. >> reporter: i am andy gallagher on the islands in costa rica where we will be sewing you how a woman'sctive has worked hard to save these unique mangrove swamps. ♪ ♪ >>> we begin with sudan where polling stations have now opened for presidential and pardon me lament are you elections the first since the south split away from sudan in 2011. the buildup to the vote has been marred by predictions that it would be snubbed by voters and opposition boycott. incumbent president omar al bashir has ruled the country troy 26 years and is expected to retain power. there are 15 other people running alongside him for president. according to the national election commission, six of those are sponsored by political parties and the rest are independent. but many of the more established parties have chosen to boycott the election including the large he have opposition group. the main complaint is that the vote will not be free and fair and that there is no chance anyone but omar al bashir will win. let's go to our correspondence agent catherine soi now she is live for us in the capital khartoum. given

andy gallagher is in the northwest american state of north carolina. >> here at the wake forest institute for regenerative medicine bioprints which are being used to build human organs. it takes about five hours for this machine to manufacture a human ear. >> this is made out of polycapalactone or pcl. >> a technique the institute is using to build bladders heart valves and even muscle. much of the work is done by u.s. department of defense. but funding is always on researchers minds. >> everything we do here will eventually move towards human trials and hopefully enhance their life. through the work that we're doing. >> luke marsala is one that benefits from early research. he was given a bleard more than a decadebladder ten yearsago and now lives a healthy life. it is the human impact of the research done here that keeps scientists pushing and breaking new barriers. in the future it is hoped that the work here will pioneer work on complex organs like the heart, lungs and kidneys. >> you're never really fully satisfied with what's being done because you know there's also so much ahead th

andy gallagher how significantly a problem is this? >> reporter: well, this has been called the biggest cheating scandal in u.s. history. at one point during this investigation 180 employees from the atlanta public school system were suspected of fundamentally change the standardized exams of pupils in this area. now we're here today because ten teachers are facing jail sentences of up to 20 years. they've been charged among other things with racketeering. that means each these ten teachers could face up to 20 years in jail. and behind me this morning we have had a great deal of support for those teachers who say they are the victims of a wider problem. these standardized exams are unrealistic and force teachers to massage or even cheat those test scores. i have to say in the last few moments i just spoke to a parent who has five children in the area who says what about the children in all this? there is an entire generation of children in this city whose test scores have been changed and are leaving schools without the proper educatio

andy gallagher. >>> at least four people have been killed in fighting in south africa.08 more than immigrants were killed in similar unrest. >>> scientists say they have learned something new about the invisible dark matter which fills most of the space. they used powerful telescopes to observe colliding galaxies 1 billion light years away. >> the most common stuff in the universe more common than anything else there is. and we just don't know what it is. it's invisible, which doesn't help and we're desperately trying to figure out what it is made out of. >> we know dark matter is really really important for us. and it fields gravity. there is so much of it that it even pulls together the milkiway. fortunately for us the extra gravity from the dark matter holds everything in place and makes the milky way a nice place to live. but the question is does it interact with the universe in any other way? the way you figure out what things are made of if you want to do that with a bit of rock you probably pick up a couple of pieces and throw them at each other, and see where th

andy gallagher is live outside of the courtroom with the latest. it looks like they just sworn in another witness. what are the protesters saying? >> what they're calling for is leniency. there are 11 people, but there are only 10 people here because the 11 person gave birth saturday. is racketeering is normally reserved for organized crime and they feel that the state has overreached call forgive their jobs. they say these people served time in jail. when they were convicted they were sent off in handcuffs and they should be sentenced for time served. this is cheating on standardized testing is at the heart of this. they were accused of cheating including dozens of principals and 44 schools in the atlanta school system. they say that standardized testing puts undo undue pressure on the teachers, the pupils, unrealistic standards for them to pass, and they say that these teachers are victims of a wideer system and they want these teachers to be shown leniency. the eighth floor is full of family and supporters all trying to put pressure on the judge

andy gallagher al jazeera, north carolina. >> we have more stories any time for you on our website.he address for that is www.aljazeera.com. you can also watch us live by clicking on the watch now icon. call this city home. >> twenty-four degrees snowing hard in central park going down to twenty in midtown. snowfall one to two feet. so they're now saying we could have snow falling as rapidly as five inches an hour. >> this has been the coldest winter here in eighty-one years. and it coincides with a grim reality. more people in new york city are homeless today than at any point since the 1930s.

andy gallagher is live at the courthouse in atlanta. what is the latest that you are hearing?porter: well some pretty dramatic scenes in the court this morning as the defense lawyers argued with the judge. at one point the judge was threatening to locked one of the lawyers up. we have had had one sentence handed down to sharon williams davis an executive director of the land take public school system and she has been sentenced to 20 years to serve 7 with 13 years of probation. so a fairly harsh sentence to someone who was very high up. she was seen as somebody at the center of this massive cheating scandal here. what is interesting is the judge yesterday -- the reason he didn't pass down those sentences is because he gave each of these ten people the chance to plea and give an apology to the court for their part in this cheating scandal, and be handed down far lessen tense -- less sentences. sharon williams davis didn't did do that. just before her a teacher basically got probation where he will teach young people in jail english. and he was given a far less harsh sentence. th

andy gallagher al jazeera, winston-salem, north carolina. >> fascinating.tay with us on al jazeera. another full bulletin of news is straight ahead. and on this website as well www.aljazeera.com. >> a new war in afghanistan. a group loyal to isil kills 35 people. hello, you're watching al jazeera live from london. also on the program saudi arabia follows up weeks of airstrikes by pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to yemen. >>> more desperate migrants arrive on italy's stores far-right groups look to capitalize on the rise of

andy gallagher is live from atlanta. andy were the sentencing a surprise?nd what is the reaction there? >> reporter: well i don't think the sentences were a surprise because on monday the judge made it very clear that he was offering a plea deal. he said you have to come before me and apologize for your part in this cheating scandal and your sentence won't be as harsh. two of the ten defendants came forward to take the plea bargain. they receive probation, weekends in jail teaching children and basically had a very -- you know they didn't get harsh sentences. for the remaining eight it was a different story. three received 20-years sentences, 13 years probation in many one case and huge fines, $25,000 apiece. there was some emotional scenes this morning. at one point the judge saying this is the sickest thing that has ever happened to atlanta, thousands of children have suffered because you didn't do your job properly. i think the sentences could have been much harsher. >>> so given the judge's warning, andy why did the defendants not accept the deal especi

andy gallagher travelled to a remote part of the area to meet the keepers of the mangroves. >> these days these people are making a good living from the sea. fish is plentiful, work is constant. it was not always that way. in previous years overfishing and the mismanagement of the mangroves spelt environmental and economic ruin. it was a future that 13 of the women refused to accept. the collective began to take things into their own hands. >> translation: we used to sell muscles, clams and shrimp. we benefitted from them and ran out. maybe because they were overexploited. we decided to make this to protect the mangroves. change did not come easily. these women faced challenges from the firer many and their own husbands. >> translation: one of the biggest problems that we had when we began to organise was the culture. it wasn't until we got results that the fishermen changed their minds. they asked for help. that involved getting the fishermen to give up their nets in favour of hand lines, a technique that helped fish stocks replenish. gabriel tells us this is a responsible fishing a

andy gallagher is in atlanta. that sentencing hearing for i believe ten of them is going on now. >> that's right tony. and they're calling this the biggest cheating scandal in u.s. history. at one point during this investigation 180 employees from the atlanta public school system were accused in taking part in changing the test scores of the standardized tests. all of that involved 44 schools and something like 38 principles. these 10 teachers have already been convicted and charged with racketeering, could face up to 20 years in jail. when we got here at 10:30 there was a great deal of activity on the steps behind me, protests saying the punishment doesn't fit the crime the problem being standardized testing and the pressures teachers feel to make those scores continually go up. that is the situation we are facing at the moment. we know that the judge is hearing from character witnesses. we heard an interesting quote from the judge just a couple of noaments ago. moments ago. the pupils whom you have let down will

andy gallagher at the courthouse in atlanta. he was offing a plea deal, he said to him simply you have to apologize your part. if you do not do that you will receive a very harsh sentence. two came forward to take that plea bargain. each to serve seven years in jail, 13 queiroz base in one case and huge fines $25,000 a piece, so i think the judge made himself very clear. and there are some emotional scenes. the judge saying this is the sickest thing that has ever happened to atlanta. so i don't think the sentencing were a surprise, they could have been much harsher, but those eight will be appealing in the next 30 days. the instruction was pretty good, it was a plaque and whitish shoe, apologize or receive a harsh sentence, why they didn't do that, a couple of them came up to speak to the judge and said they sid my didn't know this was going on, they knew they should have known, if they would have known, they would have said something, but the judge said look the evidence in this case is overwhelming you were all accomplice sit.

andy gallagher has more from atlanta. >> this has been called the biggest cheating scandal in u.s. history. at one time in this investigation, 180 employees from the atlanta public school system were charged or accused of being involved in this cheating scandal. we're here today because ten teachers who decided to go to trial are now facing sentences to up to 20 years. amongst the charges they are facing are racketeering, once saved for large issues, undue pressures on teachers to increase the performance and the scores of their pupils, but there is no doubt this has caused a great deal of damage to the entire public school system here. the ten teachers decided to go on trial the judge telling them if you do do this, the consequences could be dire. that's the situation they are facing right now sentences of up to 20 years. the judge said something very interesting during his deliberations, he said look having heard from character witnesses about how great the teachers are and how committed they are he said particularly many of the african american students, may have to appear in fr

andy gallagher sent us this update. >> the judge gave the ten defends in this long case a similar choice either apologize to the court for leniency or accept harsh sentences. 20 year jail sentences to serve seven years and 13 years of probation. the judge making it clear that this was not a victim less crime. he said this is the cig esthing that has ever happened to this city. and that thousands were left down who competed on exams on a huge scale. the eight who are now being given fairly harsh jail sentences have 30 days to appeal and they are expected to appear pack in this court within that time. >> u.s. presidential candidate has chosen the state of iowa to make the first public appearance the state that will vote first in next year's primary race. al jazeera joins us live from new york, will we be learning anything else. >> her own campaign had said they intended to raise and spend $2.5 billion over the next year in this election. that president obama spent in the last race in 2012, so on the one hand, the campaign saying we will outspend everybody but on the other hand there's the

andy gallagher has gone to north carolina to sea how the technology is working. >> it's a technology few would have thought possible. but here at wake forest institute they're entering new territory. key to the advances are the 3d bio printers. it takes five years to manufacture a human ear. >> pcl is used as a scaffold on which to infuse living human cells. it's a technique that they're useing to build bladders, heart valves and even muscle. much of the research being done is funded by the department of defense. >> we always get the message that everything we do here will move towards human trials and hopefully enhance their life. through the work that we're doing. >> luke is one of those who benefited from early research. he was given a new bladder a decading a and now lives a healthy life. >> the doctors say that it may be just a few years before bio 3d printers are in hospitals across the world. but it's the impact of the research done here that keeps scientists pushing and breaking new barriers. in the future it's hoped that the work here may lead to the construction of complex

andy gallagher reports from atlanta. >> reporter: it's one of the biggest exam cheating scandals in u.sstory. these protesters called for leniency for the 10 found guilty. jug gerry baxter was in no room to bargain. many refused to accept a deal and he made his feelings now. >> i want the community to have the apology, and the children particular short changed and cheated to have the apology. >> the judge sentenced each educator giving three senior figure seven years in gaol probation and fines. investigators say that large-scale cheating has been going on for years and teachers and staff did it to avoid losing jobs receive bonuses and enhance their careers, a case leave parents dumbfounded. >> the victims are the children. they are being miseducated or misguided. and we are the leaders, these are the educators. they have let the chin down. >> for many of us the case raised issues about standardized exams. activists say the exams set unrealistic goals in public schools, and claim the sentences are too harsh. >> how has the parent been served how has the children been served? by sending

andy gallagher reports. >> this may be the first time president obama set foot in the everglades national park. the environmental agenda is nothing new. the president views climate change as an eminent threat. environmentalists say florida is dealing with the consequences of rising sea levels, and the delegate everglades is a symbol of bigger issues. >> the world's top climate scientists warn that changing climate affects the air that we are breathing. the surgeon general and i met with doctors, nurses and parents, who see patient and kids grappling with health impacts. the pentagon says that the climate change poses an increasing set of risks to our national security. >> but in florida, climate change is a contentious issues. the president says policies do nothing more than stop job broeted. >> for environmentalists south florida is on the edge of climate change. the president's visit raises tough political questions. the governor's administration is accused of banning turns like climate change which they deny. they'll welcome funding. >> the president pledged to condition restoration pr

andy gallagher is in north carolina to see the technology. >> reporter: it's something people would not have thought possible. here, they enter new territory, the key is 3d bioprinters to build organs, it takes about five hours for this machine to manufacture a human ear. >> this is made out of a biomaterial called pcl. >> reporter: pcl is used as a scaffold on which to infuse living human cells, a technique used to build bladders, heart valves and muscle. much of the work done is funded by the u.s. department of defense. the implications for patients everywhere is never far from researchers minds. >> we get the message that everything we do here will move toward human trials and hopefully enhance their life through the work that we are doing. >> reporter: luke benefitted from early research, given a new bladder and lives a healthy life. the application for this technology is limitless. doctors say it may be a few years before bio-3d printers are in hospitals. it's the human impact of the research that keeps scientists pushing and breaking barriers. in the future it's hoped the work wil

al jazeera's andy gallagher reports from atlanta. >> reporter: it's one of the biggest exam cheating scandals in u.s. history. it's also a case that divided opinion. these protesters called for leniency for the 10 found guilty of altering exams for accepting bonuses. judge gerry baxter was in no room to bargain. he offered them a chance to apologise in return for lighter sentences. when it was apparent that many refused to accept the deals, he let his feelings be known. >> i don't want an apology, i want the community to have the apology. i want the children who were short changed and cheated to have the apology. >> the judge sentenced each in turn, given three senior figures 7 years in gaol. and 13 years of probation and heavy fines. investigators said that large scale cheating had been going on four years, and teachers and others did it to avoid jobs to receive bonuses and enhance careers, leaving many parents dumbfounded. >> the real victims are the children. no one is speaking up for the children. they are being miseducated or misguided. and we are the leaders, these are the educ

andy gallagher reports. >> reporter: it's one of the biggest exam cheating scandals in u.s. history. these protesters called for leniency for the 10 found guilty. judge gerry baxter was in no room to bargain. he offered them a chance to apologise in return for lighter sentences. when men going on for years, and teachers and staff did it to avoid losing jobs, receive bonuses and enhance their careers, a case leave parents dumbfounded. . >> i don't want an apology, i want the children to have an apology. i want the children who were short changed and cheated to have the apology. >> the judge sentenced each in turn given senior fig ears 7 years in gaol. investigators said that large scale cheating had been going on four years, and teachers and others did it to avoid jobs refuse bonuses and enhance careers, leaving many dumbfounded. >> the real tick sims are the children. they are being miseducated or misguided. and we are the leaders, these are the educators. they have let the chin down. >> for many of us the case raised issues about standardized exams. activists say the exams

incident and she is now happy to be home while the search for garcia's missing daughter goes on andy gallagherchile bracing for a third volcano eruption and monitoring the volcano today, this is the first time it has erupted in more than 40 years and it's already erupted twice in the past two days prompting evacuations and a state of emergency. today marks 25 years since nasa launched the hubble space telescope in honor of the anniversary they had a 3d visualization showing the gum 29 nebula and as tom ackerman reports nasa officials say it has completely transformed how we view the universe. >> reporter: in new york city's time square this week the tourists are getting a real time display that is literally out of this world, far, far out thanks to the hubble space telescope which launched in 1990 since then from the orbit 500 kilometers above earth the instrument sent back 1.2 million observations, by hovering past the earth's atmospheric haze hubble visual accuracy is liken to seeing fire flies in japan all the way from the east coast of north america as a result scientists have gotten their

andy gallagher al jazeera, north carolina. >> we have more stories any time for you on our website. the address for that is www.aljazeera.com. you can also watch us live by clicking on the watch now icon. call this city home. >> twenty-four degrees snowing hard in central park going down to twenty in midtown. snowfall one to two feet. so they're now saying we could have snow falling as rapidly as five inches an hour. >> this has been the coldest winter here in eighty-one years. and it coincides with a grim reality. more people in new york city are homeless today than at any point since the 1930s. >> it's really difficult especially to just find ways to get through day to day from you know finding clothing to finding shelter to finding you know where you're going to eat. >> tonight it's pretty hectic because of the snow outside and there's not a lot of places for us to sleep now, so everybody's kind of coming in. >> in just a decade, the number of people living in new york's homeless shelters has nearly doubled reaching 60 thousand a night last year. it's a homelessness crisis unprec

andy gallagher how significant a problem is this? >> reporter: well, this is a huge problem. this is being called the largest cheating scandal of its kind in u.s. history just to put this into perspective 180 employees of the atlanta public school system were accused of cheating on these exams that involved 44 schools and something like 36 principals. we're here because ten teachers are facing sentences close to ten years. similar to racketeering charges. some are saying the punishment does not fit the crime. these goals which exist are not just in georgia but across the entirety united states. during this investigation they say they had dinner parties where they erased the answers corrected them and went on with their business. we are calling on leniency for these teachers, but a parent who had five children in the public schools withdrew them, he said look, i've heard from character witnesses talking about how great these teachers are. but there is an undeniable fact here that the young african american males who dropped out of school because they didn't get the education n

and al jazeera andy gallagher is live from las vegas and andy you can almost reach out and touch the to see this fight, is there any hope for those without a ticket? >> well las vegas is used to larger than life events but the atmosphere and excitement here is reaching fever pitch and we actually met mayweather fan on the flight over on tuesday who came from australia without a ticket. he hopes he can pay around $5,000 but there are reports that some of the ring side seats are going for as much as $400,000 so that gives you a sense of how much people want to be a part of this event. remember this was a fight around five or six years in the making both the fighters are considered pound for pound the greatest of their generation and also reaching the end of their career and mayweather is 38 and pacquiao is 36 and real excitement and fever pitch and people are just counting the hours down until these to men finally face each other in the ring. >> they avoided each other for years and came together briefly when will we see the fighters publically next? >> we are going to see them on frid

andy gallagher went to meet them. they're called the keepers of the mangroves. >> these days, the fishermen on costa rica's largest island are making a good living from the sea, plentiful work is constant. it pref years over-fishing and mismanagement of mangroves spelled environmental and economic ruin. it was a future that 13 women refused to accept. the collective as they've become known began to take things into their own hands. >> we used to sell mussels clams and shrimp, so they were important to us. now we can't find any. we benefited from them, but we ran out. we decided to make this nursery to protect the mangroves. >> change didn't come easily and the vision these women had faced challenges from fishermen and even their own husbands. >> one of the biggest and most serious problems that we had when we began to otherwise was the prevailing macho culture. we couldn't get past that attitude from the men and it wasn't until we started to get results that the fisherman changed their mind, then they asked for our he

andy gallagher reports. >> reporter: this has been called the biggest cheating scandal in u.s.istory. 180 employees from the atlantic public school system were charged or accused of being involved in this cheating scandal. we're here today, though because ten teachers who decided to go to trial are now facing sentences of up to 20 years, amockst the charges, racketeering. when they cheated on the examines they got oboe news. but their supporters say the punishment does not fit the crime. this is part of a larger problem of standardized testing. but it has caused a great deal of damage to the entire public school system here. the ten teachers decided to go on trial, the judge at one point telling them if you do go to trial, the consequences could be dire. and that is the situation they are facing now. the judge said look having heard from character witnesses about how great and committed these teachers are, he says many of the particularly young african american males who left school or dropped out of school may well end up in front of that judge, and he may have to hand out man

andy gallagher went to north carolina to see how the pioneering technology is working. >> reporter: it's technology a few years ago people would have thought impossible. here they are entering knew territory. key are 3d bioprinters used to build human orders. it takes five hours to make an ear. >> this is manufactured by pcl. >> reporter: it's used to ipp fuse living human cells. a technique that is used to build bladders heart valve and muscles. most of the work is funded by the u.s. department of defense but the implications everywhere is never far from reachers minds. >> we get the message that everything we do here will move towards human trials and enhance their life through the work that we are doing. >> luke is one of those who benefitted from early research. he was given a new bladder more than a decade ago and lives a healthy life. >> the applications for this technology is limitless literally. it is a few years before bioprinters are in hospital. it's a human factor that keeps the scientists pushing and breaking new barriers. it's hoped that new procedures will be pioneered, le

. >>> that's andy gallagher reporting. >>> now to hong kong and a hold new step to limit tourists fromand china. barbara? >> reporter: john visitors from the chinese region will only be allowed into hong kong once a week. it's the closest mainland region to hong kong. tens of millions have made the short trip to capitalize on lower taxes, but people in hong kong have long complained that the influx of shoppers has driven up prices and driven out local businesses. >> reporter: this is definitely going to be an issue for me. i often come here because it is much more convenient for me to buy quality medicines for my family. >> translator: i welcome this policy, because it can free up the streets and more importantly reduce rental prices for shops, so we avoid the situation of hong kong stores only catering to mainland tourists. >> reporter: also is an issue of the number of traders who buy goods in hong kong and sell them in mainland china. >> all right. barbara. thank you. >>> coming up next the special effects whit behind "game of thrones," shows us how the magic is made. ♪ >>> millions

andy gallagher with al jazeera, winston, salem, north carolina. >>> back on display sunday in italy,cloth is available for public viewing in five years and some christians believe the piece of linen was a burial cloth for jesus and others feel it's a medieval fake and a million people have reserved a ticket to see the cloth and it's made public to mark the 200th birthday of one of the monk founders. a war ship made famous in the u.s. war of independence set sale today from a small island off the west coast of france. it's now making its way across the atlantic ocean and recreating the journey made by a famous french general and has been on board. >> reporter: on the day of the maiden voyage across the atlantic the crew made final prep reparations and recall when the 18th century carried the lafayette to boston with news to general george washington that france would enter the war of independence to try and defeat the british which obvious of course they did. >> what is it about the greatest thing about this ship? >> happiness because i'm sure i am on one of the best ships in the worl

she says she is happy to be home and the search for garcia's missing daughter goes on and i'm andy gallagher jazeera. >>> looking at space like never before, a world of possibilities seen from the hubble telescope over 25 years and what still lies ahead and cute and smart and causing a lot of controversy, we will tell you all about the legal battle over two chim pan monkeys, stay tuned. today marks 25 years since nasa launched the hubble space telescope and in honor of the anniversary we created this showing the gum 29 nebula and showing thousands of scartars and gas and we have teams at the university and a group is trying to set them free giving them the same rights as people and let's bring in nicole mitchell and who is trying to help the chimpanzee. >> human rights projects and people are sympathetic to animals that spend their life in research facilities so as we look at some of the chimps they are not hercules and leo because of being in captivity no images i can find of them but the lawsuit was originally filed in 2013 in suffix county and not granted habeos-corpus and this week the s

andy gallinger has more -- gallagher has more. >> reporter: inner city stalls are often stark places, this middle school is no exception much 96% of the pupils live below the poverty line, there is something that makes the place different the the walls are adorned with the street art that make a collector green with envy. >> every student or more helped to paint the murals. >> reporter: much of the work organised by robert appalled at a school so close to miami's win wood neighbourhood had no art of its own, when he reached out for help, the answer changed everything. >> not a single artist protested, asking how much or asked what they get out of it. this is for the school - awesome. >> reporter: what followed was a flurry of activity. we hear about art transforming community. the pace of change at the school is breath-taking. this is the first mural spray-painted in november. with six weeks there were 70 others all by artists from around the world. >> the project is so successful that the school hired the first art teacher. classes are full to capacity after a generation. >> i like d