check check >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. >> syrian aid allowed into a war-torn city >> former mayor stands trial for corruption. >> spying on big business - now claims by edward snowden - the u.s. government snoops on companies >> a turf war - a battle over where the super bowl will be played.

>> today the two sides in the ongoing civil war reached on agreement to ease suffering. the syrian government pledged let women and children out of homs. it's the third-largest city. women and children will be allowed to lee. zeina khodr has more. >> unmediator talks are not moving forward as quickly as hoped. day two, like day one, focused on ways to alleviate the suffering of syrians. the government and coalition did not finalise a deal on aid delivery and presenter exchanges. lakhdar brahimi, the u.n. envoy, remains positive and announced the goodwill gesture. >> women and children in the

besieged area are welcome to leave immediately. on the detainees, prisoners, the government has asked the opposition to give them a list of the people that are in detention in the hands of the various armed groups. >> the opposition has asked for head to reach the besieged old city of homs. syria's third-largest city has been an urban battlefield for the past three years. many civilians are cut off with little aid. the government says it will agree with that, but on condition that it needs to reach areas where supporters are under siege >> the opposition secured the release of prisoners, securing the release of tens of thousands of women and children. >> we agree to the release of women and children and

vulnerable detainees - illness and medical care, we give priority for them. give and return that the free syrian army has only fighters, they don't have civilians or opinion prisoners >> there's little progress on the humanitarian front and the toughest issues has not been discussed. >> the talks over the past few days focus on what lakhdar brahimi called confidence-building measures. they were supposed to create a positive atmosphere before hard bargaining on monday. geneva two is about creating a transitional government with mutual consent. it seems there's little common ground and the government doesn't believe it's negotiating with a partner with which it can reach a deal. now that the government is sitting with the opposition do

you consider them legitimate? >> i don't think anybody in the world considers them legitimate opposition because they do not represent the positions. we have national opposition, many political parties in syria. we have been promised this is the first, and other people will be invited and that other people from other sectors of the opposition will be in vied and we are trying to press in that direction >> for now a solution to syria's war is not expected to come out of the talks. things may look underleer, but underneath there seems to be a strategy, a consensus to continue what will be a long process. >> nick schifrin joins us live from geneva with more on this. this is the first agreement after three years of war. can we call this a win for now? >> yes, i think it is a bit of a breakthrough. homs is, as zeina khodr

described one of the worst cities in terms of being besieged - people living without water, food, basic ness esities. any alleviation of that suffering is a good thing. if you are a woman and child in that city and been besieged for two years, your husband and brother and uncle has not been fighting and you are told to leave that city and walk into government controlled areas, it's not clear how many will do this. yes, it is a positive thing, a confidence-building measure. it's not clear how many people will take the advantage and alleviate the suffering by leaving homs into the government areas >> and the u.n. envoy doesn't want to rush into a solution that could cost them in the end. do you get the impression that the approach is slowly but surely? >> i think we have had documents tell us that the u.s. and u.n. and russian diplomats - this

will take years. this is the start of a very, very long difficult process. there are multiple rebel groups on the ground who do not agree with each other. there's a lot of people in the government saying the right people are not here, responsible for the opposition. so there's a lot of moving parts here. the idea here is confidence building measures, if, perhaps, if in homs or other areas there can be peace treaties or humanitarian core d door, they can -- corridor, they can start talking to each other. >> the war rages on. >> protesters in ukraine are standing their ground. the unrest is worst. demonstrators promised to

continue their progress. sue turton has more from kiev. >> chipping away at the seat of power, a chain gang of protesters clear the ice formed which police water canons during the attack on the convention centre. the aim to take the 200 police inside hostage. the police kept them out despite repeated attempts to set the place on fire. event last night could have escalated into a violent confrontation. an opposition leader vitaly klitschko stepped in to organise safe passage for the police officers to leave. the former heavy wait boxing champion advocating peaceful protesting. the violence came after thousands from told that president viktor yanukovych not agreed to all their demands.

>> translation: our clear position is rescind the laws full stop. our demand are to hold presidential elections this year. we are not stepping back. >> we are holding our position in the regionses. >> the leaders have been covered top government job. viktor yanukovych was to stay on as president and an independence square, that's a deal breaker. >> translation: first and fore most he has to resign. that's as much as i can say about him. >> we are not asking for anything unreasonable, we want a simple life. >> the protesters believe the president is rattled. one of his advisors believe it's because of growing unrest outside the capital. >> when it was just kiev he was more secure and didn't take is

seriously, thinking wed -- we'd party for a while and go home. the regional involvement blurred his vision. >> the leaders have great to resume negotiations. the president has blinked first, they believe. >> let's turn to jennifer glasse, who is in kiev. the president made bold concessions. why is that not enough to satisfy the opposition? >> the opposition things they can get more. it's not enough, because they want repressive laws pass the last week limiting freedom of oppression and speech. they don't want viktor yanukovych staying in power. they feel they have momentum and are right. demonstrations spread across the country, not just in the west where people tend to be

anti-government and tend to lean towards europe. we are seeing people coming out on the streets in the east of the those are government drank holds, presidential strong holds. some of them lean towards russia, this is not over yet. in the east, protesters are meeting with resistance by those who support the government and that could be a difficult area, but we have seen demonstrators take over regional headquarters, the equivalent of state houses around the country in several big city, and so there's a lot of momentum here, and nor and more people and demonstrators in the cities and smaller towns are coming out in favour of the opposition. >> when we talk about that momentum, do you get the impression that the protesters feel the president is buckling when you consider the concessions and it might be a possibility, and that he might step down sf.

>> we had no indication that he would. last week he passed draconian laws, this week he invites the opposition into the go. . they want to force early elections. all eyes now are on tuesday, that's when the big concession he made in emergency meeting of parliament convenience. he wants parliament to push through any changes. it's unclear the parliament in the past has been in favour of the president. parliament members are watching closely at what is happening around the country and how many are on the opposition side. i think it's all a play for on tuesday, that many things can cleaning and the laws will be revisited and he might reshuffle his government. they'll continue to negotiate with the president of the anything could happen in the coming days. >> a lot has changed.

>> edward snowden says national security is not the n.s.a.'s only purpose. and in a recent interview airing today he says the n.s.a. collect data to help u.s. corporations. >> reporter: does the n.s.a. spy on siemens, on other successful german company, for example, to prevail, to have the advantage of what was going on in the skin tisk world. >> i don't want to pre-empt journalists, but there's no question the u.s. is engaged in economic spying. if there's information at seem earnings that is beneficial to the national trucks not the national security -- trucks not the national security of the united states, they'll go after that information and take it. >> it was held in an undisclosed location. a russian law-maker says russia

will extend its asylum of beyond august. >> officers awho opened fire in maryland, but not why. >> police say 19-year-old derian marcus took a cab to this mall and was dropped off. he was heavy armed with ammunition and a back pack full of explosives. he entered a skateboard shop, opening fire on two people, killing both and turning the gun on himself. police are trying to understand why he took the lives of taylor johnson and brianna benlolo. both work at zumiez. >> we cannot verify a relationship between him and either victim. we can't establish there is one, we have not established there is not one. it's an open question. >> beyond that little is publicly known about the victims and the shooter.

on what appears to be a facebook page brianna benlolo says she's a mum and assistant manager at the store. five others were injured at the mall, only one shot. they've been released from hospital. police are still searching for answers, a memorial facebook page posted for the two victims. a pregnant woman considered brain dead has been removed from life support. it followed a court order to disconnect machines keeping marlise munoz alive. she was unconscious when her husband found her. >> next, an american father's frustration. he's been stuck in the democratic republic of congo for months, trying to bring hem his adopted sons. >> president obama gets ready to face the nation for a state of

the union speech. look at the topic. >> they should know the game is in new jersey. >> for some the seahawks versus the broncos is not the biggest match, it's new york or new jersey. we'll explain next.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. tennessee couples among dozens of americans desperate to bring home adopted children from the democratic republic of congo. there are thousands of orphaned children in the african nation, but the government has suspended foreign adoption, leaving the parent with little to do but hope in wait. jonathan martin has more. >> elaina carol has everything ready for her two adopted boys. their room is filled with shirts and shoes and a cute little stool to sit on. no one is here to use them. >> this breaks my heart. i want to adopt as many as i can. they don't have anybody, nobody to love or take care of them.

>> justin carol left for the democratic republic of congo in november, thinking he'd come home with their seconons. seven months later he's still there. justin has missed a lot. the biggest change their new daughter born on the 25th. >> she doesn't look the same. she's 2-months-old. she's changing. it's getting hard. >> here is the problem. last year the democratic republic of congo suspended exit permits for the removal of children, even those that had previously met the criteria. >> it has everything to do with international politics. >> this is a national lawyer specialising in adoption much. >> using adoption as a foil,

tactic. suspending it as a tactic to achieve diplomatic rein, no, it does not work. >> the motive for stopping the adoptions is unclear. applications for exit permits are held up because of concerns about falsified documents. d.r.c. authorities says it was over concerns of abused or abandoned children or some were sold to homosexuals. elaina and her husband communicate through skype, the only way they can all seeing each other. >> the situation in democratic republic of congo, something can always happen. there's a chance that, you know, you can wake up and it be an unsafe day. >> elaina says he'll keep the christmas decorations up until

the justin and the boys come home. >> one of thailand's senior opposition leaders has been killed. he was shot in his car moments after giving a speech, following days of protests. demonstrators have been blocking access to polling stations trying to stop early voting in the upcoming elections. scott heidler has more. >> this man was gunned down after he and fellow anti-government protesters finished their assignment. he was in a pick-up truck and was shot. >> when we turned the car on they shot us, bang, bang k bang. >> several were injured in the shooting. the concern is the violence and what is could mean. the protesters were successful

in shutting most of the polling conditions on sunday. >> in bangkok, out of 50 districts the election commission stopped voting in 45 districts. 33 district in central bank cock and 12 districts in western bangkok. the concern is more violence and confrontation will take place if the general election is held next sunday. the protesters are demanding the resignation of the government and yingluck shinawatra, who they see as corrupt. opposition is boycotting the election, the government is firm. they say the only way they'll postpone is if the protesters stand down. there's no indication that either side will change its stance. >> we are getting a preu of what we can expect from the state of

the union speech. the white house will roll out of set of proposals and will push immigration concern. the top aide says three words sum up the president's message - opportunity, act vis and optimism. the most talked about issue is closing america's income gap. >> president obama wants to give an honest candid state of union address. he'll address the fact that his economic policies are not working and that they are exacerbating income inequality, hurting the people struggling the most of. >> the president will lay out steps on how to restore opportunities for americans. the minimum wave to lift americans out of the poverty. jobs and skills for workers. there's a lot to do. these things had bipartisan support in the past. >> after the state of union the president will go on a four-state tour to push his

middle class agenda in pittsburg, milwaukee and other places. >> with me is a professor of the political science and campaign management at n.y.u. thank you for coming in. >> thanks for having me. >> opportunity, activism and action. what does that mean? >> this will be a year of action. president obama needs to change the page from last year where he suffered enormously. his approval rating a year ago was 57%, it's in the lower 40s. he has to get beyond the edward snowden allegations, and show the american people that he can move forward even with the republicans in congress. >> shouldn't every year be a year of action. what makes you think this year

will be different. >> it may be optimistic. it's another theme. it may be optimistic to think - the white house feels that they want to send a message to congress and the american people. for the legacy, and that he is not going to be stopped. you are right. five, six years and now. it's been a long time. he needs to show that even if they are not willing to wok with them on the issues from immigration reform to raising the minimum wage. he will do it unilatter atly. that's been a theme which we have heard about. >> if he can't get congress support he'll do it himself. >> it raises the question why didn't you do it before. >> the big question is the immigration reform. whether it can happen. the only reason it is included in the state of the union. they are going to include it, because they think they'll get it past, even if it's

incremental. everything it they feel they can't get through has been taken out. the fact that it's in there they think they'll get it through. if the rub cans can't do it they'll -- republicans can't do it, they'll hit the latino vote. >> you don't think it would be in the speech if it wouldn't be done. >> we see it with gun control. high is not going to emphasise it. republicans feel he owns the issue. the background checks. >> a big issue they lost. >> thank you for your time. >> al jazeera america will have continuous coverage of the state of union address starting at 6:00 pm eastern. >> the super bowl is a week away between the sea hawks and broncos, where they'll play is confusing some. allen schauffler plains why. >> the official logo says nynj,

new york, new jersey. ask people across the country where the game is played this year, they'll tell you. >> new york. >> it's held in new york. >> new york. >> the big apple. >> new york >> unfortunately the super bowl is played in nessy, unfortunately. >> -- in new jersey, unfortunately. >> there's the city, gotham, the big apple, the city that never sleeps it's a hell of a town. the game will be played over here. a state line and a couple of rivers away in east rutherford new jersey. so new jerseyitems within site of but so far from the center of the super bowl unihaves across the hudson can be forgiven if they are a little miffed. >>. >> everywhere is directed at new york , but the game is in new jersey. if you look at the ticket it

shows manhattan. and jersey is a little square. >> all over manhattan there's super bowl reminders, including 12 blocks of broadway that have become super bowl boulevard. not to be sidelined jersey city's colombus drive will be known as super bowl drive for a week. both teams are staying in jersey, and the circus that is media day will be held in newark. hundreds of millions of out of up to dollars will be spent here. none of this is a shock to the garden state. >> we appreciate the accolades and advertises and attention, but the game is being held in new jersey. >> so for jersey, the whole thing is a familiar cold shouter. from the first cold weather super bowl in n.f.l. history.

>> new jersey gets the credit. still ahead - he led new orleans after hurricane katrina, now former mayor ray naigan stands trial for corruption. >> imagine playing an outdoor hockey game. we have all the sites and sounds in a bit.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at the top stories this half hour. crowds gather on the streets of ukraine's capital, mourning the death of an anti-government protestor who died in clashes. opposition leaders rejected the president's offer to join the government and promised to continue their demonstrations until the president steps down. police identified the suspected gunman in the maryland shooting. the 19-year-old shot two workers before killing themselves. there's no word on why he opened

fire or if he had ties to the victims. >> in peace talks the syrian government agreed to let women and children leave the city of ohms. >> french peacekeepers are struggling to control the violence in the central african republic. many christians have been driven from their homes by muslim fighters. the minority muslim community is under attack. barnaby phillips has been following the story. reporting from the capital bangui where muslims have been forced out of some of their nash our hoods. >> in a muslim neighbourhood people are hostile to the peace keeper, "we don't want you here, don't come closer" many are armed and frightened. they said the french have killed some of their people and making no effort to disarm the christian anti-balaka in the

hills. they have had enough. all these people here want to escape the capital and head north, as soon as they can head out on the roads. some say the central african republic should be goided and that muslims should take over the north. it seems that the peacekeepers were struggling to hold the country together. a stone's throw away a christian neighbourhood. i walked there to ask them what they think for the french. >> we like them, they are doing a good job. >> the french patrolled bangui tirelessly. they moved through a city of contrasts. many christian areas are busy, and the french well received. muslim areas tend to be quieter

and people are not so happy. the french say they don't take sides. >> translation: we disarm the anti-balaka as we disarm the seleka. we are impartial. there are self-defence groups trying to protect themselves and we treat them in the same way. >> in the central mosque the mood is tense and the imam's say the french are complicit in attacks. >> how can the french disarm someone carrying a knife or a weapon and leave them at the mercy of a hostile crowd. they'll steal his belongings and kill him. we have seen it happen many times. here they disarm a christian youth. the french try to win hearts and minds and in this area they succeed. in they are not careful, the

perception that they are more comfortable with one side than the other could be a reality. they can't let things drift in these dangerous waters. >> the map that led new orleans through hurricane katrina could gain notoriety, ray nagin is charmed with 21 counts of fraud and corruption, accused of taking more than $200,000 in bribes and gifts. he denied a deal with prosecutors to take his chances. >> within a few days after hurricane katrina, it seems the entire world knew of ray nagin. >> he had one shining moment an wwl radio and said, "mr president, get your arse down here", everyone cheered him. >> he was criticised for his decisions and lack of follow through. now on trial, it appears the former mayor opted out of a plea feel and is ready to put his

fate in the hands of a jury. >> a lot of people do not feel that the rebuilding was going as expeditiously and as smoothly as they'd like. >> with the city in sham bells, he shifted his approach, making new orleans return to a chocolate city. >> in 2006 it was play the race card. of the issue was about the right to return. that resonated with displaced african-americans. >> the people like the direction we are going. >> which 2011 six people with city contract had been convicted or plead guilty. >> corruption took hold. it may have had its roots in the first four years, but took hold

in the second four years when the money came in and shady contractors came around. >> you have the ability to let contracts with the city, and for a fee i'll give you this contract. >> last year a federal grand jury indicted ray nagin, alleging he took more than 200,000 in money and sfafrs from contractors who are set to testify against him. what ray nagin has to do is convince a jury that friends are lying to help himself. >> that may prove tough in a town where wounds have not healed. >> you are tired of looking at ray nagin, like you are tired of looking at a bad rug. people are tired of ray nagin, but don't want to see him fade away. they want him to pay for what he did. >> if he pay, it won't be in dollars, it will be in

day, months and years in prison. >> let's talk about the case in maying's future. we are joined by a professor. how strong of a case does the government have against the former hay junior. >> you never know until the trial, but the government charged multiple schemes of kickbacks and corruption and coconspirators pled guilt ci and admitted the behaviour was critical and is testifying against the former mayor. >> why do you think he does not accept the plae bargain. >> you never know. some of the white collar defendants have a hard time wrapping their mind around going jail. you don't know what deal the government offered him. he's known as a guy who is fairly arrogant, and i think likes his chance, even if that's inaccurate. >> you talk about the fall from grace, a lot of suspects have

trouble dealing with, especially with sun of ray nagin's character, now in a courtroom facing corruption charges. do you feel he has a lot of support in new orleans? >> no, he really doesn't. he left office before the indictment when these were rumours, his job as mayor - he did poorly after katrina, that he does not have a lot of support. >> i lived in new orleans for a long time. he was popular. when he was elected to the office he had high, high approval ratings. do you sense that he possibly had gone a bad hand. it was a huge disaster. he claimed in the past that this was a scale unlike any mayor he had seen before. >> he was elected as a reformer. almost immediately refused to make the ethics reforms that he

promised, did not follow through with the having and dreams he had made. in the second term after katrina it would have been difficult for anyone to take on. there were examples of times ta he stood in the way of progress, by not working hard, seeing things through and at a pivotal moment it could have been the end of us. luckily things turned around. people blame ray nagin at that moment when it would have been difficult for anyone that he really didn't live up to the promises >> when you look at the big picture, what does the trial mean for the city of new orleans. >> i think in many way it's about new beginnings, a city that promised itself that things are different, that we are not engaging in petty corruption and growny -- cronnyism that afflicts too many people and

there's unbelievable change, and this represents part of the past that a lot of people want to forget and move forward from. >> a lot has changed in that city. thank you for your time today. >> egypt's interim president says the country will hold presidential elections before the parliamentary polls. the announcement coming amid protests. 49 were killed in clashes between supporters of the interim government and those loyal to ousted president mohamed morsi. general abdul fatah al-sisi is expected to run for president. today marks the 29th day that three of our al jazeera colleagues have been imprisoned. mohamed fadel fahmy, baher mohamed, and peter greste have been held without charges. yesterday we got a letter from peter greste. he said:

>> for more on this we turn to an associate professor. he joins us from boston. thank you for being with us. let me ask you. the fact that we have journalists held in egypt, how serious is that for that country. >> how serious is it for egipt. i think it's indicative of a restriction for the space of

egypt. it's a country in the midst of a political struggle between supporters of the old president and people that want to move on to the new regime. it's not surprising to me that foreign journalists may be caught in the crossfire, particularly al jazeera journalists. if you watch the arabic coverage, people in favour of the june 30th coup, find it frustrating. this is not surprising, even though it is disappointing. >> the upcoming presidential elections, is this a good sign for egypt. >> i don't know if you could say it's a good or bad sign. on the one hand one does want egypt to move towards elections. on the other it will be elections that are inclusive and free and fair, and that everybody has a shot of participating in. obviously we are quite a long ways away from that in the egyptian case. >> how significant is it that the presidential elections are

held before the parliamentary elections? >> it's significant this that it reveals the concern of the interim government. what it wants is to move to some kind of stable system. they believe that if you have a president elected first, and that president - because when the president is elected and there's no legislature, the president will have the power to make laws on his own. having a strong president pushing through laws will allow the state to confront the challenge of the muslim brotherhood, and the challenge of terrorism. so i think that is why they want to do it. once that happens, once you have a president. that becomes basically the tent pole for the new egyptian political system, and you can imagine the parliamentary elections that follow, that the present allies will be the people that win the election, and quickly you get to a situation where you have a president and a ruling party like you had prior to

january 25th, 2011. >> so the old power structure is coming back into form? >> well, something that resembles the power structure. i argue that too much has changed in egypt to say we'll go back to the hosni mubarak era. too many people have gotten used to making their voices heard? a. some >> some of the revolutionaries may be slent. look, we have seen the soup ream council of the armed forces. it was the subject, the victim of process. mohamed morsi felt the protest. it seems likely that whoever is in charge in egypt will have a short honeymoon. >> you feel they'll be held accountable and there'll be serious changes in the governing of egypt. >> when you put it that way you make me sound polianaish. there are serious changes in the people of egypt. i wouldn't count them out yet.

i would say we are probably going back to a constricted, less pluralistic era. people have begun speaking out sips the 2011 revolution and it will be hard to silence. we are never going to get a complete resurrection of the hosni mubarak regime with everything that that entails. i don't think that is possible. >> thank you for your time today. >> and still ahead on al jazeera america - [ singing ] >> breaking with tradition for the first time. girls are performing at englands canterbury cathedral. more next.

>> the council down is on, a week from today we have super bowl. >> 48. sorry to get real, at the hype and hoopla, it begins. the broncos and sea hawks arrive in new jersey. denver got in first. landing at newark 4:00 pm eastern time. the broncos are making their seventh appearance and all eyes on peyton manning looking to capture a second title. the seahawks scheduled to touch down around 17. both teams are staying and pring in new jersey. versus new york city. coincidence - i think not. let's face it a championship is on the line for both teams, they have to stay focused and man up. >> it's the highest scoring office in the league versus the number one defense in the

seattle see hawks led by richard sherman and their legion of boom. >> when you use peyton manning and brady, you are talking about a couple of the greatest passers in systems this recognise how to utilize their talent to its fullest and the best way to do it is let the players throw the ball over the yard. they can handle it and do it well. >> peyton manning will look to add to his legacy and cap off a record-setting seen. he has a chance to become the first quarterback to lead two different teams to super bowl titles. >> there's a game to play. we'll enjoy it. you have to take time to save our the moments and i will. >> the broncos will make their seventh super bowl appearance. >> these guys, starting with the head coach. he's done a great job in making

us understand the moments. he's taking advantage of them. with his absence and coming back, we found a way to win and keep going. he makes sure we prepare for it. >> for the second time in franchise history they are playing and soching for a game. seattle does not have a single player with super bowl experience. >> we have a good team of guys. we've being doing a lot of ball games, like it is. our guys have been through this in years past, and we feel like we have been in before, an event leading up to a big game. we are comfortable with that. >> seattle has to find a way to pressure peyton manning. weather could be a factor for super bowl 48. wintering conditions could derail the offense, playing into

seattle's hand, which is running the football with lynch. >> buckle up or bundle up. it will be a good one either way. >> with the super bowl a week away the n.h.l. is kicking off the stadium series. the koiption and ducks hit the ice at dodger stadium. the new york rangers and devils lace it up at yankee stadium. quite a site. the game was delayed for 90 minutes because of the clair on the ice by -- glare on the ice by the sun. yes, we had sunshine. the rangersion, we had six straight goals. 50,000 fans braved the conditions. it will be a chilly one. there'll be a game between the rangers and islanders. >> i guess they weren't expecting the sun to come out.

it is cold out there. >> you said it. it's so cold and will get worse over the next couple of days. there's an arctic high pushing to the east. it will make its way south. in fargo, north dakota, it feels like 39 below zero. north towards manitoba there was a pipe line blast and 4,000 are without power. >> they are dealing with a brutal quote continuing to track towards the south. as we look at the front it will make its way further to the east, towards chicago, and the winds are gusting. we had a 66 mile per hour wind gust in rapid city. the winds continuing to usher in the air, making it feel chillier as it should at this time of the year. temperatures are not normal. chicago reaching a high of 4 degrees, it is below where it should be. they should be in the 30s. that prompted school cancellations.

i think it's great that they have taken that initiative. kids do not belong outside in the cold. take a look at chicago, it lasts tuesday into wednesday. it heats up behind the front as we push into portions of the north-east. the front pushing through. a brief warm-up tracking into tomorrow. winds pushing in out of the south. once in pushes through temperatures will plummet. 17 degrees on tuesday for our high. going to be chillier as we track to the south-east, which is very - it's abnormal for this time of year. the i-10 corridor. back towards a portion of augusta and talahasy. it will be a dangerous day along i-10 tracking into tuesday. >> one of britain's oldest cathedrals entered a 1,000 year position. the first all-girls choir

performing for the first time. ray challands was at the rehearsal. >> the ancient stones of canterbury cathedral are no stranger to the human voice. it's an integral part of centuries of tradition. in a small music room underneath the music room the face ofs that tradition is changing. it's the cathedral's first all-female choir. >> it's damed inappropriate. >> and so boys were taken to form a travel line. obviously they have moved on. we take this opportunity to give girls from local schools a chance to sing in this building. >> 16 of them selected from the 40 or so that applied in november. on saturday they'll perform in the cathedral's purple kaz

okays. >> we didn't know we'd be wearing kaz okays. we were xid. it's the same as boys and men. >> is that important to you, being the same as the boys. >> yes, we got here, and now we are equal. >> some of the statues here at canterbury have been gazing at congregations coming and going for the best part of 1,000 years, there was a church her before the cathedral. never in all that time has there been an all-female trial. that's a tradition to be messing around with. >> the dean denies there was specific reason for bringing male choiral domination to an end. >> i think now - why not, really. because the tradition lasted a long time. it felt to us, the chapter here now, and those around us, that we must do this. there are girls that want to sing, we have the resources do

this. >> to begin with they'll depp utize for when the boys go on holiday. the girls' role will grow. unlike boys, the girl's voces do not break meaning they can sing a part for longer. an all-female pool makes sense. it's taken this venerable institution 1,000 years to realise it. >> after 1,000 years it was time for a change. a look at the day's top stories when we return on al jazeera.

>> into this is al jazeera america live from new york. i'm jonathan betz with the headlines. in geneva mediators lead negotiations. the civilian government agrees

to let civilians leave the city of homs. armed groups will not attack aid convoys. >> huge crowds on the ukraine capital. opposition rejected an offer to join the government. they will continue to demonstrate until the president resigns. >> police have a suspect in the malshooting. the a 19-year-old shot two workers before killing himself, there's no word on why he opened fire or if he had ties to the victims. egypt's interim president says they'll have presidential elections before the polls. the announcement after a violent week in protests. with the super bowl a week away fans are getting ready to watch the seahawks and broncos battle on the tufb. first new jersey and new york are turfing it out on who gets

credit for where it's played. many assume it's new york city. the saidium is a few miles away in new jersey. those are the headlines. i'll be back with more news in an hour. "inside story" is up next. >> good evening. thanks for joining us, i'm joie chen. you are watching "america tonight," the weekend edition. when it comes to improving american public education there's opportunities for open enrolment. despite the promise of the school choice movement the reality is thousands of students