>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello from al jazeera's headquarters in doha, is this is the news hour, i'm jane dutton. ukraine is forced to pay more for russian gas. moscow's latest move in the crisis over crimea. guinea scrambles to stop a deadly ebola outbreak from spreading. john kerry meets israel's prime minister twice in less than 12

hours. we'll take a look at what is causing the flurry of talks, and once a crime now legal and business is booming. we are in canada where marijuana growers can't keep up with demand. ♪ >> first to the latest on the crisis in ukraine. nato foreign ministers are meeting in brussels to discuss its response to build up on troops on the border. the military says there is no evidence troops are retreating. moscow has now raised the price of gas it supplies to ukraine. ukraine relies on russia for half of its natural gas. it has been paying at discounted rate since december of just over $268 per 1,000 cubic meters but now kiev will have to pay just

over $385. that's an increase of more than 40%. russian gas producer says ukraine owes $1.7 billion in unpaid bills. jonah hull is following the developments from the capitol in kiev. i'm sure this increase is not going down too well. >> it's not as big of increase as ukraine has feared, but that's where the good news ends. they were put on notice the interim government here, when they signed the political pact with the european union, put on notice that that discount was going to fall away. it was a 30% discount as an inducement not to sign an agreement with the eu. the gas price went up 40% today. and that is a major blow for a

country that is struggling to stave off a bankruptcy, and one that has just signed a rather large international loan lead by the imf. part of the gas price will have been built into the terms of the loan. consumer gas prices will go up by 50% in terms of the loan, but that loan in itself means years of pretty tough austerity in this country, getting them back on track. all the while knowing that russia holds the key to the energy price and until and unless ukraine can diversify its source for gas, it will be worse for years. >> now let's get the latest on the meeting in brussels. let's go to neve barker in brussels.

what is likely to happen in this meeting? >> more than anything this meeting is about working out a road map for the future of nato for ukraine, but also working out the ally&s relationship with russia as well. the feel hearing is that the standingoff, the fever pitch intentions that currently exist at the moment can be solved diplomatically. but in the absence of any transparency from moscow, about moscow's ambitions, militarily and politically in eastern ukraine. the feeling here is that it may be time for the alliance to stop flexing its military muscles. earlier the secretary general of nato had this to say. >> i don't think anybody honestly would like to see military confrontation in

europe. we share that view. the right way forsword a political and diplomatic path. having said that, it is of utmost importance to make sure that the world understands that we are very determined to provide effective defense and protection of our allies, of our populations. >> well, nato alliance members have been talking about a member of practical steps. the key to defense is deterrence. several nato states, the uk, united states, germany and denmark are sending extra aircraft to eastern europe. there's talk of war games that are expected to start soon, and an increase in military presence in the black sea.

nato saying we are strong and we will stand for all of our alliance members should we be tested and tried by russia. >> where does nato stand with russia. >> clearly they are in a pretty bad state. still under the egis of a russia nato council formed back in 2002, both sides have worked on drugs control, on weapons in places like afghanistan, but all practical cooperation has now been suspended. according to rasmussen business as usual is now on hold. >> israel may impose a partial settlement freeze to keep u.s. broker peace talks with the palestinians arrive according to a israel source.

u.s. secretary of state john kerry has met benjamin netenyahu for a second time in 12 hours. it's part of an effort to resuscitate talks between the israelis and the palestinians. stephanie decker joins us in jerusalem. are they close to any deals, steph? >> well, i think it's clear that it is very difficult, but we are being told that there is a deal on the table at the moment being negotiated between israel and the united states which involves the release of this last batch of prisoners. that should be done first. another 400 palestinian prisoners should be released up to israel, also a partial settlement freeze in the west bank not here in east jerusalem as you mentioned.

there is a deal that we're hearing they aredy cussing, but the palestinians need to aggress to this. and the palestinians say we are not discussing anything until you release this last batch of prisoners, which we agreed before these talks started. they are not happy, but also i any all of this needs to be put into context and to forget to tell you that what israel is getting in return is apparently the release of the u.s. by jonathan pollard by the united states. but all of these problems, kerry coming in here, and coming back on wednesday, this is all to exte exte extent -- extent the talks about talks. so it just goes to show quite what a challenge it is to get anywhere in these talks.

>> okay. stephanie decker talking about negotiations in jerusalem. and sources suggest that a us-born israeli spy could be released within weeks to help move the talks forward. jonathan pollard was jailed for life in 1987 for parting classified documents to israel. rosalyn jordan is in washington, d.c. why is he so important, or possibly so important to these talks, rosalyn? >> well, essentially there's a growing consensus that jay pollard could be perhaps the u.s.'s secret weapon in keeping these peace talks on track. there has been the suggestion that if jay pollard is so important to the israelis why should the u.s. condition his release perhaps on a fully executed peace treaty between

the israelis and palestinians. but the fact that his status after nearly 30 years in prison -- the fact that it has become such a critical issue in these talks indicates that the peace process may be on the verge of collapse and that the obama administration is very keen to keep this process moving forward. there is widespread belief in the u.s. administration that the lack of a resolution between the israelis and palestinians makes it much more difficult to achieve stability across the greater middle east. >> thank you, rosalyn. morocco has stepped up health screening measures at its border crossing to keep the ebola virus from entering the country. jared tan reports. >> reporter: an unusual site at

guinea's largest market, health officials out in full force trying to spread the word about the ebola virus, they urge people to wash their hands properly and use disinfectant. >> translator: i'm buying this bleach because we have heard a disease has come to guinea. >> reporter: despite an intense public awareness campaign, the message isn't reaching everyone. >> translator: i have no idea about the ebola virus. only god can help us. how can we prevent it? >> reporter: it has been nearly two months since ebola struck guinea, and the disease is spreading quickly. making it tough for medical groups trying to contain it's spread. >> we're facing an ex-demic of an extent that has never been sceneest specially by the

distribution of the cases in the area. >> reporter: cases are now confirmed across several scattered locations including the capitol and in neighboring liberia. >> translator: they are right. they must restrict travel until a solution is found. it is what is best for all. >> reporter: there is no vaccine or treatment for ebola, and the strain detected in guinea is particularly dangerous, it kills nine in ten of its victims who suffer severe internal and external bleeding. >> the two most important things that we need to do at this time is to stop the outbreak from replicating from more cases occurring in hospitals. the other priority is to trace all of the possible contact of the known cases to ensure that we know who they are, and to see if they develop symptoms or not.

>> it is still not known how the v virus first passed to humans in guinea. this is the first time ebola has crossed international borders. jared tan, al jazeera. sin gal has closed its borders to guinea as a precautionary measure, but the move will be difficult to enforce. >> it will be very difficult to man that border. that's 300 kilometers long. it's a forest area. this border was drawn out by the colonial powers 50 years ago by pen and paper. people have been crossing the border regularly. and there is a market where people come to do their shopping on both sides. there is also the fact that there are several religious

festivals that will be held here in senegal. also guineians are the largest population of people here in senegal. so there is growing difficulty at the border. >> still to come, the u.s. car maker answer questions over a defect that has been linked to 13 deaths. a woman campaigning for a new afghanistan. and meet one of the few who think manchester united could be the leader in the champions league. we'll tell you why the coach

thinks it isn't a forgone conclusion. ♪ al jazeera is demanding the immediate release of three of its journalists who now have been imprisoned in egypt for 13 days. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed have been denied bail. they have been accused of spreading false news and providing a platform to the member. and this journalist has been detained since last august. al jazeera rejects all of the charges. peter greste's parents used a press conference to highlight the lack of evidence against their son. >> i have been incarcerated in maximum security for three months. obviously they think there must be some heavy material against them. they have had four court

sessions now. and in all fairness, i don't think anybody could say that they have produced any kind of tangible evidence yet. british prime minister david cameron has ordered an investigation into the activities of the muslim brotherhood. they are concerned the group is planning radical activities from a base in london. the spokesman said . . . there is still no climb of responsibility of a series of grenade attacks in kenya on monday. six people died after explosions went off in an area popular with the somali people. >> reporter: police have finished gathering evidence here. behind me is a restaurant with

one of the bars that was targeted. six people were killed in the restaurant there. no one has claimed responsibility, but police are blaming what they call terrorists. since 2011, al-shabab has issued warnings against kenya, because kenya has put soldiers on the ground in sewly -- somali to try to root out al-shabab fighters. this suburb easley has been argets before, this is known as really the center of kenyan somali and somali refugee population here in the capitol city. just last week the government said it wanted all refugees, most of whom are somalis to go back to refugee camps. it says because some of the assa

assa assailants have been refugees. the refugees feel this impinges on their right, and the sympathizers say this stigmatizes the group for the actions of a few. but some think it is a good idea because of the tension between the kenyan somali population. afghan will vote for a new president on saturday. hundreds of people waited in line in the capitol kabul on tuesday to meet the deadline to register to vote. election commission officials estimate there are 12 million eligible voters. since the down fall of the taliban, women have had the ability to run for and hold seats.

but there are still very few women in politics in the country. al jazeera meet one of them. >> reporter: their life stories should be centuries apart, but this woman and her grandmother are separated by just two generations. she is an mp in the northern afghan city campaigning for reelection. her grangd mother was sold to a child bride to a much older open um addict. she says her grabbed daughters achievements and on theish her. >> translator: i am surprised. you see this woman among the men talking with men. in my time women were not allowed to talk with men. they covered their faces. it was a different time. maybe this is the will of god. >> reporter: but it is still difficult in today's afghanistan for women to have careers in politics. and this is one of the most conservative cities here. taliban threats make it

dangerous for women to complain. so she is relying on her reputation to win votes. she says for the past five years she has been fiercely incorruptible. she was homeless when she first became an mp, at one point living in this tent with her family. despite their modest government salaries, most afghan mp's live in huge houses, paid for say critics through corruption. her reputation has attracted wealthier supporters. they raised enough money for a small house. other mp's use heavily armed bodyguards. her security is four legged. the taliban threatened her first. but she sent messages that an honest woman is better than a corrupt man. a bigger challenge is the sexist

attitudes. >> translator: they tried to break me and make me do what i want. but i worked independently. >> reporter: supporters leave with her posters promising to spread her message to the villages, and with it to keep the success they have worked so hard for. car manufacturer general motors will face questions over a question to fix a technical problem with its cars. 13 deaths have been linked to the problem. >> reporter: the flaw known to gm and their suppliers for ten years is a faulty key switch. sherry's 21-year-old son michael bought his chevy cobalt just nine days before his fatal

crash. >> there's no reason that only two weeks after he died, i got the first recall. they knew about it. but we didn't know about it when our children got these cars. we had no clue. >> reporter: on monday gm expanded the recall. the total projected cost to the company, more than $1 billion. a congressional report says the ignition was found faulty before 2004, but gm approved what was called a sub standard fix. >> they consciously decided it was going to cost too much to fix these cars. >> reporter: the new ceo has spent much of her first two months on the job apologizing for the belated recalls. bar are says show doesn't know

why the defect was only disclosed this year, but promises to fiekd out. >> clearly we have work to do to improve our process, and we are dedicated to doing that. >> reporter: among the questions she is likely to face, whether the company's decision not to order massive recall was influenced at by the steep cost at the time it was fighting for survival. the justice department is investigating whether gm committed bankruptcy fraud by not disclosing the defects before then. but the u.s. highway traffic safety administration will ask why both in 2007 and 2010 the agency refused to pursue reports and complaints. the acting chief is expected to blame gm for withholding critical evidence to identify

the defect. chinese president says beijing's relationship with its top customer, europe is a major priority. it is worth $1.4 billion a day. here is the latest stop on a european tour. >> reporter: china went for a fleet of volvos to move its top people around europe. this car maker is now chinese owned. but the president preferred a german-made mercedes. maybe it's a sign of how fond he is of eu products. >> translator: i want to work with my partners and friends to build a bridge of cooperation. >> reporter: this ends his visited to europe, and he has had china's checkbook out over the last week.

he went to france to germany, but bowed out of this visit in belgium. or this city to be more specific. this place is a long way from china, geographically and metaphorically. china's image is one of an emerge world super power, where life here it's a much sleepier place. but it is very keen to attract as many chinese people as it can. and china appears to have a soft spot for this place. three tibet protesters have followed him around europe, but these were prochina, and pro eu. in fact the photo ops have been good to him. chinese pandas bring in the cute factor, and crucial talks the

commerce factor. europe's trade with china is worth $1.4 billion every day. for the younger generation, learning about that relationship is essential. >> they are becoming more and more intertwined politically and economically. and we need to be aware of these ties and build upon them. >> reporter: this is the first time a chinese president has been to the eusince relations were established four decades ago. if life really does begin at four, perhaps there will be many more happy returns. let's look at the weather situation, and winds really hanging around moscow. >> that's right. other parts of europe are enjoying spring-like conditions but not moscow. we can see the area of collude here that made its way across

us. the maximum temperature today has only been zero, and it is wet. but it hasn't brought rain, it is still bringing snow. these are the latest grainy pictures here from moscow. it shows how bad conditions were. we saw around 10 centimeters of snow by the time it has cleared. now it has cleared, and april we normally get to around 10 degrees, but i think for wednesday, we'll be stuck at around 3. getting a little bit better for moscow then, but getting worse for it over parts of spain and portugal. we're seeing wet weather here, but it's edging its way eastward. that will take the edge off of the temperatures in madrid. our maximum temperature will be 14 degrees. won't be very impressive then. and scheduled to be far milder towards the north. for london a balmy 21.

and that's the way this will stay for us as we head through thursday as well, so the temperatures still around 20 or 21 there. furtherer south, it will get a little bit better during the day the rain and clouds should begin to clear and the temperatures will rise as well. still ahead, once independence fighters now bitter rivals at the ballot box, now elections should be driving indonesia's politics back to violent times. plus -- >> i'm rob reynolds in scottsda scottsdale, arizona with a look at baseball's new rules aimed and preventing collisions at home plate.

♪ you are watching the al jazeera news hour. a reminder of our top stories. nato foreign ministers are meeting in brussels to discuss a build up of russian troops along the ukrainian border. john kerry will meet with the palestinian prime minister. chinese's president has

completed a tour of europe. becoming the first to visit eu headquarters in brussels. he says bay -- beijing is committed to not holding up progress in the relations. the diplomatic tension could impact the land locked country of moldova, as david explains. >> reporter: after crimea will moldova be next? russian peace-keeping troops already man the border posts here. the kremlin supports the region after a bloody civil war in the early '90s. now trapped on the western fringes of ukraine. moldova's prime minister appealed to western leaders and russia to prevent his country

from falling apart. >> it's not in the interest here in the west nor with russia, but especially not for our interests which are in the middle to see this -- this negative development. so i hope we'll be able to come back to common sense and look at the real problems. >> reporter: the vineyards were the first target of russia when the country started the process of integration with western europe. last september they banned the import of its wines which amounted to a third of its total exports. this wine cellar now fills a limestone quarry, which was used to help rebuild the capitol after the second world war. this wine cellar is like an underground city. it has more than 120 kilometers of roads, and there are 20

million liters are wine are stored here. moldova has refused to join the west sanctions imposed on russia. moll doe va's main opposition communist party has tabled a motion of no confidence against the government. they feel there is no mandate to move the country towards europe. >> if they continue to impose this resolution, we risk to lose moldova state. and risk to lose moll doe va statehood has such. >> the statue of lennen has been replaced with this statute. but the country relies on the money sent home from moldovians

working in russia. anti-slavery teams have started work at airports in the united kingdom. they will be looking for victims of human trafficking. it's part of the british government's clamp down on slavery. we're joined by the director of anti-slavery international. aiden thank you for joining us. first, how big of a problem is it there? >> the british government estimates there's a minimum of 6 million people at any one time of people in forced labor. >> what sort of stories are you hearing about how these people are treated and why?

>> well, the uk changed its [ inaudible ] visas tying them to employers, this is a license for legal trafficking for forced domestic work. so it's a big problem within that sector. and this is something that is very difficult to see how deployment of teams to the airports is going to help that. because what you see is a lot of wonderful people being brought into the country completely legally. and the abuse occurring beyond the borders, and we have yet to see proper measures being put in place. >> if it is not going to work at airports, then what would you suggest should be done to put a stop to this? >> i think there needs to be greatest invest inspect policing across the board. policing within the cities and up and down the country. greater training of police so

they can identify forced labor and trafficking. it may be possible to detect children, but there is a lot more than that across the country. there is a draft anti-slavery bill going before parliament hopefully in the next couple of months, but it was certainly very underwhelming, and we have yet to see whether this will address some of the more difficult problems. >> who are the biggest perpetrators, and where do most of the victims come from? >> i think the government has a notion that this is some vast criminal enterprise, but probably the majority of people who are trafficked are victims of claims of opportunities perpetrated by individuals and families who are particularly inflicting forced labor on

domestic workers as well as some of the unregulated parts of the economy like construction, like catering and domestic work. they need an inspection to be put on them in order to have a hope of clamping out slavery within those sectors. >> thank you very much for your thoughts. >> thanks for having us. three people have been killed in the western province in indonesia. gunmen opened fire on a van campaigning on monday. it's the latest assault on a series of politically motivated attacks in indonesia. >> reporter: here groups who once fought together are now political rivals.

they are attacking each other in the lead up to elections. >> translator: sometimes we can't control our people in the field because of the limits of their patience. of course we can't control their emotions. the whole thing builds up and then something happens that we don't want. but we told our members not to be so easily provoked and retaliate. >> it is better to die than to leave a slave of other nations. >> reporter: a human's rights group says there have been more than 60 politically motivated attacks this year. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: most of the members of the two main political parties are former rebels. they gave up their weapons nine years ago, but this hasn't stopped the violence. these men were beaten unconscious at a cafe and woke up in hospital. they blame the attack on members of the rival party. >> translator: i'm worried i can't go home, because it's getting closer to the election.

there are so many of them and only two of us. i could be attacked or killed. >> reporter: so security has been tightened. police are searching for weapons. extra security forces are coming in. the violence has included drive-by shootings, assaults, buildings being set alight, and people intimidated. trnl the integration of the fighters have been quite successful, they already mix with us, but they have huge egos. they think their party is the best. with those kind of egos coming fighting and misunderstanding. >> reporter: this election is driving some people back to violent ways, but instead of fighting the central government, this time they are fighting each other. nicole johnston al jazeera. one person has been killed and four others injured in an

attack on anti-government protesters in thailand. at least 24 people have died since demonstrations started five months ago. anti-government protesters have been calling for the prime minister to resign. protests against venezuela's president have turned violent in the capitol of c car rauk cuss. rallies have been suspended a few weeks ago, in anticipation of talks between the government and opposition. japan has relaxed a ban on arms that has been in place for almost 50 years. the changes are likely to see places like tokyo selling mine detectors and helicopters.

china is suspicious of the move. the two countries are embroiled in territorial disputes in the east china sea. [ inaudible ] is trying to decrease the national debt by increasing sales tax. and that has sent many rushing to the shops to beat the price hikes. >> reporter: this man's tofu shop has been in his family for generations. he and his staff uphold the art of making this food. but like small business owners across the country, he is worried about a rise in japan's sales tax from 5 to 8%. >> translator: tofu is something you eat every day. i think it is going to weigh heavily on my customers. >> reporter: it is being seened by economists as out of kilter with attacking the national debt. >> translator: this country has

so much debt, and it's something our generation has to face and their children and grandchildren. >> translator: it can't be helped it's partly because our government didn't do well up until this point. japan's prime minister has made economic recovery the priority of his legislation. the government has made a show of persuading big companies to raise salaries and announced an additional $50 billion stimulus. >> we should see a negative gdp growth in the april-june quarter this year. nevertheless, we -- we are believing that the economy should pick up in the july-september quarter. >> reporter: much of this is about demography. but still this move is a tentative one. this is very much a first step in putting japan's financial

house in order. a second rise taking the tax to 10% is currently slated for next year. and many say it would have to go up to 15 even 20% to really tackle the debt. consumers rush to beat the deadline day. now businesses big and small are bracing for a downturn and hoping it is brief. moving to the u.s., there has been last minute rush to sign up for barack obama's affordable care act. it is designed to give americans access to private healthcare. the rollout was mired in controversy, so how did the final enrollment day end? patty culhane takes a look. >> reporter: long lines around the country, the problem plagued website overwhelmed, crashed price. the administration says this is

proof that president barack obama's signature legislation was needed. now the pourest will get government help to buy insurance, many in the middle class will pay more. about 10 million have signed up to pay for private, and government run insurance. but large numbers of young healthy people need to sign up. that has been the soul focus of the administration. getting endorsements. and putting the president on shows like this comedy show watched by the young. so far the numbers show 33% of those signing up are that key young demographic. experts say it needs to be closer to 40%. >> given that the democrats are sort of politically vulnerable on this issue, i suspect the administration will help out insurers if they end up with fewer young, healthy, low-cost

people unexpected. >> reporter: to avoid that the administration has been very carefully crafting each event like this one last week with the vice president's wife. >> everybody is going to sign up, right? >> reporter: the media was not allowed to talk to anyone they didn't preselect and obviously coach, but even they didn't seem to know what they got and paid in return. >> i haven't actually thought about that. but that is something i will look into it, and i have to do my math. >> reporter: this is more than health insurance, it's about math. it's still not clear if the math actually adds up. if it does, there is one other important number, 30 million. that is the number of people in america who will still not have health insurance even if the president's health insurance law is eventually labeled a success. patty culhane, al jazeera,

washington. canada's bumper new crop, and it's totally legal. stay with us for how medical marijuana is going down in canada. and in sport, news of a dramatic rescue. details coming up in a moment. ♪ ir ken robinson

talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america ♪ it is estimated that 40,000 canadians legally use marijuana for health reasons, and that number is set to rise. it's great news for cannabis

businesses, but some are struggling to keep up with demand. >> reporter: one of the first 12 licensed commercial growers of medical marijuana, a company named are tweet incorporated uses an old chocolate factory. under canada's new laws what springs from this soil will soon be available online to people with a doctor's prescription. >> they are strains for people who may be suffering with neurological issues, right through to pain and cancer treatment. >> reporter: it is still illegal to smoke marijuana for fun in canada, but the number of people using it for health reasons is expected to sore. a community has to give its consent for a medical marijuana

facility, but here that has been no problem. the police station is just across the street. the mayor who's late brother used medical marijuana says almost any new business is very welcome. >> i would be hard pressed to stand here and try to defend you why i turned down another hundred jobs. our community has 'em braszed it. -- embraced it. >> we have a mix of cannabis related experience as well as horticulture generally. but once you get past that it is marijuana and the licensing, it's really -- i see it as an e-commerce business. >> reporter: a final burst to coax the most potent cannabis come pounds into the flowering

plants. daniel lack, al jazeera. now to sport. >> thank you very much. the champions league resumes on tuesday. barcelona hosts at letco madrid. it has been a difficult first season for david moi since he took over for alex ferguson. and the champions league represents the last chance of winning anything this season. [ inaudible ] remain unbeaten domestically in the league. their coach insists manchester united are still a force in europe. >> maybe they [ inaudible ] season in the premier league, but they did it very well in

championship they won in many, many important games. when i see rudy, [ inaudible ], many, many, i know the quality of these players. and maybe they played no good during the season. i do not know why. because i am not here. but for one or two games they can make the best of the season and they can beat us. >> we have seen so many great nights in europe especially, and so yeah, i mean as players we don't see ourselves as underdogs, we can't wait and these are the games that you want to be involved in as a player. >> reporter: as i mentioned it's an old spanish game. bar sa welcomes at letco to the

new camp. over two legs in the spanish super cup this season they beat them. in asia's champions league, [ inaudible ] australia hope to advance with a 1-0 win at home. the aussies were [ inaudible ] at one stage. but a strike gave the mariners the vital victory, and lifts them to the top of the group. [ inaudible ] football association has resigned following an upturn of violence in the country. it follows the uruguay's decision to [ inaudible ] because of violence from their fans. the decision could have ramifications for the national side. government interference in domestic football is strictly

banned by fifa. the row could result? uruguay losing their place in the world cup finals in june. and the last semifinal spot for the world 2020 in [ inaudible ]. they won the toss and elected to bat first and a struggling 22 for 2 after 4 overs. the winner will face sri lanka for the final. bangladesh had previously been eliminated. marco made 153 for 5 in their 20 overs. and alan finch [ inaudible ] reaching their target with 15 balls to spare. australia win by 7 wickets but

still go home. the san antonio spurs have broken their nba franchise win record after knotting up their 18th straight victory on monday. they routed the indiana pacers 103-77 to stay atop of the western conference. while the l.a. clippers move to within two games of the oklahoma city thunder also in the west after they beat the timberwolves 114-104. colinson top scoring with 28 points and 7 assists. baseball, the world series champions, the boston red sox got their mlb season off to a losing start. they were beaten 2-1 by the baltimore orioles. also with baseball, the team playing on the opening day have been playing under some new

rules. rob reynolds reports. >> reporter: players from the arizona diamondbacks loosen up during training. some of these players may wind up in the world series. some may wind up relegated to the minority leaders, but what none of them want is to end their season and careers with a brain injury. so major league baseball is instituting a new rule meant to prevent bone jarring collisions between base runners trying to score and catchers trying to defend home plate. >> the runner cannot deviate from his path to home plate. he can't go out of his way to try to hit the catcher. and the catcher cannot block the plate unless he has the ball. >> reporter: baseball rarely changes its rules and some players are not sure change is a good idea. miguel montero is the

diamondback's starting catcher. >> it's a game of tradition. it has been for 100 years. i don't see why to change it now. if you look at a game tied in the bottom of the 9th. >> reporter: baseball's new rule comes amid controversies and lawsuits over the effects of concussions on players in other professional sports like the national football league, and the national hockey league. catcher bobby wilson knows all about concussions. in 2010 he suffered severe injuries when mark

[ technical difficulties ] >> reporter: -- but major league says it is a step in the right direction. rob reynolds, al jazeera, scottsda scottsdale, arizona. some dramatic pictures coming up when a crew member was thrown overboard and lost for an hour and a half. he was part of the london crew. he was swept overboard into the middle of the pacific ocean earlier on tuesday crews frantically trying to look for him. the race was temporarily suspended while other crews joined in the search. incredibly after 90 minutes he was spotted and brought back on board. he was treated for hyperthermia, and shock, but should make a full recovery. staggering pictures. 90 minutes in the pacific ocean. >> oh. but was saved. that's all from us.

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welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york with a look at today's top stories. the ceo of general motors will answer questions about deadly ignition switches in millions of cars, and announcing the recall of another 1.5 million vehicles because of a power steering problem. the deadline to sign up for the affordable care act has come and gone. the associated press now reporting the program is on track to surpass the original target of 7 million people enrolled. 24 bodies now pulled from the mud slide in washington state, 22 people are still missing. crews sayy