school diploma. >> award winning film makers create create unique perspectives. >> everybody's different here... >> just gotta tell ya, it was just a very magical moment... >> al jazzera america presents... on al jazeera america . >> hello, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. talks to end the bloodshed and misery in syria have not had much success but they're not over yet. and the north koreaen government receives criticism of its harsh treatment of its people.

>> the syrian preys talks in geneva ended in a stalemate and the syrian government is being blamed. immediatmediator mr. brahimi hae apologies. >> reporter: brahim sounded frustrated, but if you listen carefully he made it clear who he thought was to blame for where we are right now. he explained that he had set out items to be discussed on the agenda. both sides said they agreed on the agenda items and set out the order that they should be discussed and con tension over the most important issue here so she decided the two issues discussed on two consecutive days. first they should discuss fighting terrorism stopping violence in syria on the first day and on the second day they

should move to the item of the transitional governing body that is to be formed in syria in the future. he said quite clearly that it was the government side that objected to that agenda. moments after he spoke both sides came out to brief the preys. >> the syrian government delegation accepted within the first three minutes of the meeting the agenda proposed by mr. brahimi. the point--the problem raced was raised immediately by the other side when they gave their own interpretation of the agenda. >> we would like to stop the fighting. we would like to achieve the transition to democracy, freedom, dig any, but the regime is stalling, trying to delay and divert us from the main issues and get us bogged down in

discussing one issue without discussing the tool, the mechanism to implement it. this is the problem. >> we've now had two rounds of these talks, two rounds that achieved absolutely nothing. mr. brahimi will go to new york to meet with general secretary ban ki-moon. >> that was james bays. demonstrators set fires in the streets of caracas. the police used tear gas and water can certificates to disperse the crowds and violence began three days ago when three people were killed in an anti-government march. threprotesters had been arrested just this morning and some are being set free. in the ukraine women are playing a role in protest.

we have reports from kiev. >> the 20-year-old has come to join the revolution. the protesters main command center all new recruits are vetted. she is ukrainian who lives in london with her parents and an unlikely new member of the opposition women's brigade. >> when i first saw how they burn the buses and the police are attacking them, i got my stuff and went to the airport. >> you said yourself it's a dangerous situation here. what are you prepared to do? >> everything. i'm ready to fight for my human rights and my country and a better life of my country. even to death. >> she is among several hundred

rim eagle for play an active role in ongoing protests. that means they're ready to fight. but before being allowed to police the barricades they receive training. >> how to avoid arrest and what to do in a riot situation. if there are any more clashes these young women are determined not to end up playing a backseat role of what is happening here. >> no one is afraid of being hurt. they just want to protect their freedom and their lives. but perhaps the big danger is that all of this will end in nothing. >> thighs young women are undergoing a radical transfer imagination, and this is the changing face of resistence. >> the government of north korea

is facing accucations o crime against humanity. evidence of extermination camps, torture, forced starvation and even a widespread abduction campaign. it does not exactly blame individuals but it does suggestion findings referred to ththe hague. we have those details. >> the three person u.n. panel has spent a year investigatering north korea's human rights, and spoke with defectors who spent time in notorious prison camps. >> the most painful was when they handcuffed my hands in the back. my hands were placed 60 centimeters above the ground. and i couldn't sit or stand.

i was left alone for three or four days. that was the most painful torture. >> according to a summary of the report details not just abuses inside prison camps but throughout the country, murders, rape, political oppression and in short, times against community. the full report is due to be published on monday. the u.n. is not confirming the contents of this leak. if they are an accurate representation of the report in itself it would not be anything particularly new. these allegations run back many years. it does represent the most concerted effort yet by the international community to investigate north crease human rights record and to hold it to account. >> according to the leak the report recommends further action by competent initial or international law of justice to investigate the north korean government. but it looks farfetched with china, north korea's ally, holding veto power in the u.n.

>> they have due process and have an opportunity to respond in detail, not just that this is a hostile act, because it's at act of the whole world community, but a reaction which will be appropriately detailed to all the evidence that we have gathering. >> reporter: north korea has already reacted to the leak calling allegations of crimes against humanity unfounded, and has an agreement with push ahead with reunions of separated families slated for mechanics thursday. with the full report out on monday, those families and government officials in seoul will be watching to see if there is effect on the reunions and relationship between the two

countries. >> a jury is expected to com coe back with a verdict on a man who shot a teen in a parking lot over loud music. >> jay city could have been jordan davis. the 20-year-old said frustration over the killing woke him one night in 2012. without putting words to paper he spontaneously created this tribute to davis. the music video has received more than 10,000 views on youtube. >> the bottom line you can look me in my eyes, i really feel those words flowed out of me and were meant for me to say to him. >> the video touched davis' parents. now he's part of the group that surround them at the courthouse. >> just the energy and the vibe that i get in the room is so inspiring. >> as for davis' parents, their

attorney admits they're understandably anxious. >> we're ready. they're ready for closure. 12 people can't agree on an appetizer. they got to agree on murder. that's the issue. [ protesting ] >> even among the protesters outside of the courthouse there was disagreement on what, quote, justice for jordan would mean. prosecutors were hoping for a first-degree murder conviction. >> justice would be this man michael dunne would go to prison for the rest of his life this was cold-blooded murder. >> i don't think he can get first-degree. i don't think he went to the store with up tensions to kill anyone. but i think second-degree, and attempted second-degree for the other three victims sounds fair to me. >> the jury may be hung up on that point as well. late friday afternoon the jury asked the judge if they must agree on all counts facing dunne. the judge told them that they did not but the counts they could not agree on would result for a mistrial for those counts.

jay city said he's confident. >> we're still strong. you know, i just sit back and thank go god for him. >> reporter: he'll be able to sing this loud and clear if the jury convicts dunne. al jazeera, jacksonville, florida. >> a lot of workers say no to unionizing dealing a pretty big blow to unionized player. the vote was two years the making and both pro- and anti anti-union workers working. >> autos stinging blow to the united auto workers union and organized labor in general after three days of secret balloting, employees at volkswagen

chattanooga plant say no. >> my heart is just pounding with exceeding joy. we're thankful that it turned out the way that it did. >> volkswagen has invested $1 billion in the plant which began building passat mid size sedans three years ago. the company was lured there with state an benefits. >> the problem with the uaw has a need for our money. they don't care about these guys. they really don't. >> the campaign was seen as organized labor's best chance to expand into foreign owned plans in the south. that brought more reaction from outside interests than plant workers themselves. conservative groups rented billboards in tennessee and blamed uaw for detroit's financial troubles. while senators spoke out.

volkswagen remained neutral throughout. >> between the two institutions, volkswagen and the uaw i know of not one incident of aggression or animosity coming out of this problem. >> the uaw adding while we're outraged by politicians and outside special groups interring with the basic legal right to form an union, we're proud that these workers stood up. >> perimeter grest

>> three al jazeera journalists remain detained in egypt. peter greste spoke on their release. >> the rains may haven't baited for now there is an awful lot of damage and clean up to come. i'll phil ittner in western london. i'll have that story coming up next.

real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> every sunday night, join us for excusive... revealing... and surprising talks, with the most interesting people of our time.

hip hop pioneer russell simmons talks with soledad o'brien >> i make mistakes everyday, i don't try to count them... >> about his music.... >> the artist should say what's on people's minds. >> his cause... dominion over the animals does not mean abuse... >> and his future... >> i wanna make movies and tv shows that reflect the new america. >> russell simmons up close and personal... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera >> heavy flooding in peru in bolivia the flooding has destroyed 46 homes and 16 buildings. meanwhile no relief for flooded communities that are happening all across the country. 42 people are dead and some 54,000 families are affected by the severe weather. and speaking of severe weather great britain is dealing with catastrophic floods after several weeks of record setting rains.

al jazeera philth nery now live from west london. is the water stil rising{^l" ^}. >> the rains have abated for now, and we're getting word from the meteorological society that we may have a brief respite here, and it's much needed. but it's not just the rains that are the issue, heavy heavy rains in the u.k. are causing heavy damage. we know there are a lot of trees down, that's disrupting roadwa roadways, train tax and severe damage. we're also aware because of this heavy rain sinkholes in at least one has opened up in the northwest area of london. there are an awful lot of knock on effects. the houses behind me are all without power, this is just a handful of some of the 100,000 households around the country that are suffering without energy right now in this very brisk weather. so it's not just the rain, it's everything that comes with it,

morgan? >> and speaking of the things that come with it, you mentioned the roads, the rains, the electricity, but what does it mean for the economy if, especially in the low lying areas. what does it mean for the far farming try? >> the farming interesting is being hit hard low lying films, but it's not just farmers that are feeling the crunch. the fishing industry in the west of the country in corner wall is taking a major blow. the weather is too bad for boats to go out and even the boats in port are being damaged, there are transportation problems, damages to the train infrastructure. this is going to be a major bill for the british people. >> phil ittner joining us live. meanwhile there are problems

right here at home that has led to 500 flights being canceled. >> that's on top of the 7,000 flights canceled earlier on this week. it's been a very hectic week for those trying to get around the country. i'll tell you why, we've had several systems make their way in out of canada. the storm that produced the snow across portions of the mid atlanta earlier this week really did have a huge impact on travel. right now power lines still down across the southeast and thousands still dealing with power outages. out across the west we have a steady stream pushing through oregon, i think we'll see mudslides across portioner porte cascades. we could see up to four inches of rain here through the day, so be careful if you're traveling along i-5. meanwhile we have an area of low pressure that continues to make its way across the mid-atlantic.

folks there probably very tired from the snow. we're not in the clear just yet. we're looking at a bit of snow across portions of central and eastern pennsylvania, that will continue to push north as this area pushes across the ocean and intensifies. we'll have blizzards across portions of new england. you can see a mix across portions of maryland and northern west virginia. if you're traveling there you want to use caution along the roads. it's going to be a slippery day. we have winter weather advisories in affect and winter storm warnings along i-81. in massachusetts we could see up to a foot of snow by the end of the night as the area of low pressure continues to track northamption. now it's not that cold out

there, that area of low pressure tracks to the north. the winds are tracking out of the south. that's why in new york city and philadelphia you're going to see rain all day. in the south you're going to see heavy rain coming down along the outer banks but it's drying out across portions of mississippi. back to you, morgue. >> thanks. in indonesia three airports have reopened after a major volcanic eruption. four others are still closed as they spewed ash 10,000 feet high. four people were killed in more than 100,000 were evacuated from the area. officials say they remain on the highest alert. and several environmental groups say a loophole in federal regulations for oil and gas is now allowing americans to be exposed to toxic chemicals in the area.

they're pressing the epa to require the industry to report what is seeping into the air and al jazeera has more. >> an engineer who is enjoying working in his backyard. but he's concerned about the neighborhood. he lives in an industrial corridor in louisiana. >> all the plants are basically over here? >> right, they're all that way. >> and not very far. we're-- >> not really, no. they're pretty close. >> most u.s. industries have to report annual toxic emissions over 10,000 pounds to the environmental agencies toxic inventory. it was created so the public knows what chemicals are being released in the air. >> if people don't know what they're living next to they can't assess their own risk for

health. >> it didn't include oil and gas production and exploration facilities in the requirement. >> no one is looking at it, no one it monitoring it. they could release 100,000 pounds and say they released 13,000, whose to know. >> a study of state records of the environmental integrity project shows 395 facilities in colorado, louisiana, pennsylvania, north dakota, texas and wyoming had toxic releases surpassing 10,000 pounds in one year. >> the study i has called the rules arbitrary and confusing. people who live in homes like this just a few feet away should know exactly what is in their air. but for gas facilities air quality could be a mystery. >> i think they've been escaping attention through that loophole erroneously over several years.

>> the louisiana oil and gas association did not return our calls for comment the epa said it will consider requiring oil and gas plants to report emissions. >> it shouldn't even be a question about that. they should automatically do it. i don't see why they wouldn't. >> for now all russell can do is wait. al jazeera, louisiana.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. live from new york city. in just the last few hours the chief mediator at the geneva 2 peace talks announced that both sides have now agreed on a third round of negotiations. the workers at a tennessee volkswagen plant dialing a big blow to the union. the chattanooga factory was seen as the union's best hope to expand in the south. and entering in the fourth

day of deliberation in the trial of michael dunne, this over a teen who was shot to death over loud music. the two-week long celebration of the chinese lunar new year is coming to a close and the spectacular nighttime parade is being finalized. >> in san francisco's chinatown preparations for a happy new year. >> it's like thanksgiving for chinese. all the family members get together. have a feast. >> goodbye to the year of the snake. they're making the floats that will welcome the year of the horse. >> this year we carved more horses than you could get on a prairie right now, buffalo bill headed to his wild west show.

>> float companies will build 21 throats this year. >> how long did it take from here to here to this? >> this is about ten days worth of work. i start out emotionally. i draw the float that elicit the emotion. >> it dates back to the gold rush days of the 1860s and now is the largest asian cultural event in north america. as the artists prepare for the year of the horse, so do those who prepare for astrological signs. with pre-discussions fire and wood are significant this year. >> whenever fire shows up it's going to pick up the stock market. financial prosperity is a common goal as the new year approached.

traditional red envelopes are for sale. they'll be toughed with money and passed along. in a robust economy in the year of the horse and believes that 2014 is the time to take chances. >> people who have projects going on, this is the year to put this into action because you have the energy of the horse, you have the fire for all the confidence to support you. >> she believes in the traditionalism and clutches the red sign for the new year. >> this for the new year, and this for the horse. >> the year of the horse will be marked by innovation and conflict, but she said the overriding theme for 2014 is optimism. lisa bernard, al jazeera, san francisco. >> thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm morgan radner from new york

city. "techknow" is up next. for updates all throughout the day you can go to our website at www.aljazeera.com or follow us on twitter at ajam. hello and welcome. i am phil torres here to talk about innovation that his can change lives, we'll explore the innovation of hardware and doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientist. let's check out our team of hardcore in other words, christ is a molecular neuroscientist. tonight science and cigarettes. they are the new rage. the smokeless smoke. what's the truth about e cigarettes? we'll investigate. marita davison is a biologist. tonight inside the food lab. we have the crazy of the looking innovation that his will your palate to the test. lind