> this is al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey in new york with a look at the top stories. in gaza app air strike near a school killed 10. the u.s. call the attack disgraceful. we'll have a live report. hopeful news out of atlanta recording the -- regarding the american doctor battling ebola. the rush to get water into toledo. when will the fresh water flow

again. there's anger tonight over another israeli air strike outside yet another united nations school in gaza. ten people were killed, the u.s. secretary-general calls it a criminal act. about 3,000 people have taken shelter at the school in rafah. the israeli military defends the strike. army spokesman peter learner told al jazeera that israel's forces were not targetting the school. >> we are targetting terrorists moving from one place to another. perhaps they had explosives causing the damage. we struck the terrorists. this is the situation, we do not intentionally strike u.n. facilities, we don't do that. >> the air strike injured more than 30 people. a spokesman for hamas said the attack was a breach of international law. >> we consider the continuation of the crimes and massacres

against civilians such as that this happened to be a real war crime. >> the state department said the united states is appalled by today's disgraceful shelling and israel must do more to meet its own standard and avoid civilian casualties. spokesperson, added the person that militants are operating near does not justify strikes putting at risk the lives of civilians. strong language from the state department. this is the third u.n. shelter hit in less than two weeks, and the first time we had a strong reaction from the state department. not only is it the first time we had strong racksz, but this is -- reaction, but this is the intense communication by the united states by anyone in the u.s. since this war began.

the language that jen sockie used is diplomatic and is strong or seen as a real rebuke here in gaza, and here in israel as well. by the u.s. of israel, a rebuke not seen before. a reflection. frustration that they have had with the israeli leadership for the last two weeks, pull until yesterday morning when a ceasefire was broken by hamas. u.s. officials were frustrated with an inability to convince israel to sign a ceasefire agreement. this is a reflection of frustration and events on the ground. not only is it actually the third school hit in two weeks, but it's the seventh school, according to the u.n., hit by israelis in the last month.

that shows that the israelis simply are not taking into account, according to the statement by the u.s., the fact that u.n. schools are supposed to be protected by international law. >> israel said that this military operation will continue because it's about the tunnels that need to be destroyed. how much longer will this take? what kind of timeline are we talking about. how many tunnels have been destroyed, how many more do they want to destroy. do we know anything about this? >> yes. there are more than 30 tunnels according to israeli military that they discovered. they are worried that there were more, maybe as many as a dozen more that they have not discovered. they are confident that somewhere between 30 and 40 tunnels exist. and somewhere between 70 and 100. and we talk about crawling through difficult things that we

get through. a motorcycle, a fighter drives a motorcycle. they reinforce. they are a new threat to the community. in the past, tunnels have been more about smuggling. these are about offensive operations. the israeli military officials say by the end of the day or the end of the tomorrow, they will probably have that tunnel operation over and that is why they say nearly all of the israeli troops were about a mile or a mile and a half into gaza, have pulled back to the border. once the tunnel operation is over, the ground operation will be over and the focus will return, as it was at the egoing of this operation -- at the beginning of this operation on air strikes on rocket launchers. hamas and others built the tunnels to get around the blockade of gaza. they've been used to smuggle in

goods, but are a conduit for rockets. mary snow brings this report. >> reporter: tunnels are not new in gaza. a tunnel was used by hamas for the abduction of gilad shilat. he was held five years and exchanged for 1,027 palestinian and arab prisoners. they have been used to smuggle goods, some as big as cars to and from egypt. >> you have literally hundreds of tunnels, you can go gaza and rafah. you can see them. when mohamed mursi was overthrown by abdul fatah al-sisi in 2013, the fortunes of hamas declined. egypt tightened the border crossing with hamas controlled gaza, and cracked down on illegal tunnelling. egypt claims to have destroyed 1600 tunnels this year alone. hamas created a new set of tunnels aimed at israel.

unlike the egyptian tunnels used for commerce, these are designed as military weapons for cross-border attacks. the israeli army said hamas used the tunnels four times to ipp fill trait into israel, killing for soldiers. some extend a mile or more into israeli territory. many used reinforced concrete, are six feet high and have power and communication lines. the israeli military claims that the concrete used for the tonne else was intended for the structures. hamas has not responded. estimates from the israeli military is that each tunnel co cost anywhere from 75,000 to $3 million to build. with potentially as many as 50 tunnels built in the sandy soil beneath the gazan border, some

assessments put the cost to hamas between 30 and $90 million. some may have come from foreign donors and other sources. hamas has another means of financing too. >> hamas runs the government in gaza. it raises taxes, charges customs duties op goods smuggled through the tunnels. it has resources. >> the millions spent on the tunnels signifies a serious gamble for hamas at a time when, according to the west bank, a significant portion of its population was close to the poverty line. joining me now is ambassador robert hunter, the ambassador to n.a.t.o. from 1993 to 1998 and joins us from washington d.c. thank you for your time. let's talk about the tunnels. they did not pop up overnight. israel said that the purpose of this particular operation is to destroy the tunnels. were they aware of them as they were being built?

>> i assume they were aware of some of them being built. but from what we are hearing, the magnitude of the tunnel network is greater than the israelis or anyone else outside of gaza was aware of. >> what is the psychological impact of the tunnels on the people of gaza and israel. for the people of gaza it shows there can be a response to the blockade of the territory of the gaza strip , which has led to the desperate impoverishment of everyone who lives there. it's an open-air prison is the phrase that's used. for the israelis, yes, there are some real threats that come. we have had the reports of a few soldiers killed. but mostly it is psychological. it leads people of israel to believe that they, themselves, are under threat. that is less a major threat than

it is something that is discomforting, and for the government in jerusalem, it's something to which they have to respond. sort of like the united states government has had to respond to the aftermath of 9/11. here the attacks in new york and the pentagon, which, themselves, were not a huge event, but had a psychological shock to the united states that led us to do all kinds of things. it's a psychological shock to israel, more than physical and human damage. >> if that's the case, is this situation about the tunnels? >> it's about the tunnels, but also the israeli government showing to the hamas in gaza, that they will oppose a hamas and whatever it does to threaten israel. they are attempting to weaken hamas control within gaza. frankly they think it will have

the other effect. it will show the rest of the world, including the u.s. government, that israel is prepared to take risks, to do what is has to for its own security, no matter what anyone else says. they have, for example, snubbed the u.s. president and the secretary of state. in effect, the prime minister of israel, binyamin netanyahu, is saying to protect my people, i don't care who is opposing. i will do this. >> when you say have the opposite effect, you think what has happened in the past 27 days is actually strengthening hamas. >> there's no doubt about it. >> i have argued for six or sepp years, if i -- seven years, if i was an israeli and i wanted to empanel hamas, i would keep the blockade and strike gaza. if i wanted to weaken hamas, i would end the blockade, have control over the borders so there wouldn't be arms coming in. a lot of food, aid and

investment would come in. as it is now, the average person in gaza has no choice but to cave to hamas, because they are the only ones providing sustenance. the israelis have had in backwards, i think, for six or seven years now. having said that, in the next 24 to 48 hours, all the tunnels are dismantled. what happens next? >> well, the prime minister of israel indicated that each as israel finishes destroying tunnels and withdraws israeli forces, that the aerial attacks and artillery attacks on rocket sites will continue. >> and hamas said the rocket attacks will not stop. >> that is correct. recognising, of course, that israel does have a very effective antimissile system

called iron dome, which they built with help from the united states, which means that there hasn't been thanks be to god, it not that much destruction or loss of hive in israel. it's -- life in israel. it's the psychological shock, helps the requirement for the israeli government to act. if i was the american president, i would say to israel "cut it out." i'd say to other people in the region who have relationship with hamas, get them to cut it out. then i'd work on ending the blockade of gaza and ending the capacity of hamas against a more weaponry, and, hence, over time, not that much time, weakening hamas, and maybe making it possible to have a broader peace process in the west bank. all this 27 day war has done so far is really ended any chance

of peace for his rail and peace for the palestine -- for israel and peace for the palestinians for the future. it's been a mess for anyone concerned. >> a brutal heart-breaking mess. ambassador robert hunter, thank you for your insight. for nearly a month our correspondents have been on the ground in the middle east, 27 days, in fact, covering the latest conflict. they have seen the violence from air strikes, rockets, ground invasion. tonight, a look at some of the best reporting from the 27 day conflict. gaza witness to war airs 11 eastern tonight, eight pacific. next. accusations of misconduct by the air force dismiss athletics department. an update on the american ebola patient treated at an atlanta hospital - hear what the doctors say and a live report from toledo, where residence face the second day of a water ban.

sa second american -- a second american citizens to contract ebola will be on her

way back soon to the quaits. nancy writebol is a missionary. the disease killed over 700, and sicked over 1,000 nancy writebol will arrive on tuesday. the american doctor kent brantly appears to be improving. the special facilities where both doctors are treated is one of four in the nation. john terrett has this report. >> reporter: for the first time the ebola-affected patient sets foot on american soil. dr kent brantly walks on his own. he'll be treated in a unit designed to handle infetchous disease patients. >> the unit is designed to contain or protect against infections above and beyond what is needed for ebola. kent brantly and his colleague were infected with ebola while

working with medical missionaries. it's one of three west african nations at the center of the outbreak. it killed more than 700 people, leading to concern about bringing a patient back to the u.s. >> we have a unit staffed with experts. that are really key players and understanding the practices to maintain the safety not just of the communicate but the general public. >> kent brantly was flown to the u.s. on a plane including an isolation tent and can only carry one patient at a time. the same plane will return to liberia, who will be treated at emery. al jazeera spoke with dr joseph fair, a consultant with the minister of health, about the risks facing heath care workers. >> we lost family members in this case, because of a few of us being in this area. >> one of them was the lead doctor. he passed away last week.

meanwhile health officials in west africa are trying to bury the dead as quickly as possible, saying the moment a victim dies is when they are the most infix use. some in -- infectious. some are trying to block the burials, worried about the disease spreading. >> ebola is here. we need to be careful. we should not be in a state of denial. >> reporter: some schools are closed, and neighbourhoods quarantined. some have cancelled flights into and out of affected countries. >> the ebola outbreak is spreading in west africa and in some places it is prompting protests. marchers in liberia demanded more help from the government, particularly with burring the dead. liberia, sierra leone and gipy will not -- guinea will not sent representatives to a summit. the first time the u.s. president met with african leaders at the same time.

they'll announce investment in food programs, business deals and peacekeeping efforts in africa. officials says the u.s. wants to emphasise interests in the continent, aside from natural resources like oil and mineral. we'll have more on relations between the u.s. and africa in "the week ahead". in toledo, ohio, the water crisis continues for half a million. for a second day they are without tap water for drinking, cooking and showering. levels of toxins in the water ply is high. the poison -- water supply is high. it is coming from algae bloom that is out of control in lake erie. b.c. water - it's one of the things that folks need to survive every day. how are they coping? >> this has been tough for a lot of residents. no running tap water means you can't take a shower or wash a

dish. there are five water distribution sites around the city of toledo. we have the opportunity to visit one earlier. i can tell you when we pulled up there was a line of cars that wept for blocks and -- went for blocks and blocks and blocks, people lining up to get water. what issing it, the city isn't saying that they are worried about being over water, but there is a limit. a family, they are only given one case of water. i talked to a single mother with three children and she said it's great that the city is offering this water, but in all actuality it's not enough. take a listen. >> i ain't been able to do dishes for the last two days. i don't like that. my house stings. it stink like that. with three kids, you have to wash the dishes. clean dishes and clean clothes.

there have been a number of tests conducted throughout the day as well as last night, and while the mayor, michael collins, say that's the water is improving, he says that it's still not safe to drink. >> so any sense of when things will get back to normal. i know the frustrated mother you talked to wants some answers? >> she, among a lot of people. there's no clear ideas. i mentioned 52 tests were submitted earlier to the e.p.a., the city is waiting to see what the results are. for the most part everything is up in the air. city officials asking residents not to panic, that there is water available. they can't use what is coming out of the faus et cetera. take a listen to what the mayor had to say. >> i can't give you a time. if i could, i would. i can't. i don't have the time. all i can tell you is everything is trending in a very positive

direction. >> so that is good news for residents hearing that things are improving. but they want things to move faster, considering we are moving into day three with no useable water here in the city of toledo. >> i know you will keep us posted. this algae bloom seems to be the source. more on that, and the pictures of the algae are impressive. >> i'm take you back to the '60s. the algae blooms across the lakes were miserable, due to the pollution, the foss ferrous coming into thelation here. as we get to the '80s. the amount of pollution and algae blooms went down. algae is a natural occurrence. what we see is not natural. look at the images that we are

looking at across the area. the green - first of all, the algae is so thick it is depleeght the lake of oxygen. we'll see a bit of dead fish in the like that are suffocating. take a look at that picture. it was taken a few days ago. i'll show you what we have seen over the last couple of years. in october 2012 this was the lake. in 2013 this was the like. to the east of toledo, a township shut the water last september because of the situation. it's not only the pollution. that is the manmade part of the problem. it's water temperature. now, in the western part of the lake erie, we are talking about the waters warmer than observing. that is a problem. until we can get a control of the tributaries bringing in the

pollution and the vert lieser from the field. we are not going to get this under control. >> great history. >> the air force academy has launched on investigation into the school's athletic department. the colorado prescription gazette reported on wide misconduct, drug use, sexual assault and cheating. the school said "subcultures inconsistent with the culture of commitment and climate of respect that we work to uphold." the g.m. website that is supposed to help customers determine if we drive a recalled car - some are mistakenly told that the car had not been recalled. the national highway traffic administration reported the glitch, urging conversations that those who used the website

to double-check. more than a dozen deaths had been linked to an igsnigs switch problem. >> children and families are bearing the brounted of the assault in -- brunt of the assault in gaza. and more ground in iraq gained. the islamic state is obtaining more states in iraq. not all sun screens are equal. the u.s. is lagging behind when europe has a better product. more than that.

welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at the top stories. the american doctor treated for ebola in atlanta appears to be improving. a second ebola infected american is preparing to return to the united states. nancy writebol will be treated at a special isolation unit ot

emory university hospital and will arrive on tuesday. o for the second for the second traght day 4,000 in toledo ohio are without tap water for drinking, cooking or taking a shower. the governor declared a state of emergency. the national guard is trucking in supplies. the water is contaminated by algae blooms in lake erie caused by pollution. an israeli air strike in a cole near gaza killed 10 people. it called on israel to do more to avoid civilian casualties. israel said it was targetting terrorists and not a school. 3,000 palestinians sought shelter at the school. the conflict has also taken a toll on the infrastructure as people in gaza use every day. at the seven hospitals in gaza two have been destroyed. three others are severely damaged. two water desalination plants that turned sea water to drinking water have been destroyed. a sewage treatment plant - that

is out of commission, and seven u.n. schools are said to have been hit, and most have extensive damage. children and families are bearing the brunt of the conflict. hospitals are struggling to cope. charles stratford reports. some of the images in this story are disturbing. >> reporter: mohammed was playing with his friends in a refugee camp when the air strike happened. 10 children and a man were killed. he's paralyzed from the waist down. it should not have been this way. surgery could have saved his legs. he had the right papers to be ecrack suited into egypt for emergency treatment. >> translation: we are prepared the documents. he tells me to tell his friends that he'll be back to play again. we know he will never walk again. >> his friend is a victim of the same attack.

badly burnt, shrapnel in his lungs. he needs creams and medicines to treat his burns, supplies at the hospital have run out. a humanitarian disaster is unfolding. the doctor shows me some of the supplies that the hospital needs. the strangulation of gaza continues. it's getting worse. we have hundreds of patients every day. we need stronger antibiotics, we need blood coagulants, surgical gloves, tubes to aid breathing. >> reporter: there has been warnings that the hospital may be targeted. >> translation: on more than one occasion we have received calls that the hospital will be targeted. there is panic. they have hit the eastern wall. >> the palestinian ministry of health says 36 ambulances have been partially or completely destroyed. 102 medical staff have been injured and 19 killed. >> since israel's military

offensive began, there has been difficulties for ambulance drivers to get to the wounded. some medical workers and ambulances have been targeted. the man who was driving this ambulance was killed in the area a few days ago. >> i've been shown the bullet holes in this ambulance. >> we can't trust the israeli military and the red cross to coordinate with us to get the injured out. >> they told us my colleague could rescue someone. he was killed when his ambulance was attacked. >> outside hundreds are living in tends or on the pavements, many homes have been destroyed. that man came with his family of 10 more than two weeks ago. >> there's no water for us, no bathrooms, no power or food. no help from the hospital. nothing from the u.n. we had help during ramadan. now there is nothing. >> in the children's ward

mohammed is terrified in his bed. he will never play with his friends like he did before. if the hospital had been able to treat him. he may have been able to walk again. >> the eyes of the world are directed at the situation in gaza. other conflicts in the middle east continue. in libya, thousands are fleeing violence in the country's major cities. border crossings are jammed with people. the iraq, the group calls itself the islamic state. in syria, in the north, rebels advanced to aleppo. >> reporter: syrian rebels on the offensive in aleppo. this video obtained by al jazeera. they say they have stormed the security unit in the western side of the city. they were tasked with protecting the aleppo academy, hosting the

army's main base in the area. the rebels say they occupied several blocks, allowing them to inch closer to the base. >> this building in front of us is that of the security unit. we did it by the grace of god and thanks to the hero six of mujahideen. >> reporter: activist says it's a site where the army maps out what will occur. the new offensive by the rebels comes a few weeks after government troops made advances against the rebels. by retaking the industrial area and the eastern district. >> the rebels say if they take the area, they may tip the balance of power in their favour and will interrupt the army's only supply route to its bases. lebanese troops are trying to regain control of a town

attacked by a rebel group in syria. that many soldiers have been killed since the fighting began on saturday. jane ferguson has details. wresting back control. lebanese troops rush into the town. syrian fighters stormed across the border before, but never this deep. nor have their attacks been this brazen. they take over a police station, capture soldiers and fire on the residents. the demand for the lebanese to release a leader arrested on sunday. >> this is a renewed attempt like previous ones to track a popular down into a fight with the army. we witnessed this before of an officer was left dead last time. >> reporter: most of the residents back the uprising against president bashar al-assad. it's regarded as a transit point

for weapons and rebels. the population swefld with tens of thousands of refugees settling there. >> it is one of the biggest towns. the infiltration of gunmen into the town means a lot when it comes to human and political tosts. the lebanese army has other missions in the north and south. >>? a statement, the lebanese army says its forces are back in control of the area. lebanese security forces are having to deal with violence from the syrian violence spilling into the country. like all countries bordering syria, trying to keep the war out is difficult. there's fierce fighting in libya's two biggest cities. months of violence turned trip wr and benghazi into battle

grounds. shells ignited oil tanks. tens of thousands are trying to escape and cross into tunisia. the border crossing is closed, leaving them stranded. we have this report from neighbouring tunisia. >> these are the lucky ones. after days at the liban-tunisian border this family was allowed into tunisia. thousands have been stranded on the other side of the border. on sunday hundreds were allowed in after the government promised to send chartered flights to take them to egypt. from the border. mostly workers like abdul yes, who left his job in libya -- abdullah, who left his job in libya because life was unbear table, spending four days at the border. >> translation: so much destruction. it's not safe. we feared for our lives. thousands of egyptians worked in libya. many opted to leave the jobs and

run for their lives. >> translation: libya's doors were open. most of the people you see are college graduates with no chance to get a job at home. people are sad to leave. >> reporter: this 38-year-old says there was no clashes, but he ran from the state of lawlessness. when i ask how will he support his family and three children? >> my children have god. na is important. where are the thousands left behind, stuck at the other side of the border? >> there is genuine concern for the thousands of egyptians stranded at the libyan side of the border. some for over a week. >> translation: it's terrible for them, they are stranded in the desert, in the open air with little water or food. i swear to god, it's not fair. human souls are at stake. the saga of the workers

illustrates how the violence in libya has a ripple effect on the region, security wise. >> some of the egyptian workers took the risk and decided to stay in libya for now. others wanted to leave, but didn't find a way to get to a border due to the violence. that's why these workers say they are lucky they got to this point. the tunisian minister of the interior said there was about 13,000 shaps stuck on the -- egyptians stuck on the libyan side of the border and will be airlifted out. >> fighters from the islamic state seized two towns, driving kurdish security forces out of towns. dozens of residents left the area. one area was sheltering thousands. turning now to afghanistan, more controversy over the country's

dispute election results with allegations of fraud. the audit of 8 million votes from the presidential run-off resumed after a break. aboriginaled's com -- abdullah abdullah's campaign accused a deputy of fraud in favour of abdullah abdullah's rival ashraf ghani. the office denied the charge and the audit it expected to take weeks. >> the fight for the separatist stronghold of donetsk is intensifying. >> government forces are shelling separatist positions in and around the city. civilians are trying to flee. some of the most vul ner enable people are unable to escape. we have this report from a home for the elderly in donetsk. >> reporter: this woman tries to call her grandson. he used to visit all the time. she has not heard from him since the fighting started. she is one of more than 160 passengers living in a care home

on the outskirts of donetsk, close to the front line. >> translation: i used to be an optimistic person, thinking that the war would not last long. now i think it will continue. >> reporter: this woman owns and manages the nursing homes. pensions have stopped coming through. relatives can't pay the fees. she's using her savings to keep the place open. she's running out of money and supplies. sometimes it's all too much. >> translation: i'm afraid, so afraid. how will we survive? i was at the city morgue. i watched as they brought in our young people. it was terrifying. somebody's children, grandchildren or husband. >> reporter: more people are arriving. eleanor will not turn them away. this man is from pet roff ski, a suburb of donetsk, where

ukrainians are battling pro-russian separatist. >> ukranian forces close in, the fighting is getting closer to the home. people here described hearing the sounds of shelling, and the walls and windows shaking. these are some of the most vulnerable victims in the conflict, because they cannot be moved to safety. >> it is hard to offer words of comfort to some. this woman says she worked hard all her life laying roads. now she fears dying alone and doesn't know where her daughter is. many here were children during the second world war. she sing songs from the soviet era about soldiers saying goodbye to the city, before going off to fight. it helps them to forget troubled times as war surrounds them once again. the fighting in eastern ukraine is further delaying the

recovery effort at the crash side of malaysia airlines flight mh17. separatist presented search teems using an unmanned drone over the debris feel. australian and kuch experts be -- dutch experts began their safe on friday. as many as 80 passengers are missing more than two weeks after the jet was shot down. lots of rain on puerto rico. tropical storm bertha is paying its way north. what that means along the coast. ing look at how loopholes could be preventing the u.s. from using the best sunscreen application.

in china more than 350 were killed.

security cameras captured the chaos as the 6.1 magnitude quake struck a province in the south-west. 1800 are injured. rescuers are searching remote villages, trying to evacuate the wounded. up to 12,000 homes were destroyed. in nepal, there's little hope of finding more than 150 people missing after a landslide, cording to officials. part of a mountain collapsed on friday, burying villages 75 miles east of kathmandu. eight bodies were ground. rainy weather is impeding the progress. there's fear of flooding. weather can be unpredictable. there's situations of drought of the in the caribbean there was a drought situation. this was the atlanta hurricane season. it's been slow to get going.

a lot of people take a little bit of a breath. not necessarily. we need the storms to bring the rain to the islands. and many are looking at a drought situation. topical storm bertha has brought much-needed rain to the area. not a lot of winds didn't cause damage. we saw flooding across parts of puerto rico. over the next couple of days, this is what we'll expect the situation to be. as we go through. we are looking at the storm to stay off the coast of the united states. we'll see the effects of the storm here, anywhere from florida to the carolinas on monday and tuesday, in terms of ripp tides and currents across the area. now, as we go through wednesday, that will move up towards cape codd. if you are going to the beach over the next three days, this would be a problem. you want to stay out of the water and know what to do if you

get into a ripp tide. a dangerous situation. for parts of new york and pennsylvania, we are talking about heavy rain. an area of low pressure to the west. it's causing a lot of flooding across peninsula, and the flash flood warnings increased in new york. you can see the red. it will be a big problem in the next couple of hours. >> thank you so much. daly use of sun clean has been -- daily use of sunscreen has been recommended for decades. a new bill should give consumers a better option. >> how nice you look, you're tanned. how relaxed you look. no, the answer is how damaged you look. >> reporter: a recent warning by the acting surgeon general. a serious form of skin cancer, melanoma, increased 200% since

197 0rks the sharpest rise a -- 1970, the sharpest rise among people. >> i was diagnosed with melanoma. it actually proceed to my lymph nodes. 63,000 americans are diagnosed with melanoma every year. of those, 9,000 die. experts say radiation from sun or tanning beds is the biggest cause. the warnings may be quauling on deaf -- falling on deaf years. it brings out the eye colour. most know sun screen protects the skin. they may not note products purchased in the u.s. are less effective than europe, canada or australia. >> the technology is outdated. these are active ingredients approved going on 15 years ago, and more. >> sun screens in the u.s. are considered over the counter drugs, requiring f.d.a. approval. the process is a long one. the last time the f.d.a.

approved a sunscreen ingredient was 1999. researchers learnt a lot since then. >> the traditional sun screens we grew up with respect focused on the sps. sun application factor. and what we have learnt recently is that u v.a. rays go deeper into the skip, cause the damage and leads to skin cancer. >> broad spectrum - only two are available in the u.s. newer products are available in europe. a popular one is not available here. the u.s. may be catching up. promoted by cancer groups. the house passed the sunscreen innovation act. >> though in favour aaye.

senate approval is expected in fall. it will speed up the approval of eight products, products that may protect the pain and suffering of many people, like stacy, who is cancer free but deeply scarred. >> if people could see the hole in my back, the crater, and everything that i went through, they'd learn from everything i have gone through. no race or nationally is immune from melanoma. here is what experts say you can do now. look for a broad spectrum protecting against u v.a. or spu grades. apply year round. some may be water resistant, it is not waterproof. apply often. 10 years ago today n.a.s.a. launched a mission to explore america ury, "messenger is orbiting near the surface.

it's sending back information. >> reporter: it took "messener" six years to orbit close enough to roger mercado, 58 million -- mercury. the science dates that built it figured they could sent back 2,000 images of a planet too close to the blinding sun for telescopes to observe. now, after receiving 10 times the number of pictures, they have a wealth of data about mercury, where temperatures range from 450 down to minus 150 degrees celsius. >> they mapped the topography with new information sent back by "messenger", as recently as a few months ago. it produced evidence that inside the craters lie deposits of the water ice, an encouraging finding to toes that dream of making human settlement in space a reality. >> this is saying to us that one of the processies that takes

place in our solar system can trap water and have it there. >> the facts learnt about the properties are small pieces of a puzzle. >> there's a difference and procorrects on how the planets look at the composition. we are trying to understand how it makes a consistent picture of the formation of the collar system. >> messenger is expected to crash into the planet in april. it will take a year for the data to be analysed. two more will be launched to carry on its discoveries. still ahead on al jazeera america - it has a billion dollar price tag. the drivers will not have to pay a toll.

a new concept in fixing the crumbling north western. maternity words in d.c. are busy. why - that's ahead.

miami has found a way around its traffic trouble by going underground. this morning traffic began to flow through the miami access tunnel, under the ground. it's a project president obama hailed as a model of public and private partnership. we have the story. >> reporter: this is the head ache inducing sound of a complex construction project before completion. the raw of machines cutting greaves into asphalt to ensure that wheels have traction. we are 120 feed below biscayne bay in the port of miami tunnel. the county, cruise ship industry and port officials consider the tubes vital to their future to get people and cargo on board faster. with this tunnel it's hoped

drives will not be stopped in traffic. forced to navigate congested streets to make it port side. despite the promote billion dollar price tag people will not be paying tolls, because the tunnel is funded through a public private partnership. it's a new concept for american infrastructure projects. the first for miami, and one of a few around the country. in this case a private company built the tunnel, and over the next 30 years miami will fa the company a total of $300 million to operate and maintain the structure. the payments are set in time so that a lot of times when a government builds something, for some reason the operating and maintenance costs escalate. we know that, we know our cost after 30 years. >> the country is considering the same type of arrangement to fund water and suage treatment projects to the tune of $13 billion. down in the tunnel builders say

they are ready for anything. they have applied lessons learnt from other tunnels and the mishaps. this concrete structure is not just for show. when there's a category 3 hurricane barrelling towards miami, 50- tonne gates will slam down, seal off the tunnel and protect it flooding. engineers say they are ready for floods and fire. >> if there was a fire in this area, immediately the water would come down, extinguish the fire or suffocate the fire. it can be reversed. speed controlled. we will both push the smoke and pull the smoke. >> with its 44 jet fans, 91 surveillance cameras and sfeel gates, the port of miami tunnel is touted as the safetiest in the world. now it's open for business. washington d.c. area hospitals are seeing the effects of last year's federal

government shutdown. this time in the maternity wing. it's been nine months since republicans and democrats shut the government down for 16 days. some hospitals around the capital say there's a baby boom. doctors say they can't tries the effect directly to the shut down, but the timing of the boom, nine months after 800,000 federal employees had a two week vacation - it's suspicious. >> and the medical marijuana industry is it growing at a rapid rate. it pays to advertise. the website became the first marijuana company to print an ad in a major publication today. the sfl-described cannabis information resource bought a full-page in the "new york times". the add highlights potential medical uses of the drawing. >> thank you for joining us. i'm richelle carey in new york. i'll be back with another hour of news at 8 eastern.

"america tonight" is up next. thank you for your time. do keep it here. ahead on "america tonight", the weekend edition, one of the nation's biggest school districts, and its stunning discipline programme. gaoling teachers. >> i saw in teacher gaol many individuals that were broken, depressed, suicidal. >> correspondent michael oku on l.a.'s teacher gaol and the lessons learnt from it. bright lights, bold shouds - a danger show by the best on broadway