plus, and more. ♪ ♪ >> good afternoon, and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. here are the stories we're following for you right now. ending the blood shed in syria, so far talks have not had much success but they're not over yet. and a volcano in indonesia erupts. and volkswagen auto workers say

no to the union. >> the syrian peace talks in geneva ended in a stalemate. james bays has the latest. >> reporter: dr. brahimi sounded frustrated, he was as diplomatic as ever, but if you listen carefully he made it clear who he thought was to blame for where we are right now. he explained that they sho theyt items on the agenda and set out the order they should be discussed and the contention over what is the most important issue here. he decided the two issues that should be discussed on two consecutive days. first they should discuss fighter terrorism, stopping violence in syria on the first day, and on the second day they should move to the item of the

transitional governing body that will be formed to rule syria in the future. he said quite clearly it was the government side who objected to that agenda. moments after they spoke both sides came out to meet the pre press. >> the syrian delegation accepted from the beginning within the first three minutes of the meeting the agenda proposed by the international mediator, mr. brahimi. we did accept the draft agenda of the meeting. the problem raised was raised immediately by the other side when they gave their own interpretation of the agenda. >> we would like to stop the fighting. we would like to achieve the transition to democracy, to freedom, to dignity, but the regime is stalling, trying to delay, trying to divert us from the main issues, and get us bogged down in discussing one issue without discussing the

tool, the mechanism to implement it, and this is the problem. >> now we've had two rounds of these talks. two rounds that have achieved absolutely nothing. mr. brahimi will now go to new york to brief general secretary ban ki-moon and the five members of the security council to find a way forward. >> more than 100,000 people fled their homes after a volcano exploded on thursday killing four. we have more from east java. >> it's not very march, and the villages are the worst effected. this is the third time that they've seen an eruption. in 1990, 2007, and now thursday night. they said it sounded like a bomb explode: what happens, stones

like these actually fell on their roofs. it fell everywhere, and a thick player of ash this thick is on every roof, and so what happened these houses have collapsed. they had not seen that before during the previous eruptions. as you know these people are all farmers, so they're depending on their crops. the volcanic ash is everywhere, and it's not a healthy substance. you can see the banana trees, all the other trees, they're all completely destroyed. the farmers will have to start planting the crops all over again. people basically here are in the danger zone. some of them are still here trying to feed their animals, taking care of their houses, their belongings, they're worried to go away, but still it is still not safe. the mountain now is not seriously erupting any more. there is a big bank thursday but after that it sorted started to calm down but authorities have

not give the clear green like yet. >> well, britain once ruled the waves, but now the waves rule it, or at least part of it. weeks of record-setting rain left parts of the eugene underwater. somand worse, there is rain stil to come. phil ittner for us, phil, do you have an idea when the evacuees will be allowed to return? >> reporter: well, we've seen people coming back to this street, but mostly they're coming back to make sure that their homes are secure an to get out any valuables. the evacuees that are in centers around the capitol are getting food and shelter, but certainly these houses are severely damaged and uninhabitable. many of them are without power. there are about 100,000 houses around the u.k. that are without

power. so it will take time before any kind of sense of normalcy returns. >> what kind of bill does this leave the british government with? there is a car behind you that is up to its bumper in water. what does that mean? how much is it going to cost to make these repairs? >> well, morgan, you can see the damage behind me. just the infrastructure damage here of these homes is going to be quite significant. but then you also take into account how this is effecting various industries around the country. the fishing industry is badly hurting. they can't put out to sea, even the boats in port are damaged by high waves. you look at the transportation industry, the train and the roads. many have been damaged because trees have been knocked over by some very strong winds. and obviously there's the farming industry. some of these fields that have been planted, these low-lying

fields are now completely underwater, so there will be a major bill there. this is going to be a very costly period of time for britain. obviously there will be an inquiry, but yes, the damage is quite significant, morgan? >> phil ittner live from west london. thank you for joining us. meanwhile protesters battle police in caracas overnight. the police used water canons to disperse the crowd. just this morning the police began to set protesters that were arrested free. it will be a while before power outages end. the storms that battered the region left more than a million homes and businesses without electricity. thousands of them spent last night completely in the dark. utility companies are warning

people in rural areas that it could take two weeks before their power is restored once and for all. the break through on the heels of a visit by secretary of state john your to beijing, they said they will take steps to reduce greenhouse gasses and crease fuel efficiency, and the country is monk the world's biggest polluters. >> china and the united states will put an extra effort into exchanging information, and discussing policies that will help both of us to be able to develop and lead on the standards that needs to be announced yet next year for the global climate change agreement. >> while he was in beijing kerry toured a factory that is working to produce more energy-efficient

engines. the secretary is now in indonesia to attend a conference where climate change will also top his agenda. 25 years after the he soviet we drew from thwithdrew from afe is still mars history. >> a museum dedicated to remembering the horrors of war. the walls are filled with the names of hundreds of thousands of of a damages when the mujahideen rose up. >> what people feared most was the aerial assaults from the soviets, the killing of women, children, and the elderly. >> at the heart of the museum, life size statues of the

mujahideen. thsoviet murdered villages. villages rise up, the soviets are killed. it's one of the few easily accessible accounts of the country. >> the history books often gloss over the more 30 years of conflict that has blighted this country. this museum was created to remind generations graphically of the horrors of war. the museum was founded by a former mujahideen commander. his son sees history is about to repeat itself. when the soviets were defeated the world abandoned us. they didn't help reconstruct this country. they didn't even want a functioning government to be established. now it's the same all over

again. we sacrifice ourselves over war against terrorism, now it's happening again. now they're going to abandon us again. >> a pre-arranged withdrawal, not a soviet style retreat, but that does not stop people from feeling uneasy about what the future holds. bernard smith, al jazeera, afghanistan. >> iin the ukraine the man who was kidnapped said he believes his captors were russian. lately they've been adding unlikely recruits. we have reports from kiev on the women's brigade. >> the 20-year-old has come to join the revolution. the protesters main command center all new recruits are vetted. she is ukrainian but lives in

london with her parents, and an unlikely new member of the opposition women's brigade. >> when i had seen how they burn the buses and how the police are attacking them, i just got all my stuff and went to the airport. >> you said it's quite a dangerous situation here. what are you prepared to do? >> everything. like i'm ready to fight for my human rights and my country and a better life with my country, even to death. >> she is among 700 women eagle for play a more active role in ongoing protests. that means they are ready to fight. but before being allowed to police the barricades they receive basic training. >> these somewhat young recruits are being trained in a whole series of different tactics, how to avoid arrest, what to do in a

riot situation. if there are any more clashes these women are determined not to play a backseat role in what is happening here. >> none of the people here at independence are afraid of being hurt. they want to protect their freedom and their lives. the bigger danger is that all of this will end in nothing. >> these young women are undergoing a radical transformation. while the country remains a political turmoil, this is the changing face of resistence. al jazeera, kiev. >> we're now in the 4th day of detention for our al jazeera staff in egypt. colleagues have all been imprisoned there since december 29th. later today peter greste's family will speak to the weekend sunrise program advocating for his release. questions about toxic emissions from gas plants in

louisiana. plus the giant. structure for silicon valley for a hanger so big it even has its own weather system. with the most interesting people of our time. hip hop pioneer russell simmons talks with soledad o'brien >> i make mistakes everyday, i don't try to count them... >> about his music.... >> the artist should say what's on people's minds. >> his cause... dominion over the animals does not mean abuse... >> and his future... >> i wanna make movies and tv shows that reflect the new america. >> russell simmons up close and personal... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera

the stream is uniquely interactive television. in fact, we depend on you, your ideas, your concerns. >> all these folks are making a whole lot of money. >> you are one of the voices of this show. >> i think you've offended everyone with that kathy. >> hold on, there's some room to offend people, i'm here. >> we have a right to know what's in our food and monsanto do not have the right to hide it

from us. >> so join the conversation and make it your own. >> watch the stream. >> and join the conversation online @ajamstream. >> auto workers in tennessee are saying no to unionizing, dealing a pretty big blow to organized labor. the union vote at the volkswagen chattanooga plant was two years in the making. >> reporter: it's a stinging blow to the united auto workers union and organized labor in general after three days of secret balloting, employees at the volkswagen chattanooga plant say no to union representation.

>> my heart is just pounding with exceeding joy. we're thankful that it turned out the way that it did. >> reporter: volkswagen has invested $1 billion in the chattanooga plant which began building pass at mid side sedans lee years ago. it was lured there by $77 million in state set backs. >> it's a problem that uaw has a need for our money. they don't care about these guys. they really don't. >> reporter: the campaign was seen as organized labors as as a chance to expand in foreign-own the plants in the south. that brought more reaction from outside interests than the plant itself. conservative groups rented billboards in tennessee and blamed uaw for detroit tease problems. and others spoke out claiming

that the union would hurt the state's chances of attracting other manufacturers. >> between the two institutions, volkswagen and the uaw i know of not one incident of aggression or animosity coming out of this process. >> reporter: the uaw adding while we're outraged by politicians and outside special interest groups interviewing with the basic legal right of workers to form an union, we're proud that these workers were brave and stood up to the tremendous pressure from outside. >> a loophole in federal regulations may be exposing americans to toxic chemicals. at least that's the accusation by several environmental groups. we have more from south louisiana. >> you russell anselmo is a former engineer out working in his backyard.

>> sand, shape, contour. >> he's concerned about the neighborhood. he lives in an industry corridor in sorrento, louisiana. >> so all the plants are basically over here? >> yes, all that way. >> and not very far. >> not really, it's pretty clo close. >> most u.s. industries have to report annual toxic emissions over 10,000 pounds to the environmental agency's report. it's so the public know what chemicals are released into the air. >> if people tonight know what they're living next to, they can't assess their own risk for human health. >> but it didn't include oil gas production in the requirement. >> nobody is looking at it. nobody is monitoring it. they can release 100,000 pounds and tell you they released 13,000, whose to know. >> a study of state records by the environmental integrity project shows that 395

facilities in colorado, pennsylvania, louisiana, north dakota, texas and wyoming released over 10,000 pounds of toxins in a year. >> ththe people who live by oil and gas facilities air quality could be a mystery. >> i think they've been escaping attention through that loophole erroneously for many years. >> with the nationwide energy boom is underway, oil and gas is expanding everywhere, while the louisiana oil and gas association did not return our calls for comment the epa said it will consider requiring oil and gas plants report emissions. >> it should not even be a question. just automatically do it. >> for now all russell anselmo

can do is whittle wood and wait. al jazeera, al jazeera america. >> tech giant google is taking over one of the most historic landmarks in silicon valley. it's a restoration process that seems, well, almost larger than life. >> reporter: federal officials have chosen google to restore movmoffat field, and they may ga small building an as part of the deal. did i say small building? i mean one of the largest free standing structures in the wor world. hanger one was built into the 1930s to house blimps. it is so enormous you could close its doors and keep eight

acres of land dry. it has its own weather system. the ceiling is known to collect fog on the right kind of day. what does one do with a 350,000-square-foot playground? you could have a football game or six of them simultaneously. you could invite the entire city of baton rouge, louisiana, for dinner. you could have a nascar race inside. everybody could be in shorts. you could have dinosaur fights. no one would know. that's the point. google like any company likes to do things in secret. this is the perfect place to close doors and build anything they could think of away from prying eyes and cameras in the world. >> th

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city, and here are

today's headlines. the syrian government and opposition left the geneva ii peace talks frustrated as both sides refuse to compromise. now a third round of negotiations is expected. and a powerful volcanic eruption in indonesia left four people dead and thousands displaced meanwhile workers at a volkswagen plant in tennessee have voted against joining the union, which may be the first foreign auto manufacturer in the south to unionize. it's a case that a captured the attention of millions. amanda knox convicted of killing her roommate. this story contains strong language, al jazeera reports. >> ciena reed never thought her art would imitate life quite so closely. but while in rome she was

fascinated with the portrayal of amanda knox, the american convicted of murdering her british roommate. >> always hunting men. >> i was doing a lot of research at the time on women in history who had faced character assassination. most common words they would be called beater about their sexualities or they would be called something like demonic, witch like. >> she has created 150 negative words about knox since her arrest. enough to fill this school she has painted them on. and then painted them on the feel body letter by letter. >> when someone is being called such a vast amount of negative terms it has to harm them in a very physical way. who knows what jezebel means, these words are from another time. and yet they're being used in

the 21st century. >> studying the coverage of the knox trial. >> on main treatment networks people are asking her how often she had sex, about her use of sex toys and use of marijuana as though that some how has bearing on whether or not she murdered her roommate. it doesn't--those two don't feed into each other but the mayortive created is that they do. >> you wrote something in the book that surprised me. you said what if i had not gone on a campaign for casual sex? >> it was irresponsible. >> it's a narrative that ryan wants to see changed. >> i think part of that is media being responsible in the way they discuss these stories, and being careful not to contribute to a narrative that is confusing to young women. >> the murder trial is not over, knox and her boyfriend were found guilty of the murder in 2009. then acquitted in 2011. in january italy's highest court

found them guilty again. knox could face 20 years in prison and is expected to appeal but the verdict that has been reached in the court of public opinion still stands. al jazeera, new york. >> well, it is a very wet start to the day across the specific northwest. we have a steady stream of moisture pushing in off the pacific. that is great news given the fact that it has been exceptionally dry outweiss. early on in the week tuesday, we had a mudslide and that did close down traffic on i-84. we do have a chance to see that today. dry terrain so when the moisture comes in as it is coming in it does make the ground shift just a bit. we want to be careful as we travel in the mountains and we look for snow across the washington and oregon cascades. in oregon we're looking for aerial flood warnings along i-5,

if you're traveling, again, take it easy out there on the roadway. we have another winter storm dumping snow from indianapolis all the way to des moines, iowa. it will dump one to three inches of snow as it makes its way towards the east coast. meanwhile, look at temperatures in minutial police. very chilly with winds pushing out right north and other systems continue to philadelphia. the conditions are quite miserable in new york city as the snow continues to melt and pile up as puddles on the sidewalks. if you're trying to get around in the city, it's just a little difficult. >> did you take that picture of me on my way to work? that looks like it's me jumping that puddle. thank you so much. finally the united states hockey team scored a big win against russia in a dramatic

sudden death victory. the u.s. men's hockey team took the score of 3-2. t.j. oshi scored late, and this is just part of the process, russia is still going for the gold. i'm morgan radford. "the stream" is up next. hi, i am lisa fletcher and you are in "the stream." the way society views it sternal has. couples talk about the victories, the hurdles and some of the biggest surprises of mix-race relations. ♪ ♪ our digital producer is here bringing in all of our live feedback. we asked the viewers, put them to quite all