>> watch more "faultlines" on demand or visit aljazeera.com/faultlines. >> this is al jazeera america. i'm michael yves. the saudi coalition said it is in full control of the yemeni air space. senate minority leader harry reid announces his retirement, who he's hoping will replace him, and an one-year mission to study the effects of living in space.

>> shia houthi rebels appear to be gaining ground in southern and western yemen. airstrikes could only last a few more days. the saudi led coalition launched new airstrikes against houthi supply line and military installations. it said it now fully controls yemen air space. >> no one would be allowed to provide reinforcement or supplies to houthi militias. this is a specific target. the operation it is mainly to support the legitimacy of the president and the government, and to restore stability and security to the brotherly country of yemen. >> yemen's president abd rabbuh mansur hadi arrived in egypt today for an april-league summit

on the crisis in his country. the former president ali abdullah saleh is calling for a cease-fire and return to u.n.-brokered talks. the united states says it does not want a widening war in yemen. we're live from washington. how does the u.s. hope to avoid a wider war that it does not want to see? >> there is evident concern no question about it, that this war could widen and egypt now talking about the possibility of ground forces entering yemen. the united states, it turns out had been consulted by saudi arabia prior to the launch of this mission that has been under taken by this saudi saudi-coalition. now officials are being very

tight-lipped by enaggravation of those forces perhaps including egypt as well. a number of questions here that the united states very concerned about. number one can saudi arabia win this? can they achieve their military objectives. if they don't will they be weakened, and will that destabilize the region as well, and now a major question, how is all of this effecting the talks in switzerland involving iran's nuclear program of the saudis. many here in the united states suspecting iran has been backing the houthies for many years and now a saudi-led coalition backed by the united states is fighting that houthi insurgency. asked about the prospect of the invasion of, they were very kite lipped. >> i'm not going to speculate what the saudi-led coalition might do, but we've said that we don't want this to be an open

ended military campaign. the saudis have said the same, i believe. and so we are going to keep in close contact with saudi arabia and our gcc partners on those military actions. >> not an open-ended military campaign. washington watching developments very closely tonight michael. >> are there concerns that this ongoing fighting could be an opening for al-qaeda to gain a greater foothold in yemen and counter terrorism efforts. >> absolutely. this has been voiced time and time again. the united states is in a very difficult situation. ironic in some ways. it is backing the saudi fight against the houthis, but. the united states has for years launched a drone campaign striking targets against aqap as it's called on yemeni territory.

the administration said it has had a lot of success and repeatedly said over the last few days that although it's ability to gather inintelligence against aqap against the houthi invasion and since they were forced to leave in the face of that houthi onslaught they believe they have the intelligence to carry out those strikes. >> mike viqueira reporting live for us in washington. thank you. jim walsh, research associate at mit security studies program joining us tonight from massachusetts. thanks for joining us. based on the latest developments, is the stage being set for a ground development? >> i don't think so. i hope not because i i don't think that will help very much. some of the signals that we saw today is this air campaign, which i don't think will

accomplish very much. it might wrap up which begs the question why are you doing it. that won't fundamentally change the military equation on the ground. now can the gcc gulf corporation council in saudi arabia jet up from sirte into yemen. i doubt it. they have not fought a war for a long, long time. er it's not as if there is a ready-made force. even if they were going to do that, which i think would an bad idea, even if they do that, that's going to take some time. >> you make a good point about egypt, this possibility of sending in ground troops. and based on the history you say it's a valid point.

do you think its just a threat from egypt or is there sincerity? >> i'm not buying it. you're right to put your finger on all of these. egypt's main effort is domestic not foreign. they've had a military coup turmoil and a lot of people who supported that military coup. there were people who voted for morsi and are are against the military coup. they don't have a lot of experience fighting, in the 1960s they were involved in the yemeni civil war and it went very bad for them. they lost thousands of troops and ended. using chemical weapons. that was back in the 1960s.

what we're concerned about is they're concerned with is shifting valued assets that they may need back home. >> what do you think the response will be from the houthies in the wake of this advancement in the air space? >> they never had any air force or air power. and it won't develop overnight. when you have big armies, organized armies and tanks and in the desert you can go in and take it out like we did during the first gulf war. that's not the houthi army. they're more of a mill-styled army. they've practiced and they've been fighting for decades. especially once they get into cities. how can you balm cities without causing casualties. i think there are challenges here. i'm not sure what the logic is of the saudi military plan. they're going to use air power and then what happens?

i just don't see that changing things on the ground. >> jim walsh associate researcher, thank you for joining us tonight. >> thank you michael. >> well, a tense stand off involving hostages is under way in somalia's capital. it started when a suicide-bomber attacked a hotel in mogadishu. it trapped an unknown number of hostages inside. ten people are known dead. hotel is said to be popular with government and foreigners al-shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack. new cockpit rules announced by lufthansa airlines after a pilot locked himself in the cockpit of the plane and killed everyone on board. also today investigators say the achator who crashed that aircraft was trying to hide the fact that he was suffering from

clinical depression: >> reporter: a president pays his respects. as for information emerged about the co-pilot of the crashed plane, german's head of state joined hundreds of people at this church the small town mourning 16 pool pills and two teachers as they returned from spain. >> i wanted to mourn with them. >> in germany many are trying to understand why the pilot flew the airbus into the mountainside on purpose. german media is reporting that he suffered depression in 2009 for which he received treatment. and now prosecutors say they

found important evidence at his parent's house and in his apartment in düsseldorf that shed information. >> many documents were confiscateed pointing towards the illness and treatment by doctors. the facts that there were torn up sick notes which were recent and even from the day of the crime support the assumption based on preliminary examination that the dissed hid his illness from his employer and from his professional colleagues. >> at the crash site in southern france they're still going through the debris trying to find human remains. when they do, they'll be taken away for dna analysis. identifying the victims and notifying their relatives will be a slow process. then there is the question of accountability. >> someone with a sick note has no business being in a cockpit. he should have stayed home.

i can't understand that. >> the families of some of the victims have left their own tribute near the spot where their loved ones died. dominick kane, al jazeera,. >> after two days of damaging u.s.-led airstrikes the battle to retake iraqi city of tikrit has resumeed. some have pulled out to protest the u.s. role, but many have called this welcomed news. jamie, how is the offensive to retake tikrit going at this point? >> well, it is slow because this is tough urban warfare. but the united states says its air power has been able to give some of the forces on the ground the room they need to maneuver to start to begin to move into the city center against those dug-in isil positions, and to start to make some slow but steady progress.

they have also made the point that shia militia will not be missed it was also a point driven home today at the state department. >> i think its important to distinguish between those forces broadly, which are composed mainly of iraqi nationalists who volunteered and some elements within though forces such as hezbollah which are more problematic because they don't answer to an iraqi chain of command. >> so the pentagon said that the departure of those troops, while it does diminish the size of the force, quote was a welcome development. the pentagon also said that iraq face as choice. they can see what iran brought to the table in managing and

helping with the offensive and they can see what the coalition would bring to the table and according to the pentagon iraq decided to throw in its fate with the coalition, which is now advising and planning the strategy to retake the city of tikrit. michael? >> has the pentagon any indication how long they believe this offensive will take? >> they're not giving any timeline. there are an estimated several hundred isil fighters dug in. they don't have an exact number, and upwards of 4,000 iraqi troops some of those iraqi security forces, some of those militia, probably perhaps a higher number than that, we don't have an exact count. they have an improved strategy where these airstrikes are not going to level the city but will set the isil fighters back on their heels and give the invading forces more time to

maneuver. >> reporting live tonight from the pentagon. well, the march 31st deadline looming, talks with iran are pushing each other for concession. secretary of state john kerry met with iran's foreign minister in switzerland. iran is demanding an immediate end of sanctions as well as the right to resume sensitive atomic research. however, the u.s. want research halted. the verdict is in. the gender bias lawsuit in silicon valley. and senator harry reid has decided not to run for re-election.

>> it's complete slippedcation for amanda knox and her ex-boyfriend. the supreme court overturned the conviction of murder of her room roommate. today's ruling brings an end to the case. >> the landmark case for the tech industry has been recalled. after a month of testimony juries found that they did not discriminate when it failed to promote ellen powell to partner but set the jury back to the deliberation table. we have more from frag. you've been following the story for quite some time. what happened in court today? >> well, essentially the jurors miscounted. they believed they had a verdict on all of those claims. when the judge went person by person, they realized there was a miscount. now the jury is back in the

deliberation room making a decision whether ellen powell was let go because she had filed a lawsuit against her employers. by and large we get the sense that they have decided against ellen powell, there was no gender discrimination in her promotion or the fact that they let her go. >> even if the jury votes against ms. powell, will this make an impact on an industry that needs more women. >> you can imagine the h.r. departments are reviewing their hiring policies, and also how they promote employees. the stanford law professor said it best. >> i think this case is really a wake-up call to the venture capital industry and to silicon valley generally. it's a window on the kind of micro indignities that individually see small but

cumulatively really get in the way of women's advance in the workforce. >> and some of those micron dignities that ellen powell brought up was the fact that they were all male social activities that excluded women from the firm. she was also romantically involved with a male colleague who ended up being her boss. all of these indignities that she felt she would bring to court. these gender discrimination lawsuit usually don't go in front of a jury. ellen powell felt very aggrieved, and wanted to bring this to jurors because history historically speaking women plaintiffs usually lose. >> thank you. from francisco. minority leader harry reid will not seek another term in 2016 ending a 30-year career in politics and leaving a hole in the democratic race.

libby casey reports. >> we've got to be more concerned about the country, the nat, senate, the state of nevada. result that have i'm not going to run for re-election. >> reporter: a big announcement from one of harry reid. he rows from search light nevada to becoming the most powerful man in the senate becoming majority leader in 2005. reid lost that title two months ago but said that's not why he's retireing. >> these bruises i have on my face on my eye. >> reporter: neitherreid said he's making a political calculation. >> we have to make sure that the democrats take control of the senate again. and i feel it is inappropriate for me to soak up all those resources on me when i could be devoting those resources to the kay cuss. that's what i intend to do.

republicans and conservative donors were already targeting reid for a big election fight in 2016. but the 75-year-old said his work isn't over yet. and he has a direct message for his republican counterparts in the senate. >> my friend senator mcconnell, don't be too elated. i'm going to be here for 22 months. you know what i'm going to be doing? the same thing i've done since i first came to the senate. mcconnell reacted to the news of reid's retirement, saying: >> the white house praised reid including the president's signature healthcare law. >> so much of what this president has accomplished in congress particularly during his first two years in congress would not have been possible without the skilled leadership of harry reid. >> democrats are already looking at who will fill reid's shoes.

he's endorsing chuck schumer to lead democrats in the senate, and already a fight is shaping up for ride's nevada senate seat in in a climate where every vote counts. >> a nearby surveillance camera recorded yesterday's explosion two people on the restaurant of the ground floor are still missing. officials think that someone tapped into a gas line, sparked the explosion and a fire that destroyed three buildings and damaged a fourth. a recycling plant in california is shutting its doors over allegations it polluted nearby neighborhoods with illegal toxins. residents say at a it has been violating environmental laws for years and they want to know what took regulators so long. >> for decades this planet spewed lead and other toxic

substances into the neighborhood. one of the thousands residents who lived down wind from the plant. >> the smell in the area is an ugly smell. the odors are repulsive. they're so ugly. >> the plant was cited several times. but the agency levyied fines only a handful of times and allowed the plant to operate for 33 years on a temporary license. state lawmakers are now considering a top to bottom reform of that agency. garcia suffers from tremors and shortness of breath. although she says none of her doctors has established a firm link between her symptoms and expose to toxins she blames her ailments on the battery plant.

>> it's the environment. it can't be anything else. >> earlier this month they struck a deal with federal government prosecutors. the company agreed to shut down the plant tear down the buildings and take full responsibility of the clean up of the six hectare site. the company emerging from bankruptcy is expected to pay $50 million for the cleanup. but company executives will not face criminal charge. community activists say that's wrong. >> they deserve to be fully investigated prosecuted, and they need to do some prison time. >> when some of the pollution problems were made public, location county set up a free blood testing program for local residents. the test showed the 16-month-old daughter fatima had high levels of lead in her blood. that could cause brain damage and is especially dangerous for young children. >> the doctor told me that it could effect her brain it could

lead to deafness. she could have problems with her speech. this is very troubling. >> exide would not agree to an interview but issued a statement. california's toxic agency decline to answer al jazeera's questions about its decision to halt the plant for pollution. >> rob rebelrob reynolds, al jazeera. >> a possible victory against boko haram in nigeria just one day before the country's presidential election. plus the controversial new bill that gives police in turkey a lot@@ m@or@e@@@@er@.@@@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @@@@+v+v+v+v+v+v+v+v+v+v+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i+i-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d6

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>> welcome back to al jazeera. one day before nigerians go to the polls in what is expected to be a close presidential election there was a major

victory against boko haram. they claimed to have captured the northeastern town and destroyed the group's headquarters there. >> the nigerian military said it has captured the stronghold of gwoza. we have no way of knowing for sure. in an address the nigerian government spokesperson gave this statement. >> many have died and many have been captured in the process. >> it can't be verified because huge restrictions have been placed on civil society human rights organizations and the media in accessing the northeast northeast. al jazeera journalists have been confined to their hotel since tuesday. the army has accused them of operating without accreditation and said they'll be held until

further notice. both were embedded with the military just before their detention. >> the al jazeera news crew has been very prominent in reporting events in the northeastern part of the country indeed, has been one the few if not the only sources of information from the northeast, and ahead of elections happening and expectation that we would be getting the reports from the al jazeera journalist who is are based there who have worked all along, embedded with the military and report on the military activities in the region, we are particularly worried about this situation. >> this is the closest presidential election since the end of military rule in 1999. the incumbent goodluck jonathan, and the main opposition candidate will have to tackle corruption, insecurity unemployment and major economic challenges brought on by falling global oil prices. and there are concerns about violence.

>> there will probably be some violence around the country. power, i'm not particularly worried about nationwide violence. as i said before. the fact that there has been such a healthy discussion about violence over the past year will turn out to be very helpful. >> this highly anticipated vote comes after a six-week delay. the commission has had problems distributing voters' cards. and they're starting a new identification system that is raising concerns. it's a huge logistical challenge with 60 million people expected to vote in over 120,000 polling stations, but they say they're ready. al jazeera abuja nigeria. >> the director of the africa center at the atlantic council. he joins us this evening from wads. washington, d.c. we appreciate your time. you say the stakes have never been higher in nigeria. why is this election so crucial.

>> it's those competitive election. nigeria has been a democracy since 1999 when the military handed power back to civilians. but this is the first time when there is a real question of who is going to win. it's not just going to oughtcally be the candidate of the ruling party. most of the opposition coalesced over the around all-progressive party. as an opposition party to the people's democratic party, the pdp, the ruling party. >> the incumbent goodluck jonathan, his opponent, who has lost election three times he's from the north are these two candidates diametriccally opposed on most issues? >> well, they're very different people. they're people of different generations. the candidate of the apc,s you mentioned is a three-time failed

candidate for president. he was also a military man who seized power overthrowing a democratically elected government in 1983, and lasting about 20 months in power before a different military leader tossed him out. so it's entirely generational gap between them. the median age of the country is 19 years. most nigerians were not alive at the time he was a military dictate. a lot of differences, not just religion and region, but perspective generation and really approaches to life. >> as the nation nearly has 174 million people in it, one of the candidate must get 50% of the vote if not there would an run off in another week. what type of turn out are they expecting in nigeria? >> well, there's great interest, great excitement on the part of nigerians, many nigerians will want to participate. two things, however may variables in there. one is this time nigeria is

using permanent voter cards to cut down on fraud. the problem has been the distribution of these voter cards. i spoke with the head of the election commission, and he acknowledged that this was a week ago and they had only distributed 82% of the cards. so 18% of the people who were expecting to get cards had not gotten them. i'm sure they made up part that have deficit in that time, but there will be some people who hadn't received their cards and won't be able to vote. other people may want to vote, and although boko haram has been defeated as a military force, it still exists as a terror entity, and there is the danger of threat of possible violence on election day by boko haram or other violent extremists which may scare people and depress voter turn out. >> does it stand to benefit from

one candidate being elected over the other? >> i think the united states, the entire community and first and foremost african countries that benefit most whoever is elected irrepresentative president jonathan or the opposition candidate is elected as a legitimate expression of what they want for their country. that's a peaceful transfer of power not only stabilized africa's most populous country but sends a strong signal to other africa countries. there are 18 african elections due in the coming year. the democratic republic of congo, some in countries where leaders are seeking to seek third terms or extend their terms like democratic congo borundi and other places. a signal from nigeria whether it

be continuity or peaceful transition will be a powerful message. >> stability in the region is something that everyone wants. thank you so much for the insight this evening. >> thank you. >> syria's president is accusing the united states of trying to turn his country as well as ukraine into puppet states. bashar al-assad spoke with russian journalists saying that the western goal was to weaken russia by encouraging conflict in syria and ukraine. >> they want to turn us into puppets. i don't think the west has a political solution. they don't want it. obviously when i say the west, i first of all mean the united states, france and britain. other countries are secondary here. those countries do not want a political settlement. they want a settlement in destroying the state and turning it into a puppet state as it happened in ukraine. >> russia is a long-stand allied of the assad regime. he said he would be open to dialogue with the u.s.

the u.s. would eventually have to speak to syria to help end it's civil war. the u.s. is welcoming israel's decision to release hundreds of millions of dollars in palestinian tax revenue. israeli prime minister's office recommended lifting the three-month freeze. it stopped the plane into the mountain after palestinian- palestinian-effort to join the international court. a controversial bill that gives turkey police sweeping new powers. but critics say that the police are already in power and will abuse their new authority. we have reports now from istanbul. >> reporter: this. police officer was suspended after he screamed at a colleague to spray tear gas at protesters. in another incident, four police officers were jailed for up to ten years for beating up this

protester. critics say there are examples of a culture of police heavy handedness. the government said it proves abuse of power is punished. the victim of beating was a 19-year-old. he fell into a coma and died a month later in july 2013. >> the day i heard the sentence read at the court i felt the same pain as the day i lost him. we were extremely disappointed. we thought there was a shred of justice that even a tiny bit of conscious existed but there was not one. >> the government says it was prompted to give police enhanced powers following riots in kurdish parts of the country last october when more than 50 people were killed. >> our government acted immediately as measures were needed to be taken against the vandals who destroyed cities and set them on fire during the

october ain't and seventh incident. >> the security bill will allow police to detain people up to 48 hours by citing what they described as series threats to public order. they have also been given broader powers to use firearms to prevent attacks on buildings vehicles people in public places. they can search people and vehicles without prior approval from a prosecutor or court. now human rights watch say in a report on the draft security bill that it's concerned by what it sees as plans to increase police powers without appropriate safeguards. particularly alarming says human rights watches are plans to side line the super advisory powers that the judiciary prosecutors have over the police. there are thousands of protests in turkey every year. most are noisy and peaceful like this one opposing the security bill. the government said there is no threat to the constitutional

right to freedom of assembly enjoyed by turks now. bernard smith al jazeera, istanbul. >> federal civil rights violation charge have been filed against an alabama police officers who slammed a grand father from india to the ground. police dashboard video shows officer eric parker talking to a 57-year-old indian man after a neighbor called about a suspicious person. the man does not speak english and was in town visiting his son. he was left partially paralyzed by this incident. parker could face up to ten years in prison. a new investigation into the san francisco sheriff department alleged deputies in one jail staged fights between inmates as entertainment. the public defender said that prisoners were trained in violence and the incidents are a

blemish on the city's criminal justice system. >> one inmate suffered a cracked rib. this is outrageously insane that this was happening in a county jail. >> deputies are also accused of putting bets on the fights. mr. adachi said the ringleader has a history of sexually assaulting prisoners in the past. and the prison calls the accusations as quote exaggerated. it's been a difficult week for jurors who have come face to face on evident and hearing details of how three victims died from blasts. >> at the beginning of this, the lawyers for tsarnaev, who is know 21 years old participated in the bombings but said it was tamerlan his 26-year-old brother, who orchestrated the

attack and recruited his impressionable younger brother to assist him. >> evidence presented in the boston bombing trial this week like pieces of shrapnel that tore through crystal campbells body brought one juror to tears. campbell was standing next to the first bomb when it went off near the finish line in april of 2013. former federal prosecutor said that kind of evidence is compelling. >> it evoked an emotional response such as you saw from the one juror but it has to be played very delicately. the juries can become--i don't want to say immune, but numb to it. >> the jurors got to see and hold a mock up pressure cooker. as the prosecutor passed it around to jurors, one refused to touch it. never before seen footage

emerged as evidence. video taken weeks before the bombings shows tsarnaev and his brother outside of a firing range where they rented pistols to practice shooting .9mm ammunition the same type of bullets that shot officercalier days after the blast. another recording taken the day of the bombings. this is tsarnaev running with the crowd after the blast killed three people and injured more than 260. tsarnaev's defense said that tamerlan was the mastermind and he was under the spell of his older brother so his life should be spared. but they say there are serious holes in his defense. >> he ran and hid. the manifest toe that he wrote while he was in the boat. i think those are all factors that undermine their defense.

>> he said even though it's uncommon for federal jurors to give someone the death sentence, he said its possible in this case. >> i think the testimony of one of the fathers of the victims tsarnaev looked him right in the eye and placed it by his family where his daughter was killed and his son's leg was blown off that's so horrific. i think the the jury will be compelled to give him the death penalty. >> the prosecution continues to present its case on monday calling two medical examiner's to the stand to describe how the bomb that tsarnaev left at the deadline would kill two victims. that will be another emotional day. >> to say the least. will defense start next week as well. >> that could be potentially be

pretty brief since the lawyers have put it out there they admit his guilty. but they could call witnesses to the stand including tsarnaev himself. >> they admitted his guilt but trying to keep him alive. thank you very much. when members of a from aterty used a racist chants, it was leaked and went viral on the internet and two students who led the chant were quickly expelled from the university. oklahoma investigation linked the chant to a leadership crow sponsored by the national organization four years ago. the school president said that racism spread far beyond the campus. >> we can stop it if the organizations we belong to and all of us as individuals say we have zero tolerance for racism in america. that's not who we are as an

american people! >> he said he sent in a letter to the national organization telling them the culture of racism within the fraternity needs to be addressed. well, the calendar may say spring but people in the east coast are still being hit by unseasonbly cold temperatures, yes, even more snow. let's go to kevin corriveau for for for more. more snow? >> meteorologist: boston has seen record amounts of snow. over 110 inches. we expect to see more come into play. the cold front has pushed through. rain will push over to snow in parts of boston. coiledder temperatures are coming into play behind this cold front and we're going to be seeing, especially here like i said across southeastern new england anywhere between two to four, the cape is really going to be sees the know. you see this gray down into new jersey. that's going to be flurries.

we don't expect to see too much in accumulation for them. boston know with a low of 24 degrees. the culprit is the jet stream diving across the south. what is going to be happening is it is going to be pulling back up but that cold air will linger through the weekend. we'll see a problem tomorrow into sunday. atlanta's low temperature 34 degrees on saturday. but that's not the lowest. we're going to be seeing record-breaking low temperatures across much of the southeast and we have hard freeze warnings for nashville, tennessee as we go through the rest of the weekend. >> just when we thought it was spring the winter says i'm still hanging around. thanks a lot. >> well still ahead on al jazeera america. it's lift off. >> ramping up. and lift off. >> two astronauts set off for a record-setting mission. plus? >> i'm rob mcbride at south korea's formula one circuit trying to figure out a future

without formula one.

>> american astronaut scott kelly is making a trip to the international space station. >> and lift off. a year in space start thes now. >> kelly along with two russian cass mowcause cosmonauts lifted off and will stay on the inte space station is logistical challenges from several member nations. >> one of the greatest engineering achievements thanks to $100 billion, 140 rocket and shuttle launches and 180 spacewalks. bigger than an american football field the international space station equals the weight of more than 300 cars and/or and or

bits earth three 300 miles per second. for nasa it has become a stepping stone for earthlings to reach another planet. >> this journey will help define and guide our generation. >> cost overruns and glitches forced the scale back of the original grand design. >> the element around it was to facilitate human exploration further in space. >> it was supposed to be shut down in 2020. but u.s. president barack obama has committed to its operation through 2024. yet a government audit has raised questions about that objective pointing to nasa's limited capacity for transporting large replacement parts at short notice, and panels wearing out sooner than expected. and then the cost to maintain the research projects have been

running short. and america's international partners have been slow to extend their participation. they include russia. while private american companies have begun to deliver cargoes and are due to begin taxiing astronauts by 2017, russian officials complain their country is getting the short end of the station's commercial stick. >> it is saying we want to create problems for the russian rocket space industry. the americans have been attempting to cause as much damage as possible to developing russia in space. >> later this year a new russian cosmo drone is due to open. it may be preparation for building it's own high altitude orbital station in the next several years. >> no one is making profit in space these days, and building a separate space station might be an attractive idea, but that

would be a huge investment of funds as well. >> so for this generation of enthusiasts the centerpiece of space exploration will remain that huge lego set some 300 kilometers above the earth. tom ackerman, al jazeera, washington. >> for a look at what is coming at the top of the hour, john seigenthaler is here. >> coming up at 8:00, more air attacks by the coalition in yemen, and that coalition is growing with egypt and joining the fight. now how they're participation could change the regional dynamics and a look at the refugee crisis inside yemen. growing fear for many in the indiana. the government signed a law for religious freedom but could bring discrimination against gays and lesbians. labor secretary robert ratio

reich reich. >> if she doesn't have a primary calendar, i don't think they'll raise these issues on her own. they're controversial difficult, i'm not sure that she's going to bite the hands that feed her. >> and caught on canvas, you're looking at paintings. those are not photos. a new exhibit pulling together dozens of works by the artist richard estes more on his work in tonight's program in six minutes. >> john, we look forward to it. well, south korea has put billions into the international raceway for formula one plus the construction bid for olympics. but what happens when those venues are over and the cameras go away. >> it is the world class circuit

that was supposed to put south korea on the formula one racing map. but after four grand please the racing world has largely forgotten it is here. unable to generate the local support or the revenue needed to keep formula one here, the racetrack operators have been looking for other events. still the operators insist the circuit should not be viewed just in dollars and cents. >> a facility like this should be seen as a social investment instead of something that has to earn revenue. motorsports are not yet popular and the government does not feel obliged to sponsor us. >> at the root of the problem is planning. it is located in the relatively remote south of a country that has limited interest in motorsports. critics say that lack of fort sight seems to be a national failing. >> when it comes to planning you

have to look at how to make these venues or the surrounding towns as a preferred or favorite destination places as opposed to a single venue i'm not sure if it's done a good job planning that way. >> south korea's third city certainly has enough people, but such was the scale of the 2014 asian games it hosted last september. it is still tackling the problem of finding new uses for the facilities. and it is deeply indebt. they have high hopes even it's main stadium will find a new use but admits it could take years and it knows the whole country is watching as south korea prepares for its next sporting feat. construction is already well advanced for the 2018 winter olympics. so is the debate over its cost and future use of the site. but at least that debate is

happening now rather than after the event. >> the biggest lesson from those past events, i think is an opportunity for everybody to get involved in the planning stage and at least the dialogue has begun. >> the operators say that the olympics like formula one will encourage the growth of interest to fill these facilities. a strategy of if you build it they will come. but experience has shown they might be a long time in coming. rob mcbride al jazeera, south korea. >> ken cook says he plans to donate his fortune to charity. he's worth $120 million and holds stock valued at $665 million once fully vested. cook today he'll pay for his nephew's education and give the rest to charity. the openly gay executive has been activist for human rights and a.i.d.s. education. i'm michael yves for al jazeera

america. john seigenthaler will be back in a few minutes. for news any time go to www.aljazeera.com. have a good evening. see you tomorrow.

>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. germanwings crash. >> the deceased hid his illness from his employer and his colleagues. >> screening for passenger safety. war in yemen. more saudi led air strikes. still the rebels advance. what the war could