>>. >> we are trying to do everything in our power to find where the plane is. >> heartbreak after a plane bound for beijing vanishes in the south china sea. >> russia backs a plan for crimea to ses seed from ukraine as they increase boots on the ground. >> i'm not angry, it takes from your life. >> exonerated.

a man spent two decades behind bars for a crime he did not commit. what he's looking to do now that he's free. >> plus, frozen over - an unusually cold winter creates a winter wonder land. >> welcome to al jazeera america. we begin with breaking new, a malaysia airlines jumbo jet vanishes. a plane was scheduled to land in beijing 12 hours ago. air traffic controllers lost contract two hours after it took off. the flight was carrying 239 passengers and crew members. four u.s. citizens were on board - three adults and baby. it's been reported that it went

down in the gulf of thailand. relatives are waiting at beijing airport for news of their loved ones. rob mcbride has more. >> an agonising wait for news. here the beijing international airport to the aircraft. reports emerging that the aircraft crashed into the sea. the reports coming from vietnamese state media, quoting a senior vietnamese naval official saying it crashed 150 miles off the coast of vietnam. it's not been confirmed by mair lines. -- mair lines themselves, their point of few is is that the aircraft is missing. until we see the wreckage or that there has been a crash landing at sea. they maintain the position that as far as we know the aircraft is listed as missing. an anxious time for relatives.

40, 50 relatives are being looked after at a hotel near here. we understand from chinese authorities, 150 to 160 chinese nationals on board, waiting for confirmation of what happens. it's gut wrenching for the relatives. many have been taken to a hotel and put in a room. malaysian airlines says 152 of the 227 passengers were chinese. >>. >> translation: i'm worried. what if something horrible happened. i'm scared. my husband has been contacting family friends in malaysia, telling them what is going on. >> some chinese relatives are accusing the airline of keeping them in the dark.

the boeing 777 can carry up to 300 passengers and hold 32,000 litres of fuel. >> a reporter with the "star" newspaper in malaysia will join us from kuala lumpur in malaysia. >> ukraine's interim government will not give up, and is calling on russia to make sure that international observers operate in the region. russia is believed to have 30,000 troops on the ground. they claim they are not defense forces. russia's foreign minister joined secretary of state john kerry of a boomerang effect if the u.s. faces sanctions on russia for its alleged occupation. >> the crimean parliament and

deciding whether to join ukraine for russia. how is the interim government responding to the call for a referendum. >> it has been called il. the supreme court and the -- illegal. the supreme court and the government has said so. the vote that happened in the parliament is largely symbolic. the referendum called for the 16th is a referendum calling for citizens on the peninsula to cast the vote, put it in a ballot on whether to join with the russian operation. that has caused deep concern. >> we know that tens of thousands of russian troops are believed to be in crimea. does ukraine's interim government have the capability of changing a russian occupation of ukrainian territory?

>> certainly not militarily. they don't have the forces to stand up to the russian army. they are trying to do it on a diplomatic front. they are being we proactive. reaching out to world powers and public opinion. they set up a number of media centres, where they bring in officials, dignitaries, standing office holders and put forward their case. they can't hope to beat the russian military. the only way to see the troops leave is if they win in the court of public opinion or get strong support from the international community in terms of economic support and punitive action against the russians. >> speaking of that support, it appears as though the east of ukraine is moving towards russia, and the rest of the country is moving west. how does the interim government plan to reconcile one government

moving in different directions? >> that is possibly one of the biggest questions in this country right now. it's at the heart of this conflict. the rest of the country is very much leaning towards the west and towards the european union. the east is divided and we have heard that there are a lot of russians in the east, buts on the peninsula. let's talk about mainland ukraines. there are ethnic russians out in the east. where all the factories are located. there's a divide there and a skis im of 40% who want to go west, 40 that want to stay east and 20% undivided. they are rough numbers. we have seen conflict mainly in donetsk and other areas. we spoke to ukrainian

intelligence officers, and they believe or have will intelligence that russia is sending agitators into the area to stoke up the differences between the communities and make more conflicts so that it looks as though kiev doesn't have a hold on the situation. but, yes, that is the big question. how will they organise a country that is split between east and west. and that, i think, is at the heart of this matter. >> phil ittner, always a pleasure to have you. joining us live from kiev. >> many ethnic russians in crimea are polling for a future with moscow. in the small cities, they vice-president welcoming troops with open arms. >> on the gate way from russia into crimea the unmarked green trucks drive one direction. according to ukrainian intelligence. the steady stream doubled forces

here. >> excuse me, can you tell me where you're from? >> this is an eastern-most base. soldiers admitted that the russians stand outside. making them prisoners in their own base. down the road the radar station and the air space is controlled by russians, whose supporters are happy to brave the cold. >> translation: there's no ukrainian army left, so we need protection. >> if there's going to be a rempt um, this city has voted. kirch was the first space where the ukrainian flag was lowered. this is the first city where russian troops arrived, taking over the fairy terminal. >> for igor, that same few is painful. >> his family lived in the spot for decades.

first they were soviet. ethnic russians and looked east. i feel russian, it's unpleasant. >> life was better un-ukrainian rule. today he relies on a well. he accuses the crimean government of letting them live in the stone age. >> i don't believe in the government. not the future or current one. thanks to these men, he lives under a new crimean government. >> they lead the headquarters. constantin is political organiser and malicious leader. they have 4,000 fighters. we can mobilise a big army. he wants to join russia because crimeans are culturally

different. he spews hate towards europe:. >> we don't want to live like at least people. that hatred target the pro-western activists. >> this is a journalist in human rights campaigner. she withstood a crowd, but is not sure how long she can hold out. >> if this reftend um passes. what happens to people like you? >> i will leave the city. kirch's heart is in russia and it's becoming a home for those who have arrived. >> crimea's parliament is set to hold a referendum on whether to join russia. >> the standoff over crimea is

not stopping france from selling two ships to russia. they are part of a contract and is part of a $1.6 billion deal. they are capable of carrying 16 helicopters, 13 tank, four amphibious vehicles and hundreds of troops. it's a big investment by moscow, who has been building up its military since fighting georgia. russian defense spending has rich 31% between 2008 and 201, making them the -- 2013, makic them the largest spender behind china and the united states. the size of the russian military is not clear. the institute says it has 845,000, with a reserve of 2 million people with recent military training. the ukraine is estimating having 130,000 troops with forces underfunded

and ilequiped. >> reports of forces between protesters and venezuela government is raising. the government has been ask to document torture abuse. >> the death toll has risen to 21. high inflation and violent crime fuelled the protest. >> in southern california. a former markist guerilla is about to become the next president. his win would give the ruling party a second executive term. his opponent warning that he'll move the countedry to the left. they have some of the violent gangs and high murder rates and sluggish economy. >> the conservative political

action conference, c.p.a.c. is wrapping up in washington d.c. speak rgs included newt gingrich and sarah palin. >> rand paul whipped up the crowd. >> yet, as our voices rise in protest. the n.s.a. monitors every phone call. if you have a cell phone you were under surveillance. i believe what you do on your cell phone is none of their damn business. cheer [ cheering ] nop -- none of their business. later the conference will release the results of a straw pole. >> and a warm-up for the most of the country, meteorologist eboni deon is here with the latest.

>> i am sure a lot of folks, including us will be excited over the warm up we'll see as we head into the weekend. temperatures will be milder than they have been been. numbers will rise above average. we have the cold air to deal with. coming down across the grate lakes. notice the head of it, all the yellow shadings, it's the warm air. temperatures rising into the 40s, 50 degrees in advance of a cold front. not expecting to see a lot of show, staying mainly around the great lakes. now, on tomorrow we are going to see warmer temperatures replacing the colder air in place, and even back across the four corners where we have snow flakes flying. we expect to see a few inches lining up. aside from that, no widespread

snow or rain taking place this morning. we are watching a departing storm system off the coast. as it pulls away, cold air. that is why we have freezing following advisories because the roads could be slick in spots. as far as the snow that is coming down, it's been on the lighter side, impacting visibility, and down across new mexico. we have a winter weather advisory in place. winter storm warnings last longer. keep that in mint. across the pacific north-west, doesn't look bad. a storm system will move in, bringing in clouds around seattle and portland. rain moving in as we get into the afternoon and this evening. heavy at times. we could pick up as much as five inches. snow levels will be high. still expecting to see some of that.

the warmer temperatures flooding will be a concern. >> thank you so much. search and rescue, a malaysian rescue disappeared on its way to beijing. we'll have a live report, while family and friend wait for word on the flight. >> an incident man spending 20 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. now the new fight against the prosecutor that put him there. >> coming up, why record cold temperatures has transformed the cold town into the bombing winter destination, attracting thousands from around the world.

>> good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live in new york city. we'll have a look at the weather with meteorologist eboni deon in a few minutes. >> first, we'll return to our top story, the malaysian jumbo jet that disappeared en route to beijing. it's been more than 12 hours

since malaysia airlines flight 370 was scheduled to land at the malaysian international airport. it was carrying 239 passengers and crew members. vietnamese state media quotes a naval official saying it crashed off the coast of vietnam. >> malaysian authorities deny the reports. we have no information of any wreckage. we have no information, but we are looking at all possibilities. >> let's go to al jazeera's rob mcbride at the airport in budget. reports of wreckage found in milan. what are the asians saying right now? >> this has been a long day of waiting and it continues. we are trying to get any kind of confirmation of the vietnamese reports that, indeed, the

aircraft was lost somewhere over the south china sea between malaysia and of the coast of south vietnam. those are the reports. it's difficult to get confirmation. the newsagencies have been contacting the authorities. the malaysian authorities say until they have confirmation, this aircraft can only be classed as missing. it's more than 12 hours since the aircraft was due to have arrived at the arrival hall. passengers would have been coming though at this arrival hall. it has to be assumed it was lost over water. until concrete evidence of that is found, or debris on the surface of the sea, they can't come to that conclusion. we understand the search and rescue operation is under way. we are getting into night-time hours. it's getting dark in the south

china sea. if the visual confirmation is what we are waiting for, we may not get that until daylight hours. for the relatives, these are agonising hours. some relatives have been whisked away by airline officials. most relatives are at a nearby hotel, where they are awaiting news. quite a few are complaining about a lack of information that they've been receiving from the airlines, about what may have happened to the aircraft. for them the wait conditions. >> rob mcbride in beijing. thanks for being with us. >> good morning, we're checking out the temperatures across the country. this mornings not too bad. we are at the freezing point in chicago.

it's 21 degrees, heading to the houston area. starting in the mid 50s, 28 in the mile-high city. chillier there. heading to the upper midwest. we'll start in the single digits. elsewhere 20s and 30s. seeing a warming trend. across the north-east we are down to 17 in albany, 76 in new york city and heading into the afternoon, we'll see a nice warm up. close to 70 degrees, will be up to 60 around d.c. and new york city, filling the building with highs. heading out on sunday, it will be a tad cooler. the warmth over the south. notice the cool air making its way in across the great lakes. tempt tours will fall. many in the low 40s. quite some time since we had temperatures like that. the trend will continue monday. >> the united nations human

rights council expressing concern about the egyptian government's use of violence against protesters, the warning after seven protesters were killed. opposition protesters fired weapons and hurled petrol bombs at police and used tear gas. four police men were injured. 48 were injured nationwide and egypt has been in turmoil. meanwhile, mohamed morsi's political party, the muslim brotherhood has been called a terrorist group. anyone that joins the group could face 30 years in prison. since mohamed morsi was ousted they have been labelled an extremist group by gulf nations. the muslim brotherhood released a statement saying it was surprised by saudi arabia's decision based on its positive history with that country. >> a troubled ukraine.

why one region is leaving the nation. >> saying energy by creating duel time zones. >> mark morgan - the western conference has a problem. we look at the hottest teams coming up.

>> good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford and these are the top stories - heart broken relatives wait for news on loved ones as a jet vapishing. ma 370 was carrying 239 passengers and crew. the plane has crashed off the coast of vietnam. malaysian authorities deny the reports. >> at the moment we have no

information of any wreckage. we have no information of that, but we are looking at all possibilities. >> and ukraine's interim government says it will not give up crimea. it's calling on russia to make sure international observers can operate in the region. russia is believed to have 20,000-30,000 troops on the ground. the crimea says they are local forces not under their control. >> the crisis is striking fears upon an ethnic minority. many parents are taking children elsewhere because they are afraid the crisis will escalate. the family answered an invitation where they hope to be part of the independent ukraine. >> ethnic tatars make up 30% of

the crimean population. hundreds of thousands have been forced from the homes in the 1940s, many fleeing across the black sea. we have that story from istanbul. >> the new blockbuster on turkey's tv starring turkish actor - he plays is a mutts limb soldier. whose loyalties need him to switch sides and help turkey. the historic reality, turkey-speaking hughes limes was grim. fighting for centuries and sentenced to mass deportation in the 1940s. half dying from starvation and tees. >> there was 15 minutes notice, time to grab bread and the koran and flee. >> the lucky ones found sanctuary in turkey what was

happening. >> we will not suffer like the 1940s. we are standing confirm much we are receiving coals and emails. we are a different group in turkey, educated democracy and will not behave like the russians. >> the crimean tat tars have the backing of turkey's government. he stressed the importance of crimea and called for stability and the preservation of the territory of ukraine. everyone is worried about an escalation of force. word spread that the ukrainian navy ship was passing and may have changed its flag to a russian one. the bospherous connects the mediterranean with the black

sea. europe is that way, ukraine, crimea and russia is that way. it's an historic highway. >> this person warned russia to be careful. >> there are muslim soldiers in the russian army. during the invags of afghanistan some put down their guns and refused to fight other muslims. russia needs to keep this fact in mind. >> without turkey's support, crimean tar tars believe their people would have been almost wiped out. and they have learnt from their history. >> violence between muslims and christians in the central african republic, forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. malcolm webb reports from the democratic republic of congo, where many -- refugees sought shelter. >> every one here left their

homes. every time a truck comes with new arrivals, there's excitement. here people can joke. "you fled." it's a way of mocking each other for a bit of fun. back home things are worse. thousands have been killed, many missing. >> they managed to hold out until now. >> translation: my mother and father left on 5 december. i don't know if they are still alive. >> she is one of 3,000 central africans that fled. >> people living here wait for food to be distributed and they depend on what they are given to survive. it gets heated. >> translation: we have been suffering in the camps for one

month now. >> the amount of food we get was small. it's not enough. >> everyone is given two small bars of soap and a bag of salt. they get cooking oil in a plastic bag. next everyone gets 2 kilos of harico beans and a bucket of rice. it's enough for each person to survive for two weeks. >> the u.n. wants to avoid mass dependency on food aid. they arranged land for farming. it's difficult to bring supplies. the camp is isolated. roads have been cut off. supplies have to be transported by river. >> it's the dry seven, so the rivers are low. it's hard for the big boats to bring the food to the refugee

champs. >> there's 9,000 in the camp and more are arriving. the village is becoming a town. people here don't expect to go back soon. >> sunday marks 7 years since former fbi agent robert levy son was kidnapped in iran. he turned 66 on monday. he served two decade with the agency before retiring. according to his family he was working as a freelance spy for the c.i.a. and in a statement released they asked iran for a safe return. the u.s. government has an obligation to bring him home. >> a man on death roe for many years has been exonerated. he was convicted of the murder

of a grandmother and her grandchildren. he is alleging that the prosecutor had evidence that could have cleared him at trial. >> i'm not angry. anger does nothing but continue to take from your life. i've been given a second channed at my life, and i'll blessed to come and live as a free man. they are going to be executed. >> he is filing a grievance against the prosecutor hoping to his his licence revoked. >> a woman that charged a mini van into the ocean with her children inside has been charged. she's macing first degree murder and aggravated child abuse. the mother and three children were bulled from the car. she says it was an accident.

>> now over to india where at least 78 million people are homeless despite the recent economic growth. 170 million live in slums and are described as almost homeless. a shortage of $19 million houses is a factor. we have more from new delhi. this man and his puppets may not be here for much longer. his family have been performing like this for generations. his ancestors were homeless nomads set lipping in the forest -- settling in the forest areas. the government let them say until now. >> translation: we built this community others joined us, over the years we formed a special community. >> over 25,000 people live here in this slum.

now a private developer bought the land and wants them to move. >> if our homes are taken away, i will be homeless. where do i go? >> homelessness is a big problem in india. many people migrate to urban areas to found work or a safe place to live. in the last official sensis, 78 million people - nearly the entire population of germany - are homeless. >> al jazeera visited shelters like this last winter. there are 250 shelters like these, across new delhi. charities say while the government provide the land, they provide food, access to health care and education. the weather is a concern of the. >> winter is harsh. summer is hard. the temperatures is 48, 49. electricity is not there. water is not there. they need some application.

they can be provided by providing them with space, water, sanitation and if possible medical help. >> officials say the homeless number is 56,000. it's estimated obvious 200 died on the streets last year. back at the neighbourhood we are not moving is the overwhelming feeling among the community. they say they will not become homeless again. no one here is being evicted yet. others have little choice but to call the pavements and homes of india their only home. >> the debate over charter schools is heating up in new york. kids in poor district fair better getting access to a private education. critics say the program helps a few, and distracts from the larger education issue. >> one building, two schools,

this is public school number 142 which has 400 student. on the other side of the building is manhattan charter school with separate entrances and classrooms and curriculums. >> i feel like my child drives with the different programs. >> charter schools are funded by taxpayers' money but are not bound to the same rules. supporters insist they produce students of a get are grade. >> he's having new experiences. he's coming home reading. it's my first experience with charter, i love it. >> they are accused of theory picking students, with few selected having learning disacties. demand has never been higher. enrolment increasing bip 275%. the public versus charter school

debate exploded. >> a child with early childhood... >> mayor bill de blasio says money is needed to fund the public school system and will block funds for charter schools inside existing buildings. >> you are taking on supporters and politically acting people, well financed and tied to the wall street community. >> the mayor is taking on the state governor. public schools are pailing pupils -- failing pupils and the country. the heat is on, but the charter school movement could have national ramifications. >> it's very much bringing on a management style that is much more corporate and top down, committed to the ideal of public

schools serving everyone in the community. >> everyone acknowledges the u.s. education report card needs to improve. no one could agree on which textbook has the right answer. >> n.b.a. best are battling for a play-off, and mark morgan is here to tell us about a team that is no lodge -- longer under the radar. >> i have three words, fear the beard. lost in the shuffle of the kevin durant-lebron james is that harden is having abb amazing season, trailing durant and james. he may be as important to his team as they are to theirs. hardon was ready to saddle up.

he had four rebounds, four assists what three steels. houston crushes indiana 112-86, the rockets 22 and 6. a crazy day in dallas. watch with three from the winning. navs up one. blazers up one later. lil ard for three, struggling with 10 points. later in the fourth blazers up by two, a steal the other way. watch this - nicely done. tied at 98. that's the one i want to make known of. paris would make the free through. that's a purpose over. that's the end of the game, navs one it 103-98. >> let the madness begin in the n.c.a.a. tournament field. they have the first entrant and punching a ticket to attorney

has become a right of spring. it's harvard and yale. ciann jirks chambers. harvard out of the gate. chambers finding steve for the 2-handed slam. one for three. a 60-2 run. >> another dunk. 330 let. harvard up by eight. hardvard wins 70 by 68. crimson making a league appearance. >> how difficult was the classic. tiger woods nine of 18 leads, phil mickelson three bogeys, and certainlyio garcia hitting an in my opinion. second round action.

par 4, third hole, woods 134 out. his approach lands on the green. he has issues. the ball kicks down the bang, into the water, 100 balls hitting the water. tiger not happy. he bogeyed the hole. >> 91 feet, 7 inches. tiger 5 over after 36 holes. among your leaders. dustin johnson. watch the pitch. hot on the fifth home. he ends up within a few feet of the hole. three atop the leader board at one under. woods is six shots off the pace. >> that's a look at sports. i'm mark morgan. >> lots of rivalries. >> lots going on. >> harvard and yale - harvard always wins. >> three straight times. >> i'm not bias. thank you so much. i want to take you to the top

story, a malaysian airliner on its way to beijing has gone missing with 239 people on board. joining us more is rashman manmohan singh, a reporter who just attended a news conference. thank you for being with us this morning. first off, these types of planes have a nearly spotless record. when you heard it was missing, what did you think, given how sophisticated this is. >> i think i was shocked. the last time an accident happened was in 1995. all malaysians were praying and hoping that everything would be all right. >> we are hearing contesting reports, about whether or not---age was found. did you find any new information to the press conference. >> the information from the

prime minister - he held a press conference. he confirmed that no wreckage was found. in a report the vietnamese said they found wreckage. the prime minister said no wreckage has been found. in fact, they conducted a search and rescue mission at the point where the last contact was made with air traffic control and they'll extend the search region. >> what about the lost signal. the vietnamese government said it lost all contact one minute before it entered vietnam's air. did they say anything about that or the black box on the plane. >> no one asked questions on that. >> what about the families, have they said what they are doing to keep the families abreast of the information?

>> families are in the malaysian airport. they were told to bring their passports to the airport in case they wanted to go to beijing. and the airline said they'd bring any of the nest of kin to beijing if they wanted to. right now they are still at the airport. the airline is providing assistance to the family members at this time. >> they said they'd bring the passport and the next of kin to beijing. did they say whether they were scheduling press conferences. >> almost every few hours. every two hours. >> every two hours. >> every two hours. they would have a press conference. maybe three hours, and another one, the next press conference

in one and a half hours by the department of civil aviation. >> when it comes to nightfall, did they say whether they'd continue to search or call off the operation because of night time conditions. there's no mention of that. even now, it would be nightfall, but they said they were still conducting the search. thank you for joining us. >> a grand site on the largest of the great lakes. a rare event that has tourists flocking before the winter weather warms

>> an attempt is made to set a world record in the philippines for international women's day. thousands of women are in the capital standing in the giant formation of a symbol for female. coming up at 8 o'clock we speak to sally field, hollywood ledge edged, taking part in -- legend taking part in an event. daylight save iing time starts -- saving time starts the 2am tomorrow. it was an idea by gen franklin to -- ben franklin making people utilize candles. >> and some people changing to create daylight of their own. >> this is what 5:30 looks like here. while the rest of india waits another hour to see the sunlight the day has begun and in other

nearby state. for this man and his family that means getting the kids ready for school and himself ready for work starts early. >> i sart of seven. -- start at seven. my kids go to school 6:15 on word. my day starts at 5:45. >> it's 7:30 in the sun has been up for two hours. things start earlier in the north-east of india, and that comes with a set of problems. >> the office work end by 3:30. it doesn't give him time to enjoy the rest of the day. >> golfers like us have lights on. we struggle to finish the last two games. >> the senior government official saying having a new time zone will affect people and productivity.

>> if they are related to the time zone, which we see in other industries. >> critics of the idea say having another time zone about isolate the nearby region making one part of the country out of sync with the other. >> this man disagrees. >> time zone has nothing to do with this country. it's more related to the economic development. back at his home, he says there'll be adjustment in having two time scenes in the country. after 5:00 pm the sun starts to set. people feel being able to enjoy the day when there's daylight out will be worth it. >> this winter's freezing temperatures opened up a path to adventure in the midwest. we have a report from the chile

bay field wisconsin. >> it's a track more than a mile long through deep snow across a now frozen lake superior. for those that make the journey to the hidden caves of apostle island national park - they say it's worth it. >> it's beautiful. >> even though it's freezing. >> get in, under, around these things. it's tremendous. >> tucked along the lake superior shore is a display of ice formations, created by the wave patterns and coloured by the minerals. the result is a magestic series of cultures. each different from the next. it's not just the natural beauty that attracts many, it's accessibility. you'd only be able to get here by boat. because of record sub zero temperatures, you could get

across by walking the late. >> thousands are doing that. >> most would have missed the phenomenon if it hadn't been for kelly who posted pictures. >> that post went viral. it had 10,000 viewers. we were at 85,000 viewers. at that moment we knew something big had happened. >> bayview had a population of 8400 people. businesses have been overrun with visitors since the pictures were posted. >> it will be weeks before the only hotel in town has a vacancy. >> there are stores opened that typically are closed in the windows. >> it may be the biggest exposure potentially. >> at maggie's restaurant, the chef can't keep up with demand.

at night it's the only restaurant in town that is open. >> i am sure we almost tripled the numbers last year. >> ice displays are weather permitting. no one is sure how long the sculptures will last or whether they'll return next year. >> this is unusual because climate change is decreasing ice on lake superior are. this is unusual. the polar vortex making it a cold air, it's not typical. it's an endangered national park experience. we don't know whether your kids or grandkids will do this. >> since mid-january 80,000 behaved the temperatures. at weekends they are attracting 10,000 fews a day. more than any other. it's a glimpse of a national

phenomenon that may never be seen again. >> one of the art world's prestigious shows are open to the public. >> crowds lined up to catch the new showcase. the exhibition is open until may 25th. at the end of the first hour, here is what we are following - search crews are scouring the gulf of thailand. >> ukraine's interim government vows to hold on to crimea. plus, the united nations is calling for monitors to be allowed access to venezuelan. it follows reports of human

rights abuses. teemps tours are getting -- temperatures are getting back to normal across the east. i'll have your forecast. >> i'm morgan radford. i'll be back with you in 2.5 minutes. don't go anywhere.

>> we are doing everything that we can to ensure that every possible angle in this situation is addressed. >> vanished into thin air. the search for a jumbo jet that disappeared with more than 200 people on board. >> ukraine will never let crimea become part of rush a. moscow may have other ideas.

>> there was no indications that we know of that tasted funny. >> it was supposed to be their first meal together in a new home. what was their state dinner was tainted with that had a family of four hallucinating. >> i was asked by the school to break my wedding vows to keep my job. >> an ultimate maton for the vice president at a catholic school in the north-west, and why he is suing them. >> good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, live in new york city. >> breaking news - a malaysia airlines jumbo jet vanishes on route. the plane was set to land.

air traffic controllers lost contact. flight mm-hmm 370 was carrying many passengers. families are waiting in malaysia for news. that's where rob mcbride is waiting. >> we understand distraught families are waiting for news. what type of information are we getting as they wait. >> it is. as you said, 14 hours. this is the arrival hall where the aircraft should have arrived. the people during the day, there has been relative spends arriving here. some of them distraught, some

hearing something had happened. many of those people have been whisked away, accompanied away. there are several hundred friends at a nearby hotel to here waiting for any information. there are media and several hundred at hotels. as you can mag, for the relatives it's an awful time. they are in a couple of waiting rooms. there are holes there at the hotel. some came out and complained about the alt of information they have or -- the amount of information they have or have not been getting. some say they haven't heard anything at all. for the airline this is an awful time. they are in an awful predicament. they cannot confirm what has happened to the aircraft with the differing versions. >> speaking of the differing versions - conflicting reports.

vietnamese official say the plane crashed off the coast and malaysian authorities denying it. >> is it still being treated as a search and rescue mission? >> that's right. it's adding to the confusion for the agony. vietnamese authorities claim it has crashed but the international newsagents are not able to get confirmation of that. the malaysian authorities said that they can't confirm it until they get confirmation from the scene that there has been debris floating. this is what the al-asian authorities had to say earlier today, the transport authorities. >> at the moment with have no

information of any wreckage. we have no information of that, but we are looking at all possibilities. >> so the search and rescue operation is continuing in the area where it's suspected the aircraft went down. it is involving aircraft and ships. it is now getting into night-ti night-time. they may not get visual confirmation until we are back in the daylight hours overnight. >> speaking of that, have they continuing to arch as night falls or will they wait until morning? >> we have to assume that the search - we are sure - will continue. they'll be looking for any kind

of evidence of debris, and then also if we are assuming now, and i suppose gin it's more than 14, 15 hours since we had contact from the aircraft, that it probably has gone down in the sea. if it went down over land, we would have learnt of the fate. if it has crashed in the sea, we would be looking for transponder signals from the black box. >> rob mcbride in beijing, thank you for being with us. >> captain ros amir, retired pilot and a consultant. these types of planes have a nearly spotless record. when you first heard that it was missing, what did you think, given how sophisticated the plane is. >> this is ross amer, by the way.

the 777 was a fairly new 777, 200 lr, standing for long range. it has an excellent safety record, and so does malaysian airlines, old established airline. but very good track record. if you recall, with the exception of the crash in san francisco of asiana and another, british airways airplane in london, heathrow, it's had a fantastic safety record. it's a great airplane, i have flown it, loved it. so it was very puzzling for me that the airplane this softist kags and this size would, as you said earlier, just vanish into thin air.

it's unprecedented. we have hardly had a situation like this. >> sure. let's talk about your experience for a minute. the captain of these planes, this particular plane was flying for 30 years. the copilot - that's a lot of experience. is it possibility that the pilot could have gotten lost? >> no, that is almost impossible for that type of aeroplane. those guys are highly trained. every pilot that's flown that plane or something similar is at the peak of their experience, and what comes to find is that at least they would have sent a may day signal, but on the other hand when i look at the topography of that area in south-east china, and near

vietnam, unfortunately we are talking about a black hole. the communication with vietnam is still almost like the stone age. it's done by hf radio. high frequency radio which is kind of an old technology, very sporadic. there's hardly any radar coverage in the area. vietnam is basically in the old junk , very dense, inactionable jungle. >> you call it dense, but the vietnamese jungle said it lost 1 minute before it entered traffic control. >> how exactly is that signal activated. >> the signal - both the voice recorder, cockpit voice recorder

and the flight recorder known as the black box - they are not black, they are bright orange. they can withstand extreme impact forces. they have their own signal that is activated on crash or subemergence. they immediately send the signals and will send them for perhaps up to a month. so the rescue people should be able to pick up that locator, or like your correspondent said, it is some kind of a transponder. hopefully their rescue people will pick up the signal. once that signal is received, it's easy to go to that location. >> all right. thank you so much captain ross

amer. retirement pilot and c.e.o. we'll bring you the latest on the missing plane throughout the morning. you can get up to date information on the website aljazeera.com. or twitter. >> ukraine's interim government has again vowed not to give up crimea and is calling on russia to allow international inspectors into the region. russia is believed to have between 20 and 30,000 troops. local self-defence forces are not under russian control. phil ittner, the interim government in kiev calls the upcoming referendum illegal. could they do anything to block it? >> not really. they have - they have appealed to the west to put pressure on russia, and say the referendum on the 16th is ilget nate,

upconstitutional. as far as making it stop, that's going to be difficult. clearly they have russian support, delegation from the crimean parliament. they got strong words from the russians. they can cry or make an outcry about it as much as they want, but it's unlikely. >> with an outcry, with the russian boots on the ground, is ukraine's interim government able to challenge what seems to be a russian occupation of ukrainian territory? >> certainly not militarily. the ukrainian armed forces have been slashed in the past 10 years for a variety of reasons. they have called up conscripts, set up recruitment centres. facing a fast and powerful military like the russian army is going to be near impossible for this country. >> the crimean appears to be

hanging in the balance. much of the country is moving forward. how does this interim government plan to unit a country with divided loyalties? >> well, you know, that's at the heart of the crisis, does ukraine go west or east. interestingly enough, if you translate the name of that nation, in english that is translating as on the ledge. this is a country that has been historically split between east and west. they've gone one way and the other and that's where we find ourselves in this crisis. it will determine the future of the country, whether it will be tide to europe or stay with moscow. that's the dividing line. >> on the edge. ironic. >> feel, always a pleasure to have you. >> russia's foreign minister warned secretary of state jer of

a boomerang effect if the u.s. takes punitive action over the crisis in ukraine. we have more. >> after working the phones for days joint chiefs of staff chairman martin dempsey relayed a message for congress. >> they are concerned, they seek assurance for their security. >> punctuating that point, the government will send six f-16 fighters. president obama was on the phone. consulting with david cameron while on the road. this as the white house came under attack. in a sharp exchange with secretary of defense chuck hagel. >> it was not predicted by our intelligence and it's been

well-known. it's a massive failure because of our misrateding of the intentions of vladimir putin. >> i said that we were... >> let me finish my statement. >> that is that mr vladimir putin was not going to see sevastopol go. >> early last week we were aware of the threats. we don't accept anything that vladimir putin says as fact. >> the top republican accused mr obama of weakness abroad and said russia's move into crimea is a result. >> this is a moment when barack obama will have to leave. still, there were signs that republicans will stand behind the president on economic aid to ukraine. >> the majority working with committee chairs on a possible bill dealing with sanctions that could strengthen the president's

hand. >> the question. will europe, which is more dependent on russian trade agree to sanctions. >> does to present a problem in going along with what secretary kerry wants. >> they have been clear about willingness and openness about hold initials in ukraine accountable. >> we continue to follow the event in ukraine as they upfold. >> for breaking news and updates check out the live blog on aljazeera.com. >> and we are finally clearing out the rain, ice and snow that hit north carolina, and one winter whole app that began knocking out power to half

a million. the governor declared a state of emergency. other parts of the state are under flood warning after seeing two inches of rain. three inches of snow and 2 inch in rally. i am happy to say that things are looking better, not only across the mid-atlantic but the middle of the country. we are watching the storm system and clearing in behind it, along with milder temperatures. it is nice and quiet this morning. we have the chili air in place. we have reduced visibility and slak spots on the roadway. maybe a little glaze. we have cold air in place making its way down to the southern plains. we'll have more of a

south-westerly flow, giving temperatures a boost. we are talking 40s and 50ies across the north-east. this morning chicago are spilling that. we are seeing a mix. we have light snow falling. notice how narrow the band is. per not expecting to see a lot. >> back in the parts of kansas and down around the oklahoma, we are seeing snow falling. we have a lot of moisture in place, more coming onshore. we are expecting heavy rain showers overnight into sunday. >> chicago police are investigating a fatal accident at a thrift store. police say a store worker was sorting through donated clothing

when he discovered something in a sock. he emptied it, a gun fell into his hand, firing, hitting a co-worker in the chest. the 54 year-old was pronounced dead an hour later. she worked at the thrift store for 25 years. >> alan grayson will not face charges after his estranged wife accused him of pushing her into the door of their house. a restraining order was granted. grayson's office released a statement saying: >> the former vice president of a catholic high school in seattle is suing the school and the city's arch diocese for firing him because he's gay. they fired the wrongful termination and discrimination

suite. it may not matter whether the church discriminated against him. hundreds of students have protested demanding the re-instatement. the former teacher said the school decision is unfair. >> i was asked by the school to break wedding vows to keep my job. i was told to get a divorce or be fired. how can anyone ask anyone else to make that choice. >> he married his long-time partner. >> it is stone cold in minnesota that pipes are frozen solid. desperate times call for desperate measures. wait do you see what it takes to flush the toiletful. >> i'm proud the tyrants issued an arrest warrant.

>> he's a wanted man but not breaking his message of peace. how a monk is using nonviolence in an attempt to change your his government. >> allegations of torture and abuse against the government of venezuela. the united nations is demanding answers.

>> the long cold winter is causing some minnesota people to come up with solutions. kathleen green has not had h running water since sunday. the plumber came and went, but still no water. city workers and neighbours came up with a simple but ingenious idea, running a plastic hose from the house, across the yard, through the snow and behind the yard to the spigot with instant results. >> how does it feel? >> wonderful. >> what neighbours do for each other. >> you don't realise it, how

spoiled we are. >> it takes two buckets of snow to flush the toilet. kathleen green believes the problem is in a pipe under the street. this will that is fixed or textures rise, she's rely on the garden house for water. good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. next, efforts to make your credit card secure. first, meteorologist eboni deon is here with the latest. >> we are actually going to see a warming trend. we are starting below the freezing point. 17 degrees. 19 in omaha. denver - the temperature is a little warmer since the last hour. we are up to 30. minneapolis, why today temperatures will be below average, we'll get into the lower 40s. the snow pack will be thing. temperatures will be nicer. >> america's job engine is packing power.

job growth stronger than expected in the u.s. and the government says employers added 175,000 positions. the jobless rate ended up a notch to 6.7%. more people started to look for work, and 4 million have been out of work for six months or more. >> in thailand it's been a week since anti-government protesters pulled up the road block. the main streets returned to normal. the movement to topple the government is not over. scott heidler met up with a buddhist monk in it for the long haul. >> although the majority of protestors retreated to a city park or home, a few dedicated groups still take to the streets of bangkok. one is headed by this man, a monk named budda issara.

>> translation: 82 years of the democracy in thailand made it possible for government to be corrupt. >> a controversial figure, budda issara's followers still block a street. they've been there for nearly two months. he says he beats regularly with anti-government protest leaders. >> i do not take orders from sutep or anyone. we operate separately, working towards the same goal. >> there's an rest warrant out. an insurrection charge for his role in a violent protest. >> i am proud that the tyre ants issued the arrest warrant on me. if the good people issued an ast warrant, i would be sorry. >> budda issara established this

monastery. he's a prominent figure in this community. some want him disrobed and removed from the monk hood. >> one of them feel his actions go against the religion's foundation. >> i think he's guilty of creating disharmony. we don't want people fighting and killing. >> buddhist leaders have issues with the moption -- monk taking money for his movement. meself not been back to his mop aftry or a temple. it's been difficult for anyone to take action against him. >> every day we do learning. as thailand works on a change of narrowing the political divide, the leadership faces a

challenge, keeping its monks in a role it sees as appropriate. >> a multi-million dollar couple murdered - the suspect his sop. a family sits for dinner and wind up in hospital. what their food was laced with that had them hallucinating. >> president obama's handle of the crisis in the ukraine drawing comparisons to kennedy's cuban mice ail crisis. >> coming up, the story of a taken making a run during march madness last even and may be poised to do it

>> we return now to our top story. heart broken relatives wait for

news on their loved ones after a malaysian airline jet vanishes on route to beijing. it was carrying 239 passengers. the plane has crashed off the coast of vietnam of the the malaysian authorities deny the report. >> at the moment we have no information of any wreckage. we have no information of that, but we are looking at all possibilities. >> search and rescue mission under way as teams scour the water between malaysia and vietnam looking for traces of the missing jet. many families are waiting in budget. they are frustrated. some are moving to a local halt, awaiting any information whatsoever on the whereabouts of their loved ones. malaysia is a popular vacation destination. 152 passengers are from china.

>> i'm very, very worried now. what if something horrible happened. i'm really scared. my husband has been contacting family friends in malaysia and telling them what is going on. >> some relatives complained being left in a hotel. we'll continue to bring you the latest on the missing plane. you can get up to the minute information on the website. >> russia's foreign minister warned secretary of state john kerry of the boomerang effect if the u.s. takes punitive action over the crisis in ukraine. russia is believed to have 20-30,000 troops on the ground. the local defense system - they are not under russia's control. many report closer ties with their cultural homeland.

many ask what that moons. >> vladimir lenin stands in the historic capital of crimea. not far from sevastopol. here some people are worried history may repeat itself. communist leader stalin expelled the tartars on mass in 1934. >> not so long ago when the tatars were deported from crimea, the same thing happened. soldiers came with amps within 15 minutes people were thrown out of their homes. tatars that came back don't plan to let it happen again. >> they formed self-defences groups. >> there's an an understandable mistrust. >> this minority group was hoping for international support, but is certain it will not come in time.

>> if putin makes a decision, he makes it in the morning. in the evening it's implemented. no bureaucracy, delays or nothing. >> as for u.n. structures, europe in, it takes months. by then it will be over. >> things are moving fast. the city council of sevastopol thursday was to become part of russia. trying to help predetermine a referendum of the future on march 16th. brought forward by the pro-russian pampt. >> considering the geopolitical situation, we decided the sooner we are done, the quieter it will be and people will be safer. >> all this happens as russian ships block the ukrainian navy, calling for them to surrender. not an ideal environment for a reference um. >> michael brings investors to

sevastopol. he says the crimean people are not in control. >> this is the game between russia and the united states. they are the major players of this game. if they come to good agreement, then definitely everyone will be happy. >> here in this naval city and across crimea, there's no agreement in site. the longer the military standoff continues, the harder it becomes. >> the crimean parliament is preparing to hold a referendum on whether to join russia or stay a part of ukraine. russia is ready to welcome them. peter sharp reports from moscow. >> a standing ovation for the crimean deputies arrive at the russian parliament. their overwhelming vote to join the russian demonstration was applauded, seen as a declaration

of independence. the message from their russian brother - welcome home, and a promise. everything is clear from this side of moscow. if we see you are ready, i assure you our total support. everyone is as excited, because this is a festive occasion. >> festivities extending to red surveyor, and no doubt here the crimea will attend when the bill speeding up goes before the doouma. if they fail, crimea could become the first territory to join russia since the break up of the soviet union in 1981. the significance not lost. among observers, the concern at the pace of change your, and the direction putin appears to be

taking. >> if you see yourself as a political leader, father of nation, staying several steps ahead of the general public, and he brings his country enorm success, there's a mistake. >> talk to experts in moscow, and they'll tell you there are powerful reasons why vladimir putin is taking a hard line over this crisis. there's no doubt that vladimir putin regards ukraine's westward drift as a threat to russia's security. >> kremlin watchers in moscow believe the uprising against an authoritarian government sets a dangerous precedent for vladimir putin's presidency. >> vladimir putin himself was in sochi on friday night to preside over the opening of the

paralympic games, dominated by the will they, won't they debate. >> hours before the start they agreed not to boycott the games, but warned they'd quit sochi if the security situation worsened. >> recently an article was written drawing comparisons between president obama's approach to the crisis in ukraine and john f kennedy's during the 1962 missile crisis in cuba. the u.s. moved a number of military assets no the baltic regions. how soars of an indication is this -- serious of an indication is this, that things are more dangerous than expected? >> this is an almost predictable response. the u.s. has to though power in the region to get negotiations started. it is part of the pattern.

>> speaking of the pattern and needing to show power, can the u.s. sit back without throat of punishment. >> no, the u.s. made moves to suggest punishment. that is part of the kind of creating the conditions for good negotiations. you have to show strength to get the other side to take you seriously. >> what type of precedent does this set for iran and north korea. >> if you look at iran and north korea. you are trying to do negotiations on the grounds. one of the reasons is that nobody wants to go to war. you have to do all the things short of war. given a peaceful settlement, you draw the comparison between president obama and j.f.k.

>> can you prepare robert mcnamara and chuck hagel. >> the difference is that the crises were unique. the strategy used by kennedy and barack obama is similar. the defence secretaries figure into this. first of all you rally our allies, in kennedy, latin america and president obama, it's europe. then you have the united states and n.a.t.o., and bring in the u.n., that has taken place, and then you threaten sanctions. >> all those european allies are not on board. >> this is true, and this is part of the negotiation process.

it is necessary in order to get to the point of negotiations. the final thing is you have to give the adversary, russia, an exit strategy, so they can feel that they are withdrawing from the crisis without being humiliated. that is crucial to make it work. >> what do you think in this case app exit strategy would look like. >> right now that's one that president obama is pressing, to have the russian troops in crimea scattered around, withdraw to their bases in sevastopol, and then allow the international observers to come in and protect the russians who where threatened by nazi-like elements from injury or damage. that is the car that the americans are playing at this point. >> what do you make of the crimean referendum. >> this, you know, is a

situation where if that reftend up passes, it may be a done deal. at that point, you know, the russians will be able to argue that this is a vote that was fair and what the people of crimea want. they'll detach from ukraine. it's against international law. it's was never allowed to participate, and we'll be at loggerheads with no final solution and dissatisfaction. >> putin will be the winner in the first scenario. >> he'll be the winner, but at great loss, because people will see him as an aggressor. >> not something after the success of the sochi olympics. >> it puts a blemish on the soicks. >> we talked about president barack obama and john f kennedy.

what are the everyones its. cuba was an island off the coast of the united states. ukraine is in the heart of europe. they are different situations. plus, russia did have an interest in ukraine. it's been part of their history for years. the u.s. has not have that relationship. there are unique characteristics that don't figure in to the plan. basically each president - kennedy and barack obama - have approached the fusing of the crisis in many of the same ways. >> the cuban missile crisis lasted 13 days. how long will this last. >> many years. >> author and fellow at the century foundation. thank you for being with us. >> reports of excessive force against ain't government

protesters are raising concerns at the u.n. the international agency is demanding that the government provide information on alleged torture, arbitrary detention and abuse. two more were killed. that's since mid-february. high inflation and violent crime fuelled the protest. >> a 19-year-old was arrested in the murder of his parents. he shot and killed them while they were sleeping in their home. police say he critically injured his 8-year-old brother and shot at but missed his 17-year-old system. a ashton was charged yesterday but are not revealing what led them to charging the teen. >> we are looking into all aspects of it. i can't tell you it's financial

or any other reasons. i can tell you that we are looking into it. the wealthy couple owned various properties and were involved in several businesses. the investigators would not say if ashton stood to gape. >> some say red meat is bat, but for a florida family it was almost lethal. a man, his pregnant girlfriend and two kids were rushed to hospital after eating steak laced with lsd. it came from a wal-mart store. it's unclear how it was tampered with. >> the family has no idea where this came from and there's no indication of involvement from the family. wal-mart pulled the stock from the shelves saying it was disturbed. >> march morgan radford under way with harvard qualifying from the n.c.a.a. tournament.

mark morgan is here with the cinderella story. >> remember the darlings of last year's big dance. the oogs of florida gulf coast university were high fliers, they earnt the nickname dunk city and made a run to the sweet 16. ross shimabuku travelled to fort myers to see how the eagles are handling success. >> they came from nowhere. seemingly dropping out of the sky. and on to the college basketball team. during a magical run, florida gulf coast used the n.c.a.a. tournament to but tongue city on the map, becoming the first number 16 seed to reach sweet 16. now it's a coveted destination. more than a college campus where basketball players stepped out of the apartment.

>> you have the palm trees, the pool. at the beach is amazing. something you can't put anywhere else. >> people who have never been here, a recruit comes in. >> how do you feel? >> take them to the beach. that's how they got me. >> their run came to an end. andy red field left to take the same job. i got a phone call after hearing he fined, "we're meeting in the locker room", he told us what we knew by then. >> florida hired kansas assistant joe dooley who game with a game plan to stop the eagles. kansas was scheduled to meet fccu in the tournament. >> we had a tape and i had it on my desk.

>> dunk city is not going anywhere. four players return. leading the charge for fccu brett comber. >> i think i'm crazy. i throw a lot of passes a lot of people would not agree with. it is the way i play with it. snow. i was going to get every touch. mum talked me into it. >> comber has a tattoo to honour his father. >> i put clouds around it, the lung cancer symbol, that's what mum passed away from. >> and comber honours his father before every game. i pay respect for him. without him i wouldn't be the person or player. he was tough on me.

you hated it at the time. you realised how much i missed that, having him here. >> what makes comber happy. i eat, breathe, sleep this. >> i'm here with my team-mate, that makes me happy. >> tomorrow the eagles can punch their tickets to the big dance. >> thank you. james brown said, "this is a man's world, but not today." we'll tell you have google is celebrating international women's day, and we talk to sally field. >> i saw them with their dreams. >> seeing app opportunity for higher education because she was brought to the united states illegalliment it's a plight many undocumented immigrants are deal with.

one state is working to give everyone an equal opportunity.

>> check it out. the google doodle is celebrating international women's day and the interactive icon is providing a glimpse of what women are doing to focus on the positive aspects of their lives. over 100 women are feature. oscar winning actress sally field in the next hour. we'll talk to her on behalf of women's rights. >> i'm morgan radford. in a moment the push for equality in higher education. first meteorologist eboni deon is here with a check on the nation's forecast. >> we are pinpointing the area seeing snowy conditions. there's not a lot.

a few ears are getting it. the storm is departing, bringing messy weather. now, we are watching a cold front sliding out across the great lakes. we'll see a little bit of light snow. here is the snow coming in, a little off of ontario. >> consumer data breaches at target and other retailers highlighted the need for secure credit cards. visa and mastercard joined forces to bring credit cards into the 21st secretary. emv technology, scoring information on a master chip. the newest technology has a deadline of next year to be implemented. >> it's not a done deal and

opponents could stop the tuition equality bill. jonathan martin spoke to people on both sides of the issue. >> graduating at the top of her class, 19-year-old jasmine hoped to attend a university and major in business. because she's undocumented she learnt that she does not qualify for in-state tuition. meaning that college is unaffordable. >> the week before my friend left, i cried myself to sleep. they were pursuing their dreams and i was stuck at home. >> when 7 jasmine and her mum moved. people who are illegal in minnesota must pay out of state fees. attending u.s.c. would cost $20,000 a year. >> you prepare students, but not

allowing them to go to college. not everyone has the same access. >> a bill before tennessee's legislate door could change things. allowing others to qualify if they lived in tennessee five years before graduating high school and meet academic requirements. >> when people have college degrees, they usually make more money - it's more taxes and productivity for the economy. there's an economic argument. and a good practical argument around fairness. now undocumented students deserve an county to pursue their dreams like all students do. >> there has been a lot of positive feedback from the representatives and senators. >> jasmine and others are meeting with lawmakers, sharing their story asking to vote in favour of the pill.

>> 19 states offer tuition to undocumented citizens. there are oponts. >> it's crazy. why would you reward someone for an ill-activitiment we are giving them a reward that we are not giving to people legally in the country, from kentucky, who may be over the border. >> she was a yes and turned into a no. >> jasmine will find out next week if the bill passes its first hurdle. until then she'll walk the corridors to put a face to the issue. >> only the house education subcommittees in tennessee education equality bill. >> traffic from the carnivale

are at a stand still because of garbage in the street. the gashage men are out on strike wanting more money. >> here is look at what we are following - search crews scouring the gulf of thailand for a missing plane. >> ukraine's interim government have yous to hold on to crimea. 30,000 troops are on the ground. next weekend residential votes on the referendum. the united nations calls for monitors to allow access to venezuela. the defense follows human rights abuses.

>> i'm mark morgan, the next hour. the first bracket is in for n.c.a.a. >> tmp tours arriving this -- temperatures this weekend, i detail the trend. >> and i'm morgan radford. we'll come back to you in

2 minutes. . >>... with all affected passengers and crew and your family members. >> heartbreak for family and friends after a malaysian plane bound for budget vanishes in the south china sea. wreckage may have been spotted. >> digging in - russia backs a plan for crimea to ses seed from ukraine as they increase boots

on the ground to as many as 30,000. >> today is international women's day. women making strides in leadership around the globe. >> >> good morning to you and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, live in new york city. we begin with breaking news, a malaysian airline jumbo jet vanishing on the way to beijing. the wreckage may have been spotted. the bow aring 777 -- boeing 777 was due to land 12 hours ago. air traffic controllers lost contact with it two hours after it took off from kuala lumpur. two oil slicks have been spotted. it's believed to have gone down in the gulf of thailand. family and friends of passengers

are anxiously awaiting at the airport in beijing. there were 239 on board the flight. >> an agonizing waited for news at the beijing international airport on what has happened to the aircraft, amid reports that the aircraft crashed into the sea en route from malaysia to budget. the reports came from vietnamese state media quoting an official saying the aircraft crashed 150 miles off the coast of vietnam. it's not been confirmed by mair lines. their point of view at the moment, officially, is that the aircraft is missing. until we see wreckage or there's confirmation that there's a crash landing at sea, they have to paint the position.

as far as we know the air-croft is listed as missing. an anxious time for relatives of people on board. 40, 50 we know are looked after at a hotel near here. we understand from chinese authorities 150 to 160 chinese nationals were on board. waiting for confirmation of what happened. >> that was rob mcbride reporting from beijing. >> many of the families waiting in beijing are becoming frustrated. some have been moved to a hotel, awaiting any information on the whereabouts of their loved one. malaysia is a popular vacation destination, 152 passengers were from china. >> translation: i'm very, very worried. what if something horrible happened. my husband has been contacting family friends in malaysia and telling them what is going on.

>> some relatives are accusing the airline of keeling them in the dark. they comblind about being left in a hotel room. mal-aish airline flight is a boeing 777 carrying 400 passenger es, 31,000 gallons of fuel. it can travel up to 6,000 miles and travels london to mork or tokyo to san francisco. i speak with captain ross amer. retired pilot and c.e.o. of aerosupport. i asked if the pilot could have got lost. >> that is almost impossible. those guys are highly trained. every pilot on that airplane is at the peak of their experience

and what comes to mind is that at least they would have sent a may day signal. when i look at the topography of that area in south-east china and near vietnam, we are talking about a black hole. the communication with vietnam is still almost like the stone age. it's done by hf radio, high frequency radio, which is an old technology, very sporadic. there's hard by any radar coverage over the china sea and vietnam, and vietnam is basically in that junk. very, very dense, inaccessible jungle. >> we'll bring you new develop

on the malaysian airlines plane, we have more reports planned for you later in the hour. >> ukraine says it will not give up crimea and are calling on russia to make sure international observers operate. russia is believed to have 20,000 to 30,000 on the ground. meanwhile diplomatic fall-out looms. russia's foreign minister warns of a boomerang effect if the u.s. faces sanctions on russia. >> now the crimean parliament is preparing to hold a referendum on whether to join russia or remain part of ukraine. let's bring in phil ittner from cove. how is the interim government responding to the call for this referendum? >> they are basically calling it

unconstitutional and illegitima illegitimate. the parliament making a symbolic vote, saying that they intended to rejoin with the russian federation. it will go to a general referendum. everyone on the peninsula will have a chance to face the vote. it's thought they'll lean east. there are minorities on the peninsula. the bulk are ethnic russians. a delegation got strong reaction in moscow of support. we'll have to see what the vote on the 16th will result in. >> you mentioned leaning east. the interim government calls the referendum illegal. could they do anything to block

it? >> not a lot. they don't have the means to certainly face off with the russian army on the ground, on the peninsula. as far as what they do as an alternative they are trying to gain international support. they are pleading with western powers to support them diplomatically. they have called on reservists to come back. it has to be reiterated the ukrainian army is no match for the russians. there are strong ties from kiev about how russia is annexing that peninsula. >> while the east of ukraine is mofing towards russia, the rest of the country is moving west. how is the government planning to reconcile with one country moving in two different directions.

>> this is the heart of the problem. this will be the major problem. they have a western laning population, geograndfathericly they are between the two. that's what the crisis is about. >> as we mentioned russia is warning of a backlash if the barack obama administration goes ahead with sanctions. let's bring in al jazeera's randall pinkston. >> good morning. what we know is that president obama is in florida, staying in close contact with his aids on a situation continuing in the y you -- ukraine and crimea. the white house released a summary of the president's conversation with the german leader angela merkel. both agreeing that russia should

pull back its military forces and allow the deployment of international observers and human rights monitors. men who are not wearing marked uniforms who are armed refused to allow monitors from the organisation niceation for security and cooperation in europe, they refused to allow them in to crimea. that effort falling on deaf ears. secretary of state john kerry is continuing his efforts to try to talk down the crisis. he was in touch with foreign minister sergei lavrov, saying both leaders agreed on a diplomatic solution being the best way out of this. sergei lavrov today is saying that this is not russia's fault and denies that russia is militarily involved. it's interesting what is going

on by the documents. >> randall pinkston joining us from washington d.c. >> the stand off over crimea is not stopping france selling two ships to russia, because france reports signed contracts. it's part of a $1.6 boilion deal. the vessels an carry 16 helicopters, four amphibious tank and hundreds of shoulders. russia has been building up its military. russian defense spending has risen 31% sips 2008 and 2013. that makes russia the third-largest spender behind china and the united states. the size of the military is not so clear. the institute has 845,000

troops, with a force of 2 million people. the ukraine is expected to have 230,000 troops but they are underfunded. >> six died in a rebel strong holdar syrian forces dropped barrel bombs. 17 opposition fighters were killed. an opposition activist say it's part of a campaign to cut off supply lines, controlling a highway linking the capital to the coast. >> reports of excessive force between protesters and journalists is raising concerns. >> the government is being asked to answer reports on torture and

abuse. the death toll is 21 sips february. high inflation and crime fuelled the protests. >> in elsaefl door a former marxist guerilla is poised to become the next president. his win would give the ruling party a second conservative term. his opponent warned voters that the e-rebel would move the country to the west. they have some of the worst gang violence and a sluggish economy. >> thank ni milder temperatures on the way from the north-east. let's bring in meteorologist eboni deon to tell us about the warm weather. >> 40s and 50s. we'll take it.

this weekend we see temperatures on the rise. there is still cold air out there. it's making its way southward. spilling to the southern plains. that's where we are dealing with a bit of snow. warm air is heading up the coastline. all the yellow shading showing where we'll see 50s and '60s. some of the areas dealing with cold will see a rebound. this morning it's the snow coming down. mainly across western arse of canvas. if you travel around dodge city you could run into that. well see gusty winds pegging up the snow. a winter storm warning in place. we have a frontal boundary. on the back side of it we see 30s. the milder air will surge

northwards, putting new york city around the 50 degree mark. around 60 as you make your way around virginia beach. on the quiet side with the exception of a little bit of snow. enter the north-west. we'll have the clouds and three to five inches of rain around seattle, leading to flooding. >> meteorologist eboni deon. search and rescue. a malaysian airliner disappearing. we'll have a live look on the latest of the fate of that plight. >> it's the 106th anniversary of the international women's day and sally field is putting her shoes on the pavement to promote women leaders.

>> goorping to you. welcome -- good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera

america. i'm morgan radford. ahead - the mair line jet that disappeared with 230 people on board. first the weather. >> today in chicago, we are dealing with snow, and it's coming down as we speak. slick roadways out there. temperatures closer to 14 degrees. the north-east is starting off in the 30s, upper 30s. as you make your way around boston, mid 40s, and a little bit of a break and a cool down. >> thank you. >> emotions running high at kuala lumpur where the missing jet took off from, before it lost contact with air traffic control 17 hours ago. as family and friends wait for word. malaysia deployed 15,000 troops.

let's turn to flaurns mooney for the latest. florence, is the u.s. assisting? >> the prime minister of malaysia confirmed that the u.s. navy will send two planes. he says they'll be concentrating in the area where the signal from that missing aircraft was last received. search and rescue is going on, but have not been able to detect a signal or stop signs of the plane. he confirmed that vietnam is involved in a search and rescue and spoke to the chinese prime minister earlier on saturday. offering his condolences on behalf of the malaysian government and people. as you know, the majority of the people are chinese nationals.

now, we know from a press statement by malaysian airloins that the safe mission - the air mission has discontinued for the time being because it's too dark. it will resume at first light, while the search mission by sea is going on. >> florence are relatives getting the information they need at this point? >> well, we know that the families have been told to gather at the kuala lumpur international airport where they'll be given the latest information. it has been a difficult time for them. until now, there has been no signal. they say they haven't been able to get any information. some have been told to return to the airport where they'll be given information. >> thank you so much for being

with us florence from kuala lumpur. >> today marks international women's day, marking the economic social and political achievements of women across the world. it calls attention to issues like genital mutilation. the u.n. helped to reduce the numbers in somalia an independent region, and a ban has been called out. it's carried out on 6,000 girls each and every day. >> a record has been attempted. thousands gather forming the giant female symbol. we'll speak to hollywood sally field, and she's with us now from "steel mag snowias" all the way to mrs. "doubt fire", and

the hit tv show "brothers and sits terse" and others. she now works with women's rights, working with international nga vital voices. joining us from washington d.c. is sally field, leading a walk in honour of international women's day. >> thank you for joining us for our special segment "weekend conversation." >> thank you. i'm loving this. >> some could argue that so much progress has been made in regards to women's rights. yesterday hillary clinton called gender inequality the unfinished business of our generation. >> when women and girls thrive, entire societies thrive. just as women rights are human rights, women's progress is

human progress. for all that we have achieved together, this remains the great unfinished business of the 21st century. in your opinion, ms field, what do you think is left to be done? >> yes, yes. everything. everything. women are the untapped resource of this planet. until we find a way to bring them to the table in every way, and in equal way and on a leadership level, until we can do that, the planet, the earth, none will feel - not economically i environmentally, human rights level or political research. it's an untapped resource. time is up. it must be down. vital voices is a pre'em nant group in what it -- pre-eminent group and goes in and invests on

women leaders. on every level. on a political level. on a human rights level. and puts them into their community to make the changes and do the work they have envisioned to do. when women are so clamped down educationally. they are not allowed to dream. they can't dream of dreams large enough. vital voices helps them to capture their original vision and push it out and change your the world. nothing will change your until we find a way to bring half the population to the taght in an equal participating way. we will not heal. we see it happening every moment of every day. >> it's not getting better. >> you mentioned we are an

untapped resource. my producer and i got into an interesting discussion about the changing face of women's right. she argues my generation of women don't label itself as feminist because we have reaped the benefits of foremothers so to speak. what changes do our generation of younger women face and the generations that came before it? >> you are talking about our - your generation as people who grow up in this country. in this country, if you talk about the united states, for instance, even here women are still making $0.70 on the dollar, and many times they are the ones taking care of the children, taking care of elderly parents, they may have more than

one job or be the soul bread winners. even if you use that alone, that can't be. that cannot be any longer. things have changed from the time i was a child, a young woman in this country. amazing heroes stood up and walked, marched, not a walk like this, a march. they screened for change your in a radical way and change your began, was beginning to happen, and then there's documentaries on why it clamped down again. now is the time because it's op a world level. a monstrous world level, how women are marginalized, broodalized and eradicated. it has to stop. there has to be a way to empower

the women to make the changes. it's been statistically proven that when women are allowed to participate in their communities, they are healthier and stronger. economically, environmentally, on a social rights level, if they are more democratic, they are more souped -- sound and safe. it is what it is. it is an economic fact. it is economics. the world will continue in poverty until women are brought to the table. >> that's something we heard hillary clinton say. you mentioned you were part of vital voices, an organization founded by farmer first lady and secretary of state hillary clinton. she's the presumed 26th presidential nominee.

is america ready to answer to madam president? >> i don't know. i would hope so. i mean, we are behind in that. there are many countries who have women who are the elected or they are the leaders of their countries. i would hope so. i would hope so. i would hope it's about the merit of the individual and not the gender any longer. like it is no longer about the colour. so it has - the gwender ine -- gender inequality has to end. we have to stand up and change your it. hillary clinton began the organization. scrint appointed the u.s. ambassador to global women's affairs, there has been never

appointed now. it's obviously something that secretary clinton knows is vital to change your. i would hope this country would vote for the person and not the gender. >> absolutely. i hate to interrupt you. it has been a pleasure having you with us this morning. we have to go to a black. sally field a member of vital voice. a pleasure to have you on the network. >> pope francis celebrates his first anniversary as pontiff and we talk about the last year with aetiology expert.

>> good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, and now to the top stories. >> heart broken relatives wait for news on their loved ones as a malaysia airlines jet vanishes on its flight to beijing. it's carrying 239 passengers and crew members. a vietnamese navy official say it crashed off the vote of vietnam. >> at the moment we have no information of any wreckage. we have no information of that, but we are looking at all possibilities. >> and ukraine's interim government says it will not give up op crimea, and is calling on russia to make sure international observers can brait in the region. the kremlin claims the men there

are local defence forces not under russian control. >> now to india, where 170 million people live in slums, despite india's growth. 19 million houses is a factor, and disability and unemployment are contributing to the epidemic. we have more. >> this man and his puppets may not be here for much longer. families like this have been performing for generations. his nomads settled in out are arse -- in outer areas. >> we were were all parts of india and farmed a special community. >> over 25,000 people live in the slum. a private developer has bout the land and wants them to move.

>> if our homes are taken away i become hemless, where do i go? >> homelessness is a big problem in india. many migrate to urban areas to find work. al jazeera visited homeless shelters like that, looking after as many as 140ate dults and 250 shelters like these, across new delhi. >> while the government provide the land recollects they provide food, access to health care. >> winter is harsh. electricity, water, shade is not there. they need application. and those can be provided by

providing thermal cool space, water recollects sanitation and help. >> officials say the homeless number is 56,000. 200 died on the streets last year. while no one is evicted yet. others have little joys bout to call the pavements in india home. >> next week marks a one week anniversary of pope francis. in the last week he has become a sensation. praised for his ability and compassion. with us now this morning to discuss the embrace of the poor and the rain is pat rib horn back. patrick, thanks for being with

us. first off. explain why the hope has become an icon. look back to a year ago, no one would have imagined that we had this story to a year and six weeks ago before ben effect the sfth esigned. it's been a rationalingable sign. the first pallal resignation. they are not followed by one who is the same. but sun - just from the beginning, so he gets in a bus and drives back, paying his hotel bill. though they haven't been changes in the teachings, i don't think for a lot of people that change this style is as important as the change your this substance. is this what made him an internet sensation. but that hasn't necessarily translated into numbers much catholics attending mass.

how does he turn that around. >> at fordham we are doing a study on catholics stepping away from the church. people who are capsized stop practicing the faith. about a sired of them. one of the things we are seeing is there's an enthusiasm about catholicism. it works in centuries, rather than years, and not the 24 hour news cycle. it will take a couple of years working out what the francis effect end up being. what i here is in is someone that embodies the values of jesus. it's seen as a top-down centralized church. it's what a lot of people see catholicism as.

>> the poem mentioned giving women a greater role in the church. do you think it's possible we'll see women ordained. >> that's a great question. >> ordained, i don't think so. in catholic teaching there's a distinction between theo logical teachings. related to the revelation from god, and church practices. up until the 13th century, they were for the most part married. we'll seymouried priests before we see -- see married priests before women priests. >> you mentioned about a third of kath licks leaving the church. why hasn't pope francis come to the u.s. >> there's a lot of countries. >> why not here? >> his first major international trip was to rio. and we saw 3 million on the beach. >> i think he'll come to the

u.s. people talked about so r 2015, a trip to philadelphia. he has a lot of other concerns. in the global internet era he is a volatile person. i don't think u.s. catholics are getting a lot of the pope. when he comes there'll be a fervor of enthusiasm. >> this week we learnt a sinful story when he admitted to stealing a rowsry across. >> i hadn't heart that. one thing he says the interview is the pope is a normal human. >> he's done so much. >> we think of pope's as being on a ped stam and being invaluable. he goes to bed. talks to friends and does what normal people do. who knows what else.

>> explain about the ashes to go ceremony. is this where people come to church. >> ash wednesday is celebrated in all denominations. it's a moment to think about the things we want to change your about our lives, and a range of places. they have priests and other folks. sometimes i think religion is app obligation that you have to put hours and hours into. what we learnt about religion is there's ways for people to be spiritual which are not necessarily as rule bound. >> and to make it more accessible. >> thank you patrick for being are us this morning. >> the c.p.a.c. is wrapping up its convention in washington d c of the the final roster of

speakers include newt gingrich and former vice president nominee sarah palin. rand paul whipped up the crowd. >> as our voices rise in protest, the n.s.a. monitors every phone call. if you have a cellphone you are under surveillance. i believe what you do on your cell fon is none of their damned business. [ cheering ] >> later today the conference will release the results of the presidential straw poll. >> florida congressman al-grayson will not face charms after his esstranged wife accused him of pushing her into a door. she walls granted a restraining order. grayson's office released a

statement saying: >> a man locked up for 18 years, 12 on death row is taking on the texas prosecutor who tried his case. anthony graves was convicted and was exonerated back in 2010, and says the prosecutor withheld evidence that could have cleared him at his trial. graves spoke to al jazeera america, and said he is not bitter. >> i'm not angry. anger does nothing but take from your life. i've been given a six in my life. i'm blessed to have this opportunity to life as a free man, when i seen so many other guys who lost hope and will never come out and they'll be

executed. >> the winter paralympics are underway in sochi despite escalated tensions. 45 teams are competing for medals and president took part in the ceremony, and sent out an installing flag bearer to represent its team in the athletes parade. >> issues down in miami and mark morgan is here with the story. sometimes i think it's amazing watching the big guns. gusty winds up to 30 minneapolis wreaked havoc. tiger woods hit nine of 18 greens, phil mickelson made three straight double bogeys, and serbingio garcia -- sergio

garcia putted a nine. second-round action on the par four. woods 124 yards out. his approach good to start. it kicks down the bank and goes into the water. 100 balls were hit in the water. tiger not hope, he would boeingy again. wasn't a bright spot for woods. a 91 foot 7-inch put. he is five over after 36 holes. among the leaders, dustin johnson. ends up within a few feet. birdie johnson joins three others. here is tiger on the wicked conditions. >> it was a tough golf course. i don't think that we expected the golf course to be that hard and fast. it kept getting quicker and

quicker. some of the locations were the wind directions which was impossible. >> a quick check of the leader board. four golfers under par. woods six off the pace in 25th place overall. >> don't look now, but james harden and the houston rockets are climbing up the ladder in the brutal western conference. a signature win for harden and crew. it's their fourth in a row. the rockets hosting the pacers. a one-man wrecking crew. leading all scores with 10 on 17. there's a trade. he had four boards and three assists and three steels. houston crushing indiana. the rockets an n.b.a..est 22 and 6 since january the 1st. a crazy game in dallas.

>> aves up by one. later in the fourth blazers up by two. monta ellis with a steel. tied at 98. same score. look at harris and the foul, making the three fold. ensuing blaysers's possession. that's a turn over. mavericks win. >> let the madness begin, the n.c.a.a. has its first tournament. it's harvard and yale in a championship game. chambers finds steve for the 2-hand jam. a minute later laurent for

three. second half - harvard up 16. another dunk blown out, up eight at this point. chambers with a dagger. heed led and wins the ivy league title. >> and a thriller in the big south tournament. quarterfinal action. andre smith, he is your herio, drilling a three pointer. giving the eagles a 62-60 win. winter advances, the eagles looking for a first n.c.a. tournament. that's a look at sports this hour. >> and trying to get time on their side. we'll tell you which company is trying to create energy by saving dual time zones. >> and eboni deon shows you where the heaviest rain will fall and the flood risk lies.

>> i certainly l i'll have the details in your national forecast, coming up.

>> good morning to you, and welcome back to al jazeera america. ahead a fight for more daylight. first a look at the forecast with meteorologist eboni deon. >> we are going to keep it wet across the pacific north-west. it will not be a wash out for the west coast. we are starting the day with cloud and moisture. along with a cold front that will bring us rain. we'll see plenty of it, ending up with 3-5 inches of that. that's why we are dealing with flooding concerns. we'll have strong gusty winds as we make our way out across

montana. we are watching snow across the mountains of new mexico. >> a scare in the skies, an indian jetliner catches fire. the flames brought under control within minutes and 170 people on board manage to leave the plane safely. the incident is under investigation. daylight savings time starts at 2am. the idea was conceived by benjamin franklin, to econ mice the use of cappedles. in india, there was one time zone. officials in the north-east call for that to change your in order to save daylight of their own. >> this is what 5:30 in the morning looks like. while the rest of india waits an hour to see the sunlight, the day has already begun here. for this man and his family, it

means getting the kids ready for school and himself to work starts early. >> my office starts, my kids go to school. may day started at 5:45. >> by 7am the morning is already in full swing. >> it's 7:30 and the sun has been up for two hours. things start earlier in the north-east of india. that comes with its own set of problems. >> this man's office work ends by 3:30. it doesn't give him time to enjoy the rest of the day. > golfers like us have lights on. we struggle to finish the last two holes. >> the senior government official says having a time zone will not only benefit people, but the overall benefits.

we are seeing this in other industries. >> critics of the idea say having another time zone will isolate the nearby region, making one part of the country out of sync with the others. >> the usa uses different time zone. >> time zone has nothing to do with this. it is more related to the economic development. >> back at his home, he says there'll be adjustment in having two time zones in the country. after 5:00 pm the sun starts to set. people feel being able to enjoy the day when there's toilet out will be worth it. >> they say what goes around comes around. two new york artists took the saying to an extreme. they are spending 10 days living on a hamster wheel. and we ask them why. >> hi, i'm alex and i'm an

artist and architect from new york city. >> i'm ward shelley from brooklyn. together with my partner we are living on a peace called in ordit. ward and i got the idea based on pieces from the past. we wanted to explore two people synchronising their day. all the norm at activities spin around and we synchronise. >> 180 degrees is ward's bed. >> i'm on top of the wheel. the situation here is different to the bottom. i have a small area i can stand in. he's got to be thoughtful about me and every moment. he has to keep his mind on me. the script for the performance

building that we endeavour is to live your life as normally as possible. >> oh, my gosh. >> thank you so much. that's great. terrific. thank you. >> pleasure. >> we have to share. >> absolutely. >> so one of the biggest difficulties, one of the things i found unusual is to keep every surface free of clutter. if i put a coffee cup down and i forget to take it away, it will wind up on my head. we decided it would be smart for me to wear a harness and strap. it's about balance. over this 10 days we have been able to maintain the balance and that's one of the ambitions of the work. >> one of the first thinks i'll

do is leave and take a shower. >> some doctors say red meat is bat for you, for a florida family it was almost lethal. a man, his pregnant girlfriend and two kids were rushed to hospital after eating steak laced with lsd. it is unclear how it was tampered with. wal-mart pulled the product from its shelves. >> a prestigious art show is open this weekend. the whitney biannual. the sibds is opened until may 25th, and 103 artists are participating. that's it for this edition of al jazeera america. more news in 2 minutes.

>> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live in new york city. >> distraught relatives in

beijing and kuala lumpur await word on their loved ones. air traffic control lost contact eight hours ago. two oil likes have been located off the west coast of vietnam. 239 were op board, including three adults and a baby from the united states. >> ukraine's interim government says it will not give up crimea and observe that international observers operate in the region. the creme limb claims their locate self-defence forces and not under their control. >> protests in the venezuela are raising concerns with the united nations. the government has been asked to provide information on cases of torture, arbitrary detention and abuse.

the death toll has risen to 21. >> a world record in the philippines - you are looking at pictures of thousands of women standing in a giant formation standing in a giant formation of the symbol for female. thank you are watching, i'm morgan radford. a growing number of russian forces flex their power. what can and should western nations do a new video hammers home the suffering of millions of children in syria. ecigarettes, are they a gate wait to the real thing? here is more on what's ahead.