>> from aljazeera america headquarters in thee, this is the news hour. coming up in the next 60 minutes, 100 million people cast ballots in the most important phase of indias month long election. >> stopping the killing, rape and torture in the central african republic, the u.n. votes whether to send in a peace keeping force. >> bail denied to three aljazeera journalists held in prison for 103 days now. >> we meet the man leading the

charge to save louisiana's environment. >> deposition exhibit does not work in louisiana. this place is controlled by an industry, oil and gas. >> we begin in india where people have been voting in one of the biggest days in the general election. more than 100 million people were able to cast ballots thursday. 16,500 polling booths were open in 11 of india's 28 states there. voters irs in delhi cast their ballots. we have this report. ♪ >> a moment that she will never forget.

she's been homeless for two and a half years and today will vote in a general election for the very first time. >> i've got not only my identity card, but my election card. i'm voting for the first time. i'm so happy. >> she is one of 8,000 homeless people officially registered in the state capitol new delhi. she lines up at the polling station alongside many thousands more in south deli. the doors opened at 7:00 in the morning and will stay open for 10 hours. deli is being fiercely fought over. in the last election, allle seats were won by the congress party. this time, candidates have a tough fight on their hands. people here voted for change in recent state elections, a seismic political shift. the emerge edges and rise of an anti corruption party, the common man party saw them take charge of the capitol for a short time.

>> concentrated in delhi, they would have got half of them. >> the first time voters in the nation's capitol were clear about what they want. >> we really need to work on our education system. we have a large population and we need to bring reform at a grassroots level. >> the largest number going to the polls to elect particle men tarians. thized in the bay of ban gal to the south and north have cast their votes and there's still a month to go. aljazeera, new delhi. >> first, this report from the

most populace state in india and also politically the most important. >> it's ban steady stream of voting. we're in an area affected by communal violence late last year. what people are saying on the ground is that may certainly impact all the way in which they vote or change the dynamics of voting patterns here in the area. as people are turning up throughout the day, people are coming in with their identity cards, being checked by the election commission and getting in line to have their say. interestingly, we've met people from relief camps, those that haven't returned home following violence and leaving their homes and village. they've been particularly keen to vote. one gentleman said a few months ago, i wasn't really interested in the election but as a result of the violence, i feel compel would to have my say. many are saying look, we want a

government that's going to promote harmony. others in the state are concerned about that, the rising cost of living. all in all, a sensitive time here, but certainly people are coming out and enthusiastically having their time in the polling booth. it will be interesting to see what kind of impact the scenario of recent months has had on the results here. >> people are checking their names against a registered list the voters, who have been coming to this polling station since the polls opened at 7:00 this morning. it is very different than other cities, very modern, 21s 21st century architecture. it has been built up in the last 10-15 years. even among the younger voters, the economy is not the only issue important to them. >> i also wanted a stable government at the centers. i knew who would stick to their policy stance and who i knew what their next move was going to be. for me, i need a stable

government for the next five years. >> the landscape suddenly changes into a much more rural area a few miles from here. these villages are part of the area but are very different from all this modern architecture. having a good economy is important as they've seen benefits in the last 10-15 years. they want to see that continue, whether you are in an urban area or a village, the economy is an important part for whoever force the next government. >> the united nations is due to vote on whether to send the peace keeping mission to the central african republic. thousands have been killed and around a quarter of the population displaced by fighting between christian and plus limb groups. >> the french army truck controls the streets. france has 2,000 soldiers deployed in the central trick ken republic trying to curb the violence. tuesday, two french soldiers

were wounded in a grenade attack in the capitol, part of a wave of violence between christian and muslim armed groups in recent months. >> aid agencies warn the situation could descend into ethnic cleansing. the atmosphere is tense. those few people who would go on camera said their main wish is for peace to return. >> we are together. we are august. all we want is peace. peace so that we can go back to a business, so we can deal with our needs. >> into this volatile position came the u.s. ambassador to the united nations on wednesday, aware of the increasing calls for a new peace keeping force to be sent to the country. >> no question that we need to redouble our efforts, making them every day, anyway. this adds more urgency to the task of getting more police rapidly in.

>> one won 10 husband issue is the makeup of the national force currently in country. chad has supplied houses of troops, but many of them are muslim and that is an issue for some people. >> we'd like our central african authorities to accept that the muslims should leave and go somewhere else, but they go away for a while, whether back to their country or another place so that the authorities can talk to the christian rebels be, disarm them and see how best to pursue peace efforts. >> central tric many in both cot want peace to return.

aljazeera. >> the u.n. security council is supposed to be deciding about sending troops out by september. what would their mandate be by that point when according to most accounts, muslims have mostly been ethnically cleansed from the area? >> well, the mandate that the security council is expected to vote on later this day is actually quite broad and sweeping and evolving, but the primary goal is protection of civilians. that means protecting humanitarian operations and protecting government institutions, as well as directly protecting civilians who may be in harm's way. there's also a very unique law and order component to this mandate, something that peace keeping hasn't done in the past, they are actually authorized to once this resolution passes, their actually although raised to act as police officers on the ground there.

this was at the request of the transitional government in the central african republic. because there are really no functioning government institutions at this time, there is no law and order. there is a request from the government to have peacekeepers fill that role while the government gets itself back up and running. in terms of law and order, there's also a reminder from the security council written into this resolution that the central african republic is a member of the international criminal court, there will be accountability for people who commit war crimes in this area, and also, you know, they stress the importance of bringing back a lot of the displaced people, the 650,000 or so estimated that have been displaced by the violence. all of that is written into this resolution. the force will not be on the ground until september 15, the new force.

>> the peacekeepers there failed to meet with those accused of carrying out atrocities and ethnic cleansing. are the pours behind the force thinking through a plan of how to deal with that challenge once they get boots on the ground with the mandate of policing? >> i'm sorry, i didn't hear the beginning of your question, but i can tell you that there is a lot of concern about the situation there on the security council, they've had a lot to deal with in the last year. there's concern that they wasn't be able to find enough troops to actually go in an fulfill this mandate. there are certainly 6,000 african forces on the ground there. they will continue to operate until the u.n. can get its peace keeping force up and running and eventually, the goal is to roll these forces into the u.n. operation, but that does take

time. the u.n. has to vet these troops and make sure they live up to united nations standards, and so, it is a slow process for a country that the secretary general has described as on the brink of a genocide, but unfortunately, the u.n. does not move quickly with these things and it takes some time to get a force operational. >> thanks for that. >> much more to come here on the news hour. unrest in ukraine, the cities where protestors are demanding self rule. >> a crucial oil deal in libya ended a rebel black cade. not everybody is happy about it. >> the look that says it all, more disappointment for david moise. thames coming up in sport.

>> the trial of three aljazeera english journalist has been postponed, they've been held for 103 days, accused of providing a platform to the outlawed muslim brother hood. in calls on thursday, the prosecution produced material it says supports the case against them, which includes reports from kenya. some of that evidence was dismissed by the judge as irrelevant. a fourth journalist has been detained without trial since last august. after 80 days on hunger strike, his health is deteriorating. >> a former colleague of bbc journalist said the charges are ridiculous. >> all around the world, there's a huge amount of suppression of press freedom.

look at the reports coming out from organizations like reporters without borders, the names of journalists go on and on and on, people threatened, beaten, killed in some cases and many cases, it's tough in human terms and people in societies like egypt can't find out properly what's going on. the international community can't make plans, strategize for helping to ease problems in places like egypt. every now and again, a major case comes along that bums high profile like this on the aljazeera crew in eye row and the world takes more note of the issue of press freedom in perhaps some small way, something might come that's good out of what they are enduring. people locking them up are paying a price, as well. the courts of world opinion is engaged here, people are

watching this very closely, and every day are drawing the worst conclusions. >> in eastern ukraine, an amnesty offer is reject to end a siege. security forces will storm some of the buildings unless protestors leave by the end of the day. demonstrators are in control of the offices in the two cities, demanding a referendum on self rule. in denejsk, they've declared a people's republic. we can get more, we are live in denejsk. they've turned down the amnesty offer. are they getting ready for confrontation? >> that's the big question, isn't it? if i can tell you first that right now social media is full of reports that the ukrainian military is on the borders, on the outskirts of denejsk. if that turns out to be the

case, it will be a major development for the situation. we are working to confirm those reports. you mentioned activists here very quickly refused the offer of an amnesty saying that they simply don't need it. they say they are the legitimate government here in denejsk and they don't need to listen to kiev. it should be the other way around, that authorities in kiev should be listening to them. they will not leave the state administration building here wimp is very well fortified. they are going to continue, stand firm. they are engaged in negotiations between politicians, protestors and police, but they are showing no signs of leaving at this stage. >> all right, thanks so much, reporting from denejsk. >> in russia, the fortune ministry said nato is creating an imaginary threat.

natos general secretary said troops along the borders are ready for combat. these photos captured by a commercial satellite show russian forces amassing, the images which cannot be independently verified appear to show war planes, combat helicopters and artillery. moscow said there is no need for concern. >> hardly a day goes by without nato issuing another warning about the presence of 35 to 40,000 russian troops on the ukraineian border. thursday, russian's foreign ministry came out with a statement and said this is an imaginary threat. this is nato banging the drum, really, to consolidate forces and to show really how relevant this military alliance can be in the 21st century. you remember a few weeks ago, nato ministers agreed to suspend

all civilian and military cooperation with russia. they've also limited access to nato headquarters to russian diplomats and crucially, they are now looking at a declaration that was signed in 2002, the rome declaration that would prevent nato from bringing troops closer into central europe and eastern europe. this war of words goes on. in the last few hours on thursday, the secretary general again warned about the presence of the 40,000 troops and said to russia if you're interested in dialogue, they be move the troops back from the border. >> libyan ministers are criticizing a deal that ended the rebel blockade of two eastern oil ports, rebels have handed the terminals they captured last year back to the government. some people believe the agreement could end up causing more disruptions in the future.

we report from tripoli. >> the hand over is complete, libya's from this jail government said a deal with armed groups doesn't concede to original demands of regional autonomy. part of the deal is a can she settlement for upkeep of the ports, including back pay for its guards. there are claims that by effectively compensating the gunman, the government may end up in further trouble with other protest groups. >> some of them are actually by the pipe lines feeding those ports. we may have created another problem by having this deal. >> millions of dollars have been thrown in the problem, the acting oil minister is uneasy, believes while it was crucial to avoid confrontation with the armed groups, there now needs no be massive investment in security to protect all of libya's oil installations. >> money to solve the problem,

firefighting system, the security issue, this is the first long term plan for the future. >> libya's justice minister defends the deal negotiated through intermediaries as the best way of achieving a peaceful solution. it really is crucial that the deal works. politically, libya is going through its most unstable phase since the revolution three years ago. >> the caretaker government is teetering on the brink of collapse, its minister threatening to rine. it responded by giving the prime minister until next tuesday to form a new government. there's no guarantee he can manage it in that time frame. if he does, no certainty as to whether the congress will give its approval. >> aljazeera, tripoli. >> a mass rally has taken place in north korea to celebrate the

reelection of kim jong-un. the news agency showed thousands gathering. his reelection was never in doubt. >> an australian aircraft has detect add new signal in the search zone for a missing malaysia airlines flight. the signal raises hopes the wreckage of the flight missing for more than a month will soon be found. the search area in the remote indian ocean is narrowed 10 times from the signals. >> solomon islands, 21 people died in flash floods last week. there's concern the number could rise. there are growing fears disease could spread among people crammed into evacuation camps. andrew thomas reports. >> the school an evacuation for those who lost homes have had their first delivery of aid. it's the absolute basics.

toilet paper candles and soap. >> when we got the toilet paper, when we get water, we need a bucket and when our box comes, everything is needed. >> it was the we're that suddenly poured down the valley that did the most damage when a landslide broke a natural dam in the hill above town, unleashing a torrent and horror. >> you can only imagine the force of the water as it rushed down the hill through this valley. a house lifted up only stopped in its traction by the coconut trees. >> albert and his wife christina were washed away with their house. he has no home now nor wife, only he survived. >> i feel really terrible because my beloved is gone.

there's no one to support me now. >> in the camps, while people are grateful for donations, they need more, clean water is an issue. already there have been outbreaks of diarrhea. >> the number of people affected here, 52,000, and it probably doesn't seem that many compared to india or other areas. you're in a country in the bottom 40 in the world, so it has limited infrastructure and people have limited income. >> the relief agencies that are supporting us very well and then we have the donor partners giving food support through the relief agencies. >> australia was initially criticized for offering little aid, but its government has increased what it's giving, this military plane arriving with medical experts onboard, as well as supplies. >> many who died last week were

children. one concern is that it will be children who bear the brunt of any outbreak of illness or disease. for some, the novelty of their new life hasn't worn off, but it will, fast. >> >> a cyclone is moving croceins lapd in australia. people in the area have been told to leave their homes before it touches down on friday. it is expected to bring winds of more than 250 kilometers an hour. it's basically brace for impact there. >> it's a beast of a storm. pretty organized, as well. large massive clouds swirling away here in the coral sea. looking closely, you can see the eye of the storm. it is well organized, hence has intensified further. we are looking at very, very

strong winds going through the next 24 hours, just ahead of landfall, about 9:00 friday morning. gusts of around 305 kilometers per hour compares with a tropical cyclone in the area three years ago. this is certainly giving major cause for concern. we can see the storm is going to make its way to the north, slide down the coast slowly. we'll see heavy rain coming in over the next couple of days. the outer bands already bringing very heavy rain in. there's no surprise there. we can on through friday, that wet and windy weather will continue right across the peninsula, sinking further south wards. some of these paths will have seen over two-millimeters of rain. with the damaging winds, that

will cause major problems. this massive cloud was a tropical depression across the philippines. that will stay just to the east. we hope the heavier showers will stay offshore. the eastern part of the country could still see flooding. >> a plane that can stay in the air indefinitely has been unveiled in switzerland. it's fueled by solar power. its creators have their eyes set on making it the first of its kind to fly around the world. >> even if you have no interest in planes, you've got to admit this is impressive, solar impulse set a record in july when it flew across the united states. not the first plane to do that, but definitely the first without a single drop of fuel. all that plane needed was this, sunlight, perhaps the most natural form of fume there is, enough to power its solar

batteries and keep it in the air. that trip across the u.s. was such a success that now here in switzerland, back where it all began, they've made a sequel. >> here it is, premiered on wednesday. the name not to imaginative, so the impulse is now merely solar impulse two, but the ambitions certainly are. the wing span the same as a bowing 747, this is a huge craft covered in 17,000 solar cells, yet weighing just 1.5 tons. the plan is to fly this around the world and do it in less than a year's time. >> we can take off with empty batteries, fly the entire today. fly to the altitude of the airlinesser, if i am the batteries, you can land and give this energy or use it. the more you fly, the more energy you get. >> the pilot needs to be comfortable with their own

company, barely room to stretch. there is no heating, no pressurized cabin. that is a feat of endurance in a machine favoring aerodynamics over comfort. >> the airplanes is so big, so light, flying with one pilot. that's the technical prays we have to pay to have an unlimited endurance. thanks to this, the plane can fly forever. >> this plane's journey begins in a few weeks with test flights over switzerland. it's big trip around the world is expected to take 20 days all in all, and so the planes may never be adopted commercially. the it's, the sponsors, the airlines are all waiting to see if this takes off. >> still ahead on the news hour, could talks between venezuela's government and the opposition end two months of street protests. plus: >> the high cost of louisiana's

disappearing we had lands. we are over the louisiana coastline. i'll tell you about the legal battle over who should pay and rarrepair the damage. >> nba champions miami heat title defense takes another knock. that and the rest of the sport coming up in about 20 minutes.

>> the trial of three aljazeera english journalists has been adjourned until april 22. the journalists were denied bail. they've been behind bars for 103 days and falsely accused of providing a platform to egyptianed outlawed muslim brotherhood. >> protestors occupying government buildings in east he were ukraine rejected an amnesty officer. the government will storm the buildings unless protestors leave by the end of the day. >> russia's president vladimir putin is calling for urgent talks with the european union on ukraine's gas debt. he is concerned the debt could affect the transit of russia's gas to europe. russia ships half of its gas flows to europe via ukraine. in march, ukraine failed to pay for march's supplies on time.

>> university students in the venezuela capitol held a nighttime vigil to remember the victims of anti government protests. students lit candles to honor the 39 people who died since the start of the pro tests three months ago. thousands have taken to the streets to vent anger about inflation, a shortage of basic needs and the high rate of crime. >> venezuela's government and the opposition are to begin talks to end the protest. the secretary of state has been invited to mediate. the opposition wants protest leader and students in jail to be set free. we report from caracas. >> the students living on tents in the main street say it is a time for resistance. they are painting banners and building paper telescopes with messages inside, calling on all

venezuelans to join their fight. the students are divided, some say they want to see negotiated reform, but most demand the resignation of the president. >> we don't have proposals for the government. we don't want to have a dialogue with them. >> in spite of weeks of protest, the president can count on a solid support. it may be shrinking. political divisions run deep among the various opposition leaders. >> the opposition hasn't gained anything from the protests, because public opinion rejects violence. instead, it's evident there are divisions among the leaders that is very damaging for the opposition as a movement. >> protests have died down. there are barricades left by demonstrators around the city. after two months. this crisis has left all sides politically weakened and that's

the context in which they will begin to hold talks. >> not surprisingly, there's little trust. the venezuelaen president describes the 07 significance as fascist and terrorists, saying the president is a dictator. the south american group of nations along with the vatican representative will act as mediators, but there's little optimism. >> the government can't say we'll only talk about the economy and insecurity. there's no reason for the opposition to sit down at the negotiating table if they can't talk about politics, about the political prisoners. >> on thursday, the two sides will meet, but with the students and opposition radicals boycotting the talks and the president insisting there's nothing to negotiate, a resolution to venezuelas political crisis is some ways off. aljazeera, caracas, venezuela.

>> a new study suggests governments around the world are wasting billions of dollars stock paying a drug held as the global solution to flu pandemic. british scientists say the drug tamiflu may be no more effective than over-the-counter medicine. >> in 2003, the world faced stark warnings of a deadly global pandemic. in asia, asian influenza was spreading to humans. tamiflu was the emerging medicine. this report claim the drugs benefits were exaggerated. >> there's no changing hospitalization. there's no effect on transmission of flu that would be a credible to use in a pandemic situation. >> the fear of a pandemic led to this, warehouse us full of drags, stock piled for acknowledge emergency. the british government spent

$793 million on tammy flew, the u.s. government $1.3 billion on the drug. the new report found it worked, but only a bit. flu symptoms which would last seven days were reduced to 6.3 days, 5.8 in children. over-the-counter drugs would have had the same effect. >> it was a battle for years to get research. the system was criticized, all the way drugs regulators are only ever presented with selective data by the pharmaceutical industry. >> they purchase the studies, provided the regulator but do not present in a reasonable fashion or give evidence on the harms. >> tamiflu is refuting the

allegation of secretiveness. >> we shared all of those things with the regulators and they right field it accordingly in the label. i think, you know, i feel that we've been as transparent as possible under the time. >> the debate that not yet affected tamiflu's status, still classed as an essential medicine. >> sri lanka has cut rabies death more than 90% in the past 40 years. an anti rabies campaign has helped to fight the disease. we report. reaching out to the community, mobile units travel to vaccinate dogs against the virus. dogs are the main carriers and the main target of a successful anti rabies campaign, which has seen fatalities from the virus

fall from 377 a year to 28 in the past 40 years. >> dogs are there. they will catch the disease and pass it to people, so the program is tremendous. >> authorities have vaccinated almost 1.5 million dogs and sterilized animals. for dog owners, prevention is the best option. >> if a person is bitten and the dog has rabies, the person can die. i thought issued vaccinate my dog. >> the animals themselves aren't always cooperative. >> vaccination programs like this one in the village outside columbo of a key part of the fight against the disease. they have proofed a more effective and cheaper way of dealing with rabies which can kill victims if left untreated.

>> there is treatment to bite victims in a clinic like this at a cost last year of around $4 million. the doctor who heads the rabies treatment unit as a busy control bow hospital said knowing how dangerous the disease is helps. >> the people here, if they are infected, that is end of their life, so they come very quickly. they come very quickly to get treatment. >> domestic pets are responsible for the majority of bites inflicted on humans. annual vaccines are essential. especially if sri lanka is to reach its goal of eradicating rabies by 2020. >> use nor on the subject as part of a special series of documentaries here in aljazeera, looking at people working in public health. in the first program, we ask the work of medical professionals in the philippines that may try to

eliminate rabies there. you can watch lifelines, the quest for global health later on thursday. >> somali business men are urging the government to stop targeting their community. 82 somalis were deported as part of a security blitz in the capitol. more than 3,000 have been detained in the operation. some say nerve unfairly targeted. >> this is a main market here in kenya and people are gathering to try and discuss and find a way forward. the plan from the business community is to ever a meeting and they plan to go to court and ask the judge to try and stop the kenyan government from carrying out arrests and from deporting somali nationals. they are meeting right now to discuss a strategy of how they are going to do this. there's no guarantee it is going to work. they feel that the only change

is happening on the ground in the community still marginalized and victimized by the police and the government. they say there should be ways to handle issues of terror because right now all the way the government is behavioring, arresting people is only creating resentment in the community. >> officials say they have been unable to visit one of the largest refugee camps in sudan's darfur region, the government claiming the situation is unstable. 8,000 people have fled to the camp after violence since february. it already has more than 100,000 people living there. authorities have denied aid workers access to the area, citing security reasons. >> south sudan leaders face possible sanctions from the u.s. if the fighting doesn't stop soon employee washington has

spent millions supporting people displaced by the recent violence. we have a report from washington, d.c. >> not even three ears after south so dan celebrated independence, the country is facing a humanitarian crisis. more than a million men, women and children fled their homes for the safety of u.n. com pounds or neighboring countries. washington just released $83 million to pay for emergency food, medicine and shelter. aid experts worry it's not enough. >> if assistance can't reach these people, you are looking at 3 million plus people teetering on the brink of famine by next year. >> political in-fighting between the government of the president and forces loyal to the former vice president turned violent in december. thousands of people have been killed in the fighting. the u.n. is accusing both sides

of atrocities. what's more, even though they signed a ceasefire agreement in late january, neither side has laid down its weapons. the challenge now facing the u.s. special envoy donald booth and regional leaders is to keep the two sides from abandoning peace talks. >> talks aren't happening right now. there's been a break for a few weeks while agendas are agreed upon, hotel rooms and so fort, and really, there's a real lack of urgency on both sides in the conflict. >> u.s. officials won't admit they spotted the tensions early on. after giving south sudan more than $400 million in aid since independence, the obama administration is furious that civil war that broken out. last week, the president issued an executive order threatening both sides with sanctions if they don't stop fighting and make peace. a south sudanese official said wednesday, that's easier said

than done. >> if there's anything we need most, it's the support, not just punishing us. >> even so, the minister should be spect the same message when he comes to the state department thursday, that the adjustment didn't invest so much money and prestige just to watch south sudan and its people turn on each other for nothing. ross lynn jordan, aljazeera, the state democratic. >> a sports update, including action from the traditional curtain raiser, the annual par three contest. details coming up.

al jazeera america. >> in the u.s. state of louisiana now, a coalition of environmental groups accusing it is oil industry of continue to go pollute their state.

the coalition known as the green army hopes its lawsuit will hold big industry responsible. in part two of our series or climate change, we report from louisiana. >> for more than 30 years, retired lieutenant general served in the united states army but now fights a new bat toll save his state's environment. >> because of the impact of the oil extraction companies that have come here and basically had their way in the state of louisiana, they have hung their flag over the state capitol. >> he has watched for decades as state politicians turned a blind eye to pollution he says caused by the oil and gas industries in the gulf of mexico. he said it's easy to spot the abandoned wells and uncapped pipe lines. >> it took nature thousands of years to build we had lands but in roughly 75 years or one

lifetime, much has disappeared. >> environmentalists complain the state's government allows the industry to self regulate. the green army filed a lawsuit asking nearly 100 oil companies to honor contracts requiring them to repair the destruction. >> every scientific study including the industry's own has concluded that the industry caused a significant amount of damage. there is no idea that the oil industry is above the law. >> louisiana's governor and oil industry supporters in the state's legislator are pushing back. regulation's been drafted that would stop such lawsuits. in a statement, the louisiana oil and gas association said the green army is just one more group seeking to extort money from the oil and gas industry. this group is suing the very industry that is providing steady growth and stable jobs in a flailing economy. little industry profits ever

lined the pockets of residents, louisiana the fourth largest energy producer in the u.s. its residents are the second poorest in the united states. >> thus democracy does not work in louisiana. this place is controlled by an industry, oil and gas, and they write the laws and the people of louisiana have to fight their own government to try and protect this place. >> it's not clear when the courts will hear the green army's case, so the coalition is working to draft its own laws and gain a foot hold in the state legislature. they hope they are efforts will begin to influence state politicians to help protect louisiana's coast. aljazeera, new orleans. >> one of the most polluted places in the united states is about to become even worse. residents say it's a case of environmental racism. in the third part of our series, we go to mossville, louisiana.

hundreds of residents there say they are suffering from cancer caused by local plants, still their state government has plans to approval yet another plant. >> we catch up with sport news now. >> athletico madrid dumped barcelona to keep the unbeaten run perfectly. aggregate scored one goal in the final, second leg with the spanish league leaders cutting a crucial away go. a great start, the final score 1-0 to checko. barcelona cash out 2-1 on aggregate and miss out on a second straight semifinal appearance. amazingly, the last time athletico featured in the last your, he was just four years

old. >> we've done a great job as a team and once more, just like an old father to world history, sometimes the best doesn't win, but the one who has most desire wins. we were convincing today. that does not mean our rival was not, but we were truly convinced of what we have to do and that makes is full of pride together with hour fans who will be happy. >> we feel bald as we should feel in a competition with great expectations. now we must grieve. i'll talk to the players and we'll move on. we are heading toward the end of the season. just because we lost one doesn't mean we will lose the other two trophies we are fighting for. >> into the semis at the expense of manchester united, the german chance were 3-1 winners.

it would be the first time in 18 years they don't play in the finals. >> i knew that it would be difficult, but we are there, so it's not easy to play against eight players in the box. we decide to cry to create space in the middle but they defend. >> they've dawn great job night. conceding a score, that was the biggest strain. we have to compete as a whole in the competition. for long periods, we made it difficult for them. >> and then there were four. we do not know who the champion

leagues semifinals are, threato madrid reached for the first time since 1979. chelsea and nine time champions real madrid. the semifinal draw will be made in switzerland on friday. >> the first major of the gulf season. the master underway, the traditional curtain raising the annual par three contest. the days leading up to the masters are blighted by heavy rain. no sign on wednesday, but certainly some incredible shots on display. that was the tee shot at the second. that effort was topped by omeara. fantastic effort. completing in 21 shots, finishing at six under par. >> the masters without the

number one tiger woods, his absence to injury is a huge blow to the organizers and chon sports, as ross shimabuku explains. >> every april, one tournament camps the attention of golf fans around the world from a quaint corner of america, augusta, georgia for 20 years, tiger has wowed the crowds and taken home four green jackets. a back injury sidelined him this year. that could have a real impact. >> in the final round, you look at maybe 60-100%, doubling your ratings. >> ticket prices are down from last year's masters and from the sponsors, the loss is greater, nike indicated that during the 2000 turn masters, woods coverage provided them with three times more air time. that could translate into about three to $4 million in loss

exposure for tylers top sponsor. >> it's unbelievable what has happened with the growth of this game. tiger's been the instigator, the one that's propelled and driven the bus, because he's brought increased ratings, sponsors, interest and we've all benefited, but nobody morn i have. we're all very appreciative. that's why we miss him so much. >> the tiger effect on gulf has been huge since the mid-90's, and i think any sport benefits from a dominant figure like that to not really drive the game forward, but having tiger in a tournament definitely creates more buzz, more of an atmosphere. you know where he is on the course just by the crowd and gallery that follows him. >> mcelroy has a chance at become that go dominant figure. >> he's a superstar personality, comfortable with the attention. i don't think woods ever was.

i don't think mickelson is as much, rory mcelroy embraces the spotlight. i do think there's going to be a post generation of guys inspired by tiger who are going to capture or imagination. rory is the first. >> mcelroy looks to get his first green jacket. the value of having tiger woods in the field cannot be denied. >> ross shimabuku there with a report on tiger woods absence from the masters at augusta. >> the miami heat relinquished their place at the top of the conference, now belonging to the indiana pacers. the heat lost to the memphis grizzlies one day away from the playoffs. gasol 23 points on the night. it is their 12th straight win at home. >> the chicago blackhawks on a

high, the stanley cup champions beat the montreal canadiens on wednesday. patrick sharp steps up with some late magic art blackhawks, scoring the game winner 43 seconds into over time. chicago now move within two points of the colorado avalanche in the race for the second place in the central division. >> the redwings made the place. the pittsburgh penguins began into overtime before they lost 4-3 in a shootout. >> all of the days big sports stories at aljazeera.com/sport. the exit from the champions league leading story. we'll have more later. >> stay with us here in aljazeera with another full bulletin of news coming up

straight ahead.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. 16-year-old alex hribal will be tried as an adult, going on a wild spree at his high school, stabbing morn 20 people. police aren't sure what motivated the attack. two victims in critical condition. >> a man huntunder way for a driver who caused another car to crash in a day care center in orlando, injuring kids and killing one. police are looking for the driver who fled the scene. >> lawmakers in kiev propose a truce to pro russian protestors in eastern ukraine, saying protestors won't be