>> new allegations a new jersey mayor comes forward claiming the chris christie administration withheld sandy relief money as political payback. >> deadly blast - 22 pakistani soldiers dead >> a blast rips through thailand injuring a dozen people >> "money matters", a program giving homeless kids a brighter future.

>> good morning to you, welcome to al jazeera america. more allegations of political corruption dogging new jersey governor chris christie, and his chances for higher office. it began in the fall when two access leaps, a key artery between new york and new jersey were shut down, clogging the streets. the controversy stayed quiet until january, when emails and texts revealed that chris christie's staff ordered the process. then just a day later a contrite chris christie took to the airwaves for over an hour denying any personal involvement and apologising for the actions of his staff. jersey city mayor was next to climb in saying the governor's staff blocked a request to the port authority and cancelled meetings because he refused to

support the governor. and dawn zimmer says chris christie's administration is withholding sandy money because she didn't support a development backed by a company politically connected to chris christie. >> as new jersey governor chris christie visited the sunshine state trying to shore up support, a dark cloud hung over his administration. the mayor of hoboken, dawn zippzi zipper -- zimmer is accusing him of withholding sandy money because she didn't get band a project. it was made clear money would flow only if she approved of the projected. >> said "these things should not be connected, buts they are." the project is represented by the law firm of david samson, a top christy political supporter,

one of 20 subpoenaed. the scandal relates to the shattering of the 2 traffic lanes on the george washington bridge in september. something that others say was an act of political revolutions. instead they blamed his aids. >> i am embarrassed and humiliated bit the conduct of the people on my team. the governor's office is denying recent allegations saying it's: >> superstorm sandy flooded hoboken causing many millions of dollars in damages. >> i'm stunned that he would hold the sandy funds over my head, when you consider what

happened to hoboke in. we were devastated. >> chris christie is faces investigations into george washington bridge, and now it may be expanded to include zimmer's allegations. it could block a presidential run. >> the "new york times" reports that some high ranking republicans are urging chris christie to cut ties with staffers, and higher a politically savvy team. >> 20 pakistani soldiers have been killed by a bomb. 24 others were injured in the blast at peshawar province. the taliban claimed responsibility saying the attack is port of a fight against a secular system and promised more violence in the coming days. investigators don't know if it was a planted blom or a suicide attack. >> demonstration protests are

turning violent. al jazeera's veronica pedrosa has the story. >> this is the scene of the explosion. this is a victory monument, a main intersection in bangkok. and behind this crowd there is a stage for anti-government protesters to deliver speeches and hold music. it was at lunchtime when a first explosive device went off. causing the crowd to scatter. that is when a second ex-please if device wept off gant me, as you can see, there's a lot of police investigating the scene. forensic sign tists looking for clues that might lead them behind this attack and others. this is the latest in a series of bombings and shootings that

are minor. they are causing an atmosphere of fear about coming to the protests, about what lies ahead in thailand's political future. >> prolonged violence might increase the risk of military involvement which could benefit the movement. a dozen successful coups have been staged since 1982. >> syria's president is not ready to give up his power. after the group great to attend peace talks. the role is not up for discussion. the rebel coalition met in istanbul for the vote. >> it was a vote that ripped the syrian national commission apart. members pulled out before, and many resigned after. the umbrella body of the assad

regime voted yes to going to switzerland to take parts in talks with a delegation from the assad regime. after the vote the president of the coalition addressed the syrian people. >> translation: we travelled a hard road. you made sacrifices for your freedom. you reached a political point. you are determined to end the suf ring so we can take the syrian constitution to a secure place. discussions and consultation ran overnight. without rebel groups, there was no confidence that the coalition could deliver on anything. the fighting groups want to be in the 15-member delegation. >> there has to be represented within the team, we have not

dispuffed their role, but they would like to be part of the son sul takes. the green lights came as a surprise. none of it brought back the members. they didn't think the agreements made in geneva one had sufficient backing. less unless geneva brought about a government it was not worth attending. who will represent the syrian opposition will be met in 24 hours. they face a high level tomb, not aging the team, barely recognising the existence of an opposition. >> international leakeders praised the syrian collision for

taping the peace talks. >> some, who are former policy advisors are skeptical of whether the negotiations will work. >> number one condition that the rebel groups wanted was an agreement on a transition removing assad from power. that's the sticking point for a couple of years, that the western powers insisted that assad must go, how can you hold talks when the number one precondition is one side must abolish itself. >> a major objective of ending the civil war includes distrig the country's chemical weapons. moving the weapons from syria to italy, where they'll be loaded on to a cargo ship, and the group overseeing the disposal believes they will be finished

buy june. >> egypt's government says they've been validated by the people. the election was boycotted by many. that is raising questions about a political divide within the country. >> egypt's draft constitution has passed. the election commission says the document got on overwhelming support. >> translation: the total number of voters is 20,613,637. the voter turn out is 36.6% of the population. a yes vote - 98.1%. this is a higher voter turn out than the vote for the last constitution. >> the military-backed interim government says it shows people's support. now that the government got the yes vote it needed, the next step is to set a date for more

elections. the anti-coup alliance, which includes the muslim brotherhood describes the vote as a sham. the group hailed the historic boycott by the egyptian people, including the youth, indicating that a majority of the people reject the coup and the constitution. different groups are calling on their supporters to increase their protests to end the military coup, despite the increased crackdown. egypt is facing tough times, and analysts say that's unlikely to change soon. >> i think we have patrons, when military coups against elected institutions take place, you are faced with four possible outcomes. direct military dictatorship, a military dictatorship with a military domination. civil war, or persistent civil

unrest. the plan is to legitimate what happened on july 3rd by a new constitution, by a new provincial elections, but these procedures happen under mubarak, and they never had strong legitimacy. >> egypt is divided and is struggling to restore stability. next week marks three years since a popular revolution removed president hosni mubarak from power, and as most egyptians mark that occasion, the only thing that is certain is more elections. >> more than 12 were killed over the two days of voting. three al jazeera journalists continue to be detained in egypt. producers mohamed fadel fahmy, and baher mohamed, and correspondent peter greste have been held since december 29th. they are accused of spreading lies and joining a terrorist group. al jazeera denies the allegations and demands their

immediate release. into two other journalists have been in prison for five months. abdullah al-shami, a reporter and mohammed badr, a cameraman. >> good morning. i'm meteorologist dave warne. we can't get a break from the weather pattern. we have quick-moving storms, bringing storms down to the dakotas. each reinforced with a shot of cold air. light snow passing there, maybe a coating up to new england, that's about all the snow we can get out of the storm. it brings in colder air, look at the colder arctic air. slowly working south, north and south dakota seeing it first, moving through chicago tuesday, wednesday and thursday. a storm developing off the

coast. wind in between. bitter cold wind chills below zero, it looks to shape up by the end of the weekend and the start of the week. quick-moving light snow, showing scenarios of light pressure. pushing to the north-east, and a coating of snow through the mid-atlantic, one or two inches closer. these are the current temperatures dropping to 12 in chicago. 26 in minneapolis highs on tuesday behind another shot of cold air, barely up to minneapolis. temperatures dropping in chicago, eight and 13 on tuesday and wednesday. 20s, that's mild. >> 20s, mild. i'm from the south. you don't call the 20s mild. hundreds of residents returning home now that firefighters get the upper hand on that.

a campfire is blamed for starting the blaze, burping 17,000, destroying five homes, forcing 3500 people to evacuate. this is one of the worst droughts to hit california, and led governor join jerry brown to declare a state of emergency. it eases rules about bringing in water. that would be napper valley that needs help. the heart of wine country. al jazeera ends up with that story. >> wine makers are not panicking. just to give you an idea of how serious the situation is, usually there would be green rolling hills, but all we see is brown. there should be grass. we are at a vineyard. the family produce kav sav, and he tried to put as positive a

spin as possible on the drought. >> if february and march there's a typical rainfall for the rest of the winter and we started out the season with a wet soil profile, the vines will grow, start the season off and grow well, doing their normal thing. i feel like we'll be okay. >> the worry is not about what is happening now, but what might happen in the future. after all the vines are in a dormant stage. what people are worried about is the near future. we are halfway through the usual rainy season. they spect the water to collect. if there is no water in the reservoirs or wells, there's no water in july, august and september. that's a time when they should panic, if there's no what and

the draught continues. >> california ships a quarter of wine across the world, making it the fourth largest producer. >> to drink or not to drink. lingering questions whether water given the okay is safe to drink. a tech school attended by edward snowden, that some say is a breeding ground for hackers, we take you inside. losing the case for shark fin soup. why it is now a delicacy?

>> good morning to you, welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. a town in britain where police are never called, but not because it's crime free. first, a look at what temperatures we'll see across the country with meteorologist dave warren. >> we are seeing the cold air across the east. warm air out west. that's the pattern we have been in. we have reinforcing shots. it hasn't made it to the north-east. it will.

temperatures dropping, down to 12. chicago mid 20s across the mid-atlantic state. mid to low 50s. here is a shot at bitter cold air. it's not until after the weekend. 32 in chicago. 26 with light snow, followed by a shot at single-digit temperatures. colder thursday, 13 wednesday. seven across new york. cold air a little later to get there, 25 tuesday, down to 20 on wednesday. >> returning to west virginia's toxic mess. outside the state capital citizens are gathering to protest the spill, which tainted the water of 300,000 people. freedom industries filed for bankruptcy, putting any action on hole. >> over my shoulder you can see the banks holding the chemicals that went into the elk river.

that's freedom industry. what happened last week affected the water supply. we spent most of saturday talking to residents over the water supply and did independent testing. here is what we found. >> it's been a week since 7500 gallons of toxic chemicals used to clean coal spilled into the elk river. 300,000 were under a script do not use water bans. residents are concerned as to whether their water is safe. >> inside the cooler are materials for the water in this woman's house. how long will it take to get the results back? >> 5 to 7 business days. jennifer is nine months pregnant. we have not been consuming the water in the house because it did not taste or smell right.

>> she and her family are not drinking the water. after the center for disease control issued a warning for pregnant women, she was confused. >> we got the thumbs up that the water was all right in my community. and knowing that the public is consuming the water, 48 hours goes by - it's troubling. >> with little studies, it's not clear how the chemical could impact people's health. and because of the abundance of caution recommended by the c.b.c., an environmental consulting company has been hired to take water samples from jennifer's home. mark from downstream strategies is taking samples from the home erp in, and from the water. they'll test it for the mix of chemicals that went into the

river system and we'll have results next week. according to federal data, waste from the industry has tainted water ways and groundwater supplies. many doctors were concerned and want testing to continue. >> in the case of pregnant women, we don't know the effects on the unboorn child. it's a developing foetus. we don't want to take risks. >> no one has taken jurisdiction. what needs to happen is obvious arounding legislation to make sure that the companies are not responsible for policing themselves. if you don't have to, you won't. >> sprms discovered that freedom industry had not taken action to

stop the leak or report it to authorities, that's according to the state department of environmental protection. there are virtually no regulations governs expectation of the storage tanks that held the dangerous chemical. >> the candy smell from the chemicals is prevalent on this estate, as is an itch in my eye, which emergency rooms and doctors say is a problem, a sim tom that people are coming in, complaining about. we are on the story and will report. >> results from the independent testing will be available next week. anti-government protests turned violent. crowds hurled fireworks. officers responded with tear gas.

turkey's government reject the accusations. the government has authority to keep records of any or all internet activity for up to two years. >> russian security services released this footage showing soldsiers battling. rebels were killed in the fighting, and officials say the fighters may belong to a group. russia cracked down on groups, fighting for a separate islamic state in the run-up to the olympic games. there are areas in britain where police are not called. it's not because crime is happening, but people are taking the law into their own hands. kim reports from birmingham where alternative systems are run. >> in the predominantry muslim suburb of sparkbrook a community force is on the beat.

they work alongside the police and dispute claims that some prefer to dish out justice on their own. >> when there's a problem we report things to the police. at the end of the day, it's the law. >> they are responding to claims from the chief inspector of constab u lairy. speaking to the "the times," they said there are cities where the police never go, because they are never called and never here of trouble because the community deals with it. they have their own community justice. the police don't know what injustices are being perpetrated. it's a closed book. it could be quick from low-level crime to murder. honour killings is an example, where a woman is murdered for shaming her family. >> if there's evidence of this, i'd like them to bring it out.

to make rocks as the inspector for police is irresponsible. it's not constructive. this is what happens when you appoint somebody not in the service. reports of hate crimes have risen over the past year. others say there is truth to windsor's games. the iranian and kurdish women organizations didn't want to appear on camera. the group works with predominantly south asian and middle eastern communities, and says the west midlands police are bad at responding to the women that do ask for help. >> suffolk issued an invitation to the chief inspector. >> see the nice work we are doing. >> rather than criticising us -- >> >> all agree community trust

with the police is vital to avoid vigilante violence on the street. >> in december 2012, members of a patrol group were arrested for intimidating and assaulting people. >> in the democratic republic of congo, the army vows to drive out rebels. >> investing in their future. saving kids on the street by enabling them to save their money. >> i'm mark morgan, a shocking upset down under. a heavy favourite has been ounced. details ahead.

is >> welcome back to you, i'm morgan radford, these are the top stories. another scandal hit the administration of chris

christie. the mayor of hoboken said chris christie's administration withheld sandy relief funds because she wouldn't back a development project connected with the governor. >> the opposition heads to geneva, coming face to face with assad's regime. bashar al-assad says his role is not up for discussion. >> 20 pakistani soldiers have been killed by a bomb. many were injured. the taliban claim responsibility. >> in the donniemocratic republf congo fighting is underway. the government offensive is part of an ongoing campaign to get rid of armed groups in the east of the country. malcolm webb was with an artillery unit as they attack a rebel base. >> this congolese government as heavy weaponry may seem like no

match. >> the rebels elusive. tactics cunning. the government troops never know when they'll be caught in an ambush. this unit is deploying to attack a rebel base. they are looking for firing positions. people lived among the armed groups. armies attract a crowd. >> we suffered a lot. sometimes it was not safe to farm in the fields. now the force of government chases the rebels. we are happy. >> it will not be easy. there's thick bush for miles, but a clearer view if you get high up. >> from the top. free you can see the target. he can see the direction for bombing. from up there you see a hill. the enemy is beyond the hill, on the plain. >> the adf is hiding in the bush and forest. a main base is within range. they've been in eastern congo

for 10 years. they are from uganda, but the government defeated them. they've been in congo since. the army says their time is up. >> the rocket launcher is in position. the soldiers prepare it to fire on to the adf rebels. the commanders are studying a map to work out the location of the rebels, to calculate what direction and angle the rockets have to be fired at to hit the target. they make final adjustments and the onslaught begins. the first volley misses the target. the spotter, hidden near the rebel base radioed in directions. they check the map and ajust their aim. it's deafeningly loud. these men are used to it.

they tell us not to block our ears. if you do, they say the pressure waves makes your nose bleed. that is nothing compared to the destruction on the other end. the rebels are facing formidable force. they have a thick jungle in their favour. after decades on the run everyone is waiting to see if they'll be reined in. >> the south sudan army says they gained control of a critical town. the government forces recaptured bor from 15,000 rebels. this area is in a constant it tug of wore. it flipped control several times within the past month. the united nations says both sides committed mass killings, sexual violence and are using children to do their fighting. up to 10,000 people have been killed. many deaths are along ethnic

lines. >> before edward snowden made global headlines by leaking documents from the national security agency, he went to india to learn how to hack. he is among thousands who travelled to the country to do that. we explain why from new delhi. >> hacking is not conpine -- confined to geniuses, but hacking whether to steal data can be done with a laptop or being in the right place at the rite time. >> with simply hacking people can break into countries. with complex haging you need the skills. >> they are easy to find. that's what attracted edward snowden, the former contractor for the u.s. national security agency to this one. >> edward snowden, if you do not come here, you can learn the

techniques. >> it's the number of foreigners attending classes that sets the school apart. >> all this is in the country. in india, because we are a global hub for it training, we get crews from over the world. >> what edward snowden learnt here probably helped him get his job at the n.s.a. and the lure of creating skills pushed the it education industry to grow five times in the last five years. >> new delhi alone attracted thousands of students taking crash courses. most returned to their countries with better job process. some worry. >> it's like a wild, wild west. the cyber law specialist says a

lack of regulation has made it a free for all, and who can take dangerous courses. >> there has to be a structured approach on how the solutions can become arsenals. rather than being ammunition in the hands of cyber criminals. >> they argue that any education can be misused. >> there may be hundreds of other professionals who have learnt skills with us and protect them from many edward snowdens. >> india has no plans to regulate it schools, so students continue to come to enhance computer skills before deciding how to use them when they return home. >> the class that edward snowden took was called eth knoll hacking. it included how to protect

computers from thieves and spies. >> workers were outraged by the abuse of a 23-year-old worker in hong kong. police and labour officials investigated claims but no charges have been filed. >> dhaka sees hundreds of thousands of children living on the street. those that manage to find work find it hard to build a future. the bank is giving some of them a chance by providing a safe place to put the earnings. >> they are orphans, homeless and live by their wits. >> they can't say what little money is left over from food because it's stolen. many spend it on drugs and alcohol. until now. in the dusty backstreets

children have been allowed to deposit their money and withdraw it whenever they want. >> 14-year-old mohammed sells newspapers. using the bank he saved $15. he says the bank enabled him to protect his earnings. >> i can't trust anyone. if i ask one to look after my money. it beat me. and never give it back. >> it doesn't make a profit. it gives deposit and withdrawal and hopes to expand the scheme. >> by saving the money they can get into the habit of saving. >> the charity wants the scheme to be part of the system.

as it's impossible for children, the entire banking rules need to be change offed. we from the central bank, we accept the save the children fund to help the guardian, so they can have a bank account. >> 1,000 or so children were vovedz. the rest of them survived day to day. >> if the scheme takes off, many may have a future to look forward to. good morning everyone, i'm mark morgan. it would take a maimer development to push the n.f.l. conference games down in the pecking order. we'll get to those in a moment. a huge surprise at the australian open. favourite and 5-time aussie champ serena williams is out. in her fourth-round match

against ana ivanovic, serena williams won 6-4, tied at two games each. serena williams serving. ana ivanovic slams it. serena williams hits the top of the neck. ana ivanovic breaks. 5-3 i've serena williams serving. ana ivanovic wins the second 6-3. to it third, looking to break serena williams. 40-0 up. a better return. this is match point. serena williams return is long. that is that. williams 25-match winning streak at this event is obvious. she hadn't lost a match since august. ana ivanovic with the upset. 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. >> the n.f.l. is down to the final four, battling for the nfc title. it will be decided in seattle when the seahawks hosts the 49ers. we have two reports beginning with augustin rossi -- with ross

shimabuku. >> all the hype is surrounding tom brady, and peyton manning. the 15th meeting. tom brady has 10 winnings. peyton manning struggled in the play-offs against the defense. three play-offs games peyton manning has six interceptions much the quarterbacks have a lot of respect for one another. >> the one thing about tom is his consistency, i feel like he's been a better player each year than he was the year before. to me that speaks to his work ethic in the off each, his refusal to be complacent and satisfied. >> he's a great player. what that means for us is we have to score some points. they outscore you, and what that

means is we have to match it. >> this will be the fourth meeting in the play-offs between the quarterbacks. brady with a 2-0 edge. the home team won every ball game. should be a good one. sunny skies. for more on the nsc game, jessica taff has more from seattle. chri's championship will have plenty of fireworks of the the division rivals know each other well. the atmosphere is trick. center-field is not a place, faring well. either the last two times san francisco played they were outscored 71 to 16. with a super bowl on the line, throwing out all the stats. we have not played well. they have a good defense. we have to execute at the high

level. >> it's the most important 60 minutes of our lives in terms of playing football. it's what we have fun with. that's what we have been doing all year, focussing on the opportunity we have now. yesterday has gone. today is all we have got. tomorrow is not here. the biggest thing is focussing on the moment and the game we have. to win the championship means a lot to the organization. i hate losing. >> seahawks won six straight play-offs and plan to use the 12th man to get back to the super bowl. reporting from seattle. >> all right. championship sunday starts after 3 eastern time, followed by the 49ers seahawks grudge match. that wraps it up for now. >> the government of quub ebbing wrapped up hearings. they want to ban public sector

employees. for many the issue at stake is face, freedom and a person identity. >> the two young women want to work in the public sec sore. the government wants to stop civil servants wearing handling ib's. >> it's aimed at jews and muslims and christians, it's they are creating targets. >> i will not choose between work and religion. that is not how the law should be. this is what they are talking about. it's from an official document. you can't where hi jab's if you are sikh, a jewish kipper or a large crews fix. smaller symbols are committed.

>> at public consultations says the minister responsible cannot favour one over the ompt working still servants must demonstrate that. if you are religious on the job, you junt display religions for every faith tore belief. >> there has been a backlash. a photograph of two veiled daycare workers appeared on facebook to hateful comments and unfriendly tab lloyd coverage. the couple that owned the day care asked us to keep the location secret. >> to force me not to work because of a choice i made. >> hospitals rejected the proposals, some say they will

not enforce them. the city councillor says it's not clear to allow them and that is why he was elected to office. >> i have been defending the interests of my citizens. i asked how is wearing the hi jab keeping me from completing the tasks. >> it's much less popular with english speakers. >> the controversy over the charter of quebec values is set to continue as it is made part of an election campaign. >> why many in china lost their appetite for shark fin.

>> good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. once considered a dell cassies, we'll tell you why attitudes are changing about shark fin soup.

first a look at where the snow and rain may fall across the country with dave warren. >> just a little snow and rain, but not where we need it. southern california, the western states are dry. not much in the way of rain or snow. wind picking up. fire danger in texas and oklahoma. snow pushing through the mid west a little accumulation, light snow across the great lakes and another shot into north dakota. a little coating is all we can see. >> the annual dolphin hunt in japan provide a storm of controversy by animal activists. 250 marine mammals, and the babies, have been rounded up. some have been selected for captisty, and others driven back to sea.

images enrages conservationists. others say it's a local custom. in china, the attitude about a popular delicacy is changing. we are talking about shark fin soup. a ban on the dish at state bank wets and official functions last year is adopted by restaurants and hotels. we look at how the measure is affecting the shark fin trade. >> in the back streets of hong ko hong kong shark fin sellers are careful about their trade. the brutal nature and numbers that are killed led to global demand for the practice to stop. it is considered one of the eight treasured food from the sea. good for sexual potency. until recently it was served at state functions and business

dinners as a sign of prosperity. in a campaign to cut costs the government banned the delicacy. it had a profound fict. the ministry of commerce said the ban red to a decline bias much as 0%, hitting traders and restauranteurs hard. in china and marn asian district markets. >> hong kong traders would not speak directly, but say privately the trade has been decimated. >> in the recent times the volume dropped. people are concerned about violations. it dropped 30%. >> while the trade is not illegal in hong kong, it will be less profitable. in mainland china restaurants are losing their taste for shark fin soup. >> we have stopped telling shark

fin in the restaurants. it's too brutal for the arn malls if we sell it. we hope to arrows awareness among the customers by doing so. >> scientists estimate 100 million sharks were killed. shark conservationists say the ban and support from restaurants and hotels could save the species. >> the ban has continued in china. the number will decline if the situation remains. >> shark advocates are taking advantage of the government ban with a new social media campaign in china over the new year holiday. if they don't act now, it could be lost if the government relaxes its cost-cutting measures. >> bridging the gap between cuba

and the u.s. may come from an unlikely place. an exhibit called "one race in havana", the works of a dozen cuban artists will showcase in key west. it's the first exchange in decades, and the political dispute between thest and cuba began in the late "50s. >> one of the world's largest independent film festivals is celebrating its 30th anniversary. the sun dance film festival has grown to a box office hit. an online platform is helping the story come to the big screen. >> thousands of directors, journalists are in this tiny ski restart village for sun dance, the independent showcase, where

it was founded 30 years ago. >> our job and role is to create a space and platform to bring new voices and seeing the world use independent film to this place. >> it's not all about art, it's about money. >> every year there's some undiscovered jewel that is bought and sold in the marketplace, and becoming a box-office hit. >> film making is expensive. no hollywood studio would bank role a film. alive inside. a documentary about the healing effect on music. >> he lights up, his face has an expression. >> the director's first film. >> the struggle to raise money to make a movie like this is insane. >> technology and social media are turning dreams into

realities. >> 20 of the films premiering at sun dance got funding through kick starter. with crowd sourcing individuals an appeal for funding from a large community of internet users. these are scenes from "drunk town's finest." >> where do you go to school? >> calvin college in michigan. >> a coming of age story. the film made possible by kick starter donations as native american first-time film maker sydney. >> people from the netted , france, mexico. they believe in the process. it was an awesome experience. >> without kick starter i wouldn't have finished the film.

it gives films this really could never find money in other ways a way to find money that is a powerful tool telling a powerful story. at the end of the first hour. here is what we are following. hoboken mayor said he was going to withhold sandy fund if she didn't back a deal. >> 28 injured in bangkok as protests turn violent. al jazeera america is back in 2.5 minutes. stay tuned.

>> when you consider what happened to hoboken, we were devastated. >> claims that chris christie strong armed mayor dawn zimmer with sandy relief funds. >> what this woman was doing that left her two young children dead. >> a hail of gunfire, russia's crackdown on groups taunt the the winter olympics. >> one of the world's most gruelling off-road races. we are at the finish line for the dakar road rally.

>> good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. more allegations of political corruption dogging new jersey governor chris christie and his chances for higher office. it began in the fall when two access lanes for the gig george washington bridge, an artery was shut down. the controversy stayed quiet until jan when emails and text revealed that chris christie's staff ordered the closures as retribution against the mayor, who refused to indoors the government. >> a day later a contrite chris christie took to the airwaves for over an hour, denying personal involvement and apologising for the actions of his staff.

>> c philip chimed in saying the governor's staff blocked his request and cancelled meetings, because he refused to endorse the governor. and the latest hoboken dawn zimmer said chris christie's administration is withholding sandy money because she didn't support a development backed by a company politically connected to chris christie. >> as new jersey governor chris christie visited the sunshine state trying to shore up support from donors, a cloud was hanging over his administration. the mayor of hoboken is accusing chris christie of withholding superstorm sandy money because she didn't get behind a multidevelopment project. >> mummy would flow if and only if she approved of the project. >> she said, "i know these things are not right, but they

are. if you tell anybody, i will deny it." emails obtained by the cable news networks shows it is connected to a top political supporter. he's one of many subpoenaeded last week. it relates to the shattering of two lanes. something that some say was an act of political retribution by the governor. christy claimed his aids. >> i'm embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team. >> the governor's office is denying allegations saying it's clear part stan politics are at play. democratics mayors come out of the wood work. superstorm families flooded 80% of hoboken, causing property

damage, $10 million to public property. >> i'm stunned that he would use the sandy funds, holding them over my head when you consider what happened to hoboken. we were devastated. >> chris christie is fating three investigations into the standal surrounding the george washington bridge, and legislative leaders may expand the probe. something that could swamp chris christie's chances for a 2016 presidential run. >> jeannie zano political analyst and professor of n.y.u. joins us. what do you make of the bombshell allegations that chris christie withheld sandy money. >> it continues a narrative. with the fort lee case we heard it was about an endorse: that's why the aides took the access.

others said, "no, it's to do with redevelopment. there's a $1 billion project", now dawn zimmer's allegation confirm the other narrative. a. that this may be more to do with development and money than endorsement. it creates a problem. dawn zimmer says that the number one thing that chris christie made his name on. he's been using that to hold her hostage in terms of a development deal with one of his top aids who has dave samson, who has been a top aid and gotten a spokena, because he was stroved in the emails. it's incest use and growing with the tentacles to impact everybody except chris christie at this point. >> zimmer seemed to imply that chris christie was promised somethingism. >> zimmer said she didn't know

what it was. but samson representing the rockefeller group. that's a top aid and chris christie's appointee. there's a lot of incest use connections here that may help explain what was going on. we don't know, and it will take investigation and we hear now that the general assembly may expand it into this, which will be very difficult. speaking of incest use connections, take us back to the operation. give us background. what did that mean for chris christie. >> that is interesting, because that is where chris christie made his name as a straight shooter, a fighter against critical construction. it gave new jersey a black eye. there was over 40 people indicted. people have gone to gaol. they plead guilty to all forms of corruption. top officials including the

mayor among many other people. in that case he made his name and moved his way into the governor's office and now chris christie is under investigation for similar charges. new jersey was brought back into the hold of having a public life and office, but it's an irony much immense request proportion. when you listen to dawn zimmer talk about how the lieutenant governor spoke to her in the parking lot. it sounds like "the sop rannos' a film. >> if that is where christy made his name, as a reputation of catching the bad guys, now the world is wondering, "wait a minute recollects are you the bad guy?" . >> here is a guy that made his name fighting corruption he or

his top aides are alleged to be involved in. we know from the fort lee emails eight senior administration officials knew when the allegations started, what was going on. that had so many wondering, how could chris christie do this, or not know about this. he's in florida, and what had the fund raisers been tag. they'd say if you doesn't know, how could you not and how could we trust you to be president. for chris christie, this is an enormous problem not only for his bid for president, but his ability to run new jersey, if this yields anything that connects him to allegations and political corruption that we see is unfolding. >> let's talk about the sandy relieve money. is there any way that zimmer does not get her money. she's teed up to get the money

it sounds like she was promised. >> she met with government officials and the government's office. she was promised money she was requested. not all of it, but a chunk of it. when he made the request she got less than 1% of what she requested. hoboken was devastated by storm sandy. she is getting the money. she's been promised it, and they say, and we have to put this out there that she supported the governor, twitter and other forms after being approached with the allegations and never said anything. now her chief of staff said she told him and showed a personal diary in which she recorded some of which she said happened. we are see back of forth with the governor's office, saying it's a witch-hunt, tried to kick somebody when down, and that there's no proof.

she did support him publicly. why didn't she come forward and say this until after the fort lee incident. she did not ever, by the way support the development project, so they never did what they allegedly ask her to do. >> we want to consider the. >> new allegations of dirty politics coming up soon in the next hour. >> a deadly attack on the pakistani military. 22 government guards have been killed by a set up by the taliban. 30 or more have been injured. the explogs shook the inside of a compound, north-west province of pakistan. pakistani military has been fighting for years against the taliban who wants to overthrow

the government and find a stract islamic state. >> can you tell us the latest? >> according to military sources, early this morning a convoy of the paramilitary forces travelled to the town. they were going to hook up with the pakistani military forces and take a convoy into north waziristan. according to the sources a civilian group was hired. as they entered into the compound recollects that is the time when the driver detonated. the bomb inside causing terrible damage as far as that particular explosion was concerned. the military is saying they evacuated 15 in critical condition by helicopter to the combined medical hospital and 20 of the soldiers from the paramilitary forces were killed

in the deadly attack. >> that are report from islamabad. >> demonstrations and protests in thailand is turning violently. dozens injured after explosions. >> this is the scene of the explosion. this is a victory monument, a main interception in bangkok. behind the crowd there is a stage for anti-government protesters to deliver speeches and hold music. and it was at lunchtime behind the main stage when a first explosive device went off, causing the crowd, looking for food, to scatter. that is when a second explosive device went off behind me, and you can see there are a lot of police investigating the scene.

forensic scientists looking for clues that may leave that to who is gped the attack. this is the latest in a series of bombings and shootings that are minor. hour, they are causing an atmosphere of fear about coming to the protests, about what lays ahead in thailand's political future. >> that was veronica pedrosa in bangkok. >> prolonged violence may increase military involvement. >> anti-government protests in turkey have turned violence. crowds hurled fireworks and set barricades on fire as officers responded with tear gas and water canons. hundred took to the streets to protest a bill amounting to

censorship of the internet. the legislation gives the government authority to keep any account of internet activity up to two years. russian security services released that footage showing sold erts fighting. several rebels were killed in the fighting milt officials say they may be long to a group behind a car bomb attack that killed nine people on friday. russia fought for an islamic state in the run-up to the olympic games in socchi. >> ukraine's pro-european union is outside today. defining a law aimed at curbing public protest. we turn to jennifer glass in kiev for more. >> you join me in independence square, a crowded independence square.

opposition leaders called on people to come out in large numbers to show their public outrage over sweeping laws that impose curves on everything from the media to public demonstrations and non-media organizations. people have come out in subzero temperatures in tens of thousands. the opposition say the laws violate the constitution, and the only way forward is to sabotage them. we saw the people jeer at the opposition leaders saying give us real leadership. that's a criticism of a protest that has gop tonne two two months. the -- gone on for two months. there are three main opposition leaders, but they have not come upway plan to get the government to fulfil their demands. president viktor yanukovych basically ignored the

demonstration. the parliament pushing through oppressive law and the president signed, and that law imposes all sorts of bans giving the police powers to shut down the demonstration. all sorts of provisions including not being allowed to wear some items of clothing, the tend are illegal, and the stage requires a police permit. the people say the laws are oppressive. the opposition leaders say the government is scared, and the demonstrations are working. the people don't see a concrete way to move forward. >> jennifer, thank you for being was. >> meanwhile, no end in sight for the drought in the west. for more on the forecast. let's bring in meteorologist dave warren. >> we can't get storms tracking over the area.

all the storms are going flow the northern plains, another spin. a quick area of low pressure moving from the north-west to south-east dumping snow. then we turn to the north-east. that's where we are now. rain, colder air coming in. comes in behind the storms, getting one after the other. we are looking at another by the end of the week. here coles the cold air by monday, tuesday and wednesday. another arctic blast. there is the core of that cold air over the north and south dakota, and miles per hour. temperatures dropping below zero. there's another shot of cold air, coming with a gusty wind. low pressure off the coast turping the gusty wind. it tracks over the eastern u.s. out west dry weather conditions. not really getting storms there,

where we need the moisture. these are the highs, with the wind shil 20, 30 or 40 degrees below zero. the cold air coming into chicago after light snow on monday. tuesday and wednesday temperatures down into the single digits. a hot of cold air on thursday, one after the other. can't get a break. >> i don't know if i'm rad for it. >> a quest for democracy. egyptians approve a new constitution with 98% support. it's not as cut and dry has it seems. why the political divide may be not so cut and tried. >> colorado a vacation destination for pot heads. not everyone is happy about it. >> plus, going off-road. a gruelling ras in the world -- race in the world. what it takes to cross the

finish line, dakar road rally.

>> good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. we'll have the backlash over colorado's pot tourism. first a look at the temperatures we can expect to see across the country with meteorologist dave warren. >> here comes the cold air in minneapolis and chicago. there's a west wind on the eastern side of the rockies, the temperature warming up. dry across the south-west, and warm again into the 150s. temperatures staying a bit warm. here is what it looks like in close-up. 20s is salt lake. 41 in san francisco. it is dry and warming up across the southern planes, fire weather danger there. the wind picking up. >> colorado has got a lot to of

its visitors. now that the state has legalized recreational marijuana, the tourism industry is getting a bigger lot. not everywhere is happiment >> we have this report. >> the call of the while. the rush of white water. and the excitement of the slopes, a few things that attract droves of tourists to colorado. now there's a new reason that people are making the trip to the rocky mountain state. some say the pot tourist rush means big bucks. others worry that weed will tarnish colorado's reputation. >> people should not expect to smoke at a ski resort, but enjoy a family vacation. >> most resort towns allow pot

outlets to open or business. >> steam boat voted to sell retail weed. they'll not allow pot shots downtown. you have to go outside of town. rocky mountain remedies is in a drab industrial park on the outskirts of steam-boat. ryan fisher showed me the rules. >> three pages lopping. if has questions from storage it cameras and cash registers. >> while you might buy weed, there's not a lot of places you can smoke it. >> we saw in line people that couldn't smoke at the hotel room. another friend said, "come back to our place and smoke." >> the police chief said lighting up in public is not allowed. you don't see people walking down the sidewalk drinking a

beer. they shouldn't walk down the sidewalk smoking a joint. >> some smell opportunity. >> you don't have public balconies, whether other people see you. you are very shrewded in your own enclave. >> near the no-so shrewded mile-high stadium, the pot shop is getting fired up for the showdown. >> and the sale spread. >> 25%, new england fans in here. 75% bronco fans. the patriots from out of town will not be able to take their weed home. they hope they will not go home with a win. >> now visitors account for more than half of colorado's daily marijuana sales. amazon knows customers so well it may ship products to them before they order. the online retail giant will

look at previous orders and web looks. >> a famous florida painter opened an exhibit called "one race' and cuba's capital. the works of a dozen cuban artists showcase in key west. it's the first art exchange in decades in a political dispute between the u.s. and cuba, beginning with the cuban revolution. >> the dakar car rally has rolled to a finish offer two weeks of racing. half of the vehicles that started fell to the wayside. we were at the finish line.

>> this is the first time the chilean city hosted the final stage. dakar rally. they gave it a rousing welcome. these are the survivors of over 200 cars, motorcycles, trucks and quads from the 438 left left the argentine city two weeks ago. >> most agree that the dakar is the most gruelling of rallies. nearly 10,000km of racing over tough terrain. testing drivers and machines. >> this is the fun bit, the easy part as the drivers and riders are welcomed. the goal as they drove across the deserts and salt flats, through mountain passes and rivers. >> the dakar, born in europe and africa with races around the world has become an international event.

>> a spaniard winning the car race, his compatriot taking the cycle, a russian taking the truck. and a quad race. >> in all, those who crossed the finish line logged more than 1600 mile of ter rain, starting in argentina. back to the finish line. >> a family tragedy. what this mother is accused of doing to her two children and the bizarre reason she gave police. >> plus the local utility says the water is safe to drink in west virginia. it did not stop protesters demanding action. >> and for decades half the world's polio cases originated in india. how the country eradicates the

disease is next. >> peyton manning versus tom brady with a super bowl trip on the line. a lock at their rivalry is ahead.

is >> welcome back. let's get a look at the top stories. another scandal facing embattled new jersey governor chris christie. the mayor of hoboken says chris christie's administration held back money from sandy as political pay back. >> a bombing set up by the taliban. 30 injured. it shook the inside of a security pom pound. >> demonstrations and protests in thailand are turning violence.

protesters are calling for the resignation of the country's prime minister. >> the egyptian-backed government says they are validated by the people. the election was boycotted by many. we have this report. there's questions raised about a political divide. >> egypt's draft constitution is passed with overwhelming support. >> translation: the total number of voters is 20,613,637. the voter turn out 38.6% of the population. a yes vote 98.1%. 1.9% said know. this is a higher voter turn out than the vote for the last constitution. >> the military backed constitution shows support for

the overthrowing of mohamed morsi. now that the government had the yes vote, the next step is to set a date. the anti-coup alliance described the vote as a sham. the group hailed an historic boycott by the egyptian people, including the youth, indicating that a majority rejects the coup and the constitution. different groups are calling on supporters to decrease their protests to end the coup despite the crackdown. >> egypt is facing tough titles, analysts say it's unlikely to change soon. >> i think we have pat ropes. when military coup is against an elected institution takes place, you are faced with four outcomes. direct military dictatorship, or a dictatorship with a civilian

facade. civil war, or persistent unrest. the plan is to try to legitimate what happened on july 3rd by a new constitution. the procedures happened. they never had strong legitimacy. >> egypt is divided and struggling to restore stability. next week is three years since a popular revolution moved hosni mubarak from power. as egyptians mark that occasion, the only thing that is certain is more elections. >> more than 12 were killed over the two days of voting. >> back in the u.s. a mother turned a knife on her children. police are charging a maryland woman with the murder of her kids. she believed she was performing

an exorcism when she stabbed her children to death, and injured her 5 and 8-year-old siblings. neighbours called 911. >> they seemed like regular people. you would never think they'd do something like this. >> avery faces two counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted first degree murder. >> now to the latest on a spill in wij elare -- west virginia's elk river. officials say it's safe to shower. many are worried. robert ray has more from charleston. >> you can see over my shoulders chemicals that went into the river. what happened in the past week affected 300,000 people and the water supply.

we spent most of the saturday talking to residents. we did independent testing on the water. here is what we found out. >> used to clean call, spilled into the elk river in west virginia. 300,000 people were under a strict do not use water ban. redents are concerned as to whether the water is safe. >> notice of cooler is testing materials in the woman's house. how long would it get. >> jennifer crews is nine months pregnant. >> we haven't been consuming the water. >> she what her family are not drinking the water. after the centers for disease control issued a caution, she was confused. >> we got the thumbs up that the

water was safe monday night in the community in the city. for 48 hours to go buy, knowing that the public is consuming the slaughter. it's concerning. >> with little data. it's not clear how it could impact people's health. because of the abundance of caution, al jazeera hired varnal consulting with respect -- environmental consulting company to take water samples from jennifer's home. not only is mark taking samples from the home we were in, but he's on the river taking water samples. they'll test it for the mix of chemicals that went into the river system. we'll have results next week. >> according to federal environmental data chemicals and

waste have tainted waterways and groundwater supplies. . >> in the case of pregant women, we don't know the effects on a developing foetus. we certainly shouldn't take chances. >> for this family, it's reached boiling point. >> no one has jurisdiction. what needs to happen is overarching legislation to make sure that the companies aren't responsible for policing themselves, because they are not. if you don't have to, you won't. if there are no speed limits i'm drive as fast as i can in my vehicle. >> freedom industry, the company blamed for the disaster had not taken action to stop the leak or report it to authorities. that is according to the state department of environmental , and assist it turns out there's

no regulations on the tanks that held the chemical. >> the candy smell is prevalent on this saturday, as is an itch in my eye, a problem or simply tom that people are complaining about. we are on the story and will keep reporting. >> residents in los angeles are returning home now that firefighters have a wildfire mostly under control. a combinningation of a camp -- combination of a campfire and the santa ana winds are to blame. the real culprit is drought-like conditions. a state of emergency was declared, easing restrections of getting water. one million americans live with parkinson's disease. it is known for causing shaking

and slow movement. al jazeera's correspondent takes us to a place in dallas that is helping those patients speak again. >> george spends days taking it easy, with his dog. >> yes, it's okay. >> he spent 30 years teaching english before health forced him out. >> my speech disappeared. >> george was diagnosed with parkinson's. >> i had to stop working. >> after his diagnosis george explored options to save what was left of his voice. he came upon the park son voice project. >> our goal is to preserve the voices of people with parkinson's. speech therapists say this is the only clinic devoted to strengthening those with park sin son's. >> samantha is the nonprofit's ceo and founder.

if left untreated they could live the last 10 years of their life not communicating. >> patients are required to do voice exercises associated with all the muscles. >> when someone is diagnose with parkinson's, they have note control over anything any more. >> it's not true. >> the not profit doesn't collect money, it asks patients to give what you can. >> every warnt receives all the therapy that is needed and preserved. at the end of the speak-out program they have an opportunity to pay it forward. to make a donation. >> no one is turned away. speech pathologist nancy travels from dallas to nevada to learn of the exercises. >> all the exercises are tremendous. my favourite part is a work

book. so many times i see a patient six months after therapy and everything falls apart. >> therapy and homework helped george to communicate. >> i'm not going to be able to speak fast enough to do the classroom again. i used to do 160, 170, 180 words a minute. and that was fun. i can speak texon now. >> that means he can go anywhere and speak to anybody, freedom from a life without ability to communicate. >> parkinson's initiative created an algorithm, determining whether a person has the disease. in 2009. half the cases. with us is dr walter, professor of medicine joining us from

atlanta. good morning. before we discuss how polio has eradicated, tell us about the disease. >> polio virus is ingested. it then produces in your mouth and stomach and gets into the blood and ipp vates the nervous system and kills a cell in your spinal cord called the interior horn cell. it's like cutting the wireses to a lamp. the muscle is uselessment so the darkistic of polo is cute limp muscles that you cannot tell what to do. if it paralyses the muscles, it can kill. >> these are symptoms that people in india have been experiencing. let's take a look at the graph. >> in india.

polio spiked to 38,000 cases. then it vanished. why the change? >> i think it's a combination of semp things. one a major government commitment. 2 million in resources were developed. second is training a public health army to get children vaccinated. then the right strategy, repeated vaccination and the right vaccines with sign fisk oversight. india proves given the hardest conditions to get rid of polio with the crowding and pore sanitation is that polio can be eradicated. what is eradication, what we want to get to, it will be a gift from our generation to every future certaination to never worry about this des.

>> are there efforts underway to reduce incidence of polio. you mention it's possible to eradicate it. where else do we see the initiatives take place. >> we are 99% of the way there. in 1988 when the efforts began, there was 350,000 cases. in 2008 - 2013 there were 385 cases. there are three countries in the world which have never terminated transmission of polio viruses, pakistan, nigeria and afghanistan. and a major focus is going on in those countries to get rid of the last reservoirs of polio,villes to deal with outbreaks. we had outbreaks in a number of countries from viruses from those countries.

you mentioned pakistan, and afghanistan. with polio a threat. >> polio is a threat wherever - because if they're reservoirs people can travel and come. the likelihood is slim because we had eye immunization levels. as long as polio is circulating it's a risk to children and atotals in the united states, which is critical that we continued to vaccinate the children. >> thank you so much. former deputy director of the global health program of the bill and melinda gates foundation. >> now our mark morgan joins us with a look at sports. >> they are two of the greatest quarterbacks, and the attention surrounding their meeting almost

overshadowed the game. denver's peyton manning and the patriot's tom brady insists it is not about them. the careers and legacies are intertwined. >> tom brady and peyton manning shared some of the great moments. including the greatest touch down records. tom brady topped 50. peyton manning threw 10 of 55 touchdowns to take the record back. in head to head, the edge goes to brady 2:1. brady owns three super bowl rings to peyton manning's single. if the regular match up is an indicator, it should be a shoot out. after all these years manning and tom brady are doing all they can. >> he's been a better player

each year an the year before. that, to me speaks to his work et ceteraic in the off even, his refusal to be complacent tore satisfied. he is one level higher. in some seasons, you say, "how can you get better than that?" he has done that. >> he is a great player. we have to score some points. >> brady missed practice on wednesday but joined the team-mates on thursday in preparation to face manning. we have to prepare for the team. peyton manning is a key guy in it. offense runs through him. we have to do a good job. >> if you take away one thing by overloading or doing a load. it takes advantage of something else. >> with a peyton manning defense, he'll need to get past

the patriots to make a third super bowl appearance. >> alright. thank you so much. we'll have a closer look at the conference title games next hour. >> thank you so much. the rising cost of going to college. president obama lays out his plan that would send kids to schools who simply can't afford it.

>> good morning. welcome back to al jazeera america. in a moment giving every child a shot at going to college. first a look at what rain will see across the country with the meteorologist dave warren. >> not where we need it. the west is dry again. the south-west california is seeing the drought situation, storms tracking to the north and dropping south across the northern plains, and the midwest going around the area. not seeing much in the rain fall.

these are fire travel warnings. right through the central portion of the east, falling apart from the north-east. >> president barack obama wants to make college more accessible. he's calling on university leaders to help students that can't afford to go. courtney looks at how the need and the cost changes over the years. >> schooling has come a long way. only a quarter of americans. by 2007 that number had jumped to two-thirds, but the u.s. wasn't the only country sending kids to college. the number of if americans obtaining 4-year degrees has stalled. going from first in the world to look at this, 12th overall and

in danger of slipping further. >> a share of jobs requiring college indication. according to a study by george town university 63% of jobs will require more than a high school education. the need for a college degree in the north-east, and getting an edu indication doesn't help you get a job, it helps you make money. among 30 to 39-year-olds, those with a degree made more money. research those for those born to lower income families a degree increases chances of upper mobility. half of all people from high income families. michelle obama and president obama came from modest

backgrounds. college costs have risen by 5-00%. putting higher education out of reach of many. >> the president and mrs. obama brought together dozens of leaders. >> i'm doing this because that story of the education is the story of my life. i want them to know it can be their story. >> kevin says he was trilled when president obama mentioned the program he was part of. i mentioned high school students with four years guiding them. and helping them once they get there. >> they had a chance to go to college, but they went down the wrong route. if i had more guidance, it would be on the right track. >> wade's mentor is adam jaig

ons. >> i was excited about that. we went over. it was like a burden off my chest. >> navigating the financial road is full of mine fields, deadlines and someone who is excited to go to college may miss the window of opportunities, if they are not familiar with the papers and deadlines. >> text and pictures of the as in the freshman year of college. imentor is a program that the president is pushing for. >> deborah booel says it identifies students from urban backgrounds helping them to attend college where they can get extra support. it's very important, because it shone a spotlight on this issue

of poor kids, kids from the lowest economic not getting connected to college opportunity, each when they ultimately are qualified. >> booel won a grant for her program. the middle class is beaming squeezed out. >> it's more, more and more middle class kids were denied this opportunity to get the education not only that they deserve, but that the country needs them to have. if they are going to fill the jobs in the workforce to make them a healthy economy. >> some showed deborah booel was right. saving offers an online calculator. if you had a child this year and wanted to send them to college that cost $25,000 a year, assuming an annual average agrees of 5% and 6% earned after

tax. you would need to save a quarter of a million or 561 a month for 18 years. if the college cost 50,000, then plan on eating half a million of $1, 120 a month. while the obama administration doubles. a lot more needs to be done. >> deflating one of the world's largest doubles, massive fans that deflate the zone. the surveyedium closed and the roof collapsed. it took 35 minutes for the roof to come down. the vikings will have a new stadium. >> at the end of our second hour, here is what we are following: more controversy for new jersey governor chris christie, hoboken mayor saying

his administration withheld funds as political pay back. >> 20 killed in pakistan. >> 28 injured in bangkok as protests turn violence. >> i'm mark morgan, a heavy favourite at the australian open has been dowbounced. >> and we look at the rain and snow. >> i'm radford, and the morning news continues. i'm back with you for 2.5 minutes.

>> new allegations of political payback, a mayor says chris christie withheld sandy money because she refused to support a real estate project. >> 22 pakistani soldiers killed this a bomb blast. >> an explosion injuring two dozen people in thailand. >> money matters - a program giving homeless kids a brighter future.

>> good morning to you. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. more allegations of political corruption dog a new jersey governor chris christie, and his chances for higher office. it began in the fall when two access lanes to the george zimmerman -- george washington bridge. the controversy stayed quiets when emails and texted revealed that chris christie's staff ordered the closures as retribution against the mayor. >> a cop trite chris christie took to the airwaves denying involvement and apologising for the action of had his staff. >> another mayor chimed in saying requests were blocked at the port authority.

and the latest hoboken mayor dawn zimmer says christy's administration is withholding the money because the cop that is politically connected to chris christie. >> as chris christie visited the sunshine state, trying to shore up support, a dork cloud over chris christie. >> she did not get behind a multimillion development project. the governor made it clear that money would flow if and only if the project was approved. >> she said, "i though these things should not be connected, but they are. and if you tell anyone i'll deny." >> g many were subpoenaed last

week. the scandal relates to the shutting of two lanes in september. an act of political retribution by the governor. the aids were blamedment sfoo i am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team. >> now the governor's office is denying recent allegations saying it's clear partisan politics are at play as mayors with a political axe to grind come out of theed woodwork. >> 100 million and private property damn. and $10 million in damage to private property. >> i'm stunned he would use the sandy funds and hold them over my head when you consider what happened to hoboken, and we were

devastated. >> chris christie is facing three investigations into the scandal. now legislative leaders in the state say the probe may be ex-panteded, something that coop stop chris christie's chances for a presidential run. >> this is look at the childrening much high- -- childrening. -- childrening. george washington bridge >> 20,000 pakistani soldiers have been killed by a bomb as it entered a compoupd. the taliban claimed responsibility saying the attack is part of its fight against a secular system. it promised more violence in the coming days.

investors don't know if it was a planted bomb or a suicide attack. it demonstrations are turning violence. explosions at a rollie in bangkok. veronica pedrosa has the story. >> this is the scene of the explosion. this is victory monument, a main intersection here in bangkok. just behind the crowd there is a stage for anti-government protesters to deliver speeches and hold music. it was at lunch time behind the main stage when a first explosive device went off, causing the crowd, which was looking for food, to scatter. a second device wept off. there's lots of police investigating. forensic scientists looking for physical clues, as it were, that

may lead them to who is behind this attack. this is the latest in a series of bombings and shootics that are minor, but is cause an an atmosphere in coming to meself protests. >> prolonged violence may benefit the protest movement. a dozen successful milt rilt coups have been staged. >> closer ties for the european union is back in action. this is a look as thousands packed themselves into kiev to force concerns. protesters occupied the city streets after the president passed on a deal with the e.u., which would have increased frayed and opened borders.

>> it's seen as a sign that the government is bending to the will had russia. some protests clashed. >> meanwhile syria's president is not ready to give up his seat in power, coming after the main opposition grouped agreed to attend peace talks. >> more than 100,000 people died since the war began three years ago. we have this report if istanbul, where the rebel coalition met. >> it was a vote ripping the syrian national coalition purt. members pulled out before and after. they voted yes to go switzerland, to take parts in talk with the delegation from the bashar al-assad. after the vote the president addressed the syrian people.

>> we have travelled a hard road. you are made sacrifices to your freedom. we have reached to critical point and you are determined to end suffering to be can take the constitution to a secure and safe place. >> because the decision was divisive discussions and consultation ran overnight including members of the rebel groups. without their endorsement there was no confidence that the coalition could deliver. the same fighting groups want to be in the 15-member delegation. >> they abb to be represented within the team. we have not discussed what would be the role. definitely they'd like to be part of the consultation. >> the green light came as a surprise. none of this was enough to bring back a group of 44 members who

wu drew because they didn't think the agreements made in geneva one. unless geneva focussed on a transitional government, it simply was not worth attending. >> who will represent the syrian opposition is supposed to be decided within the next this 24 hours. they face directly or indirectly a hif-level team, which does not knowledge the need for a government and barely recognise said the existence of an opposition. >> a major obstacle to ending the civil war is destroying chemical weapons. it process involves moving the weapons from syria to a port in italy. they'll be taken out to sea. the group overseeing the weapons

disposal believes they can make a deadline. the vote gives them legitimacy, more than 98% voted yes. turn-out rate was 38%. the election was buoy dotted by the muslim brotherhood, supporters of the ousted president mohamed morsi. they say the vote was rigged. authorities cracked down. 12 were killed over the two days of voting in conflict. the government is expected to set a date. >> three al jazeera journalists continue to be detained in egypt. mohamed fadel fahmy baher mohamed and correspondent peter greste has been held disease 29th. they are accused of spreading lies and joining a terrorist group. they have been denied.

two others are being held abdullah al-shami is a reporter and mohammed badr is a cameraman. >> not very big snow storms, but areas of snow. they continue to move through the same area. quick-moving storms, clippers. now moving through iowa and the mid west. could pump a little bit of know. it was followed by cold air. snow over the great lakes. this is it what is left, pushing to the east. draping a cold front to the south-west, followed by cold air. we are getting another in 48 hours, follow said by colder air. this is picked up by the forecast. cold temperatures on monday. just about over the great lakes.

here they are dipping to the south, the cold air is in the northern plains. bip tuesday look for the temperatures to drop, and they'll through the midwest and the north-east. low pressure off the coast creating a windy day, combined with cold air from chicago to the i-95 corridor. temperatures are 14 in chicago. the weather pattern keeps the storms going. dry weather conditions. we need the storms in the south-west, we are not getting them. that period of snow in chicago, followed by the cold air. bitter cold air with a wind. seven on thursday, another round of cold air coming in. highs dropping to zero, three in

fargo. bitter-cold windshils, 10-20 below zero. not much of a change in the weather pattern. >> they are coming for us. it's coming for us. thank you so much. >> we turn to west virginia's toxic mess. outside the state capital citizens are gathering to protest the spill, tainting the brig water. the chemical industry and practically un-regs strated. they are making sure a spill like this does not happen again. freedom industry has filed for bankruptcy putting lawsuits against them on hole. n hundreds of residents are returning home. firefighters have got control of a wild fair. a camp site has been blamed. it burnts 17,000 acres, destroying five homes.

the culprit is the fire is in a worst drought. governor jerry brown declared a state of emergency. these are some of the rules about bringing water in. >> one place that needed help is napper valley. al jazeera's melissa chan has the story. >> wine makers are not pappicing but they are watching the drought. to give you an idea of how serious the situation is. all we see is brown. there should be grass standing up to my hips. he spoke to them. they produce kab sav and tree tried to take a spin. >> if we get a normal rain fall for wint.

did we start the season with a fully wet profile. the vines will grow and start the season off and do their normal thing. i feel like they'll be cock. >> the worry is about what is happening right now. after all the vines are in a dormant stage. they don't need water. what people are worried about is a near future. we are halfway through the season, and they expect the water to collect. but if there is no water in the reservoir or wells, there'll be no water in july, august and september. that is the time they should pappic if there's no water and the drought continues. >> california ships a trillion cases across the world, making it the fourth largest interufr. >> coming up.

diving out rebels. and the tech school attended by edward snowden, some say is a breeding school for hackers. >> why attitudes are turning against the shark fin delicacy.

>> good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. >> from the latest chris christie controversy to now rules for the n.s.a. the political roundup. first, a look at temperatures with meteorologist s dave warren. >> trying to warm up a little. today we are looking at warmer weather across the south-west. still dry. the temperatures continuing to worm. not much change in the weather pattern. 36 in denver. warming up. warming across the southern plains, but a breeze picking up. there's a fire weather danger,

and across the north-east it's trying to warm up before we get a shot of cold air. you can see the highs over minneapolis, the wind across the mountain, warping up the temperatures. there's cold air winning out over the next 48 hours, moving south and pushing to the north-east. >> it was a week filled with scandal. new jersey governor may have been playing pol sticks with relief funding. >> on friday president obama announced changes on the way to the n.s.a. spy politics. >> professor of campaign manager at n.y.u. is here with us. what do you make of the bombshell allegations against governor chris christie. >> this is a real problem, striking at the heart of what

chris christie made his name for. and that is advocating on behalf of the sandy relief victims. if the allegations are true, she said she'd take a lie detector test. this is very damaging, if true, for the lieutenant governor and the commissioner and chris christie. they are big allegations and a story that seems to have no end. >> hurricane sandy was a story. but tell us about the operation. why is it important for chris christie? >> there was a case where chris christie made a name tore himself not only in the state of nertiony but fighting against political destruction. he was a straight shooter. he was not going to take it from the left, right or center.

he had four arrests or convictions in terms of a corruption scandal. a few years later he's on the receiving end. we have a federal prosecutor looking into an investigation and if the kim zimmer allegations are something he wants to expand into, we may see that. kim zimmer came to office because her predecessor was involved in the rig scandal. it's interesting that chris christie was on the receiving end. chris christie made his name catching the bad guys and people are wondering if you are the bad guy. >> very, and if not what magistrate and leadership does he exhibit. how can eight of the inner circle know what is going on, two senior aids be accused of

holding hurricane sandy's relief fund over the mayor, yet you don't know about it. somebody whom everybody says is hands on. it is hard for many to believe he didn't know. the polls say new jersians don't. ratings have gone down. hurricane sandy relief funds are different story. >> let's talk about zimmer for an interest. can this be chris christie's political opponent. >> who else do we have in mind. who can she interrupt. >> john, who is leading the asem reply has been on the front end of the investigation. it was thought of somebody who was a top opponent. you have kim zimmer, someone who is a christy alley. she didn't endorse him. but someone who in her diary

talked about how devastating she was because she believed chris christie. she was stunned when pt lieu tentant governor came to her. it was a wonder whether he would use political corruption to make a name for himself. >> so dawn zimmer could be next. >> absolutely. >> let's go back to the big picture: president obama's speech on changes to the n.s.a. program. were the changes substantial? >> it's a case of punting. he made a case, did a good speech, if you want to tack about the debates and issues. and he is always good on that. substantively the changes are very minimal because we don't

know where the metadata will be held. we don't know. should it be held by a third party. should it be held by a government contractor. the only breaches have been with contractors like we saw with edward snowden. he answered none of those questions and he punted it. what is the likelihood anything will get down. it may be a days in the president is happy they are not going to make changes. >> 2013 is a pre view of 2014. he is trying to apiece the american public and the world, to say you should trust what we are doing. i'm not certain he was success of the with that. when we look at what he said, it was a good speech. one like edward snowden has to be sitting thinking "you have supported everything i did", i

may have to pay the price. >> a few years ago. >> it was a - i think it's - we'll have to wait and see what happens. the substantive changes were few and far between. the privacy advocates is something called for. >> thaving you so much for being with us. >> there are some areas in britain where police are not called. officials don't believe it's because crime is not happening, but people are taking the law into their own hands. we have this report from birmingham, with it's suspected alternative systems are run. >> in the predominantly muslim birmingham suburb a community force is on the beat. working alongside the police. the group dismisses claims that some prefer to dish out justice alen. >> we report things to the police when we have problems.

at the end of the day, it's the lau. >> they are responding to claims from the chief constab u lairy. >> midlands said: tom referred to honour killings as an extreme example where a woman is murdered for shaming her family. >> if tom windsor has imperical evidence on this i'd like him to bring it out. i think it is highly irresponsible. it's not constructive. this is what happiness when you appoint somebody who has not been in the service.

>> the police dismissed remarks saying reports of hate crimes rose over the past year. others say there's truth to the claims. the irani and kurdish woman's organizations but said honourbased problems in the communities in the u.k. can be a problem. some say midlands police are bad responding to women asking for hem. >> an invitation has been issued to the chief inspector. >> see the nice work we are doing. >> rather than criticising us... >> all agree community trust in the police is vital to avoid vigilante law enforcement on the street. >> police say in december 2012 members of a muslim control

group from arrested for harassing, intimidating and insulting peep. >> the opposition heads to geneva. coming face to face with an regime. >> plus, investing in their future. saving kids on the street by enabling them to save their money. >> the n.f.l. is down to its final four. we have previews later in sports.

good morning to you, and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, and these are the top stories. a scandal facing embattled new jersey governor chris christie. the mayor of hoboken saying he

withhold political funds as payback. >> 20 killed bit the taliban in north western taliban. they promise more violence is it to come. >> scheduled peace talks, the opposition heads to geneva, doming face to face with the assad regime. >> with us this morning is discuss the geneva talks is richard murphy, the former u.s. ambassador to syria. thank you for being with us. >> pleasure. >> ultimately, what do the talks aim to accomplish. >> well, the minimal goal that moscow and washington agree on is that they should develop a plan for a transitional regime. our roads have not come together since, and what you see in the grament of the rebels and the opposition, each to taped the

conference in wits , pass arrived at after weeks of talks, pressures and encouragement. and from moscow as well. but they are very worried in the poegs ranks that this is a trap for them, that they'll be subbed into a series of talks with the syrian regime and it will exploit their divisions and weaknesses. >> what do they fear will happen. >> for some of them, the best thing that can happen is that the conference doesn't keep going, and that they will get more assistance from international thunders, more arms to continue a fight on the ground, and money to keep the political efforts going. >> kerry praised the opposition.

the fact to the opposition came face to face, the fact that they are willing to talk. does that suggest there's an end to the civil war. >> it may be the step toward that. that is what everywhere should hope for. the winter is harsh, the malnutrition, the starvation policy followed by the regime to compel the resistance fighters. >> to give up their fight. it goes on. if this could start a process of local ceasefires, they talked about doing something in aleppo. if we are careful and if there's strong international

supervising, this could be the beginning of a proceeder series of steps towards a political settlement. >> coming out of the talks, how likely will we see? >> we are not going to see assyrian replaced. >> a hope will be that a ceasefire will be so appealing that they'll begin to make compromises. >> the regime feels that it has support internationally and some domestic support that we underestimated when the mess started and they feel they can keep it going. they have handed over syrian

chemical weapons supplies. and they hope with patience and time, they will prevail. that's been a long-standing policy, hunker down and the world will lose interest in your problems. if bashar al-assad stays in power, what does it mean for vladimir putin, russia. >> vladimir putin's interests are basically that syria not turn into another hatching ground for international terrorists. and he doesn't want to see the country become a carden for al qaeda and the extremist islamist to take over. >> richard murphy, former u.n. armbass door to syria. >> in the democrat k republic of democratic republic of congo

fighting is under way between government forces. the government's offense if is part of an ongoing campaign to get rid of armed groups in the east of the malcolm webb was with an artillery unit as they attacked a rebel base. >> this convoy of heavy weaponry may not seem like a match for a rebel group. they are cunning. this unit is deploying to attack a base. they stop to look for a firing position. the army is here, they are attracting a crowd. >> before we suffered a lot. sometimes it was not safe to farm in our fields. now the big force of government is to chase the rebels. we are happy. it will not be easy.

>> there's thick bush for miles, but a clearer view if you can get up. >> from the top of the see ha can see the tart and the direction for bombing. the enemy is beyond that hill on the plain. the adf is hiding in the bush and forest. they've opinion in eastern congo. the government tweeted them. they have been in congo since. the army says their time is up. >> this rocket launcher is in suppositionment the soldiers are ready to fire it. commanders are studying a map to work out the election of the rebels, so they con work out the angle to hit the tarts. >> they mark say adjustments and

the onslaught begins. but the first volley misses the tart. the spotter hidden near the rebel base radioed in directionsment they checked the map and adjusted their aim. >> it's deafeningly loud. these men are used to it. they tell us not to block our ears. if you do, they say the pressure waves will make your nose bleed. >> it's nothing compared to the destruction at the other end. the rebels are facing formitt -- formidable force. everyone is waiting to see it they'll be reined in. >> the adf rebel group has been

blamed for a stripping of recent attacks. they are believed to have more that 1,000 mighters. >> south sudan army recaptured bor from 15,000 rebels. this area is in a tug of war. the united nations says both sides are committing brutal mass killings, actual violence and are using chint. so far up to 10,000 people have been killed. peen of those ath -- many of those deaths are along ethnical line. >> edward snowden is one of thousands that travel to new delhi to learn how to hack. >> hacking is not don fined to those with high-end comfutures. this security expert says

hacking can be done with a laptop or being in the right place at the right time. >> people can break into companies. >> and those skills are easy to find in india at any one of 1,000 private colleges. that attract edward snowden, a contractor to this one. >> edward snowden, if you do not come here. it's the number of foreigners attending classes that sets the it school apart. >> because we are a global it training company, we get students from all over the world. >> what edward snowden learnt here probably helped him get his job at the n.s.a.

and the lawyer pushed the it education industry to grow. >> new delhi attracts thousands of foreign students taking crash courses. most students return to their countries with an upgrade to current positions or better job prospects. some worry the training can bemisused. >> it's like a wild, wild west. >> the cyber law specialist says a lack of regulation made it a free for all. and that there are guidelines for the dangerous courses. >> there has to be a structured approach. >> they arg tu that any education can be misused.

india has no plans to regulate its it schools. students continue to enhance their skills before deciding how to use those skills. >> the class that edward snowden took was called ethical hacking. it included how to protect contents from thieves and spies. >> 14 have lost their lives in flooding. 150,000 have been forced from their homes, and the country is struggling to recover from you landa, which swept through. meanwhile thousands of the domestic workers take to the streets. the workers are outraged by the

abuse of a 23-year-old maid at the hands of employers. they are demanding justice and greater protection, calling on the government to abolish resumes, insisting that the workers live with their employees. >> dhaka, the capital of bangladesh sees hundreds of thousands on the streets. een those that do find work find it hart to build a future. a bank is giving some of them a chance by providing a safe place to put the earnings. >> they are orphans, homeless and live by their wits. bank's disadvantaged children live by scraping a living. they can't save money because it gets stolen. many spend it on drugs or alcohol or the dusty backstreets of dakar. a form 58 bank has been set up

and withdraw it whenever they want. >> 14-year-old mohamed earns $2 a day selling newspapers. he wants to start a computer business and says the bank enabled him to protect earnings. >> i can't trust anyone. if i abbing someone so look after my money, with me, and never give it away. >> the local charity which sets up the bank doesn't make a profit. it gives the children a deposit and withdrawal block and hopes to expand the scheme. >> my saving the money they can making is of their lives. >> they want the scheme recognised as part of the formal banking system. bank executives woint out as it's possible. the banking rules will need to be changed.

>> we from the central bank are encouraged banks to accept the save the children fund or others as their guardian so they can have a bank account. >> so far 1 thus children are involved. the rest of them it survive day to day. if the schemes takes off, many will have a future to book after. >> the u.n. children's agency estimates there-1.1 children. >> today is as good as it gets. mark morgan is here with stunning news from down-under. are you a tannize fan? >> i am. >> this is world disebed. it takes a major development to push the n.f.l. games to the back byrner. >> first, a huge surprise at the

australian opener. serena williams is out. in a fourth-round match against ana ivanovic. serena williams avoiding break point. ana ivanovic breaks and puts pressure on williams. 5-3 - serena williams look at the winner down the line. swede. she wins the second 6-3. >> the huge serve down the middle. ana ivanovic serving for the mamp. serena williams is long. she hadn't loft a match since last august. ana ivanovic with the upset. >> it's the penultimate sunday. the patriots and broncos battle for the afc title. we have two reports, begoing

with ross shimabuku is the mile high city. >> all the focus on peyton manning and brait d tom brady. mabing has struggled -- manning struggled in the play-aufr. in three play-offs mani has six interceptions much the carter banks have a lot of report. >> one thing a jouts out is tom's consistent city. i feel like he's a better player. his refusal to be complace and. >> what that means for us is we have to score points. that's what they do best.

we outscore you and score quickry. >> this will be the fourth meeting in the play-offs between the quarter backs. pt good news is manning won every ball game. it should be a good one. sunny skies, temperatures. for more than the nfc game, jessica taff has more from seattle. >> the n.s.a. championship game has plenty of fireworks. they know each other well, and the atmosphere is electric in one of the loudest stadiums. they have faired well. the last two sometimes san francisco played here, they were outscored 71-16. with a ticket to the super bowl, throe out the stats.

we haven't played well. >> it's the most important 60 minutes of our lives in terms of playing football. it's what we are having fun with. that's what we do all year, focussing on the opportunity we have. >> yesterday is gone. today is all we have, tomorrow is not here. the biggest thing is focussing on the moment and the game. to win the championship means a lot to the organization. i want to win, i hate losing. the seahawks want to use the 12th man to get back to the super bowl. reporting from seattle, jessica taff. >> thank you. ross, thanks to you. championship sunday. catching up: that's a look at the sports.

i'm mark morgan. you're a tennis and n.f.l. fan. who do you like? >> i don't know, it's a toss up. if you are not a die-hard fan, you feel like you'll be glued to the tv screen. >> you are not going to make a pit. >> i can't do that. >> i'll get off the fence and take both home teams by a little >> it's not going out on a limb. >> i think they'll be great games, competitive and coming down to the last two to three minutes. >> thank you. off the menu, why many in china lose their appetite for shark fin.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford coming to you live from new york city >> once considered a delicacy, we'll tell you why attitudes are changing about shark fin soup. first a look at the rain and the snow. >> a little bit of snow out

there, try across the south-west. we need the storms here. the weather pattern pushing to the nrth. the southern plains are dry. here is light snow through ohio. moving through. just a dusting of snow. they do not dux a lot of code. that is a lake effect snow. maybe a little heavier here, looks likes light snow and colder temperatures. >> still not ready for the coal. >> the annual dolphin hunt conditions despite a controversy. more than 250, including their babies have been rounded up.

some have been selected for activity, others killed. images from the blood-soaked water, who called the rit ute inhumane. others say it's a local custom. in china opinions are kaking. that is shark fin soup. it may save the shark from xe -- extinction. >> in the back streets of hong kong shark fin sellers are sensitive about the trad. attempts to document the product is met with sheer resistance. >> global demands have been called for practices to stop.

it's good for actual potency. it was searched at state functions, weddings and business dinners. in a campaign to cut costs the government banned the bell case. that had a profound effect. >> china's military of commerce said it let to a decline. hitting traders and restaurant ears hard. not only in china but hong kong or taiwan. the traders wouldn't speak to us. they say the trade has been decimated. >> in the recent times sales volume dropped. it has dropped about 30% compared in the previous years. >> while the trade is it not illegal, it's about to bomb less

profitable. local restaurant owners are losing their toast or shark fin soup. >> we stopped selling sharp fin, it's too brutal for the arn malls. e hope to a louz social a -- arouse social awareness. >> 150,000 shark were killed for their fins, earning $1 billion. bans from restaurants and hotels could save the species. >> the ban contributed. many restaurants followed the government policy and stopped selling shark fin. >> shark advo dates are attentioning advantage of the ban with a new education. they say if they don't act now,

games made in the past could be lost if the government relaxes cost-cutting measure. >> a bowl of shark fin soup costs as much as $3-00. >> hart may be bridging the gas, a painter opened "one race" and cuba's capital. the works of a dozen cuban artists will showcase in key west last month. it's the first art exchange in tech aids. the dispute in cuba began in the light 1850s. >> that will do it for this edition of al jazeera, thank you for joinings us, another news update after the break.

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>> i'm phil torres, coming up this week on techknow... >> a mystery, deep in the heart of the rain forrest >> we haven't seen something actually build them... >> it's been really frustrating >> it's a spidery clue that has our team of scientests stumped... join our journey to peru... then, it looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, >> that's good.... >> but it's not... the foamy inovation that's making hardcore meat eaters happy. >> techknow on al jazeera america