>> president obama landing in mexico for a meeting with north amercian leaders.

>> we begin with destruction and violence and chaos in ukraine. you're looking at some of the latest pictures that are coming out of kiev. 26 people now have died in those clashes between protesters and police. yesterday president yanukovych replacing head of the army. right now this is the scene in independent square in kiev. 9:00 kiev time day two of that bloody crackdown. opposition leaders urging protesters to hold their ground. barnaby phillips has more. >> the day after a night of mayhem. central kiev, a city reaped in smoke. the government and protesters equally determined not to give way the results have been catastrophic. this is independent square. sacred ground to the protesters who have held it for almost three months. now the government says it

cannot sit by any longer. >> my duty as a guarantor of the institution iconstitution is toe in the country, i'm again calling for the opposition leaders who claim to also want a peaceful resolution to immediately separate themselves from the radical forces that provoke bloodshed and clashes with security services. >> the nighttime pictures show a brutal fight. the police try to force their way into the square with an armored vehicle, stun grenades and rubber bullets. protesters responded with whatever they could lay their hands on. fireworks, bricks, stones, bottles, monthly t monthly to hn tails.

molotov cocktails. >> behind me you can see that they're collecting medical supplies. it suggests many people here fear there is more trouble to come. >> i'm happy because this was not a discussion, and government does not want to listen to opposition. they don't want to listen. it's just one way, and but right now it's very important to make a break. >> some how opposition and government have to compromise but that looks unlikely. kiev and ukraine are braced for the worst. >> we have seen the dramatic pictures. now let's get a feel of where the clashes are taking place.

roxana joins us with more how these protests are spreading. >> this is in the northern part of the you drain. you've got one of the longest rivers of europe splitting the ukraine near the river. here we have a stadium and this is parliament right here where some clashes have been taking place between protesters and police. if we go closer i want to show you an area where there have been the main part of the protest, and this is the central part, the downtown part of kiev. we've got some cultural buildings here. this is called october palace. here we have the conservator. if we go to the west there are other areas where there have been clashes taking place. we have city hall over here and where protesters have retaken the building here. the post office, the protesters have seized the post office. but this is the main part of the protest right here independent

square. and this is where the protesters have been setting up tents and recently as we have seen in pictures they've been putting those tents on fire and also putting mattresses on fire to create a ring of fire to keep the police out. right across from the area of where they've been setting up the tents we've had another part of this monument here. it's called the independence monument. if you go way out to the east on the street you see another area called european square where the police have been reinforcing their vehicles, bringing in troops and waiting to see if they can surpass those barricades set up by the protesters. >> roxana, thank you very much. several foreign ministers are set to meet with the government and opposition leaders in kiev.

john kerry urging president yanukovych to resolve this crisis peacefully. >> president yanukovych has the opportunity to make a choice, a choice between protecting the people that he serves, all of the people, and the choice for compromise and dialogue versus violence and mayhem. we believe the choice is clear and we're talking about the possibility of sanctions or other steps with our friends in europe and elsewhere in order to try to create the environment for compromise. >> al jazeera's james bays has more on the international reaction to ukraine. >> in european capitols universal condemnation of the crackdown in ukraine. >> the unacceptable, intolerable, and inadmissible acts of violence, repression and

brutality. the chancellor and myself, together with our two governments condemn all these actions and the repression expressed by the authorities are first request is that this ceases, and calm and tranquility are restored. >> we sympathize with all the victims of violence and we appeal that there be political dialogue. only political dialogue can bring progress. >> the most recent protests started after a trade deal with the european union was abandoned. negotiations had lasted five years, but at the last minute president yanukovych refused to sign a deal in effect tying his country's future to russia rather than the e.u. as protests grew leading european politicians flew in to give them their support. among them the e.u. chief katherine.

>> this violence and blood ched must toshedmust stop immediatel. i call on president yanukovych and government and members of the opposition to find a way out of this deepening crisis. >> in moscow the european leaders were blamed for the violence, releasing a statement saying: >> only a few months ago the european union was close to a trade deal with the ukraine. now it is considering sanctions on the country. that seems to be the only option when european union leaders meet for crisis in brussels.

>> ukrainians living in the u.s. are keeping a close watch on events unfolding in their country. john terrett, what is the reaction from people you've talked to? >> reporter: well, you know, del, we've been garnering opinions from ukrainians who live in new york all morning but we were forced inside because of 9 terriblthe terrible rain in m. we heard from local business owners and a vietnam veteran who is ukrainian by birth, what his reaction is from his homeland and time and time again, people who are here, ukrainian by birth or parents who are ukrainian, they're very worried about the situation in their homeland. we're inside a restaurant, a 60-year-old landmark business here where lots of ukrainians have gathered over the years, and we met with a 20-year-old who studies english and has been in the united states for a year.

your mom and dad are in a city in the ukraine about 150 miles away from the capitol of kiev. how are they doing? >> well, they're doing fine for now. it's in a place that does not have as much problems as kiev, they've had problems with public transportation. not really big problems. people not fighting that much in my city. they do protest, but not that crazy. >> because of the situation, how often are you able to talk to them? are you talking to them more than you would normally or less than you would normally? >> for now i talk to them more often than normally. usually i talk to them once a week. now like almost every day because i'm kind of scared for them. i'm scared for my family and my country. >> and what does the community of young ukrainians here in manhattan think about what they see happening on the nightly news in the land of their

forefathers? you were born there, so it's your land, too, what do you think about what is happening? >> well, i think ukrainians are fighting for the democracy of ukraine. now it's sad because some people have given their lives and other people died. >> it's been a bloody 24-48 hours. you were say to go me that you're also very proud of ukraine at the same time as you're witnessing this. you have a sense of pride about all of this. people are standing up. >> yes, i'm proud of people. i'm proud of ukraine. i'm proud of for now people are fighting for an idea, and for the ideas they're all together. there is no more opposition now. there is a people. and a nation. >> tell us, what can ukrainians who are living in the united

states do, if they want to do something to help. what can be done when you're on this side of the atlantic? >> well, for now as i know a lot of people, they support with money, support with food, clothing, just help them to just stay, to fight for the idea. >> stanis lav thank you very much. this is a very busy restaurant, as we can see, he's been very busy all morning. thank you very much. back to you in the studio. >> john terrett thank you very much. as we point out the white house is urging calm in ukraine. meanwhile president obama is in mexico at this hour. he's there for the north amercian leader summit. they'll be discussing a number of economic issues.

mike viqueira is in washington, mike, what are some of the key issues they will address? >> there is a whole host of issues. this is an annual event. the leaders of canada, united states and mexico, jokingly referred to as the three amigos. the nafta is still controversial after all these years later, and now the president comes with other free trade pacts on the table including one with canada and mexico among them. the president is ham strung by domestic politician. the fighting with republicans on capitol hill. there are three initiatives that these allies are going to want to talk to the president about. trade number one, harry reid said he will not grant the president so-called fast track authority, streamline process to get any trade pacts he agrees to quickly without undue delay. there is the keystone pipeline, very controversial here in the

united states pitting environmentalists begins big labor and others. two core constituency of the president. and something that prime minister harper will discuss with president obama. roughly half the tea people hern the country illegally are from mexico. those are three issues, key issues that are likely to go unresolved. they happen to be meeting in a place outside of mexico city, it's a burgeoning mexican

automotive industry. >> we're seeing how speaker john boehner continues to slam the door shut on immigration. >> right. >> what if any progress can be made in mexico today? >> well, there's not going to be any progress made there. any progress that is going to be made is going to be on capitol hill, and there was a glimmer of hope. we talked about it many times at the beginning of the year when john boehner heeding the politics, the polls, heeding the growing demographic of hispanic voters in this country, that the reasons would be pass something that would have a path to citizenship or green card or legal status in this country. only a week later did he shut the door on that, and it's looking very grim on this election year for passage of comprehensive immigration reform in congress. >> mike viqueira, thank you very much. we should point out moments ago the president came out of that summit saying that he condemns the violence that is unfolding right now in ukraine. meanwhile it has been 53 days

since our colleagues, our journalists have been detained in cairo. another staff member there has been held since august and has been on a hunger strike for more than a month. today in london protesters demand that they be released. >> reporter: baher mohammed, mohahmed m d fahmy and peter gre have been imprisoned for ties to the muslim brotherhood. the journalists say they were just doing their jobs. journalists put egypt among the worst countries for imprisoning the members of the president.

press. >> we have urged the government to drop these charge and release the journalists and academics who have been detain. >> reporter: 9 rally in london organized by the union of journalists calling for the release of all journalists held. the union head stating this repression of all journalists in the country were were operating under out jay russ pressure and intimidation undermines press freedom in egypt and calls into question the government's attitude to basic human rights. this is by no means the first rally to push for the journalists release. it's global. in east africa where peter greste is based or his family's pleas to the australian press. or to canada where baher mohammed and mohamed fahmy are

dual citizens. >> they're trying to scare journalists from trying to do their jobs. >> will calls for freedom of the press fall on deaf ears in a country that is so deeply divided. >> some college grads find themselves thousands of dollars in debt. one woman has vowed to pay hers off but that has led to a new problem. and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america

>> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get

straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. >> six world powers in iran holding talks in vienna trying to negotiate a comprehensive negotiation for iran's nuclear program. talks that could lead to an agreement. senior iranian officials say on tuesday they were ready for long and complicated negotiations, but that iran would not accept dismantling it's nuclear facilities.

those talks could last for months. >> and up and down day on wall street. right now the dow is down 18 points but the nasdaq remains lower than an eight day streak on the do you. federal reserve said the economy and labor market continue to improve in the final meeting with be ben bernanke as chairma. we'll continue to reduce their bond buying by $10 million a month and some suggest it might be time to raise the interest rates. the first meeting with you new chairman janet yellen will be next month. >> kays is buying zale for $96 million. the deal is valued at $21 a chair that would give zales shareholders a 40% premium from the company's closing price yesterday. the deal will unlock new sources

of growth. more than 40 million americans are saddled with debt from their student loans. al jazeeral jazeera takes a looe graduate's struggle to pay off her loans and get on with her life. >> if you want to succeed and get the american dream that i came here for for for you to get, go to college. >> that's what the 30-year-old father instilled in her since the age of eight when the family fled the chaos of a collapsing soviet union to build a new life in america. >> just like an all american girl. >> she went on to earn a bachelors in journalism and a masters in international relations only to graduate in a recession-racked economy, jobless and overwhimmed by 80,000 in student loan debt she quickly defaulted on. >> i just ignored it. it was a big mistake to ignore it. >> only when she landed a part time dream job at the united nations was she ready to face her debt demons. >> i signed in my account, took

a look and it was 92,000. >> she moved back in with her parents. started cocktail waitressing for extra cash and sent an ambitious goal. slash her student debt to a manageable level by her 30th birthday. >> how do get get that 8 into a 7. how do i get that 7 into a 6. it became a game to me. >> a game she's winning by throwing every penny she's earned at her student debt. she's paid off $72,000 in two years, and now owes less than $20,000. but though she's closing in on being debt free, it's likely she'll still feel the sting of her student loans well into retirement. >> i have no retirement fund. no savings. >> like many student debtors in their prime earning years, she is paying off her education instead of making investments to build wealth over time. like buying stocks or a house. placing her at a huge disadvantage to students who graduate debt free.

>> one of the most disturbing things about student debt is that it follows you through the rest of your life. >> even households with average student debt loads are projected to have $208,000 less in savings and home equity than households that graduate debt free. >> one of the perverse things you can say about higher ed inty united states is that the crystallizing privilege instead of blowing it up. >> it's an imbalance that threatens the promise that brought her here. >> if this is the country of opportunity. if this is the country where dreams are attainable if you work hard enough, if you just pursue it, then this problem needs to be fixed. >> al jazeera, new york. >> coming up on al jazeera america the olympics may be in sochi, russia, this year, but two dads in michigan bringing the games to their backyard at home.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are your headlines at this hour. ukraine's president viktor yanukovych replacing the head of the army. these are life images of the protests that are taking place in kiev. as you can see the fires continue to burn. the move coming after 26 people died in clashes between protesters and police. a short while ago president obama warning ukraine there are consequences if the violence continues. meanwhile the president is in mexico for a meeting with the leaders of mexico and canada. they're expected to discuss everything from a new international trade agreement to immigration reform. >> i'm dave warren. a warm up is what we're talking about here. that will come with a lot of rain and more snow. that will be followed by another arctic blast. this is just a moving area of rain or sleet, snow, whatever you want to call it depending on where you are is what you're

getting. it's down below freezing and you can see rain falling into this cold air. slippery now, but it's moving out, clearing out, and the temperatures are right about freezing there in albany at 31. it's warmed up to 40 in new york. and washington up to 53 degrees. that leads us to this warm up that we're talking about. a storm will develop and intensify across the southwest and move right over chicago. we have warm air coming up from the south and cold air on the south side. on the western side of the storm 37 it will happen tomorrow. not much happening on the radar, but that all changes tomorrow. many warnings and advisories are in effect. blizzard warning because the snow will come down heavy, and that wind will gust, reducing visibilities. winter storm warnings up around the great lakes. but nothing much here with temperatures well in the 50s and 60s. it could lead to flooding with that melting snow and heavy rain. with the storm right about chicago to the east we're seeing

that warm air move up. severe storms are possible with hail that will move ahead of that front. as the rain clears out, we'll see the temperatures drop and snow come down. heavy snow expected west of the storm which is over chicago tomorrow followed by the cold air. this will continue to push east over the next 48 hours. here come the strong storms across the southeast. by friday they're moving to the mid-atlantic. the warm air is moving up ahead of it. strong or severe storms are possible friday afternoon and evening. and this, once it moves through, the temperatures will be dropping. bitter cold air comes in behind this thing. you see the warm up on friday, but here comes that arctic care and not much change to the pattern. shots coming in for the next week or so. we're still dry out west. del? >> thank you very much. finally two dads giving their kids an olympic experience. they built a 200-foot long luge in their back yard and used all

that michigan snow. they said two tractors and three full days of labor. more snow expected tonight. i'm del walters in new york. "techknow" is next. unique way. marita davidson is a biologist specializing inning innings innd evolution. kosta grammatis is an engineer who designed a buy ontic eye. i'm phil torres, i'm an entomologist. today, technoly