>> women tomorrow, another aussie open final appearance, third in four years. she has one major title to welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. here are the stories we're following for you. >> tomorrow we expect we have agreed that we will meet in the same room. >> news of a face-to-face meeting in geneva at the syrian peace talks. possible progress in ukraine with promises to reshuffle the government and change anti-protest laws, and a volatile day in egypt, more than a dozen deaths from bombings and

clashes. ♪ in geneva talks aimed attening syria's civil war are still on. talks didn't happen today, but a short time ago, the un said that the sit-down had been rescheduled for saturday. that announcement came after the delegates from the syrian government say they would leaf geneva unless serious progress was being made. nick schifrin has the latest. nick? >> reporter: yeah, good afternoon, [ technical difficulties ] >> and the opposition said we

all agreed that we would create a france situational government without assad, and the syrian opposition said today we won't have a face-to-face meeting before the government agreed to that condition. the government says wait a minute, this is not our fault, this is your fault. this morning we had face-to-face meeting scheduled, and it was you who walked out. so we went back and forth all day. any un special enjoy did shuttle diplomacy between the go and opposition, and finally after hours of going back and forth, he finally announced this afternoon that they will meet tomorrow in the same room and the meetings will go for the next week. but he admitted this afternoon, it's not going to be easy. >> i'm worried all the time even without the delay of today, but i think -- i think we're all right. we are going to meet tomorrow. i hope that it will be a good beginning.

and that we will continue until the end of next week. >> reporter: he said that there is no end date to these talks but expects them to last six to seven days, and asked everyone in the room to pray for peace. >> what has been the biggest obstacle that has been keeping this meeting from getting underway? >> reporter: well, i think really what you are seeing is real divide over president bashar al-assad. what you saw this afternoon not only hear, but also just a few hours away in davos switzerland is the u.s. trying to keep pressure on assad. what they are looking for a small little steps, perhaps talk of prisoner exchanges or humanitarian corridors or perhaps local peace deals, but at the end of the day the u.s. believes no matter what happens on the ground, assad has to go.

>> assad will never have or be able to earn back the legitimacy to bring that country back together. that's number one. but number two because of those things he has done, because of 130,000 people who have been killed, the opposition will never stop fighting while he is there. and so if your objective is to have peace, this one man must step aside in favor of peace and of his nation. >> reporter: and the u.s. is trying to isolate assad, trying to create russia and iran to stop backing him. but assad has no sense that he has to step down, so while we're talking peace here, the violence in syria is going to continue. >> nick schifrin reporting. thank you. senator john mccain agrees

with growing sentimentses that bashar al-assad's government has lost all legitimacy. he made arguments for why the u.s. should aid the opposition. >> we need to assist the free syrian army. they are having to fight the radical isis as well as bashar al-assad, but they are still a very viable force, and the reason why they haven't been more viable is because we haven't given them the assistance that they need. the arms and weapons they need. thank god for the saudis and some other gulf states, because they are being of assistance. four explosions hit parts of cairo and giza. six people were killed. this c ctv footage shows a car pulling up and exploding. then protests began in various

parts of egypt between muslim brotherhood supporters, residents and egyptian security forces. the health ministry says 13 were killed in that fighting. mohammed has the and it wills. >> reporter: explosions at the heart of cairo on friday morning. this is the aftermath of the largest one. egyptian authorities say a suicide bomber ran the car into cement blocks, killing and wounding a number of people. the nearby buildings were damaged. about two hours later another bomb struck a police car on patrol close to russian cultural center. then a third smaller blast targeted a police station about four kilometers from the pyramids at giza, but caused no casualties. >> translator: a pickup truck has two passengers inside, it stopped outside and the suicide

bomber detonated himself. >> reporter: there was a child body found near the site of the first bombing, and it could be that of the suicide bomber. in the past egyptian authorities have accused what they call extremists of repeatedly targeting the police and the military. >> translator: we will continue with our road map as we are. they will vanish soon, and this operation is their last chance before they vanish. >> reporter: the explosions stuck as the country was on high alert at the third anniversary of the topple of mow baric. >> reporter: our producers and correspondent remain held in a

cairo prison. they have been detained for 27 days. on thursday egyptian authorities say they will hold two of the men for 15 days more. the crew is accused of spreading lies harmful to state security and joining a terrorist organization. >> i think it's a clear violation not only of their human rights, but any aspect of freedom of the press. al jazeera has been chronicling events in egypt probably more intensively than any other world network, and for the egyptian government to keep them in prison, i think is another indicator that this military government and really that's what it is, is not keeping with the standards of international behavior that we would expect. >> two other journalists from our sister channels are also

being held. they have been detained for over five months. ukraine is at risk of breaking apart according to the prime minister of poland. he is urging the european union to interve to intervene. meanwhile ukraine's president has just announced he will reform government. jennifer glasse is live for us in kiev. jennifer, good afternoon. how likely is eu involvement at this point? and what would that mean? >> reporter: well, eu involvement is happening as we speak. the prime minister has arrived today, he is peting with the president and is meeting with the opposition now, as international pressure grows on ukraine for dialogue to make sure the truce that is here

holds that no more violence happens here. the ambassadors -- ukrainian ambassadors in germany, france, sweden, and denmark were summoned to express their displeasure at the violence that has happened here in the last week and across the country, we're seeing more unrest. now in 12 areas across the country, we have seen anti-government protesters take over government buildings, so the opposition growing here in ukraine, stephanie. >> jennifer is there a sign that pressure may be mounting on the president? given that he is now talking about reform. how much reform can beexpect from president yanukovych? >> that is great question. the people genre rall rally -- generally don't trust

him. it's unclear what he will reform some say this reshuffle of the government will be just be trying to consolidate his power, but there's a lot of pressure and momentum here. one of the big things the opposition wants is the repeal of these laws that limb freedom of expression and freedom of speech, and they are hoping the parliament will address that next week. the parliament has been in the president's favor in the past. whether they will see a change on the horizon and recognize what has been happening on the streets, that is the real question and what everyone is waiting for now. >> okay. jennifer glasse reporting from keefe in ukraine. jennifer thank you. sales of recreational marijuana in colorado and washington are bringing in in big money for both states but banks and credit card companies are reluctant to work with the retailers. >> i'm standing in a line in the

snow outside that's how important it is to me. >> translator: colorado was the first in the country to legalize recreational marijuana. by noon customers were lining up for bubba curb, some pot-infused chocolate truffles had left atm's dry in this booming business. on thursday attorney general eric holder announced he would soon relax regulations that would allow banks and credit card companies to do business with marijuana distributors. because cannabis remains classified as an illegal narcotic, most businesses have been working on a cash basis. owners complained about the security risks of dealing with

large amounts of cash. holder addressed the concerns directly saying . . . colorado's pot business would possibly rake inasmuch as $600 million this year, and it's that number that may have other states following suit when it comes to decriminalizing marijuana. but decriminalizing marijuana use got an unexpected endorsement at the world economic forum from stanch conservative and red-state governor, rick perry. speaking thursday, the governor said . . . as for its medical use, more support coming from other republicans as well. georgia may be days away from introducing a bill to make it

the first state in the southeast to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. >> there are families that are leaving our state because -- to go to colorado, because they need access to this medical cannabis. >> reporter: but republican support isn't as strong in louisiana, where doctors have the ability to prescribe medical marijuana, but patients are not allowed to guy it. something bobby jindal says is worth taking another look at. >> when it comes to medical marijuana, it's not an issue i have looked closely at. if there is a legitimate it medical need, i would certainly be open to making it available under strict supervision. looking at an after school tutoring program that is helping teens stay out of trouble. car makers are looking past greener cars for their future,

general motors is looking at greener factories as well. minor violations. it's the school to prison pipeline. the obama administration has even weighed in on this. >> this is a must-see report. >> major cities facing homelessness. officials in chicago are making a push to document just how many people are homeless so they can offer up help in better ways. >> these are interesting stories. the united nations chief negotiator will be holding separate talks with warring sides from syria. they want to gauge the willingness to sit at the table in geneva. as aljazeera reports, the summit got off to a rocky start. >> all syrian people at the moment want it to stop. >> in a condition presence that's supposed to talk peace, two sides are yelling at each

the chicago school system is trying out a new program that gives boys intensive tutoring in math to keep them away from gangs. as part of our special series on education fork "america tonight," chris bury has more. >> two minus five equals seven so what are those lines called?

>> reporter: a bold and ambitious experiment is underway here. can math save kids from crime? the experiment targets the boys who are most at risk. boys such as 15-year-old ricardo, born into the gang life. he is among 90 boys that has been matched with math tutors. it's called the match program developed in massachusetts. now a dozen schools are trying it. how does math keep boys out of trouble, out of jail? the >> yeah, it's a somewhat indirect equation, i would say. if boys are starting high school it's a big transition from middle school to high school. they need to try to find their feet. part of that is being successful academically. the correlation if a kid passes 9th grade math, he or she will graduate from high school.

if he fails, he or she is likely to fail high school >> reporter: ricardo is right on the edge. >> now it's more important to graduate. like being in this program made me feel like have more potential than i thought i had. >> reporter: the kids are growing up in a neighborhood called little village. sounds quaint, but more than 60,000 residents are packed in only 5 choir miles, every inch of it claimed by gangs. the leads cause of death her is homicide and most who die young are boys. >> so one of the very, very big challenges that the u.s. faces is the high school dropout problem, and that's very tightly connected to our urban crime

problem. in many ways they are two sides of the same coin. >> reporter: as for ricardo, he now gives his tutor perhaps the highest praise a teenager can offer. >> he is cool at times. >> i would rather be cool at times than just cool. >> reporter: do you think he can graduate? >> no doubt, i mean he is one of the sharpest kids that i have. >> reporter: for boys like ricardo, the match program may be their last best chance to get that crucial diploma, and avoid the violent crime that claims so many. this evening, "america tonight" investigates the new way of learning science and engineering that is sweeping higher education and raising retention rates. you can see that report right here on al jazeera america. ♪

a lot of red on wall street with stocks taking a tumble. the dow is trading down more than 240 points right now. weak corporate earnings and a selloff of currencies abroad are unnerves investors. the number of unionized workers grew last year to 14.5 members. union members still make up the same share of the work force. the rate remains at its lowest level since the 1930s. green cars are now a common site on the road, but one auto maker is helping the environment at a whole new level when it comes to recycling. >> reporter: every year this parts plant produces a million manifolds, 10 million fuel injectors, and millions more

engine parts, but hardly a pound of garbage. >> you put your trash out this morning, that's more than this plant would put out in a year. >> reporter: general motors has spent three years and millions of dollars figuring out how to recycle everything that would otherwise be thrown away. from plastic wrap to card board packaging to industrial waste. especially challenging, oilily sludge that comes from grinding out small parts. >> we failed seven times, and the eighth time worked. >> reporter: so it starts out like this -- >> separated into these two. >> the oil is reduced and what happens to the ashy-looking substance? >> the powder goes to a

waste-entry facility where it is used to generate electricity or steam. >> reporter: among the latest 20 go landfill free, rochester, new york. close to 38 million bags of garbage kept out of landfills like this one ever year. a move environmentalists overall applaud. >> while it is verying important we're seeing progress in fuel efficiency and other initiatives, the auto industry is one of the worst contributors to global climate change, so progress is great, but we need to see more of it and fast. >> reporter: gm is committed to the project even though it does mean extra work for its employees. >> but once they understand the full meaning of what it is for, it will get better.

>> reporter: gm discovered something unexpected about its trash. after spending money on recycling, general motors now makes a billion dollars a year off of it. somebody buys this >> somebody pays money for this. >> reporter: trash that has truly become treasure. nasa sent rovers to mars in hopes of finding water, ten years later, they are still finding surprises.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. here are today's headlines. the talks aimed attending syria's civil war are still on in geneva. tait's it is-down was canceled however, the special enjoy said the two sides had agreed to meet in the same room tomorrow. there are calls for the

european union to get involved in the protests in in ukraine. this comes has ukraine's president announced he will reform his government. on the eve of the anniversary of the mubarak uprising four bomb attacks in egypt. ten years ago, nasa's rooifr spirit and opportunity landed on mars. one of the rovers is still alive and fining new surprises like these pictures here. here is jacob ward. ten years ago humanity traveled to the red planet. well, we packed up our best ideas and biggest questions into a fair of robot bodies, and launched them on a year-long

journey. the rovers were like siblings, and they set down on the planet three weeks apart. the hope was they would last 90 days. instead they went 25 times as long. opportunity which landed second making it in a sense the younger of the two is still live. at the moment it's exploring the rim of a crater and continues to second valuable data home. they were there in large part to determine whether there was water and therefore, the possibility of life on mars. they turned up evidence of wet portions of the planet. science often seems like it's about cold certainty and rash shall choice, but going to mars was a dreamy idea. in fact the rovers were named by a 9-year-old adopted girl who thanked the united states in her letter for the spirit and opportunity to make her dreams come true. the dream of traveling 35

million miles was an illogical idea. it was crazy. but this sort of dream is what science is about, traveling beyond what we know. and we're still doing it ten years later. >> and in its ten years on mars, opportunity has explored about 24 miles. just six weeks after it landed it found evidence of water, and it has beamed back more than 100,000 high-resolution pictures. ♪ well devastating flooding across indonesia has displaced close to 130,000 people. this is the scene, you can see flood water rising in the streets. it's very difficult to make

their way across the city. folks in the southern hemisphere it is summertime for them, and that's when the heaviest flooding comes, but we haven't seen flooding this bad since 2008. at least five people have died. we could use some of that rain in california, but unfortunately we continue to look at exceptional levels of drought. we have a storm right off of the coast, but not bringing any wane into southern california. we are looking at mixed precipitation here across the south central plains in baton rouge ice coming down and temperatures are below freezing. so be careful if you are travelling. tomorrow will be a much nicer day. let's just get through today safely if approximate we can. temperatures 33 degrees currently in new orleans. this clipper is going to bring

snow into the mideast. generally 1 to 3 inches, but in detroit we could see up to 6. >> thank you so much for watching al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. "the truth is," will be next. and you can get news throughout the day at aljazeera.com.