baher mohamed, mohamed fahmy and peter greste, three pled not guilty. >> we demanded their release andhance to interrogate prosecution witnesses. >> the three are among 20 defendants, eight of whom are present, the rest charged in absentia. >> we are very pleased we are in court, we believe we will get a fair trial and we believe we can defend ourselves and we have a very defensible position. >> family members of the journalists say the charges had no merit. >> from my point of view this trial is politicized. my son and his co-workers are good patriots and they work professionally. >> he is prepared to die. but he is also prepared for an outcome that perhaps you know that we don't want. >> two of the journalists shouted from the defendant's cage that they had been subjected to, quote, psychologically unbearable conditions since their arrest december 29th. they said they got one hour of exercise a day and had no access to reading material. the case has raised the interests of journalists all around the world, who understand egypt is the one place around the world the worst for independe

mohamed fahmy, peter greste and baher mohamed have been imprisoned for 59 days. tom ackerman reports. >> the trial of the al jazeera journalists was convened inside the cairo police academy. mohamed mohamed fahmy, baher mohamed and peter greste have denied all charges. the three pled not guilty. >> we demanded their rest a and ochance to interrogate prosecution witnesses. >> the three are among 20 defendants, eight of whom were present, the rest tried in absentia. >> we believe we will get a fair trial and we believe we can defend owrs and we believe we have a very defensive opposition. >> family of the detained journalists say the charges have no merits. >> my son and his colleagues are professionals. >> we have to prepare for an outcome that we don't want. >> two of the defendants shouted from their change that they have been subjected to psychologically process protests from journalists from around the world, who warned that egypt had become one of the most oppressive countries for reporters. >> absolutely not acceptable. people think it's a perfectly fine way

or to canada where baher mohammed and mohamed fahmy are dual citizens. >> they're trying to scare journalists from trying to do their jobs. >> will calls for freedom of the press fall on deaf ears in a country that is so deeply divided. >> some college grads find themselves thousands of dollars in debt. one woman has vowed to pay hers off but that has led to a new problem. and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america >> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answe

baher mohamed, mohamed fahmy and peter greste have been detained for nearly 60 days. al jazeera rejeghts th rejects . this is martyr square, in beirut, people holding posters saying, journalist is not a crime. landmark round about in silent protest, and a demonstration of support also in australia, we are expecting to see events in about thir countries in all. and joining me to discuss this is david rote, he is a columnist for reuters, once held in afghanistan after being kidnapped by members of the taliban. david that wasn't the only day you were kidnapped. >> i was te detained in bosnia r ten days. >> i'm curious as to your thoughts as you have watched this unfold for the last 61 days. what are you thinking? >> this is getting worse. there are 211 journalists jailed for their work, according to the committee to protect journalists. last year was even worse, 235. but that's a huge peak. the normal average is 150, 175. now our numbers are over 200. >> why? >> governments are scapegoating journalists. this is a foolish long term move, blaming these journalists aren't g

mohamed fahmy, peter greste and baher mohamed. >> for the purposes of this piece we have decided to use screen grabs rather than run the video. a voice thought to belong to a security officer is heard asking al jazeera acting bureau chief mohamed fahmy about his accreditation, to which he replies, i was told the al jazeera english position is valid otherwise i would not have accepted the job. the ordeal on the video has been overlaid by incongruously dramatic music. microphones, a printer, laptops, other tools of the trade. al jazeera english's director of news, has condemned the video, saying, if it came out by mistake, the professionalism of the prosecution process is called into question. they were also not operating in cairo secretly. the team openly filed several packages and live reports prior to their arrest. this is not an issue of accreditation. them not having full paperwork from the authorities in no way justifies their ongoing incarceration and treatment. they should be let go forthwith. especially since the 2011 revolution that saw president hosne mobarak ousted from power.

the trial in egypt of three of our staff, baher mohamed, mohamed fahmy and peter greste have been in prison for over two months, and meantime, a global campaign for their release has been growing. loinc lori jane gliha has more. >> supporting terrorism by doing their jobs. journalist mohamed fahmy, producer baher mohamed, and correspondent peter greste are among 20 journalists facing charges. for greste, on christmas day, the government declared the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization. a culmination of a six month government standoff against the military leaders who deposed him. peter and his team went looking for the impact. >> with this charity work done there is no alternative here, no state run social security net, no other make it down here. so the government decision is only likely to increase receptment not take it away. >> security officers raided the hotel and arrested them. they were taken to torah prison where former president morsi and his staff are held. a global campaign calling for their release and press freedom in egypt picked up system. last month, the commi

mohamed fahmy, peter greste and baher mohamed. al jazeera rejects claims and demands their immediate and unconditional release. >>> after battle with a powerful drug gang, pushed into the city with the help of police and soldiers. adam rainy has more. >> the supposed are strong hold, it's been a year since the scrimmagvinlanvigilantes rose u. >>> vij lan teasvijvigilantes, . >> i know you're afraid, but everything will turn out good. no more murders, no more extortions, no threats, no more beatings, and without giving the fruit of our labor to these bandits. >> soldiers into the state to try and take back control from both the cartel and the vigilantes, some vigilantes were even killed in clashes with the military. in the end throw the government made a truce with the self-defense groups. now it's even directing hundreds of them into a police force, the knights templar promised development aid to the state. with so many armed groups on the loose though, it is going to be hard for the government to ever fully control this rural and

what is on trial tomorrow is not peter or mohamed or baher. they are really trumped up. journalists trying to tell the story. what is on trial really is joopt's commitmen is egypt's commitment to a free press. if they are serious about fulfilling the goals of democracy then there's a lot on the line in this trial storm. >> i want to ask, egyptian authorities, saying they didn't have official press passes, al jazeera and the journalists insist they have not done anything wrong, they haven't been held in anything close to conditions. mohamed fahmy has a dislocated shoulder and he's been sleeping on a hard floor. >> there's a message that there's a serious crack down on the free press and the opposition, muslim brotherhood and secular opposition. so many people we interviewed for the front line documentary, who were voices of the opposition, they were young muslim brotherhood, separatists, and men like a kmed, this is really a crack down not only on the freedom of the press but also on all opposition. and i think there's really a lot at stake in this trial tomorrow and i th

mohamed fahmy, peter greste and baher mohamed have been held for more than a month.the are network continues to ask for their immediate and unconditional release. >> research shows all 28 member states of the european union are guilty of padding government contracts, bribery and other practice pakistans. the study found the money lost could fund the eu for an entire year, construction happens at loam and regional levels, nuclear deal with world powers by this july. iran reached a temporary deal in november which gave it access to more than $4 billion in cash. today iranian state media said it received $550 million in a swiss bank account as part of the first installment. iran's foreign minister said it should stop accusing iran of building a weapon. >> the best guarantee that iran will never produce nuclear weapons is not limitation on iran's nuclear potential. because even a small power plant can produce a fuel for a weapon. if the country was termed to use it. >> another effort to save detroit's finances. maria innes-ferre joins us, maria. >> thanks tony. complicat

but what is on trial tomorrow is really not peter or mohamed or baher. they are really trumped up. it's really about journalists trying to tell their story. what is on trial really is egypt's commitment to a free press. if they are serious about fulfilling the goals of democracy then there's a lot on the line in this trial storm -- tomorrow. >> and that's a question i want to ask. egyptian authorities say they didn't have official press passes, but al jazeera and the journalists insist they have not done anything wrong, they haven't been held in anything close to are have humanitarian conditions. mohamed fahmy is waiting for medical treatment on an injured shoulder, he has a dislocated shoulder and he's been sleeping on the hard floor. what's that? >> there's a message that there's a serious crack down on the free press and the opposition, muslim brotherhood supporters, they were also secular leftists coming out of the april 6th movement, like ahmed maher. this is really a crack down, not only on the freedom of the press but also on all opposition. and i think there's really a lot

mohamed fahmy, peter greste and baher mohamed appeared in court on thursday, al jazeera says their charges are false and demands the immediate release of its staff. >>> demonstrators gathered outside seattle's fast food restaurants thursday calling for a minimum wage increase to $15 an hour. the fast foot workers and their supporters labeled their protest boycott mcpofort. mcpoverty. you can get the latest news online at aljazeera.com. on america tonight, a short cease fire, ukraine erupts and it's spreading and what is at stake. he is accused of drugging and raping women in five states, could former new orleans player lead a double life. >> he beg

baher mohamed, mohammed badr and peter greste. among the charges that they had ties to a muslim brotherhood, a terrorist organisation. abdullah al-shami, from our sister channel has been in custody since july. al jazeera denies charges and continues to seek the release of staff. >> hundreds of thousands in afghanistan were killed during the law. we have this report from western afghanistan, on how the people there are remembering the occupation. >> on the edge of harr at in western afghanistan, captured soviet weaponry remembering the horrors of war. >> the walls are filled with a name of the hundreds of thousands of afghans who died when the moouja had een rose up against the occupation. >> what people feared was aerial bombing from the soefiates. it was stuff. what was most distressing was the killing of women, children and the elderly. that nunted us to fight the soviets. >> at the heart of the museum, life-style statues guarded the entrance. it takes visitors through the wall against the sof yet. if history is written, the sto

. >> reporter: baher mohamed, mohammed fahmy, and peter greste are now into their second monk of incarcerationithout being charged. the ruling military backed government accuses them of supporting a terrorist organization. al jazeera maintains the journalists were just doing their job. they are just a few of the many [ technical difficulties ] >> union for journalists in part to present a petition at the egyptian embassy, calling for the release of all journalists held. the union head stating this repression of all journalists in the country undermines press freedom in egypt and calls into question the government's attitude to basic human rights. this is by no means the first rally. the push is global. whether it is in east africa, where peter greste is based or his families pleas to the australian press, or campaigns in canada, where mohammed fahmy is a duel citizen. >> i think it's critical that the journalists in in egypt see that journalists outside of egypt all over the world are standing together, because one of the reasons the countries detain journalists is to basically scare other jou

. >> reporter: baher mohamed, mohammed fahmy, and peter greste are now into their second month of incarcerationithout being charged. the ruling military backed government accuses them of supporting a terrorist organization, thaf interviewed members of the now outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are just a few of the many journalists held in egypt. the committee puts egypt among the worst countries for imprisoning members of the press. >> egypt's interim government has a responsibility to ensure they are protected. we have expressed these concerns directly to the go of egypt. and strongly urged the government to drop these charges and release these journalists. >> reporter: today's rally in london, in part in order to present a petition at the egyptian embassy calling for the release of all journalists held. the union head stating this repression of all journalists in the country, undermines press freedom. the push for release is global. whether it's in east africa, where peter greste is based, or his family's pleas to the australian press, or campaigns in canada, with mohammed fahmy is a duel cit

peter greste, baher mohamed and mohamed fahmy have been detained for 59 days. >>> many korean were separated from each other over 60 years ago. now some koreans from the north and south are reuniting with their long lost family members. as richelle carey reports, the outpouring of emotions is overwhelming. >> reporter: tears of joy, tears of disbelief. families torn apart, separated by the korean wash. are reunited again at a mountain resource in fleak. somnorth korea. this isth could be the last:00 these families have contact with one another. >> i'm 87, the only renal i'm still alive is that i was waiting for this chance. >> reporter: but this is the lky few. both north and south korea banning communication, many koreans have gone without any kind of contact, phone calls or e-mails from their loved ones across the border flp have been 18 events since the first in 1985 but this is the first since 2010 and it almost didn't happen. after both governments agree to hold reunions, north korea briefly threatened to back out. but south korea refused and north korea's attempt to tie the event to po

. >>> our colleagues now appearing in a courtroom in cairo, mohammed fahmy, peter greste, and baher mohamed, all pleading not guilty to charges they face. they are accused of aiding and abetting a terrorist organization. al jazeera continues to deny all charges against them and demands their release. i talked to the u.s. director of reporters without borders. >> all of this harassment campaign are really having a chilling effect on journalists. it's harder and harder to work freely and independently as a journalist right now in egypt. and we will continue to put pressure on the egyptian authority to remind them that they -- it is their duty to guarantee freedom of information and freedom of opinion in their country. >>> coming up on al jazeera america, an old airborne illness now spreading in parts of mexico, california could be next. ♪ al jazeera america. we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. >> we pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police de

40 days since egyptian authorities detained three al jazeera journalists, mohamed fadel fahmy, baher mohamed and peter greste have been held and accused of spreading false noous and being linked with the muslim brotherhood. another journalist abdullah al-shami has been in custody since july last year. >> turkey has gone another step further after mps there approved new legislation. defenders of internet freedom say the law is designed to silence the critics. the government says it's protecting privacy. it's due to be signed into law by the president. a government agency, the telecommunications communications presidency will be able to shut down websites it doesn't approve of within hours. providers will be forced to store records of users' activity for two years, on top of the fact that some websites have been blocked under existing laws. we have the details from istanbul. . >> since the rule was presented in the parliament there was a reaction from the young users. they tried to organise a protest. since yesterday they have asked the president to review the law. there was tweets from him ab

mohamed fahmy, baher mohamed and peter greste have been held for two months and accused of having tiesa terrorist organizati organization. al jazeera america has been a bedrock, our third president said that liberty depends on freedom of the press. it's a principle that has since been embraced the world over and it's so why so many people around the world have come together on this day to declare, journalist is not a crime. that's our show. i'm david shuster, in for ali velshi. thanks for joining us. >> hi, you are in the stream. dubbed king of the politically incorrect, mel brooks is join "the stream" in a live and rare interview. he's reflecting on 60 years of pushing the envelope in show business. >> we are bringing all of the live feedback and tonight you are actually checking out something off the bucket list? >> yes, when i went to

mohammed fahmy, baher mohamed, and peter greste all pleading not guilty to charges. >>> many have beenting for 60 years. today a few hundred koreans hugged, kissed, and embraced relatives they haven't seen since the end of the war. >> reporter: the last few shuffles steps before he ends a wait that has lasted most of his lifetime. he is off to meet his sister. she is 13 when he last saw her. >> translator: the first thing i will do is thank her for having survived. i'm 87. the only reason i'm still alive is i was waiting for this chance. >> reporter: the frailty of bodies all too evident, so too the determination to make what will be the first and almost certainly last chance for a brief reunion. these busses are going through the south korean border gate to pick them up and take them into north korea and to their loved ones. a few hours later, and decades of stored up love, loss, and grief, find relief. [ sobbing ] >> reporter: embracing family, strangers, in a country cut in two by war and ideology. they are one in the same. these reunions, the first since 2010 almost didn't happen.

mohamed fahmy , baher mohamed and peter greste have been held for two months and accused of having ties to a terrorist organization organization. al jazeera america has been a bedrock, our third president said that liberty depends on freedom of the press. it's a principle that has since been embraced the world over and it's so why so many people around the world have come together on this day to declare, journalist is not a crime. that's our show. i'm david shuster, in for ali velshi. thanks for joining us. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton in new york. here are the top stories we are following at this hour. more tension for ukraine at this hour. armed gunmen have taken over a regional area in the crimea region. it was not clear who the me are. the upheaval in crimea cams as pro-russian supporters take to the streets to protest the changes in the government. >> a warning from secretary of state john kerry directed towards russia. >> we believe everybody now needs to step back and avoid any kind of provocations >> john kerry voicing concerns about russian

al jazeera baher mohamed and peter greste and mohamed fadel fahmy have been held since november 29th, accused of spreading false news and being linked to muslim brotherhood, a terrorist organisation. abdullah al-shami has been held since july. al jazeera rejects charges against them. >> the annual berlin film festival continues. the berlinale is caught up in the battle of a man seeking asylum in germany. >> the bright lights are shining. this is the place that launches careers. not always. this man is the case in point. the best actor 2013 - a surprise winner. he took the silver bear, one of the top prizes for this, a movie following a day in the life. a world away from berlin. the movie was short lifted for an oscar for best foreign language prize. it was promising until the vest val ended. >> translation: in bosnia people betrayed me thinking we have a lot of money. they promised a lot. it didn't happen. >> he came to germany. he is here with a pr campaign to keep him. the authorities said no. they send roma asylum seekers home. there appears to be no exception made here. we are in

acting bureau chief mohamed fa hee and peter greste and baher mohamed have been held withou without -for over a month now. stephanie. >> joirnlts were arrested in the cairo hotel room. we decided to use screen grabs rather than return the video. to which he applies, i asked them many times if our legal position is valid in egypt. i was told the al jazeera english position is valid, otherwise would i not have accepted the job. the audio on the tape has been overlaid with overly dramatic music. al jazeera english's director of news has condemned the videos saying if this video was deliberately leaks it violates standards of journalist. the process is called into question. they were also not operating in cairo secretly. the team openly filed several permanence packages and documentation prior to their arrest. them not having full paperwork from the authorities in no way justifies their incarceration. closed down by egyptian authorities especially since the 2011 revolution that saw president hosne mubarak hoisted from power. the al jazeera network says the bizarre dram dramatized video,.

mohammed fahmy, correspondent peter greste, and producer baher mohamed, have now been held without chargeore than one month, al jazeera continues to call for their immediate and it and unconditional release. >>> a veteran has a solution to help those in afghanistan. >> reporter: from his dining table, rick burn has been formulating a plan to help the afghan people help themselves. >> these are not people that i was -- that i was just interacting with. these are people that i consider to be friends. >> reporter: he spent nearly three decades as a civil affairs officer with tours in both iraq and afghanistan. he says he has seen the problems of waste, fraud, and abuse. >> we have spent a lot of money in the rld, and we haven't fixed some very basic problems. >> reporter: as of september of last year, the u.s. as appropriated $96.6 billion. another $6.5 billion has been approved for 2014. what he was looking for was a simple solution to ament complex problem. he believes he may have found it in the form of, of all things, goats. the non-profit aims to give two dairy goats each to 15 families

. >>> it's the 50th day of imprisonment, our colleagues mohamed fahmy, peter greste and baher mohamed. the united nations have called for their release. >>> they were rescued from a mine, only to end up in jail. crews pulled from an abandoned gold mine, in south africa. fear for help, they will be arrested. aru matassa has more. >> desperately trying to save lives. these workers on a dangerous mission, to rescue illegal miners,. >> at this stage rescue operations have been -- have ceased on the site of the incident or the site has been landed over through to the mining securities, 11 miners have been removed from the site, they have been checked by the medical operations, from the base and in these cases what we worry about is severe dehydration. they have been cleared and vital signs have been indicated stable and into police custody. >> it is sed some more people could have been trapped in the mine. some illegal miners may not come out fearing arrest. miners 30 kilometers eves of jo johannesber-g. this is only way they can make a living. >> when we try to call there was no more answ

. >> reporter: baher mohamed and my fellow canadian have had to cope with particularly appalling conditions have been held in cells with no access to light, little food for water, cells infested with insect, and being forced to sleep on the floors with no pillows or blankets. >> reporter: most canadians don't really know about this story, which is why the network hosts these kinds of events, hoping the people will pressure their government to say something, and hoping the average person will weigh in with this simple sign. these pictures are spreading on social media. sending a powerful message from the mostly powerless. they are not politicians or celebrities, but their message is clear, free the journalist, free speech. >>> more than 20,000 supporters of hamas and islamic jihad are protesting against peace negotiations between palestine and israel. the head criticized what we called the kerry project, referring to u.s. secretary of state john kerry who is mediating the talks. and called on the president to stop all negotiations. meanwhile conflict has broken out inside a come pound in occ

pr producer baher mohamed have now been held for more than one month. imr immediate and unconditional release. are stephanie decker, al jazeera. >> a lot more coming. >> we speak exclusively to the country's president about corruption and elections. >> plus we look at why nigerian rice growers are losing out to smugglers. >>> and in sports, find out how the fans went sleepless in seattle after the first-ever super bowl triumph. nelson mandela's estate was worth an estimated $4.1 million when when he died. according to a summary, of the south africa president. contents of the will was read nearly two months after he died. tension over mandela's family over who gets what. >> nelson mandela's last wishes were read out to the public and in that people got to see in his will that he went to great pains to see his family members got an equal share. saying thank you to all of them for helping them through the most difficult times of his life and for making his life more comfortable. educational institutions like schools and universities saying that he wants th

mohamed fadel fahmy, baher mohamed, and peter greste have been held for 50 days, accused of having ties to the muslim brotherhood. which egypt declared a terrorist organization. abdullah al-shami, has been in custody since last july. he's on his 28th day of a hunger strike of his detention. al jazeera rejects all charges and continues to demand the release of its staff. >> in a note on a web shit, a shia cleric says he will no longer be involved in parliamentary affairs. alsader has been an opponent of nouri al-maliki. joining us live from bag dat on the phone is the iraqi political analyst. we had been hoping to speak to you live. due to a power cut we can only speak to you on the phone. there was a time when sadr's army wielded power, clashing with u.s. forces. how influential is al-sadr. >> would you repeat the question again? >> yes, of course. sadr's forces were known to clash with the coalition forces during the war. how much influence does he have in iraq? >> he has a lot of influence, particularly on the shia sector. he is a popular leader, and among shia's leaders. moouk taddar

it's 58 days in prison for mohamed fahmy, baher mohamed and peter greste. they are accused of spreading false news and being connected to a terrorist organization. arabic channel held since augu august, abdalla al shami has been held for months. s the u.n. says almost two and a half million people have crossed into neighboring states. but many millions more displaced within syria. in the city of aleppo, many have stayed put, despite the fighting. report on what some are doing to survive. about. >> reporter: shutting themselves in. that's what it's come to in syria's largest city, aleppo. people have taken to bricking up their windows to stay safe. >> translator: of course, it's safer for the children. because of shrapnel from the daily shelling. we decided to do this simple thing. >> and this is what they're trying to protect against: bombs which have left houses, buildings, and lives in ruin. many homes are deserted. streets, too. these people blame the government. >> barrel bombs he dropped on us they destroyed everything and forced the people to flee. as

. >> not guilty al jazeera camera found baher mohamed has been cleared of all charges. >> replacing hamid karzai - live in afghanistan where preparations are under way for a presidential election. >> a day that thai protesters never wanted is over. polls have closed. 49 million were eligible to cast their ballots. many were unable to do so. aint government protesters blocked roads, surrounding a ballot distribution center. four of bangkok's districts were shut down. thousands of polling stations were closed around the country. >> there were scuffles when anti-government protesters met at the station. fighting occurred in some places there were demands that some pom center be reopened. >> in her north bangkok neighbourhood yingluck shinawatra arrived as the polls opened. setting an example that she hoped millions would follow on sunday. >> it's a duty to exercise the right to vote. doesn't matter who you vote for. we must support the election protest. >> in other parts of the capital anticipated troubles were brewing. >> this is one of the polling positions here in bangkok. the leader of t

peter, mohammed fahmy, baher mohamed, and abbulla ah-shami are have been in defense.testers say they will continue until the journalists are released. >>> there is a new controversial style of dog training that is raising a lot of eyebrows. >> reporter: most dog owners want this from their pet. >> hello, sweety. hello, sweety. >> reporter: but certain dog owners want this. training your dog is typically about socialization, about keeping it from nipping at strangers, but a thriving industry exists that will train massive intimidating dogs to do exactly the opposite. it's methods are pretty controversial, it's entirely unregulated, and it raises the question, what is more natural to a dog, peace or aggression? being a pet or a weapon? >> if you are not yut nicing your dog to the fullest capacity, you are going the dog injustice. because they want to work. >> reporter: mike trains so-called protection dog. >> what we teach is the collar method. it's a positive-negative. positive, good boy, you did your job. negative, you get correction through leash and collar, because

. >> this is where mohammed fahmy and baher mohammed are being held. they have been in detention for over two months away from their families. >> our first hope is as unrealistic as it might sound, that they're acquitted on the first day. the next best thing is that there isn't a prolonged adjournment. >> it is not optimism shared. >> we just got information that the journalists will stand trial on thursday has changed. and that doesn't sound very positive for this court hearing and for the coming freedom of information in egyptian. >> reporter: last year the committee to protect journalists named egypt as one of the top ten worst countries for journalist. egypt is also the most dangerous country for journalists to report in. five were killed, and 45 others assaulted. egyptian security forces raided 11 news outlets during last year. after the up rising we've seen successive authorities had been repressive of civil society in general and clearly of journalists in particular. we've seen dozens of arrests, killings as well. we've seen the lawlessness by t

baher mohamed, peter greste and mohamed fahmy are into their second month.ilitary backed government accuses them of supporting a terrorist organization after they interviewed members of the now outlawed muslim brotherhood. al jazeera maintains the journalists were just doing their job. they are just a few of the many journalists held the egypt. the committee to protect journalists put egypt among the worst countries of protecting joirnlts. >> they have a responsibility to ensure they are protected. we have expressed these concerns directly to the government of egypt in answer to your question and we have strongly urged the government to drop these charges and release these journalists and academics who have been detained. >> today's rally in london, in part noshed to present a -- in order to present a petition calling for the release of all journalists held. the union head stating, this repression of all journalists in the country, who are operating under outrageous pressure and intimidation, calls into question the deposit's attitude to basic human rights.

peter greste, mohamed fahmy and baher mohamed have been detained for two months. >>> chinese new yearsa bernard has more on that. >> in san francisco' san franci, goodye tthe ar othe snake. >> i got to tell you, these are awesome flowers. >> dave thomas and his team are making the floats that will welcome the year of the horse. his company will build 21 floats this year. sponsors pay anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 to get one of thomas's floats in the famous san francisco new year parade. >> how long did it take to get from here to here? >> this is usually ten days work. i draw a fleet that will elicit that emotion. >> this dates back to the 1860s and is now the largest asian cultural event in north america. as the artists prepare for the year of the horse so do those who interpret the chinese astrological signs. lillian yang is an astrological consultant. she says the elements fire and wood are significant this year. >> whenever fire shows up, it's going to pick up the stock market. >>> traditional red envelopes are for sale, they'll be stuffed with money and passed along. inge exp

since the egyptian government detained three al jazeera journalists, memo fahmy, peter greste and baher mohamed have been held for more than a month. the government in cairo claims their cases have been referred to the criminal court by the prosecutor-general .1however, al jazeera rejects their claims and demands their unconditional release. the world has clearly gotten more dangerous for reporters. >> absolutely. and i think the key leer is that the -- here is that the number one problem that is the impunity that allows these situations to occur. the number of journalists that were in jail when we finished the film in the end of 2012 was about 270 or 280 media journalists. last year the number went down slightly. but what we are seeing these journalists being taken imprisoned in egypt is just indicative of something that is kind of going on around the world and is really a result of the fact that there is an atmosphere of impunity that allows this kind of thing to happen. >> and trisha, there have been mucmany more killings of journalists since the year 2000, pretty much, since any time in the

mohammed fahmy baher mohamed and peter greste have been held now for 52 days, accused of having tiedslim brotherhood which egypt has declared a terrorist organization. and our correspondent from our sister channel has also been in custody since august 20th. al jazeera rejects all charges and continues to demand the unconditional release of its staff. >>> we are receiving reports that 18 people have been killed on the outskirts of the syrian city of berra, activists capturing the devastation after the attack. syrian rebels say government forces used barrel bombs and targeted the town. the bombs reportedly hit a,n school. >>> thousands of refugees have been escaping the fighting in in syria. many have been trying to get across the border in lebanon. it is a hazardous trip. stephanie decker reports from the lebanon, syria border. >> reporter: this man hopes he has to stay here for only a short time. he has come from syria to lebanon after his home was bombed in an air vehicle. he says this is no longer a revolution. >> translator: the regime is taking money from countries and so is the

mohammed fahmy, baher mohamed, and peter greste were taken by the egyptian authorities on december 29thions against them having ties to the muslim brotherhood, which egypt declared a terrorist organization on december 5th. a correspondent from our sister station has been in detention since july. al jazeera denies the charges and continues to demand release of its staff. >>> at least 99 people have been killed from the crash of an air plain. it went down in an mountainous area. it was reportedly carrying soldiers and members of their families. >>> in the afghan capitol an emergency polio vaccination campaign has begun. afghanistan, pakistan, and nigeria are the only countries in the world in which polio remainsen demmic. >> reporter: there is an urgent campaign to vaccination children. a 3-year-old girl was diagnosed with the disease. the child has recently returned from neighboring pakistan. >> the child is coming from a normal family, and some family members are living in pakistan with frequent travels back and forth. >> reporter: but it now means that the thousands of afghans who visi

mohammed fahmy, baher mohamed, and peter greste have denied all of the government's charges.y are accused of belonging to a terrorist organization, and thre threaten egypt's national security. >> translator: we demanded their release and the chance to interrogate prosecution witnesses. >> reporter: the three are among 20 defendants. al jazeera management expressed satisfaction that the trial was upway. >> we're very pleased we are in court. we believe we will get a fair trial, and we believe we can defending ourselves. >> reporter: family members of the journalists said the charges had no merit. >> translator: from my point of view this trial is politicized. my son and his coworkers are good patriots and work professionally. >> he has been prepared for today, but he is also prepared for an outcome that perhaps -- that we don't want. >> reporter: two of the journalists shouted that they have been subject to, quote, psychologically unbearable conditions since their arrest. they said they got only one hour of exercise a day, and had no access to reading material. the cases raise

the three al jazeera journalis journalists, baher mohamed, peter greste and mohamed fahmy, charged with aiding a terrorist group, something al jazeera vee metropolitanly denies. hugh, why did you decide to speak out on this? >> well, i think the fact that there is an australian, peter greste caught up in this, it helps us as australians to kind of refocus on a much larger issue. it's plainly been an issue around the world. over 100 journalists were killed last year, according to the international federation of journalists. we saw justice week in hong kong of all places, a liberal minded np editor being brutally attacked. it is not a save world to be a journalist. just brings again an opportunity for us to look at these issues and also to exert such quiet, soft pressure as we can on the egyptian authorities to think again about what they're doing. >> as you say there are many other countries where journalists are in danger. but what specifically do you think is going on in egypt right now? >> well, it's hard to say. it's plainly the power vacuum remains effectively from the events of the

peter greste, mohamed fahmy and baher mohamed were arrested in late december. their case has grown -- on global condemnation against egypt's military-backed regime for clamping down on freedom of speech. peter's brother spoke to reporters on wednesday. l with then a cel other two journalists. tough.ditions are pretty i think probably the most difficult thing for him is the mental challenge of staying positive and focused and not allowing the conditions is living under to become overwhelming and depressing. >> in total, 20 journalists are said to go on trial today including eight who are in custody. in a victory for opponents of the keystone xl oil pipeline, a judge in nebraska has voted the states approval of the pipeline route. district court judge stephanie stacy struck out in a 2011 law that allowed governor dave heineman to approve the pipeline's route through nebraska, singh the decision should have been left up to a state commission. the pipeline would funnel tar sands oil from canada to the u.s. gulf coast, but critics say it would fuel climate change an