now. >> i'm sorry i got to cut the conversation off here we're out of time, thanks to the guests for a great conversation. until next time woj an waj and l see you online. >> good evening everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. ready to negotiate. both sides in ukraine say they are prepared to talk but the fires are still burning in kiev as world leaders express their concerns. >> there will be consequences if people step over the line. >> obama's message to the ukraine government about dealing with peaceful protestors. lone survivor. a girl found days after massacre in central african republic.

hands on training, college students inventing new lifesaving devices. >> and we begin in ukraine where there are new developments tonight. president viktor yanukovych announced a truce in order to start new negotiations. but as you can see in independence square in kiev, fires are still burning. this has been the scene of intense fighting between police and protesters in the past. at least 26 killed, several injured, some critically. police will stop trying to break up protest camps. president obama says he is closely monitoring to make sure

consequences result. >> the barricades were already burning when changes were announced. after the police tried to force them from here on tuesday night. the hope is negotiations can avoid further bloodshed. the violence left over 25 dead on both sides and hundreds injured. this volunteer medic said she alone treated more than 50 people. >> translator: yesterday was simply a nightmare. many people were injured from grenades. there were pieces of plastic and glass. the glass is the most dangerous. >> reporter: the clashes appear to have strengthened the resolve of the people there. the numbers in the square are increasing, at least double from tuesday. they appear to be determined and undaunted. as night falls here in independence square the people are preparing for worst. there are piles of rocks here and everywhere. there are monthly of molotov cod

barricades ready for whatever happens next. >> as the protests increased so did the government. the president installed a compliant new army chief. >> translator: people not know what to do now. it's like -- we can't cease fi fire. there can't be truce after many deaths. >> reporter: yet for now, there is one, that means more talks between the opposition and the president. but that's happened before, with no results. it's not certain anything would make a difference with ukrainian protesters demand change. >> and jennifer is on the phone now from kiev, where do things stand now? >> it is in the middle of the night, the barricades are still burning. i think that's a symbol of the

mistrust the protesters have of the government's truce or no truce. we have no details what this truce means, except it means there will be direct talks between the president and opposition leaders. we have seen that before. it is unclear whether either side has anything really to offer. still a very tense situation here in kiev. the streets are very, very quiet, very few cars out on the streets. the police still in a stand offwith protesters there -- tanoff with -- standoff with protesters, there may not be violence. >> have the protesters pulled back? >> they were still there on the other side of the barricades but they look more relaxed. al jazeera was on the police lines just a couple of hours ago. and while they're maintaining the lines themselves the police men a little further back seemed a little bit more relaxed, laid

back, not in an attacking position and that certainly is a sense of consolation after the brutal attacks we saw tuesday night into wednesday. >> just a reminder, ukraine is located in central europe right next orussia on the east, poanld and hungary on the west. now opposition leaders are demanding viktor yanukovych's resignation. joining us is maximyokavi. what have you been seeing? >> basically, the same picture of high tension. but thankfully, some clashes there stop and people are just waiting to see you know, maybe not just waiting to see what's going to happen next, but just

give some time to themselves to rest. because it was dramatic 24 hours for everybody. and people are just exhausted. >> yeah, i mean, how are they getting food? are they cut off from the outside, the protesters? >> yeah, it's a big problem now for protesters. because kiev is under lock down. it's hard to get inside the city and it's even harder to get to the independence square, you know with riot police just blocking, or trying to block, any movement towards independence square. and right now, practically there is a state of emergency in kiev. sometimes it looks like a ghost town and traditionally there should be like traffic jams, a lot of people. and today was really a ghost town. it was kind of scary to watch. >> so given that there is reportedly a truce or a temporary truce, is there any

sense of the protesters feel less threatened by police? >> there is a truth in kiev but focus and you know the main epicenter of events in western provinces where huge riots are going on at this time. and we have first reports unconfirmed, though our first deaths outside kiev, it is in western city of nelinski. and people are storming governmental buildings and rioting and set on fire police headquarters. and even that was very dramatic incident, where people just drag out a local governor from his office and you know hit him. in kiev and western ukraine there are still clashes and it's getting worse. >> it sounds that this is a very

tentative truce if a truce at all. considering what you're saying is happening right now in western province. >> this is like déjà vu, exactly one month ago with deaths on the kiev streets, then followed a riot in western ukraine and then we got some kind of a truce. but right now the situation is much worse. and the same situation, but you can say like on steroids. with dozens of dead and actually, i think this truce is just pretty symbolic and just in time to people to breathe fresh air. and to regroup for both sides. >> let me ask you a question. i mean how difficult is it to get close to the square, and how dangerous is it for journalists like you? >> it's quite dangerous for

journalists. and yesterday we had this very dramatic incident just a block away from where i am actually now. it's just a block away from independence square, where a journalist was skilled by thuggish looking people that reportedly were working undercover from police. and that incident is just shocking you know illustrative how, you know, it's dangerous sometimes, especially for local reporters, to continue to work in kiev. >> well, maxim, take care of yourself. maxim aristavi, very close to the action in independence square in kiev. president obama took time out to condemn the violence in ukraine. it's ukrainian responsibility to end it. mike viqueria is on hand. mike.

>> glimmer of hope that tentative truce that you've been talking about, john but nobody here is putting too much stock in it. this as president obama says there will be consequences for ukrainian government officials if the attacks on protesters don't stop. shortly after arriving in mexico to meet with leaders of america's neighbors north and south, president obama shifted the focus to another part of the world. ukraine. the protests have turned violent and deadly. >> the united states condemns in strongest terms the violence taking place there and we have been deeply engaged with our european partners as well as both the ukrainian government and the opposition to try to assure at a that violence ends. >> the president tried to make sure that the expectations of the u.s. are clear. >> we expect the ukrainian government to show restraint, to not resort to violence in dealing with peaceful protesters, we said that we also

expect peaceful protesters to remain peafl. peaceful. >> he's not alone. spokespersons from united kingdom and france. >> to have the ukrainian people to express their own desires. >> a senior state department official, banning vee is as for members of the ukrainian government, for ordering or as they say carrying out human rights abuses. the the senior state department official spoke with reporters today, that by those police and security forces, in that central

square there in kiev and vice president biden urged him not to go forward. now official says, u.s. officials can't even get ukrainian government officials on the phone. a development she calls worrying. john. >> remind us just how tentative the situation is there. mike thanks very much. we've heard very little from ukrainian financial leaders, there are a small number of businessmen who own 80% of the ukrainian wealth. now not a word. david shuster has the story. >> amidst the deadly violence and loud clashes in kiev it may be quiet money behind the scenes that ultimately drives the solution. ukrainian economy was fragile even before this, now ukraine faces a devastating default later this week. that would be especially bad for the country's wealthiest

business forbes estimates he's worth $15.4 billion. he is the main financial supporter of viktor yanukovych, and the ruling political party. the other is dmytro firtash. forbes estimates he's worth $640 million. tilted more towards russia the top ukrainian o ol oligraks are losing money . , that means less money to prop up the flailing economy and help ukrainian industries trying to stay aflowed. in addition many factories and plants operate in old soviet era

facilities, depend on ukrainian government subsidies. if the economy continues to plunge and facilities get squeezed that could be in jeopardy. still, demanding government reform hope the oligarchs can help. believing their business in a new government will be safe. but there can be no promises to the wealthy where young demonstrators are dying in the streets. david shuster, al jazeera. the head of the olympic committee is weighing in on the violence as well. the ukrainian olympic delegation asks the right to wear black arm bands for those killed during the standoff. that request was denied. coming up in the next half hour ukrainians tell us what they would like to see the u.s. play

in keeping piece in the region. we're learning about potentially new threat on airplanes in this country. lisa stark joins us in washington with more. >> good evening, john. we're learning about a new threat that the department of homeland security is warning airlines. they are apparently concerned about a possible shoe bomb attempt. the department of homeland security would not confirm these reports and says it regularly shares threats with airlines. it says quote it continues to adjust security measures to fit an ever-evolving threat environment." reuters is indicating there is no specific threat, no specific saying time or place or specific flight, indicating that would be the target of a possible shoe bomb but that alert is issued in

an abundance of caution. these alerts are not uncommon. the airlines and department of homeland security work very closely when information is gathered. of course we first learned about possible shoe bombs back in 2001 when richard reid tried to light his shoes on fire on a flight from paris to miami. he was stopped by passengers on that american airlines flight. he is now serving life sentence in jail. ever since then, passengers have had to take off their shoes, before they go through security. now with this latest concern there could be a shoe bomb threat about flights coming into the u.s., passengers may see extra scrutiny on their shoes in their feet and possibly those in their carry-ons as well. >> as you know lisa there was a security alert about possible bombs on toothpaste tubes, are

these two alerts related? >> reportedly, this latest is not related to what's going on in the olympics. you mentioned of course there was an alert about possible explosive material in toothpaste tubes and the u.s. has also taken the step o forebidding any gels. a broader concern now john. >> thank you lisa. we'll have more coming up on the ukraine on this broadcast but in south america. venezuela, young activists lose their lives in violence. also surviving a mass massa, how an 11-year-old girl survived an attack that killed her entire village. a shocking new video of russian security officials whipping members of a russian punk rock

band.

>> today protestors gathered

outside caracas, where leopoldo lopez appeared, protests including a young beauty queen appeared. airport in the capital of bangui, as a christian militia tried to block, the u.n. is warning of ethnic cleansing and escalating violence throughout the country. and unicef has a new warning for the safety of children. richelle carey is here with more. richelle. >> this is a difficult part of the story. more than 130 children unicef havsays have been killed and mutilated. one young survivor and her

rescue has drawn attention to this issue. >> one young child, four days after a massacre there. amnesty international found her crouching in a corner, starving. unable to stand. the victims of fighting between christian and muslim groups that erun it after the mainlily selekmainlychristian seleka gro. then last week, a mass grave was found in bangui, confirming the u.n.'s suspicions of ethnic cleansing. the country's new interim account, catherine samba panza has had little to quell the

violence. death toll is more than a thousand, more than 100 of those victims, too young to understand the fighting, children losing their homes, that are lives their childhood. they've called to an end -- for an end to the violence. global initiative, #end the violence, global issue of violence against children everywhere. and specifically to draw attention to certain urgent cases like that which is happening in central african republic. 130 children brutally murdered in just the past two months. >> richelle, thanks. the amnesty worker who discovered that young girl, donatella rivera. tell us how you had found this child? >> i had gone to the town of

bugara, which is about 300 kilometers west of the capitol to investigate reports of a massacre that had occurred there on the 23rd of january. however, when i got to the town last thursday afternoon i discovered that another massacre had taken place in the town, on the 10th of february, last monday. bodies were littering the streets. dogs were eating some of the bodies. it was the scene of absolute horror. the houses in the muslim quarter of the town had been, a lot of them had been burned down. all of them had been looted and ransacked. some of them partially destroyed. in one of these abandoned houses, i found a little girl crouching in a corner in the dark. she was in very poor physical condition. she was also scared. she was also injured. she had a head injury, a light head injury, fortunately.

she had not had anything to eat, or drink, since the day of the massacre four days earlier and she was so weak she couldn't stand. so the villagers that the remainedder, the christian residents of the town, said that they couldn't look after her, that if she was left there, she would die. and that i should take her. so that's what we did. we took her to a place where she's safe, where she's being looked after. and where search is beginning for any remaining relatives that she may have. but she did say that both her parents had been killed. >> well, in a village where so many were killed, how was she able to survive? >> well, i don't know. she was too traumatized to

speak. i'm in contact with about people who are looking after her now. she's still not talking very much. except for saying that her parents had been killed. i think that she probably just managed to hide, and remain there, silent and the attackers didn't see her. >> i assume that you got into the work to try to help people. and clearly, you helped this young woman. but can you give us some sense of what it's like to come upon a massacre like this? >> well, i mean, the scenes were of absolute horror. a lot of muslims had already been killed in that town, on the 24th of january. those who did not die, or did not flee, on that day, were killed or managed to escape on the 10th of february.

there remains now no muslims in this town. this little girl was the only survivor. and this is really a similar situation to the one that we found in many other towns and villages that we visited, over the past month. many of the victims have been children. children who have been killed. in some cases while trying to escape with their families. children who have been terribly wounded and mutilated, a little boy of 10 i found in a hospital, had lost one arm, and had suffered horrendous injuries on other parts of his body. another little girl that i found in the hospital in boir had been shot while she was trying to flee with her family. and she was left paralyzed from the waist down. she's 12, and she will never walk again. so children have been killed.

they have been injured. they have seen a scene of absolute horror in front of them. as in mass conflict, it is the civilians who are paying the heaviest price. and children, also, in this case. >> great work saving that young woman. donatella, it's great for having you on the program. thanks for staying up late in london to talk to us. of course we're keeping an eye on ukraine right now. protesters are on the independence square in kiev. protesters tell us what needs to be done. freedom of the press. protesters in london call for the release of our al jazeera colleagues in egypt.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. much more to come tonight including drought relief. california's governor has a multimillion dollar plan to deal with emergency. plus, hitting the ground running. some college students are already making a difference in the workforce. and facebook new friend mark zuckerburg, shelling out plls on a new app. -- billions on a new april. richelle. >> two sides met today in ukraine and came away with an agreement to end the violence. he says they will restart the negotiation process with opposition leaders tomorrow. for now, today's plans for police to storm independence square, those plans have been cancelled. now, the news comes after at least 26 people were killed, and about 240 injured, on the deadliest day of protests since the unrest started last

november. these are live pictures here of independence square. despite the truce, you can see the fires are still burning right now. president obama welcomed news of the truce today. he joins international community in condemning the violence. obama warns there will be consequences if the bloodshed continues. and late this afternoon the state department announced government sanctions, the u.s. banned visas for 20 ukrainian officials they believe are responsible for the violence last night and the violence is expected to be the topic at a rare emergency meeting of the european union. the eu president says there are enough votes to approve these sanctions for everyone they feel responsible for the ongoing violence we have been seeing. >> thanks richelle. it's been tough for ukrainian americans watching this, many feeling helpless.

our randall pinkston reports. >> father russell watches the growing violence. >> you are not afraid to die? >> yes. >> his worst moment came yesterday when police clashed with protesters who clashed over viktor yanukovych. >> it is very painful because i am born ukraine. ukraine people deserve the peaceful resolution of this what is going on now in ukraine. but instead, there is unfortunately, there is bloodshed. >> reporter: the crack down prompted a series of tough

statements by the obama administration. beyond talk, a veteran diplomat said there are some concrete steps the united states can take. >> i think we can work a little bit more closely with the eu and the imf in terms of putting a package together that can help ukraine become economically stable. >> roman pompaduke, the first ambassador after the soviet union, believes the united nations should call for an international donors conference. >> it would show the yanukovych regime there is an alternative to what's going open and put the united states in the forefront in terms of leadership in getting the international community on board to help evolve this crisis. >> the u.s. and the protesters also want to loosen kook ukraine's ties to russia. but russian president vladimir putin is expected to oppose any move to weaken his country's

influence over the country it once controlled. randall pinkston, al jazeera, washington. >> following the persecution of protesters in kiev very are closely from this country. natalia, thank you for coming, it's good to see you. >> thank you for having me. >> are the police really anxious to get involved in this? are some of these police actually supporting the protesters? >> very few of the police are supporting protesters. and unfortunately, what started opposition of people, of the middle class against the decision of the president, to -- not to sign the cessation with the european union now turned under protest of the people against riot police, because happened exactly after the riot police used competence power

and -- excess power. we understand if the riot police were trying to calm down the protesters, that's one thing. now when we see a lot of tortured people, about 100 activists that are missing, dead bodies found around kiev and outside kiev with cut off heads, with heads wrapped in plastic, et cetera, what kind of calming of protesters are we talking about? it's clear now that riot police are feeling absolutely that they will never be punished and that's why the things that they are doing are things that we saw maybe 50 or 60 years ago, or even more during the stalin period. it's unbelievable what i'm seeing now in my home country. so very few police are on the side of people. we have heard reports of some of the regional police troops, riot police taking the side of people. but overall they are guys below 25 years of age. that are paid $800 a month. and they receive a lot of when

they fight especially escalation of people, i don't see many riot police taking the side of people. >> do you see this truce holding? >> excuse me? >> do you feel it is a real truce will it last? >> i think what i see on facebook, i think they're playing with us again. you don't credit enter into consultation after killing 25 people before. they are showing what sort of trump cart they have, they claim they can come down within one hour. people feel they are just using this time to bring more law enforcement people, more militia, more police, more riot police into kiev. and there were reports around ukraine of protesters trying to stop buses with more riot police

trying to come to kiev. unfortunately i feel it is just a big game and they did not reach any settlement before people were killed. i don't believe they will reach it now. >> how important is social media to learning about what's going on there and social media how has it played a role for protesters there? >> well social media played a vital role in these protests. because several times the media was turned off, the mobile was turned off, especially the opposition tv channels were cut off in the eastern part of the campaign where there was a lot of pro-yanukovych people. it's thanks ofacebook and other social media where people could find out exactly what is happening now, and they could come to madon and bring help. it's really touching when you see 3:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m. madon, they post on facebook or other pages that we need help, we have

been attacked, and people, the subway is shut down and people from around kiev they just rush on food by cars, any way they can, they bring warm clothes they bring food they bring medicine to help those. >> nanatalia, we appreciate your help. in russia, sochi, publicly whipped members of the women punk rock group, the group pussy riot, for performing an earnlt putin song in moscow's main cathedral. rory challenge has the story. >> this is the third day they have been in sochi and it is the fourth day that they've had some tangle or other with police. on tuesday they spent time in

detention and now this today. natasha and maria, on hand to stop them were sever police officers with pepper spray and a whip. now, what pussy riot were doing here is technically illegal. because for the duration of the olympic games, all protest is banned. unless letters are specifically applied nor and taking place in an especially sanctioned protest zone well away from the olympic parks. pussy riot well know this, and seem intent on using the winter olympics as a stage for their particular brand of protest theater, no matter what the punishment will be.

>> rory challenge reporting. it's been 50 days since al jazeera staff has been detained in egypt. today a protest took place outside the egyptian embassy outside london where journalists demanded their release. phil ittner has the story. >> day before a trial of journalists including from al jazeera, begins in egypt. baher mohamed, peter greste and mohamed fahmy are into their second month. military backed government accuses them of supporting a terrorist organization after they interviewed members of the now outlawed muslim brotherhood. al jazeera maintains the

journalists were just doing their job. they are just a few of the many journalists held the egypt. the committee to protect journalists put egypt among the worst countries of protecting joirnlts. >> they have a responsibility to ensure they are protected. we have expressed these concerns directly to the government of egypt in answer to your question and we have strongly urged the government to drop these charges and release these journalists and academics who have been detained. >> today's rally in london, in part noshed to present a -- in order to present a petition calling for the release of all journalists held. the union head stating, this repression of all journalists in the country, who are operating under outrageous pressure and intimidation, calls into question the deposit's attitude to basic human rights. this is by no means the first

rarally. the push is international. whether it's are where peter greste is based or campaigns in canada where mohamed fahmy is a dual citizen. >> it's critical that the journalists see that the journalists generosity of egypt all over the world are standing together. because one of the reasons countries detain journalists are to create a chilling effect, to try to keep them from doing their job. calls for freedom of the press will fall on deaf ears in a country that is so deeply divided. the message today is twofold, both solidarity for journalists inside egypt and a message to the egyptian government that while they may continue with that controversial trial, the world will be watching. phil ittner, al jazeera, london.

the road to gold is a little bit easier for the u.s. team. >> favorites of the tournament on their home ice, nonetheless that opened the door for american team who has been on cruise control, since their preliminary shootout went over the russians. semi final round to face canada, meanwhile, russia's loss to finland means the country will not even medal. meanwhile no surprise in the women's side of things as team u.s.a. and canada face off for gold for the fourth time in five olympics. earlier today i got a chance to talk to the captain of the former 1980 men's team who won gold. mike arruzone.

>> they skate so well and they have such great speed, i think they will win the game. i think the first time they played, i don't think the united states played the way they would like to play it. i was telling someone today, the u.s. men and the canadian men have tremendous respect for each other. there might be a little dislike but the u.s. women and the canadian women they don't like each other. that's going to be a battle and i'm looking forward to watching that game. >> there's been so much pressure for the russians to win gold on their home ice. how much disappointment is it? >> it's a huge disappointment, putin has already said, the medal is the county in the ice hockey medal, this was huge for them to win. maybe the pressure got to the players, maybe they couldn't handle it but it's something very spoig. like i said -- disappointing, that's the medal they wanted.

>> team mate ryan suter, says he is the new mike arruzione. >> i'm going to have to have a talk with ryan. his dad played with us in 1980. that is a typical suder remark. it would be nice to be compared to him. >> let's talk about the differential between now and the olympic hockey team in '80, made up of amateurs and college players. now it's made up of almost all pros. how much dings does that make in the game? >> the speed of the players is absolutely incredible. i think hockey players in general from 1980 to today, are bigger faster stronger. they have played in stanley cup championships. you know, this is something that they're kind of used to. in '80 we were just kind of having fun. nobody expected anything from us, no pressure on us to win. this team has expected to perform well and so far they

have done that. >> audiences to watch naich nhl? >> i think that's the question that everybody asks. i love to see the players that play and the skill of the players but i would like to see it go back the way it used to be and send our junior players, our amateur players, i think the players play just as hard, this means a lot to them. they want to be there, want to represent their country. i don't know that the setup makes sense, shutting down the nhl season, other players sitting relaxing getting healthy. >> the u.s. women circle their game to essentially beat the canadians like they did last year. looking for redemption. >> and the russians done. >> it means nothing john. >> thank you jessica. california's governor has a new plan to deal with the

drought emergency. plus. >> i'm alex schauffler, that's a lot of science but this story is really about people, about human beings, you're going omeet them, i'll try to explain all this, just ahead.

>> well, we are looking at a very nasty day on thursday for many people across the central plains, also the mississippi river valley. we have a storm developing right now. you can see how the storm is coming together from kansas to missouri. doesn't look like much right now but this storm is going to gain a lot of energy overnight, through the gulf of mexico. tomorrow the warnings are out. first of all, let's talk about up towards the north. blizzard warnings up here, that means 45 mile-per-hour winds, snow totals, 12 to 16 inches, this is to the north side of the low, that means you'll see more winter-like conditions there.

flooding across indiana, ohio as well, the reason being, the rain is going to come down, the ground is frozen, this rain has nowhere to go. thursday canada to the gulf of mexico, we are looking at totals from 1 to ten inches of rain. we are going to see this frontal boundary set up and with this front we are expecting severe weather. that means damaging winds the possibility of tornadoes as well as hail across the region. so a few cities are in the bull's eye here. indianapolis, memphis, all the way to louisville, we are expecting to have a very significant day. that's a look at your national weather. your news is up next.

>> more money to deal with california's drought. the state's governor, jerry brown, proposed $620 million for drought relief, including 15 for

those low drinking water supplies. governor brown described it as a call to action as the state deals with one of the dryest period on record. joie chen standing by and she's covering the drought on "america tonight." fill us in. >> tonight on our program, we are keeping our focus on the drought emergency in california and one town where the days with water are now numbered. there is a proverb that applies to the town of willits, you never miss the water until the well runs dry. cutting back, shorter showers, dehydrated lawns, long list of concerns that are impacting the california's wine industry. >> it is our life blood. the river is a huge source of drinking water, for the vin yarsvineyards.

it just hasn't happened. >> an impact on health care, disease. all coming up. >> a college junior with his name on a patent application for what could be a lifesaving medical device. this 20-year-ol 20-year-old. allen schauffler has the discovery. >> chris burfine is in the lab solving problems. >> i have made a microphylitic device that is able to transmit a tissue course. >> pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest type of disease. slicing that tissue thin, putting it on a slide and then

viewing it through a microscope like this. but this technology could give technologists a much more complete spinning four dimensional view. remember chris is just 20, in his third year of college. he's serving a kind of educational apprenticeship. dr. eric seibel, an engineering ph.d, runs the lab. and with the help of federal grants pairs students with teachers for one on one pen torg. chris -- mentoring. chris works, and is paired with lonnie doss who is learning too. >> awesome. i usually have my way of doing things, it doesn't always translate well but when you have the right kind of mix, it works perfectly. >> giving under graduates more lab time and research opportunities. valuable experience for the next level of education and later

career competition. here undergraduate participation has nearly doubled in the last five years. nationally, the nonprofit council on nonprofit research has seen the numbers triple. >> these students come to grad school and hit the ground running. >> his work on tissue analysis is groundbreaking. the technology he developed worth patenting. >> nobody has demonstrated exactly what chris has demonstrated in our lab as far as we know and that is one of the reasons we filed this patent. >> as a student he gives tremendous credit to his mentors and his time in the lab for what could be a significant medical break through. >> to watch the tissue come out, to learn that no one has done this before, it's exciting. >> the kind of excitement that more undergraduates are getting the chance to experience. a very bright young man with a bright future.

now the skeptic of the apprenticeship is not exactly new. this is sort of a reblooming of an old rose in an academic setting and it is not just happening in the uw, it is happening all over the country, we are told. university of texas at austin where every freshman student will be doing serious are research. >> is this just important for students looking to go to graduate school, or not? >> no, it can be of great help too for students who just want to get out and go into the real world, too. as for the graduate school thing, dr. rifkin told us whether she was applying for grad school, nobody had this on the resume. now the applications she looks at, everybody has this kind of research in their background. but chris has proven he can work in a collaborative setting, directly with a supervisor, with co-workers and he has produced

something tangible. that is valuable to people looking to hire him out there in that real world. >> allen, thanks very much. and the world's largest social media network is buying the largest messaging apps. mark zuckerberg is paying billions on what's app? that dwarf what he paid for others. hope for korean families, some more than 60 in the making. the hea headlines are next.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. here are tonight's top stories. there is optimistic that the violence in ukraine could soon

end. at least 26 people have died and hundreds injured in the fighting between police and protesters. president obama welcomed the news of this truce earlier, he joined the international community in condemning the violence and warned there would be consequences if the bloodshed continues. the u.s. banned visa ukrainian officials they believe responsible for the violence. caracas, opposition leader leopoldo lopez appeared after turning himself into the government officials yesterday. protests left six people dead, and the department of homeland security is warning of possible shoe bombs and other hidden explosives. an alert has been issued to airlines on possible threats entering the u.s. from abroad. it made no reference to a particular plot airline or time.

this is the second time of two weeks that the government is warning of such a threat. those are the headlines, "america tonight" with joang is ujoiejoie chenis up next. you can always get the latest at aljazeera.com. >> on "america tonight": can it hold? amid the chaos, promises of a cease fire raise hopes in ukraine. but it's tempered by fears of yet another step back. also tonight: tapped out. in a california community that counts on a steady flow of vintages and visitors. how the drought emergency is drying up hope. >> agriculture obviously is the business of hope. you're planting. you have your crops. and more than anything else, they require water. >> and is there a way to grow a