>> a news celebration takes a deadly turn in shanghai. what sparked a wild stampede that killed dozens. >> growing frustration for family members of the victim of the airasia flight 8501. >> after spending more than a year in an egyptian prison,

three al jazeera reporters are granted a new trial. >> ringing in 2015, the world's biggest and best news celebration. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. >> while millions of people range in the new year peacefully, it was a trankic start to 2015 in shanghai. 35 people were killed, dozens more injured at a stampede at a celebration. >> someone dropped coupons out of a window that looked like money when it started. >> a night of revelry quickly turned chaotic. this is the skean of what started as a news celebration. the injured lie on the ground, run down in a stampede on the

waterfront district. it started just before midnight. police are still investigating the cause. >> we were down stairs and those upstairs wanted to move down and those upstairs wanted to move up. we were pushed down. all those trying to move up fell down on the stairs. >> witnesses reported seeing cue upon's being throwing into the crowd that looked like dollar bills. pictures of the coupons have appeared on social media. assist popular spot in the city, which restored old buildings and narrow streets. a new year's eve laser display was planned here. the one in 2013 attracted 300,000 people, a week ago the local government canceled the show, the official reason, to improve traffic flow. >> it's hard to cancel tradition. it is a gathering place for major events, so people went anyway, apparently in the thousands. it's not clear what kind of crowd control measures were in place, but whatever it was it

wasn't enough. >> the country's president is calling for an immediate investigation he. >> three of our al jazeera colleagues who were spent a year in an egyptian prison have been granted a retrial but free dam may be a long way off for the three, convicted simply of doing their jobs. >> inside a cairo court new life was breathed into the case of the three journalists. >> asking for retrial because they said a major problem inside the verdict. >> for now the three remain behind bars. egypt's court saying they do not have the legal authority to release them on bail. while none of the journalists were present today the producer praised the news from prison, saying: >> any chance of the trio

getting out of jail before their next trial will be decided by the same court that denied them bail last year. the same court which eventually convicted the men to between seven and 10 years in prison. a new trial could begin within weeks or months, but the entire appeals process could take another year. >> i can't even imagine that he would stay for are a year in prison. i'm still waiting for a miracle to happen. >> lawyers are cautiously optimistic about the chance. >> i believe we have to discuss this matter with the defendants themselves and later on, we shall see what will be the adequate steps to be taken. >> the decision bit panel of judges was made not based on the facts of the case, but rather an examination of the arrest, the trial and its proceedings which al jazeera and outside observers believe was flawed. >> i think now the decision is to go back and to review all of that.

there is a gate of hope, obviously when it comes to the procedure and the court itself. >> there is still the possibility that egyptian president al sisi could use his power to pardon or deport the journalists. the three were convicted in june on charges of broadcasting false news used to aid the muslim brotherhood, the banned party of ousted egyptian president morsi. al jazeera rejects the charges. >> we are going to take a closer look at the appeals process and retrial with our expert on egyptian law. >> palestinians have taken the first step towards joining the international criminal court. membership will give president abbas the potential to accuse israel of war crimes, but israel's prime minister says joining the court will expose palestinians to potential prosecution. a bid was rejected for

palestinian statehood. >> netanyahu is closer to another term at israel's prime minister overnight reelected as the head of his party. early they are month he dissolved the parliament, triggering an early election in marsh. >> the trial for the suspected boston marathon bomber begins monday, prosecutors say that he and his brother who was later killed by police set off the explosives right there at the finish line. a federal judge rejected a defense request to postpone the trial and to move it to another district. >> three more bodies have been recovered from airasia flight 8501 making nine victims recovered since the jet crashed sunday. bodies have been arriving and one has been identified so far. meanwhile, bad weather continues to hamper the search efforts. we are live in indonesia. good morning.

what is the latest? >> a little over and hour ab, there was the first funeral of one of the victims of the air asia crash a woman in her 40s. she was the first one to be identified. she was traveling in a group with her husband and in-laws but they still have to be found. three more bodies were found today near the island where the crash happened and those bodies are taken to the mainland in borneo but haven't arrived where i am right now. they have to be identified. the reality is that it is now nine bodies of 152 so more to

be recovered. >> the weather factor, investigators saying it could take a week to find the plane and its block boxes. is there any relief in sight in terms of the weather there? >> well, no, unfortunately not. it's the monsoon the rainy season here. it's predicted to be bad for the next couple of days and that of course is affecting the rescue and recovery efforts because of waves up to four meters high, making it very difficult for small boats to evacuate anybody and makes it very difficult for helicopters to fly over the area to actually search for more bodies. there's a whole group waiting to assist, but that depends on the weather conditions at gee it's a

new year and a lot of people on that plane were traveling to celebrate the new year. i understand a lot of those celebrations turned into vigils. >> yeah, it's a very sad beginning of the new year. the world celebrating but the official program has been canceled here. there was a huge entertainment festival planned last night. many people are still on the street, several thousand i have to say were still on the street, but there was no music a few fireworks, very subdued and a lot of people with candles and people operating for the victims. >> we he apologize to our viewers for that long satellite delay, obviously it's on the other side of the world. stay with al jazeera. in 15 minutes, we'll speak he

with a former ntsb board member about the on going investigation and air asia's safety record. >> news cell braces were replaced by protests in mexico he where thousands marched with the parents of those 43 missing students in mexico city. al jazeera's david mercer was there. >> while people around the world are celebrating the start of a new year, the parents of mexico's 43 missing students are back in mexico city, close to the president's house determined not to let their children be forgotten. >> it's been more than three months since police kidnapped the students and handed them over to a drug gang. it was revealed that federal police and soldiers not only new about the attack, but may have participated. only one student's remains have been identified. while many believe the students were murdered in september their parents say they are holding out hope. >> we don't know when we will find them, but we have to do

whatever it takes. >> this case has shocked the nation and people across mexico are calling for the president to step down. with congressional elections in july and the parents planning more protests, the big question is whether mexicans are willing to for give and forget. >> 1,000 people have been killed in gang related violence in mexico, 27,000 have completely disappeared. >> protestors ringing in the new year calling for justice. in oakland california, dozens chanted black lives matter and called for an end to police brutality. many are expected back on the street in just a few hours for another demonstration. >> in st. louis protestors handed out mock eviction notices at the police headquarters, saying it was time to citizens took back the department. at least five protestors were charged with trespassing and it's been nearly five months

since teenager michael brown was shot and killed by a police officer in nearby ferguson. >> police blocked some from entering times square. flyers were handed out explaining they had the right to protest, but could be arrested if they did not stay on the sidewalk. of course, there were more parties than protests across the country, as revelers brought in the new year. >> one thing you can say about celebrating new year's, there is no one way to do it. in fact, john henry smith is here now with a look at some of the more unique ways people range in the new year. >> happy news to you both by the way. news celebrations ranged from the spectacular to the sublime. 2015 came in with some pretty amazing spectacles to millions around the world will not soon forget. >> song filled the air.

♪ >> amazing pyrotechniques around the world. newly released footage showing night turning into day over sydney harbor, lighting up the faces of the 1 million aussie revelers. fireworks lit up the sky over moscow's red square and amazing lights show in dubai. l.e.d. panels on the world's largest building. >> in paris a light show cast across the arch de triumph. in the u.s., 1 million people braved frigid temperatures to watch that famous ball drop in

times square. >> feels like it's 100 degrees outside with all of the people and the lights and the confetti. it's amazing. >> across america, they dropped other things from race cars in indy to peaches in atlanta to drag queens in key west. astronauts were even dropping this bit of knowledge from outer space. >> we figure that we will be over midnight, somewhere over the earth 16 times throughout this day. >> news celebrations were a time to party and a time to hope. >> i hope everyone has a nice 2015. yeah. >> what do you hope for personally in 2015? >> well, i hope i get my boyfriend. i hope to get married. >> we pause we he think about the things in life that are good the things we love, the bright lights in our lives and

say maybe next year, we'll do a little bit better. >> i just wanted to offer apology to my wife last night and the smith household by 9-year-old daughter and my wife got together and cell braided with iced tea. if my 9-year-old was a little wired last night and not able to go to bed early enough, honey i'm sorry. >> i guess that's a smith family tradition. you were in times square. >> yes yes. >> you got to see the ball drop. >> it was the dick clark rock and role party minus dick clark and rock and roll. it never gets old. it's like penalty arriving on marine one it never gets boring. it's fantastic. >> do we have pictures of you out there. >> if we must. >> look at that. there you are. look at that hat! >> look at that! >> you heard of the saying when in rome, do as the romans do. when in times square, do as the

time squares people do. >> i've heard of a cover girl. >> he's a cover man. >> where did you get the hat? >> they hand them out. around 11:00 everybody puts them on. they reckon 200 million americans saw that ball come down a billion will witness it around the world. i've checked with the nypd, no significant incidents. >> always braves it out there and back this morning too. >> i know. >> thank you. >> still ahead a case of fire and ice. >> a small town left nearly frozen solid after battling an intense blaze in freezing temperatures. >> it was supposed to be a joyful celebration but a stray rocket in afghanistan did he ever states a family gathered for a wedding. we are live in kabul with the latest. >> we'll discuss the painstaking recovery of the victims and the plane involved in that air asia disaster. former ntsb member is with us

next. >> today's big number, we'll tell you why general motors shelled out that much cash.

>> today's big number is $3,930,000,000, that's how much general motors has spent buying up shares of its preferred stock. 156 million shares. the move strength they understand the balance sheet before the end of the year. >> the company will take a one time charge of $800 million. g.m. purchased a huge number of shares as part of its bankruptcy and bailout deal in 2009. >> a rocket crashed into a wedding party killing 28 in afghanistan. the rocket came from a firefight between afghan security forces and the taliban. the attack comes days after the u.s. and nato officially ended their combat missions in shifting

mainly to a support role. police are investigating that rocket strike now. what exactly do we know? >> that's right a very grim start to the year for the afghans. police are looking into exactly what happened, though it is likely it was government artillery that rocket fire, because the taliban don't have that kind of heavy artillery but really a sign of how difficult things are for the afghans here, that there is fighting at the beginning of the year in january in the province is usually very rare. by this time usually the fighting has died down, but it is very fierce down there. i was at the hospital where the wounded were taken just last week and their words were still full. it's been the hardest year ever or afghan civilians, 10,000 in 2014 were killed or injured. >> you mentioned you were at the hospital, and the images we're

seeing now are quite striking, so what's the national message around this? i know that afghan's president spoke at a ceremony honoring the troops as they take over security, but what exactly was the message to them in a time of crisis? >> this was a big day for afghanistan and the president marked it at the presidential palace giving a speech to the nation. he can congratulated the afghan security forces saying the honor of the nation is now in their hands. at midnight, the afghan forces are in control of the country. he he promised security forces a few things, anyone in the lower ranked not promoted an automatic promotion. he promised education and accommodation. he praised afghan women saying no one has suffered more in these war time days and he had a

warning for afghanistan's neighbors, saying that if there's not peace in afghanistan, then there cannot be peace in the region. he warned neighbors not to meddle in afghanistan's internal affairs and promised that afghanistan would not be used to launch attacks on other nation's soil. >> strong words and a warning. live for us in kabul jennifer, thanks for being with us. >> north korea's leader opened the possibility of a summit with south korea in a new year's eve speech saying he is willing to have dialogue if south korea wants better relations but said north korea would strengthen its military and nuclear exhibits. the south wants disarmament but welcomes the offer of talks. >> three more bodies found in the search forever victims in airasia flight 8501, making a total of nine bodies recovered. their coffins were arriving to start the identification process. wind and heavy rain hampered search efforts to find the plane

and its black boxes. we want to bring in john, an independent air safety consultant and former member of the ntsb. sir, happy new year to you. we are hearing about bad weather in that area, making the search difficult today. how much more is the investigation complicated the longer workers are unable to recover this plane. >> the investigation is ongoing the fact that we recovered some bodies to be examined closely to see if there is any clues contained in or on the bodies. i'm sure the investigators are frustrated right now because of the weather. they'd like to get down there and if in fact that is the airplane, start roofing the victims from the airplane, the wreckage and eventually get to the recorders. >> there have been reports for the last couple of days that sonar scans have picked up what may be the plane but after 24

hours, they still haven't verified that. why that is? if it was picked up on a sonar image, why couldn't they just go to the spot and see if the plane body is down there? >> well, i don't know if they have cameras that they can tow onboard those ships to get down there. that's not only cameras but lights to light it up, and it sounds like they don't. the sonar is going to show that you something irregular is on the floor of the ocean in that area but it's not going to tell you anymore than that. we need the weather to break to get the divers or the appropriate fear down there to take a look. we know the airplane must be in the area, because we found the bodies. >> should they have found the black boxes by now or at least registers some pings? >> i find that surprising that they haven't mentioned the pings at all. now, if the airplane is in fact

intact, the recorders could be on the airplane rounded by all that metal which would restrict the travel for the pinger. that's always been a problem particularly when the tail of the airplane stays in tact, the sound doesn't travel as far because it's in a room, essentially in a metal box. it wouldn't be surprising if they didn't hear the pinger, but i'm surprised that they haven't talked it. >> i want to ask you something else. "the new york times" has a report out about indonesia's air safety record being far behind the international average. >> indonesia has had a rapidly expanding aviation industry, and the regulatory authorities in india have had a differ time keeping up with that process

however, air asia is structured differently and have put a fair amount of resources in their infrastructure to control their operation. web see that in the emergency response for the families. they have done an outstanding job especially compared to what happened in malaysia earlier in 2014, they have done an outstanding job of keeping the families informed, counseling very early on, so you can see that their operation is different, so they're not depending upon the regulatory authorities to tell them. >> all right john, thank you for your expertise this morning. >> it was a battle against extreme temperatures in wyoming as firefighters battled huge flames that tore through an historic town. temperatures dipped to 25 below zero making it so cold that some of their hoses froze.

the water used to fight the fires coated the buildings in ice. dozens of businesses were destroyed. >> in california, the new year kicked off with a winter mess, dozens stranded on highways, where nearly 200 people got stuck during heavy snowfall in the san bernadino mountains. arizona also not feeling the heat this new year's day. areas near flagstaff received more than six inches of snow on wednesday. parents of the major highway there were closed, as crews struggled to clear those roads something they are definitely not used to. >> all right well, three al jazeera journalists imprisoned in egypt for over a year are granted a retrial. >> does this mean that the three could soon be released? >> thousands of people risk their lives trying to cross the border into the u.s. and some of never seen again. we have more on the search for missing migrants in part three that our in-depth series "on the

border." >> the makers of play-doh under fire for a toy some parents say is obscene. it's one of the stories caught in our global net. stay tuned.

>> you are looking live at times square, where they spent the morning cleaning up from last night's news bash. looks different in the light of day. welcome to al jazeera america. thanks so much for spending your monday here with us. ahead, the new laws going into effect across the country today including one that allows undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses. >> russian president thanking his country for unity just a day after protests of the conviction of an opposition leader, but does he really pose a threat to vladimir putin's power. >> only a handledful of drugs gets f.d.a. approval each year and some come with a very hefty price tag. how the cost is decided and what could bring those prices down. >> first a look at our latest headlines this morning.

china's president said there will be a thorough investigation into a deadly new year's eve stampede. 35 were killed, dozens injured during celebrations last night in shanghai. events including the midnight countdown were canceled because of overcrowding. >> bad efforts ham percent the search efforts for airasia flight 8501. three more bodies have been recovered in the sea making nine victims recovered since the jet went down sunday. coffins containing the bodies have been arriving in indonesia. >> three al jazeera journalists jailed in egypt have been granted a retrial. lawyers say the legal process could last from weeks to more than a year. the three were convicted of broadcast be false news and helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. al jazeera says the original trial was flawed and demands their immediate release.

>> what's your nationals of this decision? >> it's interesting. there are positives and negatives. the positive is there is an admission that there were mistakes made in the initial trial. that admission is very telling. the negative is they continue to be held for an indefinite time period. the bigger picture here is unfortunately, these three journalists are really caught in a struggle between the government and it's really independent of these trumped you have charges leveed against them. >> a lot of us hoped there might go a release today. is that a possibility before there is a retrial? >> so there's a new law passed that said foreign nationals or people with with alternate citizen ships can be reds and deported and not placed in prison. i think that was the initial hope that ok,le trial will be suspended, there won't be real

acquittal, but they will be deported. >> at least in the case of greste and the other journalist, but not the third because he is egyptian. >> now that they are not going to be released on that new you. >> a pardon, is that possible? >> a pardon would be strategically smart because egypt is accused of lack of press freedom and freedom of speech. you would think the egyptian regime would say let's signal to the international community that we're moving forward with a democratic conditions that were placed upon pups for them not to do that means they are really hedging some short term objective over long term strategic interests. i think it's because they are still trying to iron out releases with qatar. >> the trial how would it be

any different than the first trial in which there was hardly any evidence presented? >> i think even today's trial was interesting because it lasted a few minutes. >> three minutes for each person to speak the lawyers. >> not all the lawyers teams were in the room, family members didn't ever time to get into the room. they are saying this will begin was not month. as you said in your intro this could take either a month or up to another year. >> again i go back to this question, this has really put a spotlight on egypt's legal system. there was no evidence ilk relation to the charges presented at the first trial why should we hope that outcome you will be different now? >> we can and we can't. i think the interesting thing is that they actually admitted there there were mistakes, and so that could be the silver lining that says there will be a new trial where they will have to go through the strategical

motions, but the outcome will be different because they already admitted major mistakes were made. >> the death sentences were commuted for four inmates on maryland's death row. lawmakers voted two years ago to abolish capital punishment in the state for future offenders leaving the last prisoners to await executions does not serve the public good said the governor. he leaves office in two weeks. >> more non-mexicans were arrested in 2014 trying to illegally enter this country than mexicans. >> one place known for tracking undocumented migrants is north of the border in texas. >> we take a closer look at the third and final installment of the series "on the border." >> it's been four months suns our last visit to brooks county.

twenty more bodies ever appeared in the desert since then. they are are the remains of migrants killed by exhaustion and thirst. none of the wides are the one we seek. >> julio's father calls regularly to see if there has been any progress. >> every friday, he calls, you know and tells me how many fridays it's been since his son has disappeared. >> in august, we joined the two full time volunteers of the southwest texas human rights center to look for a 20-year-old man who disappeared. another migrant said he fainted from exhaustion. he had traveled from guatemala in hopes of joining his father in the united states. >> do you think there's any water in that over here that may be attracted him? >> that day the search had been fruitless, like it's been every day since. the volunteers have long given up hope on finding him alive but still search for his

remains. >> if we can put a body, take it home to julio's father, they have someone you to bury. >> at the brooks county sheriffs office, the chief deputy, benny americans said 20 bodies in four months is markably few compared to the summer, when two or three appeared each week. the cooler weather is a factor, but fewer mike grants are passing through. >> we're probably down at about 100 a day now or less. >> 100 people going through the desert here. >> yes yes versus we were looking at 300 to 500 a day so that's quite a drop. >> the things they left behind are still here in brooks county, but the migrants themselves far fewer. the sheriff's office said with more national guard state police and border patrol here, may go rants are venturing further west into more dangerous

territory. >> since the folks started walking a lot earlier so they start walking further in the brush a lot earlier than they used to. >> how many miles would that be? >> we're 40 miles from there and they probably start walking maybe another 60. >> 60 miles total on foot? >> roughly. >> that's with rattle snakes and little water. >> i think their drive is pretty much the same and they know that that's going to be a lot more dangerous for them, ok, to do this walk further. >> martinez said if more people are now dying on the longer trek, the thick winter vegetation will hide their bodies until summer. he hopes he's wrong, he said, but he's bracing for more julios morrises and daughters who have lost their lives in the brooks county desert. >> the harsh journey through the county has claimed at least 400

lives since 2009. >> 2015 will usher in new laws in several parts of the u.s. minimum wage increases will take effect in 21 states, a majority of them will have hourly pay higher than the federal minimum. the hike goes into effect in 20 states today alaska will raise its minimum wage next month. >> the new year brings in tracking bans in new york, texas where measures have been passed banning the practice. >> california is implement ago new law to curb sexual assaults, colleges serving state funds for student aid will be bound by the yes means yes provision requiring parties to give affirm tough consent before sexual activity. >> california is adding 930 new laws for 2015, most of which do go into effect today. one will have a major impact on

undocumented immigrants. >> all california residents will now be eligible to apply for a driver's license. rob reynolds explains why this is such a big change. >> living and working in southern california cities, it's difficult to get by without a car, but drivers among the estimated 2 million undocumented immigrants living in california are often wary of getting a driver's license for fear of showing up on government radar and risk being deported for living in the u.s. illegally. >> once people find they need to show proof of immigration status that they're here legally once they find they don't have that and they can't get a driver's license, they'll just drive and not necessarily know the rules of the road, what to do at a stoplight, who gets the right-of-way at a turn. >> a new state law allows undocumented residents to get a license after taking the standard driving test. the law includes a guarantee that california law enforcement

agencies will not report undocumented drivers to federal immigration authorities in case of a traffic stop. >> at the center for the rights for human aid in los angeles activists are preparing to help thousands take their driver's license test. >> our people are very excited. they've been waiting for this for more than 20 years here in california. >> offices of the state department of motor vehicles are bustling, more than 400,000 people have made appointments for driving tests double the number this time last year. >> california is the 10th u.s. state to legalize driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, but it is an especially important move because california has more undocumented immigrants than any other state. >> other states with large immigrant populations like arizona prohibit undocumented residents from getting licenses. california police agencies say the new law will prevent accidents and save lives. >> we hope that people will get out there and get their driver's

license, get educated to the rules of the road, and that way it will in turn make them safe behind the wheel knowing that ok well now i am driving legally, i have less to worry about being pulled over by the police. >> that likely means all californians will have a safer new year. al jazeera, los angeles. >> >> washington was the first of 10 states to allow driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants starting in 1993. >> let's take a look at some of the stories caught in our global net. an idaho man on the run is taunting police with lavish photos are his new hide away. the 27-year-old fugitive broke out of jail in august. he's doing that. look at that, he's got photos kissing girls standing shirtless on the beach even throwing up his middle finger, like this one. that's bold. >> that is bold, apparently police are looking at his social media to track him down.

>> they think they're going to find him. >> there's a toy that some say looks like a phallic symbol. the toy is a plastic tool made for kids to deck raid play-doh cakes. they say it looks specifically by the male not my. the company is respond to go a flood of comments. >> i am not going to such that one with a 10-foot pole, no pun intended. that already. a new fashion label is trying to appeal to vladimir putin fans. the first product is a silver ring topped with an image of the president's face. who wouldn't want that? we all want stuff with putin's face on it. >> the company is doing well with this gear.

>> the designer had a lot of pro kremlin activities and say russia and putin get a bad rap. >> ok, there you go. >> speaking of. >> russian president vladimir putin talks about solidarity in his news address. >> a new exhibit revealing how andy warhol is getting new life in the 21st century. >> remember ago familiar face on t.v. and film, award winning act or edward herman.

>>we can show marijuana is leaving colorado. [[vo]] the highs and lows of a year on pot.

>> coming back live with a look at london, that is actually

their new year's day parade. you can see big ben in the background. people in orange jackets those are americans. the university of texas part of that parade. welcome back. it's been quite a year for russia's president. vladimir putin thanked russians for making it through the tougher times in his new year's address. >> the pain of western sanctions remain. the russian ruble is in trouble and low oil prices making matters even worse. peter sharp has more. >> the there additional fireworks over red square, bringing in the new year in moscow. for the russian people, an uncertainty about what lies ahead. there were reassuring words from president putin in his traditional news message to the nation. >> at this time when we summarize the ending of the year, i want to sincerely thank

you for your unity and solidarity truth justice and responsibility for the destiny of your country for stand big not only in triumph but also at a time of trials to fight eight the implementation of our wide scale plans. >> 2014 had the glory of hosting the world's most expensive olympics in history, a spectacular that confounded the critics. crimea was annexed a triumphant putin side stepping nato and the west as part of the territory voted to rejoin russia. the war that followed between government troops and pro-russian separatists raged uninterrupted as the west piled on the sanctions. the ruble plummeted losing more than 50% of value against

the dollar. oil prices followed in the same direction, as more than $130 billion in foreign capital left the country heading west. for the russian people today preparing for the two week new year holiday are a particularly resilient punch. the kremlin has told them the country is now under threat by america, nato and the west and this siege mentality with the predictions for the year ahead. >> i expect all the best from the new year. everything is going to be all right. we will be happy and healthy. >> it's hard to say what to expect with the current situation in the country we hope everything is going to be ok, we will be lucky and happy. >> i think that everything is going to be great. >> despite these words of comfort and reassurance there's a growing realization perhaps unspoken among these people that things are going to get worse possibly far worse before they

get better. peter sharp, al jazeera in moscow. >> putin's speech comes one day after protests in moscow, where hundreds of russians demonstrated against the conviction of opposition leader. he and his brother were charged with fraud. critics see the move as a way of silencing his chief critic. the executive director of the american institute in ukraine joins us to discuss alexei and what his popularity means to russia's president, vladimir putin. why is he such a threat to putin? it almost seems he's this political challenge with where putin doesn't even want to say his name. >> to what degree is the regime overreacting. he's moscow based he ran for mayor of moscow, got 27% have the vote, which is a decent result considering he's not

tied to a party structure. on the other hand, only 35% of voters participated in the elections, so it's a smallsoming mr. >> let's talk about who that constituency is. is this more about the profile or people? he's tapped into grassroots and a strong russian class. >> he he's tapped into liberal sentiments in moscow, but what he has done and what makes him different, he has linked it to russian nationalist themes, which is controversial. he comes into a contribution where he says things like in ukraine, he says that we must have a high degree of participation between russia and ukraine. he was against putin being

active in crimea. on the one hand, he said there is no division between russia and ukraine they belong together. then when he comes out against cry my he i can't he distances himself from the nationalists. >> some may perceive it as double talking. >> it's a big problem for him. he don't easily reconcile lib are a limb and nationalism in russia. in crimea, he opposes vladimir putin. in russian politics, you can't seem to say i'm against the regime, against the president but on this, he's right. >> i want to go back to who he is. is the kremlin really prepared to tackle him? he's unlike a lot of the opposition leaders they've seen before. he's a blogger so not relying on state media. he refuses to be exiled, saying i miss russia's black bread when

i'm away and doesn't have money for putin to use at leverage, so can the kremlin take him down? >> no, i don't think they can take him down. i think he's an independent arc at her comes to us very well on t.v., seen as having a lot of integrity and the people are responding to this. the regime has to figure out a way to deal with it, in a way that doesn't make him a martyr. they went after his brother. >> he he's currently in jail, his brother. >> he was hit with a sentence, alexander got a suspended sentence, so consequently, they seem to treat him with kid gloves, because throwing him in the slammer he will become a martyr. >> he already has kind of become a matter. >> feats for sure. he he he's very durable. despite the pressure of the regime he's always appeared at the protest always the center of attention.

it's pretty remarkable. on the other hand, they haven't pushed it to the extend if they chuck him in the slammer that ups the ante making him a cause for the revert of the world to rally behind. the furor that the kremlin has is he would because the lightning rod for a situation like in kiev where the over throw of the government early in 2014, so he would because a guy who would coalesce all those forces and you have some effort at regime change in russia. >> westerners are already taking note of him. thank you so much for joining us on this new year's day. >> thank you. happy new year. >> we'll speak with a member of the band pussy riot who was arrested at a protest in moscow. >> he was not a household name, but character actor edward herman was a familiar face. the 71-year-old tony and emmy

award winning actor died in new york after battling brain cancer. for many, he'll be remembered for playing f.d.r. in the 1976 mini series. he appeared in 45 movies in his nearly four decade long career. >> andy warhol is loved around the world and now london is opening the doors to a new exhibit dedicated to his work. jessica baldwin takes us inside. >> instant recognition iconic images that define the second half of the 20th century. american artist andy warhol was a force behind the idea of popular art pop art. popular, but not all the concepts are cheerful. the silk screen prints of marilyn monroe created after her death in 1962 convey a sense of mortality fading out of color. the electric chair from sing sing prison, the bright pass

tell colors at odds with the morbid subject matter. >> before andy warhol found fame and fortune as an artist, he worked as a graphic designer. he designed covers of albums, books, magazines anything to pay his rent. >> he always maintained a commercial side. he made a t.v. ad for a new york restaurant and expanded into just about every media. >> it was a story already circulating in mass media. he was redistributing it, making painting a major pop art iconic worse. he was also publishing in magazines, books producing t.v. shows. >> television was part of his natural progression. attracted by infinite reproduction of images channeled directly to the population that consumes popular art his show in the 1980's in new york was a wacky mix of fashion music

even exercise. the new york socialite edie sedgewick became a factory where the line blurred. >> the self portrait is like a death mask. created in 1986, just one year before his death after complications from routine surgery. warhol's images and the pop art form he helped to create has made modern art much more accessible to millions. >> two of his pieces sold for over $65 million at a new york auction. >> hundreds of thousands of new year's eve revelers packed copacabana beach to ring in the new year. a 15 minute fireworks show was part of the celebration. it's a tradition in rio to dress

in white for the new year, signifying peace. >> lifting the u.s. embargo in cuba could change the economy of the country. of not being in pain >> deadly consequences >> the person i married was gone >> are we prescribing an epidemic? >> the last thing drug companies wanted anybody to think was that, this was a prescribing problem >> fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> today they will be arrested... >> ground breaking... they're firing canisters of gas at us... award winning investigative documentary series... opioid wars only on al jazeera america

>> from stage to screen oscar nominated actor ethan hawk >> the theatre has always bee my first love... >> separating art & politics >> if you have an agenda with people... you sometimes don't see the truth >> and the lifelong influence of his mother >> she was worried i was gonna be a spoiled brat and not see how complicated the world was >> every monday, join us for exclusive...

revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> bad weather once again hampering efforts to finds airasia flight 8501, while one of the first bodies pulled from the jar have a sea he has been i had grade back to court for our three al jazeera colleagues imprisoned in egypt the judge ruling they deserve a retrial. >> the city of chicago has a drop of violent crime in 2014. some say it shouldn't take away from deeper issues within the community.

>> ringing in a nippy new year, from coast-to-coast, people bundled up to celebrate a chilly start to 2015. >> welcome to al jazeera america. we begin this hour with the search for the missing airasia flight 8501, the effort slowed by bad weather officials saw it could take up to a week to locate the wreckage and retrieve the black box. the investigation into what exactly happened can finally begin. >> the first body of a victim has been identified as that of a passenger. the remains are released to their family for burial. let's bring in john now. what a heartbreaking way for these families to start the new year. >> eight hours after the ball drop in times square. we're reminded how fragile life really is. cell braces turned into vigils overnight at families mourned their loved once.

three more bodies are recovered. it's clear this process is going to be painstakingly long. >> indonesians started the new year holding candles and operating for the passengers and crew aboard airasia flight 8501. >> i hope the families left behind can stay strong and hopefully the search and rescue teams find all of the victims as soon as possible. >> this morning a somber ceremony as the first victim is identified and returned to her grieving family. cost 15 bearing her name was carried out of the hospital and transported home. other bodies recovered from the java sea arrive today at a military base. the coffins, marked with numbers, indicating the latest victims taken to a police hospital. now the painstaking process begins to try and identify the dead. indonesian red cross workers are going through finger prints and passenger records. onboard the airasia flight 8501,

162 people, including 17 children. the search continued today searching for the plane that took off sunday morning heading for singapore. the skies cleared overnight for a short time. >> we're still working hard, trying to recover the black box. that's the latest activity. >> there were reports that sonar may have detected part of the plane, something the c.e.a. of air asia disputes. >> nothing is confirmed yet. there are lots of rumors going around and until we have official confirmation, what you've heard is all speculation. >> the malaysian navy released photos of the missing jet. it was unclear whether it was deployed.

>> people in china also in mourning after news celebrations took a fatal turn in shanghai. this makeshift memorial was part of a stampede that killed 35 people and killed dozens more. many injured are describing that scene as chaotic. >> we were down stairs and wanted to move up, those upstairs wanted to move down. we were pushed down. all those trying to move up fell down on the stairs. >> witnesses say the stampede started when someone dropped coupons out of a window that looked like money. >> an egyptian court order add retrial in the case of three imprisoned al jazeera journalists, the three were arrested over a year ago on charges of spreading false news and collaborating with the banned muslim brotherhood. al jazeera denies the accusations and demands their immediate release. at the hearing today

prosecutors admitted there were major problems with the original trial. al jazeera reports. >> they never saw a minute of freedom in 2014 and with the start of a new year, they remain imprisoned. despite an appeals court granting the retrial the three are still behind bars. the judge in thursday's session said it was not in his power to grant bail. >> we welcome the court's decision to accept the appeal of our journalists, but at the same time demand that they are immediately reds. they are unjustly imprisoned. everything is politicized. their arrests and the verdict against them were also politicized. >> the arrests of the three al jazeera journalists were assumed to be a short term thing a mix up over accreditations. as time passed, it became more and more clear that the egyptian

authorities under president al sisi had other intentions. peter, a veteran correspondent who was an africa specialist but by his own admission knew little about egypt was as amazed as shocked by the idea that he was in some way link said to what the government described as terrorists. of course exactly the same could be said for his team. by mid january much of the international media was demanding the release of the three, as well. the #freeajstaff went viral saying the treatment to the employees was a threat to the entire journalistic community trying to report from egypt. the trial failed to come up with anything which could even vaguely have been said to incriminate them. a video of sheep herding fattage from a different channel

entirely were found on their lap tops. >> today the session presented video evidence and we found that the videos have no criminal indictment whatsoever toward detainees. >> eventually in june, the men were convicted and jailed. for the families, it was the lowest point of a dark year. >> it still remains enamel rip as just an awful awful nightmare. >> it was a farce. no witnesses appeared in the trial. i wonder how they were indicted and then sentenced in the first place. there isn't a single piece of evidence against them. >> world leaders including president obama denounced the court ruling. >> the issue of the al jazeera journalists in egypt we've been clear both publicly and privately that they should be released. >> for all that, the government

stood behind the court arguing that it had not been a political decision and now up to the appeals process to determine what should happen next. now that a retrial is ordered there is hope that this horrible ordeal will be over soon. until then, though, al jazeera and journalists everywhere will maintain the public campaign, because journalism is not a crime. al jazeera doha. >> the new trial set to take place next month. in the meantime, our three colleagues will remain in custody. >> benjamin netanyahu is inching closer to yet another term as israel's prime minister. overnight he was reelected as the head of his party. earlier this month he sacked several key ministers and dissolved the countries parliament triggering an early general election set to take place in marsh. >> north korean leader kim jong-un extending a shaky olive branch to south korea saying

he's willing to have dialogue if south korea wants to improve relations. that there are some strings attached. >> for the second year running kim jong-un used his news speech to strike in part a conciliatory tone raising the stakes with a possible summit with south korea. >> the atmosphere and environment is there, there is no reason not to hold the highest level summit. we will make every effort to advance dialogue and cooperation. >> he also said such talks couldn't take place while south korea carried out military drills with the u.s., a twice yearly event and reaffirmed his countries nuclear weapons policy. >> we proved clearly how right it is that we support the value of late leaders strengthen our national defense based mainly on the nuclear deterrence and save the finances, the life of the country strongly. >> kim's offer follows a

briefing by the ministry suggesting initial talks this month and the south korean president's own news message in which he promised to lead i don't think yang towards trust and change and eventual reunification. >> she is willing to meet kim jong-un, but only if such a meeting would offer the prospects of real progress, no talks for talks sake. she said this year would carry extra symbolism for the meeting the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war which here almost means the end of japanese colonial rule and the beginning of the north-south divide. >> if 2015 does see a summit, it will abthird. after the earlier meetings between kim jong-il and two different south korean presidents, but getting to that stage would be difficult. south korea wants the north to take steps towards nuclear disarmament, pong i don't think

continuing development as a key national policy. al jazeera seoul. >> the last former high level talks in february led to rare reunions for families separated over 60 years, since the end of the korean war. >> a rocket crashed into a wedding party in afghanistan killing at least 28 people. officials say the rocket same from a firefight between afghan security forces and the taliban. that attack comes days after the u.s. and nato officially ended their combat mission in afghanistan. jennifer glass has more from kabul. >> this was a big day for afghanistan and president of afghanistan saying the nation is in their hands. the afghan security forces are in our fully in security of the country. he he promised afghan security

forces that anyone who hasn't been promoted over the last five years an automatic promotion. he promised education and accommodation. he praised afghan women saying no one has suffered more in these war time days, and he had a warning for afghanistan's neighbors, saying that if there's not peace in afghanistan, then there cannot be peace in the region. he warned neighbors not to meddle in afghanistan's internal affairs and promised that afghanistan would not be used to launch attacks on other nation's soil. >> 2014 has been the deadliest in afghanistan. since 2001, at least 4600 members of the afghan security forces have been killed fighting the taliban. >> in this country protestors range in the new year calling for justice. in oakland california, demonstrators chanted black lives matter and called for an end to police brutality. many of the same protestors are expected back on the streets in a few hours for another demonstration. >> in st. louis, mock i he

eviction notices were handed out at police headquarters, saying citizens should take back over the department. it's been five months since teenager michael brown was killed bay police officer in ferguson. >> 100 protestors tried to crash "the new york times" square party, but police blocked them from entering the area. the nypd said while they did have the right to protest, they could be arrested if they didn't stay on the sidewalk. protests or no protests, the party went off without a hitch in new york's times square. >> that is one place the crowd said goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015. john henry smith here with more. good morning john. >> it's really, really a lot of fun to see the increasing creativity of the various new york celebrations across america. for example, in key west, florida, a drag queen named

sushi descended on to the street as the clock struck midnight. >> in atlanta, a peach dropped. georgia is called the peach tree state. in indianapolis, home of the famous indianapolis 500 auto race what else would they drop at stroke of midnight but a race car? this is the first time they've done this in the hoosier state. i don't know what they'd dropped but a whole lot of cash in las vegas. of course "the new york times" square is the most iconic celebration in america. it was a time of. >> i and hope. >> well, i hope i can find boyfriend. yeah! and get married. >> it feels like it's 100 degrees outside with all of the people and the lights and confetti. >> such a great time! i love it!

i love it! >> all right now among the other things dropped around the country at midnight, a giant pine cone in flag staffer arizona, a giant walleye fish in port clinton ohio, and a giant moon pie in mobile abalabama not surprising there. mobile alabama, great food town. >> i wonder if you could actually eat. it that's the thing now dropping stuff. >> did you camp the part where i said it was a giant moon pie really big. >> what other kind should there be? >> exactly. >> thanks so much. >> chicago officials are touting a drop in violent crime. >> not everyone is so excited. >> people don't want to help the police be successful, because they feel that the police don't respect them. >> why some say the windy city has a long way to go to fix all its problems. >> college football fans running for coffer after a dust devil tears through at the rose bowl. we'll have that after this.

>> look at that, the wind sent a bounce house and just about everything else flying at a rose bowl fan fest. talks about were tossed in the air in what looked like a mini tornado. four were injured and treated at the scene. the famed rose bowl parade is expecting freezing temperatures later this morning. >> wyoming firefighters battled flames and extreme temperature the massive fire tearing through the town on wednesday. temperatures dipped to 25 below zero freezing their fire hoses four buildings with more than a dozen businesses were destroyed and the water encased them in a thick layer of ice. >> chicago rank in the new year celebrating a drop in its crime rate. a flood of illegal guns said that violence is on the decline. >> the numbers don't tell the whole story.

chicago closed another violent year marked with crime scene tape arrests and 7,000 confiscated illegal guns. sit, the f.b.i. labeled the murder capital three years ago said it got safer in 2014. >> right now, we have the fewest murders to date since 1965, 49 years ago. overall crime is down 12% from last year and down 27% from two years ago. >> still, police superintendent gary mccarthy admits chicago faces challenges, while there were fewer murders in chicago last year, there were over 300 more shootings and some parts of the city got even more dangerous. the austin neighborhood on the city's west side is actually seeing an increase in violent crime. the number of shootings and murders are up 15% this year over last and some residents are afraid to even leave their homes. herb's barbershop is in the

middle of the war zone. >> you see the guys selling drugs on the corner. >> drug violence is a topic of conversation among the regulars. >> it's like any molt, you got to know that someone can just come out and start shooting. >> they speculate about causes. >> times are so different now you're having parents at a much younger age for one as opposed to when i was coming up. >> and solutions. >> there should be a much better relationship and more cordial between people, between the police officers and the community. >> there's no real love for the police and that's got to change. >> illinois state representative la sean ford represents the neighborhood and sits on a violence prevention task force. he said the police need to develop relationships between the residents. >> people will call the police if they liked them and wanted to help them be successful, but people feel that the police don't respect them. >> the city that put more police on the streets in troubled

neighborhoods, but it hasn't stopped the violence. police superintendent mccarthy said the answer is tougher gun laws. with chicagoans fed up with scenes like this, they will have their say on whether the new crime fighting strategy is working with city elections coming up in the new year. >> those crime statistics are used to challenge rahm emanuel in the mayor's race happening next month. >> from celebrities to politicians and artists a list of prominent people left us last year. >> we have a look back. ♪

now what to do with the next

25-30 years. >> just a few days ago when we first met him, fred was lingering with a death sentence. >> there was a time i'd come to the conclusion that i would probably die of liver disease and liver cancer. >> diagnosed with hepatitis c.20 years ago. he asked his health insurer. his medical history was a barrier to treatment. >> we have denied coverage or payment under medicare part d. for the following prescription. >> rejected. he was furious. >> that someone would tell me that i don't have the right to do whatever is necessary to save my life. >> our position is everybody deserves access to that cure, no matter what.

>> in the u.s., it can cost up to $100,000 for a full course of treatment. different insurers and health care providers set different criteria for who gets it. >> here's a breakthrough that seems to be a cure. how are we going to finance this pay for this. >> teaching economics he believes these drugs demand our attention, because poorer patient populations might be priced out of the growing market for life-saving drugs. >> when we're talking about four mill people and $300 billion, that's a big number. you know, i think we're at a point where it's time to reexamine, you know, how we do this for those kind of products, for these curious. >> he cautions that pharmaceutical research and development is hit and miss and extremely expensive. a statement says the price reflects the value of the medicine, which can reduce

hepatitis c. treatment costs in the short term and deliver health care savings over the long term. >> they are talking about economics and i'm talking about my life. >> fred appealed and won his medication delivered in that little brown box. his cost for a new chance at life just $3.36 while medicare pays the rest. >> i'm celebrating my victory but there's thousands of others, millions of other people out there that haven't enjoyed a victory like this before. >> al jazeera, seattle. >> we're joined now by an infectious disease physician. thanks for joining us this morning. >> my pleasure. >> we just heard this man say look, they are talking about money, but i'm talking about my life. $1,000 a pill. how do these companies really decide on what sets the price? >> well, unfortunately, too often, the price of a drug is

not necessarily what we might consider to be a fair price. it's really what the market will bear and how to maximize profits. this is a combination of two brand new drugs. gillead has the monopoly. >> no other companies make it. >> that's part of the reason you can demand whatever price you want essentially. the other issue is pairs insurance companies medicaid, medicare and our pair system is fragmented so nobody hat negotiating power to say you need to lower your prices. elsewhere, for example egypt which has a huge number of people almost four times as many people with hepatitis c. have a big market. it's the egyptian government that is negotiating for prices, and they've been a able to negotiate for a 12 week course of one of the components for the

entire 12 week course of $900. >> when you're considering all of these negotiators and pairs could competition drive down the price? >> absolutely. if you're in a system where it's a single pair system, you have a large number which patients and negotiating on behalf of that, you're in a situation where you have the leverage with the pharmaceutical companies to negotiate down the price. then also if you have more drugs, again that the company has the monopoly on, if there were more medications like that on the market, the price comes town. >> let's go back to the people affected. what's the success rate for this pill? >> that's what's so amazing about these new medications is that until now the drugs we used to treat hepatitis c. were extremely toxic would make you feel like you had the flu for months at a time and cure rates

low. now we're seeing 90% cure rates even for people who failed treatment in the past or that have cirrhosis where the liver is heavily scarred. >> what does this say to critics who say big pharma is in it for money and not the care and focus of the patients. >> the companies would argue they have to be accountable to their investors and they can't develop new drugs and bring them to market without the promise of profits for their investors. >> what about a comparison, about the 3 million americans who have hepc. will they be a i believe to live you with it like h.i.v. >> h.i.v. remains uncurable. hepatitis c. is curable. there are similarities in how the diseases transmitted and some of the ways we treat the different diseases, but i think what's really unfortunate is we have great medications now to cure so many people of hepatitis c. and yet many will never get

treated or will get treated after their livers have sustained damage from the virus. >> i want to switch gears for a moment while we have you here. the c.d.c. said yesterday that this season's flu is severe in that it is an epidemic. is the vaccine not keeping up with the strain of the virus? >> when we produce a vaccine for the flu we start a few months ahead of time. you do need time to figure out what are the strains circulating, you make predictions and have to gear up the manufacturing to produce enough doses to give to everybody. that starts several months in advance. during the period, though, you can have mutations in the virus so that the vaccine no longer protects well against what's circulating. usually that doesn't happen so much, but this year, that did happen, so one of the strains that the vaccine is supposed to protect against well, it doesn't protect so well against. >> is there an issue with the prediction or with resistance, are people developing a resistance.

>> it's more we got unlucky this year. you make a prediction, and unfortunately, the virus got ahead of us this year. people are not becoming resistant to the vaccine it's more the vaccine didn't match the virus this year. >> what's your advice? >> it still protects against two of the three strains so it's really important that you do get your vaccination for the flu. we've already seen 15 deaths among kids from the flu this year. we're bracing at the hospitals for elderly coming in with complications of the flu. do get your flu shot anyway. >> doctor, thank you so much and happy new year. >> my pleasure. >> outgoing governor commuted the death sentences for four remaining inmates on maryland's death row. lawmakers vote two years ago to abolish apartmental punishment in the state for future offenders. o'malley said leaving the last prisoners to await execution doesn't serve the public good. the two term governor leaves

offers in two weeks. >> the supreme court is moving into the 21st century it will post briefs and appeal petitions on line. it won't happen until next year. in his year end report, chief justice john roberts, jr. saying: that is old school. today is the day college football changes. >> for the first time, the ncaa is holding playoffs to determine its national championship. michael eaves shows us why today's games are quite historic. >> it took more than 140 years for the top tier of college football to stop relying on voting polls and computer rankings and move to a 14 postseason playoff to crown its national champion. the nag recall college football playoff featuring alabama taking on how hope state in the sugar bowl and oregon meeting florida

state in the rose bowl, but perhaps the real intrigue is the matchups within the matchups. alabama's nick assault and batterien and how hope state's irvin meyer are the two best coaches in college football today, meyer won two championships at florida before moving on to the buckeyes. it seems to be a fitting story line to the first ever college football playoff. >> it's a very competitive environment right now in all leagues and this playoff is just a perfect example that i can't imagine the interest level being any greater in any sport than college football. obviously this is all really i pay attention to, so i think every school, there's a premium placed on getting your school to the playoff. >> this year's sugar bowl marks

the fourth time assault and batterien and meyer face the playoff. urban does a fantastic job with his players and coaches to put an outstanding product on the field, but we're playing against this team now so we try to prepare based on what we need to do to play well against the players that they have and a system that they use, you know, right now. >> despite carrying the nation's longest win streak at 29 games defending champion florida state may be the most surprising team in the playoff. quarterback james winston faced controversy all season. the suspension for using

language on campus. >> it is a relief for him. once you get a verdict and get the answers, you know, that's what you want. >> i feel like we were loose the whole season, you know, because i mean, we enjoy this game of football. it's more about how we play than about more the win or loose factor. i think we can persevere when we're down and we're able to just come back and just, i think our will to win is strong. >> the key to the rose bowl could be the matchup. this year's heisman trophy winner facing off against last year's top college football player. >> what he's been able to do over his career is incredible. his record as a quarterback, you know, says a lot about his game and what he's able to do. he really has that command of the offense, and whenever the

game's close, he can rely on that guy to make plays. >> the meeting between them will mark the fourth time that two heisman trophy winners will oppose one another in a game. this could go a long way in determining the top pick in next year's nfl draft as they are expected to be the first two names chosen in may. >> the winners of those two games will face each other in the national championship game on january 12 in arlington texas. >> california dealing with the winter mess to start the year. dozens of cars were stranded on snow covered highways where nearly 200 got stuck in the san bernadino mountains and that's just those mountains alone. >> dealing with cold temperature to say start the new year, flagstaff received six inches of snow wednesday. parts of a major highway there were closed as crews who really aren't used to the snow

struggled to clear the roads. >> from missions to mars to landing on a comet, 2014 has been an impressive year for space travel. >> that's right, we will talk with a former astronaut about what's left to explore. >> it is time for our big quote. >> inspirational words to begin the new year "hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come whispering it will be happier." >> who had that to say coming up.

>> who said hope smiles from the threshold of the year are to come whispering it will be happier? >> the poet laureate from the 1800s. >> scientists land add

spacecraft on a comet and discovered hundred was disstands planets. >> nasa tested a spacecraft that might somebody carries people to mars. >> 2014 was a big year for space exploration. that's because the sheer variety of ways that we got out of earth's gravity whether for profit or for science, with humans onboard or without we went to space in ways we've never done before. >> 2014 saw 82 orbital launches. new members joined the club with first satellites launched by lithuania, uruguay and iraq. even nasa doesn't need more than a phone to run one. >> someone goes out to the local store and bias phone and bring them back. we take them apart and repackage them but that's pretty much it. >> that makes it easier than ever to get a view of one's own

country. nasa alone put up at least five new satellite this is year, checking soil moisture to carbon dioxide. a probe launched in 19970 threw within 1300 miles of tie tan the large effort moon of saturn. we got a glimpse of a planet that could host life, many our own. getting to space is still extremely difficult. in a single week in october a rocket loaded with supplies but not humans, fortunately exploded just after liftoff. three days later, one test pilot was killed, another oh injured when virgin galactic's spaceship exploded in midair. >> an unmanned piece of hardware

guided itself on to a rock moving 135,000 kilometers or 84,000 miles per hour is pretty amazing. no less amazing was the first unhand test flight for orion. in set, it performed an orbit of earth and splashed down. nasa plans to carry a human crew zoo deep space perhaps following our robotic missions to the surface of mars. the view of space has always had a lot to teach us. the first apollo mission and the holiday greetings from the astronauts was an extraordinary reminder of how unique and fragile our world is. this year, we got that reminder again. a german born member of the international space station team took this photo of gas being pounded by rockets. he could see the explosions. perhaps that sort of view, the view of ourselves and of how small we are is what space exploration is truly for.

jacob ward, al jazeera planet earth. >> a former astronaut and international space station commander joins us from houston this morning. commander, good morning and happy new year to you. i want to just continue on the theme which is that view from space, which made gaza look so different. international space cooperation where are we in that effort? >> one of the big findings of a committee i was on several years ago was that the international framework of the i.s.s. is one of the big success stories of the program. we have former war enemies former world war ii enemies have come together to create this audacious space station and it's freighting smoothly. we should be expanding the international cooperation with countries like china and other up and comers, as well. >> you have to talk about russia and the fact that u.s.

astronauts have had to catch rides on the russian spaceships since our was taken out of commission. talk about that relationship and the significance of it. >> we've had a long relationship with the russians and our other international partners. russia, we started working with them in the mid 1990's and was the other major partner in the international space station program, we have relied on each other through the years when they were having trouble with their basically infrastructure, we were able to keep the mir space station going. when the space shuttle was down after the accident, we were able to use their spacecraft. nowadays, of course the relationship has been rocky especially at the higher levels, but at the working level everything continues smoothly. both sides know he that we need each other to operate the station, it cannot be operated

us stainably by one partner. >> what sticks out to you as the biggest space headline of the year. >> being a space guy the biggest deal was the lander that touched down on the surface of that comet. that was an incredible feat and sheds light on fundamental questions on how life originated on earth and possibly other are planets in the universe. it was such a small object, the gravity level escape velocity is a half a meter per second. just a normal size jump you would take on earth would propel you off that thing. they landed on it, 500 kilometers away, took 30 minutes to get a radio signal one way back or forth was really amazing. >> let's talk about the setbacks the atlas rocket explosion, you saw in jake's petition the crash of the virgin galactic spaceship. how do those private endeavors

that failed affect the larger space program? >> well, of course, those were significant failures, the rocket of orbital science, fortunately that was a cargo ship, unfortunately with the virgin galactic crash claimed the life of a test pilot. those were setbacks for those companies, but in the grand scheme of commercial space it's not going to stop it. we're going to continue on. nobody made suggestion that we should stop. >> anytime you're testing new vehicles or fighter plane development, we were losing airplanes and test pilots. sometimes you do everything you can to prevent that. unfortunately, that's why it's a test program, that's why it's a new development program. you're going to have mishappens unfortunately. >> looking ahead what should we be looking for as far as nasa accomplishments in space? >> the unmanned side, there's

neat things going on. the spice craft new horizons is going to pluto to do a fly by. we have a spacecraft that goes to the os strayed belt between mars and jupiter. we'll be continuing space station operations and development of new programs. china is coming up with, they're going to launch a new rocket which is going to take their first space station element up into space. there's going to be a lot of excitement in 2015, as well. >> thank you for joining us this morning. >> my pleasure. thank you. >> that's it for us here in new york. >> thanks so much for watching. >> we leave you with a look back at 2014 in pictures. we hope that you have a great thursday morning.

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