appreciate you joining us, thank you. dan hill. >> absolutely, thank you so much. >> the show may be over but the conversation continues at aljazeera.com/consider this or on our facebook or google plus pages, or on twitter. >> welcome to aljazeera america, i'm del walters. and these are the stories we're following for you. east meets west. days before crimea is set to join russia, we'll have a live report from london. more u.s. ships joining the massive search for that missing malaysia airlines flight, but no clues as to where it may be. and historic freeze on the great lakes, bringing shipping to a halt. why there may be a price to pay.

with time running out, a scramble underway to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in ukraine. secretary of state, john kerry, and russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov, meeting in london, and they have been meeting for an hour, talks taking place over growing pessimism in crimia. dana, do we have any indication of what's going on, and are they still talking? >> reporter: well, dell, as far as we know, they're still behind the gates in central london, and the discussions going on just short of five hours as you mentioned. u.s. secretary of state, john kerry, here, and cameron and hague, and he went into the meetings with love rov to

understand two things, are the russians prepared in any way at this point to step back from the brink in ukraine, and also to lay out what happens if they don't in terms of economic sanctions, travel bans, and freezing foreign accounts, and there are interesting reports now on the specificity, 120 to 130 individuals that are around president putin, close to the kremlin, maybe involved in some of the decision making on the crimea. and we understand two names have already served now. he's a very close adviser to president putin, and another name, alexei miller, chairman of gazprom, one of the biggest in

the world. and that's the company that carries gas to europe across the pipelines in ukraine, so those two names on the possible list that we'll be hearing more about, if the russians don't back away from supporting this referendum in crimea on sunday. these meetings will be taking place and be probably breaking soon and then both leaders, serg day lavrov and secretary john kerry will hold separate news conferences. not together, but separate news conferences, and we hope to get word on what's going on with the concessions. >> as the politics talk, the situation on the ground grows worse. overnight, violence breaking out in eastern ukraine. one person is dead and others injured. all over the vote returning crimea to russia.

jennifer, what's the mood on the ground as we await word from both of these foreign secretaries, the secretary of russia, and also the u.s. secretary of state? >> well, del, crimea has been unapologetic about the international community since it declared this referendum two weeks ago. life is going on as normal here in sevastopol. and they're getting ready for the weekend here in one of the popular bars with the music going on behind me. but if we have any clear indication of what's going on in london, we heard an hour ago from the new prime minister of crimea, the acting pro-russian prime minister appointed two and a half weeks ago, and he said that the referendum will go ahead. it's considered a foregone conclusion here in this peninsula that as a majority ethnic russian population that everyone would head to the vote

toward russia, because the ethnic ukrainians are going to boycott the vote. the acting prime minister saying that the vote will be held on sunday. and on monday, all of the military installations will be part of crimea. the fleet becomes part of the crimea and either the sailors there will pledge their allegiance crimea or they have to leave. no matter what has, the vote is going to happen. and crimea declares independence and becomes part of russia. >> we have already witnessed clashes and is that an indication of regardless of what happens on sunday and in london, this situation will be far from over? >> you know, it is a volatile situation, those clashes in eastern ukraine, an industrial city not far from the russian

border, and a worry, as lavrov and john kerry were heading into the meeting this morning. clashes, and more worriedly, moscow reserves the right to protect the russian population. they are already amassed tens of thousands of russian troops on the border, but it makes the situation in kiev very worried about what the next russian move going to be. it makes them very worried. and crimea intends to declare itself part of russia. >> in sevastopol, the crimeaian part of ukraine. thank you very much. and we're still watching the situation in london right now. we're awaiting word from secretary of state, john kerry, who says that he will speak to reporters once his meeting with

sergei lavrov ends. and they have been meeting, and no word on whether any deal has been made. >> one week after no sign, the search for flight 370 is happening again. this time over the vast treps of the indian ocean and the china see. a navy warship was sent in by the u.s. lisa stark is in washington d.c., and lots of talk now that this may have been foul play. what do we know about that? >> well, del, i should caution that i've been involved in covering many investigations where some piece of information changes, and then the whole premise changes. but right now, based on what investigators know, it does seem that this is very suspicious. that foul play could likely be involved. we have two systems on the plane, the one that sends outdata on where the plane is

located and the one that sends out engine performance data, both of those systems apparently went dark, and yet the plane continued to keep flying, and that's based on signals from the plane that were picked up by satellite. so the question is, was this a hijacking? was it a rogue pilot? malaysian officials were asked about that at this morning's news conference. >> there are four or five possibilities. it could have been done intentionally. it could have been done under duress, it could have been done because of an explosion, and that's why we don't want to go into the realm of speculation. >> they won't say if it was foul play, but sources close to the investigation that say based on what we know now, there is not really any explanation but that someone took this plane off in a different direction than it was intended to go. >> just this morning, we

confirmed what navy officials said, they are sending vessels into the indian ocean, and what can you tell us about that? >> the navy has certainty a naval destroyerer into the area, and they had a p3 ryan over the area today. and that jet picked up knock, and another plane, a p8 is coming in tomorrow to help with the search. it's greatly picking up west of the malaysian peninsula, because based on the satellite hits and based on military, that's where the plane ended up going. >> lisa stark in washington d.c., thank you very much. and as the search for that missing plane continues, the toll that it's taking on the families that are waiting grows even worse. some are losing patience while waiting in cola lumpur. >> the lack of information is

distracting. seven days, and no idea where the miss flight is heading. 6. >> we have been stuck here for too long. every day is a torture. i don't know how many days we'll have to wait. i just the accurate information as soon as possible. >> in kuala lumpur, teams have been at a hotel. and volunteers have been assigned to help them cope. >> they hope that the airplane will be fine and their loved ones safe. they are prepared to accept what happened. >> across the country though, some still haven't given up hope.

placing their faith in higher powers. >> we just performed -- [ unintelligible ] so we are praying that the people of the airline and all of the crews will be found safe and in good health. >> so day seven for the missing jetliner ends like all previous days, with insufficient new leads, and fewer reasons for families to believe that their loved ones are still alive. >> a russian foreign ministry official said that syria could remove all of its chemical weapons by april 13th. they will give the opcw a plan by the end of the month. they were supposed to surrender all of their chemical weapons to facilities by june, and it has missed several deadlines. and those held hostage in

syria, they will be returned when the prison fighters are released. the video of their capture was obtained exclusively by aljazeera. >> they were taken last august from villages and rural attack in the northeast. the region is a stronghold of president beshear al-assad's branch of islam. the rebels say that they're ready to free the 94 women and children in exchange for the release of 2,000 prisoners being held by government forces. they made demands over which prisoners should be freed. saying that they should be from mainly coastal regions, and at least half of them must be women and children. a prisoner swap last week saw the release of 13 greek orthodox nuns, detained since december by fighters from the al qaeda front. and in this video, one of the kidnapped women said of allowing the release of members of

another religion, but forgetting his own. they blamed the assad regime for what it calls a new prisoner swap tactic. >> we don't know the identity of these kidnappers of course, and a lot will depend on who are precisely the kidnappers. it will make a big difference. these are nothing new. swayings like this in civil war are very common. >> what else is common in the civil war are the homes and living continually destroyed. in airs west of aleppo, the residents are upset with the government for dropping bombs. >> you strike, enough, enough, when will this end? >> we were in our houses when we heard airstrikes, and they even targeted the mosque. they bombed the house of god. may god take revenge on them

want all of my relatives are under the rubble. >> it's unclear how many people died in the strikes, but barrel bombs are an inaccurate weapon, and condemned by the international community. for these women and children, they're caught in the politics of the three year-long war. >> coming up on aljazeera, proof that this has been one of the coldest records on record. great lakes frozen over, and the ships can't deliver the products that you need. and horse-drawn karens are part of new york city. and an even bigger controversy. what happens next?

>> the great lakes are frozen over, and in some cases, 90% covered with ice, and that's causing problems for shipping. >> reporter: at the fraser

shep yard in duluth, minnesota, crews work in frigid temperatures preparing the separators which sail the great lakes. these enormous vessels and cargos must be ready to go when the shipping season opens of. >> they need to get out of here in time for the first load. and they want to to be lined up with a full load of cargo as soon as they open the gates >> reporter: the problem is no one is sure when that will be. some say it's normal, but not on this scale. satellite minimals show that for the first time in decades, the five great lakes are almost completely frozen over. blame the arctic winds and what is known as the polar vortex. one of the coldest winters on record. if this were summertime, it would be impossible to stand where i am right now, because this is lake superior, and for the first time in 20 years, it's completely frozen solid. in some places, the ice is more than a meter and a half thick.

the five great lakes, the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world, and a vital trade route that feeds into the atlantic. it's critical for moving everything from fuel to metal and ores. they have been hit hard by the deep freeze. december, iron ore afraid plunged 20%. and ice breakers have been working to clear a path for the ships. >> in of the deliveries couldn't be made in january. the ice got too thick, and it wasn't passible. so we have steal mills that have iron ore pellets, and utility companies that need coal. huge impact on profit margins. >> every day that the ships are locked in frozen solid ports, thousands are lost in the shipping industry, a spinoff in the economy. >> everybody is tired of winter.

it came so fast and so severe, we're ready for spring. >> reporter: but with the ice cover in 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. luleuth, minnesota. >> wall street is seesawing between the plus and minus column. dow is down, and keeping a close eye on sunday's vote in crimea, which will determine if it will secede from the ukraine and gas prices are affected by that. rules for private colleges, it would require them to do a better job preparing students for the workforce or face losing federal aid. half of all college loans default. and i.

>> a battle over animal rights, new york city mayor, bill de blasio making horse-drawn carriages history. and the drivers are fighting back. >> officer, we just got married. >> it's an iconic new york scene played out again and again in tv. >> very corny. >> reporter: manhattan's horse-drawn carriages attract tourists by the thousands each year. steven malone has driven his farris share of them over the past 26 years. >> it's responsible for putting food on the table for my kids, and also responsible for feeding the other horse that i have as well. so we all earn our keep, and we have a mutual bond between us. >> reporter: there are 68 licensed carriages in new york city, and more than 160 active drivers, but because each carriage is individually owned, drivers say it's impossible to know how much revenue the

industry generates. a 20 minute right costs $60, and malone makes between 50 and $80,000 per year. >> we're a blue collar industry, hard working men and women, we meet all of the bills for our horses, there's nobody here taking trips around the world and owning yachts and going around the country. >> they have supported bill de blasio's plan to ban the carriages, saying that the horses work long hours and breathe in exhaust. though he's a liberal, this is an issue. banning the carriages is one of the few things that he and his opponents agreed on in last year's race. >> in the past year, there have been 20 accidents, horses hit by taxis and suvs, and horses are dropping dead on the streets. it's 2014, and there are 8 million residents in new york.

putting an animal in traffic when there are cars, trucks buses isn't safe anymore. >> they have proposed antique cars to replace the horses but they're impractical. >> the bottom line, people come it see the horse, that's the star, that's the celebrity. you can't replace it. >> it may be another part of new york history. aljazeera, new york. >> coming up on aljazeera america, one woman wanted to help the homeless in the winter, and now she's doing so with one coat and one job.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. here are your headlines at this hour. a last-ditch effort to find the solution to the crisis in ukraine. secretary of state john kerry meeting with russian foreign minister, lavrov at this hour,

trying to stop russian from taking over crimea. the meeting is into its fifth hour. as the search for that missing malaysia airlines extend to the indian ocean, aljazeera has learned that the course of the flight may have been deliberately set off-course, strongly pointing to foul play. syria supposed to give all of its chemical weapons by april 14th. a new kind of coat that could save lives. for the homeless, it's a gift of life this brutal winter. >> you know how to work it? you know how to do that? >> reporter: on a bitterly cold night in detroit, church

volunteers, are on a mission, the temperature is only 12°, but the biting wind makes it feel like 5 below zero. the men are driving through detroit looking for the most vulnerable, the homeless. piled in the back of the truck, the heavy-duty coats that double as sleeping bags. rick approaches a man sleeping by the side of the road. >> you know how to work them? this is not fancy. they're not going to take it from you. it's like someone giving you a big hug. >> it's like a big bear on you. >> caroline said that such a coat was the only thing keeping her warm when she was homeless and living in a shelter with no heat. >> you know what i'm saying? that coat was everything. >> she's now one of 15 seem stresses who work for a non-profit group, known as the

empower. plan. she sat down with us last august, and told us how the idea for the coats grew out of a college project. but then veronica realized that the coats alone were not enough. >> a coat on its own will not change anything. >> the potential employees, were all homeless, living in shelters and all desperate for work. >> when you have nothing, the smallest thing means the world to you. contributing. >> in its first year, veronica says that the empowerment plan produced 25 coats, and the following year, it made over 1,000, and over the past year, the non-profit stitched together more than 3,000 coats.

veronica is planning to expand the warehouse and hire more seamstresses to keep up with the demand . >> with the weather, because of this weather, this is a huge part of what we're doing. we have even a stronger dedication it making these coapts the best that we can make them. >> you can velcro it. >> thank you. >> aljazeera, detroit. >> looking at more cold air coming over the great lakes. morellos in place, and not seeing of progress now with the temperatures dropping below freezing over the next 24 hours. trying to warmup to the south, 60 in st. louis, and it gets warmer tomorrow. but another shot of cold air will come down from the north, dropping temperatures into the teens, is then the cold air will interact with the storm across the southern plains, and that

will be big trouble in the start of next week. here's where, it's the high pressure tries to bring it up, it doesn't make much progress. it climbs up to the mason-dixon line, it gets colder as it crosses the great lakes in the south. here's what's happening here. the cold air coming up and an area of low pressure, the cold air is in place with the high pressure over the great lakes. that's the problem with the next storm. the warm air moving in, but the cold air is trapped in place at the surface, so you see this large pink area as it develops and traps it in place. this is monday morning, and this is sleet or freezing rain, but not snow as it hits the ground and comes in below freezing. so more expected before the rush hour on monday. and farther to the north, it's all snow. but this will be a big problem this coming monday for saint patrick's day across the mid-atlantic and the northeast. del. >> thank you very much, and thank you for watching aljazeera

america. aim del walters in new york, and "inside story" is next. and a reminder, we continue to watch developments coming out of london. when secretary of state, john kerry, wraps up his meeting with sergei lavrov, we'll bring you that comment live. it is the inside story. ♪ . >> hello, i'm ray swarez, the man who used to be jorge mario is cardinal arch bishop has shown he is a master of flipping the script. it started from the moment the votes that made him the head of the worldwide catholic church were counted an enormous crowd gathering in st. peters square, the