>> we wish you the best of luck and now with all your projects in the future. signature. >> we wish you the best of luck with all your it's a pleasure to talk to you. future. thank you very much for talking it's a pleasure to to us. the >> i enjoyed talking to you. >> i've enjoyed it. thank you. >> we'll be >> we'll have the latest. conflict at the syrian peace conference. a bitter clash over president bashar al-assad's future. protesters are killed in new anti-government unrest, and no signs of a solution yet. and a new plan unveiled to help protection pensions in detroit and save the city's art from bankruptcy.

>> and we begin this hour with breaking news. israel says it has foiled attacks. lisa stark is following developments for us in washington, d.c. lisa, good to see you. what do you know? >> reporter: tony, the israelis said they arrested three men. two are from east palestine, one from the gaza strip. their plan was to attack the u.s. embassy in tel aviv and an international conference center in jerusalem. the men were recruited through the internet by a group in the gaza strip with connections to al-qaeda. we're told that the recruiter actually told these men that he was working behalf of al wahiri.

that is the first time that al-qaeda is directly linked to an attack inside israel. the attack was to be carried out by five unidentified men who would fly into israel with russian passports. the israelis are saying although the attack on the convention center, the potential attack was further along in its planning stages, they don't think the group would have been able to carry out the attack on the u.s. embassy. >> very interesting. what is the u.s. reaction so far, if any? >> reporter: well, the state department said it has been in touch with the israelis, as you can imagine. at this point there are no plans to change security at the embassy. >> employ a wide range of

security measures for employees who work around the world, and certainly here. i defer you to the government of israel for the specific miswe don't discuss all of our security measures. we already have high security at our facilities there. if we need to take additional measures i'm sure people will. i'm not aware of any. >> harf also said that they cannot--the u.s. would not independently confirm what the israelis are saying about this plot, but she did say they have no reason to believe that it's not true. these men were arrested way back in december on the 25th. but the gag order was just lifted. that's why we're finding out about it today. >> lisa stark for us in washington, d.c. thank you. >> the atmosphere was anything but peaceful today at the conference that is aimed at ending syria's three-year-old civil war. representatives from the syrian government and option met face to face for the first time since the conflict began.

they have different views for bashar al-assad's future. the u.n. envoy on syria said he will meet with each side individually tomorrow to see if they can sit down for talks on friday. secretary of state john kerry said peace efforts are far from over. >> what you see between the opposition and the assad regime will not be the full measure of effort being extended in order to try to find a solution here. without going into detail i would say to you that lots of different avenues to be pursued, including continuous support. >> nick schifrin joins us from montreux, switzerland. my good innocenc goodness, therp

difference on day one. >> reporter: bashar al-assad refuses to consider stepping down from power. he's even talking about running again even though the stated goal of this conference, the goal that his delegation has accepted is to remove him from pow and turn in a transitional government. he's dismissing that idea. u.s. officials are pushing back against that. given the gap, given the difference between these two sides the u.s. and others are having a hard time to find small steps towards peace. >> in a conference, two sides yelling at each other. the man is a pro government journalist, the woman is anti-government. this may be one moment outside of the conference, but in the

conference hall the differences are just as divided. >> there is no way, no way possible in imagination that the man who has led the brutal response to his own people could regain legitimacy to govern. one man and those can no longer hold an entire nation and region hostage. >> in response the syrian foreign minister said assad had no intention of stepping down. he delivered a speech that many call incendiary and waved his finger at the u.s. >> no one in the world has the right to give legitimacy or withdrawal legitimacy from legitimate government in syria but syria.

>> reporter: the government is accused the torturing proteste protesters. opposition said its true emptitive of the syrian people. >> the millions displaced from their home because of the bombings from wa warplanes, artillery and scud missiles. >> the opposition in the u.s. called the assad regime intrangegent. >> i want to finish my speech. >> then i have to give more time-- >> you give opposition groups. you live in new york. i live in syria. i have the right the syrian version here in this forum. >> yes, of course,--

>> this is my right. >> the opposition held a mock demonstratiodemonstration of a . just blocks away protesters chanting loyalty to assad. so far they're as far apart as ever. >> given that gap, u.s.-u.n.-return officials who are leading this official are trying to lead in small baby steps. they're trying to swap prisoners so the u.n. and u.s. can reach the millions of people who need basic things like food and water that they haven't been able to get. or they're trying to get localized cease fires. the idea of the two sides talk together and maybe that local cease-fire would expand. the two sides are very far

apart. very difficult--while we're talking here the violence in syria continues unabated. >> so we're going to watch these talks unfold over the next few days here, and i'm wondering where are the leverage points, the pressure point. we always hear secretary kerry talking about pressure points. let's talk about the syrian opposition. does it have any leverage an at all in these talks? >> reporter: this is a key question, who can convince russia and assad that he cannot continue this violence against his own people. who can convince him that he cannot act in impunity. there has been a threat of military action, that macon vince assad that he cannot do.

but you have kerry talking about pressure points, trying to isolate assad, trying to convince the syrian delegation here his allies and assad himself that he cannot act with impunity, and if he does diplomatically it would be too difficult for him to survive. but it has failed so far, and so the u.s. is trying to scrounge for other tools whether it's with the opposition or themselves, but the opposition doesn't have it right now. >> nick, appreciate it. as always, nick schifrin in montreux, switzerland. let's go to a professor of modern middle east history. let me gauge how you feel overall about this process. on a scale of one to ten, ten being very useful, how useful is this conference?

>> this conference is basically on the part of the americans that they have no policy at this point. there is no function that this is going to fulfill. the problem is this: everyone is coming to this conference with a different set of expectations. syrian government is saying, okay, we're going to come to this conference to discuss the terrorism that we're subject to from the opposition. the opposition is coming in saying we want immediate transition of assad. the americans and russians coming to the conference saying we want the implementation of geneva one, of the protocols signed in 2012. but even that, the protocols mean there will be an internal negotiation process, dialogue. the americans say there will be a transition, and of course the iranians are not there.

>> at least they're in the same city. maybe they'll be in the same room later in the week. at least they're in the same city. they're not yelling at each other from their various capitols. they're in a room. is there a chance that in spite of the differences that you've outlined. >> there is really nothing useful coming out of this. the only way that this could possibly work is if both sides in syria, the opposition and government look at each other and say my god, we're helplessly stalemated, and there is no solution. the major outside players, united states, russia, saud saudi arabia, iran, etc. there is no way to win this, we have to negotiate.

under those circumstance there is a possibility of a negotiated settlement. we're not at that point yet. the opposition is in disarray, even if there was an attempted cease-fire, the last time there was a cease-fire it was immediately broken by the jihadis. so we're not going to get very much out of this conference at all. >> what is your view of what secretary kerry is doing here in the role that he is playing in this entire process and beyond that and the optimistic tone kerry is driving with these talks? >> frankly, i don't know. i think there is a debate going on in the people who are watching, the state department and in particular kerry. the debate is does kerry have something up his sleep, which we don't know, or if he's delusional. he's trying to do this in syria and in the case of the israel-palestine question, both are immovablel immovable.

if the united states stops playing two-dimensional chess and starts playing three-dimensional chess. >> what does that mean? >> review the iranian position in this, a win for iran is a loss for us. a win for us is a loss for iran. it's a zero-plus game. to say, look, we're not going to talk about syria or the nuclear option, everything goes. we're going to talk about syria, the nuclear option, sanctions and afghanistan and the gulf. we're going to bring iran in this process and negotiate this. this is freaked out the gulf states particularly saudi arabia, so therefore-- >> professor, i have to jump in because our window with you is

about to close. that's terrific. i can't thank you enough for that. professor james, professor of modern middle east history. thank you very much, sir. protesting ukraine had turned deadly, and now opposition leaders are asking for a 24-hour stop to demonstrations. at least three people were killed in clashes with police in a crackdown of people disobeying anti-protest law. barricades were built in a protest, and we have more were kiev. >> reporter: a new fight for old ukrainian veterans. for weeks they have kept the peace here. now there is a new threat.

laws that give police powers to dismantle the protest on independent square. their commander said they're ready. >> the government should be afraid of these new laws. we've already been scared. we're ready to stand to the very end to have the life we deserve. >> even when protests turned violent on sunday, the veterans did their best to calm the crowd. back at the main camp it's not just veterans planning barriers. they're afraid to give names. he juggles his regular job with standing guard here every day. >> this protest camp is the only piece of free land in the whole of kiev. it's the only place the government has passed are not legal.

>> reporter: this week they started carrying bats and sticks getting ready for possible vaults. defenders say this is a criminal time that the new laws are coming in effect. they're reinforcing the barricades and with standing the bitter cold. this is slick ice, making it difficult for the police to approach. they have beefed up patrols, while they emphasize a peaceful approach, they are ready for trouble. >> i will fight. if the police bring a fight, let them know that i'm ready to give them the same. >> there is camaraderie as the men go out for another long, cold night to watch, wait, and possibly defend an area that represents freedom here. jennifer glass, al jazeera, kiev. >> protesters in ukraine have been using everything from headgear to fight against riot

police. their main course of communication is through social media. >> reporter: i just want to show you some of the messages coming out of ukraine. these are what the protesters are using. they're using shields, some have ben taken from the police. they're using masks and helmets, here they're using also wood for shields. they're using these barricades as well as bags with sand and rocks in them. and barricades are forming them, take a look at this, saying any and all metal that can be found to reinforce the barricades. no billboard is off limits. they're also using the snow. this says in ukrainian snow being used for barricades. we want to show you this catapult that was built. i spoke to someone who is

helping with the communications on the ground there. he said that they have some engineers that were able to put this catapult together. you'll see had here. it says right here is where the catapult is at nighttime. through their main source of communication is through, of course, the internet and social media. they're using this to communicate throughout the day and evening. i'll tell you the evening is the most difficult time around 3:00 or 4th in the morning. that's when the folks are the most tired. that's when the clashes usually occur. >> appreciate it. thank you. another chemical revealed to be in that spill in west virginia. the company responsible ordered to disclose everything. was the hazard worse than first reported? australia set to launch a giant great white shark hunt in response to fatal attacks, but it is already causing a lot of controversy.

conditions. with oceans arm, it's feared the

>> welcome back to al jazeera

america. new developments in the west virginia chemical spill. a second chemical found its way in the elk river. it's an insolvent that could be toxic to the skin. we're joined live from charleston, west virginia, where jonathan has been covering the story for a week. jonathan, why are we just learning about the pph, and why wasn't it disclosed earlier? >> tony, that's the big question. health officials and state officials want to know why they're just learning about this. we have learned that they don't believe there is any new health risk, but they're going around and doing testing on some of the tampsamples to see if it is detectable in the water.

officials are still saying they believe the water is safe to drink. >> a second chemical pph leaked from a soldier tank along the elk river part of the same spill three weeks ago. >> when i saw that there is this new chemical, one of many, i'm sure, nothing at this point can surprise me, and i will never use the tap water here again, ever. >> state officials apparently didn't know either. they found out about the pph when they received a document tuesday afternoon from freedom industries. about 300 gallons of pph were in the tank. the mixture of mchm crude used to clean coal. the secretary of west virginia's department of environmental protection. >> according to the folks from freedom who revealed this to us

yesterday, they thought they had stopped mixing that material and recently discovered it was in the tank with the mchm. many are not convinced that they're seeing the truth from the company or the state. >> they have not withheld any information. we're making as much of it available as soon as we possibly can. >> now serious questions are mounting. when they knew about the second temcal, and why it took so long to notify the state. >> that causes the credibility to take a huge hit. absolutely. >> they are fully responsible, freedom industries because it was their watch, their tanks. >> and we have repeatedly reached out to freedom industries to ask about the spill itself, the bankruptcy and other issues, but they have no

comment at this point. the state has ordered freedom to turn over any new information. anything that they haven't told us needing to turned over by 4:00. it is now 4:30. >> people are now using their tap water again. is this new information causing people to rethink that decision? >> reporter: some people say they're using the tap water to wash dishes and clothes but they're not drinking it. that's what we've heard from the majority of the people. some people say after the news of this chemical they're going to wait long for drink it becausbecause they do not trustt they're hearing is the truth. >> jonathan, appreciate it. this area of west virginia has been nicknamed chemical valley, and there have been a number of dangerous incidents. monsanto paid for clean up after

testing found a by-product of agent orange. in 2010 a series of gas leaks in a dupont plant. and in 2008 two workers died when a pesticide waste tank exploded near dunbar. on wall street it's deja vu all over. the dow fell white the nasdaq rose. blue chips losing 41 points. ibm was the big drag on the market its shares sinking 3% after a disappointing sales report and a breaking news from netflix. the streaming video company said it added 2.3 customers in the fourth quarter and sales jumped to more than $1 billion. it looks like air traffic controllers in switzerland were able to do something diplomats have tried to do for years now,

bring israel and iran together. bloomberg news took this picture of an israeli and palestinian jet parked side by side. leaders from both countries are attending the conference in davos. staff took pictures of each other and even talked with one another. we'll bring an interview with hassan rouhani right here. hope for detroit. we'll tell you about the new plan to save pensions and the city's art collection and the push for a last-minute appeal for mexican man set to be put to death tonight in texas. the case sparking protest in the u.s. and mexico. every day, someone leaves their home searching for a better life.

>> two hours in, we come upon a body. >> now, in a breakthrough television event, al jazeera america takes you beyond the debate. experience first hand the tragic journey of these migrants. >> a lot of people don't have a clue what goes on until you live near the boarder. >> six strangers with different points of view... >> i don't believe in borders. >> our government is allowing an invasion. >> ...get to experience illegal immigration, up close and personal. >> its very overwhelming to see this many people that have perished. >> a lot of families that don't know where their babies went. >> i want to make sure that her life, its remembered. >> what happens when lost lives are relived. >> the only way to find out is to see it yourselves. >> on borderland. only on al jazeera america. >> any of you guys want to come to the united states?

>> here's a look at your top stories at this hour. analysts say this is the first time al-qaeda leadership has been collectly involved in plotting an attack inside israel. a rocky start to syrian peace talks, and there was a clash over the future of president bashar al-assad. it almost derailed the talks entirely. secretary of state assa saying d should step down from power and others are saying assad is staying. an e-mail sent to olympic

committees in several countries threatening terrorist attacks at the games in russia is a hoax. olympic organizers looked into it and said the threat has no merit. it is a new plan to help save detroit's pension funds and it's valuable art collection. they want to commit over the next several years but it's well short what detroit owes its creditors. bisi, tell us more about the governor's plan. >> well, rick snyder drafted this plan along side several lawmakers. the focus is to boost retirey pensions and also to protect some of the assets with the detroit institute of art. $350 million is what they would like to put towards this goal over the next 20 years and that funding would not come from the germ fund. it would come from the tobacco

settlement. governor snyder stressed that this is not a bail out. he said this is a much needed option to get this bankruptcy process moving forward. take a listen. >> this is a settlement. this is not a bailout. i want to be very, very clear about that. this is not a bail out of paying debts directly for the city of detroit. this is not a bailout of banks and creditors. this is focused in on helping reduce and mitigate the impact of retirees. it's focused on protecting assets. it's focused on good results and allowing the city to move forward in resolving this ways in a positive rather than negative way faster and better. >> reporter: the next step is for this deep to go before the legislature. and if it passes then it's the bankruptcy federal bankruptcy judge that has the final say.

>> bisi, why is it taking so long for the state to step in and provide some help? >> well, tony, it was back in december just a couple of weeks ago when the judge declared the city eligible for bankruptcy. from the sounds of it from today's press conference the governor here in lancing has been hard at work figuring out this plan. >> to what extent will this plan put a dent in the overall debt facing the city? >> reporter: over all the city of detroit is facing $18 billion in debt. >> we just lost bisi. my apologies, bisi onile-ere in detroit. >> lawyers are trying to block the execution of edgar tamayo.

he was in the u.s. illegally wand was not given access to the mexican consolate when arrested. they're saying the execution violates international law. we're in huntsville, texas, we're just a couple of hours away from this execution. what appeals are available here? >> reporter: well, tony, we're hearing the appeals will tear on until the final second. two of them are still pending. one is before the u.s. supreme court. the attorneys for edgar tamayo asking justices not to execute tamayo because he's mentally retarded. the second appeal before a lower court are that is this excuse should be postpone in order to bring the u.s. in compliance with international law. edgar tamayo was 24 years old when he shot a police officer three times in the back of the

head. now 20 years later the mexican government warn that his execution would violate international law. >> we'll take every step necessary in order to preserve the life of mr. tamayo. >> reporter: at the heart of mexico's came is the vienna convention, an international treaty that says a person arrested in a foreign country has a right to contact their consulate for help. that didn't happen for tamayo or 50 other mexican nationals sentenced to die in the united states. in tamayo's hometown protesters march the street in hopes of convincing officials in texas to spare his life. this woman was a teacher in primary school. she said, i believe it is unfair because he's already been in prison more than 20 years. people who knew him here said tamayo only turned violent after

a pula bull stepped on his headn he was 17. that never came up in trial or in his appeal. >> the consulate would have made sure that the legal representation of mr. tamayo was a professional one. >> reporter: in september u.s. secretary of state john kerry asked texas to delay tamayo's execution: . >> the setting for the execution date for mr. tamay would be extremely detrimental to the interests of the united states.

>> now the state's position is that only congress could make a statement in relation to the treaty. edgar tamayo is set to die here in huntsville at 6:00 central time. >> texas leads the nation in the number of executions since the death penalty was reinstated. the state has executed 508 prisoners. prior to that 361 were killed by elect cushion. peace talks about syria's war are under way but already the war has displaced 2 million people who have fled to

neighboring countries. 900,000 of those refugees are in lebanon. we have reports from one refugee camp where they're not optimistic about the peace process. >> reporter: it's the first time that syria's government and opposition finally agreed to meet. but many are indifferent about this much anticipated international conference. regions living in makeshift shelters struggling to meet their basic daily needs say it's not credible because it's almost three years late. she lost her father in aleppo during the war and three brothers have gone missing. she believes the conference is going to be a failure. >> they need to solve this conflict so we can go back to our country. stop spilling syrian blood, especially that of children. why should our children live

like this? >> refugees living in unofficial tent the communities receive little aid and having to survive in such squalor conditions make their top priorities staying clean, warm and fed. the refugee agency registering syrians every week. many destitute syrians are left without basic necessities. education is a child's basic rights. but hundreds of thousands of syrian children are deprived of this in lebanon. state schools cannot accommodate all school-age children, that left aid agencies with one option, providing them with informal schooling. every one of them miss their cool, their hometown an.

>> i want to tell world leaders we hope the fighting stops. we all return to our country. it's better than living in a tent. [♪ singing ] >> every one of them wants to return to syria, but some say that's just a desperate dream. >> syrians inside and outside really don't see hope in these meetings. there have been meetings before. the friends of syria and geneva one. the decisions never amount to anything. this is why we don't care for them. unless this conference comes out with conditions that improve the syrian security so refugees can return home, their hopes of anything major are little. >> a fishing boat was carrying

migrants capsized. it is the first state of emergency in bangkok, thailand, but that has not stopped the protest. demonstrators marched to police headquarters, and they announced a state of emergency to stop the violence, but the leader of the probe government's red shirt movement was shot and injured in the northeastern end of the country. nine people have been killed since anti-government protests began in late october. a meeting at the white house to take action against sexual assault. we have more on that and other stories making news across the country. >> reporter: thank you, tony. the president in washington, the president and vice president were on hand today to release the report from the white house council on women and girls. the report launches an initiative against sexual assault. particularly on college campuses. it says one in t.v. women are sexually assaulted in college. administration officials are preparing recommendations for

schools to prevent and better respond to sexual assault. thousands brave the cold to march against abortion. the annual march for life is he would every january on the anniversary of the roe v. wade court decision that made abortion legal. this year's march got a signal of support from the vatican. pope frances tweeted. a guide to the apocalypse is set to be released. he printed a pistol. snow in kentucky and

new england with a foot accumulated in these regions. many schools were closed in boston, new jersey, and philadelphia but not new york city. >> enough already. >> reporter: yes, that's right. go to school. >> enough already. maria, appreciate it, thank you. we've got one more story. no, let's move on. a great white shark hunt is about to get under way in the state of western australia. they want to kill the great whites. to lower the number of fatal attacks off the coast. the controversial plan has many asking if killing the sharks will even work. jacob, the west coast, are we talking about perth, that whole area? >> reporter: the most westerly coast. australia will send it's on representatives to catch and kill sharks that are larger than three meters in length. to give you perspective, that means great whites that are

longer than 9'10". i'm 6'7", that gives you about two meter comparison here. now this is the point of maturity for great white sharks. ththis say they're trying to reduce attacks. there have been seven fatal attacks off the coast. if you contrast that with the recorded history of shark attacks in queensland there have been 82 fatal cases. and they're really just trying to throw whatever they can to try and change things. >> the country--will it be successful? that's controversial plan. >> the great white sharks is an endangered species. if we're trying to lower the number of attacks on humans it would be hard to lower the number of attacks.

here in the united states we see four or five a year maybe something like that. and worldwide there are just a tiny fraction. so any statements about these being on the rise is mathematically impossible when you're talking about numbers as tiny as they are. >> what are we talking about here? i'm looking at the cages, is this about going down in the cages? >> the idea that has been reported so far, they're going to be hooking 72 different lines carrying these big ancient fish to the shore and killing them there, but there is no good scientific region to put an animal on the endangered species list and then decide to-- >> decide to kill them. >> and we really don't belong in the water. >> $32 billion in overdraft fees. how your bank may be making money off your account. that and more straight ahead.

super cool at times. >> what you have is hot water, hot water turning liquid into a gas. now that you have extreme cold air you have. >> there is less pressure potentially if will it were to get cold enough, as soon as that

started heating up enough, the molecules would push inside the balloon walls and inflate and it's back to normal. >> but sometimes nature and science collide providing solutions rather than hint reasons. sugar beat juice is being used in some places to prevent roads from freezings in extreme temperatures. >> in extreme temperatures rock salt stops working at 15 degrees above zero. with the addition of organic sugar beat use i juice, it dropo 10 below, which is a 25-degree swing, and it allows municipalities to reduce the sodium chloride they're putting in the environment. >> reporter: the natural choice discovered out of necessity thanks in part to the science of subzero temperatures. al jazeera chicago.

>> while north america experience as deep freeze this winter on the other side of the world australia is experiencing record heat. okay, two sisters who both needed lung transplants were able to share an operating room. doctors found one donor for both erma and anna. a rare match for blood types. now the sisters have been debating over who should get the first available lung. each wanted the other to go first. less than a week after the surgery the sisters are reported to be doing well. a look at the headlines next on al jazeera america. >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony...

>> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america

>> this is a look at today's top stories. and peace talks in syria have been anything but peaceful.

secretary of state john kerry spoke very bluntly when he said that bashar al-assad cannot remain the leader of syria. threats regarding the winter olympics is a hoax. >> thousands of abortion protesters gathered in washington for the 41st annual march to life. it is held on the anniversary of roe versus wade. and the winter weather has affected 71 million americans from the northwest to the northeast impacting people from kentucky to new england and brought air traffic to a

grinding halt in some of the nation's busiest airports. for more on these stories go to www.aljazeera.com. inside stor"inside story" is nen al jazeera america. >> the americans, the russians, the syrians, the iranians have all set out their bottom lines for syria's future. they all can't happen. the peace conference in switzerland are the inside story.