with a visit to the florida everglades but the days of air boating are almost gone. here is more >> reporter: those who live in the florida everglades say it takes a special kind of person to live here. one of the ways they enjoy living here is through airboating. thanks to new park rules, this won't be able to enjoy their hobby for much longer >> reporter: doyle kenan is the 5th generation of men in his family who have expertly navigated the swamps of the everglades in an airboat. he and others like him make up a dwindling community of more than a thousand called gladesmen. his family owns a commercial air tour company.

>> there is no place like this in the world. you are out here in mother nature, not stuck in an. it's -- i get to see new people every day. i get to bring education and show them my backyard. >> coopertown airboat tours was the first commercial airboat tour company. it was established by the kenon family in 1945 two years before the government established everglades national park. it's one of three airboat tour operators in the park. >> there has been a history of our nature, our culture, what we were raised in, what we have done for many, many years. >> this way of life is about to face drastic changes due to new rules enacted by everglades national park. 2014 is the last year people will be able to enjoy skimming the swampy curves for pleasure in their private airboats. a small number of oldtimers will be allowed to continue. one to 2,000 people will have to doc their airboats permanently and tour operators will have to sell their land to the federal government. >> it's unfair.

>> that's my opinion and the opinion of a lot of people out here. we have taken away livelihood and freedom. >> a spokesman for the national park says airboating creates rust in the soil that i am packets the environment. it will restore the flow of water and. >> the patriarch of the kenon family says living and working in the everglades nad him a con certainvationist and the wildlife has adapted to their airboateng carryings years ago. >> we try to use our air boats as an educational program for schools and people all over the world so they understand what the eco systems and the fauna and the everglades is so we have a reason to support people maintaining that. we would like to do that into my great grandkids' lifetime. >> kenon says so far, the federal government hasn't offered him a fair price and they haven't agreed on terms.

a park spokesman says after they have acquired the land, each business will have to sign a contract and pay a franchise fee. >> i am going to fight that as long as possible. >> these rules are part of the everglades restoration project. in the coming months, park officials are lrelease new details regarding not only airboating but camping, hiking, and other ways the public uses the wetlands. natasha. the everglades. los angeles, a familiar plastic grocery bag is a thing of the past there. this is why >> reporter: disposal shopping bags are everywhere in los angeles, caught in fences, in the trees, the weeds. and they are in the gutter waiting to be washed down the storm drain to the ocean. >> that's why this city banned them. it's been the law only a few days, but angela knew it was

coming. >> i would bring them in the trunk of the car. i would forget. but now, it's become a habit. and i am really grateful for that. >>reporter: i think it's a great think thing -- thing. we should be could be serving. >> if you come without a bag, you can get a paper one, but it will cost you a dime. there are some senses. you can still get your chinese takeout in a plastic bag and a little mom and pop groceries have until june to comply. billions are distributed every year in california alone. it was mostly a one-sided argument last june when the los angeles city council pated the law. >> they become trash. they clog our gutters. they pollute our river and they trash our beaches. >> if you want to see a fish destroyed, go see what plastic does to a fish. what it does to the food chain, what it does to life, itself. >> now, about 90 city and county governments in california have banned or limited plastic

grocery bags. one of the prime movers is heal the bay in santa monica? >> we will start to see momentum on the issue of plastic pollution and its consequences statewide, nationally and even internationally as we start to see that simple changes, like just bringing a reasonable bag can make a lot of difference. >> getting shoppers in the habit is the big trick. >> they gave me a free bag. >> nice bag. >> but you didn't bring it here today? >> i didn't bring it here. took it to my car. >> changes isn't in the bag quite yet. brian moony, al jazeera, los angeles. >> still ahead, a big step into the 21st century. how india is helping the blind take advantage of the latest technology.

cuba has lifted restrictions on buying cars. a new law makes car buying easier by eliminating the need

for a permit. cubats auto market is a state-run monopoly means the government sets prices. cars sold in cuba are generally twice the price in the u.s. it does not allow cubans to import directly. >> russia is five weeks amp from olympic went are games. putin played ice hockey. he took a ride on a new high-speed train and visited volunteers. he tested out the sochi ski slopes and et cetera allowing groups to hold protests at sprout sites after ordering a appeals court clamp down. two suicides attacks killed 34. world braille day. for 200 years, braille has empowered millions of the visually impaired. in india advances may be outpacing the writing system. fez jamil reports. >> it's an exhibition of

braille, part of the celebrations at this institute for the blind. here, braille is celebrated on more than one day each year. tran you have /* asakh was born blind but he is not here to learn braille. he did that when he was six years old. it's now using braille to take professional courses to become a computer programmer. >> programming. >> as well as basic computer program, i am also learning programming. ++ c + c + c -- >> typing, transcription and india's largest braille printing press, it's an impressive learning and teaching system designed around braille. but with 60 to 70 percent of all blind people in india living in rural areas there are challenges to bring these kind of resources to them. >> our workers are now going in

to the countryside, approaching visually impaired persons at their own doorsteps and providing the necessary services to them. >> but learning braille in non-urban areas without the proper resources is much harder. some believe a modern solution is needed. in the 90 years braille has been around, it has spread throughout the world and can be found in even public places like restaurants and elevators, but with technological add vance, some wonder if there is still a greed need -- great need for braille. >> new programs and mobile apps can repeat what's been typed into the keyboard. but some say the costs keep much of that technology out of the reach of most blind people in the developing world. >> it is universally recognized they are no, ma'am cot disappoint disappointedtors for braille but only intended to supplement what is available in the braille

system. >> akosh agrees. >> the advantages is that i can read fast. i get to know the spellings and punctuation that i wouldn't get to know if computer reads them out. >> while technology is advancing to help those who are visually impaired, braille is progressing as well helping people live normal and modern lives. fez jamil, al jazeera, new dehli. >> a rumbling volcano shot ash into the air more than 30 times today 40sing more evacuations. mount sinamung has been a threat since november. it spewed ash 13,000 feet high. local officials say more than 20 78,000 people have been displaced. that's our show tonight. thanks for joining us. i am jonathan betz. we will be back in an hour with more.

headlines are next after a short break. you are watching al jazeera america america life from new york. i am jonathan betz with tonight's headlines. the u.s. says it's concerned about the situation in western iraq where the government is battling an armed group link today al-qaeda. police in the main city of fallujah say rebel fighters control the center of town. at least eight people have been killed in the violence there. brutal cold weather is bearing down on the midwest. a deep freeze is bringing some of the lowest temperatures in years in the dakotas. it could feel as low as 50 degrees below zero. several states across the midwest may face negative temperatures for days. u.s. coast guard is being called on to help two stranded ships in antartica bec