. >> welcome to al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm morgan radford. here are the stories we're following for you right now. the search for a jetliner that has vanished in the middle of the night carrying 239 people. and warning shots in ukraine talk of diplomatic solutions and economic sanctions. plus live from national harbor maryland, a cast of conservative all-stars plan to speak on the

final day of c pac. it's becoming more and more likely that a missing malaysian rare liner crashed in the south china see. 239 people were on board including three americans one of which was an infant. this morning an oil slick was spotted of off the coast of vietnam. the investigation into what happened is already under way and sank has confirmed that two people listed as passengers had their passports stolen in thailand. >> the vietnamese search, the flight left this airport in kuala lumpur on its way to beijing.

in beijing there are similar scenes. there are few details but the fact that the crew didn't send a distress signal means whatever happened may have happened quickly. >> our focus now is emergency first responders, and mobilize and give full support. our thoughts and prayers of passenger, crew, and their family. >> reporter: search and rescue officials say the last signal of the plane was detected 225 kilometers southwest of vietnam. international efforts are under way with the u.s. and singapore sending help. the plane left kuala lumpur, and it was expected to arrive in ban beijing 6:00 a.m.

just as recent as two days ago experts praised its safety history. >> more flights than this one, if it was going to be a structural are a brea break up,d have seen it with our older fleets. >> the crisis in ukraine is in many case becoming an international stand. off. military observers were shot at when they tried to enter crimea unsuccessfully now a third day in a row. crimea said these were warning shots, and no one was hurt. russia is ramping up the military, and the gas company is threatening to cut gas off

completely. how nervous is the ukrainian government right about now? >> very nervou nervous. they have a number of issues pressing upon them. you mentioned the incident in crimea where a group of international observers went to checkup on the situation, not the at least who are the uniformed men without insignia. the russian company provider that gives ukraine much of its natural gas they say ukraine has denied them the bill for february, as a result they're threatening to cut off the supply. that clearly has them deeply concerned. they have concerns about the military presence on the crimea peninsula and they have concerns about how to put together a government amidst all of this chaos and tension. morgan? >> speaking of that government. you mentioned international observers that were shot at.

so with all the russian boots on the ground in crimea, is ukraine's interim government really able to challenge what seems to be a russian occupation of ukrainian territory? >> yes, morgan, frankly speaking, no. they really don't. they've got some very issues when it comes to their military. it has been slashed time and time again over recent years. even at its strongest it was never going to be the match for the might of the russian army. they also, of course, have to deal with things on a political front. moscow won't even recognize this government. they won't sit down with them. they won't be in the same room. they've got to find some sort of legitimacy with the kremlin to begin some peace talks or some sort of arrangement so that this tension thistension, this crisie calmed down.

they clearly have a lot to deal with as all this is going on, keeping in mind that they are historically very tied to moscow even though they're seeking independence now. they're trying to get out from under the thumb of moscow. now they can't do it military taylorly. their only real option is to find a geopolitical and diplomatic solution. >> didn't you mention earlier this morning that ukraine means is on the edge. >> reporter: it's more complex than that, but more or less, it's always been translated as borderlinborder land and on the. but it's important to remember that this very essence of this country is border land between east and west. they've switched between border

structures time and again, and they're trying to establish themselves as an independent nation for the first time in centuries a very long period of time. it is very interesting to see what is happening. we have to take this with a historical context. they are fighting. they're trying to pull themselves away from the east, get close to the west at least certain elements here. but more over than that, aside from the spheres of power there is a real sense in kiev that they want to be their own nation and identified as an independent entity. that's what a lot of people, most people here in kiev are really looking for, it's an historical moment but they still have all these pressures. >> and how aptly ironic translation in its history. phil, always a pleasure. president obama made a series of phone calls to a

series of leaders regarding ukraine this morning including a conference call with latvia and estonia. we know that president obama has been busy reaching out to european allies, but what is the latest from the white house? >> the entire operation is aimed as trying to talk russia out of its military build up. in addition to the phone calls to the leaders of the baltic states the president made calls to british prime minister cameron and presiden french pret hollande, and italian prime minister renzi. they're also supporting n.a.t. n.a.t.o.'s baltic air. they signs the the orders

on sanctions on russians, but the europeans are not pressing the president to go ahead with those sanctions because russia can cut natural gas supplies. to counter that possibility some european leaders have called on house speaker john boehner for help. he revealed a letter from four nations asking for more american natural gas. speaker boehner said, i hope president obama will heed this call from our allies and immediately improve pending natural gas export requests and do everything possible to reduce dependency on russia. speaker boehner criticized president obama's administration approval process for exporting energy supplies. morgan? >> randall pinkston reporting from washington, d.c. thank you for joining us this afternoon.

many ethnic russians in crimea are worried about russian troops. >> reporter: according to ukrainian intelligence the steady stream means that russia has more than doubled its forces. soldiers who admitted to me that they're russian stand outside making ukrainian soldiers prisoners inside their own base. down the road the radar station and air force space is entirely controlled by russians whose supporters are happy to brave the cold. >> there is no ukrainian army left, he says, so we need protection. if there is going to be a referendum on crimea's future this city has already voted. this was the first place where pro russian activists lowered

the ukrainian flag and raised the russian flag on city hall. this is the first city where russian troops arrived i taking over the ferry terminal. from the hill on the terminal russia is only three miles away. for igor, his family has lifted in this spot for decades. first he was soviets, they are ethnic russians, and they've always looked east. >> i served in the soviet army. i speak russian. it's unpleasant to speak ukrainian. >> reporter: in the 80's his life was better. at the very least he had running water. now he relies on a well. he accuses ukraine for allowing crimeaen to live in the stone age. >> i do not believe in the ukrainian government, not the old one, not the future one, not

the new one. >> reporter: constantine is a political organizer and militia leader. he said he has 4,000 fighters. >> we can mobilize a big army within an hour. >> reporter: he wants to join russia because he feels that crimea is culturally different than ukraines. he spreads hate towards europe. >> we see people we don't want to live like this people. >> reporter: that hatred targets the city's pro ukraine activists. >> if this referendum passes what happens to people like you. >> i will leave this city, she says, because in russia there is

no democracy, no free press. >> reporter: but increasingly it is becoming home for those who have just arrived. al jazeera ukraine. >> protesters battle police in caracas, venezuela, today. police moved in to disperse crowds and just yesterday there was an issue of declaration supporting the venezuelan government effort to end the protest. meanwhile the libyan government is threatening to bomb a north korean flagged oil tanker in its port. they won't let the ship leave because it purchase purchase oie area. coming up, political leaders in their final day of their

convention in washington, d.c. and the international women's day marking the progress made and the challenges left for women all across the world. you're watching al jazeera america. only one man was convicted of the attack >> the major difficulty for the prosecution, that there was no evidence... >> now a three year al jazeera investigation, reveals a very different story about who was responsible >> they refuse to look into this... >> so many people at such a high level had a stake in al megrahi's guilt. lockerbie: what really happened? on al jazeera america

>> as tensions rise in ukraine al jazeera america is there >> this could quickly spiral into a very precarious situation >> breaking down the facts... >> the u.s, annouced that it was sending six f-15 fighter jets >> with reporters on the ground >> russia is putting it's full weight behind these men >> bringing you expert analysis >> russia has committed an act

of aggression >> keeping you informed... >> president obama raised yje stakes today... >> no visible sign of progress... >> special coverage continues... right here on al jazeera america your global news leader >> it's the third and final day of c pac. the meaning for conservative who is are hoping to reclaim the white house. republican leaders like newt gingrich and sarah palin hope to rally the party faithful. libby casey outside of the capitol. thlibby, what did they have to say. >> we heard from newt gingrich, and he went after obama. he criticized the president for going to florida in the middle of the ukraine crisis. >> the president spent all of last week proving that he was

capable of being ineffective. [laughter] i believe he can be as ineffective in key largo as he was in the white house. >> reporter: newt gingrich focused on foreign affairs, and said the president should sign an executive order to export natural gas to europe, which would hurt putin and russia. it's interesting today's speakers are a lot of political operatives who are not seen a as 2016 presidential candidates. they've gone more to the entertainment side like newt gingrich and sarah palin. we're hearing from people who are presidential hopefuls, the ted cruz and rand pauls, but today it was let's get back to the basics and talk about what conservatives enjoy hearing the

most. >> besides rand paul who else can we expect to see in terms of the 2016 presidential hopeful? >> reporter: you know, we're hearing from a range of folks and it's interesting the c pac straw poll is happening right now, it wraps up today. the election is a little ways off, but the field is wide open. a lot of conservatives are hungry for candidates who speak for them. we heard from one person today who is a little less known dr. ben carson, pediatriciani pc neurosurgeon. >> of course, gay people should have the same rights as everyone else. but they don't get extra rights. they don't get to redefine

marriage. >> he also defended, for example, other comments he made in the pas past. his comments are getting a lot of attention, and someone seen as an emerging leader of the conservative movement. >> so more from dr. carver. libby, thank you so much for being here this afternoon. events are being held around the world to mark international women's day. many are highlighting the day the need for equal rights for all communities. here are how all these issues come together. >> reporter: going for a record in the philippines. more than 10,000 people turned up to support equality for women. they hope to make it in the guinness world record book.

men were crucial to the stunt. it helped highlight the fact that philippines are ranked the fifth most gender-equal country. men's help is important in changing global attitudes. >> one of the things that we're doing is a campaign called "he for she" where we recruit men who act for women's rights and women's empowerment. >> reporter: after all that has happened to women during taliban, they were deprived of many basic rights. i think women issue is a national kind of agenda, and we need to really look at it from a national need. >> reporter: giving women more rights such as to an education is important in and of itself, but it could also change everyone's lives. on average one in ten children

gudie before reaching five in afghanistan. education leads to lower infant mortality, and when women join the workforce, education helps reduce the poverty. at the gaza strip hundreds took part of the march to the u.n. office. people there know all too well how women suffer di proportionately in societies. >> when women and girls thrive society thrive. when women progress, society progresses. >> reporter: more can be done to enencourage gender equality. and men whether husbands, fathers, sons, friends of women, are needed to make a real impact.

>> up next an update in our top stories including the missing malaysian airliner, and fukushima three years after the disaster. stay tune.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. live in new york city. here is today's headlines. the search conditions for a missing malaysian jet that disappeared overnight with 239 people on board. rescuers spotted an oil slick off the coast of vietnam. u.n. military observers were shot at when trying to enter crimea. plus the republican party largest meeting just wrapping up. newt gingrich took to the stage and sarah palin is expected to speak this after a list of presidential hopefuls. now we turn to our

meteorologist who is here to tell us all about the forecast. >> meteorologist: finally no snow to talk about. it's all about the mild temperatures. i'm telling you it's absolutely beautiful out there. temperatures are climbing in the 50s and 60s across the northeast and also into the mid-atlantic. today our nation's capitol climbs to a high of 60. 68 in atlanta. all the way down to miami almost at 80 degrees. we take a look at the northeast. you can see the cool air is across portions of canada. it's going to be diving south and east as we track into the next 24 to 48 hours. we'll enjoy the brief warm up. feels good up there. from philadelphia to pittsburgh. and let's take a look out there. absolutely beautiful out there. bright blue skies not looking at many clouds, and so it will feel good and look good. and it will track towards tomorrow and the next couple of days it will cooldown quite a bit. we'll make our way to the west coast. a massive storm will bring rain

across i-5 for a washington and oregon. think eastern portions of california may see a little bit of rain but it's not going a substantial amount. this is i-5 with the roads with a little bit of water. they will get wetter as we track along i-5. right now the showers just light in nature. we will see a little bit of mountain snow as well but for the most part down in the valleys it's very mild. check out these temperatures. 57 in seattle. spokane 56. and temperatures are going to make a run for the 60s in billings. because it's so mild out there we expect the snow melting. that's the reason we have flood

warnings. now the core of the cold is setted in fargo and minneapolis. they're lower than they should be this time of year. chicago is outside of the subzero temperatures, but don't worry it will get milder as we track towards tomorrow. ias we push back to work temperatures will be closer to where they should be for this time of year. spring is making a run for it. back to you. >> thank you so much. japan's prime minister finishes the fukushima power plan jusplant just days before. the leader said he'll begin to take steps to revive the area still devastated from the disaster. >> a journey into the heart of japan's nuclear disaster has become an almost daily routine.

he and his colleague. >> just because we're retired does not mean that it's not our business any more. we have to do all we can to keep this place alive. >> so these men monitor the radiation levels, clear the waterways and maintain a stake in their town. their personal radiation exposure is not a problem before admitting that it is twice the legal limit. their goal is to get people living in the outlying neighborhood in the next three years. people prepare to live o on the door step with three crippled reactors and regular water leaks. in addition to the optimism there is a sense of realism as well. getting anyone to come live here is going to be very difficult.

reviving the area will be a task that they pass on to the next generation. >> reporter: a few kilometers out of town we come across a different group. no masks or hazard suits here. japan's prime minister continues to assure locals of continuing efforts. earlier he looks at new housing for evacuees. but here government is part of the problem. there are plans for a giant storage site for radioactive debris from around the area. >> this is not the first time we have suffered hardship. think of what our ancestors did with the paddy fields. now we have to work for our descendants. >> reporter: the number of

people who say they'll come back here is getting smaller every day. >> thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live in new york city. "fault line" is coming up next. and remember you can always follow us online at www.aljazeera.com. pharmacy chains will. >> he lay on the ground of his hometown of nogales mexico. and it traveled through an international boundary and into a legal have a couple.