website aljazerra.com/considerthis or on our facebook or google plus pages you can also find us on twitter at ajconsiderthis. we'll see you next time. check >> good evening, everyone, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. tipping point - the explosion of deadly violence in kiev. a deadly turn. we have the latest, including the new warning to americans from the state department. uganda's intolerance. despite president obama's stern warning that government may soon hand down stern warnings for

homosexual laws. >> future for the navy, unveiling the latest weapon that seems ripped from star wars. >> wonder world - a former astronaut tells us about these spectacular time lapse images. >> and we begin tonight with the fiery live images from kiev. it's early morning now. you are looking at independence square, flames, smoke, flashes of light amid a sea of protesters and riot police that moved in to clear the square, setting off the deadliest day of violence. at least 18 have been killed, untold numbers injured. several forces are at play, political, economic, religious. opposition leaders say today's talk failed to end the violence,

and this comes tonight as the state department issues a warning to u.s. citizens travelling there. we have a lot to get to. joining us from kiev is journalist max ooen. welcome. it's good to have you on the program. tell us what you have been seeing? >> you know, it's tense. nevertheless, it's - the pressures are ongoing, and basically just an hour ago it was 5am. i saw clashes before my eyes. basically it was a gun battle between some thugs apparently pro-government thugs that were clashing with protesters on the treats, and i was clearly i heard some afghan bullets flying around. it was kind of scary, but definitely a scary situation at

independence square. >> of course there were reports of 18 dead. do you think the number is correct. >> yes. that's an official statement about 18 people. now it's 22, but unfortunately this number will rise because there is still unaccounted bodies laying in downtown kiev and clashes are going on. unfortunately, we will see much more deaths during this day when we go to morning. >> you know, i believe you mentioned to our producer that you have seen makeshift hospitals pop up in the middle of these protests. can up talk about those. >> this is shocking. a lot of medical surgeons doing basic surgeon operation on surgical tables right around the

battles that are going on. it's hard to believe, but when you see it, it's more like a warlike feeling there. >> can you help us understand the pictures. we are seeing flashes of light, what sound like explosions and look like explosions from some of these pictures here. are these gun battles, are they firecrackers. what are we seeing. >> sound grenades and fireworks, but those grenades are injuring people a lot. there are hundreds of people injured, as you walk down the streets in downtown there's a lot of blood on the streets, it's unusual for peaceful kiev, and it's shocking for locals. >> protesters keep throwing thing on the fire what is

happening now, are police and protesters standing back. >> there's a huge fire. the tradebuilding and headquarters of the revolutionary is on fire, blocking riot police to advance because basically it's a huge fire. as soon as the building is not on fire any more, basically we are expecting that riot police will start advancing again. >> great to have you on the program. we have more coverage of ukraine, with a professor of political signs at rykers university, and a ukrainian american who has been watching this closely.

what is your reaction to the pictures that you see. >> i'm concerned to what is going on in ukraine. it's my native country, i have a lot of family, and the pictures i see is concerning. first of all the government is showing its face, showing that it does not care about basic human rights of people, and it just cares about self-enrichment and corruption. and since why is the government doing this, i believe it's because they want to keep the money they have stolen from the people. people are standing for their basic human rights. they want a freedom of speech, to do what the u.n. are able to do. >> are you worried about friends and family that might be in kiev and near this violence? >> yes, of course. some of my family lives quite

far. i'm still worried about people who go to kiev, but i understand that it's their own decision, they make the decision, and i cannot ask them anything since i'm so far away. they are true here if they go stand up for their human rights. >> when we expect that president viktor yanukovych sits with the rebels, any sense of what might happen? >> well, based on his meeting today, because they did meet today, first of all - well, the expectations are low. first of all he kept them waiting something like one to two hours before he emerged from his office. secondly, all he seems to have said in the meeting that he had with three opposition leaders is that he will place - he will impose charges on them, in other

words, take legal action, which is absurd in the circumstances, and then said the following verbatim, name, that he wants the demonstrators on independence square to "go home" which is pretty much of a non-starter >> is this the beginning of a revolution in ukraine, or the beginning of a tremendous crackdown on the protesters? >> well, at this point it looks like it's certainly the latter. of course, it depends on what happens tomorrow, whether viktor yanukovych decides to go in and spill blood in a significant amount, not just kill 20 or so people, possibly 200 or 2,000. more significant is that this is already a revolution. the revolution began a few weeks ago, but this is certainly a ramping up of the revolution, and what is very important to

keep in mind is that these revolutionary activities are not confined to kiev. that's where we are focussed on, because that's where the reaction is. the reality is that viktor yanukovych has effectively lost control of the country, and there are uprisings taking place in a variety of provinces, uprisings taking place in a variety of cities, government buildings are being seized. riot police are disarmed and all this suggests that as bloody and as terrible as all this is, it may actually foretend the beginning of the end of the viktor yanukovych regime. >> do you see it as that when you look at the pictures and hear the stun grenades and the fireworks going off. is it the beginning of the end of this regime? >> i think so. i think people have been standing on the square peacefully for two months and the president did not hear them

for two months. i think it's been a tremendous peaceful movement by the people. but the government keeps ignoring them. it was not just - i mean, it wasn't just protesters killed or injured. the police were as well. that hurt the potential's case when it's trying to make it to the world. certainly there has been reports of police murders. honestly i would say it's true, but knowing some of the lies that have been spread by the government, who knows. definitely i have seen some v s videos of live coverage, where some have been captured by the people, and the people are trying to protect them being injured. >> we appreciate both your insights. thank you both for joining us.

why ukraine, why kiev and why now. richelle carey is here with more. >> it's about location. ukraine is slightly smaller than texas with a population of 46 million. let's look at the map. it sits between western europe and russia. it is key. the protests have been carried out for a month. the country is caught in a political and economic goid between russia and the -- divide between russia and the european union. that battle is playing out. more than 3 million live in the capital. in 20 so kiev split the company with the pro-european party leading the votes in the north and west. and viktor yanukovych with more numbers in the south and east. this is independence square, the heart of the country. it's flanked by buildings, shops, cafes, and has been a

gathering place for parades and concerts. it's the backdrop for the brutal clashes between police and protesters. >> going back to the live pictures, the thing about it, we talked to olga, she said they've been there for two months. the fires have not been burning the whole time, but a lot of that time. this is the worst we have seen so far. you wonder where this is headed next, and what the next step is. >> it's heart-breaking for people. this is where she's from. it's heart-breaking for her to see what is happening and the lives that are lost. >> we'll follow the story, more live coverage and live pictures during the broadcast. now to the unrest in venezuela, and the whole profile arrest of a key opposition leader. protests for and against

president nicolas maduro are taking place in caracas. some are turning violent. we have that story. >> the excitement was plane. opposition leader leopold lopez emerged. he told them he was ready to surrender to security forces facing charge of terrorism and murder. >> translation: i have nothing to hide. when i turp myself in, i beg you to remain peaceful. >> he has emerged as the face of the protest movement, which took to the streets, blaming the government for soring crime and inflation. >> this is a fight for the young people, for the students, the oppressed and gaoled. this is a fight for all venezuelans. >> president nicolas maduro accuses lopez of inciting

violence. >> leopold lopez crossed the barrier. he told the crowd he would give himself up, and told the crowd to keep taking to the streets if he is imprisoned. >> moments later he was detained. in a sign of just how politically divided the nation is, hours later thousands of oil workers and supporters have their own rally. addressing the crowds, the president accused the opposition of trying to destabilize the country. >> translation: the fascists are in the hands of the law, and will have to respond to justice. >> as the police tried to escort lopez and his family to a military base, the police flocked around him saying, "the poem are with you." nicolas

maduro needs to face a decision, whether lopez is put on trial or freed. he's a powerful symbol of discontent. >> now to thailand. police and protesters fought in the heart of bangkok. a firefight lasted 20 minutes leaving dozens wounded. four dead, including one police officer. the violence coming months ever demonstrations trying to ov overflow the prime minister. do we have an idea of who was responsible for the deaths today. >> no, the investigation hasn't progressed. this is a function or a simply tom of the lopping running political stalemate that we have here. such that every institution, including the police and the milledry are pollittizised.

instead, the anti-government protests started because the government wanted to provide amnesty for all sides of the political spectrum. it's not likely we'll see a thorough investigation. >> are we expecting a crackdown, and what is the impact on the city of bangkok. >> we means was at the end of a day that was tooum utilitiuous from far rimming, the pictures you see now, was that the police are angry about what happened. it was a lot of -- a loss of face for them. they lost one of their own. there was a policeman who died. i'm hearing that there are people, special units brought up from various parts of the country, so it's likely that

there'll be some kind of renewed total to clear the area in the next few days - difficult to say when. all the of the protest and violence, where does the prime minister stand now. >> she is in very tenuous position. she is going to find herself, i think, increasingly so. just today she's going to crisis meeting at a government office, where a huge demonstration is being called by the anti-government protesters who want to replace her elected government with an unelect government that will putt reforms in place before new elections are held. she will not go to the meeting because of demonstrations. she's under pressure from an agency fighting against

corruption in the government. she's been called to appear and face charges there. veronica pedrosa, thank you for providing this report. now, a decade old law keeping new jersey getting the desperately needed salt for the weather we've been having. a boat-load of salt. 40,000 tonnes ready to sale to newark, but a 1920 law prevents the foreign registered vessel from stopping between u.s. ports. they are seeking a waiver from the federal government. kevin is tracking the dangerous weather >> we had one storm go through. what we'll watch is what is going to happen across the central plains. a different storm. as we get into february, march, we get into the severe weather events. it's this area here on wednesday that we'll watch.

doesn't look like much. watch what happens as we go from wednesday to thursday, and how it developments. a lot of the moisture coming in from the golf. a cold front. tornados down here, towards the south, and gusty wind. this is the reem jog we are looking -- region we are looking at, winds, tornados. minneapolis town here. february sees tornados, 21 to 24 tornadoes towards the south. seeing the tornados will not be out of the norm, but will be the first for the year. >> in a few hours president obama heads to mexico for what is called the three amigos summit. he's meeting with canadian and mexican leaders to discuss several issues. >> some departments are concerned the treaty is sending

jobs to foreign countries. also approval of keystone pipeline. if it's finished. it will send oil from canada through the golf coast. canadian leaders are pushing for approval. >> a new report praises the idea of the minimum wage. there are draw backs. increasing the basic hourly pay from $7.25 to $10.10 means a raise for 6.5 million workers, and says a pay hike would lift 900,000 people out of poverty. but the cbo says 500,000 jobs could be put in jeopardy. coming up, the crisis in ukraine. the deadliest days and fears of what will happen tomorrow. our coverage continues. plus the nuclear nun. an 84-year-old activist is sentenced for breaking into a weapons facility, and picture perfect - earth like you have

never seen it before. we have a former astronaut to take us all through it.

>> the latest on the turmoil in ukraine. this is a live picture of the capital. it's after six in the morning reports of gunfire a few minutes ago, and the ukraine president issued a statement calling on demonstrators to solve the problems at the election polls and not in the treats. he said there's time to end the violence. more later. in vienna, talks over iran's nuclear program resumed. iran agreed to pull back nuclear activities in exchange for reduced sanctions. iran and six powers will sit down to search for a deal. uganda is responding to critics

of that country's antigay laws. the bill would impose punishment on gays and lesbians. uganda's president says he'll sign the bill and accuse the u.s. of blackmail. president obama said the law would complicate aid to the uganda. if signed the bill says gays could be put in prison for life. joining me is author and investigative journalist. and john has met with the author of the bill. welcome. >> hi, good to be with you. >> talk about what the bill would do to gays and lesbians in uganda. >> it's called the anti-homosexualitiy bill, but it's called the kill the gays bill. it couldn't be more plainly

named. the author says he wanted to impose a biblical punishment. the bill that is about to be signed into law - it's said it dropped out. it is draconian with life sentences for repeat offenders. and severe prison sentences, acknowledging that homosexuality exists. the conversation we are having now will be a crime in uganda. is it based on religious beliefs, and on religious belief? >> yes, absolutely. >> uganda is a developed nation. i should say until recently homosexuality was not a big issue there. there has been a sense in which the sort of religious right of the united states has exported its culture laws. so the member of parliament that introduced the bill explained that he thought uganda could win

a moral values fight that he felt had been lost in america. the homosexuals won in america, but we could impose biblical law in uganda and be a model for the world. >> it's a country that had these missionaries as well. >> it's important to the distinguish between the missionaries building houses and building church and sipping songs, and the exchanges at the high levels between the you gan political area and the religious light. david is the head of a group called "the fellowship, from which the need is derived. he looks at the senator of oklahoma has an inspiration, one of our most antigay politicians.

>> is this popular in uganda, this bill? >> it is. although a significant part of the population, they might see themselves as opposed to homosexuality sees the bill as a distraction from big issues of corruption in the government. people want them addressed. it's a popular street movement in uganda, like in ukraine. there's a lot of regular citizens saying why are we talking about this. the bill has been unstoppable. it's declared dead, but it will not die, but the president has agreed to sign a bill that he previously dismissed has fascist. that was his term. he's agreed to sign the bill into law. >> jeff charlotte, got to have you on the program. thank you for sharing you insight. >> next, ukraine erupts.

we have the latest. jacob ward has the details on the navy's newest weapon.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm john seigenthaler. >> kiev in flames, opposition protesters defend their turf as riot police move in. >> zaping the enemy, futuristic lasers deployed on navy ships, and we'll look how they kill. >> earth - stunning images from a space station. >> rochelle with the stop story. >> obviously that is ukraine. let's go back to the live pictures from the capital in kiev. images from independence square, where deadly clashes between protesters and police left 18 dead today. it's about 6:30 in the morn

there right now. as you can see, the fires are raging. a few minutes ago the president of ukraine issued a statement asking the demonstrators to settle their issues at the voting booth instead of using violence. look at this - a sample of what is going on. protesters threw molotov cocktails. it's bursting in the flames, sending the police running for cover. this is some of the worst violence we have seen since the demonstrations started in november. it has escalated to this and we'll continue to follow it. >> joining us again is a doctor of political signs. i want to go back to what we are watching here. it's almost daylight in ukraine, and we see, again, the stun grenades and water sprayed on the fire, and this appears that it will continue for some time

now. so how complex is this battle. is it as simply as their opposition forces what wand freedom versus the president of ukraine. it seems to me a little more complicated. >> yes and no. >> you have to keep in mind the president - most ukrainians wouldn't call him that. after being elected in 2010, almost immediately proceeded to dismantle every single democratic institution and to squeeze and dismantle humans, civil and other rights, including freedom of the press and things like that. at the same time he and his grownies within the regime began enriching themselves in fantastic ways. he has this palace outside of

kiev. his son, who is a dentist has become one of the richest men in ukraine in the course of two years. one of his closest grownies had zero assets three years ago and currently has three billion. it's estimated by western economists that viktor yanukovych and his family as it's called, his inner circle, pilfered about $13 billion in the three years he's been in office. ukrainians have been responding to two things. on the one hand it's been a squeezing of whatever democratic freedoms they've had, and on the other hand there's vast misappropriation of his office for the sake of self-enrichment and corruption. >> for ukrainians, is it a struggle between europe on one side of ukraine, and russia on the other?

>> it's become that but remember what sparked the demonstrations in november was viktor yanukovych's turn around. he had been saying for who years that he, his government would sign the association agreement with the european union, if he had done that he would have been a hero, and none of this would happen. two weeks before this was supposed to be signed, he says no and signs a deal with russia and essentially provides - prove oaks the population. the population is angry at him because of the freedoms contracted and the misaappropriation of wealth, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. at that point, three months ago, the demonstrators were insisting that he signed the association

agreement. that was it. because he signed the agreement with russia, turned his back on the demonstrators, and proceeded to engage in 2.5 montszs of low- -- months of low-level and occasionally high-level violence against democratic protesters, it's a russia verses the west issue. according to public surveys ukrainians state - 90% of them state like russia, that they are friendly to russia. russia is not the issue. it's the regime and viktor yanukovych. >> we appreciate you trying to make sense of a difficult and complicated matter. we appreciate it. thanks. >> my pleasure. >> here in the united states, ukrainian americans have been trying to raise awareness on kiev protests. a few spoke with us at a

ukrainian restaurant in new york city. it's a popular gathering point for the ex-pats. >> it's a horrible situation. we've been up hours watching people. >> people in power have the money and the connections. it's not as easy as they thought. they started with a peaceful protest. they did not go anywhere. >> about 14 guys - they were the same age like me. it's a fugitive like me. > our officials are so greedy and desperate to stay in power that there's no prize they won't pay. >> we have seen grenades thrown at people. that is beyond troubling. it is horrific, drakonic.

>> it's difficult to thing what will happen next. the government is unpredictable. they say one thing, do another thing. it is a conflict between the ukrainian people from the east and west. ukrainians and russian speaking and a corrupt criminal government. >> they have to keep going. people are tired. they are tired to work for nothing. they don't have money at all. >> as the violence on the streets of kiev wages on, there's a financial battle. from russia to germany the fight has intensified. david shuster followed the money. in camp, thousands clashed with police. just down the street in the parliament building the government led by president viktor yanukovych got a financial boost. russia's government, led by

vladimir putin announced it would unblock a $15 billion credit for ukraine. the money had been frozen because of violence and political disarray. the move could bring economic breathing room to viktor yanukovych. the action comes as opposition groups demand changes to trim the president's powers. >> the russian life line undercut the efforts by the german chancellor angela merkel. she get with ukrainian opposition leaders. >> we shouldn't underestimate the role of germany, the role of the german chancellor, an influential parliamentary. and the issue of term -- germany and the e.u. play an important role. no offers from u.s. or germany

for the opposition groups have been made public. the demonstrations were sparked by viktor yanukovych's decision to turn down a trade deal with the european union, and tilt the former soviet republic to russia. 25% of goods go to russia. russian goods account for 36% of imports. ukraine is stuck in an economic crisis made worse by violence. they'll need to find billions. in the meantime the battles on the streets continue and the tug of war from the east to the west intensifies. >> and there is other news to tell you about. an 84-year-old nun has been

sentenced to 35 months in federal prison after being convicted of sabotaging a nuclear facility. sister megan rice and two others broke into the complex in 2012 to protest weapons storage. she told the judge being imprisoned for the rest of her life would be the best gift she could get. [ singing ] >> antiwar activists from around the country gathered outside the federal court house in knoxville tennessee, to support sister megan rice and two others sentenced to federal prison for breaking into a weapons facilities in tennessee. >> it wasn't a disappointment. none of us should feel it was a disappointment. >> i was grateful, if that can be the right word, that the judge departed from the guidelines and sentenced them lower. he should have said "here's a

congressional medal of honour, you do this until america gets it and stops building the weapons." >> sister rice will spend under three years in prison. michael wally and another were sentenced to five years. after cutting through fences at a security complex in 2012. they spray-painted a building. the activists say nuclear weapons are illegal and immoral, calling the actions symbolic. >> the government which builds and develops and increases nuclear weapons, is the criminal party, not our beloved friends. u.s. prosecutors pushed for a 7-your sentence. sister rice said their actions helped the country, exposing flaws at the facility.

the three activists had no report for the law, but couldn't hand down the tougher sentence taking into account good works, and because the intent was not to do harm. the judge said he'd consider sister rice's age. he told her that in the future if she wants to bring about change, she should do that in washington, not by committing crimes in tennessee. >> an early winter took it is toll on ranches. many ranchers doubled down. we have more from diane eastabrook in newell south dakota. >> as western south dakota struggles under winter's icy clip, there are signs. these are some of the 400 cows

that the rancher brought to replace the nearly 400 that died last october. they perished when an ub expected blizzard swept through the state, trapping the herds. faced with a 600,000 loss. >> what changed your mind? >> i hated to quit on a bad note like that, i guess. >> realised there might be good years. >> to stay in business, she is buying more pregnant heifers. >> is that a good deal? >> if they have good calves. >> at 2,000 ahead. cattle will head higher. he took out a 3 million bank loan to finance the herd and put his ranch up as capital.

>> it's a gamble, but worth taking. >> corn prices came down. that makes it better. >> interest rates are better. >> they are wonderful. >> boylan wonder. branches are trying to make more loan terms. >> we can extend payment, defer payments, we do subsidised interest rates. >> boylan got money from a ranchers relief charity. he may qualify for the disaster funds under a new farm bill. he said it's difficult for that kind of help, but the ramper is hoping for it. >> i would like to see the snow melt away. we have plenty of shifts. we are as prepared as we can be. >> cautious optimism for a man that's already weathered a

storm. >> now to the winter games in sochi. where the u.s. men's bobsledding team will have to get creative if they medal again. >> bit of an injury. the face of the men's bobsled team has won the one half of a 2-man team. he hurt his calf. it's a little different. it was the first medal since 1952. it's the second time the red, white and blue broke the streak. holcombe geared up to be part of a 4-man team going for gold. he may have to get set in the driver's seat. whether he's in the front or the back, getting to sochi is impressive, considering what he had to overcome to be part of the winter olympics. john henry smith has the story. >> steven holl come has been

competing as a bobsledder since 1988 and struck cold as the driver of a 4-man team in vancouver. it was a sweet win. he had to overcome an eye disease. >> i had a degenerative eye disease, it's a thinning of the cornea. you go blind over time. i was starting to take off. everything was going well. i withdrew from everything, and fell into a deep depression. when i hit rock bottom. >> to say he hit rock bottom is an understatement. as he struggled with his vision, the gregarious bobsledder withdrew from friends and family and tried to take his life. >> you would be surprised what the human body can endure.

"i attempted suicide." there was a moment i realised i was here for a bigger purpose. >> with a new lease on life he found the courage to address his secret disability and did so with a risky experimental procedure. >> we were lucky to find a revolutionary procedure that is now being introduced. it saved my vision. after a year of having the seizure done. we had the first world championship. two years to the day we won the first gold medal. here is the first of the two runs for the 4-man bobsled. the time two runs finishing on sunday. we'll see how the calf holds up. >> i don't have a favourite sport. bobsledding on tv - to watch this stuff, they go so fast. >> it's a little scary, but a lot of fun. better than if you are in a luge. done a little bore.

>> thank you. a food warning. hot pockets are recalled. steak and cheese hot pockets have been pulled from the shelves for having meat that comes from diseased animals. the company that provide the meat was not properly inspected. no illnesses have been reported. >> coming up, our picture of the day and amazing planet. views of the earth like you have never seen before, taken by astronauts.

>> lake michigan is about 80% frozen right now. almost a record. all the great lakes got up to 95% frozen. that's how cold the winter was. this winter is not far behind. we are looking at cooler temperatures. you can see the storm system brought a lot of snow across the region. they called some delays. we'll see another storm system in the evening. for tomorrow morning, chicago is going to see 27 degrees there, with minnesota seeing 20. we expect the temperatures to rise on thursday, but with that we'll see rain and back down to the cooler temperatures, a low of 13. up to the north-west. not much changes in terms of all of the rain along the coastal

region. what we see is flooding going on, as well as - the avalanche warning. into the cascades. it's because of the snow in the forecast, continuing through wednesday. we don't expect to see much change towards thursday. that is the national weather. the news is next.

>> you are looking at live pictures from ukraine, the capital kiev where the sun is rising over the fires that have been burning. 18 killed in clashes on tuesday. in a statement ukraine's president tonight asked demonstrators to express their opinion at the voting booth instead of using violence. >> for many in the u.s. navy the future arrived. starting this year they'll deploy laser weapons, and an electromagnetic gun. we have that story. >> the navy revealed it plans to

take a laser weapon to sea. one capable of destroying airborne. the beam of energy can dazzle the censors of a drone or burn it out of the sky. many missiles on they say ships can cost over a million dollars a piece. in a world where the attackers may be drones. the navy is preparing to hit multiple targets repeatedly. a 30 kilowatt laser burst cost pennies. a 2013 nonpartisan study by the congressional reference service hailed the participation of the weapons, a marched departure. the military has a reputation for overconfidence. the navy is not going all laser. the service is working on an electric magnetic rail gun, firing shells at six or seven times the speed of sound,

allowing them to hit targets. only one type of ship, currently under construction has adequate juice on board to power a weapon. it produces 78 megawatts. enough to light a city. the rail gun could see service in two years. these prototypes change the tactics and technology, but most importantly, they are frightening. losing a handful of drones to laser fire mate not frighten an attacker. the idea that the same ship could hit the airship that launched them. that is something else. >> jacob ward. thanks. from lasers to a light show courtesy of earth. hundreds of images are giving us an extraordinary look at the planet. during a 15 year career, dr leroy charl travelled to space 14 times. we talk to him in our "first

person" report. >> you can see a lot of photos stitched together. it's going by more quickly than real time. real time you are travelling $17,500, making -- 17,500 k/hr, in the vid why you -- video you see more. looking bark, you see the observations. people, of course, study the weather. scientists study other aspects of oceans perhaps, or deforestation, change , things like that. they use the photographs. even archeology, there has been significant photographs. even though it's scientifically useful. the main reason we look out the window, because the earth is beautiful, and every place looks beautiful in its own way from the blue seas and lakes to mountain tops, to man made

structure. >> it brought me back, watching the video to my time on the station. the pictures are an accurate portrayal of what it's like to be in space. the only difference is orbiting the earth in seconds. everything is happening quickly. it's a neat way to give you an idea of what it's like to be in space. the fact that it's moving quickly, and you see the changes, it accent utes what it's like to be there. we have the international space station to conduct reach and investigations. different aspects, including life science, both to further our efforts, but to make life better here on the earth. as far as the photographs go, it's a mice by-product. they use satellite imagery. >> you use human judgment. you see things. if we see something interesting, the rule of thumb is grab a

camera and take a picture because a scientist could get rid of that. look at the earth from space. it cost many to take a pause and think about life on earth and how precious it is. that will give perspective for everyone to make the world a better place. >> we end with an image that caught our attention. the crisis in ukraine. we have seen extraordinary images. this picture, a boy in the streets of kiev, wearing a makeshift shield, joining others in the fight against riot police. we go from that image, where the fire is burning and the sun is rising. headlines with michelle after this.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey, here are the top stories. we start with live pictures. it's daybreak. you can see the sun coming up over the flame that has been burning. you can hear what sounds like

explosions. 18 killed in clashes today. half hour ago the ukraine president issued a statement asking protesters to end the violence and solve their issues at the voting booth. in thailand police had a firefight in the heart of bangkok. doze ens wounded, four dead. the violence months after demonstrations trying to overthrow the prime minister. >> and in venezuela protests turning violent and a set back for the opposition leader. the leader leopoldo lopez turned himself in to police after the government put out a warrant for his arrest, thousands of protesters are in support of and against nicolas maduro. an 84-year-old mum has been sentenced to imprisonment after being convicted of sabotaging a

nuclear facility. those are the headlines, i'm richelle carey. "america tonight" is next. you can check out the website aljazeera.com. on "america tonight." world on fire! aingeer and activist explode in two increasingly important nations. ukraine, where a violent crack down on protesters leads to blood sh*et and death she had and death. and venezuela where the opposition leader turns himself in. leading supporters in to the streets. also tonight, the mighty residents of minnesota's great north wood and a mystery, that's rapidly dwindling their numbers.