we're going to look back on this time and probably be disgusted. ... [ music ] this is al jazeera america live from new york. i am jonathan betz. >> the united states and e.u. stand with the people of ukraine. >> secretary of state john kerry backs the protesters while russia accuses the west of undermining the government. a siuicide attack kills 4 near the syrian border. with so many people catching the flu, now growing concerns that pneumonia cases could rise. california takes extreme

steps and faces what could be the worst drought in modern history. the ukraine's protesters got a big endorsement from the united states today. secretary of state john kerry met with opposition figures on the sidelines of the munich security conference. the u.s. is considering sanctions against ukraine. meanwhile, demonstrations continue demanding the president step down. our jennifer glass joins us live from the capital of kiev. how productive were those talks today? >> reporter: jonathan, it's not clear that they were terrible productive. the opposition leaders were offered anything concrete in munich but it was a big meeting for them in europe words of support. it's not clear what else.

>> they are fighting for the right to associate with partners who help them realize their aspirations. the united states and eu stand with the people of ukraine in that fight. despite a stand-off in ukraine against the opposition and the government, a sign there is room for man your, opposition leaders saying a political solution is still on the table. >> the only chance to decrease the dictatorship powers of the president is to shift from presidential to parlorpal-presidential republic. in order to do this, we need to have a comprehensive approach with participants. >> even one of victor yanokovich's advisors agrees that can be an intermediateator. >> all sides will trust someone from europe. the u.s.a. and russia must stay out of it >> reporter: in central kiev, the former lenin museum is a m

dormitory, calf tear and information center for anti-government protesters. they say president yanokovich is playing for time, trying to wait them out. >> i think it's obvious we need to change the country. we need to change the government. we need to change right now or sometime later >> reporter: they are planning for later. they have even started a line rather here and hundreds of books have poured in. >> this is the main road leading to parliament. the standoff with police continues but protesters have settled in for the long-haul building tents. it's unclear what the president or opposition leaders could say to them to make them leave. >> here, the talks in munich feel farm away. the people on the street say they can wait the president out. >> for months, weeks, maybe a year. i am a native kievan. no power to me to stay here to

help people. >> the stalemate is in the third month with no end in sight. what really politicians want to avoid here is that stalemate turning violent again. >> that's what happened two weeks ago at those barricades when the protesters and police fought each other in pitched battles. at least three protesters were killed then. that's what politicians are trying to avoid. i think that's what secretary kerry was meeting with opposition leaders about today to try to find a negotiated solution to this, jonathan. >> what us through what's expected to happen next in ukraine >> reporter: you know, right now, president victor yanokovich is on indefinite sin leak. we don't know when he will be back. i think the big event um coming is in independent square. the opposition leaders will return to kiev. they have called for a big demonstration. we will get a sense of what the crowd's mood is like, what kind of support they still have for

the leaders. two weeks ago was the last big demonstration. >> turned violent. they booed the leaders here in the square for the first time in two months. i think we will get a sense of what support there still is and where things might go. there is no clear plan to move forward. negotiations are sauled. there is a stalemate. thousands of people remain on the streets and it remains a very, very fluid situation in ukraine, jonathan. >> a lot of uncertainties indeed. thank you, jennifer in kiev. earlier we spoke to james jotis with the american institute in ukraine. he says all parties involved need to help find a solution. >> what ukraine really needs is a political compromise that can end this confrontation and they need the united states and the europeans and the russians to help them reach that compromise. it doesn't help to say it's democracy to try to remove a democratically elected president through street demonstrations, which as the "new york times" editorialized yesterday would be a recipe for further turmoil and

lead to dangerous res presents. i think this is a mistake. i think all sides need to take a step back and try to find a negotiated solution and trying to paint this as the people against the regime in kind of an almost bol she havic depiction, i think, only will exacerbate the tensions. i think a reasonable expectation has a couple of different elements: one is this notion that ukraine must choose between europe and russia is totally unrealistic. ukraine cannot do that. ukraine is a very diverse, very divided country, very different definitions about what ukraine is, and to force them to choose will tear the country apart. and the other one, as i say, they need to find a compromise political solution that preserves the constitutional order but also can restore some peace to the country, and there is a political deal that needs to be reached here, and the outside powers should be helping

them do that, not undermining it 4 people are dead after a suicide attack on hezbollah's stronghold near the lebanese/syrian border. four people were killed and more than 15 hurt. it's the seventh time a hezbollah has been hit since the group sent men to fight along side president al-assad's troops. >> they have been fighting against the assag government >> reporter: another car bomb hits the lebanese town near the border with syria. the cause of the explosion, a suicide bomber blew himself up on the main street. it happened near a petrol station, a school and a charity organization. it is a shiite town. it's a route used by hezbollah to send its fighters and advisors to aid president bash arrest al ass bassar in his fig with mainly sunni rebels.

>> it will have a direct effect on the security of every lebanese citizen. >> that's why we are asking to have hezbollah withdrawn from the syrian fire. >>gra al-qaeda-affiliated group since the beginning of the year, hezbollah strongholds have come under four car bomb attacks killing and injuring dozens. the intervals between each bombing is shrinking. it appears hezbollah won't stop assisting and the fighters its losing in the war next door. >> they will continue to be in

syria this is a regional war that is taking place. i think it's going to be more of the same. >> the lebanese army has taken additional security measures by setting up checkpoints across lebanon in an attempt to curb further attacks. but it seems these measures aren't enough to stop them. >> the latest sign syria's war is spilling over into lebanon, hezbollah strongholds have been targeted four times in january, alone. you lebanon is now left vulnerable to sectarian violence and the future look every so bleak. beirut syrian peace talks will resume in 10 days but as the two sides take a break from negotiations, the country's civil war rages on. al jazeera's mohammed muhl has the latest >> reporter: as diplomacy in geneva takes a break, the

fighting in syria continues. this is aleppo on saturday, a suburb after it was hit with barrels fulfilled with explosives and dropped from a helicopter. >> they dropped four or five on us. i was in the house with my family. tim just back from the hospital. my mom is right. she is still under the rubble, dead, in pieces. >> attacks have also intensified across the country, killing up to 60 people on friday. government forces target opposition strong holds in several areas explosive barrels seem to be the weapon of choice. a barrel fell right in front of activist cameras. damascus got its share as well. in aleppo, battles fell ol

residential areas causing death and destruction on a wide scale. air raids targeted the northern suburbs of and hit the city of morik, causing civilians to flee from the town. rebels athey have made gains on the ground in several areas. in the golan heights h expelling assad troops. the rebel fighter groupers tanks to stop government forces to advance outside of damascus control. th thet taking control of several government army checkpoints north of aleppo. after two more years of hit and run between the warring sides, it is clear there is no likely winner in this war. after the long days of talks in

geneva here in syria, the sound of war is still much louder than the calls for pieeace. nato is s nato campaigning for e elections begins tomorrow. campaign is seen as a test for the country's security forces as foreign troops prepare to leave afghanistan. the native chief says karzai will likely leave negotiations to his successor. those shotded. 14 people are dead after a volcan-0 eruption, spewing hot gas and ash. most of the victims died less than a mile away. it has been erupting for more than four months. yesterday, nearly 14,000 evacuees were allowed home after

volcanic activity decreased. poll open in tie land hours before gun fights broke out in the streets of the capitol. the government fought with protesters. they are trying to disrupt e elections by blocking polling station. seven people were hurt wayne haye was in the middle of it all? >> this is the sort of buildup to sunday's election that everybody in thailand had feared. these people are anti-government protesters and they are coming from one of the central bangkok stages and joining another anti-government protest at a government building a few meters down the road here also in the area as proceed testers are moving down, a lot of gunfire somewhere and explosion. there is very little security in this area. some soldiers are you know armed and very little security at the

moment. as you can see, the protesters moving down this road. this was an area of bangkok the security forces, both military and police could see violence on seelex day. we haven't reached the day yet. already, a lot of gunfire andplosions here. >> wayne hay, a very tense bangkok. for some ties it's more will strong turnout than results. vernon can a petrosa explains. >> >> reporter: for 9 million people in tie lapped are registered to vote. this will be interesting to see how many are able to vote because of the threat to obstruct the election process. police said they expect it to be smoothly in the central parts of tie land. but bangkok and the south may see some real problems.

this is an e less that is not so much about which party wins the most votes. it's been pretty clear to everyone that the party that is currently running the government, led by prime minister ketit and chinowat is the most popular party. they have won e elections han handily the last few ballots. what it's more about is how many thai people make a point of exercising their right to vote and, therefore, tests election is more of a litmus test of the tie person's flew on democracy. >> this flu season has spared those most vulnerable. the virus is taking a toll on an unexpected group, healthy adults. annie rowcian explains. >> mary welke got her flu shot

but when she found out a relative is in the hospital with the flu on a res perator, she got a pneumonia shot. >> he looked perfectly healthy when i saw him a week ago. >> how bad has it been? >> it has been worse than in years past. >> in fact, dr. alexander thomas of it rush university medical center says the hospital has seen double the number of flu cases this season compared with the average year. illinois is one of 39 states where the centers for disease control is labeling the flu outbreak as widespread but it's not just the higher number of cases. this year's strain of flu, the h1n1 virus is hitting young people heart. wisconsin says the number of flu patients in hospitals who needed to go on a ventilator is almost twice the amount as last year. cd c researchers believe older people may have built up a better tolerance for h1n1 from earlier outbreaks.

no one knows why the flu is so severe this season. >> that's the million dollar question that researchers are looking at is they haven't seen or noted any dramatic changes to the virus, itself. >> the good news is that before this year's flu started, researchers developed a flu vaccine that tackles the h1n1 viru virus. pharmacists say it's been successful in preventing the flu. this week >> the ydc upgraded the flu outbreak to widespread in new jersey. host of this weekend super bowl, meaning a lot of people in close quarters and easily vulnerable to the flu. >> h1n1 doesn't take much contact for it to be transmitted from one person to another. >> there is no way to predict whether the flu virus will get worse this year or any year. >> one of the concerns i always fear is the mutating virus or the virus that somehow changes to become more virulent.

>> here at rush medical center, they were so concerned that for the first time ever they made flu shots mandatory for all employees. >> there are things we can do to prevent the flu, hand wabbing, covering could haves and sneezes and the flu shot which cashier dejon jackson got this week? >> i have a son that's six. i have a daughter that's four. we deal with different customers every day. monday is kind of dirty and stuff like that. so i don't want to take anything home. >> in some cases, the flu can progress to pneumonia and while pneumonia shots aren't recommended for younger healier people. mary welky doesn't want to leave things up to fate? >> i intend to be around for a little while. >> al jazeera, chicago. maximilian shell has died. he won a film for judgment at numberem berg and nominated for ausc-arizona and a golden globe for the movie stalin. he was one of the best known

foreign actors in american films. his agent said he died of a suddenly and serious illness. he was 83 years old. still ahead on al jazeera america, procetests in spain ov newly proposed restrictions on the abortion. weather outside. it is quite cold in some places. we are watching up in others where we've got snow concerns and where we have got records being set about that snow. >> that's next. it's just something that's in the blood. there are so many stories out there that need to be told. we want to go in to the trenches, we want to go in the corners that are less looked at. everyone at al jazeera america is dedicated to tell the story the best way that it can be told.

when i discovered it was pregnant, i knew what i wanted or rather what i didn't want. >> she spoke to us just after she had had a procedure to terminate her pregnancy, something that she is able to do under spanish law. but that right is now under threat. >> it's not right the government takes these decisions for us. we are not talking about a car or a short-term job. it's something that affects your entire life. >> spain's association of gynecologist also fear it would be a backward step for women. >> every prohibition of abortions, that means that abortions are going down. you will have the same case of abortions. what changes is if it's legal or illegal, if you have safe abortions or not. >> the draft law would radically restrict the current terms for aborti abortion. if the law gets passed, only

women who have been raped or whose lives are in danger as a result of the pregnancy would qualify for a termination. even then they would need permission from two separate doctors to abort. >> a woman right to choose whether or not she can have an abortion is what is at stake here the justice minister issing aking it's just about the rule of law. he is arguing that the current law as it stands is anti-constitutional and while any changes may appease the religious right-wing, it's proving so controversial members of the ruling conservative people's party are voicing their own opposition to it. >> political writer appear divided on the issue. some have been campaigning for the law to goad. >> we will keep on, you know, demonstrating, rallying, writing letters to the prime minister, you know, being in the media, social networks to make sure that prime minister understands that there is a majority of spaniards who voted for him and who want him to fulfill his

commitment. >> while spain is a secular country, the roman catholic church does cast a long shadow over such issues. it is a strong presence in the country. but recent poles have shown most spaniards to be against any change to the current law. the majority of the european parliament has condemned the move and after years of a law supporting a woman's right to choose, this will not be an easy issue to convince the country otherwise. arningsz, mad rid. >> another european cities are holding demonstrations in solidarity, thousands rallied near the eiffel tower to protest the restrictions. crowds plan to march on the embassy and were being held in london, rome and brussels. a diver died while working to salvage the acog cordia. hebled to death from a leg injury while working under the ship wreck. 32 passengers and crew died when the ship struck a reef and capsized in january of 2012. in serbia, scores of people

are stranded in heavy snow. authorities rescued at least a thousand people trapped in cars and buses. several hundred others are still stuck. snow drifts are more than 11 feet high. the government band some traffic. looks kind of atlanta earlier this week. >> yes. >> people stuck in their cars, whether it's serbia or atlanta. the snow can do horrible things? >> can shut cities down. it can make mayors lose their jobs, too. >> a lot of problems for politicians without question. >> boy. >> here, the weather has been nice in the northeast. >> what a turnaround. yesterday, we felt like it was 25 just yesterday. i know it's been about at least two days t temperatures have warmed up nicely. we have them popping up in the 40s an 50s on the east coast. here, you can see we have 40 now for new york and a nice comfortable 56 in atlanta. starting to melt off of that ice. as we look to the west, dry here, still warm, but we've got

a series of storms that have been coming in and bringing a little bit of rain here and there into the valleys of the west where we are getting hit hard, talk about snow and ice, chicago, you have had one of the harshest winters you have had in a really long time. we have a couple of inches of snow coming down for chicago this evening. our winter storm warning will be expiring at 6:00 p.m., your local time. january, 2014, keep in mind records kept since 1872 in chicago now january coming up as the third snowiiest you have had on record and the coldest since 1872, and average temperature for january of 15.7. >> that's cold. now, as we look at the radar and satellite combined, what we have is a storm track diving down into just south of california, and as its moving back up through the southwest, we will expect parts of west texas to get a little ice and snow tomorrow. temperatures as you start out on the day are going to be in the

single digits in parts of the west. up around minneapolis, 10 below, but note, mild mid- to upper 30s on the east coast. now, for super bowl sunday, it looks like it's going to stay dry for the first part of the sunday, but as we get to the rest of the evening, there is a chance of a shower. we will have more details on the big game forecast coming up. jonathan. >> we will see you then. thanks rebecca. a new ceo is taking the helm at wal-mart. we will look at changes in store for the retail giant as it faces a tough economy and riding competition. >> calf is suffering through a record-breaking drought. now, state officials are tracking drastic measures. the governor is asking residents to conserve water. is anybody listening? we will have more on that story coming up. later in sports, the night before the biggest game in the n.f.l. but just how many people actually watch the super bowl?

>> one thing you want to debunk right away, you will always see out there, sometimes falsely reported that a billion people worldwide watch the super bowl. >> we're all struggling financially... >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream only on al jazeera america!

welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at the top stories this half hour. the united states express the support for ukraine's protesters. secretary of state john kerry met with opposition figures on the sideline of the munich conference. the white house is considering sanctions against ukraine. a group with links to al-qaeda has claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide attack in lebanon near the syrian border. it's the fourth time this year that a hezbollah has been hit. hezbollah backs the government. the group claiming responsibility for the attack has been fighting against the syrian government. in the u.s., flu season is hitting the young and healthy.

california says there are twice as many young and middle age flu deaths this time as last year. some pharmacies offer pneumonia v vaccinassumptio vaccinassumptions. this has not been a great quarter for wal-mart. more competition from dollar store franchises has put a dent in profits. a new president has taken rains, doug mcmillan started as an hourly worker in a distribution center in 1984. join us to talk about this is financial journalist titra spas nabat.

>> what works and what doesn't work. >> why is that so important to have an insider leading the company? >> i think they view that that has historically been successful for them because their prior ceos have had a similar experience and track record. with doug mcmillan, he is intimately knowledgeable of the company. sometimes from the outside, they take one, two, three years to get a quainted with the new company and how it works. the plus for this person is he already knows what doesn't work. the question is: can he bring real change to move the company forward? >> what is not working at wal-mart he needs to work on. >> what's not working is fundamentally how will they grow the united states? in the past few years, they focused a lot internationally. >> has not necessarily been very successful for them. they actually closed 50 stores in brazil and china. so now, a lot of industry experts wants them to really focus on growing their share in the market. they are getting a lot of competition, not only from dollar, as you mentioned but

target and online railers like amazon offering customers low price products. so they've got to figure out how to attract the american customer. >> is the future heading more toward the online world or to build more stores in the united states? >> i think a bit of both in terms of compared to amazon, they only have just a snippet of the market in terms of online. the future is online. it's mobile. and the ceo, doug mcmillan speaking in switzerland at the world economic forum and he talked about wal-mart wanting to now focus on online technology, mobile as a go-forward strategy. in the united states, it's a bit of not only opening stores but really, it's about how do you grow profitability and revenues at existing stores. doug mcmillan is a fan of the smaller store model but industry experts like the large, super store concept because that gives them more scale and profit a lot abo aboutability. >> has americans' taste for wal-mart changed has it shifted

over the years? >> i think it's more economic pressure because wal-mart's major customer base are the lower income to middle income americans. they are facing a lot of pressures. the economy is recovering, so unemployment still needs to improve for those folks to have jobs, to have money in their pockets. the second thing is higher payroll tax which means less money in people's pocket did. the third thing you talked about is food stamps. there was a reduction in food stamps in november and december of 2013. there is more happening this year. one in five wal-mart customers are foot stand users. >> that's a significant chunk of wal-mart's revenues. so that again put pressure on the american customer to buy at wal-mart. >> and pressure on wal-mart, too. so, also, real quickly, i want to get your thoughts on the fact that wal-mart has been under pressure for wages for employees. is there any indication that doug mcmillan might move on that stance? >> that's interesting raise that. a group came out with a letter

to doug mcmillan asking them to engage with them in terms of looking agent how you treat employees, raising wages and giving them more hours and doug, when he was speaking at the same conference i mentioned earlier in schwitzer land, the world economic forum he said the company talks a lot about their people, that their relationship with people and customers, that trust is the ultimate asset but he made a comment that behavior is different than intent. so, he didn't -- >> what does that mean? >> exactly, which is it could be that their intention is to treat customers failure but how do you get back in terms of execution? if you pay employees more, if you pay employees more, that will reduce your profits. so, it could be, how do you create a cycle as opposed to a vicious cycle? if they can grow revenues, perhaps that means they will have more money to pay employees but it's a matter of their company philosophy in terms of how they value those workers. >> interesting time for wal-mart. thank you for coming in today. we appreciate it. >> thank you.

california is turning off spiggots across the state. the drought is forcing the state water project to stop delivering water to millions of customers including farms. >> means those regions will have to rely other sources for water, including local reservoirs. judy molier is live in los angeles. judy, unprecedented situation in california. how is the state coping with it? >> reporter: the state is coping with it in unprecedented ways. in the history of the 54 year history, the state water project, it has never before turned off the water. it is now doing that. it has cut allocations to all of the local districts that it supplies water to. and that means, as you mentioned, they are all on their own. they are going to have to turn to their reservoirs, wells farmers are going to have to find their own water. so, it really affects millions and millions of people, lots of farmers. now, here in los angeles, the metropolat that time water district is one of those

agencies that usually gets some of its water from the state. but they have prepared for this. they say they have water to last with the reserves and they don't see imposing mandatory restrictions yesterday. >> give us an idea of how many people this acts since the governor has asked residents to cut how much water they use >> reporter: yes. the governor is asking all of the sudden citizens of california to voluntarily cut back 20% of the water they use that's voluntary so that depends upon how many people are listening and feel pressure to do so. on the california governor's website they put up tips. if you take shorter showers by just two minutes, you can reduce your water usage by five gal options. if you turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth, you can save three gallons.

wash a full load of laundry instead of like a half load of laundry, save up to 20 gallons per load. if you use a broom instead of a hose when you are cleaning out your driveway, you can save as much as 100 gallons of water. if you water your lawn before 8:00 a.m., you can save 25 gallons each time you water. so, there are simple ways that people can really cut back on their water usage if they are paying attention. >> okay. a little bit goes a long way. any idea how long they exhibit this drought to last? >> oh, i am sure they all wish they had the answer to that. the drought, if it goes on past this year becomes a mega drought as they call it. it could really result in much more serious cutbacks. it could lead to mandatory water restrictions and the governor put it this way: each day that this drought goes on, it becomes

more necessary to tighten the screws on the way people use water. and that's what we have ahead of us. it's the unknown that worries everybody, the long-term. jonathan? >> very scary do think about. judy molar live for us in a very dry los angeles. the super bowl is king in the united states but how does it rate on the world stage? people often toss around the term "billion with a potential audience. rashi mabuku is here to k3578 inthe big game and its local appeal. >> football fans in this country are preparing for the big game. what about internationally? sports fans overseas share the same passion for the grid iron and will they watch tomorrow night? joining me is john hen tree smith, who is braving chilly conditions outside of met life stadium and inside the warm studio is daniel kaplan. reporter for sports business journal. john henry, let's start with you first because thousands of journalists are out there with

you at met life stadium covering the super bowl. any idea how many international journalists are covering the big game? >> i have asked the right people and the right people told me about 550 international journalists have been credential did for this event which is a little less than 10% of the record number, 6,329 total journalists but still a very substantial number walking through these various venues has been like walking through a vertable united nations with accents and languages being spoken as people have come from around the world to cover this event. >> let me ask you. super bowl is the single biggest supporting event was. it's must-see t.v. but what about internationally? >> it is not must-see t.v. one thing you want to debunk right away you will always see out there sometimes falsely reported that a billion people worldwide watch the super bowl. the n.f.l. never wants to correct that because obviously, it benefits the allure of the n.f.l. that it's this international support. the bill yon is a billion people

have the ability to see the super bowl. the actual number is nobody knows because china, germany it's hard to get these t.v. measurement ratings. the actual number is probably, if i had to estimate, maybe a 5th of that if not less. >> the new hampshire has played games in london. they have scheduled three more games there. >> correct. >> for the upcoming season. what impact has that had on the lead? >> the untying issue for the league now is no longer do they play games in london. it's do they put a franchise there? roger goodell was asked that on friday at his state of the league address. he said it's gone well. he is not sure what the next step is but i think most league observers believe the league is to relocate a team, it would be more apt to be in london than los angeles. >> let me ask you, john henry. do you foresee maybe the super bowl ever being played outside of the united states? >> i think daniel hit the nail on the head when he talked about london. london, the n.f.l. ant it'spates about 4 million people watching the super bowl in london. there is interest over there.

as daniel kaplan just mentioned roger goodell said multiple times in the past, he is not going to put a super bowl in london unless there is a chan tries there, something that it sounds like there is where withall. putting one over there would raise some problems. the n.f.l. likes to start these games about 6:25 in the evening when they figure this is maximum viewership. if you do that, that's 11:25 in london. they would have to do a little adjusting. >> let me ask you: what sporting event internationally pass as the super bowl? >> there is two. the world cup and olympics. far and away, if you were to have an entity that had a billion viewers, it would be the world cup. it would not be the super bowl. if you go overseas, wimbledon, tennis is part more popular in most countries than the super bowl. in china, lee noz will easily

surpass by 5, tenfold the amount of viewers for the super bowl. you will probably have a hundred 100 viewers. i haven't got that figure from the wta. she had $60 million for that. the super bowl may be big here you go overseas, sports week, consider incidents are far larger. >> interesting. leading up to the super bowl, ticket prices have decreased by some 40%. it could end up being the least expensive super bowl since 2002. what do you attribute that to? >> first, let's back up a little bit. secondary ticket prices, not the actual ticket prices people were scared about the weather. teams are traveling from a long distance. there is something else going on. the n.f.l. for years their not

capturing that. there is a much smaller disparity. in has the cold weather put a freeze and taken the excitement out of the super bowl, or is it bigger than ever because it's in the bright lights of new york city? >> i would say there has been a lot of excitement because it's in new york city. i would say none of the luster has been lost at all. goops of gobs and gobs of people no matter where you go around the city and around venues, super bowl boulevard has been a huge success so far. certainly, i don't think the n.f.l. would be surprised about this. they put did in new york because, a, they have a new stay stayedium. b, new york has the infrastructure to handle an event like this. roger goodell says he needs 30,000 hotel rooms minimum from a host city in order to host this event.

certainly, atracks for people to see and certainly new york and new jersey, they passed muster on both counts. >> by having the super bowl in a world capital like new york city, has that made it more global? >> i think you will see a higher t.v. rating. gu i don't think -- super bowl is a super bowl wherever you put it. it's a major event, particularly in this country. i think the effect overseas will there will be more viewers who want to see a super bowl. no snow probably means the rating is not as magnificent as they wanted. on the other hand, because it's new york, because of all of the hype, you probably 0 seize will see a built more viewership. >> daniel kaplan as well as john henry smith, thank you very much for the insight. now, 110 million fans are expected to tune in on super bowl sunday. some experts are proteedicting

super bowl 48 will break the mark of viewers set in 2012. the reason of. the two teams, broncos and seahawks and because of the weather. back to you. >> okay. thanks, ross. after the super bowl, the winter olympics kick off next week. not everyone is cheering the games. india is taking heat ahead of the sochi games. it was suspended for alleged corruption and cannot officially compete. ca katherine stansill reports on one indian athlete heading to sochi anyway. >> it's fast. it's danes dangerous and many say it's completely addictive. for kevinvan, it's that that keeps him on the track he trains for his fifth olympics. back home in indian, this is his way of training, rating through himalayas, a lori. >> we had to modify the sleds with wheels and go down the roads. >> the expos you're brutonors

help to go pay for training and his trip to sochi? >> eg reach speeds up to 150 kilometers but trying to negotiate this track is not his only challenge. the indian olympic committee has been suspended from the ioc because of corruption. >> means he cannot compete for india in sochi. >> there is no better feeling than carrying your country's flag. >> that's a dampener for us. we have had a lot of support from people back home. they told us know matter what, whether the flag is there or not, they are supporting us. i feel the same way that i will be still representing india in my heart, flags or not. >> india can't return until new members have been elected. >> means sh i have a must compete as an independent athlete great roos supreme court is strong. in a garage in a small french town with his one-time coach, the two work on sh i have a's homemade sled which they built from scratch.

they have gone from competing against each other to working together. sh i have a can no longer afford to pay johan. >> i was used to be a coach. when i began to be coach of sh i have a, i was coach and friend: you can be more close, understand more each other. it's great experience. >> the u.s. luge team has offered to train him. he is hoping to race into the top 20. if not officially for his country, for himself. katherine stansill, al jazeera, le plann in the french alps. >> in a city with more than 20 million people, many are wondering if they will make a difference. more from mumbai. >> awe aboard. mum by's new mono rail network is open for business, the first

in india, the plan is to have as many as eight lines costing $32,000,000,000. >> financial capitol has an old railway network. the trains are old and if you will most of the time. while the first phase is complete, the second phase is under construction. tickets cost as little as 5 u.s. cents for a minimum journey, an affordable price for everyone with air-conditioned carages and enough room for all. it may have been two years overdue but the public seemed to like what they see. >> i have never sat on a monorail before but this was a very nice experience. >> millions of vehicles use the roads daily. this is a con disability problem in a small area. the a lotternally tough way to

travel is by looking up. >> this foyou are-carmon 0 rail has the capacity to carry 560 people. mum by railroad network. >> there are people close by to this monorail who feel it doesn't benefit them? >> some local residents are critical of the routes and locations for stations. >> i live very close to the monorail. if you see wherever it is going through, i don't think it's connecting to the real commuter where they live and are going to work. >> the authorities say they have made the right choices public transportation. the monorail is expected today

carry between 150 to 300,000 passengers a day. while that is a significant number in a city of over 20 million, the long-term hope is they can change people's habits and perception of public transport in india's financial. >> still ahead on al jazeera america, two prosthetic legs aren't stopping a high school student from playing the sport he loves. some are asking if it's a good idea. >> no doubt about it, innovation changes our lives. opening doors ... opening possibilities. taking the impossible from lab ... to life. on techknow, our scientists bring you a sneak-peak of the future, and take you behind the scenes at our evolving world. techknow - ideas, invention, life. on al jazeera america

>> every sunday night aljazeera america presents

>> a high school basketball player in colorado is on the court again after being told he could not compete. the 18-year-old had been banned from playing because he is a double am pew tee. jim huly has more. >> whenever baylor roby takes

the court, it's exhibit rating. fellow students at mountain vista high don't hide their spore. doing what he loves. >> this 18-year-old 7 is playing the game he loves despite having both his legs amputated below the knee. >> i was born with three toes on both feet. so, playing basketball since elementary school. he is able to run and jump using specially designed prosthetic digs. bailey's challenge here on the court is the same as was faced by an olympic sprinter who lost legs when he was an infant. he competed wearing his prosthesis. the first amp tee runner to do so. >> the same legs just like him. different for basketball but

same legs. >> in mid january, the colorado high school activities association told bailey he would not be allowed to play out of concern for his safety in and the safety of other players. the association cited add rule of the national federation of state high school association basketball rules. the referee shall not permit any team member to wear equipment or apair real which, in his or her judgment, is dangerous or confusing to other players or is not appropriate. bailey and his supporters were heart broken. >> very disappointing. the school association reversed and allowed a game by game basis relying authorizing senses to the same rules to provide reasonable accommodations to individual participants with disabilities or special needs.

bailey has done a great job of working and overcoming some of the handicaps he hasanding being a part of our team. bailey is the first to admit he is not a starter for the team but he played friday night and that crowd was back, too, going wild. >> really good. you know, all here we have the best crowd here in colorado. it just makes me feel good and happy, myself. >> his teammates are feeling pretty good as well. they got a win last night, upping their record to 16 in 1. jim huly, douglas county, colorado. >> a lot of people cheering for bailey. that's our show. thanks so much for joining us tonights. i will be back in a minute. he headlines after this short break.

most members of congress can claim. we'll separate politics from policy, and just prescribe the facts.

this is al jazeera america live from new york. i am jonathan betz with tonight's headlines. the united states expressed support for ukraine's protesters. secretary of state john kerry

med with opposition figures on the sidelines of the munich security conference. the white house is considering sanctions against ukraine. demonstrations continue demand, the president step down. a hezbollah stronghold was the target of a deadly suicide attack. an al-qaeda-linked group has claimed responsibility. it says the car bombing was in retaliation for sending forces into syria to back asaad's government. >> mount sinabung is shoeing gas and ash. most victims died less than a mile from the peak. 130,000 people had fled but 14,000 e value evacuees were allowed home after volcanic activity decreased. >> the flu season is hitting hard. california officials say there are twice as many young and middle age flu deaths this time as last year. some have led to pneumonia

vaccinations offered. maximilian schell has died. he won an award for judgment at nuremberg. his agent said he died suddenly. he was 83 years old. "real money" with ali velshi is next.