>> thank you for being here. >> thank you for having the show may be over but the conversation continues. we'll see you next time. >> welcome to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. and these are the stories we're following for you. the thai military declaring a coup day that. ta. and the forecast season, what we can expect this year.

tensions between north and south korea are getting worse. north korea firing shots at a south korean patrol ship after a northern country an ship crossed the line on tuesday, prompting south korea to shire shots. >> south korea says that two shells fell within 150 meters of its patrol boat, 10 kilometers south of the line that separates northern and southern waters. a border that north korea does not recognize. it appeared to be land based artillery. the island, which was attacked by north korean artillery in 2010, the south koreas ordered evacuations of locals on the island from a bomb shelters, and they fired back from the vessel,

warning shots, landing in the same range of the northern korean boat north of the limit line. earlier this week, three of the boats came south of that maritime border, south of the boats, and warning shots were fired. north korea said that it was simply policing illegal chinese fishing boats in the area, and it warned that it would target south korea ships because of that. they warned north korea by the military hotline, saying that they will hold north korea responsible for any such action, and they have warned them that they will retaliate mercilessly if attacked. >> several deadly attacks have taken place in recent weeks. two slammed into shoppers in the markets. trying to administer the public security, calling it a serious

violent terrorist attack f. >> china is declaring a coup de ta. saying for the anti-government protest toph leave the square. they said it was necessary to bring stability to thailand after six months of turmoil. the protests since late last year, it's the 12th coup in thailand since the 1930s. >> reporter: the chief of the armed forces and his comrades in uniform have taken over all functions of government. a full reversal of what he said when announced martial law. all television and radio stations have been ordered only to broadcast military material, playing national anthems. the citizens have been ordered

to stay in their homes until 10:00 p.m. the justification for all of this, the military says, is to restore peace and order after violence and demonstrations in bangkok. the prime minister was ousted when for illegally firing an official. threatening mass strikes and major disruption to force out the remnants of the government. the red shirts, who support the administration, insist that the elections be held to resolve the political crisis. the general called for all parties to join talks at an army location. that's where they were when the troops took over and brought them to an undisclosed location, simultaneously announcing the coup to the nation. night has fallen on bangkok, and

thailand enters another era of military rule. aljazeera, bangkok. >> boko haram is believed to be behind they attacks in nigeria, following back-to-back car bombs in the city of joss, killing 140 people. some of which you see is disturbing. >> the bodies keep arriving, one after another. mourners are here to bury the bodies of their loved ones who died in two attacks in a busy market in the city on tuesday. mohammed's sister was one of the many people killed. >> just like this. we were just able to get her this is very unfortunate. >> at the main market, the officials were still looking for body parts. some on the roofs of nearby

buildings. in the hours after, they found complete bodies thrown there by the force of the explosion. >> woah! just like that. >> eileen was lucky to have survived. she was buying food when the bomb was detonated. >> i might be safe, but i'm not happy seeing all of the people who died and when injured. i'm still in shock. all around, from vegetables, fruit, and secondhand clothes. their lives are at an end. the police are saying that they will have to go into them to see whether there are any bodies still under the rubble. at hospitals across the city, the injured received treatment. >> i don't know what happened. i just found myself in the fire.

everywhere was dark, i was running in the fire, and i just don't know, i didn't think it was real at first, and when i realized pain, and i was burning in the fire, and i said no, i can't die here. >> i was thinking -- there was screaming. >> there has been no claim of responsibility. but many suspect the radical group, boko haram, is behind the attacks. until ream, the group's activities are restricted to the north. and there are now fears that they're spreading their violence. >> what is happening, they are taking it down, and we have to improve our vigilance. >> the mourners have finished with the first burial. in prayer.

may god punish those who are killing our people, he praise. with so many boko haram attacks in days and months, it's no surprise that people here seem to have more trust than they do in the government. central nigeria. >> and yong is taking a step today, trying to rein in the national security agency. the critics say that the act has been stripped of its most important revisions. libby casey, there's a public outcry, and what is the house doing about it. >> that's right, del. this was stuff that was revealed by edward snowden, that the nsa was collecting phone records, who you were calling and when. and they said that they weren't collecting the content of those calls. the data was being taken, so the

house today has just passed a bill that would end the nsa collection of that data, and instead, they would have the phone companies collect it, and keep it on hand for 18 months, and the nsa could access it. republican of virginia had this to say this morning. >> the collectors all have to be approved by court order. and secondly, it's important for everyone to understand that the information gathered is targeted to foreign nationalists, not to american citizens. >> concerns of course about american citizens and their data has been changed somewhat. the united states got involved and others got involved. and it's not quite as strong as they original thought it would be, del. >> there are some who say that the house provision doesn't go far enough, and why do they maintain that? >> that's right, first of all, they wanted to see more of the

representative of the american people on the secret court that goes over some of these cases and issues, and we heard an outcry from some democrats that felt this got watered down. one is holt from new jersey. >> they want to treat americans as suspects first and citizens second. it still allows decisions on who to tart and when to go aggressively over acquaintances and mid-level employees, not federal. >> the original bill also said that the government would have to release the numbers on americans whose data was being collected. >> libby casey in washington, thank you very much. the white house point man is on the ground in arizona today, rob neighbors is looking at problems at the va hospital there. neighbors is meeting with officials in phoenix, and there

are reports that as many as 40 patients at that hospital died just waiting for their care. and yesterday, the president promised to hold those accountable. if. >> democrats looking into another investigation in benghazi. five democrats to serve on the special committee looking into the 2012 attack. and john boehner has already appointed republicans. they want to look at lack security at the compound and the committee is expected to meet for a planning session. russia and china have vetoed the resolution, referring to the syrian crisis at the court. there's widespread torture in syria on both sides, and they have an investigation into war crimes. the syrian war is three years old and nine million syrians have been displaced. one-third of them going to

surrounding countries of. the hard hit city of aleppo, it has been six months since residents received any aid on a large scale. red cross has been trying to help the civilians still displaced inside of syria. ten ukrainian soldiers are dead following another attack. at a military checkpoint, 30 other soldiers were wounded. with the elections three days away, the tensions are getting worse. th >> it's by the side of the road that they make final adjustments before starting the operation of the day. they're heading to the regional conference with the man in charge. the men in black are part of the done effect battalion, part of the militia that fights poor

russian separatists in eastern ukraine. >> they're port because people are worried that they will protect them during the elections so people can vote in peace. >> this group of volunteers said that it's filling the vacuum left by the police, who many feel have left little more than mild resistance in the wake of pro russian take over. >> they forgot about the country and the people. and if they don't execute t. they should leave the police, they are traitors. >> but the site of yet another group of masked, armed men on the streets, is worrying many here. >> the city council where they're going to talk to the mayor, the mission here is to make sure that the upcoming elections go on with no disruptions. they are storming the building, and when they entered his office, he seemed to welcome them. but it's not always so smooth. after a short drive, here the

mayor gives them a frosty reception. he's accused of being pro russian, and he comes under attack for not allowing a full rally. something that the men in black won't it will rate anymore. it has had some success since formed a month ago. they have taken the checkpoints that are pro russian and handled them over to the military. >> may be the government is busy with something more important than this. i don't know what it could be. >> similar battalions are forming in the region. they acknowledge the government in kiev, but with the emergence of yet another armed force, they risk losing even more control in the east. >> to egypt now where three of our aljazeera colleagues are

making their nine account court appearance. they have now been in prison in cairo for 145 days. they're accused of conspiring with the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they talked to aljazeera about the court proceedings. >> well, as we have seen was the case so far, it has been anything but predictable. we're hoping last week that the defense is beginning in earnest. but for some, it's a setback. so we think once the defense can really get into the case, that the international support will play a huge role in proving that they were doing their jobs. >> again, aljazeera continues to deny all of the charges against our colleagues and our staff. still ahead, we are less than two weeks away from the start of the hurricane season and the official forecast has just been released. and also, an idea to take the power out of hurricane-forced winds by using wind.

you're watching aljazeera america.

>> it has already been a brutal weather season across the country. recent tornadoes decimating towns across the south. and the extreme weather may be just the beginning as we now head into hurricane season. today the national atmosphereeric information announced the hurricanes, and this is one of many forecasts that we're seeing already. >> waiting for the numbers to come in, and they're issuing it from brooklyn because it shows a significant storm surge. that will be one of the new categories, the national hurricane center showing how bad the storm surge could be because the surges are different with different types of storms. but colorado state showed it below average as far as the storms and hurricanes category three or higher. we look at these numbers as a guide.

look what happens, 2010, 19 named storms, but no u.s. landfalls. it's not issued. but you can get a year like 1992, where only one storm made landfall, but that was a significant storm, andrew. be prepared every year, regardless of the forecasted threat. so whether there's a lot or little storms forecast, be ready for that one storm. because all it takes is just one. here are the names used this year, going from arthur down to wilfred. we'll see how this is going with the forecast put out. another storm that we're looking for is the drought. the texas panhandle, getting rain over the next 48 hours. temperatures in the upper 70s. near 80, and look at the forecasted rain. the satellite showing not much now, but over the next two days, inches of rain coming downright where it's needed.

texas and oklahoma, and the area of rain is continuing not only today, but tomorrow. severe weather is and needed rain. here in the southern plains. a cluster of thunderstorms in iowa, and it will continue pushing off to the east. and we had a flareup of weather. we could see more today across the mid-atlantic states, and this will be followed by cooler but drier weather over the weekend. it might be a nice one. >> hopefully we won't hear from wilfred this year. >> that will be a long way down the list. >> thank you very much. if there's one word to describe the power of a hurricane, it could be katrina, but can it been stopped? it's possible if the government looks in the right place. >> john faced a long road home.

after sandy destroyed thinks new jersey neighborhood two years ago. >> it just washed things away. it came onboard, and it was very very mean to everybody. >> for too many along the coast, mother nature's fury could not be avoid. but a new surprising study changed that. >> surprise is not enough, i was astonished. >> environmental engineer, christina, discovered something that may indeed stop a hurricane. of all things, the windmill. >> we found out that the humble turbines have way more power than we thought they did. >> reporter: using complex models, she found that wind turbines, used to make electricity, have unexpected effects on hurricanes, and their spinning blades absorb their

power. >> they can be used to reduce flooding in coastal communities. how cool is that? >> the idea she says is built enough. as it approaches the turbines, it begins to fall apart. >> critics say that what she's suggesting is possible is too early to speculate about costs, and america doesn't have enough offshore wind farms. the only one off the coast is in new jersey, and it just has five turbines. even green supporters are doubtful. >> i don't think there's an economic justification for it. so if you're putting 2,000 as

opposed to 10,000 offshore to offset a hurricane that might come. >> sceptics are wondering if they can even withstand a hurricane. when hurricane sandy plowed through. the turbines were turned off in the storm, but the windmills survived. >> they were up and running in a couple of days. some say that it's crazy. >> it's wow, it's a benefit that we need to know. >> it's intriguing to people who lost everything. >> it's wonderful if it works. >>s this a big if. >> but it brings hope that if the winds change, it may one day stop a storm. >> also on the weather front. hundreds of firefighters heading to northern arizona to battle a quick moving wildfire there. the fire is burning near sedona,

still not contained. and the blaze stripped in size, fanned by strong winds and low humidity. still ahead, magnets to heal the brain. >> i couldn't do tasks like turn the pages in a book. i didn't have that kind of control. >> we're going to be talking about an incredible medical break through to give hope to thousands of survivors. you're watching aljazeera america.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. and these are your headlines. north korea and south korea exchanging fire on the maritime border, in the latest line of tensions this week. thailand has a coup de ta. ordering anti-government protesters to leave the square. a little aimed at limiting government surveillance, now one

step closer to becoming the law. passing the usa freedom act. it would end the nsa phone records. news coming out of chicago regarding strokes. walking again can be a lifelong struggle. but a pioneering study is providing hope. >> i couldn't do this. >> after suffering a stroke five years ago, 62-year-old darryl holmes lost the ability to do things that he used to take for granted. >> i couldn't turn pages in a book, i didn't have that kind of manual control. i couldn't tie my tie or shoelaces. >> but last year, the retired army veteran and urban planner, was selected to take part in a study in washington d.c., in chicago.

researchers used an external brain stimulation technique, using waves to a part of the brain that's often impaired by strokes, where fine motor skills are controlled. >> when i navigate to the right spot, it's a concentration of jurons. and when we saw his fingers move, we were over an area that had a high concentration of connections down to our fingers. it's the area of the brain that would light up if i were to play the piano, so using the stimulator drives the motion. >> after a stroke, the healthy parts of the brain become increasingly active as they try to compensate for the injury. it quiets and calms those overactive areas, giving the damaged parts of the brain a chance to recover. >> only 50% of people after a stroke will get their hand function at all. and 50% of them don't have very good hand function, and we want

to improve on that. >> researchers say that using tradition at stroke therapy, 80% of the pilot participants gain significant use of their arms. stroke is the leading cause of significant long-term disability. it costs the u.s. $36 billion annually in lost work and healthcare. doctors plan to introduce the technique to a dozen research facilities in the country in the next year. >> the brain is really resilient. and it regenerates, and it's the center of the physical universe. anybody, and i understood that, and it has made me a better and stronger person, i think. >> for darryl holmes, it's a second chance to gain control over the little things. no small accomplishment after a stroke. aljazeera america, chicago. >> we didn't say it wasn't incredible. thank you for watching aljazeera

america, i'm del walters in new york. a reminder that you can check us out 24 hours a day by going to the website. alaljazeera.com. >> immigration reform is live and then dead. the legislative clock ticking, is congress going to move? if it doesn't is the president? that's the "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suarez. cast your mind back to the