Of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by and by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. And. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Ifill the deal creating the Worlds Largest airline became official today. American airlines emerged from bankruptcy to join with u. S. Airways. The new carrier will operate under the American Airlines name. The merger leaves four airlines controlling more than 80 of the American Travel market. Passengers wont see immediate changes to reservations or frequent flyer programs, and it remains unclear if the deal will mean higher fares. Eight of the most prominent u. S. Tech companies, including apple, google and facebook, are calling for tighter controls on government surveillance. They sent an open letter to president obama today, in the wake of revelations that the government collects personal data from their networks. Well hear from microsoft, on whats driving the companies concerns, right after the news summary. An icy, snowy mix made its way into new england today after leaving a messy trail in its wake. Ice brought down power lines from texas to tennessee to virginia, and commuters faced hazardous driving this morning. Air travel was also a big problem, with another 1,600 Flights Canceled today. People were stranded all over the country. Last night the lines for customer service, you couldnt see the end of them. And they were handing out pieces of paper saying call this number. You call the number and all circuits busy. It was just a nightmare. Ifill in all, thereve been 6,100 Flights Canceled nationwide since saturday and hundreds more delayed. Eight northeast and Midatlantic States asked today for new federal curbs on air pollution created by their neighbors. They want nine southern and midwestern states to regulate power plant emissions that are carried northeast by prevailing winds. The Supreme Court hears arguments tomorrow in a related case involving 28 states. South africa made ready today for a Mass Memorial Service honoring Nelson Mandela. At least 100,000 people, including nearly 100 world leaders, are expected to attend tomorrow. President obama and mrs. Obama left washington this morning, joined on air force one by former president george w. Bush and his wife. Former president s clinton and carter also will attend. Theres been more unrest in the Central African republic, as gunmen refuse to give up their weapons to french troops. The french patrolled the capital city today, trying to disarm rival muslim and christian fighters who killed 400 people over the weekend. Well have a report from the c. A. R. Later in the program. The Prime Minister of thailand called for new elections today, in the face of protests against her rule. The opposition has accused her of corruption, insisting again she must go. John sparks of independent Television News reports from bangkok. Reporter protest leaders called it the day of reckoning. A time to doordie. When their call was answered on the streets of bangkok by more than 150,000 people. And each one seemed determined to topple the thai government. Weve got to get them out. Were playing our last card. Reporter theyve been at it for weeks. A rolling protest against the government of Prime Minister yingluck shinawatra. With demonstrators converging on government headquarters this morning, the thai Prime Minister made a surprise announcement. She disolved the government. Miss yingluck who sounded shaken said let the people decide who governs next. Back on the streets, the Prime Ministers big declaration had little impact. Many here dont want elections. They want something completely different. The leader of these protests wasnt taking questions this morning. He was surrounded by a fall ang of bodyguards. His name is sutek and the silver haired politician wants to replace the government with a nonelected body of experts. Later he held court in front of a massive crowd. This his daily address. And he said they would need three extra days to take power. But the protestors have a problem. They dont represent the majority in thailand. If the elections take place, yingluck will almost certainly win. There seems no easy resolution to all this. And the battle for power will go on. In ukraine, there were signs of a possible crackdown, one day after hundreds of thousands of people protested against the government. Riot troops stormed an Opposition Party office in kiev today, and police also tore down banners and tents blocking city offices. Well talk to a correspondent on the ground in ukraine, later in the program. North Korean Leader kim jung un has expelled the countrys second most powerful figure, his uncle, from the ruling circle. State t. V. Broadcast images sunday, that showed uniformed guards taking 67yearold jang song thaek into custody. The unusually public purge happened at a party meeting. Jang is charged with corruption, womanizing and abusing alcohol and drugs. 18 current and former Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies face federal charges in a civil rights and corruption case. The announcement today alleged beatings of inmates and jail visitors, unjustified detentions and conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation. The probe focuses on the county jail system, the nations largest. Princeton university began immunizing nearly 6,000 students today against type b meningitis. The outbreak was deemed so serious that the food and Drug Administration authorized use of a vaccine not licensed in the u. S. Since march, eight people at princeton have been stricken by the potentially fatal disease. Its spread through kissing, coughing and other contact. The federal bailout of General Motors is officially over. The treasury sold its remaining shares in the automaker today. In the end, the net cost to taxpayers was 10. 5 billion. And on wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average gained five points to close at 16,025. The nasdaq rose six points to close at 4,068. Ifill still to come on the newshour tech giants call for limits on spying; disarming rebels in the Central African republic; unrest escalates in ukraine; islamists complicate the civil war in syria; the president of Spelman College and rock legend Carlos Santana. Woodruff the giants of the Tech Industry made a highly Public Appeal today to rein in government surveillance. It came in the form of an open letter to president obama. The call for curbs focused on peoples personal information being collected from online traffic. Eight major companies, including apple, facebook, google, microsoft and twitter, banded together to write an open letter to the president and congress. It appeared in fullpage newspaper ads and online. The letter read in part its the tech giants latest bid to salvage public trust, amid revelations that theyve had to provide users data to the government. The details come from edward snowden, who leaked a trove of material from the National Security agency last summer. Intelligence officials maintain the Data Collection operation has thwarted a number of terror attacks. A president ial Advisory Panel has been reviewing the issue. Its findings could come this week. We hear now from the tech world. Brad smith is the general counsel and an executive Vice President of microsoft. Hes also speaking on behalf of the companies that signed todays letter. Brad smith, welcome to the program. What is it that the government is doing that microsoft and the other Companies Want them to stop . Well, throughout our industry were concerned about the increasing reports that government surveillance including in the u. S. But also elsewhere has gone beyond what people understood. We see a need for reform. And specifically were hoping that there will be clear legal rules, all of this should take place pursuant to the law there should be stronger executive oversight there needs to be enhanced review by the courts. And there needs to be a bit more transparency, certainly, so that we can all have the confidence in the public that we live in a safe country. But also one where we know enough about what the government is doing to be confident that people are striking the right balance. Isnt it the case that the Tech Companies, though, have been providing data to the government . Well, for many years, we have been responding to subpoenas, to warrants, to court orders. We, of course, know what we have been doing. But frankly, what really surprised people across the tech sector was at the end of october, the Washington Post reported that beyond these Legal Processes, there were government evidents to infect collect data. In this instance it was data moving between the data centers within yahoo and within google. And that wasnt within the confines of any Legal Process that anybody was aware of. And that shent a shockwave throughout the industry. Ive been reading today what some of the privacy advocates say. And a couple of them point out that it is because Tech Companies like microsoft and the others collect so much personal data yourselves that that is what makes it attractive for the government. That they wouldnt be in other words, trying to come after this data if you and the other companies didnt have it. Well, theres a piece of this that may involve data that companies are collecting. But the reality is frankly most things turn on emails, text messages, web sites that people are visiting. You know, people do send a lot. They share a lot. They want to do that. And that is important in the context of government investigationsment but i would actually say that more than anything else is what started it to focus government investigators on this set of issues over a decade ago. Have the companies tried to talk to the government privately about this . Because youre launching this big Public Campaign today. We know the white house, the president has said hes had a task force out, i guess, studying it. And it looks like theyre going to be making some recommendations, have you made an attempt to settle this behind the scenes . Well there have been a lot of discussions. And we appreciate the degree to which people in the government are listening. We know that president obama is thinking about this. We know that leaders in other countries are as well. But its an issue of broad importance importance to the public. Everybody should be concerned about the balance being struck between protecting safety on the one hand which with is obviously important. And protecting our fundamental freedoms and rights to privacy as well. So as important as private discussions are, this is too important to leave to private discussion alone. And i also see that the companies are trying to expand your own encryption to make it harder for outsiders to come in and scoop up or take what you have. Tell us a little bit about that. Certainly we realized as an industry that there are more governments. This is not confined to any single country, that are seeking to hack their way or tap into cables and collect data so here at microsoft but really across our industry, Companies Increasingly are taking steps. Increasing encryption that puts everything in code when its going across the cable, for example, so the government cannot read, necessarily what it might be getting. Were increasing the ability of governments and others, customers to just knows whats going on because we understand that people do have a need to know. Were increasing local protections for our customers. Were really striving to take a comprehensive approach to insurance that the public can trust the technology they use in their every day lives. Well, and you touch on a question, i think, that a lot of people have. To some extent the government needs access to communications that may be involved in involved in or creating a threat to security. How do you and the Companies Know how to strike that balance . I think the most important question is who should strike the balance between Public Safety on the one hand and personal freedoms on the other. As soon as you can that question you realize that in any kind of Democratic Society it should be the government itself. We need clear laws. We need the kind of transparency so the public knows how these laws are being applied. We need to recognize that as important as Public Safety clearly is, we also have important constitutional freedoms, the right to speak, the right to be secure from unreasonable government searches. All of which are at stake. This is a matter for the public at large to decide through our elective processes. Woodruff brad smith with microsoft, thank you very much. Thank you. For the record we have asked the National Security agency for an interview. We hope to hear from nsa officials at a later time. Now, to the Central African republic where french troops have begun disarming rival muslim and christian groups. Alex thomson of independent Television News was with French Forces earlier today in the countrys capital bangui. He filed this report. Reporter now its for real on the streets of the capital. Disarming the seleka militias, the number one objective says the French Military commander. From dawn they set about it. On the ground, on the ground. One pistol and some cartridges off the streets. But these men were eventually allowed to go free. It is the law of diminishing returns. The word soon gets around amongst the militia that the french are here and they avoid the area. What theyre basically doing is letting the small fry go but anybody they consider important will be arrested. And so far thereve been scores of those this morning. Elsewhere, emboldened by the french being here christian mobs now out on the streets, looting anything they can from muslim shops and businesses. In another location the christian mob attacks a man and his teenage son suspected of being former seleka soldiers. The french troops try to intervene but the selaka havent gone. This is a known seleka vehicle. The men are known as such. Theyre heading straight for a french checkpoint. Cool and confident, moments later they came back. Civilian clothing, no weapons, no problem. The crowds looking on know whats happening. translated i really want the french to help us. To get out on the ground because theres nobody there. Everythings looted. Im a victim myself. translated he said its for the french to get the militias weapons from the mosques, from their homes and from the cemetery where they are hiding them. Reporter but the french cant be everywhere. In reality, they can hardly be anywhere but this is progress. 24 hours ago we were on the streets with french paratroopers. Hot, tense an encounter between the paratroopers and the seleka militia usually drunk and stoned or both all but inevitable. They came upon this group of seleka militia. Neither side said anything or made any gesture. But the seleka armed and in uniform on the streets of the capital seem to have disappeared one day on. Leaving a terrible stain on this capital, yet more people out this morning to bury their relatives. A man tells us how the seleka took his two brothers and beat them to death. translated what were seeing is that the french troops are not in the hot spots, for instance around camp where they are killing people. Theres no one there. They can do what they want over there. Reporter around the middle of the day a rainstorm built up over bangui, minutes later we found ourselves surrounded by this, what was until recently one of the cities monasteries and grounds now a vast chaotic camp of terrified christians, still refusing to go home french army or no french army. He told us they arent going home because a kind of psychosis has set in. Only yesterday we had shooting in this district so even more came. Its just not in peoples interest to leave here. Can you blame them . A man carefully describes how his neighbors were hacked and shot to death. Five of them. Hes got all the closeups to prove it, which we couldnt possibly broadcast as they buried what had been the family next door. To say the french and african peacekeepers have their work cut out is an understatement in a city of looted baazars. At least 50,000 homeless, militias unlikely to go quietly. Ifill the president of the ukraine Viktor Yanukovich is backing a call for talks with the countrys opposition, in an attempt to quell weeks of protests. Tensions are running high in kiev tonight, however, as pro europe demonstrators are barricading protest camps which police have threatened to disperse. On sunday, a partylike atmosphere prevailed in the ukrainian capital, kiev. Several hundred thousand people angry over what they see as the governmen