>> president obama pledges his support to. >> upon with its on going dispute with china. >> three americans shot and killed at a charity hospital in kabul. police say the afghan gunman was supposed to be protecting them. >> one year after that massive factory collapse that killed 1,000 people, what's being done in bangladesh and here to

improve work conditions. >> can you imagine 200 bodies left to rot in a mosque? >> the united nations considering sanctions after a massacre in south sudan. >> president obama won't be visiting china during his week long tour of asia. it didn't take him long to address the region's biggest power. >> the president arrived in tokyo, greeted by the emperor and empress of japan. mr. obama met with japan's prime minister earlier in the day, pledging to defend japan over disputed islands with beijing. >> the president reaffirmed obligations to japan should tensions escalate. >> our treaty commitment to japan is absolute and article five covers all territories under japan's administration, including the islands. this is not a new position. this is a consistent one. in our discussions, i emphasized

with the prime minister the importance of resolving this issue peacefully. >> we are in tokyo. what do you think the message sends to beijing. >> this defense treaty between the united states and japan has been in place since after world war ii, the united states treaty bound to come to japan's defense. japan's reliance on the united states has been for decades. it's very important for the president to come into this context in this state visit with all the pomp and ceremony, the dish dinner being held now with the emperor and arrival ceremony today on the imperial palace grounds, it was important to leave no question about the fact. with this growing sense of

nationalism in japan, if he hedged or left it out there, that would have destabilized the region, fueled the naggism, made japan historical enemies as well as those with lingering animosities to the war era very upset and wary of what is happening in japan. the united states, president obama at that press conference with his japanese counterpart made it clear from the start what the united states commitment is to what are these uninhabited islands, very small, really just a bunch of rocks in the middle of the ocean, sort of equidistant between okinawa and the chinese mainland now a dispute between china and japan's. tensions have been rising and it's gotten to where the united states and president obama had a step in and make a very clear statement. >> mike, thank you very much. >> the u.s. embassy in kabul

says three americans have been killed in afghanistan and afghan security guard accused of shooting them at a hospital in coinkabul. he was a member of the police protection force guarding the hospital. it is the latest incident in which local security forces targeted foreign civilians. we have the latest. >> what happened 10:00 this morning, an asp began policeman working as a security guard for the hospital run by an american charity opened fire, the policeman opened fire on the staff of the hospital. it was believed he killed three foreigners and it's believed all three of american and injured another staff of the hospital. now, it is the second attack in less than three weeks on foreign civilians in afghanistan. on april fool, an afghan policeman, eastern afghanistan opened fire on a.p. journalists.

this type of fists will affect foreign civilians in this country, the aid workers. >> it is a non-profit that operates hospitals and programs in 29 countries around the world. >> an american soldier helps calendar active in afghanistan maybe closed to release, held since 2009. his captain stores tell the associated press they are willing to return him to the u.s., but they're not sure which government officials have the authority to make the deal. he is the only known american service member currently held in afghanistan. >> today marks the first anniversary of a disaster that brought new attention to safety conditions in the countries garment industry. there's been little progress. >> working inside the building,

it collapsed, and he he survived, but his mother did not. >> i still wake up at night screaming sometimes. i finally got another job at a garment fact if ary. i started sweating so much, i was soaked and i fainted. >> the eight story building in the suburb of the capitol collapsed a year ago, killing 1,129 workers and injuring thousands more. it's one of the worse garment factory accidents in recent history, which focused international attention on working conditions in bangladesh. the factories are getting a makeover. these men are safety workers, checking to see if the columns are strong enough to support the factory's weight. >> they have split up into three teams, checking the factory. this team is looking for structural flaws. the other teams are checking for fire and electrical safety.

>> this factory produces clothing for major retailers and is one of the better ones, but there's still much to improve. >> in a high rise building... >> many other factories have not fared as well. ten have been made to stop operations. the inspections have become controversial. the chairperson of one of the inspections said the industry will be stronger as a result. >> the effort is not to close a factory unless there is eminent danger, putting in place a remediation plan. >> not all owners are against the inspection drive. >> if i am not fit, i should change. >> change will not come easy,

but these inspections are the first step in making sure that people like muhammed, going to work no longer means risking their lives. aljazeera, bangladesh. >> in the wake of the disaster, many major retailers have pledged to push for safety improvements. protests are set to take place around the globe today in an effort to raise awareness about difficult working conditions that remain in many factories. aljazeera is in the capitol of dhaka. good morning. how much has the industry really changed since the disaster? >> good morning. well, it depends who you ask. the critics will say not a lot has been changed. there's a huge amount of commitment made in terms of payment to the affected workers, but the delivery is a different story. i've spoken to at least a dozen workers yesterday and today and their main complaint is we don't know where to go for this money. we've been paid very little. we don't get work, a lot of the

factories do not hire us anymore. there's been commitment by the government to disperse at least $15 million has been in the trust fund and the commitment for $40 million to be accumulated, but most of the workers will tell you that they don't know where to go looking for this money. there is no centralized database. sometimes they go to the government, sometimes they go to the government's manufacturer association, but they get the usual runaround. it's a year. the people don't have work because other factories did not hire them. that is the biggest contentious key point most are talking about right now. workers are angry out here. >> it's been a year. they can't get more work in garment factories, if they do, the conditions have not improved. many have not seen reparations. what about the retailers involved? we remember seeing the laborers, how recognizable they were to americans, have the retailers

stepped up to help these folks? >> well, therear lot of social awareness, people are talking about in social immediately i can't, a lot of the retailers came forward and made commitment they will help the situation. some of them actually funneled money into the trust, but not all of them, but this doesn't go to the people on the ground you see behind me. they've been complaining we hear about all this, but it's about a year we have to carry on with our lives. all this rhetoric doesn't help us much. there has been some improvement in terms of inspection, compliance and other issues, a little bit relaxation on the union for the labor, but in general, not too much has changed for the people on the ground. >> reporting from the bangladesh capitol of dhaka, thank you so much. >> stay with aljazeera for continuing coverage of what else has changed in the year since the bangladesh factory collapse. coming up, what north american clothing companies are doing to

make safety a priority and what is standing in the way of progress. >> russian's foreign minister saying moscow is ready to respond if its interests in ukraine are attacked, coming as troops have taken over three road slide check points in one of the eastern cities in eastern ukraine where pro russian accept are a activities have seized buildings. crews killed five militants. sergey lavrov comparing the situation to russia's war with georgia, hinting that russia would take military action if provoked. ukraine resumed it's antti terror operations to clear those occupied buildings. american soldiers on the ground in poland for military exercises, more u.s. forces set to arrive soon. peter sharp is in moscow now. russian's foreign minister sergey lavrov saying they are ready to fight if their interests are attacked, accusing the u.s. of running the show in kiev. is this something new or more tough talk coming out of moscow?

they've always reserved the right to use force if their citizens are threatened. the kremlin is watching closely the violence said to be taking place in eastern ukraine this morning, and president vladimir putin spoke out with another grim warning, really. he said that if the kiev authorities use the army against pro russian activists, then they would be in his words serious consequences. he said if these people, meaning the government in kiev advanced the so-called acute phase of confrontation with protestors, this is not an acute phase, it's just a punitive operation, and it will obviously incur consequences for the people who are carrying it out. he's echoing basically what sergey lavrov, the russian foreign minister was saying on

wednesday. he said russian citizens being attacked is an attack against the entire russian federation. so escalating words here, russia still referencing the fact that it's still prepared to use military force if it feels it is necessary, and don't forget, along that border, there are 40,000 russian troops deployed. >> and peter, now we have u.s. troops arriving for military exercises in poland, more on their way. they're heading to estonia, latvia and lithuania, yesterday dutch fighters scrambling and rushing two russian military aircraft out of its air space. what is being said about these developments involving the west? >> well, i think moscow and the kremlin is very, very well well aware that those nato and the united states have both said that military option is ending the escalating crisis in ukraine is not going to get to that

stage. what we're seeing now is calibrated deployment of american forces, just to give a bit of reassurance to poland and to the other eastern european countries on the close fault lines of this crisis, but i don't think that as far as the kremlin is concerned, they don't see that as any serious build-up, because the name of the game has already been declared. it's not going to come to armed intervention from either nato or the united states. >> peter sharp for us live, thank you very much. >> venezuela president is going to meet with opposition leaders, the fourth time this month, trying to quell the violent protests that have plagued that country since february. 41 have died, 600 injured in the unrest. protestors are angry over the high crime rate, shortages of basic goods and soaring inflation. >> divers are going deeper inside the sunk that south

korean ferry. divers are searching for another 143 divers. they have to rip through cabin walls in order to recover more victims. inspectors say the cargo onboard was more than three times the vessels recommended maximum weight. students at the high school returned to class today. the school's been devastated by the ferry disaster. about 250 students from the school are dead or missing. students are remembering those lost with yellow ribbons and flowers around campus and a temporary memorial has been established at a nearby museum. >> they are calling it another false lead in the search for the missing malaysian air lines to flight 370. investigators say sheet metal was not from the wreckage. u.s. navy has scanned most of the area where the jet is believed to have gone down last

month. >> a plan to unify rival palestinian groups is not sitting well with israel. the prime minister drawing a big line in the sand. >> we want peace with hamas or israel. you can have one but not the other. >> why the new pact between long time palestinian enemies threatens to sink the peace talks. >> the bottom line is we don't know the short or long term health consequences are e cigarette use. >> they could face tougher regulations. >> today's big number, 1 billion. >> what it says about our addiction to social media.

>> i hope he chooses peace. so far he hasn't done so. >> some say it's not as clear cut as that. no one knows how future talks with israel will be impacted. many say it's a step in the right direction if they are to secure an independent state.

aljazeera, ramallah. >> a professor at the school of international service at american university joins us from washington this morning to talk more about this pact between fata and hamas. >> you tweeted that you think the fata deal has little chance of survival. why do you think that? thinking in light of the history in the past, they reached previous agreements, neither of which was implemented. there's also wide mistrust, a very big gap between the two

sides in terms of trust and finally, there are practical matters that would make implementation very difficult. they have to agree on an election date, have to figure out a way to unify their security forces in the west bank in gaza. is hamas going to take responsibility for any rocket fired into israel from the gaza strip. these are very difficult questions i don't think anyone has an answer to right now. >> what do you make of the timing of this agreement, coming a week before the u.s. deadline for the current peace negotiations between israel and the palestinian. >> i don't believe the israelis and palestinians were close to reaching a deal even to extend the talks at this point. i see this largely as a tactical move by abas and hamas. it's a very popular move on the

palestinian streets particularly in the west bank. for hamas, this could be seen as a way to safe it given it's dire straits. >> can't it be argued that there's a possibility that this gives mr. abas leverage to break the impasse with the israelis. >> in theory, yes, this there is threw reconciliation and hamas would recognize israeli's right to exist and previous agreements and denounce terrorism. that would require a sea change in hamas strategy. >> chief israeli negotiator said wednesday the reconciliation deal could stand in the way of talks. she said hamas has refused for years to the conditions of the quartet on middle east peace, including recognizing israeli, an end to violence and respecting agreements signed between israel and the

palestinians. reuters reports that the u.s. aid from the palestinians, does this blow the peace negotiations, what was left of them right out of the water? >> not necessarily. i think it's too early to predict the collapse of the peace talks. even if the april 29 deadline passes, there's nothing to prevent israelis and palestinians from deciding later to restart the peace talks. what's the alternative? both sides, i think recognize that a two state solution is necessary for both the israelis and palestinians. i don't believe that this agreement is necessarily going to hold between fatah and has mass and if the israelis and palestinians are able to reach some agreement to extend the talks, abas has a very good excuse to pull off this agreement with hamas.

>> professor, thank you so much. >> stay with aljazeera for more in depth coverage on the middle east. we'll have a live report from jerusalem on this palestinian deal and look at what it means for the peace process. >> the horrors of war raising its ugly head in sudan. >> in the human sense, seeing hundreds of bodies. >> the united nations calling for sanctions on both sides, but is is that enough to stop the bloodshed? >> the f.d.a. stepping in to police e cigarettes, clamping down on electric smokes. >> how google is help to go give a glimpse of the pass, one story making headlines this morning.

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. >> good morning, welcome to al

jazeera america. >> ahead in this half hour, what's behind all that violence in south sudan, the massacre that has claimed hundreds of lives. >> the international community start to go respond approximate. >> the small country relying on the cashew nut and farmers struggling. >> also ahead, the debate over a new drug for hepatitis c., very effective, very expensive and the people who need it might not be able to afford it. >> let's look at our top stories first. three americans have been shot to death at a hospital in kabul. an armed security guard protecting the hospital opening fire on them. one is undergoing surgery at that very same hospital. >> the country assuring japan it

has support with its dispute with china, the president discussing security with the japanese president, urging him to work out issues holding up that 12 nation trade agreement. >> violence erupts in eastern ukraine, five pro russian militants were killed at a check point. russian president vladimir putin said if that's true, there would be consequences. meanwhile, president obama says more economic sanctions are in his words teed up if russia continues ignoring the agreement reached in geneva last week. >> the united nations considering sanctions against the south sudan government and opposition forces there, following the massacre where rebels slaughtered hundreds of civilians, leaving their bodies in the streets. as aljazeera diplomatic editor reports, that prompted the united nations to call an emergency session. >> following a horrific massacre that claimed the lives of at least 200 people, many more are now sheltering in the u.n. camps in south sudan. one base in bentu has 22,000

civilians inside it. the u.n. says they are trigling to cope with the in flux. >> these camps were not designed to house thousands of people, of families. we're not designed to be set up as feeding centers in an area where it's prone to flooding and rainy seasons. all these are very, very difficult and challenging times. there's a lot of tensions in these camps. >> the deterioration of the situation in recent days led to ambassadors being called to an emergency session of the u.n. security council. behind closed doors, they were shown pictures of the recent massacre. the u.n.'s head of peace keeping described the atmosphere in the room. >> it is one of deep shock, deep shock first in the human sense by seeing hundreds of bodies. can you imagine 200 bodies left to rot in a mosque? people killed in hospitals. >> do you have a partner still

in the government of south sudan? >> we have expressions of partnership. we have what we call a stats of force agreement and yet that agreement despite all the verbal assurances we received is not, sadly implemented. every day, there are difficulties for us to move around, to go where we need to go. we have difficulty in sending even humanitarian aircraft to some places. we are our people are threatened, intimidated. >> human rights activists are asking for accountability and there's now talk of possible sanctions against both the government and the opposition. >> the security council needs to sanction leaders on both sides who are responsible for these abuses. until now, there's been compete immunity for all of these crimes. >> there are fears of what is now a political cries and open war tear could develop into a

humanitarian disaster. right now, it's supposed to be the planting season, but no one's planting any crops because of the on going violence. one u.n. official has said it's a race against time to avoid a familiar anyone that could be on the scale of ethiopia in the 1980's which claimed a million lives. >> a second round of peace talks between the government and rebels has been reschedule ford april 28. >> a policy advisor with the enough project, an organization trying to end the genocide and crimes against humanity joins us this morning. the u.n. accusing the south sudanese rebels of killing more than 200 people in that mosque last week. the rebel commander denies that. is it nickty or economic power behind this massacre? >> maybe both. it started at a power struggle between the president and his

vice president, and very rapidly turned into ethnic violence. the ethnic violence was not the trigger for this, it was the power grab that led to this violence, but because the institutions in south sudan or so fragile and in some places, these institutions do not exist, the only other institution that is there for these people to fall on to is the tribe and ethnic groups, so many, many of those fighters left the cities, went down to the rural areas to protect their own, or to fight alongside some of the -- >> this killing was in discriminate, women and children, as well, so when you say that it is not ethnic in nature, that seems to beg the question why the women and children then if they were only trying to kill off those who might one day take up arms against them? >> i am talking about the triggerrer for this violence.

it is ethnic in nature, the way that we see today, but this only manifests itself because of the failure of the institutions and the government and the power struggle between these two leaders. >> so the first response from the u.n. to send it peace keepers, now there are concerns that a much larger military force may be needed to stop the bloodshed there. what's your assessment? >> i believe that there are many troops from the u.n. that are there and others, and i think what we need to do is to support them. yes, we need more troops coming in, but meanwhile, we need to support the troops on the ground. they have all the information, they know where the violence is, and we don't have to wait for additional troops to come. the director of the peace keeping units of the u.n., the government of so you had sudan, we need to have the status

agreement working. we need to support the people on the ground that are protecting the civilians today. >> we are seeing a massive humanitarian crisis, the base holding 25,000 people and they say that there are more camps needed add more flee the violence. what is the situation with rewards to the humanitarian crisis. >> the crisis is real. we'll see the scope of the disaster, there were 8,000 people in the camp overnight, can house 20,000 plus people, this is a huge disaster. many places in south sudan today, people are fleeing, going to u.n. bases and trying to find refuge to protect themselves. this is a huge high man tarian crisis that needs the support of all the international community

together if we want to avoid any disaster of the proportions that we have seen in ethiopia or south s sudan in the 1980's. the white house said: had there been enough concrete action on the part of the to you. back up the tough rhetoric and i should point out, does it bother you that you're not seeing that tough rhetoric coming out of congress? >> definitely it bothering me. the u.s. has been one of the supporters of the people of south sudan in reaching the independence and after that, it did very little to support the institutions in the south. yes, the south sudanese are responsible for what happened, but i think the international community as a whole led by the united states are also responsible, and they are

supposed to exert all pressure possible on these leaders to stop the fighting and to protect the civilians, and to bring in humanitarian aid that is going to bring back the country on its feet. this is an domination right, it is true, but we have to do something about it, just not stand on the sidelines and condemn it. i think the international community has a responsibility to save the people of south sudan this fighting and actually of the leaders. >> thank you very much. >> u.n. secretary ban ki-moon said fragrant violations have international allow ever prevented aid getting through in syria, blaming all sides involved in the civil war. he said the u.n. security council must implement a resolution passed in february granting greater access to aid shipments. he claims almost three and a half million civilians are

denied crucial aid and medical care and said the situation is getting worse. >> the sixth phase of indias massive month long election gets started with violence, rebels calling on the people to boycott elections. hundreds of protestors in nearly two dozen towns want independence from india. rebels killed three people tuesday in execution style attacks in kashmir. 117 states in one union territory are up for grabs and more than 800 million people are expected to participate in the election. >> the u.s. government is reversing its position when it comes to treating all internet data equally, proposing new rules allowing big companies to pay internet service providers for a faster track to their customers. we are joined now to explain by erica pitzi. this seems like a game changer. >> tech experts would agree. since the beginning of the worldwide web, so-called knelt

neutrality has been the norm, protection from censorship. disney netflix or google could pay internet service providers for special express lanes to send content like video to their customers. the problem, that cost incurred by the companies to get the fast track will likely be passed on to the consumer. this policy shift comes on the same day the brazilian president signed a so-called internet constitution that does the opposite, barring companies from charging for preferential access to thor networks, something championed by the inventor of the internet. >> net new really aty means keeping the net free from discrimination. the internet explosion which happened over the last 25 years has happened only because that net has been neutral. >> the f.c.c. proposal would

prohibit brad band companies from blocking sites from customers, but the regulations could drastically change how content is delivered. not only will this force cost to say rise. if a fall? gaming site cannot afford to pay for the fast track, players might lose interest and the company go under. the proposed rules guides are expected to go to vote next month. >> thank you. >> republican state lawmakers in missouri deciding whether to impeach the states governor, upset with the governor over his decision to allow same sex couples married in other states to file joint tax returns in missouri. one representative calling that move a serious violation of missouri's constitution, saying that nixon should be rem >> the government looking to crack down now on e cigarettes, the smokeless devices growing in popularity.

until now, they've been under the regulatory radar. critics say there's no way to know what's in them for whether they are dangerous. we are live in washington now. tracy, good morning. this could be a blow to this industry. >> depending on how it works out, stephanie, the industry says that they are willing to accept reasonable regulation. it's a $2 billion a year industry. actually, these e-cigarettes have been around for a while, since the 19 sitting's, but just became more popular in the last decade. >> the f.d.a. is announcing today it wants to regulate e cigarettes, metal or plastic tubes that use nicotine, water and other materials to create a flavored mist. >> because it's vapor, not tobacco smoke. that means no ash, and no offensive odor. >> cigarette ads are banned, these aren't, the f.d.a. wants hundreds have manufacturers to register, so government

scientists can determine if they're a health hazard. >> the bottom line is that we don't know what the short or the long-term health consequences are e cigarette use is. >> with flavors, anti smoking advocates fear they are marketed to children. >> there is strong evidence to show that minors are using e-cigarettes extensively and in increasing fashion. >> the industry insists they're safe. >> we are absolutely 100% competing against the deadliest product on the planet, conventional tobacco cigarettes. >> today's rule if passed would immediately make e-cigarettes off limits to kids. as of today, it's still a proposal, a lot of input to be had from the industry, from experts, even from the public and that whole process often takes a year, sometimes longer.

>> thank you. >> five high ranking child service workers and a senior administrator in arizona were fired for ignoring reports of abuse. more than 6500 cases were neglected and set aside and not investigated. a lawyer for the workers said there were too many cases and not enough resources, adding that their boss asked them to come up with a plan to reduce the backlog and signed off on it. >> officials have gone waited a small town after a gas explosion happened 100 miles east of salt lake city. all 95 people in the town were ordered to leave. officials say the explosion happened at a natural gas processing plant. it provides gas to a large pores of the u.s. as far as southeast as ohio. the explosion came when a demand for gas is lower. >> it would seem winter just does not want to let go, severe weather once again making its

way across the midwest. >> for more, let's put her on the spot, meteorologist ebony deon. >> the spotlight across the middle of the country is where we'll watch today, not so much now, but it's going to be a very active day across the lower and mid mississippi valley where we have the yellow and red shading. furthermore, it's going to be all rain. tonight, the arrowhead of minnesota will see snow showers returning. here's a look at the setup. we have an area of low pressure lifting northward, spreading the rain northward, as well. it's in advance of this cold front where we're getting warm moist air. it will be unstable as we head into the afternoon and evening hours. we're going to see storms sparking, possibly damaging winds, as well as large hail will be the primary threat. we could be dealing with a few isolated tornadoes.

that threat waning since yesterday, so dodges winds, large hail will be the main issue. right now, it's just all rain and just a little further west of the kansas city area. st. louis will need to be on guard heading into the afternoon and evening, in line for active weather. right now, just a lot of moderate to heavy rain showers. across minnesota, it's mainly rain for now. as temperatures fall tonight, we expect the snow. it's the opposite across the northeast. we are dry and it's going to be a cold day thanks to the winds that are really going to be picking up. so far this morning, weaver seen winds gusting over 30 miles per hour in spots, leading to red flag warnings, a fire threat across the area, winds now gusting up to 25 miles per hour in new york city, but we could see as high as 40 miles per hour before the day is done. >> sherpas in mount every rest walking off their job after the death of their fellow guides, government officials are now planning to meet with them today, hope to go get them to

return before the may climbing season gets underway. 13 mountain climbers were killed, guides killed in an avalanche last friday, three still missing. all are now presumed to be dead. >> to headlines making news around the world. this is a cool news feature that's going to be on google. the company is posting past images from its street view. you'll be able to match it up with recent images and compare them. the feature isn't live yet, but when it is, anyone will be able to click on icon in the upper left-hand corner of a street view map to scroll over images. users will be able to see a time laps video, that's the freedom to your in downtown new york being built. others include the destruction in japan after the 2011

earthquake, as well as the construction of the world cup stadiums in brazil. >> embarrassing moment for in boston. pitch michael pineda was ejected from the game because he had pine tar on his shades. this is the thing. >> just so obvious. >> i was going to point that out. it is so dumb, because it's not hard to tell that it was there. >> for those of us that don't follow baseball, pine tar gives them a better grip on the ball. >> it's just a no-no. >> speaking of baseball, reuters reporting on the death of the oldest former major league baseball player, living in cuba, he dialed at age 102 in havana. they have great health care down there. he was two days short of his birthday and apparently smoked cigars to the end.

>> he played for the senators, but people loved him in cuba. he refused to play for another team other than cuba after their situation with fidel castro. >> we're going to tell you how a cashew gets from a tree to your local market. >> the debate that divides america, unites the critics, a reason to watch al jazeera america the standout television event borderland, is gritty honesty. >> a lot of people don't have a clue what goes on down here, the only way to find out, is to see it yourselves. >> taking viewers beyond the debate. >> don't miss al jazeera america's critically acclaimed series borderland on al jazeera america also available on demand

>> a recall to tell you about. summer infant is recalling 800,000 batteries used in baby monitors. they can overheat.

the rechargeable batteries pose a burn hazard. the monitor can be used with the safety cord. there have been incidents of smoke and minor property damage. >> the next time you pick up a bag of cashews, you might want to consider the participators. the tiny african country is the fifth largest producer and the crop makes up 90% of exports. workers there and farmers are struggling. >> they do what they have done for many years, gather. it's not the season, so every apple on the ground counts. this is they're lifeline. after collection, they go home, extract the cashew not from the apple. the children crack open the pod, making sure the cashew inside does not break. when all is done, they produce

enough that is hardly enough for basic needs. >> it's difficult. when you don't have stock to sell, we borrow from neighbors. >> it is the second largest producing cashew nut. it makes about $60 million, but the farmers are still too poor. >> most of the farmers here cannot access the export market so sell at lower prices in markets such as this one. >> regular latelied prices make it harder for them to make a profit. >> at the moment, the government is trying to do a feasibility study to regulate the price to everyone including the farmers can benefit. >> the struggling economy is almost entirely democrat on its

cashew nut industry. the country is rich with minerals and an array of exotic islands popular with tourists. >> how do you provide services for your people, taxation of cashew nuts. there has to be a significant effort to develop. >> in the meantime, he continues with his business, oblivious of the fact that what he sells cost so much more from supermarket shelves far from his village. >> it is one of the poorest countries in the world. 60% of households don't have enough money to eat. >> vermont is looking to become the first state to force companies to label genetically modified foods, requiring all to carry the label. any stores that don't comply with be fined. the bill now heads to the

governor's office. he has promised to sign it. >> an eruption of violence in ukraine, the government saying five pro russian rebels were killed. russian president vladimir putin saying there will be consequences. >> a reconciliation between palestinian rival could affect the u.s. broker's peace talks. hamas is considered to be a terrorist organization by the u.s. and israel. >> calling for economic sanctions on south sudans warring tribes following the massacre of hundreds of civilians. >> the federal government accused of using the no fly list to bully people to become informants for the f.b.i. we'll hear from people suing to clear their names. >> an 89-year-old grandmother proves you're never too old to make a difference. helping to eradicate polio around the world. >> storms will rumble across the midwest. >> aljazeera continues in just two minutes. we will be right back.

>> walking a diplomatic line, president obama think to go balance concerns between japan and china as russia and ukraine standoff weighs heavy. >> three americans killed in an afghan hospital, the target of a rage by afghan policemen. >> new jersey wildfires, the fire gross by strong winds. >> i think it's great, it's helping clean up neighborhoods

better. >> gentrification is a scourge in our community. >> the battle antprice some of paying in communities across america. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> president obama won't be visiting china during his week long tour of asia but he addressed the japanese dispute with japan's dispute with the biggest power. >> president obama was greeted by the emperor and empress of japan. >> he met with the prime minister earlier in the day pledging to defend japan over the island dispute with beijing, saying america's budding relationship with china won't come at the expense of its asian allies. we have the latest. >> in tokyo, president said what the japanese had been wait to go hear, the american military would fight on their side if a dispute with china over remote

islands escalates to armed conflict. >> our treaty commitment is absolutely and article five covers all territories under japan's administration, including the islands. >> china has a different name for the islands, and recently claimed them as their own. that has led to confrontation. even stand, japan, mr. obama thought to knock down the perception he wants to contain the rising pure and influence of china, a major american trading partner. >> we want to encourage the peaceful rise of china. >> the visit is designed to affirm ties with japan. mr. obama had dinner at a famed sushi restaurant. hanging over it all, crises in hot spots around the globe, including ukraine. the penalty said it appears russia is not living up to commitments made last thursday

to step back in ukraine. he says he's ready to go further. >> i understand that additional sanctions may not change mr. putin's calculus. that's possible. how well they change his calculus in part depends on not just us supplying sanctions, but also the cooperation of other countries. >> mike viqueira, traveling with the president. >> the president insisted the u.s. is not taking sides in the conflict but reaffirmed obligations to japan. >> ukrainian troops aching over three road side check points in one of the cities in eastern on you crane where pro russian accept are activities have seized buildings. troops killed up to five militants battling to reclaim check points. two deaths follow fighting in donetsk.

>> we've heard a statement from the ukrainian defense ministry, saying up to five terrorists as they call them have been killed and they've captured three check points. they're asking people in the town, which has been very much a center, if you like, of control for the separatist movement if that's what we can call it. they are asking people to stay indoors. the latest reports we've heard from our sources inside the town itself is that things are calm now. >> president putin has said he is ready to protect russian interests in ukraine, sergey lavrov saying something equally as strong. is russia preparing for action

or is this more rhetoric? >> russia has made it very clear over the past three months since this crisis began that it was prepared to take military action if it felt that its citizens inside ukraine, specifically in eastern ukraine, were threatened, if they're security or stability was threatened. president putin said that only a couple of days ago, and yesterday sergey lavrov, the foreign minister made it very, very clear that when he said russian people being attacked is an attack on the russian federation, so they've always reserved this option, but things are ratcheting up now as we've seen with this new outbreak of violence in eastern ukraine this morning. >> ratcheting up in other ways, as well. the u.s. military is making its presence known in the region, troops headed to the baltic states, military exercises to be held in poland, and on

wednesday, dutch fighter jets scrambled to escort two russian military aircraft out of dutch air space. this is reminiscent of the military posturing during the cold war. how significant are these military developments? >> it's a very cold war reminiscent. the united states and nato both agreed that military conflict is not going to be used to resolve the crisis in ukraine. 600 american troops in poland or along the borders of the eastern european countries won't concern the continual lynn much. they understand as a sign of reassurance by washington and the pentagon to their allies in eastern europe, but the outcome's pretty clear. this has got to be solved diplomatically. neither the u.s. nor nato are prepared to use military for to bring about some sort of

resolution. >> peter sharp for us in moscow, thank you. >> the u.s. embassy in kabul, afghanistan saying thee americans have been killed there. a security guard is accused of shooting them at a hospital there. the gunman was a member of the afghan police force that is guarding the hospital. it is the latest incident in which local security forces targeted foreign civilians. joining us is afghan's minister of public health. doctor, a will have conflicts reports coming out about the shooting. can you confirm exactly what happened? >> yes. this morning at 9:46 a.m., kabul time, this tragic incident happened at tw the international hospital. it provides services to children and duties and it has expatriot

medical staff including physicians and nurses. the police officer shot on one of the doctors who was working in the hospital, who came to receive the visitors and the shooting happened at the gates of the hospital, and three people were killed, including one of the pediatricians, a senior pediatrician working in the hospital and two visitors who came to visit him. >> do you have an update now on any information concerning anybody who might have been wounded? >> >> yes, there has been one person wounded, a lady who has been wounded. she was also among the visitors who came to visit, among the group of the visitors. the visitors were five people, two were killed, two are safe and fine.

one has been injured. she has been treated in the same hospital and she is fine and she is stable. the police himself, the police officer who carried out the shooting has been injured and he has also been -- has undergone surgery operation in the same hospital, and he is now -- now he is under post operation treatment. >> thank you. >> divers are making their way deeper inside that sunken south korean ferry. divers are still searching for another 143 bodies. it is difficult work. they have to rip through cabin walls.

the cargo on the ferry was three times the recommended maximum weight. >> the students went back to the high school. 250 students are dead or missing. students remembering those lost with yellow ribbons and flowers. a memorial has been established at a nearby museum. >> israeli's prime minister is holding an emergency session to discuss the next steps after the has mass fatah deal. for years, they have clashed in the gaza strip but now are joining forces. both groups want to create an independent palestinian and plan to create an interim government within the next five weeks. the u.s. and israel both consider hamas a terrorist organization, and this could jeopardize mideast peace talks. we are live in jerusalem. hamas does not recognize israel as an independent state. this must throw a wrench into

negotiations. >> absolutely. that's the big talking point right now that's likely going on in that emergency security cabinet meeting with prime minister benjamin netanyahu. he called u.s. secretary of state john kerry, reiterating his stance saying to him someone who makes peace with hamas does not want peace with israel. israeli politicians echoing his viewpoint, saying hamas is hell bent on the destruction of israel. peace negotiation with the palestinians can't move forward if hamas is in the fold. as for fatah, the current palestinian president abass said he had to join hands to show a united front because he said his biggest detractors on the israeli front said that they couldn't negotiate with the palestinians unless there was some kind of control by the palestinian authority inside of gaza.

there has been also some little israeli reaction actually supporting the unity. an israeli member has said that she in fact supports that gaza and west bank are coming together, because it's vital to a two state solution. she credit sides her own government, saying they can't have it both ways, point the finger at president abass and say he doesn't have control of the palestinian people as a whole and criticize them for trying to make unity among the palestinians in gaza and west bank. >> it's more complicate than it looks on the surface. meanwhile, what will this unity deal actually look like? >> that's the question at hand. we were just in ramallah yesterday speaking to palestinians on the streets who are very excited at the fact of having a unity government. do they think it will come fort?

they don't. they've seen in the past, the agreements made in the past between hamas and fatah in 2011 in cairo, 2012 in doha, but nothing came through to fruition. they feel this time it's basically a similar incident, so don't think that hamas and fatah can really put aside the bad blood they've had for the past seven years. >> thank you. >> coming up at 8:30 eastern, we'll dig deeper into the unity talks and warnings from bending knelt. >> aid shipments are prevented from getting through to syria. ban ki-moon blaming all sides involved in syrias civil war, saying more must be done to implement a resolution demanding greater access to aid shipments in syria. he claims 3.5 million civilians

have been denied crucial aid and medical care and said the situation there is only getting worse. >> an apparent olive branch from the captors of an american soldier held in afghanistan. the sergeant has been held captive by the taliban since 2009. the group told the associated press they are willing to release him but are unsure which government officials have the authority to make a deal. he is the only known american service member currently in captivity in afghanistan. the pentagon has been exploring opposites to secure his release. >> four muslims filing a lawsuit against the federal good afternoon, claiming they were put on the no any list as retaliation because they refused to become f.b.i. informants. we have their story. >> four years after graduating from college, he said he wanted to fry from omaha to florida for a job. when he got to the airport, he was refused a boarding pass.

as police escorted him out, he said they told him he was on the government's no fly list. not long after that, he says the f.b.i. knocked on his door with an offer to remove his name from the list. >> my understanding was that they wanted me to infiltrate or be informant in the omaha muslim community around the u.s. and possibly in other parts of the world. >> he says he refused. >> my religion prohibits me as far as spying on other muslims or innocent people. >> he is one of four men suing the department of justice homeland security and the f.b.i., alleging the plaintiff's constitutional rights were violated. >> our clients were never informed of the reasons for which they were placed on the no fly list. the u.s. government refuses to confirm or deny that placement. >> the f.b.i. manages the no fly

list as part of a collection of watch lists from federal agencies created in 2004 to monitor known and suspected terrorists. a 2007 audit by the department of justice inspector general found major problems with the list. >> of the 71,000 names on the list in 2007, half were there by mistake. so much of that is not public that we don't know exactly what kind of mistakes were committed. >> his family lives in afghanistan, but his attorney says none of the plaintiffs have ever been accused of wrongdoing, so why would the government target them? the lawsuit claims it's because the pressure to increase the number of confidential informants in american muslim communities. f.b.i. agents use the no fly list to retall 80 against and coerce individuals who refuse to become informants. >> one of the biggest problems is there's really not a lot of oversight that we've seen. >> when you have a secret government watch list that the government can place people on or take them off it without

transparency, it lends itself to the abuse we've seen in this case. >> neither the f.b.i. nor other federal agencies would comment on the case. >> our plaintiffs are just like you and i. they are, you know, in cent people, they work, you know, 12 hour shifts. they own small businesses. the only reason why they are on the no fly list is because the government is trying to use it to get them to become informants and that is just wrong. >> aljazeera, washington. >> in 2010, the aclu filed a similar suit on behalf of a man in san francisco. a decision in that case is expected soon. >> former garment workers rallies on the anniversary of the countries worse manufacturing disaster. they marched past the factory where 1100 people died in the building collapse last year.

families are calling on the government to help are reparations and say those responsible have yet to be punished. we're going to be looking at how u.s. activists are working to make conditions better for bangladesh workers. >> firefighters dealt with 45-mile per hour wind gusts battling a brush firen new jersey. 200 acres have been scorched. firefighters are using air tangors and helicopters to extinguish flames. no residents or buildings are threatened. >> dry weather here unfortunately fueling that fire. >> you can people the dryness. for more, let's bring in ebony. is it fire season already? >> we are dealing with red flag warnings, conditions right for conditions to spread rapidly. you can see right in the areas that we have been dealing with the fires already taking place, there's no wet weather to help out with the situation. we are dealing with an area of low pressure that's going to continue to lift off the coast. it's spreading snow into maine.

that's moving out. behind it, cooler, drier air wrapping in behind and very strong winds, so those winds will be picking up a through the day. we're seeing binds 30 miles per hour but could gust to 40. we do have red flag warnings in these red areas, including much of new jersey as well as north korea city. rain is on its way, but not until friday. we'll moisten things up by that the end of our work week and into the weekend, a better chance of rain. today most of the rain right into the central part of the u.s., watching for the threat of strong to severe storms, including st. louis on down into little rock, as well as memphis, jackson could be included later this evening. main threat strong damaging winds and large hail. we can't rule out isolated tornadoes. >> nobody has died so far. >> that's right. >> a new palestinian alliance threaten to say tear apart efforts by the u.s. to bring

peace to the middle east. millions of dollars of u.s. aid could go to waste by the ma'am mass-fatah reconciliation at the expense of secretary of state john kerry. >> you can see anger in mexico over the pro popessal to shape a new telecom bill, protestors taking to the streets. >> are you afraid of heights? this jump not for you? taking the quick way down. the world's tallest building. my goodness.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. >> the videos making news around the world this morning. >> snorkelers rescued after this huge s.o.s. was written across a sandbar. they broke and drifted into the open waters that they were exploring. >> that can be very dangerous. four firefighters were hurt in toronto after the wall of a warehouse collapsed during a

three alarm fire. officials believe it was caused by light years and aerosol cans of bug spray stored in the building. >> this is not for the feint of heart. daredevil sky divers jumping 2,717 feet off of the worlds tall effort building in dubai. a special platform was built to add 500 more feet, allowing them to break the world record. that is the tower that was in the latest mission impossible movie and tom cruise dangled off that tower. >> for real, though? >> he actually dangled off of it. we'll keep reading and by the time these men reach the ground, we'll be done with our next half hour. >> the plan to break up the mexico's t.v. and telephone mon noably could cost consumers. >> lets find out about temperatures across the country

today. >> we have warmth in place across the southern plains, 70 in houston right now. contrast that with 41 in minneapolis and we are sitting along new york city where it is cool and windy. we will warm things up here across the lower great likes into chick, hitting 66, around 68 today in indianapolis, certainly rising above average. as we look across the rest of the u.s., phoenix will be our hot spot going into 90. warmth will spread eastward, atlanta 76 as you end your work week. we'll see 69 around washington, d.c. we'll pay a price for warm air. we expect warm air to move in. we're exspecialtying up ir60's in new york city. >> the new sufficient post office kiosks are fueling protests. the new retail centers put mail

in the hands of low wage, non-union workers and jeopardize the security of the mail. the post office launched a program at staples stores hope to go raise more revenue. it lost $5 billion and cut thousands of jobs. >> new rules could allow internet service providers to sell faster service to content providessers, negotiating with netflix and google, allowing them to charge different amounts for the priority services. critics argue it creates an unfair market where content providers can pay for prefer she will treatment. previous rules governing net new at that time were discussed earlier this year. >> political party appears to be backing away from a plan to break up the telephone and t.v. monopolies in mexico. it would provide the government power to block the internet. we look at the backlash that proposal created.

>> hundreds of protestors took to the streets this week in mexico city to express frustration at the president. they accused him of trying to pass a new telecommunications block thatted expand the ministries power to mon tar and control content of the internet. the ruling party claims the measures are meant to fight illegal activities, but for mexicans, it's a sign that the government is going too far. >> this is the last straw. they want to pass a telecommunications law to control content on social media. we will lose the freedom of expression and the government will decide what we can say or not. it's an injustice amounted violates our human rights. >> 22-year-old stephanie is worried if the law passes, people who criticize the government could be punished. >> if i wanted to accuse a politician of being corrupt, i wouldn't be allowed to do it.

the government would accuse me of being a threat to public safety. >> the controversial law proposed last month is slammed by opposition parties. >> what these demonstrators are shouting is that together, united, we'll never be defeated, and claim that if these provisions make it into law, demonstrations like these could be more. >> the campaign against the allow is organized via the internet. videos having viral on social media websites. the protests are the second most trending topic on twitter worldwide. people like oscar who started one of the first internet providers in mex cove is worried that the protestors are not focused on the bigger dangers of the so-called reform. >> there's nothing in the law that diminishes the powers of monopolies, and no one has been looking at that, because with all being running very scared to the other side, because of all the other provisions rewarding

privacy and freedom and all that. >> now, ivan and others say they won't back down or let the government silence them. aljazeera, mexico city. >> mexico billionaire carlos slim is another opponent of the legislation. he has made his billions controlling 80% of mexico's land lines and 70% of mobile phone business. >> major american retailers accused of falling short on safety pledge, why critics say the fight for better working conditions in bangladesh still a battle with u.s. companies. >> they started off about 1100 and went up to 18. i could no longer live there. >> the good, the bad and debate over gentrification. long time residents believe they are on the short end of the stick when it comes to measuring improvements. >> shattering a record, the 1,000 pill bringing home more

than $2 billion in sales for the maker. some say that bitter pill may be too hard to swallow. >> our images of the day, clashes if the philippines, angry over a pact that will improve the u.s. military presence there.

>> this is a live look at the wool worth believe in new york city, opened in 1913, the sun was shining on that day. >> you remember that. >> i do. >> at the time, it was the tall effort building in the world at 792 feet. that is one of the most spectacular gothic buildings in new york, i would say. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. ahead in our next half hour, the 89-year-old grandmother and retired elementary school principal in the battle of her life to eradicate polio and what she plans to do on her 90's birthday. >> also an update, making good

on the promise for change, activists demanding american companies and there are very big names keep their word following that deadly garment factory collapse in bangladesh. >> the reconciliation agreement involving palestinian factions has mass and fatah, the deal could damage prospects for peace in the region. the groups promise of a unity government being formed within weeks has angered israelis who reward hamas as a terrorist organization. >> this is not the victory handshake the u.s. wanted to see. officials say they'd heard the rumors fatah and llama were trying to reconcile but they were surprised the rumors came true. >> this could seriously complicate our efforts, not just our efforts, but the efforts between the parties, more importantly, to extend the negotiations. >> israeli and palestinian negotiators had been trying to extend peace talks. they were already in trouble because of accusations from both

sides that they weren't dealing in good faith. the deal between fatah and hamas which does not recognize israeli's right to exist could give the netanyahu government the cover it needs to walk away. >> i'm not sure there will be an international push on peace as long as hamas is in the palestinian government. we want peace, want to overcome the issues that separate us, but hamas is not a part of that process. >> that would point out a key mistake the u.s. made, not pushing israel hard enough to make tough choices. >> we have not confronted the israelis, as long as the united states is going to support israel first and process second, it's not going to succeed. >> it will be difficult for the u.s. to embrace a government including hamas which washington says is a terrorist group. washington is not supposed to deal with a government that doesn't recognize israel, doesn't row announce violence or doesn't honor previous deals

between the israelis and palestinians. if hamas becomes part of a coalition government, the u.s. would be required to stop giving the palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars every year in financial aid. that's something that would be devastating to an already fragile economy. >> what happens now? the obama administration says it's not giving up on the peace talks but has had enough trouble keeping the palestinians and israelis talking. some in washington are worried it could prove to be a game changer. >> joining us is a palestinian american journalist joining us from washington this morning. thanks for being with us. if it holds and that's a big if, does this new palestinian unity strengthen mr. abas' hand.

>> it brings us back to reality. you can't negotiate a peace deal with one third of the palestinian population, the occupied territories left out of the negotiations. when you bring gaza back into the fold, you bring legitimacy to the process and lend credence to the person doing the negotiating. whether or not this strength ins the terms of the agreement put forward six months ago and most recently, that has been demonstrated by the construction of new settlement units, 700 to be precise in the last couple of weeks, the approval of those and then also the refusal to release the last set of prisoners agreed to with kerry and abas over the course of the most recent rounds. >> certainly hard to see how they would release the palestinian prisoners now especially given the timing of this unit deal.

yesterday israel prime minister netanyahu warned a deal with hamas could be the end to talks. >> instead of moving into peace with israel, he's moving into peace with hamas and he has to choose. does he want peace with hamasar israel, you can have one but not the other. i hope he chooses peaces. >> some have questioned how much mr. netanyahu really wants a peace deal. if talks fail, can mr. netanyahu now blame it on hamas. >> he certainly can, but the real issue here is netanyahu himself has negotiated with hamas. he may not have done so directly, but the release of a prisoner and negotiation of the ceasefire in 2012 over gaza, which killed hundreds of palestinians, we have to remember, were both forged by benjamin netanyahu. for him to see that abas has no

right to speak with brothers seems hypocritical and nowhere near demonstrating an intention towards peace. the other thing to be mentioned here is that benjamin netanyahu's own foreign minister lieberman has made very clear his intention not to recognize a palestinian state. you have six of one, half dozen of another an both sides. i think that's the way it should be talking about a peace negotiation, because you don't negotiate with your friends, you negotiate with your enemies. >> what do you think the chances are that this hamas-fatah agreement actually holds? there has been reconciliation in the past. what do you think is different this time? >> there are two things. the first is that in this case, the negotiation itself seems to be initiated from within. it is based on negotiations that have taken place previously on both doha and cairo, but honestly, as you reported just a moment ago, even the americans

are surprised by the fact that the fatah representatives made the initiative to go to gaza and what happened seems to be something that has been organic and produced internally. that's number one. number two is that both hamas and abas has reason to support the reconciliation. in the case of hamas obviously the formal economy has been destroyed through egypt's destruction of the tunnels leading into gaza. hamas is bankrupt and has nowhere to turn except the palestinian authority to forge that reconciliation. >> thank you. >> sherpas on mount every vest

walking off the job after of the death of fellow guides. government officials plan to meet with those guides today to get them back to the mountain before the may climbing season begins. 13 mountain guides were killed in that avalanche last friday. three are still missing, buried under the ice and snow and presumed to be dead. >> today marking the first anniversary of that deadly factory accident in bangladesh, more than 1100 people died when the eight story building collapsed. the disaster brought attention to safety conditions in the countries garment industry. activists say little has changed. >> teachers at the school of design in new york city say the deaths more than a thousand workers in the building collapse last year trigger add change in classrooms about supply chains. >> no one should day for two-dollar tee shirts. >> major manufactures agree that worker safety has to be integral

to the clothing industry. some 100 brands and retailers decided the era of self regulation was over. they signed a legally binding accord, a multi-million dollars commitment to inspect and remediate fact eyes with worker oversight. a group of 26 north american companies refused to sign up, saying they set up their own group, the alliance for bangladesh workers safety. it accounts for ready made clothing from bangladesh to north america. after the collapse, me committed millions of dollars to improving factory standards but accused of repackaging the old system of self regulation that ensures no liability for members if standards don't improve. the alliance insist there will be penalties. >> i will throw any country out that does not live up to their agreement. >> they won't go to jail.

>> i don't know why they would go to jail. is there anybody going to jail now? i think you have to understand something. these are bangladesh owned factories. >> that is a key issue, it's the clothing companies business model that makes factories race to the bottom in wages and conditions. those who support the legally binding accord hope involving workers them receivers in the oversight of factory safety means the old ways will change. >> they tell factories that they are supposed to abide by labor standards and codes of conduct while at the same time pressuring their suppliers to cut costs and to keep prices as low as possible. the way that factories do that is by cutting becames and labor costs. >> a year on, there is agreement that workers should not die while manufacturing our clothes. the debate continues on whether it should be left up to foreign nationals to put a life before

company profits. >> the 29 brands those big names that use products from those factories, only seven have given money to the survivors and their families. >> the oklahoma supreme court says death row inmates don't need to know the source of drugs used in their executions, the ruling clears the way for clayton locket and charles warner to be put to death as early as next week. several states have been dealing with similar cases after major drug makers stopped selling lethal injections to prisons. many death penalty states made provisions to protect the anonymity of the drug companies. >> thousands of jailed drug offenders could be free under a change in the clemency laws, the justice department amending rules for those sentenced before drug laws changed. cases could be reexamined. if granted clemency, we would be looking at unprecedented

numbers, the change for sentences of those buying and using crack cocaine. >> many in the country are going from a shift in the demo graphics of urban communities. for some, the verdict is still out on gentrification still because in one oakland neighborhood. >> oakland, the lower income neighbor to san francisco, who would possibly move here? when the financial crisis hit, opportunity knocked and brought jonathan to oakland doorstep. >> distressed properties, typically in awful condition, and we fix them, and so we fix them and sell them, give fresh paint and we added recented canned light. >> oakland has become brooklyn by the bay, one of the last affordable places for middle class families to buy a home.

he moved out here himself and caters to these buyers with his business flipping houses. >> i think that gentrification is great, helping clean up in neighborhoods better. i don't particularly feel like it's pushing people out. >> not everyone agrees. a housing advocacy group. >> gentrification is a scourge, oakland is impacted by the investment of real estate and by the lack of government intervention on behalf of every day people fighting to keep their homes. >> those losing homes are african-americans. once almost half oakland population, they now make up a quarter of the city. former resident jonathan beam walks us to his old home. >> i used to live there in apartment four, and it started off the rent was about $1,100 and went up to $1,800. i could no longer live there. >> he now lives 40 miles away. the long commute cuts into time he would rather spend with his

children, but he says he has no choice. >> here's an example of new oakland meeting old oakland. this was a factory. it has been converted into fancy loft apartments and right across the street is old oakland, with its more modest homes. >> not everyone resists changes. some welcome the newcomers, wondering if their arrival might lower crime and bring community life back to neighborhoods long ignored. >> when people were born and raised here, if you don't take advantage of the opportunities that are here, then you can't really be mad at people that come in and want to buy a property. >> they come for cheaper living and cheaper eating. the cost of everything in oakland compared to san francisco simply can't be beat. it's become cool, trendy to make the move. some new arrivals are mindful their entry might disrupt and threaten older communities. >> i would hope that there's

much greater consideration for the communities who bothered to stay and put up the fight to be there, that people recognize that and try to figure out how to work with that. >> the city certainly looks very different than just a few years ago. while some new residents might be excited to engage with old communities, there are limits when so many life long residents have already left. aljazeera, oakland, california. >> last year, oakland boasting some of the countries highest rents and had one of the highest rates of year to year rent increases. >> a drug considered to be a game changer for millions of americans, 90% of the people who take it get treated. >> at a cost of $1,000 per pill, the price is too high for some to swallow, raising questions about pharmaceutical industry practices.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. just ahead, the expensive price tag for one very successful treatment of hepatitis c. >> first a look at the wet weather across the u.s. >> we are seeing plenty of it right into our nation's midsection, showers and storms ongoing throughout the day. we are watching for snow across northern maine. across the upper midwest, it's mainly rain. thunderstorms will get going later today. st. louis dry for now, but rain further west, notice this line developing, not really expecting to see any widespread severe weather across kansas, but strong storms could develop. we'll watch that threat into louisiana, where it's rain. we have rain and wind to deal with around the seattle area. >> the government is cracking

down on e-cigarettes. the f.d.a. wants hundreds of these manufacturers to register to determine if they are a health hazard. if that rule passes today, it would make e cigarettes off limits to kids immediately. the regulations mark an historic day for the f.d.a. and public health, adding the agency is stepping in to prevent children from suffering a lifetime of nicotine addiction, saying the new rules will make a real and enduring difference. >> the world health organization has been credited with nearly wiping out polio, a highly infectious and crippling disease. momlation remains difficult in countries with civil unrest. we sit down with one american who has fought the disease in many countries and this grandma has no plans of slowing down. >> they always say hello, grandma. >> mary pores over pictures, the

hundreds have children she has met and helped save around the world. >> this lovely chide, you know, with no legs. you could see he's really bright. >> for over 20 years, mary traveled the globe for rotary international with the goal of ending polio. >> those children shouldn't have to get it in today's world. i'm affected by the people, affected by the polio survivors who are crawling on the ground, or sitting on the curb, begging. i would like to make it so that those young children, that is not their life. >> the disabling and potentially fatal disease has been eradicated in most countries,

but poses a threat in nigeria, pakistan and afghanistan. of the cases reported in 2014, 52 are in those countries. 92 are from outbreak in other nations because of the influx of refugees. >> it focuses on areas that are insecure, for example in northern pakistan, in areas that are experiencing conflict. children in those areas, it's difficult to have them access polio vaccines, mary believes her 25 years as an elementary school pins pal gives her an advantage. >> it always helps because i'm older, because my hair is gray, and that i'm a grandmother. >> at 89 years old, mary isn't stopping now. >> it's exciting, because right now, as of this day, only one case in nigeria since the beginning of the year. >> how long will you continue to do this? >> as long as i'm physically

able. >> devoting her life to helping children, and she isn't finished yet. aljazeera, arlington heights, illinois. >> for the first time ever last year, india had no reported cases of polio, but the disease has made a resurgence in syria. >> profits soared this week for a new hepatitis c. drug on the market, but it has sparked a debate over its price. members of congress and the insurance industry say they are not impressed. sales for the drug topping $2.3 billion for the first quarter, first quarter of 2014, that was a record and beat expectations by about a billion dollars. it has a ruffle 90% success rate of curing hepatitis c., but it costs $1,000 a pill. the 12 week treatment cycle costs $84,000. a professor of bio ethics at n.y.u., $1,000 a pill, how does a drug maker come up with that

price and it's cheaper in europe. >> it is. the way they price it here is they say what do we spend to take care of hepatitis c., we give liver transplants, all other medicines, make up the whole total of what we know, add 25%, there's your price. >> you are saying the cost is not the cost to manufacture the pill, but how much money they think the market will bear. >> in my view, there's no relationship between what it cost to say develop it and what they think they can get to us pay for it. >> some are cautious due to the price tag for a 12 week cycle. that's higher than the $51,000 that most americans make per year. should they rethink pricing strategy? >> we've finally hit the wall. costs have been going up, escalating prices for specialty drugs. the drug works well.

that's not a problem, it's great. in europe, there the government is negotiating prices and they have everybody on an insurance system and they force the manufacture to cut them a deal. here, even with health reform and all that, your insurance company gets one price, his v.a. gets another, medicaid another. we have to finally say it's time to come together and drive price as part of health reform. >> the other side is the drug manufacture saying it paid $100 million to develop the drug, so why shouldn't they recoup their costs. >> they should. we are paying a price that's three times when everybody else is. why are we subsidizedding the entire cost of drug development, japan, china, they're using the drug. let's spread it more evenly. the u.s. is underwriting the rest of the world, you and i are paying $1,000 a pill. where's japan, china, the netherlands? >> people are screaming on both sides of the political i'll saying obamacare was supposed to

change this. was it supposed to change this? >> think of obamacare as the route into the system, getting everybody insurance coverage. the next step, the big step is not fighting about websites and this sort of thing, it's to say now that we've got everybody inside a single insurance system, use that to negotiate prices with the drug companies, got to drive them down that way. >> is it a problem of the fact that we're talking about a pill. when we talk about treatment, after all, this is a 90% cure rate. when we talk about treatment for cancer, chemotherapy, operations and surgery, ate $4,000 isn't a lot of money, so why shouldn't a pill that curious cost the same. >> it's a fair question. i'm sure the manufacturers saying if this was something giant gizmo taking place and lights flashing, we'd say $84,000, it's a big machine. it's the wrong way to think about it. what we want to say is not so much can we get access to a drug

that really works at a reasonable price that's fair worldwide. if they can get away with selling it more cleanly in other parts of the world, we shouldn't be paying the prices we are. there's no excuse for the u.s. to have to subsidize the richest countries in the rest of the world by price. they just do it here because they can get away with it. >> art, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> we know he's got basketball skills, but he played a little soccer, president obama during his visit to tokyo. fielded a few kicks from that dude, a robot made by honda. the little white robot is advanced step for innovative mobility. they bowed to each other and spoke in english. he told the president it was nice to meet him. what do you think of that robot. do you think you could beat him in soccer. >> i couldn't beat him in dancing. he has better knees than i do.

>> that's crazy. almost creepy. >> how about creepy? >> that will do it for this edition of aljazeera america. more news in just two minutes. >> and see always, from all of us to all of you, have a great morning.

>> welcome to the news hour from doha. coming up, cracking down on pro russia accept are a activities, ukraine sends commandos into the countries east. >> standing by japan, barack obama reaffirms support for tokyo in its territorial dispute with beijing. >> a security guard opened fire at a hospital in afghanistan, leaving three people dead. >> the climbing season at the world's