welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. a fragile truce in ukraine after more volatile protests. syria's war taking stage at the world economic gathering. and fixing an icon, it is not for the faint of heart. ♪

in less than an hour that fragile truce between police and protesters running out in ukraine, the more than two months of protest growing more violent this week. it all began when the president pulled out of the trade deal with the european union. today the president called for an emergency session of parliament. jennifer glasse joins us. >> reporter: right now the opposition leaders are meeting with the president -- or supposed to be meeting at the president over at his office not far from here. that trust expected to expire around 8:00 pm, not necessarily that that is a hard deadline, but that's the time that the leader -- one of the leaders of the opposition gave to the people, the police, and the protesters that he spoke to. nonetheless the protesters are

preparing -- this is one of the barricades behind me. these are the places that they are worried the police might come into. a couple of days ago they poured water down the hill so if the police approach, it would be very difficult to get to it. people have been using everything they can to protect themselves on this hill. the president's call for an emergency session of parliament is supposed to happen last week, and the people here believe that the government is basically stalling. they are hoping this demonstrations will lose momentum, but after two months i don't think that is a possibility. >> theying want the president to step down, but is there someone they want to step in? >> reporter: you know, del, that's a great question. that's the real problem here. one of the big complaints about these demonstrations about the opposition is there's no clear leader, and no clear plan.

they would like to see him step aside and call early elections not only for the presidency but also for the parliament. there is a lot of frustration that the president is corrupt. ukraine has been labeled the most corrupt country in your. but there isn't a real clear plan. yesterday any opposition announced they were going to form an opposition parliament, but again, what exactly that means is not clear. and that's i think why this, what was a peaceful demonstration -- peaceful demonstratored resorted to violence on sunday just a few hundred yards from here. people want to see change. they don't really trust anyone. not only do they not trust the president, but they don't trust the opposition as well, because they haven't come up with anything concrete. it is very cold. there is a temp camp here,

hundreds of thousands have beenlying here for nine weeks now. >> jennifer glasse in kiev. thank you very much. iran front and center in switzerland today. rouhani saying all countries should be given opportunity for economic development. al jazeera's jonah hal has more. >> reporter: it has been described by some as the most important speech in years. this was the president of iran making his most public effort yet to present a friendly face to the world. >> translator: nobody can live on their own. no nation, no country can resolve their problems on their own. no economic institution can actually grow without paying attention to social issues. no power can have permanent

domination over anything. >> reporter: he is positioning himself as one of those leaders vital to global stability and security. it was a speech that combined themes of con sill lags, moderation, and of course investment. >> i think these energy investments in this particular would be of most interest. gy mess is the european countries would move first, but the americans won't be too far behind. >> iran sits at the epicenter of some of the world's most complex problems, a violent middle east, a nuclear program, and of course the war in syria. rouhani did not offer a fast cure to any of these problems, but he does seem to have opened the way to constructive interact with the world as he put it, and in to investment.

which in turn presupposes that sanctions will be lifted. that can only happen once iran reaches a final agreement with the world powers on the nuclear issue. this appears to have been rouhani's show of support for that process and his belief that it can succeed. >> with this speech he showed that he is personally committed to it. can he get it done? time will tell. but this was the speech everyone wanted to hear. >> reporter: and with that, iran has taken another step in from the cold. and a speech following rouhani, israel prime minister criticizing the iranian leader saying his words don't match his actions. >> iran remains aggressive, it

supports terror, it participates in the slaughter in syria, they get it right, and we get it right. we all wish there was a real change in iran. we don't see that. we -- we have to look at their deeds and not at the soft words that they utter. >> >> reporter: this is the second major address he has given as the president of iran since elected in june last year. the first was his address to the un general assembly in september. the second the keynote address this davos. he promised change to do with iran's image in the international world. and this is what the iranians think of the job he has done so

far. >> i don't feel any change. in my opinion people come and go, but the situation is still the same. the view of foreigners about iran has also stayed the same. >> translator: he has shown a positive face. we witness progress with a better situation for iran. >> translator: there has been a positive impact compared to the past. it has changed a lot in the count think, considering the change of president. also i traveled abroad and there is another type of feeling among people towards iran. >> reporter: the most important issue is the economy, and unless the economy improves it doesn't matter what iran looks like on the international statement, because after all it was iranians that elected rouhani to event them. and the geneva 2 conference also taking place in switzerland. there it remains to be seen whether the syrians and the

opposition will even meet face-to-face tomorrow. >> reporter: i'm in the hotel where the syrian opposition are based. we understand the special representative chairing the talks on friday will be meeting with both sides in the coming hours. he particularly wants to speak to the opposition, because their negotiating team was only formed a few days ago. i can tell you, though, that the syrian opposition is telling us that they may well change their negotiating team, substituting some names for other names. we understand when the talks start on friday, they'll first start with issues like possibly local ceasefires and humanitarian access. and earlier i spoke to the humanitarian chief. >> we have been hearing terrible stories about people running out

of food, being on the brink -- literally on the brink of starvation. people being sick and injured, not being able to get health care in. people fearing for their lives. >> reporter: so what is your message to the two sides? yes they have to grapple with these huge issues, but on the humanitarian issue what would you say? >> put the people first. remember you are all syrians. you could be talking about your child, your mother, your father, a member of your own family that is living through this horror. put the people first. >> reporter: when the talks start on friday, it's -- it's not even clear whether both sides will be in the same room. it is possible they will be in separate rooms. >> and that is james bayes reporting. a fire in a canadian nursing home has killed three people,

and 30 are missing. the fire happening in a small town in quebec. 50 people were living in the home, police say most had alzheimer's and couldn't find their way out on their own. an independent watchdog group said the good bulk collection of information should end. mike viqueira has more. >> reporter: the government collection of phone records, billions and billions of them, now turned illegally, and significantly this comes from a federal agency. a relatively obscure organization within the united states government. it is all about section 215 of the law that requires -- or at least has been interpreted as allowing the collection of this

metadata. obviously it has been very controversial. the president's own commission said it had not presented any attacks, but they do recommending it go forward. president obama revealing his decision on how to reform the intelligence community said this bulk data should not be collected anymore, but he did not say the program should be ended. simply that an third-party entities, or the communications companies should do the collecting. he also instituted judicial review. so we have had a federal judge, the president's own commission, and now this independent agency sharply criticizing, perhaps non-so harshly as what was said in this report that came out today that the program is

illegal and should be set down. and now it goes to the attorney general to try to figure out how to change the system, but a lot of folks say it will be very difficult to find a solution in a very short time. for more than three decades the case has been cold. but today an arrest. organized crime leader has been charged with one of the largest robberies in american history. four others arrested earlier this morning. all five suspects said to be members of the new york-based crime family. when we come back, making the cross-border commute from mexico to california why more and more americans are doing so. a . . . i'm in washington at the meeting of the republican national committee where they

are discussing strategy. continues. >> how does math keep boys out of jail? >> thats an indirect equation, i would say. >> algebra is the answer part of our week long ln-depth series. >> only on al jazeera america. states. researchers say air pollution from the factories made its way across the pat iffic, into california and arizona. the u.s. national academy of science says it makes up a quarter of air pollution. the pollution is a reminder that our demand for cheep imports has a boomerang effect. >> chinese factories are churning out the latest technology, sending it to our shores, along with something less desirable pollution. >> you see the pictures of people in budget with maths on. you don't think about what comes across an o.

>> steven co-authored a study finding that emissions from chinese plants manufacturing exported goods have been found in al jazeera america. we open up your world. >> here on america tonight, an opportunity for all of america to be heard. >> our shows explore the issues that shape our lives. >> new questions are raised about the american intervention. >> from unexpected viewpoints to live changing innovations, dollars and cents to powerful storytelling. >> we are at a tipping point in america's history! >> al jazeera america. there's more to it.

it is an election year. the republican party holding their annual winter meeting in washington. the g.o.p. laying out strategies in goals for the year to come and beyond. so far, though, party leaders are being tight lipped. it sounds like republicans are talking change that voters can vote on. do they believe they can retake the house and senate? >> definitely the republicans think they can hold on to the house and they are really hoping on taking over the senate. we're told that there are about ten key senate races where they have a shot. and in seven of those ten, republicans have a 50/50 chance of taking that seat. reince priebus says what it is really going to take a tactics. he has hired 8,000 precinct captains, and they are working on better technology to track

potential g.o.p. voters and get them to the polls. they are also talking today about tightening the primary process so it is not so chaotic, and even moving their convention up into the early part of the summer. that would give any republican presidential candidate a real running start in the november election in 2016. >> but even up to the government shutdown there were some that believed the party was out of touch, especially with women and hispanics. is there any indication they plan to change coarse? >> reporter: well there is a little bit of a mixed bag on that. the rnc has diversified the folks that work with them. and they have five rising stars. all five of them are women, three are minorities.

some are local elected officials and party activists, so they are trying to project the image of a bigger tent. but there has been no movement on immigration reform, and abortion remains a key element. they also will have a proposals today and tomorrow that they will discuss -- that will talk about the strategy of silence. they don't want candidates to be silent. they oppose abortion. they want to come out fighting. they think that is a winning strategy. del? >> lisa thank you very much. ♪ in business news so far an ugly day on wall street, the dow down 177 points.

investors concerned about corporate earnings. another cold day, another rise in the price of gnat wall gas following a 6% rise yesterday. the job market continues to limp along, the labor department reporting the claims for first-time unemployment benefits ticked up to 326,000 last week. toyota holding on to the title of the world's top auto maker for year number two. they once again beat out their rival general motors. the company expects to sell more than 10 million vehicles this year, and that would be the first time an auto maker sold that many cars and trucks. ali velshi is in davos

switzerland. you can see his reports all day today, as well on his show, "real money." some are taking a road less traveled to work. >> reporter: feed the dogs, pour the coffee, grab some breakfast. and before the sun is up, linda is out the door. like many professionals, linda has a substantial commute to and from work. yet it requires more strategy, planning and patience than most to. to understand why, i joined linda on her drive. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> sometimes if it's a holiday, i can be downtown san diego in 40 to 50 minutes, and other days it's hours. >> reporter: but it's not so much the normal rush hour

traffic. every day linda drives across this, the world's busiest land border. >> i live in tijuana, mexico, and work in san diego. >> reporter: and so does mario lopez. he is an american citizen working in the major's office in downtown san diego. and just like linda, he lives south of the border. on this night border crossing wasn't easy. >> there is a situation this week, because the weight is so long. >> reporter: both say living in mexico and working in san diego is a lifestyle choice based on simple math and the desire for a better life. >> i found a beautiful home on the beach, and owning a home on the water is -- is an amazing thing, very special thing, and i

could never afford to do it in california. >> reporter: a move to mexico can cut living expenses by 20 to 40%, which is why thousands of people who work north of the border are choosing to move south and commute. additionally tijuana is evolving. >> there is a new culinary scene, a new craft drew scene, and a wine scene. so they have more things to offer. >> reporter: new residents say that tijuana is also safer than it used to be. >> the security trends are very positive. and tijuana actually compares very well to many cities in the united states in terms of homicide rates. >> reporter: ken morris is an expert on the region. he says the trend is likely to continue, and that's a good thing. >> san diego benefits, tijuana

benefits, and the businesses on both sides of the border benefit too. >> it feels like i could live the rest of my life here and be very happy. >> reporter: cross border commuters finding the american dream south of the border. a sky-high fix that is not for the faint of heart. when we come back, restoring an icon, cries the redeemer statute struck by lightning. debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america

welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. here are today's headlines. this less than an hour the fragile truce running out in the ukraine. the president calling an emergency session of parliament. iranian president addressing the world economic forum today. he says iran is ready to work with the international community

and has no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons. saying the temporary deal that eased the sanctions against iran is just the beginning. and a government watch dog group called for the stop of the nsa of collecting ma ta-da ta. recently the christ the redeemer statute was hit by lightning. fixing it is not for the faint of heart. >> reporter: look closely, crews are now busy working on the statute's massive hand, emergency repairs after it became a conduit for hundreds of millions of volts of

electricity. the finger was damaged. this is the remarkable photo of the moment it happened shot by a local photographer, any tourist visiting the statute weren't quite sure to make of it all. >> i hope it didn't hurt too much. >> reporter: brazil's famous relationship with his icon is an emotional one. the statute is 82 years old, and took nearly a decade to build, and is made from reinforced concrete. it is not the first time he has suffered a direct hit, but part of a finger that's a first. engineers are busy putting in lightning rods to limit damage. >> translator: we are going to increase the receptors on the head. and they will expand across as far as the middle finger.

>> reporter: the catholic archdiocese of rio says tourists have little to worry about when visiting. >> translator: we will guarantee a good repair job. we will allow access to tourists and protect the statute. >> reporter: there is no telling how long the repair work will last, but more than 30 workers have been assigned to the job. officials say they will spare no effort or cost to repair the damage, because it is the most famous symbol of this largely catholic country. ♪ oh, we have got a cold mess setting up for much of the east coast. the cold air is going to bring texas a host of problems. already we have snow across northern texas, and across is

this little period where we're going to see a little mixed rain and snow and ice. we'll get to that in a moment, but first i want to talk more about temperatures. the temperature brought us all of that cold air, dumping snow, and taking us well above the average. in fact you can see all of these cities here have snow amounts so far this season that are well above the average where we are normally on this date. that's from chicago to new york. temperatures too dropping down. you can see the colder air developing where we have 11 degrees below zero in minneapolis. expect the cold air to continue to sag into the southeast. and as the cold air swings around into central texas, we'll have snow showers mainly. it looks like austin towards san antonio, austin is probably

going to be right on the line of getting the icy weather, and farther south we'll have more icy weather, and part of this also impacting louisiana. already a little bit of a snow-rain mix.