aljazeera.com/technicalknow. follow us on facebook, google plus and more. check ja sna >> this is al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz live in new york. >> iran to scale back its nuclear program on 20th jan. >> i'm confident they will come to geneva. >> pushing for peace. syrian opposition to attend the geneva talks. >> the hacking breach may have

occurred to other stores than target, but they are not fessing up. >> we have a firm date on when iran will begin it's nuclear slow down. 20th january when access will be allowed. the islamic republic in return will get about $7 billion in seized oil revenue. >> this was the first step taken in november, six countries in iran agreeing to a temporary deal to slow its nuclear program. now the next step. on january 20th, iran's leaders say they'll take action, promising to enrich uranium to

5% level. they will also allow for increased inspections. in return they get sanctions release. and a let-up on cars and airplanes. overseas accounts will be unfrozen, putting a $6 to $7 billion back into the economy while they try to work out a long-term deal. >> from the powerful to the people on tehran, skepticism about the future. >> translation: it is not easy to be optimistic. we should wait and see what happens. time will tell if it will result in conclusion. >> we are clear-eyed about the challenges faced in negotiating an agreement. we understand it will be a tough negotiation, and we are clear about what will be required in order to guarantee to the international community that this is a peaceful program.

>> under the agreement the u.s. promised no new sanctions while they talk. the majority of senators say they do not agree with that, threatening to pass a bill adding sanctions on rein. which will be implemented if they feel iran is not living up to their side of the agreement. the white house says that willnd the talks. opponents are working to make sure they override it. first and second steps taken. in the next few weeks congress could take a third, one the white house fears could be the last in this diplomatic process. >> to syria, activists say 700 people have been killed in the past nine days, it's the worst bout of infighting since the civil war began. peace talks will go ahead later this month. it's unclear whether the rebels will attend. international leaders are in paris pressuring them to join the talks.

>> as this agreement takes effect we'll be vigilant in verification and monitoring iran's action, to be let by the international atomic energy association. it will be tough negotiations and we are clear about what will be required in order to guarantee to the international community that this is a peaceful program. >> but there are a lot of groups fighting for syria. they are all different, and many are in disarray. al jazeera's jacky rowland explains why. >> it was a last-ditch attempt to talk to the rage eems. the americans and arabs argue there can be no military victory. after three years of fighting the only way ahead is a negotiated solution.

>> we have renewed the full support for the syrian national council at a time when the syrian people are facing major difficulties, we have adopted this text, presenting our position on the crisis on the direction in which the community will follow, and request that the geneva ii take place following the timetable. >> the syrian political opposition is as fragmented as the armed opposition on the ground. one thing the different groups agree on is the demonstrates that bashar al-assad leave the political scene. >> the most important aspect of the meeting is that we agree to say that bashar al-assad has no future in syria. the family has no future in syria. the syrian opposition is under strong and conflicting pressures. the international partners are adamant that it should take part

in peace talks, but fighters on the ground reject a formula that could enable bashar al-assad to hold on to power. and so the meeting ended without a clear yes or no for the syrian national coalition. the americans and their partners want the talks to take place in 10 days. it's difficult to see how that would happen. >> u.s. government named two libyan groups as terrorist organizations for their role in the benghazi consular attack. it's the first some time the u.s. government pointed the figure at who may be responsible. the u.s. says the groups are not affiliated with al qaeda. i spoke with david rhode about the significance of this announcement. >> this is a new form of terrorism that will exist. the debate is was there an order in the tribal areas of pakistan,

to carry out the attack. there's no evidence of that. but what we are facing around the world are local mill tant groups sharing al qaeda's ideology that will carry out the attacks. we face a threat. whether it's core al qaeda will not save lives. >> the attack in benghazi killed four americans, including chris stevens. >> retail giants may not be the only whose networks were breached. three more big-named retailers have been hat, a data breach affecting millions. we have more. >> an exclusive report by reuters sheds light on how retailers like target and neiman marcus are not the only merchants affected by a data breach. smaller breaches took place at three well-known retail stores.

they are yet to make an announcement about cyber attacks. in most cases credit card companies and banks are forbidden from naming merchants affected by attacks unless the merchants disclose the information themselves. some states require companies to contact the customers when the information is exposed. to do our own checking on additional retail cyber attacks we reached out to bloom iping dales, lord&tailor and macy's and gapp. gapp owns banana rub public and others. none returned or commented except for macy's who said: >> so far target and neiman

marcus are the only retailers coming forward admitting their networks from hacked. target came forward after a cyber blocker discovered it. neiman marcus waited weeks. many believing that it could hurt their business. al jazeera reached out to visa and mastercard to see if the cases are linked. >> the president of target told c n.b.c. that the company promises changes in the security measure in light of the breach. the company doesn't fully understand yet how the system was hacked. >> we don't note the full extent of what transpired. there was malware installed on the point of sale measures. we removed the malware to provide a safe and secure

shopping environment. it will take time before we understand the full extent of what happened. >> we follow the issue of retail security breaches. >> lawmakers are expected to participate in a vote on the senate democrats bill to extend unemployment benefits, with more than 1.3 million americans out of works, the jobs report could give the democrats a boost that it needs. $18 million will extend benefits through this year. republicans object saying government interveption is harmful to the job market and seekers. across the country, people that use food stamps had to rely on less since the end of last year. the program known as snapreturned to recession levels. it's about to face for cuts, and that has businesses worried. >> david opened up his grocery store on the south side neighbour hood 15 years ago part

of moving from jerusalem. he is considering closing for good, a move putting him and his four employees out of work. >> maybe i go to work like stock boy to survive. i have family. i need to find something. >> david's store, like the vast majority, accepts the link cards providing snap benefits. the vast majority of his customers are snap recipients. an end to stimulus money earmarked to the program meant benefits returned to 2009 levels, about $20 to $40 less than recipients had been getting for the past few years. david noticed a difference. >> all the customers tried to make more shopping. unfortunately, it's down and down. they buy only what they - what little they need. i hope that they send - get

back. they snap a little more for the family. >> snap recipients may see the benefits. it could mean of cut of $20 to $30. >> how tough is it? >> when you are not working it's tough. >> her church pasta is worried about the domino effect. >> there are other people in the family, in the community. now they have to do things. crime will go up. they have to do things they ordinarily would do. >> many of david's customers have to rely on free food pantries when snapdoesn't cover everything. >> now they are talking about

decreasing snapbenefits again. >> then i'll really be in trouble, i'll be back in the pantry. there's no other way i can make it. >> david said he lost $7,000 in november. that's 20 prz of his business. they lowered the price on the food. will that be enough for survival after the next round of snap cuts. >> i do my best. if not, i'll give up. >> if no one knows how much more money will be taken out of the benefits. the cuts will be felt by the owners, as well as their customers. >> officials are going over test results from thursday's chemical spill in west virginia. 300,000 people cannot use their tap water, it's unsafe for drinking or washing. dozens have gone to emergency rooms complaining of nausea, four hospitalized. the president of the west virginia water company says it

will be a while before people have clean water. >> our procedure for lifting the do not use water is to do it by zone. when i talk about zones, that's the different pressure zones that we have talked about many i am sure, there's men, they are complicated. we need samples at different points within the zones to verify that the water we are putting out the plant is through that zone, and then we'll lift that order for the zones and will go zone by zone. >> earlier we spoke to sheldon krimsky at tufts university who pointed out that the chemicals that leaked were in storage facilities. it's not just the chemical plant, it's the chemicals that they are using, and this was not a plant, it was a storage facility, and the chemical is a solvent, part of the alcohol family, a solvent for cleaning up coal. so it was not a production facility for the chemical.

production facilities are where the chemicals are produced, where they have more oversight because of o c.i.a. regulating the workers in the plant, but this was a storage facility for the use of the chemical in cleaning up cole. and i'm not clear in my own mined whether the state for the federal government has the primary responsibility. >> sheldon krimsky said a major problem is that emergency crews knew little about the chemicals since it's never been properly test ed. that's the case with tens of thousands of other chemicals used. >> still ahead on al jazeera america - parliamentary session gets punchy in turkey. details of a fight. turning their lives around - former prostitutes going into the cosmetic industry. their story ahead.

>> israelis paid tribute to ariel sharon with a candlelight vigil, gathering near the parliament a day after ariel sharon's death. he died after being in a coma for eight years following a stroke. today he's been laying in state. tomorrow a memorial has been planned, followed by a military funeral. nick schifrin brings us the latest. >> trained in the flag for which he fought ruthlessly, ariel sharon made a trip to the heart of israeli power. outside parliament he said goodbye. politicians who called him a protect jor and architect, and israeli public who trusted him with their security. >> he fight for our safety. >> fathers brought their children, some coming from new york. >> the imaging of him as a gruff, tough person was matched

by a soft interior. i saw it when i brought my children, i saw it many times. >> for many ariel sharon was the pillar of strength. for others he was the symbol of israeli cruelty. >> in gibbia's grave yards, on its memorial signs and in the memory of 73-year-old, they remembered the moment of october 14th, 1953. as we fled our home, he says, bullets rained town. in 1953 ariel sharon was a leader of the commandos. palestine community from kibia killed an israeli woman. so they took revenge. they went house to house, throwing grenades, setting explosives, killing 67 civilians, women and children,

and it became known as the kibia massacre. >> why would you kill incident? >> this documentary shows that night his grandmother lost 12 family members. ariel sharon died without being held accountable. >> sons of kibia, he says, believe that earthly justice failed. >> after the killings, ariel sharon was honoured, given a heeb rue name and was transformed to ariel sharon. many admire his ruthless nls. >> they killed us, came against us. he was strong enough to fight against people that want to kill us. ariel sharon was controversial in life and was polarizing in

death. >> at least 21 iraqi civilians have been killed, caught in the crossfire of battles between the government and al qaeda-lipped fighters. >> the problems are in western iraq, where you see footage of masked gun many firing at a government helicopter. others stood guard over a captured military hummer in fallujah. military fighters are taking control of ramadi. thousands of families evacuated that area. >> it's been four years since an earthquake devastated haiti. a ceremony was held in the capital to remember the victims. more than 100,000 lost their lives. they are trying to rebuild. half a million people live in crowded tent camps. >> anti-government protesters shut down intersections across bangkok. they want prime minister yingluck shinawatra, who they claim is corrupt, to step down.

demonstrators say they will not accept a compromise proposed by the government in february. >> and in turkey members of parliament threw punches during a session on seat. tensions ran high as you can see during a debate about government control. the justice commission were together to discuss a bill allowing more say over the judiciary. the law-maker investigating governor chris christie says the governor's aide committed a crime. john wisniewski said it was too soon to know if chris christie knew of the plan, but the conduct constitutes criminal behaviour. the deputy chief of staff gave the order to shut down the traffic lanes, causing hours of delays on the george washington bridge. >> clearly, in my opinion, when

you use the george washington bridge for what the emails show to be a political pay back, it amounts to using public property for a political purpose. it's not legal. >> the state assembly has the right to begin impeachment proceedings. >> rudy gill yarno supported the governor. >> he was in campaign mode. you miss a lot of things. he's not paying attention. every president, mayor, government, something stays or goes wrong. how did they not know or realise, the press asks. >> for now, much of the pressure has been linked to the email exchanges. a subpoena is expected to be issued tomorrow. >> now a look at a nonprofit em-powering women suffering from

addiction. also imploding them. >> what is going on. >> the thistle stop cafe looks like a coffee shop on the corner. when you talk to the women behind the counter, you rmz that it's different. i thought by now he would be dead. >> it's been a lopping agonising road. she'll end up on the street doing whatever it took to get high. >> when i hit the street i used again, walking for hours of the night, jumping in and out of cars. i did not know, prostituting my body, getting high. >> she is doing better, is sober and has a job at thistle farm. for 20 years this nonprofit, founded by a priest has been helping troubled women get clean

and sober, through grants and donations. thistle farms receives no government assistance. the rehabilitation program has given her the hope and tools she needs to stay clean. she also learnt that she was not alone. >> they say how they've been raped, molested, how god brought them through and they can live, laugh and love, and that there is hope. >> for more than a dozen years graduates made thistle farm products by hand. they are sold over the country. the cafe is the newest venture - from the chairs to the desk to the wood. everything has been donated. and alitha is the cafe's manager. >> i know i can do this. i know i can stay clean and sober. i have no reason to go backwards. all i can say is i thank god because it was by his amazing

grace that i'm sitting here. >> there has been a stripping of firsts. she and her daughter moved into the first apartment. >> feels good to be back in a relationship with my daughter. she has a boyfriend and hopes to get married. she'll have the support group at thistle farm. >> there's more ahead on al jazeera america, including egyptians heading to the polls again in a sunday night week ahead. we look at how the election could impact a country in turmoil for years.

welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. target and neiman marcus may not be the only retailers whose networks were breached. according to reuters three more

big-named retailers were hacked. the other stores are not coming forward. >> authorities are reviewing test results from thursday's chemical spill in west virginia. tap water is unsafe for hundreds of thousands. dozens complain of nausea. >> iran and six world powers agreed on how to roll back the nuclear program, starting january 20th. iran will allow the united nations full-access to nuclear facilities. the country gets $7 billion in seized oil revenue. it is time for a regular segment "the week ahead", we go to egypt where people will head to the polls. it's a big moment for the country. tuesday and wednesday egypt will vote yes or no on a new constitution. egyptians living overseas began to cast their ballots. it's expect the referendum will pass. if it does, presidential and

parliamentary elections will follow. they were deeply divided after three years of turmoil. we'll talk more about what this means, but first to courtney kealy who'll walk us backs to how we got the talk. >> in 1952 there was a coup overtloling king farouk, and every president came from the military. the longest serving was anwar sadat. egypt change started a revolution. hundreds of thousands filled tahrir square, demonstrating and demanding hosni mubarak's resignation. 18 days later, on february 11th egypt generals announced that hosni mubarak resigned and the military was taking power. for 15 months the military's

council led egypt. it was a time ultous period. in the process of writing a constitution, it exposed differences among the forces combined to push out hosni mubarak. mohamed morsi, a leading member of the muslim brotherhood became the first freely elected leader. >> by the close of 2012 mohamed morsi granted himself unlimited powers and oversaw the righting of a constitution backed by the go. . he was called an islamist coup. exactly a year after he took office, june 30th, protests brog out with mohamed morsi's opponents demanding he leave office. protests that the military encouraged. the army overthrew mohamed morsi, an interim president was elected. a powerful defence minister, abdul fatah al-sisi is widely seep as the country's strongman.

mohamed morsi, and the muslim brotherhood leadership was arrested. protests against the coup led to a crackdown. the military remains in control and the egyptians are asked to vote yes or no this week on another constitution. this banner along a photo of abdul fatah al-sisi, the defense minister. in recent remarks abdul fatah al-sisi urged egyptians to turn out and vote yes, pledging the army will protect them. soldiers will guard 30,000 polling stations. cairo streets have been filled. a yes vote endorses constitution. the constitution strengthens key state institutions like the military, police and judiciary.

all three opposed mohamed morsi's rule. mohamed morsi remains under arrest. his trial rescheduled for february, charges include murder. the muslim brotherhood has been driven underground, declared a terrorist organization. dozens of the leaders are in gaol. over 1,000 affiliated schools and charities has been seized. the brotherhood vowed to cowb cowboy -- to boycott the reference um. >> backers of the constitution are hoping for a 70% vote in favour of it. mohamed morsi's islamist institution passed with 64% of the vote. turn out was barely 33% of the country's 53 million voters. as the current egyptian government sighted relations like russia, the u.s.

administration is in an awkward position. $1.3 billion annual assistance at stake. the secretary of defense chuck hagel phoned abdul fatah al-sisi. he said he reaffirmed the commitment to u.s. egyptian relations. >> abdul fatah al-sisi is expected to run for president later this year and we'll watch this week's turn out and the size of the yes vote. >> a lot to talk about there. a big day, as we mentioned. joinings us on set is richard bullet, professor at columbia university, and from washington d.c., a fellow from the brookings institution. >> let's talk about how big a moment this is for egypt, voting on another constitution? >> yes, i mean it's obviously another historical moment, but

it's a deja vu moment. egyptians have been here before. the environment is different. it's more unstable than it was a year ago under the last - during the last referendum. i think even after the referendum has been concluded, i don't think there's a question that the yes vote will prevail. it's a question by what margin, and what will the turn-out be. but my concern is after the referendum, it probably will not entirely quell the unrest. >> the anger and the protests. is egypt moving in the right direction at least? >> it depends on what your goal is. for many, many... >> they say the goal is freedom and democracy. >> okay. >> you say. >> for the people who overthrew

mohamed morsi, it's moving in the right direction. >> for those that supported mohamed morsi, no, he's not. he had 51% of the vote. the question of freedom and dem oblige rahsy. the main question is not the removal of islamist language, but theize lakes of the military budget from oversight. >> it's striking when you look into the nitty-gritty of constitution. it isolates and protect. the military must approve the defence minister. the military has been in control since 1952. it's determined to remain in control, and that they were horrified by whatever.

when hosni mubarak stepped down, was forced to step down. it isn't just a matter of the defence ministry, it's the fact that the officer corp in egypt that is an enormous role to play in the economy of the country. it is invisible with respect to any controlling institutions. >> let me ask you here, is there a chance that this referendum could be related by the people of egypt? >> i don't think so. i don't think so. i think first of all the environment is repressive. it's not by any means a free and fair electoral environment. we have seen protest instructive and journalists arrested and held. there's an intimidation campaign

as well as a state press and private media ginning up support for the regime. there is little room for decent. we are seeing people, parties who have signed on to the military's roadmap and accepted the reality after mohamed morsi's overthrow who are nevertheless campaigning for a no vote and they are - members of the parties are being arrested. even without that kind of repress, i think there is - it's impossible to foresee an actual prevailing. >> you mentioned the journalists in detention. we have to point out that five journalists from al jazeera are being detained in egypt. when we think about the freedoms denied to journalists in egypt, and there's not a lot of room

for descent, does it look grim in the future. do you think egypt may start, once the elections are behind them, that they may soften the stance on their issues. >> i think the important thing for the government, for the incoming government and for the country is economic, to try to get the country working again. if they do that, then it's going to make a lot of protesters seem irrelevant. i don't quite know how they are going to do it, except they have been given $12 billion by saudi arabia and the united arab emirates. they have a huge pool of money to work with. >> and a pool of money. >> i want to talk about egypt's current leader. i want to talk about the army chief. abdul fatah al-sisi is a career military officer and has been commander in chief and minister

of the defense. mohamed morsi appointed him, believing abdul fatah al-sisi was more sympathetic to the muslim brotherhood than his predecessor. in 2006, at the army war college abdul fatah al-sisi wrote a paper that seemed sympathetic to politics, but last july the general ousted mohamed morsi, and he appointed the interim president mansour and he said he'll take a yes vote in the referendum as a mandate to run for president. when you hear what abdul fatah al-sisi has been saying, do you think if he ran for president and won the election, this would be good or bad for egypt? >> well i mean, i think he would clearly - these clearly the front runner, and i don't know if there's a question that he would win a free and fair vote. egyptians are starved for leadership. the brotherhood failed in a number of ways, even before

mohamed morsi was overthrown. the non-islamists is quite vacuous, and don't have much to offer. so it's not all that surprising that egyptians are sort of looking to a strong man and locking to someone like abdul fatah al-sisi to be their saviour. it's impossible for any incoming president to solve egypt's myriad problems, and -- >> do you think abdul fatah al-sisi could be the saviour, do you think it's a possibility. >> i don't think he can live up to his legacy. expectations are so high that it's virtually impossible. and, you know, we are - i think it's important to remember egypt has been in a state of stagnation, from a government standpoint for three years. all of the reasons, the factors that led to the uprising in

2011, three years ago, are still there. those problems are unresolved. and it's very unlikely to me. i think essentially the trend lines show that the current regime and if we assume that abdul fatah al-sisi will be the president, he has not shown an inclanation to address the fundamental structural problems in the economy, in the security apparatus. that was a major force that drove people into the streets. >> which led to anger and protest, without question. >> exactly. there are no real -- >> i want richard's thoughts. you raised a good poiment. a lot of people look down on abdul fatah al-sisi thinking he is not doing the best for egypt. in egypt, people will be surprised at how much support he has, he is deeply popular.

the one thing that they crave is simply security. >> i think the military portrays and reveals itself to be the heart and soul of egypt. >> four years ago i was with my son talking to a senior general. who is egypt's greatest enemy. >> the general said poverty. there's a mind-set. they really should address the sorts of problems or how it is talking about. the question is whether you have the technical ability or vision to do anything. >> let's talk about the united states role. the u.s. has given them $2 billion a year when egypt agreed to a peace treaty. they are expected to give a billion and a half, more than one billion is for the military. it's on track with

previous years. the u.s. threatened to suspend economic aid, military raid. $250 million is slated for the economy there. >> at this point does it matter what kind of relationship egypt has with the united states, especially since it has support with other countries in the middle east. >> yes. i mean, i think the bilateral relationship between the united states and egypt matters. it happens to both sides. it will largely continue, although probably along the negative downward trajectory that we have seen over the past few months and really years. in is i think the current negative trend is positive an ak selleration of an existing overall negative trend in a deterioration in the relationship. but both sides, i think,

strategically understand they have a need for one another. but that relationship is clearly changing. >> like everything else in egypt, it's not knirl clear, you know, like we don't know how egypt will come out on the other end. it's not clear what relationship egypt will have. >> i want to give the final thought to you as we look forward, approaching the pivotal moment in time. do you feel like the country is sliding backwards or moving forward? >> i think the chances of addressing the problems that howard raised are slight. the egyptians will welcome short-term restoration of process. in the longer run it's hard to

see a military government is now going to do the things that the military fail to do. >> every indication looks like they'll over turn the governments. >> thank you both for being with us tonight. we appreciate it. >> before we wrap up, here is a look at other events we watched - on monday the senate to vote on a bill to extend unemployment benefits. secretary of state john kerry meets with the russian for instance. they'll be discussing the participation in the geneva summit on syria. wednesday - three men accused of obstructing justice have a court status meeting. ahead in sport. the football world debates the legend of peyton manning while the man himself defies the odds.

>> and a new contractor for the healthcare.gov website. stay with us.

. >> the company that built healthcare.gov is being replaced. c.g.i. federal is the original contractor for the website plagued by glitches from the launch. now accenture will be the lead contractor. they'll take over days before the march 31st deadline to sign up for health insurance. >> time for the sport. a lot to talk about. the play-offs are in full swing. >> the focus on peyton manning, and how he does.

it's interesting. there are a lot of ways to measure greatness in sport. you can look at statistics, and when it's said and done peyton manning may hold every major passing record for an n.f.l. quarterback. a look at the front page, the denver post sports page with a head line "a legacy under cloud" greatness is measured in championship. despite peyton manning being one of the best, he has one super bowl ring, the best regular season quarterback, but folds in the post season. in denver mapping shedding the label. broncos hosting the charnals. we are on cruise control. manning airing out two touch downs. the second one coming up here will be a welcome back for the receiver wes walker. with a lead into the fourth. holding on despite a late charge. broncos win 24-17.

yes, that sets up a peyton manning and brady reunion for the championship game, denver hosting new england. >> the last time colin caperlink faced the panthers, there's no resemblance. he was awful. that was two months ago. fast-forward to today. talk about redemption. we'll pick it up in the third. he's calling his own number against the panthers. check out the celebration. a cam newton impression. 2010 lead for the niners. they sacked the former heisman trophy five times, intercepted them twice. 2310 - they are heading back to the championship game where they'll face the seahawks. kick off for that is 6:30.

>> here is a sports headline that won't go away. >> the doping scandal. a-rod's suspension was reduced from 2011 to 162. the yankees third baseman refused to deny using performance hancing drugs in new york and will take his case to the federal court but in an interview with biogenesis founder tony bosch airing, it refutes the claim. bosch said he inject the slugger because alex was scared of needle and alex used peds because he want to be the only player to hit 800 runs. mlb players' association and the league are fighting. the players' association released this statement saying:

>> in response to that the league said in part: >> lawyers for a-rod have a lawsuit on monday. filing it when challenging the 162 game suspension. this will be a long time. >> long drawn out fight.

>> this week on "talk to al jazeera", j.r. sits with tony harris. he's known for black and white images in public locations. he travelled to brazil, kenya and india. it's called women are heroes. >> what did the women take from that project. as you mentioned. the men are running the exit. we understand that. did you have a sense that the women felt they are being empowered by the process. first you see it right away in the streets. the woman has the dignity. they have been - they hold the family together. you have to be humble. they carry so much intensity and strength and i did all my interview with them. and they were giving me

something, taking me by the hand and said, "look, it's great if you bring the photo here, it will be good for the community. make that story travel. and when it comes back, it will be moving to be the hero for her community, you know. you can see the interview in just over an hour. j.r. talks about his new exhibit, women are heroes. that's at 10:00 pm eastern, 7:00 pm pacific. >> it's an annual tradition still ahead - why subway writers board trains without their pants. >> if we imagine what it was like, the company in china wants to give paying customers an experience.

>> in upstate new york emergency

crews are working to break up an ice jam, which built up under a brim. it will cause fear that water will overflow the banks and the city. residents are sandbagging just in case. >> you know, we have seen that kind of ice and slushy conditions across the north-east after that cold, cold weather earlier this week. >> that's right, and, you know, we are looking at the rain on top of it, and the warmer textures causing problems, especially with the rivers. it's not just new york, but other areas. the rain is pushing out. we'll see many conditions. flood warnings are decreasing. let's put this into motion. we are clearing out. there's snow in the forecast. it didn't last longer. temperatures looked like this. we are above freezing. portland, maine. here is what looks like when we

are talking about a flood. ice-jam situation. a lot of pieces of ice in the river that act like boulders. if they come together, that's the dam holding the water back. if it breaks open downstream, we see a bit of flooding and some of those lower areas around town. the flood warns decreasing. most of new england into new york, and the flood warnings are out of the picture. >> tomorrow's highs well above average. if you plan on going skiing in new england, i have to say look at the temperatures. a lot of the snow has dwindled because of the rain as well as the warm temperatures. boston, 51, new york 52. more rain in the forecast. temperatures dropping a little bit. >> to the north-west a lot of problems.

we are talking about flooding concerns for many people across the area, as well as the wind. a major problem across montana into wyoming. it will last the next couple of days, details of that at the end of the day. >> people will be able to relive the sinking, apparently of the "titanic" in china. a chinese company announced a life-size republica of the "titanic" set to become the centre piece of a theme park in china. the ship will not set sale but stay docked. the energy investment group says that asia needs its own "titanic" museum. it will include a shipwreck simulation. >> it will capsize and water coming in. we'll let people experience water coming in by using sound and light effect. perhaps it will see water rushing in above their heads.

during the process people will escape, thinking the water will drown me, i must escape for my life. >> that's what we all should want to experience. construction at the end of this month, finished by 2015. the price tag $155 million. >> pants are optional if you are riding a subway. it's part of a tradition spreading around the world. sponsored by improv. jan 12th, today, is no pants subway ride day. look at the pictures of bottomless participants in paris, hong kong, berlin, russia and new york. the tradition started 13 years ago in 2002. the founder said it meant as a way to let people smile and laugh. >> i'm jonathan betz, back at 11:00 pm eastern with more news.

>> this is al jazeera america i'm jonathan betz, in new york with the headlines. iran and six world powers agreed on the process for rolling back the country's nuclear program, the first steps begin january 20th. the iran will allow the united nations full access to nuclear facilitiesies. israelis by the thousands pay respects to former prime minister ariel sharon. tomorrow after a state memorial service ariel sharon will be buried at his home in southern israel next to his late wife. officials are going over test results in thursday's chemical spill. tap water is unsafe for hundreds of thousands. four have been