>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello and welcome to the news hour. i'm in doha with the world's top news stories, the battle for iraq's province, iraqis try to reclaim control from al-qaeda fighters. thousands of african immigrants protesting on the streets of israel. i'm barbara from europe, a

european princess, now a formal suspect. spain's christina is summoned over fraud and money laundering. and one of the biggest olympic operations in its history. one month before the winter games. ♪ >> iraq's go is struggling to regain control of the two main cities in the country's biggest province. a missile strike has killed 25 people. and in falujah much of the city is evacuated. military reinforcements are preparing for a full-on offensive with the help of some of the local tribes.

and it is these tribe that's could determine what happens next. andy gallagher reports. >> reporter: a military offense if could be just days away, but for now the streets are deserted. but help may soon be on its way from the u.s. government. >> we're accelerating our foreign military sales, and looking to provide an additional shipment of hell fire missiles as early as this spring. >> reporter: the iraqi army are edging closer with soldiers and equipment, backed up by sunni tribes loyal to their cause. and tensions mount. >> translator: the time measures we take today are because of the situation in amber. to avoid deterioration of

baghdad. god willing we are here for the service of the people. >> reporter: but the coalition of al-qaeda-backed fighters are continuing to cause serious problems, and vow that anyone that tries to help the government will be punished. >> translator: we revolutionaries have resolved to punish the tribesmen who decide to join the military council. the revolutionaries are also determined to shoulder the responsibility of foiling the filthy scheme run by the go. >> reporter: that has led to a mass exodus of the residents. attempts to get aid to those still in the city have been hampered by a continuingly dangerous situation. >> translator: we are negotiating with security and tribal forces over safety

issues. it is difficult for us to approach the city. >> reporter: iraq's prime minister has urged residents to help drive out the al-qaeda-linked fighters, but if that doesn't happen, all-out military intervention could be the next step. >> the situation in falujah we're waiting to see what happens there in romadi the situation is under control. >> well, they said it was under control, and now what we have seen in the last few hours is an iraqi missile strike just outside of the city. you squeeze the fighters in one area, they simply move on, disappear, and regroup in other areas. and it's not just these two

areas, if you want to rid the area of these fighters you have to go into the desert as well. so we're likely to see more of this, more announcements made, yes, we have taken control of key parts of the cities, we have taken control of this and that, but then we'll see air strikes on the outside of those places. >> the u.s. says it is not going to send troops, but is seconding missiles. are they going to get there in time to help? >> no, maliki had a huge list of all of the armor and heavy weapons that he needed. he got the hell fire missiles. that's crucial for a war like this. but they won't get there until probably early spring at the latest, and there are elections being called. they may even get there after

the elections, so it's very difficult for the prime minister to say, yes, i have suddenly have this influx of weapons, but what is more interesting is the language has changed. he has always said he needs help, but it is only when the u.s. has started to respond because this is framed as a war on terror, and the u.s. wants to support the war on terror, so you have them saying it's the iraqi fight, but we'll help them, and now jay carney saying we will accelerate delivery. >> thank you very much. the islamic state in iraq has always acted in syria. the isl is thought to be behind

50 executions. their bodies were found inside a children's hospital commandeered by the rebels and turned into a base to hold hostages. and this video appears to show fighting between the two sides. >> we want to warn you this video is disturbing. it shows two men being whipped in front of a crowd in lepo. the victims were apparently being punished for failing to pray on friday. and these rebel groups are causing problems for the overall opposition in syria, aren't they? >> yes, they did tarnish the

reputation. and it has pushed some countries to back away from supporting the rebels in a very strong way. they have decided that they are not going to send anymore deadly weapons -- or not just deadly weapons but even other supplies because they are concerned they would fall in the hands of some of the extremist groups. in the past four days 274 fighters have been killed in these clashes according to the syrian observatory for human rights. and that's why we're hearing from people saying that this kind of infighting would weaken the opposition, and it should stop, and all of the focus could be on fighting president assad instead. >> and the interior minister has said that cracking down on what he calls theaterries groups

should be the main focus of the geneva two conference taking place later this month. >> yes, because the syrian government had been adamant to portray this as a fight by the government against terrorist groups, and the other countries should be supporting the government instead of the opposition. and what they want to portray is that these kinds of talks in geneva are not just between different syrians, it's about fighting terrorism. that's why he had that kind of message, and he was very strong about it today. >> translator: we have to reach an agreement on the very first principle of the geneva peace conference, which is to combat terrorism. all other issues are secondary. even if it fails completely, the internal dialogue will continue.

>> reporter: the other message that he was very adamant to make today is that president assad most likely will run for the next presidential elections in 2014. he said this was a personal decision, that president assad has not announced the decision yet, but there is a popular urge to push him to do so. this is bad news for the syrian opposition who are adamant that to start a transitional period will mean the end of the assad rule, not a renewal of his term. >> thank you very much indeed. still with syria, the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons said it started shipping syrian chemical weapons out of the country. now thousands of african

migrants are out on the streets of tel-aviv in israel for a third day. they are protesting a new law that allows undocumented immigrants to be detained for a year without trial. >> translator: just as we managed to completely stop the illegal infiltration of our borders we are also determined to remove who entered before we closed the border. these are illegal infiltrate fors seeking work, and we attempt to bring them to justice. >> tom, we certainly saw some large crowds earlier on in the day, tell us what the migrants are calling for. >> they are basically asking for the israeli go to grant them something they have never had in

this country, although they have been in this country as undocumented workers for several years now, refugee status just as they get in other countries, and by that, they mean they could be here indefinitely or at least according to the israeli government in a situation where the government eventually would have to provide for them. right now they have no social services, because of the good labor market, they have been able to sustain themselves by basically working in industries, more likely in cleaning, meaningal work, cafes and restaurants that you see all around here in the resort areas, where they are much in demand, but now the government is putting a squeeze on them and not extending their temporary visas, so that they are totally in illegal status in this country, and once that happens, the government is able to say

that they can be put into detention -- well, they don't call them detention centers. they call them residences facilities -- controlled residences facilities and this particular one set up several weeks ago basically forces them to come in and out -- report several times a day. it's according to these people an untenable situation. far away from places of work and employment there is now a generation of young children growing up in israel, and there is no future for them there. so they want to see that the government abides by what is the spirit of the refugee convention of 1951 and give them that kind of official status in israel. >> tom, the israel prime minister says these protests won't make a bit of difference. why is israel taking such a tough line on immigration. is it what the public wants?

>> this is a very popular opinion. the israeli government does have support of a significant population. and in particular this area the poorest part of tel-aviv where the africans are living in very uncomfortable juxtaposition with the local population who feels they are an alien influence, and setting up businesses, they complain they are contributing to the crime rate in this area, so the israel government is heeding a call that they said basically should have been heeded many years ago, and made this population not welcome in this area. >> tom thanks for that. tom akerman in tel-aviv. the ceasefire agreement has been reached in yemen between two warring groups. the agreement is meant to end three months of fighting.

the truce was broken by government negotiators, and was signed on monday. hundreds of turkish police officers have been removed from their posts. state media says they have been reassigned to new positions after the government issued a decree at midnight. the government is trying to maintain the political fallout from the corruption scandal. still to come here on this news hour, an appeal for syrias children. aid organization say at least a billion dollars are needed to prevent a lost generation. i'm in northern pakistan, coming up find out why more women are being encouraged to become police officers in one of the country's most volatile and conservative provinces. and in sport, the reigning olympic downhill skiing champion withdrawals from the spot she

gained. details coming up with robin. now the youngest daughter of the king of spain is to be the first senior royal in the country's history to appear in court. barbara what is she accused of? >> well, print sis christina is accused of fraud and money laundering, so serious investigations. kim vannel has more. >> reporter: print scess christ has rarely been seen in public since her husband was accused of embezzling funds.

the king's youngest daughter will be forced to explain her role in the dealings before a spanish court in march. the court's decision is a major blow for the king's already battered image. spaniards battling with a bleak economy were outraged when pictures of the king emerged on a luxury hunting safari in 2012. by the end of 2013, more than 60% of people wanted him out princess christina wanted the investigation dismissed. putting a princess before the court is seen as at least one step towards putting annen towards the conspiracy.

now russia has launched one of the biggest security situations in history. only officially registered vehicles will be allowed into the host city of sochi. only visitors with special passes will be allowed into the region, and controls will be reinforced at airports and train stations. let's go to fred in moscow for more. fred obviously this is an enormous security operation. give us a sense of the scale of it. because really not just sochi, but really it is spread across the country. >> it is a gigantic operation. they have sealed off a huge zone. it will be completely controlled inside by a virtual garrison of about 30,000 special police. huge numbers of plain-clothed

cops, about 8,000 special interior forces. there will be all kinds of electronic devices and video cameras. all kinds of monitoring of everybody inside, and the perimeter will be patrolled by about 30,000 army troops. in the air there will be dozens of jet fighters all the time. large numbers of drone aircraft circling around. and off the coast by sea, there will be at least four of these ultramodern patrol boats with teams aboard. so it is arguably the biggest single olympic security operation ever. >> fred thank you. i'm going to be back with more from europe a little later, including a bad start to the new

year at good year's french factory, as disgruntled workers kidnap their bosses. russia is demanding answers from senegals over a fishing vessel at sea. senegal says the russian troller was unlawfully operating in its waters when it was captured on saturday. the crew are accused of fishing illegally, dozens of sailors were arrested. poaching is having a major effect on senegal fishing. >> reporter: after six days at sea, this is their cash. exhausted and hungry these men were farmers who came to the sea to make ends meet. >> translator: no matter the

weather conditions the ocean has never failed us. but now that is changing. >> reporter: its natural resources are rapidly depletes, and this is why. 1500 miles off of the coast industrial fishing boats are fishing illegally. they fish in a day what was once caught in years. this vessel is from russia, but others from spain, portugal, and china is doing just the same. the european parliament banned the practice last december. they fear even more vessels will enter their waters. these fishermen fear even more

european vessels will enter their waters. >> translator: our ocean is being looted. i don't have the means to stop it. >> reporter: bottom trolling in west africa is booming. packaged and processed, some of it will be sent to asia, but most of it will be flown to europe. these fish will end up in this the frozen food sections of supermarkets selling at rock-bottom prices. losses from this type of fishing could be valued between 10 to $22 billion a year. decisions taken in europe will directly effect the lives of millions in senegal who already feel this vast resource slipping away from them. a ten year old afghan girl has described how her brother tried to force her to carry out a suicide attack. she was arrested on sunday in a

southern promise. her brother who is a tall ban commander wanted her to blow up a check point. but she said she changed her mind at the last minute. >> translator: my brother said enter the water, once your clothes are wet, go to the market. when i entered the water, i felt goal and dropped the package. conservative social values and the dangers of the job keep many away from becoming police officers. >> reporter: this is the future of policing in pakistan's northern province. these female cadets are in the first few months of basic training and will one day become c

constiballs. this is one of the senior officers. she says she is pleased that the government is trying to recruit women to the force, but knows how difficult it can be. >> translator: my family was not happy, society either, i had to confront many men and make them sure i could do the job. >> reporter: but recruitment remains the biggest challenge, women only make up around 600 of the provinces' 60,000 strong police force. this superintendent is determined to change that. he and other local police chiefs push the government to ensure that 20% are now women. he said the reason he is such a strong advocate is simple. >> in pakistan 51% of the

population are female. and if you don't include them in the department, this means they will [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: female dormitories have been built at three training colleges and women no longer have to wait months for basic training. despite the improvements, this inspector says female officers still have a long way to go before they are equally represents, but more women in law enforcement can only lead to better security. >> translator: our province is dealing with so much terrorism, and many women in our society don't have a voice. with more female police we can help them and change our community. >> reporter: change these police cadets are determined to be part of. still to come, shock that

one of their own was behind a bombing in this beirut. we report on what is prompting some lebanese youth to take extreme measures. all of the latest widgets, gadgets, tech, and toys. and australia celebrate their ashes victory with fans, but find out why one key player missed the party. 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

welcome back. here are the top stories here on al jazeera. protests demonstrations by afghan migrants will produce no results, israeli's go says. protests have entered their third day. thousands demanding equal rights. a spanish judge has summoned the king's youngest daughter over allegations of tax fraud and money laundering.

princess christina has been linked to her husband's business affairs. and a struggle for the cities of iraq are getting more intense. al-qaeda linked fighters have warned tribesman of dire consequences if they support the army. so let's go back to that fighting in iraq's province. we have the former head of national security in iraq joining us now from bagdad. good to have you on the program. can i start by asking you how it is that the iraq government lost control of the two areas in the first place? >> well, a few weeks ago, the tribal [ inaudible ] of ambar, and the local government they

thought that they can stop al-qaeda from taking over the province. so they ask the prime minister, thement commander in chief to pull out the army, because they thought that the army presence, or the presence of the army in the streets was the provocation for the insurgents, now the commander in chief responded and said, well, now, let's see, and when he pulled the army and the federal police from patrolling the province the -- the local police were overwhelmed by al-qaeda terrorists, and that's why now the local governor, the head of the provincial council, the senior tribe groups are all asking the army to come back, and the prime minister responded by yes, and we will help you,

and we will lead this depreciation, we will clean falujah, and they have already cleaned the north part and the southern part of the capitol. >> but can i ask, even if -- even if these al-qaeda-linked fighters are driven out, won't they simply just move to another place, a safe haven and regroup? i mean is there a long-term strategy in dealing with these people? >> they -- they made a fatal mistake by concentrating and being -- concentrating in falujah, and the police are circling the area -- it is encircled now, and there is going to be a real graveyard for al-qaeda in falujah, but a long

time measure is definitely there. there will be humanitarian aid. there is going to be a huge number of political measures for political reconciliation, and inclusion of the local government, and local leader in to the central government. there's the whole set of measures of inclusion -- >> and it clearly can't come too soon. i wanted to ask you about that, because one thing that has become clear is how some sunni tribes are supporting the government, [ technical difficulties ] and al-qaeda terrorists in

the province. now some of the -- some of the tribal leaders are mislead now, and they are coming back to the fold of the government and they have now started to fight with the government to expel, to eject the al-qaeda terrorists from their province. >> thank you very much indeed for joining us on the program, the former head of national security speaking to us live from bagdad there. al-qaeda-linked fighters are also operating in syria and across the border in lebanon. the family of a teenager who became a suicide bomber has told al jazeera he was brainwashed. >> reporter: this sunni border town is in shock. one of their own has been identified as the bomber who blew up a car in a shiite

neighborhood in beirut last week. but for people here the 19-year-old was just as much a victim as those killed in the attack. >> translator: they stole his mind and useded his body. they fill them with sectarian hatred. they are telling them the shiite are your enemy. both are brainwashing young men. thursday's bombing was claimed by the al-qaeda claimed islamic state. supporters of hezbollah have been repeatedly targeted for the decision to support the syrian regime. his remains were found near the car, and so was his indication card. >> translator: how is it possible that his body was burned and not his id? we have many questions concerning the entire operation, even the claim was made 70 hours later. those who carry out such attacks

are usually proud and immediately announce it. >> reporter: he was last seen by his family five days before the bombing. there are those who say this young man had extremist tendencies. his family and friends say he was not an extremist, he may have been a supporter of syria's operation, but that does not mean they are ready to kill fellow lebanese over political differences. but five were killed in the attack. he lived just a few kilometers from the border. his family does acknowledge that sectarian incitement has radicalized many lebanese. >> given the situation in syria, a lot of the lebanese have been brainwashed according to the islamic front program or the [ inaudible ] program. >> reporter: tribal elders have

not only condemned the bombing, they say he was used by a third-party to ignite sunni-shiite strife. that is little comfort to the families of those who were killed. aid organizations repealing for $1 billion u.s. dollars to help give syrian refugee children a chance for a future. over a million syrian refugees are children of which nearly half are under the age of five. the majority have fled to lebanon, turkey, egypt, and iraq, among them nearly 5,000 children who have been separated from their families. the situation inside syria is even more dire. simon is a spokesman for unicef, and joins us live from the

armenian capitol where hundreds of thousands of refugees are living. tell us about the potential lost generation. children with no homes, no chance of education, and who are especially vulnerable because of the conflict in syria. >> yes, it's a dramatic turn, but one which we think is totally appropriate, given the increasing seriousness of the situation nearly three years after the crisis began, it's something like 5 million children all in all who constitute what we're calling a potentially lost generation, who have been excluded from all chance of education, of learning opportunities, and who are increasingly exposed to the risk of exploitation. children we see being pushed into child labor for example, or in to early marriage. so this is a chance, really to appeal on their behalf and reach out to a much broader, public

audience all around the world who we hope will join us, join hands with the different organizations who are launching this campaign, and that's particularly important just ahead of a very important donor conference in queue wait next week. >> what exactly are you hoping to do with that money? >> we have got a whole range of programs which are already in place or being modeled at least on a small scale and which can be scaled up if we get these resources as we very much hope that we will. these are programs which aim to put children back in to school and in many cases where it's possible, and in those cases where formal education isn't feasible because of the security situation or because there are no places in schools for them in the countries where they are

refugees, then we'll find other ways of getting them to acquire their basic skills and keep up with their learning. it's about training teachers as well, and programs which will ensure that children who are at risk of being pushed into going to work or early marriage or even prostitution which unfortunately is the case in come instances, programs that can protect them and ensure that they don't fall afoul of these very serious risks which are growing day by day. >> simon we wish you the best of luck. now al jazeera continues to demand the release its journalists held in egypt. egypt-based mohamed fahmy has been interrogated by state prosecutors and will be questioned again on wednesday.

he and two other kournallists have been held in custody without charge for the past 10 days, baher mohamed, and peter greste are accused of spreading lies and joining a terrorist group. al jazeera says the allegations are being fab grated. peter greste is an awarding-winning correspondent who has recorded extensively across african. mohamed fahmy has worked for cnn, the "new york times" and the red cross. and baher mohamed has been working with al jazeera as a producer for most of last year. now the new year in france brought new signs of improving economic fortune. tensions rose at one factory where workers kidnapped two of their bosses for over 24 hours.

barbara. >> the good year factory is facing a shutdown after rejecting a restructuring deal. simon has our report. >> reporter: the latest symbol of france's economic woes, two managers at the goodyear tire factory held hostage for 24 hours by disgruntled workers. >> translator: i consider myself kidnapped. i'm doing my best to adapt to the situation. >> reporter: they were released on tuesday afternoon. boss snapping isn't new, but it shows how bad things are. 1200 jobs will go after years of dispute in which unions refused new pay and conditions.

a sign for some of the urgent need for france to change the way it does business. it has not been a good start to the new year for france's president. already the least popular for 55 years, he is desperate to kick start an economy weighed down with 10.9% unemployment. >> translator: i suggest a pact of responsibility to businesses. lower cost labor, and less constraint on business activities, but at the same time more hiring and social dialogue. >> reporter: short on detail, but they are hardly classic socialist policies, and weren't the kind of thing he ran on when elected. a poll found more than 7 out of 10 questioned were unconvinced by his speech. 2013 was a year marked by

simmering industrial strife as unions and workers braced against attempts to fiddle with the model and chip away at treasured terms of employment. 2014 so far appears to be no better. staying in france, the president has weighed in on a controversial comedian who has been accused of anti-senttism. the comic insists that the sign he makes is a gesture against the establishment and not an inverted nazi salute. britain has been battered by a succession of winter storms which has caused widespread flooding for tens of thousands of people. the work has been hampered which

the ongoing austerity measures. the cost to the economy is expected to far exceed the cost for 2012 which was nearly a billion dollars. >> reporter: britain has been bat earned by storms since mid-december, one after the other, a succession of low-pressure weather fronts bringing gail-force winds, and wide-spread destruction. in england alone seven people have died and some 1700 homes flooded. >> as far as you can see to the back is all field, all greenery, and even got the caves and all of that all over the field. >> reporter: but could the damage been limited? the government department overall responsible has had its

budget cut by 20% in the last three years. >> $148 million in hardship spending we'll be spending more than any government has in the past. >> reporter: the agency has an annual budget of $1.9 billion where just last week as a result of austerity measures they are going to have to shed some 1500 jobs by october of 2014, and some 500 posts will be lost from the agency's flood protection and prevention department. the cuts are being imposed by central government, and central government insist that it will do its best to support front line services. in 2012 flooding cost british businesses billion dollarses of dollars. but funding is always a question

of priorities. >> it costs about 15 thousand pounds on average to protect a property. that's equivalent to about three hip transplants. so it's a question of how many hip transplants do you not want to have to protect more property. >> december was the wettest since 1993. coastal areas have been hit by the highest storm surges since 1953. extreme weather and the damage it brings is becoming less and less unusual. a response must be found. paul brennan, al jazeera. the uk is not the only part of europe affected by the weather. take a look at this. more than a dozen people were forced to make a quick escape when this powerful wave crashed over the sea wall into the city in portugal.

stormy weather has created waves of up to 18 meters along the coast which is popular with surfers, though probably not on that particular day. now back to doha. barbara thanks very much indeed for that. still to come here on the program. [ laughter ] >> the wedding guest who stole the show in japan. robin is here with all of the sport after the break. ♪

♪

welcome back. now if you love gadgets, las vegas is the place to be right here now. that's where the latest gismos are being launched. companies are showing off their newest tvs, smartphones, tablets and appliances. one of the big themes is wearable technology. jay grey has more. >> reporter: hey there, this massive convention center in las vegas, filled with some of the coolest high-tech gadgets you will ever see. a lot of this stuff style not available at retail outlets but it will be soon, audio is a big player here, id america with an amazing box that produces wonderful sound for just under 80 bucks. this is a keeper. it is spectacular. the theme wrist speaker. this will connect wirelessly with your mobile phone,

smartphone, pad, tablet, or maybe you want your music in a purse. this is a bluetooth speaker as well so you can carry your music around. mobile is a big deal. it is something that everyone is really focused on at this convention. if you have the smartphone or tablet or pads you want to make sure you keep it safe. you have highly indestructible cases, highable fashionable cases, all of the colors and many of the materials you can imagine. wearable technology, that's a big deal. this is the narrative clip. you clip it on. it will take a picture every 30 seconds and send it to the cloud. it gives a g ps stamp of where you are, and will stay charged for two days exercise important as well. wireless head band which has speakers inside.

if you slow down with your workout, it will urge you to pick things up. and these liquid image goggles with a camera on the side soon to become wireless so you can see live as you continue. or maybe it's swimming. here is the goggle ls for swimming. there's so much more, but not a lot of time. now back to you. >> some of those gadgets not looking ridiculous after all. >> i would love it. american skier lindsey vaughn will not participate in the olympic winter games in sochi. she has suffered significant setbacks and will have to undergo additional surgery. she is recognized as the most

accomplished female skier in u.s. history. the first leg tie comes two days after united were knocked out of the fa cup by swansea. later on tuesday, david's team face a is underland side who have been struggling in the premier league. >> as i said before i want to try to get every cup final and win it. so we'll try to do that, but we have to overcome a two-game march, so we'll see what we can do. lionel messy is expected to return. on monday, though, it was the man who is the favorite to succeed him, christiano renaldo.

>> reporter: real madrid and south [ inaudible ] both paid their respects to the late great before their march. perhaps the somber mood could help explain the lackluster first half. charles wasted an early chance. real had also just returned from a trip from qatar. luca came close from distance. the world's most expensive player came on midway through the second half. he just recovered from a calf injury. and things finally picked up for the home side in this the 67th minute, making it 1-0. real's own portuguese star then scored his first goal of the

year, he netted 69 times in 2013, and just before the final whistle, bao set up renaldo for his 400 goal. zach johnson has continued his impressive form in hawaii. this is the americana on his way to a seventh bogey. his third victory in six starts. it's the 11th tour win for the champion. the australian cricket team have celebrated following their wash over eveningland. several thousand flocked to the

opera house, including tony abbott. the only man missing was chris rogers who somehow slept through his alarm and arrived late to the festivities. >> there was plenty of michael jackson last night, so perhaps that's why i'm late today. >> did you bring out the moon walk? >> amongst other things, yes. i think i brought it all out last night. at the sydney internation, the top seed was knocked out in three sets by the woman who had to qualify to complete in the tournament. the year came to the end against rory mcelroy, but was beaten

6-4, 6-6. football fans may remember the brilliance of the japanese player. he has been showing off his skills on a tv game show in japan. this is him lining up to take one of those free kicks for which he became famous, except this time the target is a wedding cake. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: knocks the pride and groom off of the large cake with seemingly absolute precision. no question about who the best man is on the tv show. all of today's big sports stories on our website including lindsey vonn's withdraw from the sochi winter games. robin thanks very much indeed for that. that will be it for me and him and all of the team here. more news on our website, don't forget. thanks very much for watching.

bye for now. ♪ how one woman spoke up and made a difference. >> i had seen a couple of the girls making up documentation at a copier.

>> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story

weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. it is cold out there. extreme winter weather hitting most of the country. the president wanting congress to renew long-term unemployment benefits. and locking down sochi, as the games get closer, the security gets tighter. record cold temperatures and punishing wind chills are effecting millions of americans today as that deep freeze now reaches into the far