bloc hello there, welcome to the news hour. these are the main stories this hour. >> obviously we have a lot to talk about -- >> a final chance for u.s. secretary of state meets his russian counterpart for last-stitch chance to resolve the crisis in ukraine.

and malaysian authorities widen the search area for the missing airplane. >> and the lease of dozens of women and children in exchange for 2,000 prisoners. and a shipping trade that threatens to halt u.s. cargo. ♪ they say it is a final chance for the u.s. and russia to ease their tensions over ukraine diplomatically. u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been meeting sergey lavrov in london, for a last chance to discussion the crimean region on whether it should become part of russia. simon a short time ago the british foreign secretary said

it will be formid-ably difficult for these talks to change anything. tell us what is happening. >> i think it is correct to say they are taking place in a shadow of pessimism. john kerry giving very little sign that his proposal have much of a chance of doing the thing that they really want to try to do which is cancel or delay this referend referendum. the talks are still going on, we expect sergei lavrov to leave here pretty soon. significant i think that there are plans for separate press conferences, not the joint up withes that we saw in paris and madrid last week, some

indication perhaps of how frosty relations are. >> if the sanctions go ahead, the u.s. and europe are ready to bring sanctions in as soon as the day after. do we have more detail? >> the eu foreign ministers are meeting on monday, and we expect them to effectively rubber stamp this referendum. the eu revealed they are working on a list of between 120 and 130 russian people. people who the european union in their missions in moscow can tie to the russian policy in ukraine either by voting for things in their parliament or people they

associate with sending troops in. what is going to happen to those people is going to be a series of travel bans. they won't be able to visit or transit the eu, and for those of them lucky enough to have bank accounts in london, paris and elsewhere, of course they will not be able to access those assets. they will be frozen. that's what is in store for as many as 120, 130 russian officials on monday if this referendum goes away. >> simon thank you very much. as i said we are waiting to hear from the russian foreign minister and the u.s. secretary of state. an inga -- nick schifrin repor

now from berlin. >> angela merkel has steered toward talking russian out of ukraine until thursday when she promised actions not just words. >> translator: if russia continues on its course of the past week, it will not bobble a catastrophe for ukraine will not only see it as a threat, and it would also cause massive damage to russia economically and politically. >> it could cause damage as the european union is now ready to join the united states in issuing visa bands and freezing assets of officials. eu foreign ministers will work out the names and details on monday. for over a decade now merkel has had putin's ear.

he listens to her because he sees her as europe's most powerful heard, but germany is changing too. it has for years been keen to taking any international position that could be seen as aggressive. >> i think there is so much pressure also by the public opinion to go on sanctions that they have to accept it, maybe they don't believe 234 the policy, but the situation and also the russian policy brings them to this situation that they have to accept and push forward. >> but that could also damage germany. it gets more an a third of its gas and oil from russia. with a bilateral trade relationship valued at over $100 billion a year, the clash over ukraine and crimea could prove expensive all the way

around. >> the threats of sanctions is worrying russian investors. the stock index in moscow fell around 5%. this month russia's stock indexes have fallen 18% and raising money is proving more expensive. 7-year bonds have reached an historic high of over 9%. fights broke out late on thursday between supporters of the transitional ukraine government and pro-russia demonstrators. at least one person was killed and up to 13 others were injured. the search area for the missing malaysia airlines plane has been extended. the search area already covers the south china see.

the search areas are being expanded further into the india ocean and the south china sea. >> the aircraft is still missing and the search area is expanding. two days ago the search area was widened to include the [ inaudible ] sea. we are now pushing further east into the south china sea and further into the indian ocean. we want to find the plane as quickly as possible. a normal investigation becomes narrower with time, i understand. but this is not a normal investigation. in this case the information we are -- force us to look further and further afield.

engine data. yesterday we rejected a media report in which unnamed officials said that engine data showed the plane kept flying for hours after last contact. we checked with boeing and royals royce who said the reports were not true. >> scott every day there seems to be new leads every day they get knocked down. the malaysian minister now saying these reports of the plane was deliberately flown off course are not true. >> exactly, yeah. we hear so many claims -- or so many reports with sources and things and then they are knocked back by the officials here in malaysia during these process conference. but i think it's thedy tail of the report that he was knocking a back, not necessarily the

possibility that the plane turned west. that's why we see the expansion of the search area. i think they are very conservative when it comes to these reports and sources until they get verifiable evidence they say. they are expanding the search area further west, but when we took at the details of this, with the data packages being sent from the engine down, as well as reuters saying they had indications that there were radar pylons in the skyways, that had indications that there could have -- the plane could have been in there. they are heeding the information because they are expanding the search area over to the side. >> what kind of assets are involved now in the search? >> yeah, when you look at the

indian ocean you are talking about a vast, vast area. when you look at that, you really need some high-tech knowledge and that's what they are doing, the united states has offered to use this aircraft, called the p-8 pa sigh dan. that's going to start tomorrow morning. a destroyer is in the area as well. the india navy has also dedicated a couple of else haves, and they also have one of these p-8s they are deciding if that will be deployed as well. again, the most sophisticated technology they could have out there is going to be there, but again, it is such a vast area, and with these little clues they don't know where to start. >> scott, thanks very much indeed for that.

so as scott as been saying, almost every piece of information has been dismissed or contradicted. let's have a reminder of what we know. the flight departed at 1641 gmt last friday it was due in beijing six hours later. of course it never arrived. it was carrying 227 passengers. mostly chinese nationals and 12 crew. two iranian passengers on board were traveling on stolen pass ports. royals royce confirmed the last data transmission came less than an hour after the plane took off. the final contact came 23 minutes later. that was the pilot saying okay, roger that.

no distress signal sent. the weather conditions were good. the pilot had more than 18,000 flying hours. of course the wait and the uncertainty is taking its toll on the family of the passengers. >> reporter: the lack of information is too distressing. seven days and still no clear direction of where the search for the missing malaysian airlines is heading. the atmosphere is tense, but relativeings don't find the answers they are hoping for. >> translator: we have been stuck here too long. i don't know how many more days we have to wait. i just want accurate information as soon as possible. >> reporter: families have been put up in a hotel while they

await the news. >> i think there is still hope that the plane will be find and the families will be safe. few of the family they think the chances are low. they are prepared to accept what happened. >> reporter: across the country, though, some still haven't given up hope, placing their faith in higher powers. >> we just performed [ inaudible ] for the sake of muslim [ inaudible ] so with the grace of allah, we pray that the passengers will be safe. >> reporter: it ends like all previous days with insufficient information.

among the stories still ahead in this news hour . . . >> it is the people's responsibility to make sure the prices don't increase. >> how consumers are becoming price police in argentina wi with -- help of a smartphone app. ♪ a verdict is expected in paris at the trial of a former rwandan army captain accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide. prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for the man who denies all charges against him. let's go live to emma hayward

who is in paris for us. emma? >> reporter: the jury went out around four hours ago, but pascal was given a chance to talk to the court before they did. in a speech he appealed to them. he said he wanted to be treated as a human being. he reiterated the claim that he hadn't seen any bodies during the genocide. this brings to an end a case that has been harrowing and complex. it is almost 20 years since the genocide which saw 800,000 people killed in the space of 100 days. tensions had extensioned for years but when the president's plane was shot down, what followed is still hard to comprehend. a systematic brutality and

bloodshed say 20% of the population wiped out. now an historic court case is drawing to an end in paris. a former army general is on trial. he is accused of complicity in the genocide, something he denies. at times during the trial, witnesses have told how he distributed weapons that were later used for killing tutsis. but there have also been claims that he saved ethnic tutsis by hiding them or driving them to safety. france had been one of the country's feign backers but rwanda accused paris of providing the government with military training, and sheltering fighters. but the case is crucial to the relatives of those killed in the

genocide. >> translator: at least we have kneeling that impunity is over. this is very important. we also have the feeling that the french society is looking after us, and looking into the case. this is also very important. >> if found guilty, pascal faces a life term. more significantly his case could set a precedent for many more row wan dans to be tried on french soil. thousands of miles away this case is being watched as quell. because it has been perceived that the french wheels of justice have turned far too slowly when it comes to rwanda. so watch closely here and also in rwanda where there is a feeling of a need to move on, but also the hunger for justice also exists there. >> emma thanks very much indeed

for that. emma hayward updating us from paris. that trial as we say in paris which apparently is suffering huge pollution now. what is going on in france? >> it has to do with the industrial situation there of course -- [ laughter ] >> yeah, i don't think we can quite blame it on that. but it has to do with high pressure essentially. the air is actually dirtier than the air that we have in beijing at the moment. here is the area of high-pressure, and that's what is trapping that pollution in place. starting to brighten up now, and i think as we go through the weekend, things will cheer up further. we are going to see winds coming in, and as things get more mobile that will help mix things up and clear the air.

we have some rainmaking its way across germany. brighter skies will come in behind though, and temperatures not doing too bad. london and paris getting up to around 18 degrees celsius. that western side of europe as we go through the next couple of days. the unsettled mirky weather is making its way into central and eastern europe. we have seen some rather nasty weather around the western mediterranean. this could easily lead to flooding over the next couple of days. elsewhere across north africa, it's looking fine and dry. plenty of subtle weather continuing here. make your way across the central

part of africa to really see severe weather, 56 millimeters of rain here over the next couple of hours. saturday we see it comes back off of the ethiopian highlands and back into southern parts of sudan but we already have flooding problems shoely. >> thank you very much for that. south sudanese now face a new threat. this year's rains have come early, flooding thousands of makeshift homes. aid agencies are warning of a potential catastrophe. >> reporter: rebecca ran from her home three months ago to this camp. she and her family were afraid for their lives and took refuge

here. last month what little she was able to bring with her was flooded away. >> translator: we have lost everything, everything has been ruined. we have no food, or clothes. all we have is this chair to sit on until we go to bed. >> reporter: scores of people were killed when fighting broke out. this un base provided sanctuary for thousands. for six months of the year, however, this area is a swamp. they are trying to raise the level of the ground to prevent more flooding. usually this place would be teeming with people, but it had to close while repairs were made. if conditions aren't improved humanitarians are warning that disease will spread rapidly. >> it will be catastrophic for

sure. it is already flooded, muddy. i think during the rainy season it will be sa it will be catastrophic. >> reporter: the latrines have collapsed in the floods. if new ones can't be dug, there is a dangerous that thousands could be left without sanitation all together. just 24 hours ago there were people living in this area. there has already been big rain this season, but already most of this area is underwater. the people here are too afraid to go back to their homes. but the camp isn't safe for them to live in either. nigerias minister of defense says it has foiled a terrorist attacked aimed at rebels in a northern city. most of the attackers have been killed including some detainees,

the armed group has killed thousands since it began its fight years ago. the democratic republic of congo has declared a victory in the east. these victures were obtained exclusively by al jazeera. the group known as the allied democratic forces are made up of gunman from the region. the world bank has authorized an investigation into an alleged human rights violati violation at a tea plantation. >> reporter: this man and his wife have been living and working on this tea estate for

more than year. he and others weren't interested in buying shares, but weren't given a choice. >> translator: we were told if you don't take shares, your work will be stopped. the labors were roukded up and forced to give their thumbprints. we were scared that's why we gave in. >> reporter: his family now lives in a home without electricity and a roof that has been leaking for the last eight years. they say any complaints are ignored. >> translator: our house is in bad shape, i can't even take an $80 loan. how did they decide to take $130 from us? they forced us. >> reporter: we tried speaking to other employees but were asked to stop filming by several men on motorcycles who escorted us away.

the tea company declined an interview but stated that dividends have been paid yearly, and they say any issues with workers were isolated incidents. other workers said they live in poor conditions. they had no idea they received dividends. tea plantations rely on a large number of workers to stay profitable. giving the workers dividend shares is being touted as a way to improve their lives. this union leader says many workers believe now they are shareholders they have lost the right to complain about issues. >> translator: after giving $130, the worker still has many problems. they don't have proper homes,

water to drink or hospital facility. what they need to get, they are not getting. >> reporter: when contacted the tea company stated that . . . but workers we spoke to say they are too worried to complain, and feel powerless to improve their lives or their future. fez jameel, al jazeera, india. hundreds of people in brazil have staged protests in the streets of san palo. they are opposing money being spent on the football tournament while most brazilians live in

poverty. for months many have marched complaining of bus fairs, poor health and education services. this is the u.s. ambassador's residence where the talks are taking place between secretary of state john kerry and the russian foreign minister sar -- sergei lav rof. we wait to hear from sergei lavrof. also here to come. >> i'm on lake superior, one of the five great lakes that right now is almost completely frozen

over. i'll tell you why that is a problem for north america's shipping industry. and in sport, a new president as he decides against appealing his prison sentence. ♪

♪ welcome back. i have the top stories on al jazeera for you. >> obviously we have a lot to talk about . . . >> u.s. secretary of state is meeting his russian counterpart

for a last stitch effort to resolve the crisis in ukraine. malaysia's government has denied reports that the missing jet liner was deliberately flown off course. 13 count tries are now involved in combing the indian ocean. and a verdict expected shortly in paris at the trial of a former army captain accused in taking part in the 1994 rwandan genocide. he denies all charges against him. syrian women and children from president bashar al-assad minoritial lial low -- al low w sect [ inaudible ]. they were taken last august

from villages in the northeast. the region is a strong hold of the president'sal low -- allow wait. they mae demands over which prisoners should be freed. saying that at least half of them must be women and children. a prisoner swap last week saw the release of 13 greek orthodox nuns who had been detained since december. and this video, one of the kidnapped women accusing bashar al-assad of allowing release of members of another religion but forgetting his own. but they are clearly under the control of their captors. they blame the assad regime for the prisoner swap tactic.

>> we don't know the denttive of these prisoners. and it will make a big difference when we figure out who they are. situations like this in civil war is very common. >> reporter: what else is common is the homes and lives continually being destroyed. the government is accused of dropping barrels with bombs. >> translator: when will this end. >> translator: we were in our houses when we heard air strikes. they even targeted the mosque. they bombed the house of god. may god take resent j on them. >> reporter: it's unclear how many people died in the strike, but barrel comes are an inaccurate weapon and one condemned by the international community. but for these women and children they are just caught in the politics of the three-year-long

war. we have a retired major general of a lebanese army who joins us live from beirut. good to have you with us. when you look at these pictures of these hostages who are being held to be used as leverage, do you see that as becoming a more common tactic in the syrian war? >> taking hostages or prisoners is very familiar in any war, but taken civilian as posttajs is different than pow, prisoner of war. now we have this humanitarian [ inaudible ] i think the negotiation has gone up to exchange those 94 hostages with insurgent. with 2,000 detained prisoners in

the regime jails. it depends, i don't think personally that the regime will release fighters to go back to defending. it depends if this operation will succeed. it depends to the kind of those prisoners 2,000 and syria regime -- >> but we do know that these hostages who are being held are from theal low wait sect. does that put more pressure on president assad. >> of course. of course. everybody knows when [ inaudible ] they took hostages, especially those are women and children. i think president assad has interest to help release them to get popularity especially in his region. but the same time is he ready to give an order to release 2,000

prisoners? as we said that depends to the kind of those prisoners. if they are dangerous. if they will go back to the field. i think some selection will happen. anyway president assad [ inaudible ] has many -- thousands and maybe we say hundred thousand of prisoners, it depends, you know. >> because it also depend on the people holding these hostages? because we don't know who this particular group are. will it matter who the group are. >> nobody knows exactly who are -- which organization is holding those 94 women and children. maybe [ inaudible ] if they know them, they can negotiate. if they are different groups -- i don't think they are different groups are hold them this -- this group. i think one thing could be -- if

it's the islamic front it will be much more easy, if it's [ inaudible ] it has -- it needs maybe original intervention from other sides. it depends anyway, but it's not difficult to know who are -- you know, who started this negotiation and who is going to be the sponsor of this exchange. maybe the red cross, but the political sponsor could be a third-party. you know to let this operation this success. it depends. we are not aware yet about all details, but i think they will arrive to have a settlement, first because the regime has interest as we said to free those 94 women who are alloite, and on the second hand he has thousands of prisoners.

he can exchange them. it depends to the side who those prisoners belong to. >> indeed. thank you very much indeed for your analysis there. good to speak to you. >> thank you. thank you. now thousands of protesters are again voicing their anger on egypt's streets. these are pictures south of cairo, the rallies have followed friday prayers were organized by supporters of the ousted president mohammed morsi. three al jazeera english journalists have now been held in an egyptian prison for 76 days, they are accused of having links with a terrorist organization, and spreading false news. al jazeera continues to reject all charges and demansioned

their release. meanwhile [ inaudible ] from al jazeera's arabic channel is still in detention. he has been held for more than six months and has been on a hunger strike since january 23rdrd. food prices are still soaring in argentina, forcing some to take matters into their own hands. >> reporter: when mario goes shopping, he is able to police prizes with a cell phone app. he says he is saving more than 30% a week on groceries because of the app. >> translator: you realize the supermarkets are taking advantage of the situation, because before we had no way to

compare price, but now we have a tool. >> reporter: these university students created the app. it's the opdownload in argentina, more popular than twitter or instagram. by scanning bar codes, it's easy to fine out if products are not being sold at prices set by the government. >> so you have found that this one is cheaper than the other. >> reporter: we know that from the receipt, right? >> yeah. >> this is the exact same product is 19.92. >> exactly. >> that's a huge difference. >> and it is very common, actually. >> reporter: with the click of a button, people can report the price hike. soaring food prices is a growing problem in argentina, the president blames inflation on speculators and food chains. the government has struck a deal

with the top supermarket chains. there are 225 products that come under the price agreement that the government has reached with food suppliers. while this may provide temporary relief for the consumer, many people here say the policy doesn't go far enough. specifically that price freezing fails to attack the causes of the problem. >> here we have the state which should be able to implement policies to diagnose the problem and to implement policies to deal with this is now saying that it is the people's responsibility to make sure the prices done increase, which is, i think, a very backwards way of going at the problem. >> whether or not the government is just dancing around the issue by trying to freeze prices with foreign currency reserves shrinking daily, most here argue that the government has little

room to maneuver. official results in el salvador presidential election show that the ruling party has won by less than a quarter of a percent. but the election tribunal has to wait three days before it can report the results. >> translator: the party has reached 1 million 495 thousand 815 votes, which events 50.11%. [ applause ] >> reporter: the winning marge of around 6,000 votes. sweet victories for the leftist party. or is it, it's heard is certainly acting as though he is the country's next leader. >> translator: we confirm we are open to dialogue.

we open our arms to the political opposition so that we build together for the country and seek answers to the problems of salvadorians. >> reporter: but it's not official yet. they have until sunday to lodge an appeal. the conservative party intends to do just that and more. this man is a strategist and says the party has proof of wide-spread electoral fraud. >> some videos, some testimonies, several people that voted twice, and that is a crime here in el salvador. >> reporter: the alleged evidence has been handed over to the office of though attorney general. mason believes loui martinez is independent. but a new vote is unlikely because it could drag the process out even more. el salvador has been divided

since the civil war, and needs political resolution as soon as possible. >> translator: this should be over by now. this is a problem for us, the people, because as long as they keep fighting, we are the ones who suffer the most. >> translator: this is not fair. it has been four days already. it's time to stop. >> reporter: so after two rounds of counting, still no official election results. and while citizens are fatigued the reigning party seems ready to keep fighting. the british prime minister is set to fight again for the people of scotland not to leave the uk. >> reporter: six months to go until these people have an

historic decision to make. some have made their minds up, but enough haven't to make predicting the results impossible. >> we don't need to go the whole hog independent. >> i'm still a little [ inaudible ] i want to do a lot more about it. >> reporter: which in some ways is odd. because being given the right for independence is much like throwing your country off of a cliff. it was be a terrible uphill struggle for them if they want to go independent. they have been told that they couldn't join the european union, and the bank system won't work. and yet during the same period, the yes to independence votes have not only solidified but

grown slightly. ♪ no no no no >> this comic video boils down the frustration felt by the 40% who are pro-independence but in their view the london political elite still continues to patron nice them to imply that scotland is too little to function independently. the approach of yes, we can will always resinate better with scotts than the drum beat of no, you won't. >> people don't like being told what to do. that's kind of ironic, and part of the reason we want to be independent. >> reporter: so what should people like david cameron do? after all if he promises more powers to scotland as a

compromise, has not accepted some of the core values of the independence campaign. >> it will interesting to see if mr. cameron says yes, i agree, and there is a vision for scotla scotland's place in the event of a no vote. >> reporter: the per received was come is clear they have yet to find the language or arguments to win this decisively. lawrence lee al jazeera in scotland. >> it is time for all of the sport now. >> thank you very much. >> fifa secretary has told al jazeera the world cup in brazil will be ready. but concerns that infrastructure and stadiums won't be complete, he accepts that preparations are

not going perfectly, and there is no plan b. >> reporter: the football world cup in brazil is less than three months away, but the host nation has not made the progress required. the secretary is the man who has repeatedly pushed brazil to speed up its progress. he accepts they are behind, but insists they are be ready. >> there is also no other choice. does it mean that all will be perfect? that's not the point. does it mean that all what has been said will be ready on time? that's not the point. the point is to make sure that whatever we need to stage the world cup will be there. >> the stadium should be ready, shouldn't it? >> it's not only the stadium, but it's the city, and the local organizing committee together.

>> reporter: brazil is not meeting deadlines but a world cup overload is a problem of fifa's own making. three future world cups have raised political and organizational concerns. >> i would say it's a bit unfair if we have the pressure from the rest of the world to say that is what is happening in this country, and you have to change the way the country behaves. we can tell the country it goes against fifa's rules and [ inaudible ] and principle. >> but can a host country ever cross a line for you? >> to take a tournament away, it has to be a really, really crisis which put at risk the organization of the world cup, put at risk the safety of the country, which put at risk the fact that you bring people in a country and their safety is not

ensured. we are moving on the right way. it's not something -- i'm not saying that it will change in six month's time. because that's not the case. it takes time. these kind of things, you need time. but we are talking about a long period. we have to ensure that there will be no more death. >> confirmation of a switch to a winter world cup in qatar won't come yet. privately he will push them until the very last moment to get it ready and get it right. [ inaudible ] has stepped down as president as [ inaudible ] munich to prevent damage to the champions. he decided not to appeal against his 3.5 year prison sentence on tax evasion.

to formula one where [ inaudible ] hamilton posted the quickest time in friday's practice sessions ahead of the first race of the season, the australian [ inaudible ]. wayne reports from melbourne. >> reporter: the big talking point continues to be the changes made to the cars. one of the biggest things you notice being at the track is the sound. the smaller turbo charged engines are significantly quieter. on the track there are so many questions leading into this round one of the season. and many questions remain unanswered. the team that seemed to be handling the changes the best were mercedes, but in the first practice session, the former world champion, lewis hamilton couldn't even complete a lap. in the second practice session, mercedes went back to the top

with lewis hamilton setting the fastest time ahead of his teammate, and the four-time world champion in ford. and after what was at times a [ inaudible ] testing season forced the red bull team perhaps some good signs there. now to tennis where 7 seed roger federer has reached the semifinals. the swiss has yet to drop a set in california, and beat kevin andersson. while he continues his impressive form, he will now move up to fifth in the world rankings. federer will now face world number 31. the ukrainian was a straight set

winner against the canadian 6-3, 6-4. an impressive run [ inaudible ]. meanwhile [ inaudible ] battled through to the semis of the lady's event. the top seeded lee is looking for her first title since mel attorney. the oklahoma city thunder beat the lakers on sunday. kevin durand has scored 25 points in his last [ inaudible ]

games. england have won the third and final 2020 international against the west indiyss -- indies and barbados. they scored 67 for england side which already lost the series. 165 for 5, jonathan took 3 wickets and [ inaudible ] but they fell short of the target, england winning by 5, but they claimed the series 2-1. and there's more on that and the rest of the sport on our website, check out aljazeera.com/sport. that's it for me. >> thank you very much indeed for that. now a record-breaking winter is refusing to loosen its grip in parts of the central and eastern us.

and this may put a big freeze on shipping. almost 90% of the great lakes are completely frozen over. the shipping industry is literally at a stand still. >> reporter: at the shipyards in duluth, minnesota, crews work in frigid temperatures. these enormous vessels and cargoes must be ready to go when the shipping season opens. >> they need to get out of here in time with the first load. and they want to head south as soon as they open the gates. >> reporter: but no one is sure when that will be. some ice on the lakes is normal, but not on this scale. for the first time in decades the five great lakes are almost completely frozen over. the winds of the polar vortex

have come much further south this year. any other time this would be impossible to stand where i am, because this is lake superior. it is completely frozen solid. in some parts the ice is more than a meter and a half thick. the five great lakes are a vital north american trade root that feeds into the atlantic. it's critical from moving everything to food and [ inaudible ]. cargo has been hit hard by the deep freeze. in december iron ore trade plunged 21%. in january the cargoes were down almost 40%, so ice breakers have been working to clear a path for the ships. >> some deliveries couldn't be made in january. the ice got too thick and it wasn't possible.

we have utility companies that are going to need coal, it's a huge economic impact on profit margins. >> reporter: because every day these ships are locked in frozen solid ports, thousands are lost in the shipping industry. >> everybody is tired of winter. it just came so fast, and so severe, we're ready for spring. >> reporter: but with the ice cover on lake superior expected to take months to melt, regardless of what the calendar says, spring on lake superior may still be a long way off. just a reminder for you, we're still waiting for that press conference from sergei lavrov the russian foreign minister after his talks with the u.s. secretary of state john kerry over the crisis in ukraine. that's due to take place in london shortly. but for now that's it for the team in doha, for me, bye for now, and thanks for watching.

♪

>> this is the real deal man...

>> an ameica tonight special series >> this baby is in withdrawal... how addiction affects the most innocent. >> he just went quiet and his lips turned blue... >> is there hope? addicted in vermont on al jazeera america