stories and behind the scenes, at aljazeera.com/"techknow." join us on facebook, twitter, check check >> ukraine's president is heading back to work. why his return could create new problems for the country. >> john kerry talks news with iran's prime minister, and a milestone for iran that hasn't happened in decades. >> new members on abortion in america - why rates are at their lowest level in 40 years. >> and a blow-out in the big apple. why super bowl fans and players may have a tough time getting

out of town after the big game. >> hello, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. ukraine's president says he'll be back at work on monday after being hospitalized for respiratory problems. this comes amid calls to join his prime minister and resign. protesters held a large rally on sunday, 30,000 protesters calling for viktor yanukovych to step down. the opposition is calling on other countries to push for changes and limits on the president's powers. >> the ukrainian activist who said he was beaten and tortured arrived in lithuania. there were concerns that dmytro bulatov would not be allowed to leave ukraine. >> heading on to the runway at

kiev's airport. dmytro bulatov free at last from his torrmentors. he said he was nailed to a door, beaten and cut with knives. he'll receive treatment inside lithuania, inside the european union. >> translation: i think we saved his life. after what they wanted to do with him, his life was at danger. we wouldn't have had a chance to investigate torture. one life was saved, and we'll do that to everyone arrested. we won't leave anyone without our attention. >> this may seem like a concession by president viktor yanukovych. if a police investigation had been launched into the investigators, it may have revealed too much about the shadowing organization, torturing and killing demonstrators into silence.

>> earlier in the day in kiev's independence square tens of thousands of protesters gathered to call for the resignation of viktor yanukovych, who returns to his desk op monday, after being treated for an inexpect. the u.s. secretary of state pledged to support the demonstrators in what he called their fight for democracy. >> sunday prayers were held in the square for the future of ukraine, but as the stalemate continues, the fears of violent confrontation are growing. right-wing groups are splintering away from the main body of protesters, determined to keep the demonstrations peaceful. some were out on the streets of kiev, trained in tactics and close-quarter fighting with police. >> in a video distribute by the u.s. embassy president obama called for a democratic process in ukraine to produce a

government with "greater legitimacy and unity." >> 100 people have been killed in aleppo. government forces attacked the city, dropping deadly barrel bombs from the air. the syrian observatory for human rights said dozens of children are among the dead. the use of barrel bombs was denounced by the powers in switzerland. a second round of talks is expected to take place this month. a war of words is brewing between u.s. and israeli leaders. israel is angry at america's assistance that the talks move forward. >> another flare-up of tensions between the u.s. and israel. on saturday, at the annual munich security conference secretary of state john kerry warned that israel faces a growing threat of boycott if peace talks with the palestinians fail. israeli prime minister binyamin

netanyahu called attempts to impose a boycott immoral and unjustified. >> translation: first, it entrenches the palestinians position of refusing and pushing away peace. any pressure will not make me give up the interests of israel. foremost the state of the sit israel. for these reasons, the boycott on the state will not achieve their goals. >> israel's foreign minister had harsher words. >> the state of israel cannot be expected to negotiate with a gun to their head when we discuss matters critical to our national interests. >> a sharp response was given by the state department saying:

>> some european officials recently warned that israel could face deepening economic isolation if it pushes forward with the construction of jewish settlements, a sticking point in peace negotiations. this latest war of words began with a newspaper article two weeks ago. israel's defence minister characterised effort to broker peace negotiations as misplaced, obsession, and masianic fervour. the state department fired back in kerry's defense calling the comments offensive and inappropriate, considering all that the u.s. is doing to support israel's security needs. the defence minister apologised for the remarks. claiming that he believed they were off the record. >> iran will receive some relief from economic sanctions as part of the nuclear deal on monday. it will get $550 million of

international funds previously blocked in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. secretary of state john kerry met with the foreign minister in germany on sunday. they discussed the next steps to reach a final deal to limit iran's nuclear capabilities. >> it would be foolish for either side to break away from. i think the opportunity is there. i think it's an historic opportunity, we need to seize it. if we don't, if we work on the basis of illusion, we'll regret it in the days and years to come. >> the next round of talks begin this month in vienna. >> thailand went to the polls on sunday to choose a new government. it's unlikely to settle the violent political stail meat. the u.s. urged both sides to respect human rights and ahead violence, especially considering the close relationship between the countries. the key location and ports are important to america's military

and economically trade between the u.s. and thailand has been strong. you are looking live at protests in bangkok. thousands gathered in the streets, forcing many of the polling stations to shut down. veronica pedrosa is in bangkok with more on the elections and the protest. >> well, there are provisions made under thai law and constitution for any problems that may occur in the election process. what we are seeing, though, is that the anti-government protesters, with whom i am here, one of the main protest stages, they are continuing to reject the validity of the election. that is a huge problem beyond those who want to vote. what the election commissioner is going to do is set dates in the future for people who want

to exercise their right to vote but were prevented from doing so. there's a lot of analysis going on, as you can imagine across classes in thailand over what this election meant, because it's significant on so many levels. >> that was veronica pedrosa reporting from bangkok. >> early results from el salvador. the current vice president is winning. we have more from the capital. >> we are watching the website. the fmlm votes are creeping towards the 50% vote. we only have over half the votes

from el salvador. no one is calling the election. the opposition are trailing at about 39%. it has been a tight race, predicted to be so. if the winning candidate doesn't get more than 50%, it will go to a run off. key issues have been about gang violence and how to solve crime. there's been two different proposals put forward. the arena candidate has talked about using the army. they've talked about getting gang members into educational programs. it's an educational program. it looks like it's trending towards a victory, but we are not calling anything yet. it's over half of the votes and there's more to play for. >> they say offense sells tickets and defense wins

championships. on saturday night the seattle seahawks proved that. >> super bowl 48 is in the books, and the seattle seahawks are the champions, dominating the denver broncos, winning 43-8. fanses celebrated the first-ever super bowl. john henry smith joins us from met life stadium. had a late night. hello. it's been a late night. it's been a great night, an excellent time to be out here and check out a team that is observing of a lombardi trophy. and victory wasn't a win for the city, but as you mentioned, defense wined championships, and it was a win that defense wins championships. it shut down what was

prolifically the biggest in history. malcolm smith had nine tackles. he returned for a touchdown. >> john, the half-time festivities featured bruno mars. after the show, what happened that buried the broncos. >> well, i am sure the broncos hoped to regroup and play better. they were down 22-0. they decided to kick it away from percy harvan, the defender that played two. he got the ball anyway and 87 yards later the seattle seahawks had a back-breaking touchdown, propelled quarterback russell wilson of the seahawks to become the third youngest quarterback to win a super bowl. >> feels great. in shock right now. happy, can't wait to get out of

here and celebrate with the team-mates. >> we believe in the talent. that if we did the right thing, stayed on schedule, that we could win and do the right things. that's the best things. it's surreal to be honest. i'm sitting there holding the trophy, looking up. i'm so thankful for everything that i've been given. >> you know, russell wilson has two years of pro experience, becoming the fourth n.f.l. quarterback to win a super bowl with that little experience. quite an achievement for the young fellow. looking ahead to the next couple of days. fans from the two teams may have trouble getting out of up toful. >> it remains to be seen. anywhere from 2-4 inches of snow. the weather that everyone dreaded started to appeal after

the game was over. there was a little rain coming down, and the temperature seemed to go down a bit. i am sure the people who put on the super bowl, the n.f.l., are happy that mother nature waited before she unleashed the weather. >> warmed up inside. john henry smith, thank you so much. have a good evening. seattle super bowl victory could mean economic growth for the u.s. in years when the teams won gross domestic product of 1.3%. in games when a team is held to two touch downs, gdp averaged 2.7%. >> new troubles for chris christie. >> i said as i have skepticism about the governor's statement. >> questions about what he knew and when he knew it, surrounding the george washington bridge scandal. >> a ray of hope for anyone

living in the united states. what a man did that could open the door for undocumented immigrants. >> grateful for the parts that came my way. >> the life and legacy of oscar winner philip seymour hoffmann.

>> a new report claims the u.s. abortion rate is approaching its lowest level since 1973. authors of a report say there were 69 abortions for 1,000 women, below the "98 peak of 1.3. between 2008 and 2011 it fell 13%. the authors believe the decline is a drop in pregnancy and birth rates. >> a second aide to new jersey governor resigned.

he called it quits over the weekend. controversy is swirling over whether the governor new about plans to close lanes. there's doubt about whether christy is showing the truth. >> i have not said that the governor has responsibility for this, or that the governor knew when this was happening. that's something david wildstein knew. the governor made a statement about when he new. i said i had my doubts about the timeline. he could have known at any time. i had my doubt about what he said. >> chris christie is firing back at the former ally who claims chris christie knew about the closures. chris christie emailed support irs saying: >> after a 4-year battle. an undocumented lawyer can

practice law. sergio garcia came to the u.s. from mexico two decades ago. he attended law school, passed the bar but his licence was invalid because he was undocumented. now that he wan his case, cesar david garcia said he is living hays dream. >> a lot of people are inspired. >> garcia says he has filed for a green card, but doesn't believe he'll be granted legal residency until 2019. >> sunday marked a week since the roman catholic diocese in montana filed for bankruptcy as part of the a multi-million agreement to settle sex abuse cases. two lawsuits claim from the 1930s to the 1970s, clerky

members abused more than 350 children. they must apologise to the victims. the agreement must be approved by a bankruptcy court and the victims. >> fans of oscar pinning actor philip seymour hoffman are mourning his death. he was found in his new york city apartment, dead of a drug overdose. we look back at his life and career. >> academy award winning actor philip seymour hoffman was a standout on the silver screen and on stage, earning more than 20 awards, including an oscar. the actress better known for his breakthrough performances in bogey nights in "the talented mr rip ni", "mag noely", and almost famous." he received two tony awards for best actor and directed

countless plays. last may he checked into a rehab if facility for substance abuse. he was fund dead on sunday at his new york city apartment. his family released this statement: >> philip seymour hoffman grew up in fair point new york and attended the tish school of art. he leaves behind long time partner mimi o'donnell and their tlooep children -- three children. >> a drought is taking its toll on california. they are dealing with the quietest year on record.

governor jerry brown declared a drought emergency, calling on the state's residents to cut water use by 20%. >> winter storm warns are stretching from the south all the way up into virginia and up to new york and new jersey. it will have a big impact. showing you where we have snow for oklahoma it came down. here is video. we had problems with snow and wise, and roads were absolutely slick. almost impossible to drive on. a lot of spin-outs because of know and ace. oklahoma is totalling from anywhere from 4 up to 7 inches of snow in some spots. quite a storm. it included ice and will continue to include ice. the storm watches are stretching all the way up across arkansas

and into southern illinois, and it's moving across over into some of the state's that we don't typically get a lot of snow and ice. one of the places we see trouble spots developing is in virginia and philadelphia. our low temperatures this morning crashing down below zero. expect to be near freezing for seattle. even seattle is talking about a little bit of snow to sea level. not a lot. but in the air with light accumulations. the accumulations for the east coast. it's freezing for new york. we'll get a few numbers of here, one to three across manhattan, and higher across south of manhattan. we'll have a zone of snow and rain mixing in together, creating icy spots. currently we have a winter storm warning. we'll see anywhere from one to

three again for new york. philadelphia, you are in a tricky spot where the snow will pile up. it will stay dry, the rain you are getting not adding much help. >> one of nigeria's largest industries threatened by criminals. why smuggling is hurting the domestic rice trade. fire in the sky, a major vacation destination in the path of a rumbling

>> a tower in germany is a pile of rubble. it was built 1972. thousands of people came out in the center of the city to watch the demolition. 300 pounds of explosiveses brought it down. two office buildings will go up on that site.

nigeria will tax rice imports into the country, because smuggling of rice is hurting suppliers. we have a closer look at the problem. >> this man is planting the next group of rice and hopes for a good harvest. he is one of millions of nigerian farmers trying to cash in on a government scheme to win nigerians independence on rice. small farms like his will be imported with improved seed and fertiliser to produce enough of their own. he is worried. >> translation: after all the toil you hardly make any profits. we don't get good price for our commodity. there used to be commodity boards. now we are left at the mercy of middlemen and smugglers. >> up to 60% of agricultural land is untouched as farmers

lack skills, fertiliser and money for crops. the minister for agriculture says the government is determined to phase out imports. we have been able to get 4 billion of private sector invetment. there were only 10 companies in the country. today we have 70 companies. you look at it in terms of what happened to vert -- fertiliser. >> dozens of rice mills are set up across the country as output increases, but the challenges are huge for a country of 165 million people that generates only 4,000 megawas of electricity. >> you see how big the factory is. we are 24 hours on generator. there's five of them, and we spend a huge sum of money. >> while the high cost of

production and raw material remain a challenge, there's a bigger problem. flooding the nigerian market with cheap foreign rice like these is the biggest threat to local production. there are no reliable statistics regarding rice coming into the country. local producers that 70% is smuggled through the poorest borders. the preference for rice poses is threat to production. with the high cost of the production, efforts may fail. >> a volcano in ek weigh door is sending -- ek weigh door is sending lava to a tourist area. it spewed ash five miles into the air, 1600 feet into a raf each and blocked the route to a popular town -- ravine, and knloked the route to a popular

town, south of keto. >> that will do it for this edition of al jazeera america. thanks for watching. >> this week, let the p.r. games begin. the global media are descending on sochi. what stories are they going to tell there? al jazeera journalists in egypt. five are already behind bars. now the authorities have issued arrest warrants for many more. the next time you're at a news event, look up. you might see a drone looking at you. and office etiquette.