>> tense standoff as growing unrest in the ukraine. the president makes concession, but the opposition says it's too little, too la. >> syria's government meets face to face with the opposition. >> egypt in turmoil - another wave of bombing to care. as egypt marks the third anniversary of the arab spring. >> we are taking a huge risk to

our lives >> hanging 10 - the best surfers in the world ride the waves in one of the sport's biggest competitions. [ ♪ music ] >> good morning to you. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. as we begin ukraine's capital is tense. a fragile truth has fallen apart. the government's made some concession, including an agreement to amend protest laws. protesters say it's too little, too late. jennifer glasse reports from kiev where the clashes intensified. >> anti-government protesters in ukraine believe they have momentum as the unrest spreads from kiev, across the country

starting in at least 12 regions. protesters are taking over government buildings, barricading themselves in. a message to viktor yanukovych, they are unhappy with their rule, and they want change. they have offered some concessions, he said in an emergency suggests on parliament. he will consider amending laws cast last week and went into effect this week and criminalized many aspects of freedom of speech and protest here. he also says he will shake up the cabinet. many ukrainians who have been protesting for eight we ares say it's too little, too late. they want to see president viktor yanukovych resign. he said he will not do that. a wide impasse in ukraine. civil unrest is growing across the country, so a very, very critical time here. the opposition leaders have called on their people to be

peaceful, and it has largely been peaceful. demonstrations in the center of the city have intensified. overnight, friday night, saturday morning, we'll see what the weekend brings in ukraine. >> that was jennifer glasse reporting from kiev. protests began when the president ditched a trade deal with the european union, and turned to russia. >> meanwhile small steps of progress in the ongoing syrian conflict. for the first time they made face to face with opposition leaders. the negotiations almost collapsed on friday because the oppositions wanted bashar al-assad's representatives to create a transitional government. they said no. they first had to focus on the small agreements between the two sides. nick schifrin is live in geneva, where the talks were held. we talked about the smaller agreements being met.

what are the small issues at stake. >> morgan, they are talking about humanitarian corridors, and to talk about how the peace talks are, the fate of the country, the fate of the country will be determined by the talks, and this gives you a sense of how important these are. the two sides met for 30 minutes this morning, a preliminary session. it was described as calm by the coalition, the opposition member. he said the two sides sat around a u-shaped table, did not address each other, only lakhdar brahimi, the mediator. they'll go on for a week. they have not decided whether they'll announce anything, or they have to break for one week after that, but they are determined to have the talks go on for a week. they are extremely difficult. as you say, are they trying to

find baby steps to alleviate the pain and suffering that so many syrians are going through. >> if you say the talks are going on for a week, what was the atmosphere like this morning? >> yes, the opposition described it as "calm", and neither side began to talk to each other. they are not in the mood for that yet, nor did they say they had handshake. they said that the real talks or the real work begins this afternoon about 10am eastern, they'll have a second session. that's when both sides will lay out the ideas, and talk about not only the small steps, but creation of humanitarian corridors, and the larger notion. both sides agreed to create a transitional government, without assad. it's not something the syrian regime endorsed publicly or in writing. it's the sticking point.

the two sides will begin to talk about that. >> there's a stalemate on the ground. does either side have leverage to get the other side to make real concessions. >> i think that is the key question right now. on the ground everyone we talked to, the fighters for the opposition and the government admits that the war is getting bloodier and there's no end in site, certainly no one side has any leverage at all. what happens when that happens inside syria is you come here, and there's no pressure on assad to stop the violence, no pressure on the opposition to make concessions. the fear is among the u.s. and u.n. diplomats that no matter how much they work here, no matter how much they progress here or get accomplished here, on the ground that ceasefire means no one side has to give concessions, until a pressure

point can be applied to the coalition or the government, making them feel they have to give concessions, they will not do so, and that means it's difficult to make the smallest bit of progress. >> stay with us, i looking forward to speaking with you. >> meanwhile two explosions rocked egypt, injuring one person. one of the bombs exploded near the police academy. the second went off in a nearby neighbourhood. the attacks followed a series of bombings. the first explosion struck in cairo. an hour later a second explosion near a metro station in giza. a third appliance was detonated near a police station near giza, and a fourth in giza in front of a cinema. the latest violence on the third anniversary of the uprising that toppl toppled hosni mubarak's 30 year

reign. >> another round of voting and referendum on another constitution. egyptians going to the polls in a democratic process overshadowed by political division and violence. threes years since a popular revolution brought down hosni mubarak, the peace by the people is still to be realised. it was a promise that one as people voted in what was regarded as egypt's first democratic election, bringing to power an outlawed demonstration, the muslim brotherhood. the dominance cemented a few months later where mohamed morsi was elected president. >> no one can be above this will, the will of you. you are the course of the powers. the nation is the source of the power. the nation is the one to decide. and the nation is the one to give and the one to appoint and

higher, and the nation is the one to fire. >> a fleeting display of egyptian unit ace as secular and religious movements came together urging the military to cede power. it was within parliament itself that unity was proved an illusion, the secondary opposition, that the muslim brotherhood was pressing its own religious agenda in a new constitution, and rival troops took to the streets as opposition to the government intensified in the wake of executive decisions by mohamed morsi. that, as many critics said, were intended to cement the power of the organization at the expense of the people. the military emerged from the sidelines. arresting mohamed morsi, and most of his organization's leaders, insisting the action was taken in consult ace with moderate political forces.

>> the will of the egyptian people alone is what governs us. we report and protect it. fairness, honour and without deceit. >> sentiments echoed by the civilian interim president, the military put in power. >> translation: the train of justice and national reconciliation includes all egyptians. regardless of their backgrounds, we have invited all institutions of the state to work together to achieve peace of all egyptians. >> attempts at protest were crushed. the muslim brotherhood banned the organization, and highlighted the extraordinary sequence of events. two past presidents facing legal proceedings at the same time. the interim government insists that democracy can only be realised in a secure environment and the maintenance of security given as the reasons for what critics contend are undemocratic

actions ranging from a ban on unlicensed demonstrations to the arbitrary detention of journalists and those political dissidents. the measures backed by some igip shan citizens, 20% of -- egyptian citizens, just 20% of the population. there's no guarantee that the military will again return to its barracks. >> anti-coup protesters are calling for 18 days of protests. >> we can't report from inside egypt since three z al jazeera colleagues have detained there. two have had their extended. baher mohamed, and correspondent peter greste. they are accused of spreading

lies and joining a terrorist group group. john mccain has been critical. >> it's a violation of their human rights and any aspect of freedom of the press. al jazeera has been chronicling event in egypt more intensively than any other world network. for the egyptian government to keep them in prison, i think it is another indicator that the military government, and it's really what it is, it not keeping with the standards of international behaviour that we would expect. >> two other journalists from the sister channels, abdullah al-shami, and cameraman mohammed badr have been held in egypt for five months, allegations against all journalists are unfounded.

>> india's highest court ordered an investigation into a gang rape of a woman? eastern bengal, raped by 14 menace punishment because of a relationship with a man outside her tribe. the men have been taken into custody. lawyers have slammed the police for not immediately arresting the 13 suspects. >> rescue crews in canada are expected to resume their search for up to 30 elderly people after flames engulfed a retirement home in quebec. eight are confirmed dead. officials say it's unlikely anyone will be found alive. freezing textures made the search for bodies difficult, and crews are using steam to melt the ice that formed as firefighters fought the flames in subzero temperatures. >> a mud slide killed many after a rainfall caused a river to

burst. more than 600 people had to evacuate. >> bitter cold temperatures are expected to stick around until february. the ice has made tore dangerous driving conditions in temaze. one was was stranded on an overpass. it was almost too slippery for this police officer to help. look at him, there he goes, sliding away. >> good saturday morning to you, i'm meteorologist eboni deon. we are dealing with more snow on the way. today while it's going to impact much of the north-east as we get into the early part of the afternoon and evening the the good news with the system, although it will stay cold and the winds will pick up, we are not going to see as much snow as we have seen as of late. only about an inch possibly upward to two around the larger

cities. as we get into the lake request regions that's where we'll see more in the range of snow. high elevations across upstage areas of new york could see snow exceeding 6 inches. we have light blowing snow back around the buffalo area, down into pennsylvania, around the pittsburg area. some of the snow is reduced in visibility. back out across the upper midwest, we'll see the next clipper system moving in, bringing snow across the dakotas, and into iowa, where we have a blizzard watch. we already have the winds gusting over 30 miles per hour in some places. once you get the gusts and snow developing, that will drive the visibility down to a mile or less in spots. watch out for that around the

fargo area. winds gusting 35 miles per hour, and near 30 in indiana. as we head across the south-west, not much in the way of moisture. we have a dominant ridge of high pressure keeping us high and dry. with the lack of rain our dry conditions will persist. it will keep the fire danger elevated. look at how we see the drought progressing over the state of california, and we are seeing drought conditions over much of the state. no rain in sight over the next few days. >> nice and dry. thank you so much. >> the united nations says the mooun mar government needs to do more to protect the ethnic minority. 40 rohingya muslims were killed when a group of buddhists attacked their village of the the mooun mar government denied that it happened, calling the killings false. our correspondent is where the alleged violence occurred. >> they spend long days finding

firewood. this woman and her family survive on rations. >> we barely have enough to eat. now that the weather is colder, we don't have blankets for the night. >> she is one of tens of thousands of rohingya affected by the violence between the muslim minority and buddhists in reclining state. some rohingya families have been in the country for generations. mooun mar considers all of them illegal immigrants. they are subject to distrim ni rules, including those that restrict travel and employment. the u.n. calls them one the most persecuted minorities. in the past year and a half there has been more fighting between rohingya. human rights group say more than a dozen were killed. it's impossible to verify the

numbers. we have spoken to several people, who say the village has been off to other people. >> there are people with gunshot and stab wounds, indicating violence by civilians and state security forces. >> the u.n. expressed concerns about the levels of violence and called for an impartial investigation. the government says rohingya villages attacked police. one officer is missing. >> translation: the reports by other people are crownedless accusations based on hearsay. they should lisp to us. otherwise it's impossible to accept their claims. >> rights groups april cues police of issuing an order allowing the arbitrary detention of rohingya aged 10 and above. more than 80 people have been arrested. there are few in the country

that will speak up for the rites of rohingya. life can never return to the way it was. one of this woman's sons were hacked to death. another has been imprisoned since. when asked what her grandchildren's future would be, she applied only god knows. >> tens of thousands of rohingya fled myanmar since the unrest in 2012. >> a life or death decision - a judge weighs in as to whether a woman can be left on life support despite being declared brain dead. >> millions of chinese try to get to their loved ones. >> the philippine government steps in to stop an endangered eagle from becoming

good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. the biggest migration of people

on the planet affecting millions from asia, but first let's look at what temperatures see across the nation, with meteorologist eboni deon. >> we are staying cold and a good portion of the u.s. bundle up if you are heading out. in chicago, early risers start at freezing. textures will drop and end up in the single digits by this evening. keep it in mind. we are seeing temperatures. in the mid and upper teens. could see a dusting of snow into the mountains, taking you in to the north-east. 17 in albany, 20 in philadelphia. here across the south-east we have the chilly temperatures in place. houston sitting at 30 degrees. we were sitting with freezing rain, making for icy conditions, and the cold air sticking around for the start, but the temperatures moderating. for the upper mid west the single digit around fargo.

1 degree. minnesota contrasts that with 40 in omar al bashir. temperatures will moderate was we go into the next couple of days. >> a texas man may bring closure to an emotional chapter in his life. a state judge ordered a hospital to take his brain dead pregnant wife off of life support. mark schnyder has the story. >> erick munoz says he and his wife marlise munoz made it clear neither wanted to be kept alive by a machine. doctors declared the wife and mother clinically dead. a district judge sided with munoz. a family's private tragedy couldn't be more public. marlise munoz, the mother of a 16-month-old was 14 weeks pregnant when her husband found her unconscious. doctors believe she suffered a pulmonary embollism, an artery blockage in the lung.

she was rushed to hospital and been on life support in fort worth. her husband and parents went to court asking for her to die in dignity. >> the hospital argued that the law won't allow it since marlise munoz is pregnant. if a doctor declares a person to be brain dead the patient it legally dead. a judge was asked to determine a state law that is left than clear. after the ruling the munoz family talked to reporters. >> this is the decision we sought. there's nothing happy about today. it's a sad situation all the way around. we are relieved that munoz can move forward. >> it's a sad story with marlise

munoz's rights trampled by the state of texas, and the gps making an incorrect interpretation of the law. >> pro-life activists hoped for a different outcome. >> we are a voice for the baby. we don't want to add to the distress. we are talking about a baby, a baby who is in a very near viability. >> attorneys for the munoz family referred to medical records showing the feetous is distinctly abnormal and suffers from hydrosifo louse, a build-up of fluid causing mental issues. they have seen marlise munoz's medical files which states that she is clinically brain dead and deceased under texas law. munoz's attorney ace -- says that the hospital was using his

wife as an experiments. >> the term brain dead refers to the irreversible function of the brain, including the brain stem which can control the breathing or heartrate. >> pep coke is a by-product of crude identity production. people on the south-east side of check says the petcoke pile blows dust into their homes. the governor of illinois proposed regulations for the piles of petcoke. the governor and epa failed to prove that the piles posed a health threat. >> wall street wrapped up the week with the do you tumbling 318 points. it's 2%. the biggest drop since last june. investors were worried about a slump in waiting markets as currency in argentina and turkey plunged and there were signs that it is slowing down.

>> jpmorgan chase - executives are getting a raise. jamie diamond's salary is $20 million. the board voted to raise his salary. the bank struggled with legal problems. they paid $13 million for the sale of mortgage backed securities, leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. then there was $2.6 million in the bernie madoff plunging scheme. >> a plan to win over female voters. >> and tackling massive amounts of water. some as high as 30 feet. >> if there's one thing carmelo can do for you is shoot and score. he did both. we'll look at his record-setting performance.

>> good morning and welcome back. i'm morgan radford live from new york. here are the top stories. clashes continue in ukraine where protesters say the government concessions are too little too late. the european union urges the ukrainian government to restore peace. a sign of hope for those involved in the war. peace talks have begun where opposition leaders sat across the table. this is the first time the two sides met sips the war began. the talks about continue. >> two new explosions were set off in cairo. a bomb was thrown at the wall of the police institute. a smaller device went off in another part of the city. bombs tore through the city, killing six people. the bombing is the end of hosni

mubarak's 30 rear reign. >> violence in the central african republic as a former government minister is hacked to death. a relative said the former health minister was getting out of a taxi when attacked by members of a christian militia. nine were killed in the violence, and it escalated after a day the interim president catherine samba-panza took office. she faces a daunting task, trying to unite the christian and muslim population, as bill ip reports, the latest is yet to come. >> a memorial to the father of the nation, in the small village where he was born. killed in a plane crash in 1989, on the eve of independence. and mourned by his people ever since. he was the catholic priest who campaigned for freedom from the french. he could have been a giant of

liberation, equal to others if not for his premature death. the deputy mayor remembers him and wonderers where things went wrong. >> translation: if he could see what is happening, the desolation, criminality, it would hurt him. >> old people are hiding in the bush. it makes no sense. we didn't like violence. the capital bangui pays homage to him. his reputation towers before that of other leaders, like the notorious dictator pacassa. the flag he designed in the 1950s is still the nation pal flag today. >> we'll never really know what

sort of president he may have been. all those that came after him failed in different ways. this helped to protect his aura, the myth, if you like, of what might have been the central african republic. >> an historian takes me to the national museum. it's locked up and from what we can see through the windows it has been looted. if there are lesson that this country learned from his past, we won't find them here. >> we ask why did he die. this question preoccupies central africans. we regret his death. if only he lived 10 more years, would not be in this situation today. >> in the village the deputy mayor wants me to see the private papers, or what is left of them. the muslim seleka militia burnt them. he doesn't know why. history destroyed, the present in ruins, the coasts of the past

can't rescue of the central african republic, the people need new heroes. >> more than 2,000 have been killed in the violence since december. a million more, a quarter of the population has been forced to free. the country has suffered since the 1960s. >> designs to win the white house in 2016 for the republicans. this week's rnc meetings focused on inclusiveness and widening the appeal to women. the message may be a little too late. >> this is the new face of the grand old party. that's the message the committee is trying to send by showing off a group of rising stars - every one a woman, including monica youngblood. >> women make up the republican

party. we are mothers, students. we are, you know, house mums, soccer mums. republicans tapped a woman. a mother of three to deliver the g.o.p. response to the president's state of the union address. the party knows it is critical to reach women voters, who make up more than half the electorate. in the last election democrats captured 56 of the female vote. rnc coach sharon day, is marshalling women. >> we have a plan. i'm coming into that plan. the party is coming into the plan. we'll reach out one vote at a time, one at a time. analyst say it's not an easy cell. >> the republicans have to convince women of several things. that there is a better solution

on the paramount issue - the economy and jobs. >> efforts to reach out to women may have been hindered by former g.o.p. president mike hucker by trying to say that democrats shortchanged women. >> if the democrats want insult the women of america believe that they are helpfuls without uncle sugar providing birth control because they cannot control the libido or reproductive system, so be it. >> democrats called the remarks offensive and the rnc chair reminded those here that words can speak as loud as actions. >> however, as we look to grow the ranks of our party, we must all be very conscious of tone and choice of words when we communicate the policies effectively. >> words can win or lose election. a word of caution as republicans tried to broaden their appeal.

>> the rnc chairman is calling on republicans to watch the spoken when discussing or debating issues. >> republicans, seen as a presidential candidate for 2016 is pleading not guilty to corruption charges. >> they are both accused of taking bribe from a virginia businessman. in exchange they help to promote the man's struggling company. their trial is scheduled to begin july 28th. the chinese new year is less than a week away. the year of the horse we gins january 21st, and hundreds of millions are heading home to celebrate. we join one couple. >> 50-year-old chu lives in her home village. she worked in china's capital beijing as a clean are, seven days a week, earning $600 a month.

>> it's easier to make money in budget and spend it at home. >> part of china's great lunar migration, when hundreds of millions of migrants, students and families head back to their villages from the country's economic zones. 3.6 billion trips will be taken in the next 40 days, making the spring holiday the biggest migration on the planet. >> sometimes 39 to 40 hours, and then another three hours by bus. >> the need for rail travel is high. 280 million tickets will be sold, but it's a fraction demand for most passengers, it's standing room only. >> it's 3 o'clock in the morning, it's bitterly cold, and the bathrooms seconded workingment but -- working.

but that's the reality for the passengers on this train. for most, there's few places to sleep. in fact, for $25 you get standing room only. >> china spent billions modernizing rail network. in the past five years it added 1,000km of track. it's impressive, but there are not enough trains to cope with the holiday rush. the overland train stops almost every hour, chopping off and wicking up passengers. by the time it arrives in challenge du the carriages are as full as when they left. chang and li are exhausted but their trip is far from over. >> translation: i feel tired. you couldn't take a good rest in the train, it's very noisy. >> more than 800 buses are deployed. these have two buses to catch. ley jer is a small county of

860,000 people. from here the couple negotiate the fair for a mini cab ride to the village. it's a short dusty 30 minute journey to their home. tang's second and children are siblings, and the parents gather outside the courtyard. the travel sacrifice that tang and lee made eunite the family. a sacrifice made by hundreds across the country. >> the u.s. is expecting at least 1.5 million chinese tourists to come here to celebrate the new year. the world's second largest muslim gathering is happening in bangladesh. more than a million muslims gather for prayers or religious discussions. 25,000 foreigners were included. the religious gathering is to

mecca. >> the women took center stage down under. mark morgan has the court covered. what is going on. >> nice story of perseverance as far as the final is concerned. it was experience versus youth in the australian open women's final. 31-year-old li na made her third finals appearance. dominica cibulkova in her first at the age of 24. li prevailed in the first, 7-3 and took over, steam rolling cibulkova in the second, closing the deal 6-0. li's second major title, winning the french open in 2011. here is match point. li will turn 32, the oldest woman no win the aussie single title in the open era.

remember, she almost retired after a second-round lost last year. li stuck with it and is now the australian open champion. >> turning to the n.b.a., it's been a forgettable season for the new york nicks. they have flopped. entering the action, mike andities team were 12 games under 500 and out of the east play-off. carmelo anthony decided he was the open man, and he was all night. anthony pulled in 62 points. he had 23 of 35, including six of 11. the nics won. the 62 a franchise record breaking the mark of 60 held by bernard king. >> it's a special moment. definitely a special moment. my team-mates more apparent than anything told me to go get it.

i was trying to tell myself, they said no way there's no way to sit on the bench. go for it. just as my team works with the performers, as everyone else was, it put me over the top. >> the countdown to super bowl 48 is underway. seattle quarterback richard sherwin makes news. he's been fined $7,875 for taunting. the penalized action was apt the end of the nfc title game. sherwin fined for making a choking gesture in the direction of kaepernick. after sherwin deflected a path to his team-mate, sealing the win. >> tiger woods is having a rough time at tory pines, it's a course he dominated during his career, winning eight time. after a first-round 72 in the insurance open, woods followed

it up with a 1-under 71, and failed to birdie any of par 5s, tiger nine off the pace. phil mickelson has been dealing with a bad back, struggling with a 73. mickelson with five bogeys on the day. he is 2-under for the tournament. jordan speef stole the show. shooting a 9-under 63. vaulted to the top of the leader board and is 10-under, owning a one-shot lead. following his round woods was looking for answers. >> i was a yard off, foot off all day. and it was one of those frustrating rounds because balls were lining the farewell. i couldn't be aggressive or get out of some of these flags. consequently the score reflected that. >> mark, this richard sherwin

scandal. $7,000, $8,000 for taunting. is that taunting because he used the other man's name. >> it was the choking gesture. it's a visual thing, more than a verbal thing. verbal the referees have to hear hear it was the physical. >> i didn't know that. >> they wait a lifetime to ride the waves. sometimes they are more than 40 feet tall. the surfers come to the northern californian coast and compete in the greatest surfing contest on the planet. they say it's the mt everest for surfers. a select few of the world's bravest congregate at mavericks. hawaii the obvious destination, but it's the coast of california in the middle of winter that boasts some of the biggest, potentially lethal waves. surfers ride down 40 foot walls of water as high as four storey buildings. the waves crash so powerful they

show up on earthquake censors in the san francisco area. we caught up with some of the competitors before dawn, as they headed out. >> we are taking a risk with our lives. the guys that do this enjoy it. we are out there a lot. we feel comfortable. >> you never know who rises up when everything is hitting the sand. that's what is special about big wave surfing. it's part of your d.n.a. >> the reason i come out here and keep coming back is the feeling you get from it, like the thing is - the things that kill you, make you feel alive. >> at sunrise, with little ceremony, the best of the best pushed off to face the sound and fury. the mythic waves are offshore, some times of two miles out in the open sea. >> during the competition the

beach is close to spectators. fans party and watch the contest. the closest they can get to maverick. >> it's unusual to have a surfing event. they set up the whole festival atmosphere and experience. it's unique in all surf contests. >> it's absolutely amazing. it's incredible. they say the olympics of suck, it's true. incredible for those who watched and participates. they say they come to maverick not to ride the waves, but to watch it. >> grant baker took home the top prize and pocketed $50,000. >> checkmating the competition. as one public school in new york

is cranking out chess champions.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. the high school that is turning out chess champions. first, let's get a look at where the snow and the rain may fall across the country with meteorologist eboni deon. >> we cannot buy a break from the snow across the mid west. the pattern is not changing. we have clipper number one making its way across the lower great lakes heading to the north-east. the second clipper will bring the snow flakes into the dakotas, and into the great lakes. this morning we have light snow in around chicago. heavy rain into kentucky, and the north-east. the snow has started.

moving to new york city before the day is done. >> i don't think i'm ready. thank you. meanwhile champions of chess. students at a public school in brooklyn mastered the game. they are not letting it stand in their way. >> richelle carey reports on kids that prove they have the right moves. >> a chilly morning in brooklyn. students filing into school. nothing out of the ordinary on the outside. inside the chess elite from is318. step into the hallway and you are bombarded by banners and trophies, testament to the legacy of the champ yopship chess team. >> they are a legend. winning more titles, 30 and counting, than any other school. >> we are like the lakers and the celtics and the yank ears thrown in. >> what started as an afterschool program in 1999 is a

full-blown chess of obsessed culture of the the game is taught as part of the is318 curriculum. it boasts 80 students with a single-minded focus, to battle it on the board. >> chesz is not just a came, it's a modern game. you can organise yourself. >> 70% of the students come from families living below the federal poverty line. the great ecallizer is chess. the power of the program shows that kids can achieve greatness. for our children becoming the best at something in the entire united states is a powerful message. when you sit down, the chess board, against anyone, you can be the equal of any student from any private school across the united states that all it takes is a lot of hard work and dedication, and you can be the best in the united states.

>> that determination was put to the test when the financial crisis hit. the school-based budget cuts and the chesz program was at risk. a generous donor stepped in, the day was saved. the students kept their eyes on the prize through it all. the life lesson helped the kids enjoy victory, but deal with the sting of defeat. >> i like winning but getting better is what i'm focused on. if that means losing, i'm all for it. >> the game is popular. here these are the cool kids. >> i know people say it sounds geeky or that you are a nerd. i like it, it's enjoyable for me. >> in 2012 the chesz club made history, beating a group of high schoolers at the national chess championship. their story the subject of a critically acclaimed documentary

"brooklyn castle." the kings and queens are not resting on their laurels, they are contemplate ght ing the -- comten plating the next move. >> the world's best chess player took one of the world's richest men. the match lasted two minutes. bill gates was pinned by mag muss carlton. he called check mate. >> the philippine eagle is a rare bird. they are no match for the posters. despite punishment, the species is critically endangered. we have more. >> this looks like a lion main. the eagle is a wildlife treasure, it's one that is dying out. there are around 400 pairs of these eagles in the wild. they need rain forests and trees to live in.

90% of the country's forests have disappeared. >> it's really difficult. especially when we do enforcement, because there are a lot of eagles. i think they are shot without being reported. we are hoping that people will report that stuff to us so that we'll know the extent of the hunting. >> efforts to save them is now at a precarious stage. >> environmental groups made public education a priority. especially in far-flung areas like this. where cland es tine activities such as poaching has long been the norm. >> cary and his friends have been poaching in the philippines for years. they set up a trap every week. >> they do not hunt for eagles, they say. when the words get trapped, they

eat them. the ancestors believe that eating eagles leads to wrong and hestier wife. >> it also has been a practice since you moved here in the forest. they have livestock like chickens. >> gary says they did not know that killing the pile peen eagle would mean 12 years in prison. >> around four of them are being looked after at this center. fronts to contain them are limited. it is dependent on private donors. >> workers say they are doing their best to provide a semblance of a life in the wild. hopeful that some days the eagles will know what it is like to be free. >> with only a few hundred pairs of philippine eagles left informant world,

conservationists are working hard to save them from extinction. >> here is what we follow them, growing unrest in the ukraine as hundreds of thousands of protesters call on viktor yanukovych to step aside. he offered to reshuffle his cabinet. but opponents say it's too little, too late. >> a critical day into peace talks as syrian representatives of the government and the opposition agree to meet face to face in the hope of ending three years of fighting. >> two explosions rock egypt. one set off near the police institute. and the other in a neighbourhood nearby. one person was injured. the the violence comes on the third anniversary of the uprising that toppled hosni mubarak's 30-year rain. >> i'm tracking a storm system bringing know to the north-east. it will keep the biting wind chill around as well. temperatures as much as 20,

upwards of 30. i'll have all the details on the timing on when another clipper will move back to the mid west. thank you for watching. i'm morgan radford. i'm back with you in 2.5 minutes when al jazeera america returns.

>> a dramatic scene in war-torp syria, a little girl pulled alive from the rubble of a bombed out building. talks to end the civil war gets under way in switzerland. >> fence in the ukraine where protesters and police are set to clash. president viktor yanukovych offers concessions in an effort to bring peace. the opposition says it's not enough. >> the drug cartels wage on.

spreading crime is a cockroach effect, and how they are trying to crush it. >> dealing in a situation with the fire is a nightmare for me and my family. >> representing from wall street, frustration for many americans, who live in homes bought by private equity firms during the housing crisis. >> the future of syria playing out in a closed room in geneva switzerland. syria's government and opposition leaders met face to face for the thirst time for half an hour on saturday. the country's civil war raged for three years, and bashar al-assad is refusing to step down. leaving many to wonder if the talks in geneva will do any good at all. nick schifrin is live in geneva, where the quick meeting happened two hours ago. nick joined us with a

spokeswoman from the syrian coalition. >> good morning. you said it just right there. the syrian government, bashar al-assad is refusing to step down. the syrian information minister came to speak to reporters. and he seemed to dismiss the notion of the geneva i communique, requiring that all parties here talk about a transitional government, the coalition saying without bashar al-assad. he spoke to reporters and said a country without a state requires a transitional government. syria is a state, we don't need a transitional government. joining me now is rafeef, a spokeswoman for the syrian coalition. given that it seems the syrian regime is dismissing the notion of a transitional government, a requirement that you and the international community has is talking about the transitional government. why are you willing to have the

meetings. >> we are willing because we are committed to the political process. it's a political process and a transition that the entire international community adopted by security council resolution and letter of invitation. we are here to effect a transition. >> in terms of getting to the transition. trying to get a movement on peace or anything like that, what leverage do you have. there's basically a stalemate nz syria. what leverage do you have. >> the regime is under tremendous international pressure. the free world is supportive of the initiative. we have to look at the statistics in syria. more than nine million refugees are displaced. $150,000 dead. i don't think the regime has options but to begin the notion of transition. i believe the transition is

starting now. >> on the ground the violence continues. >> here the government digs in its heels. do you have the leverage, and do you need to have the leverage or do you need to step up the pressure. >> the international community is stepping up the pressure as we maintain the commitment to the process. on the ground there's violence. the regime continues to conduct air assaults over civilian neighbourhoods. we heard about people starving to death. there's a systematic regime policy of starving the population into submission. this cannot go on. i believe the time for transition is now. >> to try to get to the transition the talks began this morning. there was a you-shaped table after hassan rouhani was mediating between the two sides. how long will that go along until you are willing to speak to the regime, confront the regime so you can have a

dialogue, the two of you directly. >> i can't speak to the process, this is something that lakhdar brahimi will have to define, probably in cooperation with the two delegations. i can't speak to that. >> given the delegations seem so far apart, do you feel that there are any issues, quickly, any issues that you can get to to compromise. >> really, the two issues are transition and release. lifting the siege. that is where we are. >> thank you, spokeswoman for the syrian coalition. it gives you a sense of how far apart the two sides are. they are committed to the political process. >> thank you nick for joinings live from geneva. >> as the syrian government and the opposition meets for peace talks, an air strike in aleppo leaves a toddler buried alive. >> now, watch as the men frantically dig through the

debris after hearing the child cry. as they push the dirt and pull away pieces of concrete signs of life as the toddler wipes the dust from her eyes and appears to be okay. >> the atmosphere tense in ukraine where fires are burning in kiev, where protesters are poised to crash with police. it comes after a fragile truce collapse, and the opposition rejected minor concessions by the ukrainian president, saying the proposals don't go far enough. jennifer glasse is live in kiev. the process intensified overnight, but what is it like right now? >> good morning. well, at the protest site, a street away interest here in independence square on orthodox priest came out, getting between the militia and protesters, and prayed and sang with them. the fires are distinguished. for now, overnight, the scenes were apoko lip tick as a front

line of burning tires between the protesters and the police. the occasional throwing the molotov cocktails and fire bombs. but not - certainly not the violence that we have seen in recent days. today we have a very, very - worrying call to arms by the former military of defense, calling on anyone with legal firearms to have them at the ready. not to use aggressively, but offensively. that is a worrying call, and the leaders of protests around the country. they are meeting here. they have endorsed the call to protect themselves. it's a bit of a worrying development because we haven't seen the use of firearms. they have been fighting bullets two protesters. it's unclear whether they are rubber bullets fired at close

range. in kiev protesters taking one more ministry. the ministry of energy. >> the protesters are saying no to the government. this is too little too late. what is the government's revised plan to create peace? >> well, that is the real question. we have been hearing rhetoric on the government side as well, calling the protesters criminals. we have seen protesters in court. yesterday some of them remanded in custody including a 72-year-old protesters, police arrested today, protesters carrying tyres under new anti-protest laws passed last week and went into effect this week. the government appears to hold its round as well of dangerous tense situations. neither side seems to have a concrete plan to move forward. the e.u. commissioner for enlargement stepping here yesterday, meeting with the

president and opposition leaders, and he says he's trying to lay the ground work for a dial ag, which is what everyone is calling for. from vice president biden to the governments of france, germany, would like it see it come to a peaceful end. but very tense here. >> thank you jennifer glasse. we'll have more on the crisis in ukraine later this hour. >> two explosions rocked egypt on saturday, injuring one person. one of the bombs exploded near a police academy in cairo. the second went off in a nearby neighbourhood, following a series of bombings killing six people. >> the bombings followed an uprising leading to the removal of hosni mubarak. >> explosions at the heart of cairo, the aftermath of the

largest one. a suicide bomber rammed the car into cement blocks, surrounding the police headquarters, killing and wounding a number of people. nearby buildings were damaged, including the famous museum of art. near a metro station closed to the russian cultural center, causing casualties. a third smaller blast near the giza police station. causing no casualties, according to authorities. >> translation: a pick-up truck had two passengers, stopping outside police headquarters. a seduced bomber killed himself. >> they were described as a vial terrorist act. this was a child's body found near the site, could be that of a suicide bomber. in the past egyptian authorities accused extremists of targetting police and the military. >> there's an unrest and

violence since the coup last year that we posed mohamed morsi, and the crackdown that followed against his supporters led by the muslim brotherhood. >> soon after the explosion, supporters of mohamed morsi turned out at the main cairo metro station to protest against the attacks. security clashed with anti-coup protesters. the explosion struck as the country was on high alert. mohamed morsi supporters vowed to use the event to feign momentum in efforts to break the coup. >> al jazeera producers mohammed badr and mohamed fadel fahmy, and correspondent peter greste are still being detained in egypt. they are accused of spreading lies harmful to state security, and of joining a terrorist

group. al jazeera says the allegations are completely unfounded. two other journalists from our sister channels are held, a reporter abdullah al-shami, and cameraman mohammed badr. senator john mccain called it a violation of international rules and called for the relief of all five men. >> four egyptian embassy officials were kidnapped, coming a day after a diplomat was taken hostage. it happened in tripoli, and so far no group has claimed responsibility for the abductions. a number of foreigners have been abducted and attacked and will continue to monitor the situation and bring you the update as news come. >> a mud slide killed three people where heavy rain fall caused a river to burst, and pushed rocks and soil plummeting into the villages. more than 600 people had to evacuate. >> police are calling it the

cockroach effect. they crackdown on drug car tells, only to have them turn up somewhere else >> it's called operation shield and it's the latest step in mexico's fight against the knights templar drug cartel. thousands of police deployed to strategic locations. their mission to stop the cockroach effect where a government crackdown in one place sends criminals scuttling to other places. >> this operation is taking place in many cities. in mexico 1,000 police officers are involved in check stops. people are asking questions about whether this is not just a big show for the media. while people here say they understand the government has to do something, it doesn't mean they have to like it. >> i'm a civil engineer, and look they are treating me like a

delinquent. >> in mid-january an offensive was launched against the knights templar. street battles waged and the government sent in soldiers and police to quell the violence. but as the cartel lost ground there were signs the members may be picking up and moving to neighbouring states. some point to two burnt-out convenience stores as proof. the head of mexico city's program is determined to keep the violence out of the capital. >> we know we have a big responsibility, we have important infrastructure, embassies and many companies in mexico city. that's why we are investing in technologies allowing us to expand. >> some question whether the governments with would be better off using resources differently. >> there's more to invest.

this is impossible. it is a way to feel people safer and i don't blame the mexican - blame them for that. >> in mexico city and the six states boarding, operation shield will continue for the foreseeable future. what is less certain is whether this strategy will succeed in keeping the knights templar at became. >> earlier this week the mexican police arrested the leader of the knights templar, the government touting it as a major victory. >> the business of marijuana - a move by the government allowing legal pot dealers to open bank accounts. while it's legal in colorado and washington , it's not allowed in 48 other sometimes. the top editor of "new york times" opens up about d.c. politics and why the obama

administration is the most secretive she has dealt with. francis hollande meets with pope francis at the vatican. coming on the heels of his love scandal. the french press does not hold back.

>> good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, live from new york city. up next - the french president makes a special trip to the vatican. first, the cold weather continues to hang around. our meteorologist eboni deon is here to tell us about it. >> we have a little bit of a break from the snow. it looks like we are going to see the next clipper system move in, as it does, it will bring the snow back into the north-east along with very gusty winds and that is going to plo the snow around. that's what we are dealing with in places such as buffalo and new york. travel will be difficult, especially early on across our interior sections of new york. that is where the snow is coming down. we have a number of advisories in place.

a winter storm warning. watch out for the snow. it will be heavy at times. with the wind blowing and whipping it around, it will drive visibility down further. that's clipper system number one, snow showers into the dakotas. back into the chicago area. at least close by. that's what we could see. >> all right this morning winds have been gusting in the order of 30 miles per hour, and minneapolis as we go through the day. a trough is digging out, driving down the colder air. temperatures will not move up all that much. we'll keep it on the cold side across the midwest and east. we need the rain and we could use a cool down. high pressure is keeping us dry,

meaning the dry conditions will keep the fire threat around for another day. >> the president of france paid a visit to pope francis in rome. his day comes as reports surface that the french president is having an affair with an actress. we have this report from the italian capital. >> an official visit to the vatican, but without this first lady. friday's meeting between frode , and pope francis led to inevitable sarcasm from the french press. the daily lemonde, mag him arriving on a scooter with his partner and lover. who am i to judge, the pope says in the cartoon. there were more serious subjects. >> i confirm to pope francis that pope defends everywhere. france is the country of human rights and freedom.

freedom of conference, conviction. >> francis hollande has been unpopular. a gay marriage law sparking outrage. a new proposal to legalize assistance suicide was met with disbelief. and a law easing abortion brought thousands of protesters to the streets of paris last sunday. ahead of francis hollande's visit, 100,000 expressed disbelief. the disengs between the government and the church may explain why this was the first time the president met the pope despite visiting rome four times since the election. the timing of the visit may not be coincident alt. >> translation: he can't afford to have an influential section.

s country against him. we have local elections in frarnsz soon. it may be an attempt to restart dialogue. >> francis hollande told the pope see you soon. an invitation to visit france, the pope may take up and help catholics who may feel sidelined. >> even where marijuana is legal, pot dealers have a big problem. depositing their money in a bank is illegal. that could soon change. the obama administration plans to roll out legislation to allow business with marijuana sellers. we have that reaction. >> this announcement from the attorney-general is big news for the marijuana growers and retailers in the 20 states that legalized marijuana for recreational or medical use. banking and managing money have been the biggest obstacle to

doing business. they have not had access to lines of credit or accepting credit cards or set up a checking account to pay the employees or bills. when was the last time you paid bills in cash. speaking to blokes in the business, this will revolutionize what they do. >> it's a total game changer, bringing everyone to the level of legitimate - like any other business, keep the piles of cash in the bank where they belong, instead of at the center where they can be at risk for robbery. it will be really good. the new rules will not give banks a green light to accept deposits. what it will do is tell prosecutors not to prioritise taking action against banks that do - banks want a lot more specificity, and details, and are concerned about money laundering and aiding and abetting is criminal enterprise.

today the marijuana business happy. >> the latest voice of support for easing marijuana laws comes from conservative governor rick peryip. he supports softers penalties and says more focus should be on counselling for marijuana users, not just gaol time. >> jill is one of the five most powerful women, the executive director of the "new york times," and sat with al jazeera's john seigenthaler, who asked about her dealings with the obama administration. >> it is the moment secretive white house that i have been involved in covering. the obama administration has had seven criminal leak investigations. that is more than twice the number of any previous administration. >> do you think this comes from the president. >> i think it would have to.

i don't know that, but certainly enough attention has been focused on this issue that if he departed from the policies of his government, i think we would know about that at this point. >> it makes it more difficult for the "new york times" to do its job. >> it does. >> let's go back in the administration, if we can. you were in washington during at least the first term of george w. bush. was the media or the "new york times" misled by the bush administration when it came to the iraq war. >> yes. we were. >> were you fooled. >> there's no doubt about that. we were, i think, not dil gent enough. i don't know if we were purposefully fooled. i think there was a terrible echo chamber where unreliable iraqi defectors were speaking both to members of the media and to intelligence officials and

officials in the bush administration, and that an echo effect took hold. >> let me dive into the news and talk about edward snowden. daniel els burn was quoted as saying edward snowden was his here jox. >> i view him as i did julian assange and wikileaks, as a good source of news worthy information. >> some things were published. some things were not published. how do you make those decisions? >> we make the decisions trying to apply commonsense balancing tests where we respectfully listen to concerns of the u.s. government, that publishing a story will actually harm national security, and we

balance those concerns against the importance and newsworthiness of the information, and our primary duty, which is to keep the public informed. >> for the entire interview with jill abram son watch "talk to al jazeera" 7:00 pm eastern time, 4:00 pm pacific. >> the eyes of the world on india after a horrific gang rape, ordered by village elders because a young woman fell in love with a boy outside her community. >> you can call at any time, but they don't respond. >> frustration for american families who say banks are buying up foreclosed houses, renting them out and all but ignoring the tenants. >> the story of an athlete who travelled halfway around the world to introduce his sport globally. that's ahead.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, and these are the top stories. >> a sign of hope for those caught in syria's bloody civil war. peace talks have begun in geneva, and the government and opposition leaders sat across the table this morning. it's the first time the two sides met sips the war began. the talks will continue today. >> two new explosions set off in cairo. another smaller device went off in another part of city, and four bombs tore through cairo, killing six people. bombing attacks ended hosni mubarak's 30 year reign. >> clashes continue in the ukraine where protesters say the government son -- government's

concessions is too little, too late. >> joining us to offer her thoughts on the ongoing protest is nina, an associate professor of international favours. thank you for joining us. now, if the president does not step down, what is next? what will it take to apiece the protesters? >> it doesn't seem promising. he has few options one is to step down, which would be difficult. he tried to assert himself as a strong leader, that has failed. the best way to go about it is to have european negotiators, and american negotiators and try to broker an agreement between the president and the government and the protesters. whether they would agree to this or not, that's another question, because that is entirely possible that another option for the government would be that

they declare a state of emergency, declare all the protesters, terrorists, and may invite the russian army to assist in squashing the protesters, and it would be the worst scenario. >> the worst. >> absolutely, with the russian troops on the ground, the worst scenario. >> president viktor yanukovych failed to show that he was a strong leader. what do you mean by that? >> you may remember. it's a long time in history. 2004. he was elected president. he became president and was ousted. then only became president again in 2010. so he already then, in 2004, showed that he really cannot sustain his power for long when there were protesters around. then he agreed to be possibly part of the european union agreement then, but he bailed out of it. he negotiated and didn't negotiate. he is a bit of a flip flop as we call if in the west.

that's why the protesters push for more and more concessions from him. >> he agreed to reshuffle the government. is it enough. >> first of all, it's too little, too late as you said. second of all we don't know how he was reshoving the government. he promoted the head of security, the one accused of doing - of the first killings, being brutal with the protesters, on one hand it seemed much. on the other hand the protesters can't trust him, but he can sustain the givings that he is promising. >> what exactly is the role of international powers. could international pressure bring this to an end? >> it is possible. it depends on how the president himself allows the international power to interfere. if he doesn't want a civil war

on his hands, which is escalating that situation, he probably would need to have international negotiators and he may want to - i mean, he suggested that it was meddling. he would agree that they are not going to force ukraine to become part of the european union. i don't know what agreement would be agreeable. he can certainly invite the man and let them talk to the protesters and buy himself as president some time. maybe another year until 2015, once he would be legitimately voted out of the office. >> we are looking at live pictures, can we pull it out of the control room. we have seen the demonstrations intensify. as they have intensified, will the government reaction intensify as well? >> absolutely. it has been, because now the

government is refusing or some of the government is accusing the protesters of having amunics, being terrorists because they occupy the various ministries, including the energy ministerry, so the accusation is that they are trying to block, you know, the gas and oil reception for western europe and so it depends where in the media, the language, how you brand them, how it will go. >> associate professor of international affairs. thanking u >> india's highest court has order n investigation. a 21-year-old woman was raped by 13 men under the orders of village elders, all as punishment for a relationship with a man outside her tribe. lawyers and activists slammed the police for not arresting the 13 suspects. the victims has been

hospitalized. she is in stable condition. we highlight a lack of safety for women, especially those in remote rural areas. >> police say they are trying to piece together a crime that shocked the nation. they reconstruct the movements of one of the men accused of raping a 20-year-old woman, under orders from a court. state government representatives surveyed the area. they went door to door, from the home of the victim to the homes much men she said attacked her. >> no one will despair if there is a not guilty >> the victim's brother who, does not want to be identified says he fears for his life. he's not sure if his family will be able to return to the village. their lives, he says, have been

ruined. >> translation: my sister has been wronged. my people want to people who did this to her to go to gaol tore a long time. >> the victim arrived at hospital on wednesday. her condition is now stable. while she receives treatment, people from her village have a different story to tale. >> the rape ner happened. our then didn't do anything. the boy who the girl was having an affair with is the one that raped her. >> no one de nice that the village court held a session here. elders from the community gathered to decide on a punishment from the victim and the man he was having an affair with. >> police are guarding the hut. for more than a year the topic of rape and india has been discussed as an issue tore the

cities. the alleged gang rape. the first known cape as rape being used as a sanction drew attention to women's rights in the remote parts of the companies. arse of debate and the modern legal system often fail to reach this. >> joining us via skype is a law professor at the university in columbia. and joins us from india. professor. what changes have been made to india's antirape laws since the gang rape on a bus in 2012. >> december appears to be a bad month for indian law and the legal system. it happened - the horrific incident in delhi last year was fold by a series of -- followed by a series of changes in the law, broadening the definition of rape to include gender

neutral definition and to not include requirements of penetration, changes in the burden of proof to be placed on the accused to show consent. all the changes have little to do with the incident that your report just deal with. >> are you with us, can you hear us? >> yes. >> even with the changes that you just mentioned. just this week a 20-year-old woman says a tribal council ordered her gang rape as punishment to a boy from another village. india's broadcasting minister denowsed the attack and asked the state government to: >> if the villages play by their own rules, how can the government ensure a standard of safety for all women across the

country? >> so this incident, as your reporter pointed out is so different from what happened in delhi last year. last year it was a random incident that took place in a delhi bus. this involved a tribal community that apparently sanctioned a community punishment in an area of bengal. incidents are so different and law and order is a state subject in india. the great variation in the quality of policing and politicking. >> according to the indian government there was 24,923 cases of rape in india. that's about two per 100,000. is that number as high as it could be. how many of these cases go

unreported. >> we have no national or state-wide victims surveyed in india, so we don't have a measure of the incidents of rape and sexual violence. so these reported figures are the only statistics available to think about these issues. if we were to get some victim service going, it is likely that the numbers night be maybe two, three, four times larger than what they appear. but the question might - a sort of related issue is that these figures are not exceptionally high by international starnds. that may tell us about the levels of underreporting in india. >> professor at columbia university, joining us live from india. thank you so much. >> across the country private equity firms and hedge funds are trying to crash in on the

housing crash. thousands of foreclosed homes, turning them into rentals. some complain that the wall street landlords are not giving them a fair shot. >> the first time the lloyd family saw the rental home was the day they moved in last june. the young couple expected their fourth child and needed more space for their expanding family. >> i thought it was wonderful. it was an upgrade from where we are moving from, and i thought it would be great for the family. >> tameika says renting the home almost cost them their lives. they claim the oven was defective and caught on fire as tameika was cooking. when they went to grab the fire extinguisher, it didn't work. by the time the fire brigade arrived the house was so damaged they had to move to a hotel. >> it's been a nightmare. >> like a number of americans,

they were renting from a private equity firm or hedge fund. the landlord was a subsidiary of the private equity group. from 2012 the company purchased 40,000 homes in 14 areas across the country hardest hit. a spokesman defines it as a leading company. it offers a high-klty experience including professional management and 24/7 emergency maintenance. >> you can call it, but they don't responds any time. >> we tracked numerous tenant complains of poor maintenance in florida. georgia, california and arizona. the company refused to answer our questions. >> sherry is the director of a fort lauder dale think tank. she praises wall street for

buying up forecoast homes and said the attempt to manage the homes is challenging. >> a troubling aspect of this is we don't know what the end game is or if they know what the end game is. >> the lloyd's broke their lease with invitation home. the company wanted them to pay represent and live in the soot-coloured house. >> they'll put a band-aid. >> the lloyd's will not get burned. they'll ensure their next landlord is a local. >> the new york-based hedge fund blackstone is the largest landlord. banks, hedge funds and private equity firms snapped up 200,000 homes across the country. global growth is important. mark morgan is here with a story of a player who took matters into his own hands. >> good to see someone go out on their own and get face to face

with the fans. sports leagues are looking to grow the sport and expand popularity. one of ways to do that is to open world markets. major league baseball will open the season in australia. mark milanson from pittsburg did his part and travelled to south africa and served as a goodwill ambassador for baseball. >> it started about three years ago when i took a trip to new zealand with my wife. it was a trip we wanted to go on. there was a day in the itinerary that was left open. i told my wife it would be great if i could give back in a way of teaching kids or getting together and meeting young baseball kids in new zealand. major league baseball saw that and this past year contacted me about going to south africa. it took three years, but we went to south africa and it made a

difference. >> what was the most surprising aspect of your trip to south africa. >> it's fun to travel abroad and meet different cultures. it's so much fun to interact with different cultures and kids. >> baseball is not the sport as here or in other parts of the world. what level of talented did you see amongst the players. >> i would say it's not the talent we have here in the states, but it was better than i expected. >> in the continent of soccer it is the biggest sport. we are starting to see in part of the western part of continent that some youngsters are turning away from soccer, to basketball with the hope much getting scholarships no america. can you see the kids, in south africa could turn to baseball as a way to get to a better life and earn an education in america. >> that's the plap.

we are trying to grow the game internationally. >> you were in south africa at the time of nelson mandela. what was that experience like. >> we got there the first day. the following day he passed. we could tell something it was airways different. people were trying to get to the house. it was a big deal. everyone you talked to had something to say. it was positive stuff that he had done for the country. >> we appreciate the time. thank you for sharing the experience. best of luck in the future. >> a great story. i'll be box next hour with more on the australian open final. >> speaking of the australian

open, country music fans head down under. the moussic festival in australia that lunched some impressive careers. >> tickle, tickle. >> no, no, no, no >> and marking the one-year anniversary of the popular social media app vin. betting users make creative videos six seconds at a time. is this vine dying.

>> good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. next - going viral six seconds at a time, the science celebrates its one-year anniversary, a lot of people waking up to cold temperatures. meteorologist eboni deon is here to tell us about it. >> we have snow returning to the north-east. after a break we have more

snowfall on the way. we have clipper number one rotating around the lower great lakes spreading snow from the chicago area. we are catching a broke through indiana, where we have seen our fair share of the snowfall, through parts of ohio to tennessee, and we could see a dusting into the mountainous areas of georgia. as we take a close up look. most of the snow on the lighter side. we have heavy amounts coming down into the north-east. the snow filling in as we go through the day. we can see an inch in spots. >> twitter launched a video service. it let's people share looping services through their phone. the service attracted more than 40 million users.

>> from animal antics to practical jokes. >> video site vine is a veer old, but it is making its mark on the world of social media. >> six seconds is the perfect amount. you'll not have anyone stop the vine in six seconds and not watch it all the way through. >> vine let's you capture and share videos. it inspires independent film makers to big-name brands. features like stop motion let's you record small chunks, making it a fast easy way to share video. >> the service is owned by twitter. the platform with 645,000 users are where the videos are shared. >> facebook's instagram let's

users share 15 second videos more than 115 million users signed up. around the so second mark you see the drop off. >> here is what we'll do. >> can we stop there. >> videos can be streamed as entertainment, representing an eclectic example of culture. >> i said everything i want to say. i have too much time. the challenge is crazy. >> i like it because it ain't got no fitters. if you ugly, you ugly. >> the jury is out on whether it's a service that will be used in the years to come. >> it's hard to tell whether or not it's an integral part of life. it is getting traction. >> more than a billion smartphones are expected to be

sold. with more than 2.5 billion people online, we are using the internet to share life's moments. but which service people choose to sues comes down to personal choice and our attention span. >> as you can imagine vine created star power. nash greer is a star. his short comedy video made him the most popular user with more than 5 million followers. >> first class mail will cost $0.46, and will jurm to $0.49 on sunday, the largest increase of postage in a decade. >> country music has a huge fan base down under. people head to an australian

music festival, famous for turning unknown names into big stars. >> they call this the boulevard of dreams, where musicians come to be discovered at the biggest country festival in history. the big names play the big venues, sometimes inside the big trucks, they come peat for a golden guitar that gives tamworth its boldest icon. for up and comers, peel street is the stage. over two weeks 600 act busk along the street. metres apart. they are sipping for spare coins and selling cds, some claiming to make 800 a day. the real prize is discovering. keith urban, one of the biggest stars in the world busked here. young singers dream of a similar

destiny. >> a lot of people want to be the next lig thing like keith urban. walking and judging are the judges. >> i'm looking for something that the awedens is gathered around, stomping, and that i enjoyed. >> there's no block on who performs, but there are rules of how they do it. these are the buskers' terms and conditions. the first that they should give impromptu performances, diluted by the next lot of rules. not use animals for fire and stop if their music is judged a public nuisance. >> at night rowedios compete for the crowd and establish bands play to sell-out audiences.

>> on peel street the bausking is around the clock. >> yee-har >> at the second hour here is what we are following: hundreds of thousands of protest scores in ukraine call for the president to stand aside. >> he's offering to modify lawyers, but opants say it's too little, too late. >> syrian representatives from the government and the opposition agreed to meet face to face for the first time in the hope of ending three years of fighting. >> two explosions rocked egypt on saturday. one device set off near the police institute. the violence comes on the third anniversary of the uprising that toppled president hosni mubarak.

>> the winter took center court - would youth or experience prevail. i'll let you know next hour. >> coming up eboni deon will track the cold temperatures and the timing of when another clipper will add to the snow and parts of the midwest.

>> tense standoff as unrest spreads in ukraine. the president makes some son sessions. the opposition says it's too little too late. coming together after years of fighting syria's government meets face to face with the opposition for the first time. egypt in turmoil, a wave of bombings target cairo as egypt marks the third anniversary of the arab spring. >> we are taking a huge risk

with our lives. the guys that do this enjoy it. >> they are hanging 10. the biggest surfers in the world ride the waves in one of the biggest competitions. >> good morning and happy saturday to you. i'm morgan radford, welcoming you to scram. ukraine's capital is continues, a fragile truth fell apart was protesters say the government is corrupt. the government head some concessions including an agreement to amend controversial anti-protest laws. protesters say it's too little too lit. >> al jazeera's jennifer glasse is live in kiev where the clash intensified. what can we expect to see today

from the protest? >> we are seeing over on the parliament where the fires burnt hot and bright. we are seeing the protesters throwing stones at the police. tensions escalate one of the reed leaders of the opposition, the heavy weight boxer wladimir klitschko appealing for the people to keep calm. the speakers trying to ral yoi the crowd. there are hundreds here. really enforced on the streets on the saturday morning. >> for the protesters saying no to concessions, this is too little, too late. what is the government's revised plan to create peace?

>> >> that's an interesting question, the e.u. commissioner for enlargement here meeting with the government and the opposition trying to broker moderation. the first step he said was for the violence to stop and take concrete steps. peaceful talks are futile. he claims that the protesters are gathering arms, gathering weapons, and for their part of the former defence minister said those with weapons to keep them at the ready. politicians trying to keep things peacele. no concrete plan. >> jennifer glasse reporting from kiev. thank you for being with us. >> here to weigh in on the ukraine process and an associate professor of international affairs at the new school. good morning, professor, thank

you for joining us again. the president said he was willing to reshuffle some things, is it enough to apiece the protesters. >> it is not enough. if the president said he was willing to reshuffle. he didn't say what he'd reshuffle. when you give the vague promise, they are not going to stop. they are going to accuse him of lying. >> you mentioned the vague promises and said that he's spoken himself not to be a strong leader. is there any way that viktor yanukovych can emerge from this with his political career intact. >> i don't think so. it sounds very, vi unlikely unless he institutes a state of emergency, invites russian troops. it will divide the two parts into east and west. if he remains in power, he may

well repeat bashar al-assad's example, but how good that examples is, in the middle of europe. everyone has to stand for this horrible scenario. >> you mentioned bashar al-assad. this week world powers voiced concern over what is going on. what's the role of international carriers. is there a chance they could put on the pressure and solve the conflict. >> european brokers travelling to kiev and trying to make a concession of peace. they can, but it depends on how much they can control their open governments. terrorists will meed harder measures. if viktor yanukovych is able to control his own party, the protesters may be able to agree

to measures and steps. we haven't seen and herd theme yet. >> what do you think some would look like. it's something that the protesters agreed to. >> they may dissolve the parliament or he pay fire his prime minister. and he may say - a year from now, ukraine will sign the european union agreement that originally was shelved just a few months ago. possibly that will calm the protests for a while. >> professor nina joining us in the studio. associate professor of international averages. >> small steps of progress where for the first time since the war began, syria's government will meet face to face with opposition leaders in geneva. the opposition wanted president

bashar al-assad's representatives to agree to create a transitional government. the government threatened to leave and documents say they'll focus on the small agreements, finding a solution to end the conflict. we are told the mood was calm. does it seem like there'll be breakthroughs in the meeting. >> morgan, as you suggested they are looking for the small steps, the baby sets, anything they can do to alleviate the problems inside syria. on the top of the list is the humanitarian corridor. if it's in one down or one area of one town, you can try to get the water, the food, all the requirements that these people need, and many of them have been shut out from. but the larger issue here is that transitional government,

and you see both sides digging in, and you see a gulf between both sides. the syrian government does not want to talk about a transitional government. he wants to step down and run again as president. we heard from the immigration minister. he dismissed out of hand a transitional go. . >> you called this a gulf between both sides. does it look like either side has leverage? >> i think that's the real question. what diplomats here are trying to do is get bashar al-assad, trying to get russia which supports assad that they have to stop the violence. they admit that there is very little leverage, they have to get the international community, russia, but in geneva, it doesn't seem, according to the

officials that the syrian government and its representatives in the talks have to concede anything. when we talk about peace corridors or until assad feels he needs to give in and onseed on something. it will be give for the us and the syrian opposition to get any progress. >> nick schifrin live from geneva. thank you for being with us. >> two explosions rocked egypt on saturday, inuring one person, a bomb exploded near a police academy in the eastern part of cairo. the attacks followed bombings on friday that killed six people. the first explosion struck in cairo before friday prayers. an hour later a second explosion in the neighbourhoods of giza. a third device was detonated and the fourth was in giza in front

of a cinema. the latest violence coming on the third anniversary of an uprising that toppled hosni mubarak's 30-year reign. mike hanna has more. >> four egyptian embassy officials were kidnapped in lydia, coming a day after they were taken hostage. >> no group has claimed responsibility for those abductions. in recent weeks the number of foreigners have been abducted and attacked >> an investigation has been called for the rape of a 21-year-old woman, allegedly raped by 13 men on the orders of elders. that was punishment. the men have been tape into custody, lawyers and activists slammed the police for not arresting the suspects. the victim has been hospitalized and is in stable condition.

>> rescue crews in canada resumed their search for up to 30 elderly people, missing after flames engulfed a retirement home. eight are confirmed dead. it's unlikely that anyone will be found alive in the frozen ruins. freezing temperatures made the search for bodies difficult. researchers are using steam to freeze the ice. >> good morning to you, i'm meteorologist eboni deon, tracking two clipper systems bringing know to the north-eastern around the great lakes. as we get into the weekend, for those of you heading out you'll bell greeted by a good deal of snow, around lake erie and ontario. the next system will move in later this evening, bringing snow to the dakotas catching a

little break. in addition to the show, winds are gusty. we are going through the winds, and some spots upwards 50 to 60 miles per hour. we have a blizzard watch and effect. all the way down through nebraska. winds are gusting up to 30 miles per hour. it includes back up to minneapolis. into the south-west. we'll keep a dry, little in the way of moisture and isolated sprinkles. it will be rain free and warm, keeping the fire danger across south-western california. >> the united nation says the myanmar government needs to do more to protect an ethnic minority. about 30 rohingyas were killed. the myanmar government dethighs that it happened, call ghts the reports false. >> we report from where the

alleged violence occurred. >> this woman fills her days getting firewood. we barely have enough to eat and we only have small portions of food. now that the weather is colder we don't have blankets. she's one of tens of thousands of rohingya affected by the violence. some rohingya families have been in the country for generations. myanmar considers all of them illegal immigrants. denied citizenships, they are subject to rules, including those that restrict travel and employment. the u.n. calls them a persecuted minority. in the past year and a half there has been more fighting between rohingya and buddhists. the latest violence took place in the village in the north. human rights groups say more

than a dozen were killed. the area is off limits to foreign media. the village has been sealed off by security. >> a human rights organization has conducted interviews with witnesses. there are reports coming out of a number of casualties which would indicate violence perpetrate by civilians and state security forces. >> the u.n. expressed concerns, calling for a markal investigations. >> one of the officers is missing. >> the reports by other people are groundless accusations, based on hearsay. it's impossible to accept their claims. >> rights groups accuse police of issuing an order of any male

rohingya 10 and above. 80 have been arrested. few will speak up for the rohingya. life can never return to the way it was. a sun was hacked to death. another has been imprisoned since. when asked what she thought her grandchildren's future would be, she replied only god knows. >> tens of thousands of rohingya fled myanmar since 2012. >> a judge weighs in as to whether a woman can be left on life support. heading home, millions of chinese head home for the new year. >> riding the wave - the best surfers tackle massive amounts of water, some as high as 30

feet.

>> good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. the biggest migration of people on the planet affects millions of people in asia. first, a look at what temperatures will see with our meteorologist eboni deon. >> not much of a warm-up but better in some spots. we'll take it to the north-east where the temperatures teens and 20s. as we head into the next couple of days we'll look into philadelphia, where the temperatures are up and down. to today at the freezing point we'll drop down to 20 on sunday and monday before the teens show up. this wednesday the cold air made it to the gulf coast. we are below freezing in atlanta we started in the teens, but we

are now at 25. the coldest air across the upper midwest minus 3. and notice omaha. temperatures falling. down to if. mainly across the midwest temperatures falling. >> thank you. >> afghan president hamid karzai reiterated his refusal saturday to sign a peace agreement with the united states. hamid karzai stated his demonstrates during a press conference in kabul. jane ferguson joins me live from the african capital. should this agreement have been signs by now. >> yes, the negotiations over the agreement have gone on for well over a year, and have been more than tense. the language that hamid karzai used was some of the strongest. yet he, of course, has been in negotiations with the obama

administration about signing the pact for a lopping time. he -- a long time. he reiterated saying he would not sign if until a peace process was underway, that the americans were bringing piece to afghanistan and won't sign it until he proves that the presidential elections will not be interfered with by the americans. sticking to the same stance, using stronger language. >> he made a parallel agreement packed with the u.s. >> on a treaty signed in afghanistan by the king in 1879 he was forced to sign it by imperial britain, not the part of history that most look back on. it's shameful, something they are angry about. strong language hitting at the heart of afghans. >> i want to listen to something that hamid karzai said today about this.

let's take a lisp. >> this relationship which benefits them cannot come at the cost of the lives of the people of afghanistan. it cannot come at the cost of the lives of the women and children of afghanistan. in return of signing the agreement we want peace and security for the people of afghanistan. without that it is better to live and afghanistan determines its own future. >> there he was seaing afghanistan should determine his own future. where does the pact go. if it's not signed, what happens next? >> well, there are several options. if hamid karzai continues to refuse to sign the pact, he's scheduled to be replaced in april, when the presidential elections are scheduled to be hemmed. the option is to look to the next president, if the barack obama administration has the patience and will to wait for

this to be signed. the other option is this is not signed. if it's not signed every last u.s. troop will leave afghanistan by the end of the year, handing over the fight to afghanistan security forces. it could throw into jeopardy funding. the bilateral agreements is attached with billions in aid, which pays for the salaries of the police force, and the servicemen here. that is attention to the country as well as developmental aid. the kav -- afghans will be able to fight as a state. >> a texas man may bring closure to an emotional chapter in his life. a chuj orders a hospital to take

his brain dead pregnant wife off of life support. we have that story. erick munoz says he and his wife marlise munoz made it clear that neither wanted to be kept alive by a machine. doctors declared the wife and mother clinically dead. friday a district judge sided mun oz. a family's private tram di gont be more tragic. marlise munoz, mother of a 16-month-old, was 14 weeks pregnant when her husband found her unconscious. doctors believe she suffered a pulmonary embollism. she was rushed to john peter smith hospital in fort worth and has been on life support since. her husband and parent went to court asking to let her die with dignity. the hospital argued texas law will not allow it because she was pregnant:

>> if a doctor declares a person to be irreversally brain dead the patient was dead. the judge was abbinged to darm a law less than clear. the attorney spoke briefly to reporters after the ruling. >> this is the decision we sought there's nothing happy about today. it's a sat situation all the way around. we are relieved this erick munoz can move forward with the prospect of burying his wife. >> a sad story compounded by the constitutional rights trampled by the state of texas. jps making a very incorrect interpretation of the law. >> pro-life activists hoped for a different outcome. >> we are here to be a voice for the baby. we don't want to add to the anguish or be it's respectful. we want to be a reminder to talk

about the baby, a baby that is near ability. >> the feetous was shown to be ak normal and suffers from hydroself illize, is a build-up of fluid in the brain. medical files show that marlise munoz is drain dead, ke ceased under protection law. erick munoz handwriting use the hospital is using his wife as a science perimeter. they argued they were protecting the life of an unborn child. >> the term brain dead means functions of the brain stopped working and will not come back. >> a major setback for opponents of pep coke. a biproduct of crude oil production. people who live on the south-east side says pep coke

files below tuft into their homes. the governor of illinois propose to move the coke to the shipping channels. the governor and the epa, how much, proved that the piles would a death threat. >> the dau tumbling 18 points. it was the biggest drop since last yun. investors are worried about a slump in the market. and currency and argentina and turkey, and there are signs that china may be slowing down. >> the ceo of jpmorgan chase has had a raise in his salary even though the bank had legal

problems. that's not to mention a $2.6 billion for the banks role in the bernie madoff upon xie team. >> a planned plan to win over female vaters. >> i'm mark morgan, carmelo can shoot and score. we look at his record.

>> good morning and welcome back. i'm morgan radford live from new york. these are the top stories. clashes continue in the ukraine where protesters say the government's concessions are too

little, too late. >> peace talks be given in geneva, and syria's government and opposition leaders sat across the table this morning. this is the first time the two sides met since the war began three years ago. talks will continue later today. >> two new explosions were set up in the eastern part of cairo where a bomb was thrown at the walls of the institute. a smaller device went off in another part of the city. four bombs tore through cairo killing others. >> the violence comes on a 3-year anniversary of a revolution ending hosni mubarak's rein. >> al jazeera has been able to report inside egypt since the arrest of peter greste, and

mohamed fadel fahmy, and baher mohamed. they are accused of spreading lies and joining a terrorist group. greste got a letter out, scribing the grim conditions, including being locked in a cold prison cell for 24 hours a day and describes worth conditions faced by his colleagues saying both men are kept in a draconian prisons built for terrorists. he explains why he is only now speaking out saying, "i can no longer pretend it will go away keeping quiet.": >> yesterday al jazeera caught

up with senator john mccain in geneva and spoke about the dedetention of our colleagues. >> it's a clear violation of their hum jp rights and aspect of the freedom of the process. al jazeera america has chronicled events in egypt more than any other network. for the egyptian government to keep them in prison is another indicator that this military government, and that's what it is, is not keeping with the standards of international behaviour that we would expect. >> two other journalists from sister channels, abdullah al-shami and camera down mohammed badr have been held for five months. allegations against all occupier journalists are unfounded. >> more violence in the central african republic as a former

government minister is hacked to death. the former health minister was getting out of a taxi when he was attacked by members of the militia. the violent escalated a day after catherine samba-panza took office. she paces a daunting task. it is bill ip reports, the worst may be coming. >> a memorial to the father of the nation in the small village where he was born. >> killed this a plane crash in 1959, on the eve of independence and mourned by his people, he was a catholic priest who campaigned for freedom from the french. he could have been a giant if not for his premature and

catholic death. >> he wonders where things went wrong for the country. >> they could see what is happening here now. the desperation, the criminality. it would hurt him. old people are hiding in the bush. it makes no sense. they didn't like violence. >> the capital pays homage to uganda. the reputation towers above that of other leaders. the flag he designed in the 1950s is still the national flag today. >> we'll never know what president he may have been. we do know that all those who came after him failed in different ways and this helped to protect his aura.

the myth, if you like, of what might have been for the central african republic. >> an historian takes me to the national museum. it's locked up. it has been looted. if there lessons, the country can learn from the past. we won't see here. we ask g did he die prematurely. the question preoccupies central afghans, we regret his death. if he lived 10 more years, hoo would not be in the situation today. >> the deputy mayor wants me to see the private papers. they were burnt. he does not know why. >> ghosts of the aft cans rescue of the public.

people need now heroes. >> more than 2 thus people have been killed in the violence since disease. a million more. the country suffered instability since independence from the french. the republican national committee aproovt plans to win back the white house in 2016. they focused on inclusiveness especialliry to women. that message may be a little too late. >> this is the new face of the grand old party. that's the message the republican committee is trying to send by calling back the group. every one a woman, including monica youngblood. >> women paying up the republican party. we are mothers, students, we are - you know, we are house

mums, soccer mums. >> and republicans have a representative cathy mcmorize robbins, a mother in three to deliver the g.o.p. response to the state of the union address. the party knows it's critical to reach the voters. in the half presidential election democrats captured 56% of the female vote. republicans 44%. >> sharon day is marshalling women. >> we have a plan. we'll reach out one vote at a time. >> analysts say it is notes inry an easy spell. >> the republicans have to care about the problems. and that they have a better solution, the economy and jobs. efforts to reach out to women may have been hindered by

remarks, mike hucker by who was trying to say that democrats were the ones short changing women. if the democrats want to sfult the women of sperk. it's about birth control because they cannot control their libido or reproductive system. remarks were called offensive. and the chair without mentioning name reminded those that words can spam as loud as actions. >> as we look to grow the ranks of our party we must be conscious of tone and choice of words when they communicate the policies. words can win or lose elections. a words of caution as republicans try to broaden their appeal. >> speaking of the republican party, a republican who was seen

as a potential presidential candidate for 2016 is pleading not guilty to corruption charges. eugene o'donnell and his wife are accused of taking bribes from a virginia businessman. what was in it for them? they hoped to promote the man's struggling company. their trial is scheduled to begin july 28th. the chinese new year is less than a week away and the year of the horse begins jan 31st. hundreds are heading home to celebrate. we join one couple. >> this woman prefers to live in her own village. she worked in beijing as a clean are, seven days a week, earnings $600 a month. >> translation: it's easier to make money in budget and pend is it four home down. >> hundreds of millions of

chinese migrants, students and families head back to their villages from the economic zone. 3.6 billion trips will be taken in 40 days, making the spring holiday the biggest migration of people. >> translation: sometimes is 39, 40 hours and then another three hours by bus. >> the need for rail travel is high. 280 million ticket will be sold. it's a fraction of demand. for most passengers on the train, it's standing room only. >> it's 3 o'clock in the morning. it's bitterly cold, and the bath rooms stopped working. that is the reality for 1800 passengers on this train and as you can see, for most there's few places for them to sleep.

>> china spend billions moderni modernizing its rail networkment the games were impressive, there's not enough trains to cope with the holiday rush. the overland train stops almost every hour, dropping off and picking up passengers. by the time it arrives the carriages are as full as when it left 32 hours earlier. tank and lee are exhausted. their trip is far from over. >> i feel very, very tired. to be honest you couldn't take a good rest in the train. it's noisy. >> more than 800 buses are deployed. there are two buses to catch. one is to ley jeu, and. a small counselledy of 860,000 people. the couple negotiate the fare for a mini cab drive.

it's a 30 minute journey to their home. tang's son and children, andly's parents gather outside the courtyard. the travel sacrifice that tang andly made reu nates four generations of families. it happens every spring holiday. >> the u.s. is expecting at least 1.5 million chinese tourists to come to the u.s. to celebrate the new year. >> and the world's second largest muslim gathering is happening in bangladesh where more than a million muslims gather north of the capital for prayers and religious discussion. >> devotees include many foreigners. >> and we have a women's single's champion down under and mark morgan is here with the details. >> again we have parity in the

women's tennis. the men could use some. today it was experience versus use in the australian open final. 31-year-old li na made the third finals appearance. domininka cibulkova at 24 was playing in her first of grand slam final. the first set back and forth. it goes to a tie breaker. finally li pretabled winning 7-3. from then on she took the momentum and steam rolled domininka cibulkova in the second. closing the deal 6-0. this is the second major title. she won the french in 2011. next month she turns 32. she's the oldest woman to win the title in the open era. >> she almost retired after a second-round loss. lee stuck with it now she's the australian open singles

champion. >> in the men's final rafael nadal faces stanislas wawrinka. loaning for his 14th, tying him with pete sample rahs for second. three behind roger federer. rafael nadal is 12-0 against stanislas wawrinka. >> the nix have been pretenders. entering the action mike woodson's team entered the final. >> anthony a career high 62 points. he had 23 of 35 shots. the nix win the game. mel oi 56. the 62, a franchise record breaking the mark of 60, held by the great bernard king. >> it's a special moment. guys team-mates said go get it.

i was trying to stop stuffing myself up. they were like no, no way to sit on the bench. >> the countdown to super bowl 48 is ongoing, and so is the attention surrounding quarterback richard sherwin, fined for taunting. it came at the end of the nfc championship game. sherwin was fined for making a choking gesture. that curd after sherwin deincorrect a pass. >> other n.f.l. news, josh brent was convicted of intox kags manslaughter, and sentenced to 180 days in gaol and 10- years probation for his role in a

drunken crash much brown was a passenger in a vehicle. following the accident brent's alcohol level was 0.18. >> let's tee is up. tiger woods struggling in his season debut at tory pines, a cores he dominated eight times. so far that has not been the case. t he failed to burredy the par 5s. tiger is nine off the pace. phil mickelson is dealing with a bad back. jordan, 20 years old, stole the show with a nine-under 63. he is 10 under overall and owns a one-shot lead. that is why he is your leader and that's a look at your morning sports. i'm mark morgan. >> and speaking of sports, they wait a lifetime to ride these

waves. sometimes they are more than 40 feet tall. the serve you are came to the northern coast, grabbed the boards and compete in the greatest surfing contest in the entire planet. melissa chan has that story. >> they say it's the mt everest for surfers. an invitation only event, a select view congregate at mavericks. >> the coast of northern california in the middle of winter boasts some of the biggest, dangerous and potentially lethal waves. >> surfers ride down 40 food walls of water. the waves crash and show up on earthquake censors. >> we caught up with some col pet tors. >> we are taking a huge risk. the guys that do this enjoy it. we are out there, we feel

comfortable. >> you never know who rises up. that is what is special about big wave severiurfing. it's part of your dna. >> the reason i come back is the feeling you get from it. the thing is it almost kills you, makes you feel alive. at sunrise with little ceremony, the best of the best pushed off to face the sound and fury. the mythic waves are offshore, sometimes as much as two miles out in the open see, discovered only in 1975. during the competition the beach is closed to spectators for safety. fans watch the contest on shore. the closest they can get to mavericks. >> it's unusual to have an event where you can't see it from shaw. they set up the festival

atmosphere and experience. it's unique to all contests. >> it's amazing. it's incredible. the olympics of surfing. it's so true. >> incredible for those that watch and parities pants. the surfers come to mavericks not to ride the wave but to survive it. >> they call it the olympics of surfing. >> grand baker of south africa took home the top prize and won $50,000. >> talk about checkmating the competition. how a public school in new york is cranking out the champions. >> and i'm eboni deon, i'll talk about a system bringing know.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. the high school that is cranking out chess champions. first a look at where the snow and rain will fall with meteorologist eboni deon. >> we'll continue to shovel out across the midwest. we are dealing with snow in the area already, and more is falling as we speak. at least around indiana we are getting on the backside of this as it moves off to the east and into the north-east you'll see more of that snow filling in as we go through the day. around the great lakes snow is light to moderate. heavy showers coming through parts of kentucky, and around chicago looks like a little more is expected as the next clipper system moves in. the north-east snow is making its way to new jersey. we could see anywhere from half an inch to an inch. >> students at a public school

in brooklyn became champions of chess. many coming from families living below the poverty line. we have a report on kids that prove they have the right moves. >> a chilly morning in brook lip, students filing into school. nothing out of the ordinary. on the outside, but inside the chess elite of is318. >> step into the hallway and you are bombarded by banners and trophies, testament to the legacy of a championship chess teams. they are a legend hear, from winning more titles over 30 and counting than any other school in the nation? >> we are like the lakers and the celtics and maybe the yankees. >> what started as an afterschool program is a full-blown chess obsessed culture. it's part of the is318s

curriculum. it boasts 80 students all who are battling it out on the board. >> it's not only a game. it's like a way to make the brains smarter and think more quickly on a way you can organise yourself. >> 70% of student come from families below the poverty line. the great equalizer is chess. >> the power of the program is that it shows kids can achieve great possess, no matter the background. for our children becoming the best at something is a powerful message. you can be the equal of any student from any private school, any school across the united states. all it takes is hard work and dedication, and you can be the best chess team in the united states. >> that determination was put to the test when the financial crisis hit.

the school faced budget cuts. donors stepped in. through it all the students kept hair eyes on the prize. the life lessons helped the kids enjoy victory and deal with defeat. >> i like winning. what i like is getting better. if that means loading, i'm for it. >> thanks to the chess clubs decades long winning streak the game is popular. here these are the cool kids. >> i know people says it sound guilty or you are a nerd, but it's enjoyable for me. >> in 2012 the chess club made history. their story was the subject of a critically acclaimed documentary brooklyn castle. >> but these kings and queens are not resting on their lawyer

laurels they are contemplating their next move. >> that was al jazeera's richelle carey reporting. >> speaking of chess, the best chess player challenged one of the world's richest men. the match lasted 79 seconds, and in nine moves bill gates, microsoft's bounder was pinned by magnus carlson. stereo that will do it for this edition of al jazeera. i'm morgan radford, live from new york. thank you for joining us. another news update after the break.

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