consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. hello there from the al jazeera international news center in doha. i'm laura kyle, and this is the news hour. another mortar attack in the syrian city of homs, but the humanitarian mission goes on. the bomb blast in yemen kills an intelligence officer on the third anniversary on the ousting the former president. hello there from london with the main stories from europe. a cry for help. protesters in ukraine reach out

to europe to try to end the standoff. and a borderline debate. the swiss go to the polls over the future of immigration. and i'm anneda arar arar aa richardson with the latest sports. highlights from sochi comes up in this hour. at least 65 people have been evacuated from homs on sunday despite mortar fire continuing in the syrian city. the u.n. humanitarian chief says she's deeply disappointed by the attacks. aid organizations are trying to get food and medicines into the city where up to 2,500 people are trapped. the attacks are in violation of a three-day cease-fire agreed to by rebel fighters and the government. the u.n. says it will keep pushing to deliver assistance to

the area. >> translator: our role in this process is to secure a safe exit for civilians, as some people have been trying to get out for seven or eight months now but gunmen won't allow them. the terrorists are using them as human shields. we know the militants will benefit from aid brought to the area, but we can't have people starving. >> stephanie decker joins us live from beirut in neighboring lebanon. good news more people managed to get out, but these attacks still happening. update us on the latest you're hearing from homs. >> reporter: that's right. it's still an ongoing operation, and we here that up to 100 people have now been able to leave the old city of homs. from what we understand, it's creating tension on the ground because it appears men of fighting age, you could describe them, are coming out with the civilians. part of this deal was that boys under the age of 15 and men over

the age 55, that was the only age that could come out. anything in between that would have to stay inside. now, we're hearing reports that a few men of this age have come out. the army has taken them away to an undisclosed location, so that's certainly creating a lot of tension. we've also heard from a couple of opposition activist groups that there was gunfire inside the old city, the sound of explosions. they say they believe a few civilians have been killed and injured as they were waiting to be evacuated. it's very difficult to figure out. still, as i said earlier, it's an ongoing operation. the u.n. is stressing they're committed to this regardless of the difficulties they're facing. it's the third and final day of the cease-fire, and the u.n. is there with armored vehicles escorting the people out and delivering some aid. the syrian red crescent is providing medical relief, food and water for when they get out. >> stephanie, those challenges

that they face on the ground really highlight the difficulties also that are going to be faced at the geneva ii talks due to restart tomorrow. >> reporter: that's right. we know that the syrian delegation has already arrived in geneva, and it's exactly that. they're sitting at the same table. this is a good sign, a first step. certainly whatever they come up with, and many say it's rin kred bidil to come up with anything, will that trickle down on the ground? many fakdzs fighting in syria. there's no clear command structure. it doesn't work that way, but those are the challenges, even if mrittically a solution can be reached doesn't mean it translates to the ground and fighting will stop. >> stephanie dekker is updates us from beirut. thanks, steph. still in syria at least 19 people have been killed in a

series of barrel bomb attacks in the city of aleppo. many others have been injured in attacks in the city. one explosion occurred near a square where people were waiting for public transport. an intelligence officer has been killed in a targeted bomb attack in yemen. officials say a device was placed under the car of the intelligence panel. one report says two others were seriously wounded in the blast outside the oil ministry building in downtown sanaa. we're in the capital of sanaa. >> reporter: according to the ministry of interior, the blast that happened in yemen this morning killed one person who apparently was targeted in the explosion, and he's a senior officer in the army from the political security department of the yemeni army. he was not well-known in the

political arena, but this is just one of many incidents, many typical incidents in yemen where prominent officials are killed, and now nobody knows who killed them. that's part of the general insecurity of the country that has been increasing since the downfall of the former president. they're chanting for more radical change with the same old slogans of 2011 and against the same man they opposed backs then. they say remnants of the former regime are still in power. >> translator: the popular revolution has not yet started. it's now in its first stage. that's because we'll struggle until we have removed all the tyrants and wrong-doers and until our revolution reached every institution in this country. >> reporter: the president stepped down amid popular pressure, but 50% of the current

cabinet members are still loyal to him. he has a strong influence on the army and on yemen's politics. while it seems he's faring well in his new role behind the scenes, yemen has not. there's frequent assassinations, bomb blasts and tribal militias taking control in state districts. brazen attacks by al qaeda againmen and other armed factions have increased in number and efficiency. like this one in the heart of the capital of sanaa in january when they took over the defense ministry compound for 20 hours. security shrouds most of the acts of violence. >> the old regime was like a cancer causing the country to rot both socially and politically to the point where we were going to have a complete d dissin integration. now we have gotten rid of part

of the cancer. parts are still within the system. >> reporter: in sanaa many oppose the revolution. >> translator: there has been no progress for the better, only a deterioration in politics, economy and everything. >> translator: it's been a very negative change. if you drive to hadadi from here, you will go through 20 tribal checkpoints. the country is disintegrating. >> with the third an verse of uprising, many insist they will continue to fight on for real change. >> yemen sits on a strategic cross roads between asia and africa. now, the country became a republic in 1990. that was with the unification of south and north yemen. the disagreement between the two parts persisted, and that led to civil war four years later.

he became the first directly elected president in 1999 winning 96% of the vote. regional tensions re-emerged in 2009. and then in february 2011 protests began against president saleh and that led to his resignation the next year. thank you very much for being with us. let's look at the events today, because in the broader scheme of things, we're seeing much violence against the security forces. i'm wondering why there are so many attacks targeted against them. >> it's clear there are certain factions who want to halt the progress of the national dialogue, which ended two, three weeks ago. certain factions are worried that if yemen does see reforms,

their interests will be harmed, their business and oil interests. they're trying to assure that with chaos they remain in power. a government that is organized and with reforms will not work in the interests, and many of these groups in yemen are hoping that these attacks will halt the success of the government and increase their interests, which grow in areas where there's chaos. >> that's not succeeding, is it? there were supposed to be elections now in february of this year, but it's recently been decided to delay them by a whole year. >> let's be honest. we have to say that the yemen government is trying its best to improve the situation in the country. you see security forces at almost every block of the capital of sanaa and other areas of the main cities in the country. however, there's still a lack of support from these political factions that are strongly

influenced or strongly influence the country's politics. they will not gain if all the factions are involved in the next political regime. so the government is trying its best, but these obstacles are expected to continue. we're very confident that the u.n. security council will soon announce those who are spoiling the transitional period, and only when this happens will people in yemen feel it is taking a serious step and that the community is really serious that yemen should be stabilized. >> how much of a step is yemen really taking? if we look at the former president, saleh, many say he still wields huge amounts of power. >> that is true. the former president is still very influential in the country, and that's mainly because of the lack of government success in the last two years. people feel they need to resort

to other options when they feel that the current option is not working, and that is why saleh is getting more influence. i have to say if there's elections today, there's a strong chance those who came to power two years ago would have a very difficult time to gain power again. so he's gaining power and he's gaining support because of the lack of change that is happening or positive change taking place in the country. people are expecting a lot of change, but we can't expect democracy express. democracy comes in very gradual steps and does not come all at one time. >> thanks for joining us there from sanaa. two of the owners of a bangladesh garment factory that caught fire that killed more than 200 workers have surrendered to the police. they have been on the run since november last year. they're now in prison after a court denies them bail. a public prosecutor says they are two of the 13 people facing murder charges.

>> translator: as 111 people died on that day, charges have been brought against the owners for their negligence. it proven guilty, the maximum punishment can lead to lifetime imprisonment. given the evidence against them, it shouldn't be too difficult to prove their culpability in the incident. iran has agreed to take seven preliminary measures on nuclear cooperation with the iaea. they have set the 15th of may as the deadline to comply. media reports indicate the understanding was reached in a meeting between the iaea and the iranian officials in tehran. in western mexico a local defense dprup group working with government forces has entered a city. group leaders are continuing to clear them of cartel gunmen. the city has been under control of the drug cartel for several years. authorities have arrested around 200 gang members including the brother of a leader.

the mexican government legalized vigilante groups last month and works with them in an effort to regain full control of the troubled state. >> translator: we are going to stay here. we are not dwg going away today. we're going to continue, and our colleagues with working with the federal forces. do stay with us. still to come on the al jazeera news hour, a state of emergency is declared in several regions of bolivia after devastating floods. plus -- the ba battle agait dengue fever come up. in sports she has her first major title. after an almost three-month political standoff, ukraine's state security service has announced it's placing

anti-terrorist units on high alert. let's get more on this from barbara in london. barbara. >> laura, it's still unclear at the moment whether the announcement is actually linked to the unrest which has gripped the ukraine for the last few months. opposition protesters have been back in independence square this sunday as they try to put more pressure on the president. let's get the latest from kiev and speak to neve parker there. do they give an explanation for putting the anti-terrorist units on high alert? >> reporter: well, barbara, the terrorist alert is an unusual step by the ukrainian authorities, but we don't get the impression as yet that this is in any way linked to the ongoing instability and the protests nationwide. the suggestion is that the authorities are trying to test their capabilities rather than responding to any direct or immediate threat. of course, we will keep an eye

on that. in regards to the protests here, again on sunday, it's another day of mass protests. sunday is traditionally the largest day of protests, and they're around 70,000 people here on independence square. you get the impression after speaking to some of the people down there that the rhetoric is changing or started as a demonstration about european integration, change to be protests about getting president yanukovych to step down. now you get the impression opposition leaders are thinking about a compromise with the leadership. some protesters are rethinking how they're getting their message across. in a square plastered with anti-government slogans, these protesters are doing something different. with placards and covered mouths they march through the city to the german embassy. they're demanding europe does more to help end of bitter

standoff. >> we're calling for people to pay attention to our cause, and we're calling for people to open their eyes and stop being blind and deaf to the atroscities to the murders and tortures that is happening right before their eyes. >> reporter: on independence square, demonstrators draw much-needed cheer with serving the hot food, and others who have been camped here for weeks whittle away time with the express. >> translator: there are always pawns in this game. in this game we the people are the pawns but it's time the pawns become knights, and this is what is happening now. we are excited because of our spirit and becoming more and more powerful. >> reporter: sundays have regularly drawn tens of thousands of demonstrators. it's a chance for opposition groups from different political parties to share ideas on what to do next. opposition protesters have described independence square as being like a state within a state, protected by barricades.

as the temperatures start to rise, it's only a matter of time before these ice barricades start to melt leaving the square more trfragile and vulnerable t police attacks. over in parliament there's no sign of political fall. the future hangs on the formation of a new government, but so far no decision has been made. the question is, will that new government lean towards russia or europe, and will ukraine's next prime minister be the people's choice or the president's? >> neave, political instability is never good for a country's economy. do you think that's playing any part in focusing minds on either side to find a compromise? >> reporter: well, barbara, the economy here in ukraine is in real turmoil. the national currency plummeted to the lowest value against the dollar in four years. the price of petro has started to go up, and ukrainians are worried other goods and services will become more expensive also.

there has been some offers of financial lifelines from the european union, from the united states, and from russia, but only if ukraine's parliamentians start to think about a realistic solution to all of this. so while the offer of money is on the table, the ball is now very much in the opposition and in the leadership's court. >> neave barker live for us in kiev. thank you. in bosnia protesters have gathered outside a police sfags in sarajevo. they're calling for the release of people arrested during violent demonstrations at the end of last week. many people are angry at high levels of unemployment and poor living conditions. tim friend explains. >> reporter: the protests and frustrations aimed as bosnia's leaders are unrelenting. the violence has ceased for now, but the passion remains.

>> you have to find -- you have to fight for your future because they don't fight for our future anymore. >> reporter: this country is in crisis, years of pent-up anger over a stagnant economy finally erupted last week in street battles with police. the protesters here have appealed for a peaceful demonstration. they also know that to achieve their aims, they will have to keep up the pressure on politicians at a national and local level. two local government workers examine their offices burned out during friday's rioting in sarajevo. they tell me they managed to save the building during the war in 1992, but now it's been wrecked by their own citizens. police say that of 44 people held, 10 remain in custody. civil rights groups claim police are leaking these photographs of

seized guns and drugs in an attempt to discredit demonstrators. police deny the claim. unemployment has hit the young hardest here, and an economist tells me this may be the moment when ethnically divided politicians finally see sense. >> with the limited number of resources, what we would need in this very moment is to make savings in public sector and push them to invest and modernize the education system, which is a very big thing to prepares youths to the markets. >> reporter: attempts at genuine political progress may be the on only way to prevent further violence. tim friend, al jazeera, sarajevo. two people have been killed and six others have been wounded in a shooting on the island of sakalene off russia's eastern coast. a they killed a nun and

church-going. russian security forces are on high alert for fear of attacks in sochi, but there's no apparent link to the games. the gunman was detained at the scene. i'm going to have more from sochi a little later in the news hour. away from the sports venues, there is a different side of sochi, one where sewage runs down the unpaved streets and the residents put up with regular power cuts. flooding has killed 40 people across poe li-- bow live ya. the government has declared a state of emergency in several regio regions. we report that aid still hasn't reached the worst-affected places. >> reporter: the damage is clear. homes and livelihoods ruined by

floodwaters. to months bolivia has been struggling to cope with heavy, seasonal rains. in the city of trinidad flood victims have set up tents alongside the road to escape from rising floodwaters. this is what teresa and her young family now call home. >> translator: we had to leave everything behind in the floodwaters. we just couldn't get it out with all this rain. there's nowhere to go. we're living on the side of a road. >> reporter: adding to the misery, people's lives are also under threat. around 17,000 hectares of primary agricultural land has been flooded, devastating poor farmers. more than 100,000 cattle are also at risk of starvation because herders have little dry feed left. >> translator: this area is at risk, and if in the next few days we don't receive help or are rescued and taken to higher ground, all of these cattle will die. >> reporter: the government has declared a state of emergency across bolivia.

the food and relife supplies have been slow to reach those that need it most. the outlook is grim. more heavy rains are expected to batter parts of the country for at least another month. al jazeera, bolivia. jitian politics will runs. it's widely believed that abdel-fattah el-sissi will win if he runs. hamdeen came in third in 2012. a leading egyptian politician says egypt has been turned into a republic of fear in the crackdown against political activists and the media. he was part of mass protests against morsei, and now he speas out against the military-backed

government. it's been 43 days seen the al jazeera journalists were detained by the egyptian authorities. they're accused of spreading false news and having link to the muslim brotherhood. our reporter has been in custody since last july. they demand the unconditional release of its crew. as brazil prepares to host the world cup this summer, more attention is given to how the country manages dengue fever. they're worried large crowds are vulnerable to catch the disease. >> it's that time of year again as members of one of the rio's oldest summer schools are busy going through their paces. carniv carniv carnivale is just weeks away. what's a long-awaited party is also a feast from an unwelcome

guest. this mosquito thrives on crowds and is found all over brazil. it's a carrier of dengue fever, a common but debilitating viral disease with no vaccine. >> translator: it leaves you feels as though you've been given anesthesia. you can't move out of bed. it's incredible a mosquito can knock a human being town like that. >> reporter: they welcome the rio city's health department's current campaign to end the breeding grounds ahead of carnival and the world cup. >> if it's hotter, the mosquitos are more active. they breed more, they feed more. so we have a bigger problem. like in rio, we always have a nice temperature for the mosquitos. >> reporter: this professor says brazil is concerned about reducing the risk of the disease during the world cup, and it's mounting a surveillance program.

it includes putting out these mosquito traps in disease-prone areas. >> if we detect that there are mosquitos infected in one place, we go there and we try to eliminate the mosquitos. >> reporter: totally eradicating these insects that can breed in a spoonful of stillwater is impossible. this, say experts, is ultimately the best way to ward off the pesky mosquitos and disease, especially before going into a football stadium where the final of the world cup will be held. fans who are planning to travel to the amazon state of manos where there's also malaria may need more than insect repel ant. local health officials highly recommend anyone going there first get a yellow fever vaccination. as for dedgue fever, in june and july the risk is lower in rio but much higher in northeastern

cities that host world cup games. all the more reasons for authorities and fans to take precautions. still to come here on this al jazeera news hour, the new hope sparking across nigeria's cocoa fields. will the bean be in competition? no worries for real madrid as they maintain their title push.

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of space >> the world's not enough for you... >> he's creating an environment where the greatest minds... >> i don't care where you went to school, what you've ever done before... >> ...can invent , profit, and change the world. prizes could spur innovation in extrodanary ways... >> ex prize founder, peter diamandis talk to al jazeea on al jazeera america hello again. our top stories on al jazeera. humanitarian assistance teams have moved 500 people from homs. this includes the 83 who evacuated on friday. that's despite continuing mortar attacks in the city. an attack in yemen's capital killed an intelligence officer. the bomb was placed inside the car he was traveling in. tens of thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in kiev's central square on sunday. at the same time, ukraine state

security services placed the anti-terrorism units on alert. suicide attacks have put hezbollah's stronghold in lebanon on alert. people in southern beirut are using cautionary measures. unwavers support remains for hezbollah's involvement in syria. >> reporter: six car bombs have exploded here and in the hezbollah stronghold people are trying to do what they can to protect themselves and their livlihoo livlihoods. a jeweler has lost all half of his sales due to bombings close to his shop. >> translator: because of the suicide bombings, we were forced to take precautionary measures. we put sandbags around the shop to protect ourselves and customers. people are scared to shop here because they feel exposed. >> reporter: this street was the site of two suicide car bombs in

january alone. groups claimed sfont for the attacks to punish hez low la for sending fighters to assist the government in syria. residents are lives in an atmosphere of fear. they say they watch every suspicious car on the street. many peopling living in hezbollah strongholds are apprehensive, often staying at home and only going out when necessary. although they expect their neighborhoods to remain targets of future bombings, most believe hezbollah's intervention in syria is legitimate and right. even the families of victims say they never believed so strong ler in hezbollah's role in syria. schif she was killed on her way back home from college. this was her mother's message to the people behind the bombing. >> translator: i wish as any mother there will be justice. i want the person who is funding

the car bombs and brainwashing young men to be hung along with his followers in the middle of the bombing sites. >> reporter: none are members of hezbollah, but since the death the hezbollah flag is prominent. >> translator: maria's martyrdom has made me stronger and become more attached to hezbollah. i'm behind him. >> reporter: the allegiances are clear. many lebanese from the shia aspects feel that those groups fighting the government in syria has every intention to sweep into lebanon. they see hezbollah's early intervention in syria as a preemptive war to stop that. the swiss are casting their balloting on tonighting immigration controls, a vote which is watched closely right across europe. for more let's return to barbara in london. laura, the poll will measure

support for the number of people from eu countries to move to switzerland. critics say it's detrimental to the swiss economy. we have more. >> reporter: in a country that relies heavily on foreign workers, a vote gauging support for immigration control is a contentious one. the proposal was brought by the right wing swiss people's party. at the present times the government to abandon the free movement of people agreement with the european union and introduce strict quotas on immigration. the reason? switzerland is becoming too crowded, causing a strain on infrastructure and social programs and contributing to a steep rise in housing prices. >> there's been a lot of passion growing among people seeing lots of what used to be unqualified workers who worked sort of as janitors or fruit pickers, but more and moremy fra mm migrants coming to the country better skills.

that has made certain people begin to see personally close up there's a changing face of i am fwrags. that definitely has increased certain anxiety among people. >> reporter: switzerland is not a member of the european union, but it's adopted large sections of eu policy, including free moment and the open borders agreement to access europe's single market. with several industries relying on foreign workers, critics say implementing a quota is a mistake. >> if you look at economic relations with europe where about every working day 700 million pounds worth of trade is conducted between switzerland and the eu, you certainly get the impression this won't do switzerland any favor in economic terms. it could have disastrous consequences. >> brussels has said switzerland can't cherry-pick aspects of the policy. with the swiss population divided on the issue of immigration caps, this could be the first step toward a changing

relationship with the european bloc. now, behind the glitz and glamour of the winter olympic games, there's a different side to the host city. sochi suffered years of decline after the soviet union collapsed. some of this has been reversed with the money and investment that the games have brought, but not all of it. we have the report. >> reporter: several times a day he goes to fetch water. it's easy to slip on the muddy hillside, especially when bearing her heavy load. the trips are necessary because the taps in her house are dry. >> translator: they keep promising and promising that we'll get running water. when we redecorated the house we put in a sink because we had hopes. >> reporter: this is a village just 15 minutes drive from

downtown sochi, but the residents told me it might as well as be in a different century. >> translator: we live in the middle ages. they come and promise everything before the elections, and then they forget. >> translator: i need to bathe my babies every day. how can i do it? >> translator: we take our children to the main square to see the new sochi and enjoy the atmosphere and we return to our homes and the excitement vanishing. >> reporter: you can see their point. down in a resort where the plazas and malls team with olympic visitors, everything feels shiny and new. this is where some of the $51 billion the games have cost have been invested. but even in the city itself, just around the corner from our hotel, there are neighborhoods where sewage runs down unfinished roads. this is go that people living in parts of sochi have to get used

to. power cuts. the electricity has been off for a couple of hours now. there is a generator running downstairs to keep the hot water going. but look, the lights are off and nothing. last week foreign journalists arriving to cover the games reported stories of unfinished hotel rooms and accommodation in disarray. according to this bloggers, many were lies to spread misconceptions of russian incompetent. >> i find it on the internet and find some proofs also on the internet, like photos that were made about two years ago and now journalists tell us that it's -- that these photos are from sochi, but they are not. >> reporter: they don't care where foreign journalists have an anti-russia agenda or not. she just wants her taps to work. the southwest of the united

kingdom continues to be hit by heavy storms with a warning of more flooding still to come. coastlines are being battered by winds reaching 130 kilometers an hour. we're a town where a main line railway has been swept into the sea. >> reporter: rail lines are the standards here in the south of england because of severe atlantic storms hitting the coast. this used to be a road and a railway line. what happened? a massive wave crashed through her late tuesday into wednesday, 80 meters of the sea wall collapsed and the railway line and road subsided. the workmen can only work when it's safe. they work in six-hour shifts during the day and night. >>le with, it's been absolutely catastrophic to be honest. as well as the damage we've got here, we've had lightning strikes on equipment cameras, that knocked out signalling.

we had a landslide that effectively meant that exit in the rest of the southwest is completely cut off by rail. >> reporter: the sea wall wasn't just protecting the railway line. it was also protecting these houses. a lot of families live in them. thaf they've been forced to get out quickly. they're not sure when they can return. >> i don't know whether we'll come back. i don't think so. i think it scares my wife and daughter too much. they're petrified down here. the wall is gone, and we never thought it would be. >> reporter: flooding continues to be the problem further north. large parts are still underwater, and that water continues to rise and the river is expected to reach levels not seen in a deck wade. of course, more bad weather is forecasting. another severe atlantic storm is expect odd tuesday or wednesday. with that, that is it from europe. now it's back to laura. barbara, thank you very much. farmers in nigeria have increased their cocoa production

thanks to a new kind of bean, but even though it grows much faster, nigeria lags far behind regional rivals. we explain why from the southwestern state of ondo. >> reporter: over the last two years a cocoa farmer has produced 25% more cocoa than in previous years. that's because he's been planting a new cocoa bean that's resist ants to fungal diseases and matures in 18 months. unlike the beans he used to plant that took four to five years to mature. >> a lot of people believe there's something in the farm, but to me, to my own knowledge, i think some of the rich people. >> reporter: despite producing more cocoa, that are challenges. even though cocoa production is expected to rise more than 10% this year and the government wants to double production to more than 500,000 tons next

year, farmers say not enough is being done to help them grow more. most farmers don't have access to loans to lease or buy land. they can't buy seeds or machinery. many are not trained, and no formal database of the country's cocoa farmers exists. >> if the government can try as much as possible, you know, to invest in cocoa and have -- help the farms in providing them what they need, all this from amenities you understand. so if they can help our farmers, it will be very fine. >> there were also challenges in transporting cocoa from farms to lagos. these problems can be solved, and farmers say nigeria can regain their position at the second largest cocoa producer as

it was in the 1960s. >> the government doesn't plant cocoa. the government doesn't process cocoa. the government doesn't have warehouses torco co-. it is all private sector driven. if some of the challenges are behind us, then definitely there's room for growth in the nigerian cocoa sector. >> but cocoa farmers are a long way from competing with the world's largest producers. it's compared to the world's largest producer ivory coast, that produces 1.5 million tons, but they are determined to try. there's been a lot of focus recently on u.s. government spying programs and the collection of data on americans. what about private companies? how many information do they collect, and what do they do with it? we've been investigating.

>> reporter: the major u.s. retailerer officemax new that mike's daughter was dead but how she died. >> it says daughter killed in car crash or current business and this is my home. why would they have that information? why do they need that? what purpose does it serve anybody to know that? how much more information do they have on me or anyone else? how do they use it, and what do they use it for? >> reporter: these are all questions congress has been investigating. a subcommittee concluded that billions of dollars are made each year by the data brokering industry, the selling of information about all of us taken from online and offline sources. moreover, there's no comprehensive way for us to find out what that information is, where it came from, how accurate it is, who's buying it, and what inferences are being made from it. of concern is vulnerability-based marketing, lists of those either documented or inferred for vulnerable. who would be interested in such

lists, and why? rachel thomas lobbies congress on behalf of data brokers to preserve self-regulation. >> i think consumers are smarter than perhaps you give them credit for. i think consumers understand generally that we all live data-driven lives today. our economy is data-driven and our days are data-driven and information is constantly flowing in all sorts of different directions. what we're doing here is making sure it's flowing in responsible directions for responsible uses. >> reporter: the federal trade commission's job is to rein in the data brokers and stop information from being used to discriminate against us. it's asked how that can be possible when there's no requirement for transparency about what is being sold and to whom. >> if we don't know the data is used, it can be used for any purpose. so it could be used for purposes that violate the law. >> we do not know whether this data is only being used to market products to us that we might need.

cell phone technology and mobile apps provide an unprecedented level of individualized information about our movement and lives, as do the vast stores of information held on our behalf by technology companies. up to now only the government's access to that information has been widely debated and not thevy existence of unregulated private databases. al jazeera, washington. plenty more still to come on al jazeera news hour including -- >> in berlin, not the kind of place you normally expect to find a winner at the berlin film festival living. find out shortly why he's here. we'll have all the highlights with the winter olympics with eight more gold medals to be won on day two of competition.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. the winter olympics are now in full swing in sochi, russia, are these are live pictures of the olympic stadium. there were security concerns and criticism over the massive cost in the lead-up to the games, but rory says many russians consider it a showcase for their country. >> reporter: in the cool, wooded hills above sochi, starlings cam flajed hole day homes nestled out of sight. russia most fearsome ruler loves this area and came here when the pressures of moscow payment too much. so did the man currently occupying the kremlin. he chose it for a winter olympics. >> it is a great honor for me to

address you today and to present the city of sochi to host the olympic winter games in 2014. >> his vision is now a reality but one that has come with a price tag of $51 billion, the most costly olympics ever. for those who question why such high expense for a sport event, this kremlin insider has an answer. >> the olympic games are so important for russian public, first of all, because this shows that russia finished its social change in the soviet union and the period of crisis is over. now russia is able to conduct big, international events.

>> reporter: in short, this is about brand russia and the way a country has tried to make themselves look attractive on a global stage has a widely used new name, soft power. monocle magazine produces an annual index of soft power around the world. >> we live in a world now where soft power is increasingly important, where the way that people view you is just as important as the threat that you can pose. a lot of countries don't necessarily want to use military might, and they want to be able to rely on other things to either influence other countries or indeed improve their image in other countries around the world. >> reporter: the much-reported stories of corruption, human rights abuses and wanton spending have made many doubt the reputational benefits of sochi. however, it's probably much too soon to make that final assessment. >> it's difficult to know for sure, of course, but it's like

this man here would have been just as enthusiastic about the sochi games as putin is. times have changed, and russia has changed, too. in many ways that's what these games are for, they are an attempt to convince the world that they're in a modern, confident, russia era. >> this country may like hard men as leaders, but in today's world even hard men have to know when to be soft. al jazeera, sochi. so a volunteer's achievement at the winter olympics might put some of the athletes to shame. 67-year-old frenchman jackie delap cycled from his hometown in the french alps to sochi. it only take him 22 days to cross europe on his bicycle without any help whatsoever. he was chosen as a volunteer for the ski jump event, and he said he made the trip because he wanted to combine his two passions, cycling and ski jumping, brazil is gearing up

with the world cup, but with large crowds comes the risk of disease. that's why officials have launched a campaign to help protect football fans from dengue fever. we have the report from rio. >> it's that time of year again, and members of one of the rio's oldest samba schools are busy going through their paces. carnival is just weeks ago away and what's a long-awaited party is also a feast for an unwelcomed guest. this mosquito thrives on crowds and is found all over brazil. it's a carrier of dengue fever, a common but debilitating viral disease for which there is no vaccine. >> translator: it leaves you feeling as though you've been given anesthesia. you can't move out of the bed. it's incredible that a mosquito can knock a human being down like that.

>> reporter: they welcomes the rio city health department's current campaign to eliminating the mosquito's breeding grounds ahead of not just carnival but the world cup. >> if it's hotter, the mosquitos are more active. they breed more. they feed more. so we have a bigger problem. but like in rio, we always have a nice temperature for mosquitos. >> reporter: this professor, an expert in dengue, says brazil is concerned about reducing the risk of the disease during the world cup, and it's mounting a surveillance program. it includes putting out these mosquito traps in disease-prone areas. >> if we detect that there are mosquitos in one place, we go there and try to eliminate the mosquitos. >> reporter: but totally eradicating these insects that can breed in just a spoonful of still water is impossible. this, say experts, is ultimately

the best way to ward off pesky mosquitos and disease, especially before going into a football stadium where the final of the world cup will be held, but fans who are planning to travel to the amazon state of manos where there is also malaria may need more than repel ant. local health officials highly recommend anyone going there first get a yellow fever vaccinati vaccination. as for dengue fever, in june and july the risk is lower in rio but much higher this three northeastern cities also hosting world cup games. all the more reason for authorities and fans to take precautions. britain's prince of wales and the duke of cambridge are calling for better protection of endangered wildlife. prince charles and his son, prince william, released a video encouraging people all around the world to save rhinos, elephant and tigers from

poachers. >> we've come together as father and son to lend our voices to the growing global effort to combat the illegal wildlife trade, a trade that has reached such unprecedented levels of killing and related violence that it now poses a grave threat not only to the survival of some of the world's most treasured species but also to economic and political stability in many areas around the world. >> my father and i do share our belief that it is shocking that feet future generations may know a world without these magnificent animals and the habitats upon which they depend. >> prince william is a royal patron of tusk trust. he will deliver a speech at the london conference on the illegal wildlife trade. at the westminster dog show, it was a pure breed that won the pure round.

congrats to kelso, first winner at the masters agility championship. he beat out more than 200 other dogs, and it runs through tuesday in new york city's madison square garden. this is the first time that mutts have appeared at we westminst westminster, breaks a 130--year-old tradition. new york city's fashion week is under way. it allows designers from all over the world to show off their goods. many of them are american designers, but most of their clothing isn't actually made on u.s. soil. in fact, more than 90% of clothing and shoes sold in america is actually made somewhere else. there is a movement to change all that, and with good reason. a consumer report study finding that 78% of americans would rather buy american-made products, and of that group 80% say they would do so to protect american jobs while 60% say they are worried about overseas sweat shops and child labor. you're watching al jazeera america. more news coming up at the top

of the hour. i'm morgan radford live in new york city. had a code name. >> each week, a new eye opening experience. >> now they're going to go to jail... >> al jazeera america presents... remarkable documentaries

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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 welcome to al jazerra america, i am morgan radford. desperate efforts to relieve the em bottled city. oms. the u.s. attorney jenna nounses a major shift to support same-sex couples. if the think the government has been spying on you, wait until you hear what corporations already know about you. it was 50 years ago today that more than 70 million americans were introduced to the beatles. ♪ ♪