families fear the worst after an air asia plane is missing over the java sea, with 162 people on board from al jazeera's headquarters in doha also ahead n.a.t.o.'s mission in afghanistan comes to an end. we look at what has changed on the ground. the government pledges more than $100 million to help the victims of devastating floods. plus helping expecting mothers. giving women in south africa a

direct line to expert's advice. we begin with a story out of asia, where a search and rescue mission is under way for a missing passenger plane. the air asia a malaysian budget airline took off from the city and was due to land in singapore more than nine hours ago. not a single trace of the aircraft has been found yet. gerald tan has the latest. at the airport in indonesia, people are waiting for news of their loved ones. 162 passengers and crew were on board air asia flight qz8501 to sing for. the plane and airbus 320 lost communications 42 minutes after

takeoff. >> translation: i hope for a miracle and may god save them all. i should have been with them i cancelled two weeks ago, as i had something to do. i had two friends on board with five family members. >> indonesia's disaster management authorities set up a crisis management to update on developments. >> translation: we are widening the search radius the indonesian military national search and rescue and singapore search and rescue have started to move so have navigationships. we have informed sea and coast guards and ships in the area to be an standby. at singapore's changi airport those waiting for the flight to arrive are being given information. the plane lost contact as it foouf over the java sea -- flew over the java sea. pilots requested a change of course due to weather. this is the first incident for the malaysian low-cost carrier

which has significant presence across south-east asia it trails two other malaysian tragedies, both involving the national carrier malaysia airlines. in march, mm-hmm 370 -- m-receiver disappeared -- mm-hmm 370 disappeared. and in july mh17 was shot down killing 198 people on board. air asia has never lost a plane, and search and rescue is going in full swing, many hope it remains so let's cross to peds who is at -- peds which is at changi airport. are the relatives giving you more information at this point?

>> it's difficult to know. you know authorities here those at change airport have been very careful with the relatives and journalists outside, who there are maybe 100 of us here waiting to to see if they can work outside the area. a little earlier, it came through, and it was brought in quickly. she was the feepsa of -- fiancee of one of the people on board, and a teacher of singaporean students on the air plane who came through. and the n of kin, we have been told, has been contacted, and is at the change airport relatives holding sear.

authorities are clear to give as much assistance as they can. their counsellors here to help them and we understand that there are professionals, embassy officials. it is as you can imagine, grim. there are 47 relatives and friends and 57 passengers on board. there were 36 care officers. >> veronica pedrosa there for us at at chang ci airport. we have richard ang line to ask about the weather. how bad was the weather at the time when we lost contact with this plane? >> we know it was bad, sammy.

as we said earlier in the show the cloud tops went up to 53,000 feet. these are monster storms. we have a satellite, and you can see the major storm systems through the regions. nothing but these major storm clouds through the route. >> that's intense. what does that mean for the rescue effort that is going on quite now? >> they'll face the same problems that the aircraft is going to in a reconnaissance. going back to the grasks -- graphics, it's worth pointing out the difficulty of the situation encountedered. icing is a hazard hail lighting - it's all in there. in addition to the storm systems continuing, you have more rain with the poor visibility. and as you see on the graphic, there's heavy rain in the next

24 to 48 hours. just developing near the philippines, that cuts off the supply of moisture as it moves across the sea. i'm hopeful that we'll see an improvement in the weather here. >> lets hope so. >> chris united states is an independent analyst. he says it's impossible that the plane could be in the air. >> the time from the aircraft losing communication with the traffic control tower. there is zero chance that the aircraft could be possibley be flipping, a search operation -- flying. a search operation, a rescue operation, we don't know for sure whether the aircraft broke up on hitting the surface of the water. it's likely that it has.

it's likely that there's great loss of life. having said that they'll be looking for the transporters -- transporters for the aircraft. a full search will continue for as long as it takes to identify where those pieces of wreckage are, and lift the wreckage to the surface and read off the data the information that they contain. >> you two greek firefighting ships have been sent to help a ferry on fire in the adriatic sea, and is carrying over 450 passengers from western greece. it was towards the italian coast, 200 vehicles are on board. it was near ancona. people have been transferred to boats. helen skopis a journalist in athens joins us.

have they been able to evacuate people on the ferry. >> according to the latest reports, and 150 passengers 428 have been rescued. according to the merchant marine, a life boat carrying the 150 passengers has been lowered into the water. only 35-moved to a nearby cargo ship. so far because of the turbulent weather. italian, greek and albanian authorities are taking part in the operation to rescue the papers aboard the norman atlantic which is conducted in physical conditions with strong winds. several planes and helicopters are used to aid with the operation. at least 7 merchant ships of next to the norman atlantic. they are used to form the

barrier up to 46 miles per hour. passengers have been using the mobile phone to plead for help. several called in desperation with some saying that explosions are heard on the ship. passengers strapped on a high deck for more than six hours told the greek media that life boats were unable to take them off due to the high seas. dozens of cars and lorries armed the vessels, with several olive oil containers believed to be among them. it's unclear if there have been casualties or passengers in the water and priority has been given and that crew members is telling the media that the fire is under control and not in danger of sinking.

that is an intense situation. >> thank you so much to afghanistan where a ceremony is held marking the end of n.a.t.o.'s comeback mission after 13 years of conflict. let's look at how things will change on the ground from january the 1st, the u.s.-led force replaced by an n.a.t.o. training and support mission. foreign troops will assist the afghan army. 2014 has been one of the worst years for casualties with more than 4,600 afghan soldiers killed. hit a record high with more than 3,000 people killed by november. jennifer glasse is in kabul. >> at the height of the mission, n.a.t.o. had 140 forces in afghanistan across the country as they draw down to just about 13,000 forces. the afghan security force had to fill the void. there is still heavy fighting

now in the winter particularly in the south. we were there this week. this is it afghanistan's deadliest province. in the provincial capital where the security is tighter, the people are nervous. this man came here four months ago. fighting is raging around his family in the north. thousands have fled. >> we lost the first harvest and the second. farmers lost their cattle. people lost their homes, people have been targeted by roadside bombs and face many threats from this insecurity. >> this man's wife is a victim of the war. fighting kept her from getting the doctor and she died of her illness. the lucky ones pd up here. an emergency hospital. like most this person has one name doctors are fighting to save his leg. in the operating room a

painstaking search for shrapnel in the gunshot victim. the hospital accepts anyone no questions asked. sam is a policeman. he's been serving four years and says the fighting has never been this bad. >> translation: sankin is a dangerous area. there are thousands of taliban there. all of sankin is for taliban, the government controls the roads, none of the villages. this is a member of the intelligence forces another district of heavy fighting. >> i'm worried. there are four governments. they are with the government they'll fight for the country. >> reporter: prove of a record number here. it is still fool. >> translation: there has been so many casualties. the hospital the mosque and the play room has been turned into

words. >> they used the out door tents, the triage. >> a rare attack in lashkar gar killed seven. the fire fight lasted hours. those from the villages and the countryside are caught in the middle between the taliban fighters, government forces and they don't care who they hurt. casualties are at a record high. the fighting continues. the fighting is not limited to the south, there's battles with the taliban going on in the east. particularly in a couple of weeks. it's not just security of concern for the afghans. nato hoped by now there would be an established government. the new president took office three months ago, and he and his chief executive officer failed to come to an agreement. and so afghans are as worried about security as political in

stability. >> more to come. journalists languish in an egyptian gaol. we destroy the global decline in press freedom.

welcome back. let's recap the headlines. al jazeera - families are fearing the worst after an airasia flight headed from indonesia to singapore, lost contact. flight number qz8501, was carrying 162 people, including

seven crew the the vice president says he doesn't have information about where the plane could be. two ships have been sent to help a ferry. it's carrying over 470 passengers from greece to a coastal town in italy a ceremony is being held in the afghan capital kabul, marking the end of n.a.t.o.'s combat mission after 13 years. 2014 is the deadliest of the war. more than 4,000 afghan soldiers and police have been killed. malaysia - 160,000 people have moved from some of the areas worst hit by the floods. relief workers are struggling to help those in need. helicopters and the fuel to power them are hard to come by. torrential rains battered the region for almost a week. we have this report from one of the worst-affected areas. >> reporter: this is all that is

left of a street. five years ago this woman and her husband poured their life savings into an internet cafe. today it's waist-deep in water, along with the family home. they fear the business will never recover. >> i didn't have enough money to reboot my shop but i really hope that there is a way. many in malaysia's nearby peninsula are worried. torrential rains forced tens of thousands of people to flee from their homes, and seek shelter in camps like the high school. nora walked 2km with her 12 day old baby and young son, after her home was submerged in a matter of hours. >> the government should play a role in the critical situation,

concentrating efforts on mother that have just given birth like me. food is scarce there's a lack of drinking water. malaysians say the government has been slow to respond to the disaster. hundreds of volunteers are trying to fill the gap. many are distributing food drinking water and money. medical clinics are being set up. >> usually we worry about contagious diseases. they have diarrhoea due to inadequate hygiene, due to inadequate water and it is a great hazard actual. >> while urban areas have access to relief supplies remote communities are facing shortages. >> the the government promise 157 million to help flood victims rebuild their lives, but there are more immediate concerns. many are stranded in their

homes, cut off from emergency aid sri lanka has not been spared from the season's heavy monsoon rains. at least 10 people have been killed in mudslides and thousands forced from their homes. this person is in the sri lankan town. >> as you can see behind me a main highway collecting colombo with the north-western coach. inundated by water. vehicles sent in single file very much the smaller vehicles trying to as well vo big buses like the one that wept past. it's a way to get past the floodwaters. there has been many cases of vehicles stranded in the water that have to be pulled out of these floodwaters. now, basically there are over a million people that have been affected by the bad weather. a majority of them affected by the floods. essentially in this part.

there's something like 12,000 people that have moved there in displacement centers and in other parts of the country, a majority of 22 districts affected by the bad weather. in addition the other floods have been landslides and mudslides. there has been the main amount of fatalities reported in mudslides in the central part of the country. there are further warnings that there can be further mudslides. people have been advised to be alert. there are areas where disaster management evacuated people whether the worst part was around where the weather forecast was good. more heavy rains for the foreseeable future. >> they've now imprisoned in egypt for 365 days peter greste, and baher mohamed were

accused of and convicted of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their convictions. a committee says more than 200 have been gaoled and the advocacy group says press freedom has been at its worst level in more than a decade. mike hanna has more. there are things an objective person takes. some argue there were casualties. but no rational analysis discounts the fact they sit in gaol doing the jobs. >> these men are the first to acknowledge that they are among thousands armed globe who have fallen victim in a war to silence the messengers. as peter put it we no longer report from the front line we

are the front line. >> nowhere has the front line been more bloody than in syria where journalists have been killed. the most recent victim is al jazeera correspondent. as many as nine reporters were killed in iraq. at least seven dead in ukraine. where a new conflict erupted. in many zones of conflict governments are directly involved. governments that appear to regard journalist as necessary collateral damage in a pursuit of political ends. >> and thousands of reporters who have been imprisoned around the world, they are testament to the fact that in many cases suppression. media is a matter of law, not mere chance. >> over the past year the rise of non-nation actors the unelected militant groups using

any means to secure an ideological or religious end and in which reporters become chips to barter or be disposed of. the power of those that seek to shine light on event is undiminished. luke's images going through transmission, glitter brightly after he has gone. in the photographs lies a basic truth, no matter how brutal the nature of change there'll always be those brave and honest enough to record it. an egyptian police officer has been killed in a drive-by shooting in alexandria. gunmen opened fire on a security checkpoint. four other people were wounded in the attack. the i canny army has retaken the town from the group known as the islamic state of iraq and

levant. security forces supported by shia militias have been involved in fighting by i.s.i.l. the town sl located 90km south. forces have tape two more villages in the nearby areas meanwhile, the iraqi army backed by militias are fighting i.s.i.l. 100km north of the capital. some areas of the town are clear of i.s.i.l. fighters but the group has a large presence. thousands attended the funeral of a new york police officer. he was one of two officers shot and killed in a patrol car on december 20th. the casket was carried out with police giving him the final salute. both officers have posthumously been promoted to detective. u.s. vice president joe biden paid tribute to the men. they were part of the new york's

finest. that's not an idol phrase it's probably the finest police department in the world. the finest police department in the world. [ clapping ] . >> they earnt that praise. >> new york police officers turned their backs when mayor bill de blasio gave the eulogy highlighting their anger towards the mayor, highlighting the protest. officers turned their backs on bill de blasio when he visited the hospital. they were declared dead. >> time is running out of the millennium development goals. including health. by 2015 it is reduced by 75%. south africa has been slow to reach this goal but a new mobile phone app could change that. we have this story. >> reporter: waiting in line at the clinic when you are eight

months pregnant is something many women dread. information that is potentially life saving. using her mobile phone see sends an s.m.s. to a designated number. she connects to an application. it's a free government service, where she can ask questions, and receive valuable information on what to do at any stage of a pregnancy. >> it's like having a clinic next to you. it's great. many can't go for check-ups, they are not feeling well. if i'm worried about complications i send an s.m.s. south africa made progress reducing the deaths of women and babius many are dying. it's a radical approach to save lives. >> to women living in remote

areas, especially those who are far from the clinic they do feel that they have got a resource where they can just access information, using mobile technology just to talk through their phone. they ask us information which tells them what to do and when to go to the scope if there's anyone regarding pregnancy. >> women register at the nearest clinic. it's a national project that aims to register 1 million women every year. this is the nerve center where some of the data is received processed and sent back to mobile phone users. >> this is the bazooka. what it is really doing is empowering women, with the informs to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. >> soon to be more it can help to identify risks to her and her

baby. her mobile phone is her clinic. >> you can get more on these stories. if you head to the website, you can see the front page there aljazeera.com. >> for centuries the tribes of this country lived together without tribal atrocities, and nothing like the rwandan