deadly clashes in ukraine's capital as protesters call for the government to resign. and texas executes its 509th prisoner since the death penalty was reinstated, but this one is causing an international problem. and iran's president tells cnn that nuclear technology is part of iran's national pride and limits are not going to work. welcome to "around the world," i'm suzanne malveaux. the pressing question this hour, how safe is sochi? we're just talking about 15 days to go until the start of the winter olympics. and now we are seeing new threats to the games. a wanted terror suspect on the loose, warships ready to evacuate u.s. citizens all causing a sharp rise in security concerns. our nick paton walsh is in sochi

with all the details and threats and what officials are saying about it as well. >> reporter: just over two weeks leading up to the sochi olympic games, mounting anticipation. not about who will win the gold, but instead concern about a possible chink in the game's trail. a letter sent to the organizing committee and several countries. the international olympic committee quelled the concerns telling cnn the e-mail contains no threat and appears to be a random message from a member of the public. the u.s. olympic committee is looking into it as well saying the safety and security of team usa is our top priority. as is always the case, we're working to ensure that our delegation and other americans traveling to sochi are safe. the white house, however, says american travelers should remain vigilant. >> we have seen an uptick in

threat reporting prior to the olympics, which is of course of concern. although it is not unusual for a major international event. >> reporter: presidents and joint chiefs continue to offer counterterrorism expertise to russia with ied detection software, jamming equipment and warships at the ready. all russia needs is to give the green light. >> we are offering the russians any assistance that they might require or request in a situation like this. >> reporter: in the light of multiple terrorist threats, some carried out in regions surrounding sochi, sweeps continue for the so-called black widow suicide bombers, one woman killed in a gun battle over the weekend. another believed to have already bypassed the security corridor of sochi. >> nick paton walsh is joining us live from sochi. and, nick, you were in a place where they're calling it inside the ring of steel, this security

zone around sochi. describe what it's like and the kinds of preparations they're making. >> reporter: well, suzanne, where i'm standing here is inside one of the rings of steel. there's obviously many ways with the olympic villages near the town of sochi has been pretty well fortified out by the police. you see when you get off the plane in pretty substantial number in fact cars that aren't specifically registered aren't in fact allowed to pass outside the front of the airport. but i want to delve briefly into the inner ring of steel to get through that had to go through from a very far province outside of sochi itself. every single detail about how security's being implemented here. it's impossible to bring any kind of liquid onto aircraft, inside russia. russia's had a bad history of aircraft being blown out of the sky too in a short period of time back in 2004. but around here the main thing you notice is how few people are on streets that you would think would be bustling.

it's mostly security personnel, people getting the last preparations done for those games just literally two weeks away, suzanne. >> what's the mood there? are people afraid? do they feel prepared? you look around all where you see there's security everywhere. is there a sense that they've been reassured? >> reporter: it's a little too early to judge in many ways what the mood will be. obviously the athletes and tourists haven't started arriving yet. right now it's anxiety, frankly. and that may be one of the miscalculations the kremlin made. it's a feat to put up security and build this amazing apparatus, $50 million worth behind me. but at the end of the day people looking for international sport, for international competition. i think now people talking about who's going to win the gold, they're worried about how safe athletes will be, suzanne. >> hopefully it will all turn out for the best. appreciate it. russian prime minister dmitri mind yef is down playing

the danger in sochi. he sat down for an interview with our own christiane amanpour assuring russians will keep the winter games safe. >> translator: with respect to events public events, there's always some threats, not only this country but also in others. in this country they have some specific consequences. definitely we are aware of that. and we will take that into count during the olympics. >> let me just ask you to be specific. the russian security forces, the government, has sent out alert about specific so-called black widow who may have penetrated even the ring of steel around sochi already. and hotels are being told to look out for this person, fliers and posters are being sent around. given the amount of security that you've put in place, how is it possible that this could happen so close to the games? >> translator: you know, we are

having very tough struggle against terrorism. this is the relative of our life of today. and all those threats including the ones you have mentioned occur not only in the context of the olympics. and we keep fighting them every day. sometimes we have good results, but sometimes we don't have the results we expected. but anyway the struggle will be continued. >> some 40,000 russian police and security personnel, they are actually in the sochi area right now. this is the broadest security zone that was ever provided for any olympic event. well, iran is not getting rid of any nuclear production facilities, not taking anything apart and doesn't plan to start. that is another story we are following. that is straight from iran's foreign minister to cnn. he says the obama administration is not being 100% truthful in

describing the nuclear agreement that took effect this week. and that the words used by the white house aren't even in the terms of the deal. >> what iran has agreed is not to enrich, we did not agree to dismantle anything. what we agreed to was not enrich over 5%. but we're not dismantling centrifuges. we're not dismantling anything. >> you might recall iran agreed back in november to a temporary deal to freeze part of its nuclear program. now, in exchange six world powers would ease some of the sanctions. now, the action stage of the deal, that took effect on monday. fareed zakaria is with us now from the world economic forrum in switzerland. you just heard him say the white

house mischaracterized the terms of the deal. but you spoke exclusively to iran's president hasan rouhani. how does he explain iran's position? what did they actually agree to? >> reporter: actually, i think he went even further with me. it's the first time the iranian government, certainly the president of iran, has said not just in the interim deal, in any final deal there will be no destruction of centrifuges. iran's vision is very clear. you can have as much monitoring as you want. we pledge this will be a civilian program. but we intend to have a robust civilian program that will produce a lot of nuclear energy. no destruction of any centrifuges. listen to what he had to say. >> there is a widespread feeling in the united states, in france, in many western countries that iran should have almost no enrichment capability, that it should instead get its enriched

uranium from outside. you said in an interview with the financial times that iran will absolutely retain its enrichment. do you believe it will be possible to bridge this gap by allowing iran to have a small enrichment capacity, but for the most part to forego enrichment? >> translator: iran will not accept this. when it comes to nuclear technology, the iranian people are very sensitive. it is a part of our national pride. and nuclear technology has become indigenous. and recently we have managed to secure very considerable prowess with regards to the fabrication of centrifuges. so in the context of r & d and peaceful nuclear technology, we will not accept any limitations.

and in accordance with much less or parliament law in the future we are going to need 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power. we are determined to provide for the nuclear fuel of such plants inside the country at the hands of local iranian scientists. we're going to follow on this path. >> so there will be no destruction of centrifuges -- of existing centrifuges? >> translator: no. no. not at all. >> reporter: that was the president of iran. >> and, fareed, that's a very important distinction he makes there. obviously there's going to be a lot of back and forth and debate in terms of what kind of progress is made. i want to turn the corner, talk again about something else that you addressed in your column on cnn.com, also in "time" magazine today. you called it the case for

snooping. and you say that foreign surveillance is absolutely necessary. tell us what the balance is here. because a lot of people are looking at that and they think the nsa, the obama administration, went too far in terms of its own spying, its own snooping on allies and neighbors and that kind of thing. but there is that pushback in that sense for need for privacy. >> reporter: here's the part i think people don't understand. the international context. so let me give you an example. the nuclear -- the national nuclear administration, that is the american agency, the government agency, that oversees our own civilian nuclear energy program, gets 10 million cyber attacks against it every day. >> wow. >> reporter: that's 365 billion every year. so now you say to yourself, okay, well, we need to defend against that, right? well, we get these kind of cyber attacks, not on that scale, but in your banks, goldman sachs,

bank of america, jpmorgan chase. you want to defend against that, right? the only way to defend against those is for the nsa or some agency like it to get into those systems in the first place. you cannot defend against cyber terrorism, cyber theft, cyber warfare without allowing the u.s. government some access to the telecom and computer systems. we live in this cyber world. and we think somehow it's like a government-free zone. it ain't. if you want freedom just like in the real world, you're going to have to have police. so that's the piece we need to understand. of course you've got to draw some balances and put some constraints in, but if we want to defend ourself, it's going to have to happen with some involvement of the government. >> yeah, it's all about trade-offs. fareed, thank you so much. i appreciate it. i want our viewers to know as well fareed's full interview with the iranian president hasan rouhani, will air on sunday 10:00 p.m. eastern and again at 1:00 eastern right here on cnn. and here's more of what we are

working on on "around the world." israel says it has broken up an al qaeda plan to bomb the u.s. embassy in tel aviv. and toronto mayor rob ford admits he had a minor setback after video surfaced of him apparently drunk and babbling. [ chainsaw whirring ] humans -- sometimes life trips us up. sometimes we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions. like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... [ thump ] to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available for when you get married, move into a new house, or add a car to your policy.

personalized coverage and savings. all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call... and ask about all the ways you could save. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

"stubborn love" by the lumineers did you i did. email? so what did you think of the house? did you see the school ratings? oh, you're right. hey babe, i got to go. bye daddy! have a good day at school, ok? ...but what about when my parents visit? ok. i just love this one... and it's next to a park. i love it. i love it too. here's our new house... daddy! you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. for safeof backache pain,f you can trust

extra strength doan's. specially formulated for your worst backache pain. political crisis in ukraine has now entered a deadly new territory. at least four people are reportedly killed and hundreds injured in the latest fighting between anti-government demonstrators and police. there's a truce right now as opposition leaders are meeting with ukraine's president. protesters, they've been demanding new elections since the president refused to sign an agreement with the european union and adopted pro-russian policies. but the situation now has spiralled out of control since new laws went into effect that limit the right to protest. more now from our diana magnate. >> the seven stations characterized more by noise than

by mouths. a serious escalation in the violence. fury this day has taken. you have no right to kill him, this woman screams. in a makeshift hospital we learn that more have been killed. the doctors say that they had wounds to their chests, one of them shot directly in the head. we don't know yet what with, it could have been plastic bullets. the prime minister says that the riot police are not equipped with live ammunition. but plastic bullets fired into crowds are clearly dangerous enough. even if these crowds are brave and push back. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: no matter the consequences for those unlucky enough to end up in police hands.

wearing protective gear not least because the protesters keep telling us the riot policeman don't care whether you're press or a protesters. we've seen evidence of that ourselves, video where riot policeman point his gun directly into the camera and fires. at least 200 injured on the police side also. the anger against them and the government who have banned all protesting feels universal. young and old brave the freezing cold. lending a hand to the makeshift barricades, the makeshift weapons. this line of fire burning tires has formed a very effective barricade between the protesters and riot police who are lined up on the other side. they've been pushing these burning fires further and further up the road. and as you can see now they're getting their missiles ready, stones, we've seen them

preparing and making molotov cocktails to throw through the smoke at police. the battleground of the most primitive kind but still dangerous, still deadly nonetheless. >> diana magnay is in ki ever. the main thing is they want the government to hold new elections. do we think that is something that's going to happen? is that even realistic? >> reporter: well, the president has shown no sign of being prepared to hold new elections any earlier than they are scheduled for, which is in march next year. he's held pretty firm for the last two months. and he does not appear to be willing as far as the opposition leaders say who've been sitting in talks with him yesterday and today to consider that. but the question is what happens if he doesn't? the people are very, very angry. and this violence looks as though it is spiraling out of control, suzanne. >> and, diana, we are hearing shouts in the background. i assume those are protesters

still out there late at night on the streets? >> reporter: there are thousands of protesters in independence square behind me. that is a man on the stage now speaking to them. there is also a separate area where we had all these clashes, which is about ten minutes away. they've erected barricades there too. suzanne, i want to tell you one thing we've learned from our reporting today, very serious allegations of torture by the police. we talked to one 17-year-old boy who says he was just watching the protests, he was dragged away by police, beaten very, very badly, stabbed in the thigh with a knife. his arm is broken. and we have some very disturbing video that has been circulating online of a man who was also stripped naked in detention behind police lines in this very, very cold weather and beaten by police. the interior ministry says that it is investigating that video and has issued an apology. but human rights watcher, we were also talking to today, said

they do not think that these are isolated incidents. >> it is only getting worse there, diana, please be safe. of course we'll be following all the developments, the protesters and those accusations of torture now. thank you, diana. appreciate this. we're following this as well, at least three people dead, up to 30 are missing now. this is after a fire broke out at a home for senior citizens in quebec. police are afraid that some of those missing were trapped inside the building. they are hoping that some made it out and are with their families. you see the pictures there. just horrifying. the fire broke out around midnight, burned for hours. we don't know how it started. and part of that facility is set aside for assisted living. some of the residents might have not been able to actually escape. in a couple hours from now nsa leaker edward snowden is going to answer some questions from the public. this is an online chat. they can be submitted on twitter at #asksnowden.

snowden's responses are going to be posted on the website freesnowden.is. snowden will almost certainly comment on a second nsa review that's due out today that has determined the massive collection of u.s. cell phone and e-mail records is not legal. the privacy and civil liberties oversight board which advises the president dismissed nsa's data haul as useless in thwarting terrorism. this next hour, the five-panel member says we have not identified a single instance involving a threat to the united states in which the program made a concrete difference in the outcome of a counter-terrorism investigation. and toronto mayor rob ford says he had "a minor setback" when he was apparently drunk in public monday night. [ bleep ] [ bleep ].

>> it's just sad. the minute-long video he's incoherent. railed about toronto police chief, asked about his bizarre behavior the next day, well, here's how he explained it. >> were you drinking? >> yes, i was. a little bit. i was with some friends and what do in my personal life is personal friends. >> ford has admitted smoking crack in the past but denies any drugs were involved in this latest incident. a bond hearing set next hour in miami. this is for the troubled teen idol justin bieber. you see the mugshot there. he was pulled over earlier this morning for racing his lamborghini against a ferrari. this is in miami beach. police said that bieber became combative, failed a field sobriety test and then was arrested. besides dui, bieber 19 years old is also charged with resisting

arrest and driving without a license. and a cop killer from mexico put to death last night in texas. could his execution affect americans charged in other countries? that is a big debate that's going on right now. we're going to have that story up next. farmer: hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what?

it'but sleep train's huge foryeais ending soon.models for a short time, save hundreds on tempur-pedic mattresses. get the most highly-recommended bed in america at closeout prices. plus, get interest-free financing and free same-day delivery. why wait for the new models? sleep train's year end clearance is ending soon. superior service, best selection, lowest price, guaranteed.

♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ texas has executed 509 people since 1976, but the latest has the international community talking and debating raising concerns about how it could affect americans overseas. it was last night that texas executed 46-year-old edgar tomaillo. it was a mexican national sent to death row for killing a houston police officer back in 1994. but the mexican government claimed that the execution violated international law. and even the u.s. government cautioned against it. secretary of state john kerry said i have no sympathy for anyone who would murder a police

officer. this is a process issue i am raising because it could impact the way american citizens are treated in other countries. i want to bring in our pamela brown to talk about this and discuss this here. what is secretary kerry talking about when he says the process? >> well, suzanne, kerry is referring to the international agreement under the convention that states a foreign national will be guaranteed counselor assistance to ensure the best case possible. investigators say tamayo's case was tainted because he wasn't able to get help and as a result of that he wasn't given the best defense possible that could have prevented him from being put on death row. ten years ago, suzanne, the international court of justice ordered the review of tomayo and 50 others. kerry has said as a result not living up to the international obligation is extremely

detrimental to the interests of the u.s. >> so, pamela, hasn't texas executed mexican nationals before where the same concerns essentially were raised? >> right. so in 2008 and 2011 texas executed two other mexicans convicted of murder, suzanne. and their cases actually raise similar claims. now, the supreme court refuse today delay either of those executions and actually issued an opinion in the 2008 case saying that the hearings urged by the international court in those inmate cases could only be if congress implemented legislation to do so, which it hasn't done so yet. in tomayo's execution the supreme court denied a halt to and then last night given the lethal injection in texas. >> pamela, ultimately, how is it this could impact americans overseas? >> well, it could have a profound impact on americans overseas who are arrested according to to u.s. officials.

basically i spoke to legal expert paul ka lan and he says it depends on how far mexico wants to take it. this could put a strain on diplomatic relations with mexico. but mexico has economic interests at play here as well. so this could be just, you know, them talking about the fact that they're upset about the execution of tamayo but not actually, you know, putting those words into action when it comes to a u.s. citizen arrested abroad. but they very well could mimic the actions of the u.s., what they say the u.s. did, by denying the rights of their inmates here. so it could have implications, diplomatic implications, we'll have to see. >> that is worrisome. pamela, appreciate it. we're following this, americans talking about their future at this big meeting in washington. do they have a plan b for president in case governor chris christie can't recover from the recent scandals? that story's up next. [ male announcer ] the new new york is open. open to innovation. open to ambition.

open to bold ideas. that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state. move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york. if there's something that creates more jobs, and grows more businesses... we're open to it. start a tax-free business at startup-ny.com. we're open to it. humans -- even when we cross our "t's" and dot our "i's," we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness with our auto policies. if you qualify, your rates won't go up due to your first accident. because making mistakes is only human, and so are we. we also offer new car replacement, so if you total your new car, we give you the money for a new one. call liberty mutual insurance at...

and ask us all about our auto features, like guaranteed repairs, where if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, your repairs are guaranteed for life. so call... to talk with an insurance expert about everything that comes standard with our base auto policy. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

republicans in their second day of their annual rnc meeting they're looking ahead to the 2016 presidential primary calendar. they're also looking for changes for the convention, the debate schedule, all those things you can imagine that they're talking

about. but they're also talking about this as well, who are they going to have as the presidential candidate? just a few weeks ago new jersey governor chris christie probably would have been the obvious favorite, but now because of the scandals, the bridge scandal, other problems, the investigations, republicans, are they talking about a plan b? wolf blitzer's joining us. wolf, are they talking about a plan b? do they have a backup plan? >> well, there's a lot of republicans out there, potential republican candidates, whether some members of the u.s. senate like marco rubio, florida rand paul of kentucky, they made no secret they could be potentially interested. a whole bunch of republican governors out there, someone like bobby jindal of louisiana or scott walker of wisconsin, john of ohio. there are some from earlier contests. rick santorum, former senator from pennsylvania. there's a whole bunch of republicans whose names are out

there. i think it's a little early to finalize that list. i wouldn't rule out chris christie by any meenls. if he gets through this current struggle, he's a very viable candidate. remember, he won the re-election in new jersey with a landslide. assuming he's telling the truth he has nothing to hide, he still will be a formidable candidate. one additional name i think we have to consider, suzanne, is jeb bush, former florida governor. his last name may be bush, but he's popular among a lot of republicans, rielty live moderate republican, pretty popular in florida. he's someone who could be a formidable candidate as well. >> wolf, you bring up a great point. we have plenty of time before 2016. >> we do. >> of course it's fun to guess and figure out all those. do you think when people are looking at him, republicans specifically, does he have to get over the scandals, get over the investigations? or are they looking for someone who's just more conservative? that they've got to be reassured that he really believes in what the party believes? >> well, he's got to do all of

that. he's got to get through this immediate scandal. he's got to make sure that everything he said in that two-hour news conference is accurate, precise, that there's no hedging, no deviation or anything along those lines. assuming he did tell all of us the truth, then he's got to rebuild the confidence, not only of the folks in new jersey but all over the country. and certainly there will be some republicans who weren't e namerred with him to begin with because of his relatively moderate position on certain sensitive issues, whether he would win a primary in south carolina, for example, or a caucus in iowa. that remains to be seen. but let's see if he gets through this current political crisis. if he does, i think chris christie will still be a formidable candidate. >> we still have plenty of time. >> we certainly do. other stories from around the world, the israeli intelligence agency says it's prevented a terror attack on the u.s. embassy.

arrested for allegedly plotting a bombing. the plot allegedly included a second simultaneous attack on the jerusalem convention center. israeli officials did not reveal how far along the plot had progressed. islamic forces in syria are being told to end their fighting and unite. this is part of an audio message posted on militant websites and attributed to al qaeda's leader, al zawarhi. now, the message says, jihadi factions so end the infighting and instead focus on the battle against the syrian regime. and that message might provide some verbal ammunition for the syrian government. it has long-insisted that its forces are fighting terrorists in the country's civil war. but the opposition says that syrian president bashar al assad allowed al qaechi da to grow in

that country. both sides are attending a u.n. conference in switzerland aimed at ending the bloodshed. nobody's expecting any major breakthroughs. the conference started yesterday with pretty bitter speeches, no evidence of a willing bs to even negotiate. there's concern over whether or not the two sides will go ahead with those face-to-face talks set for tomorrow. and who will represent france as first lady when president hollande visits washington next month? some think it will be his old flame, but others suspect he is going to bring a new woman. [ male announcer ] this is betsy. her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ this is the first power plant in the country to combine solar and natural gas at the same location.

during the day, we generate as much electricity as we can using solar. at night and when it's cloudy, we use more natural gas. this ensures we can produce clean electricity whenever our customers need it. ♪ what are you guys doing? having some fiber! with new phillips' fiber good gummies. they're fruity delicious! just two gummies have 4 grams of fiber! to help support regularity! i want some... [ woman ] hop on over! [ marge ] fiber the fun way, from phillips'.

when french president francois hollande visits next month, who is he going to bring as the first lady? here's cnn international correspondent jim betterman. >> reporter: if nations look to their presidents as role models, the french are being shown a very modern version of family values. despite his constant refrain during the presidential campaign that he was going to be a normal president, francois hollande has never had a normal personal life. it's not even clear who he's going to bring along as first

lady. since he has two choices, the journalist he called his first lady, and the movie actress he's apparently been dating lately. news magazines have been tracking hollande's private life for more than ten years now depicting how he and his first partner who he met in university lived together for decades, raised four children together. never bothering to tie the knot. when she ran for president in 2007, they seemed the ultimate power couple. the press gushed over their family life. but there was a problem with that picture. hollande would later admit that he was in fact carrying on an affair with one of the very reporters who covered him, valerie trierweiler. just days after losing the presidency to sarkozy, she announced the couple was splitting up. >> they managed to position themselves selling the campaign as the opposite of the soap opera, the drama, of the sarkozy

couple. so they were very lucky to be more investigated during the campaign. >> reporter: he became a regulator even before he took her to the presidential palace to become the first lady, he called her the woman of my life. but then perhaps a sign of trouble to come he changed that saying she was the woman of my life today. then came last month's revelation in the magazine closer that hollande allegedly had been ducking out of the president's residence on the back of a motorcycle disguised in a bikers helmet so he could go on trips with the movie actress who was reportedly introduced to hollande by none other than his ex. the president has so far neither confirmed nor denied the alleged affair despite repeated questions. and the first lady went into the hospital for depression and is now resting in a presidential residence in versailles. home to french king who is have also had fairly messy personal

lives. what happens next is anyone's guess although the president has promised to clarify the first lady situation before he goes to washington for a state visit next month. how will the french president's private life play in the u.s.? a sociologist says americans are far less tolerant. >> in the u.s. there's far less intolerance, the results, of course not less adultery, but more scandals. >> reporter: hollande's claim that he would be a normal president may be true in one sense. these days more than half of french young people live together without benefit of a marriage vow or civil contract, just the way hollande has always done. what's more, recent survey indicates that more than half of french men and nearly a third of french women have had affairs outside of their marriages or partnerships. so which of the women in his life will hollande take to the white house? analysts say the most prudent thing might be just to go as a bachelor. jim bittermann, cnn, paris.

>> messy situation. i want to remind you about a special cnn film that you can actually see here tonight on cnn, it's called "the imposter." this is a true crime documentary about a frenchman who convinced a texas family that he was their long-lost son. so it's all about how he did it and how it all unravelled. cnn films presents "the imposter." so, you got to watch it or set your dvr tonight 9:00 eastern. last year in iraq more than 8,000 people died, most of them caught in the middle of new political fighting. we talk to one family in baghdad who lost so much in such a short period of time. they're the real people suffering this national tragedy. that is up next.

my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa. in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced. seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines.

tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 life inspires your trading. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 where others see fads... tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 ...you see opportunities. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 at schwab, we're here to help

tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 turn inspiration into action. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 we have intuitive platforms tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 to help you discover what's trending. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and seasoned market experts to help sharpen your instincts. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 so you can take charge tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 of your trading. 26 people were executed in iraq this week, and they were hanged. the justice ministry in baghdad confirms that they were all convicted of terrorism-related crimes. now, the people of iraq, they are dealing with almost daily car bombs, shootings, soaring civilian death toll, all of this political and ethnic fighting made 2013 the deadliest year in iraq since the height of the iraq war. according to the united nations 8,000 iraqis, mostly civilians, were killed. my co-anchor, michael holmes, is in iraq. and he's putting the faces to those numbers.

>> reporter: you know, suzanne, one problem covering a story like iraq is that it is so easy for the death toll to become just that, numbers. and in the time we've been here those numbers have been high. they've been very high. we decided to try to put a human face on all of that by visiting just one family who have suffered not from one car bomb but incredibly two. a father's unimaginable grief. a mother's endless tears. and three children who barely comprehend what has happened to their family. no insurgent, nor a politician, they are a visceral human portrait of iraq's grinding violence. >> translator: we don't work with the government. we're simple people. we have nothing. we sell watermelons. >> reporter: their agony began on july 23, 2007 when a bomb exploded at the family's humble

watermelon store barely 50 meters from their home. son, ali, 19 years old and about to get married, was killed instantly. >> translator: i was a week away from marrying him off says abu ali. yen stead, i buried him. life went on such as it was until july 20 last year. two other sons of abu ali, on duty at the watermelon stand when another bomb went off. ala, 23 and by now a father of three, and brother abas just 17 were killed in the hail of shrapnel. evidence of its power still etched in nearby walls today. the funeral turnout was huge. no one could believe what had happened to this family. ala and abas taken to be with their brother. they're all gone, abu ali tells me. three sons, two bombings, a family destroyed.

no one will call me dad anymore, he sobs. they were also our breadwinners. they supported us. now i have no income. i haven't paid the rent for seven months. this is all this family has, it is three rooms, one large bedroom, a living room and a kitchen. given the tragedy that this story is, the real sad part is it's not unusual. this is happening every day around iraq and families are left in this sort of position. it really is heartbreaking. it's hard says abu ali. i've thought of suicide, but what would happen to my grandchildren? the market where the family's watermelon is still there today, a portrait of the three sons a reminder for all of what happened here in 2007, last year and could happen again at any time. you know, suzanne, you meet a family like that and you

contemplate their loss and then their future, and you wonder how they'll go on. but they do. and they will. and you know abu ali, by the way as we said in the story there, 58 years old. he looks so much older than that. suzanne. >> all right, thank you, michael. excellent reporting as always. we want to bring this to you here. we're keeping a close eye on the dow jones down now 170 points. we're going to be monitoring the markets to see just how much is going to change, but big developments there taking place. the dow plunging nearly -- now at 171. down 171. in mexico families forced from their land and homes by criminal gangs. well, they are now fighting back. ordinary citizens taking up arms against mexico's violent drug cartels. and in some places they're winning the battle. details up next.

in mexico today there are men with guns patrolling small towns just trying to protect families against criminal drug gangs. well, these folks, they're not police or soldiers. they're actually civilians. these are farmers, businessmen, sick and tired of the killing and intimidation. so they're taking matters into their own hands. our rafael romo is there.

>> reporter: 71-year-old sam well gomez walks through his broken and deserted house. symbolic of his life after he and his family were forced to flee their 50-acre ranch near the small town of phillippe puerto three years ago. he was a victim of a ruthless drug cartel. he was forced to pay ever-increasing protection money for the cattle he raised and the limes he grew. but with the cartel tried to take his land, he knew it was time to leave. they would tell us you either sell it to me or i will buy it from your widow, he says. he wasn't the only one living in fear. they killed our people. they raped our young women. and they did as they pleased, he says.

he was among the first to fight back. the 58-year-old farmer led a self-proclaimed group of vigilantes that forced the drug cartel out of their town last april. i know i'm operating outside of the law, he says, but i'm doing it for my family just like every other man in this movement. his rebellion became an inspiration for others in the area. since early january several other towns have taken up arms and confronted drug traffickers in violent clashes. the cartels struck back torching vehicles and businesses and killing several people. in the end more than a dozen towns managed to drive away the criminal organization that had terrorized the region for years. this is the checkpoint at the edge of the town that's like many others in towns throughout the region, where vigilante groups control access letting townspeople in and out while hoping to keep the cartels from

getting back in. they are young and old, farmers and laborers, and even some migrants returned from the united states to reclaim what used to belong to their families. this man who wants to be called juan used to live in north carolina. >> the last couple of months there's been a lot of violence and we haven't been able to make money to support our families. we all got to eat. if we ain't working, we can't eat. it was something that had to be done. >> reporter: the mexican government has sent in thousands of soldiers and federal police to help patrol and patrol the area. so what's going to happen if the army decides to leave? >> well, we hope they don't leave. we hope they stay to back us up. >> reporter: their fight has given hope that life will go back to normal. he knows there are no guarantees the cartels won't come back, but says this time he and the individuvigilantes won't give u. he says they will have to kill us all because we're all going

to fight, not only for our lands but more importantly for our famili families. rafael romo, cnn. >> excellent story. couple of stories also catching our attention today, photos as well. take a look at this. south africa, a huge statue of nelson mandela causing quite a stir there. if you look really closely at the statue, you're going to see a tiny rabbit in his ear. the memorial statue has been up for about a month in pretoria, but nobody noticed this little rabbit until now. the south african government not amused has ordered that the artist who made the statue remove the rabbit. in brazil they're also having problems with their famed statue here, this is the christ redeemer statue in rio de janeiro. this is after head and two fingers were chipped by a lightning bolt that happened last week. it was extraordinary picture when you see that. officials say they plan to place more lightning rods on that

statue in an effort to prevent future damage. and in pakistan a group of men gathered to play a game of pool, you see there in the background. you can see pakistani women fetching water from a hand pump and carrying it on their heads. thanks for watching "around the world." "cnn newsroom" starts right now. have a great afternoon. right now major questions about what's in a landmark nuclear deal iran says it never agreed to dismantle anything. we're going to hear the white house response this hour. also, right now russia tightens its so-called ring of steel around the olympic games. will that keep the athletes safe? and what about the hundreds of thousands of visitors? also right now a brand new report lashing out at the nsa saying its surveillance program is both against the law and ineffective. hello. i'm wolf blitzer