>> referendum day in ukraine. voters head to the polls in crime crimea deciding whether or not to join russia. >> civil unrest informant streets of venezuela, where protesters say they are fighting for their future. >> the investigation into the missing malaysia airlines jumbo jet, focussing on the pilot and what's inside their home.

>> the immigration of the mon a -- monarchs. few are taking flight. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, live from new york city. the next chapter of the ukraine's political crisis is unfolding. polls of opening in the black sea peninsula, crimea. they are voting whether to join russia or become more independent of ukraine. the e.u. and u.s. called the vote illegal. let's go to jennifer glasse in the crimean city of sevastopol. 1.5 million people are eligible to vo. how -- eligible to vote. how is ut turn out so far? >> this is a heavily ethnic

russian city. it's its own region, and will count its own votes and announce its own results. crimea - we are up in central crimea this morning, and despite rain here, snow up in central crimea where it was freezing this morning. people were coming out in large numbers. not everyone is going to vote here. it's a divided country. the crimean tat tars are boycotting the vote. ethnic ukrainians feel they don't have a stake. there's two questions, do you want to become part of russia or do you want crimea to go back to the 1992 constitution, giving it its own president, foreign policies and self determination, and it stays in ukraine. >> many who are critical say there's no difference between the choice, there's no choice

for crimea to stay in ukraine the way it is now. if you vote, you are endorsing crimea's ses session. >> with the two choices, have you seen more evidence of russian or pro-ukrainian sentiment at the polling stations. >> here is very pro-russian. this port is home to the russian black sea feet. you have 15,000 sailors going along with that and their families, and this port has been leaning towards moscow. it's a pro-russian sentiment around the city. at the polling stations you hear soviet anthems, old songs. it's the busiest day we have seen, the busiest sunday in a couple of weeks. people are very, very much out and about. the turn out is high, and enthusiastic for those coming out. but pro-russians, russian flags have been flying everywhere. here, in the last couple of days

in the government buildings. they flew over the government buildings when the russian troops came in, they are not flying over the building now. when the announcement is made tomorrow, we are expecting an exit poll late tonight, and results after that, maybe tomorrow. then they can make an announcement, a decision on what to do next. if they decided to become part of russia, they can raise the russian flags. you see them all around. >> i want to go back to something you said before. you mentioned the soviet anthem. russia had boots on the ground. has military presence increased with the vote today? >> certainly not here it hasn't increased with the vote. very, very present, we are at one of the bigger bases north-east of here, and there's a big russian military presence,

a line of trucks. the base is surrounded, and it's a big question, what will happen next, what the military will go do. the crimean president says once the vote is done, and crimea decides to become independent, that the military turns under crimea, what happens to the thousands of sailors. the crimean leadership says they'll have to surrender or become part of the new forces. >> jennifer glasse, live from sevastopol. let's go to phil ittner, he's following the developments from kiev. what is the interim government doing to prepare for the results of the vote? >> they are preparing to contest it. they say the referendum is illegitimate and will not recognise whatever happens today out in crimea. but they do intend to pursue that in the courts, both here,

domestically, and internationally, but there's other developments that are happening here, what the kiev government is doing, and they are concerned about russia's grabbeder designs on mainland -- grander designs on mainland ukraine. they are calling up military units. they feel that in kiev, crimea is the beginning, and moscow has its eyes on a lot more territory. >> if crimea does, in fact, join russia, russia will have a lot to take on. is russia prepared to support crimea, in terms of providing water and electricity, all things that they rely on ukraine for. >> it's an interesting point. crimea is very much dependent on ukraine. they get most of the their water and power from mainland ukraine. russia would have to develop infrastructure to do the same

sort of task, if, indeed, they become part of the russian federation. there is also, you know, the question of things like pensions to old citizens out there, or veterans. russia will now have to pick up that bill. a lot of people are saying, actually, at the end of the day, economically, grabbing that peninsula will be a costly bill for moscow. >> okay, costly. let's go to russian foreign minister sergei lavrov. he called the ukrainian government to kerb what he calls violent behaviour of the ultra nationalist groups. are they as bad as he's making them out to be? >> not from the perspective of kiev. their nationalist moves are creating a destiny, it has been soup revved by the russians -- suppressed by the russians and other empires.

for the first time ukrainian is able to stand up for its open nationality. what is disturbing for the crimean, are the words concerned about ultra nationalists, because coming out of moscow the word is they are concerned about them, and the government in kiev says it's a pretext, a way for russia to prepare the way for grabbing more territory. they are concerned about a lot of things, but more concerned about the language coming out of russia. >> thank you, fill, for being there for us this morning. >> secretary of state john kerry's unsuccessful feeding with foreign minister sergei lavrov has people on edge. the two met for six hours on friday. president obama and european leaders are rallying to impose sanctions on russia if crimea

sebbing seeds. >> the last-ditch effort to talk putin off the ledge didn't work. what's the fall out? >> the referendum is a foregone conclusion. reaction is coming before the vote. none is any good. it's not much of a guessing game what well see. this week will be a dark one. here is the head line in the london sunday "times", vladimir putin goes to the brink of war. vladimir putin, who travelled to sochi for the paralimpics may face an e.u. travel ban, and ukraine warning russia could plan a full-scale invasion of its county. secretary of state john kerry tried to convince the foreign ministry to back away. the minister calling it a sham, an annexation by the back door.

angela merkel - it will cause massive damage to russia economically and politically. mick fall, a former ambassador, involved with the carn eggy institute. writing on his facebook page, "i'm deapproached for those of us, russians and americans alike who believed in the possibility of a strong, prosperous democratic russia. vladimir putin's decisions represent a giant step backwards. we are entering a new period with important differences but many similarities to the cold far. out okay rahsy and democracy is resurgent. tomorrow a freeze on assets. some close to vladimir putin. russia kicked out of the g8 and russia says it will respond, possibly seizing foreign assets in russian and foreign

companies. it will be an interesting few days. >> bad to worse. all these strong words flying between the diplomats. really, russia was the only member of the united nations security council to fight against the crimean referendum. it feels like vladimir putin has the upper hand. has he really left the rest of the world in a defensive position? >> he has the upper hand on the ground. he is a big country, they dwarf ukraine, and they can throw their muscle around. if they drop the border, they are in a different situation. russia is part of the international economy. the former economic minister who advises vladimir putin says if they say things continue, russia could have capital flight of $50 billion a quarter. i spent more than 10 years as a correspondent in the russia, the one thing vladimir putin fears is unrest in his country.

he has to think domestically. he's a hero, because he says he's standing up for domestic russians. if cities collapse, they import 80% of meat from europe, he has a problem. this problem in ukraine becomes his problem, domestically, internally. >> thank you again for being with us. it's a pleasure having you. >> here to discuss what the vote will mean in the court of international law is a clinical professor of global affairs at new york university. jennifer, thank you for being with us. good morning. >> good morning. >> we are hearing that the vote by western standards would not count. it wouldn't be on the books. we hear questions about the way it's counted, who is counting it and the wording on the ballot. is this a rigged vote? >> i would say you are absolutely right. this is rigged. the two questions on the ballot are not giving legitimate

questions. those who want the status quo are probably going to stay home. this is a rigged vote. even if it weren't a rigged vote, if this were a totally fair vote, crimea does not get to decide by itself to break off from ukraine. this should be an issue about ukraine, is ses session group doesn't vote to go its own way. he'd with all similar groups breaking off. it's not how ses session works. if it were not a rigged vote. it wouldn't be valid. >> not valid, but the encouragement by russian forces. they come in, they take over the gas plant. the question is is this a signal that more russian occupation is ahead, regardless of what's. it's a dangerous signal, and the difficulty is that russia is on the security council. the security council can't really do what it would normally

do. as we saw from yesterday's vote, russia is in a position as a permanent five member to veto. the security council can vote for a number of things and they'll all be vetoed. the u.n. has its hands tied and it's up to regional members like the e.u. and the u.s. to impose travel bans and deal with visas, and asset freezes. >> if the referendum pass, what happens next? >> that is a difficult question to answer. in an ideal world, there is enough pressure put on russia that they pull back. can that happen, will it happen, will it happen peacefully. it's anyone's guess that the best possible scenario is enough. if enough pressure is put on

russia, you realise this is costly, on the international stage or costly to run crimea, and they decide that it's not worth it. whether that will happen is anyone's guess. >> time will tell. an expert told me that this is a fight over land, not really about politics. why is this land so important? >> well unfortunately, this seems like an old russia, flexing its muscle as if they are stuck back in cold war era. and, you know, where will this lead to, and when will it end is the difficult question. it's very important that russia feel consequences of its actions. >> all right, jennifer, associate clinical professor of global affairs n.y.u. thank you for being with us. we look forward to talking to you more later. >> good sunday morning to you. i'm meteorologist eboni deon.

watching areas across the deep south. that's where we are dealing with rain and thunder storms. we have a tornado watch across southern areas of mississippi, and alabama and the western panhandle of florida, in addition to that, there are a few tornado warnings issued across clark. in southern alabama, we are seeing a line of storms at a descent clip going to the east. that's the line in yellow and red. that's where we are dealing with the threat. the tornado warning lasts for 15 minutes. the slight risk will expand further east into parts of georgia. we'll deal with heavy wane and winds and the threat of isolated tornado. this storm system will be lifting to the north. once it starts to meet up, all the moisture - that will see,

into the mid atlantic region. the heaviest will be across western virginia. some areas can see 6 to 12 numbers of. we are expecting possibly upwards of 5 inches, and it will be overnight, early on monday. that's why we have winter weather advisories. not too much snow, but we have the cold air in place. we are getting a north to north-westerly flow, bringing temperatures down across the north-east. >> venezuelan president nicolas maduro warns protesters to clear out of the capital. hours after issuing the ultimatum clashes broke out between demonstrators and police. nicolas maduro addressed a rally, supporting the military, and our correspondent was there. >> on the last day of a week-long series of events commemorating the one-year anniversary of the death of chavez this march by venezuelan

militia is meant to send a message to opponents of the government. this is a non-too subtle way to remind opponents that nicolas maduro has on his side the national guard, and the militia. they are not soldiers, but after a month of nonstop protests and clashes between anti-government groups, the president wants to show he has the means to confront the biggest change your to the chavez revolution. this gathering was called to show support for the national guard. at a time when it is under fire by human rights advocates at home and abroad. guards men have been accused of using force, and torturing protesters after they've been detained. the government will investigate the charges, and will not tolerate abuses. on this occasion there were no words of reproach, only of

encouragement between those supposed to defend the government. this at a time when some are speculating or hoping that if the unrest spreads, the armed forces will force the president to step down. >> iran says it has thwarted a number of sabotage events on its nuclear program, including an attempt on a key facility. the country has seen cyber attacks on its facilities in the past. there was bun in 2010 that disrupted centrifuge operations. tehran says it's an attack by the west. >> rebels want a greater share in the oil wealth in libya. they are open to talks if the government holds off on a military offensive. >> people of interest - the mystery surrounding the missing malaysian airlines flight. dying for work.

a job improves drive turns into a deadly stampede. >> i'm andrew simmonds, reporting from a ski slope in swat valley. can this normality beobtained, in a place where the taliban ♪

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>> foo -- good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm morgan radford. >> the criminal investigation in relation to malaysia airlines moves forward. >> first, the temperatures across the country with meteorologist eboni deon >> it will feel colder. the colder air is coming back unfortunately. winter is definitely running out of time. spring arrives on thursday. winter is not leaving without putting its mark across the north-east and mid atlantic. temperatures 10 to 25 degrees colder, now that we are getting the cold arctic push. we are starting off at 23 in cleveland. 38 degrees. as we go through the day to day.

notice the blue shading, going all the way to areas of the deep south. we'll feel the cooler air mass. we'll rebound as we get into the ground on tuesday or wednesday. we'll see the yellow shading going further north, to the 40s and the ohio valley. >> talks to end the crisis in south sudan. little progress has been made beyond a ceasefire that has been violated. fears of violence keeps tens of thousands of refugees inside of camps. most describe life there as miserable. >> when this woman and her neighbour came bag to their homes, almost everything was destroyed. they escaped from the south sudan town of bentiu when the fighting started and hid in the bush. they came back, because they need food. they were shocked by what they found. i'm so angry my house is burnt.

i don't think i can be happy again. >> many people do not feel safe. nearly 6,000 are sheltering at a camp for displaced people at the u.n. base. fighting earlier in the year between rebels and the government left an unknown number dead. life in the camp is hard, specially for the children who don't have parents. david doesn't have any family here, so he has to pay a woman in the camp to cook for him. because he's alone, he's vulnerable to bullies that steal from him. to earn money, he carries water for people. because he works, he doesn't have time to join the other children at school. he wishes he could. he witnessed violence and has trouble sleeping at night as a result result. >> at the bridge i found people i knew. women and children with their hands behind their backs.

their heads had been cut off, placed near their legs. >> in the fighting families scattered. children were separated from parents. some will have to find work to find money to look after system themselves. that means they won't be able to go school. many children lost family and experienced terrible violence. human tarians want all the children in the camp to go to school. they say their basic needs must be taken care of first. we are trying to reignite them with their families, where it's possible. in the meantime we organise foster care, and families are the families living in the camp. so we are trying to trace all the unidentified children and register them, making sure they have foster care. >> south sudan has one of the lowest rates of adult literacy in the world. largely because the previous civil war disrupted education.

if the conflict continues, there's a risk that another generation will miss out on school. >> violence in the south sudan started last december with the country's president accusing an opponent of inciting a coup. >> fatigue in the search's ninth day is becoming a factor. we asked the commander of the 7th fleet how concerned they were as to never finding the missing plane. >> i'm very concerned. we have 700 u.s. navy sailors. we have to watch the fatigue level. we sent out grief counsellors and chaplains, to make sure mentally that they are doing okay. physically too you can't operate equipment 24 hours a day, and you can't push people to work 24 hours a day. we are very concerned about the fatigue level.

we are watching it closely, and that's where we are right now. >> we'll have a live report on the search for the missing malaysian airliner. >> honda is reporting hundreds of thousands of miny vans that could catch fire. the 2005 to 2009 odisies could have a crack in the fuel pump, causing it to catch fire. there's a short-term solution. >> toiling over tea - workers in india are left penniless by the very company that they work for. >> the clock is ticking. college basketball teams chase their tickets to the big dance.

>> good morning to you, and welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, and these are the top stories. venezuelan president nicolas maduro warns protesters of the clear out of the capital hours after issuing the ultimatum. clashes broke outs between demonstrators and police. earlier nicolas maduro addressed a rally. >> polls are open in the black sea peninsula, crimea, where you are looking at live pictures of the polling sayings in simferepol. people are voting on whether crimea should join russia or become more independent. the u.s. and the e.u. called the vote illegal. but crimea is them many people with close cultural ties to russia. let's bring in peter sharp, who is in moscow. >> there were rallies in moscow with many russians supporting a ukrainian crimea. what exactly were their

concerns? >> there's about 50,000 people, a huge amount for an antiwar movement in moscow on saturday. basically they are concerned that there could be wars as a result of this. they don't trust putin or the direction in which putin is taking the country. they don't know which direction they are going in. there's a fear among the people that there'll be isolated internationally if this all goes ahead. look, let's not make bones about it. vladimir putin has the majority of support of most of the people in russia. figures running between 60 and 70%, and an independent poll supports the kremlin line, blaming the west. so putin is not just popular, he's extraordinarily popular. his approval ratings are the highest in three years, and have

gone up 10% sips the adventures in the crimea began. >> i want to go back to something he said. you describe the vladimir putin mistrust. russia indicated that it will accept crimea, but is if ready to support crimea financially. can we trust that? >> it will be a huge drain on the country. there's 2 million extra people. on the plus side they get security on the black sea fleet in sevastopol. but the cost to russia is going to be absolutely enormous. the crimea, always as part of the ukraine, is getting more in subsidies than it pays in taxes, and nothing will stop. this peninsula relies for the ukraine on the electricity, on its water. now, all these infrastructures will have to be rebuilt to give ukraine, you know, an ability to

survive. also there'll have to be a currency. it will take months for this work to be done. and some estimates are putting the costs as high over $20 billion over the next three years to absorb crimea into russia. many people would say russia's making the decision on an emotional scale. they want to see crimea back inside mother russia, emotionally rather than financially. >> back to the old russia. >> peter sharp reporting in moscow. >> voting is underway in serbia as well, and in some 6.5 million people are headed to the polls to elect a -- leelected to parliament. >> malaysia airlines flight 370 has expanded to 2500 miles. authorities are looking into the backgrounds of the two pilots,

and the passengers on board. malaysian authorities are holding a daily press conference saying more countries will join the effort. scott heidler is live from kuala lumpur. what is the latest update for malaysian airlines? >> morgan, the press conference ended a couple of minutes ago. the headlines out of it, if you want a bullet headlines is they are entering a delicate phase when it comes to the investigation, and a complex one when it comes to the search and rescue operation. let's start on the investigation. it's delicate because they need to work with different countries, in asking and requesting sensitive data. asking for background checks and the passengers, they are in different countries. they are still waiting for some. the minister of transportation said. it's delicate in malaysia, they have gone into the houses of the

pilot and copilot. they confiscated an elaborate flight simulator from the pilot's house and are reconstructing it in police headquarters and will look through it to see if there's data to reveal whether the pilot is behind this. this is something that multinationals - more than a dozen countries - and now what they'll ask them for, what they have been asking them for is sensitive satellite and radar information, because they are looking to see if there's a registration, history in satellites and/or radar in the countries of the aircraft passing over the air space. it's delicate on both fronts. they are moving slowly forward. we have, again, brand new information coming to light by the prime minister on saturday in the big press conference. you'd think if you had more information, that would lead to a quicker process. there's a bigger search area and

a delicate search area. >> delicate situation. scott heidler joining us from kuala lumpur. >> crisis in gaza where a power plant shutdown left people without electricity. as caroline malone tells us, the blackout is part of a bigger crisis. >> the situation in gaza is bleak. more than a million people are blocked in and cut off by israel and egypt. the main power station stopped producing electricity because it ran out of fuel. >> translation: we will have electricity for six hours out of 24. if we want to sues generators, there's no -- to use generates, there's no fuel. if there is, it's $2 a litre. >> there was a rush to buy petrol on thursday. israel closed the commercial border crossing with gaza after some of the worst regional violence. rockets were fired into israel. the israeli military hit back.

>> i'm afraid the situation will deteriorate. no one can predict what might happen. i'll keep fuel for emergencies. >> some fuel stations have run out of fuel. egypt closed the borders. israel as well and the situation doesn't look good. >> for the last few months people have been surviving off fuel from israel bought by qatar, the palestine authority. qatar agreed to fund fuel, but it can't be delivered while the border is closed. resident were suffering economically. 51,000 government employees have not been getting full salaries more months. the government lost two-thirds of its revenue, about 500 million since imports stopped. >> it's the worst time for ham as movement in the last 20 years.

the new egyptian closure of the tunnel, the main source of income for the government and economy. >> the pressure on hamas is rising with borders closed on both sides. support for the group dropped to a new low. down from 25% to 55% since late 2012. >> at least seven were killed and dozens injured thousands looking for jobs you see here. to ply for work. large crowds broke down gates. witnesses say the stampede broke out when applicants surged towards the stage. a recruitment drive was held in al jazeera. >> the global tea company has come under criticise im -- cit

sis of its workers. >> this man and his wife have been living and working on the tea estate for more than a decade. about five years ago amalgamated tea offered the employees a chance to buy company shares. they were not interested, but were not given a choice. >> we were told if you don't take shares, your work will be stopped. the labours country workers were forced to give thumb prints. we were scared. that's why we gave in. >> even though these a part owner, the family lives in a home without electricity, and a roof that has been leaking for the past eight years. and say complaints about living conditions or shared dividends are ignored. >> translation: our house is in bad shape. i can't take an $80 loan. how did they take $130 from us.

they forced us. >> we tried speaking to other employees. we were asked to stop filming by men on motorcycles that escorted us away. they declined an interview, but stayed that dividends have been paid yearly, but they were called something else in bank statements. they say issues with worker conditions were isolated incidents. >> al jazeera met several other amalgamated tea employees, who told us despite being part owners, they live in pore conditions. they have no idea. different company officials gave them different answers. >> tea plantations relied on a large number of workers. giving the workers company shares is touted as a way to share of the profits. critics charged. it's a way to shield the company. this union leader says many workers belief they have lost

the right to complain, and giving shares detracts from conditions they ensure. >> after giving $120, the workers have many appearance, they don't have proper homes, water to drink and hospital facilities, what they need to get, they are not getting. >> when contacted, amalgamated tea stated that the share scheme is entirely voluntary. and that they strongly refute that there was coercion or any sort of pressure whatsoever on employees to apply to the scheme. and that no employee has lost his or her job either for not subscribing to the scheme or voicing grievances. workers we spoke to say they are too weary to complain, and feel powerless to improve their lives or future. >> it's the last weekend before the n.c.a.a. tournament in

college basketball. teams across the country are making a final bush to end the dance. mark morgan is here. >> you seem excited. >> very excited. >> conference tournaments are wrapping up and upsets. the shadow has enveloped many coaches and come through u.c.l.a. 's sense the run of national titles. now it's steve alford's turn in the pressure cooker. and in his first season at the helm, so far so good. the bruins facing arizona. carl anderson drives. he'll make a difficult lay-up, part of a 12-0 u.c.l.a. run. bruins lead by three. second half tied at 66. aaron gordon backing down the defender. under a minute to go. we are tied at 68. jordan adams, watch this. 19.

u.c.l.a. wins the tournament. beating arizona 75-71, and the bruins fans whoop it up. >> over to the big 12 championship final. baler's bears. baler up six, cory jefferson with his first impact. finishing with five points. the bears leading by 10. cyclones rally under 6 minutes to go, tied at 50. melbourne buries the free, giving iowa its first lead. iowa seals it. gets the lay up to go. five cyclones in double figures. iowa beating baler 74-65 for the first big tournament title since 2000. >> creighton and providence in a final hugging it out at maddison square garden. tyler harris takes it to the hoop. providence led by nine at the break. second half, more bruce st.

james. that's a 3-ball. leading providence 23. fire up by 10. under three minutes, creighton fighting back. this is a long three ball. he had 27. blue jays within three. final minute of the game, providence up to adante. providence beats creighton 55-58. >> rick has his defending champions peaking at the right time. the cardinals through theling yukon. ufl closing the deal winning by 10, 71-1. the cards improved, winning 12 of the last 13, a likely 3-seed when the bracket is announced. march madness is here, and after the selection announcement it

will be time to fill out the brackets and brace yourself for the upsets coming next week. while we witness frantic finishes and stunning surprises the service industry around the united states will be doing big business during the big dance. here is ross shimabuku. >> it's finally hear. tournament time in college basketball. for bars and restaurants, that means the post holiday drought is over. the crowds will be filling seats to enjoy the excitement of the dance. >> 75% of our business is sports related. we double sometimes triple staff bade on what time the games are and what we are participating before the game, offer the game and during the game. >> the madness of march is no better personified than in crowded sports bars. tip-offs on the west coast. >> business wise it's good. constantly busy. need extrastaff, orders are bigger.

kitche kitchens, the bars. >> it snow balls. >> 67 games would have to be played to determine a champion. each is a welcome opportunity, as one owner told us, there's no days off in march. >> after january or feb, everyone has cabin fever. everyone looks forward to it. families and people from everywhere. it's a chance to get out and let it go for a month. >> as for the teams that make it into the n.c.a.a. tournament. there's a big pay day. david caplin explains. >> it's about the ex-personal the university gets and the numbers of applications, particularly for the universities and colleges that don't have a lot of exposures. there's mid maimers, cinderella stories, those are the ones. you hear of the stories after the fact. where there's 20-30% bump ups,

that's where they get the pay-offs. five more conference tournaments will be decided with the winners receiving automatic bids. that's sports at this hour. >> i'll get on the fence and take two teams, louisville and florida. you can have the rest of the field. >> thank you so much. >> speaking of sports, pakistan sent one athlete to the winter games in sochi. he was a 16-year-old and he taught himself to ski without having the appropriate equipment. andrew simmonds tells us why we good see more athletes from the years to come. fun like this is unthinkable here. this is swat valley, once under the rule of pakistan's taliban. this is the country's only commercial ski resort destroyed by taliban fighters. it's being revived into a symbol

of normality. with one rickety chair lift and hopes for a peaceful future. for now, this is under army guard. pakistan's military having driven the taliban out in a major offensive believes the valley is secure. plans are in place for the army to handover the organization of the snow festival to civilians next year. while the commanding officer accepts the taliban is a threat. he says it will never return. >> it has the capacity and intention to create trouble and go back into the spaf havens in afghanistan. i can assure you we will never let the threat materialize. this is a message i want to get across. what you are seeing there is a glimpse of what it could be like in swat valley. pakistan's military is trying to convince people the situation

with people is good enough for investment in tourism and other industries. for now, the numbers coming here would not instill the confidence big-time investors would need. the mood is good. >> people should come here and realise that now it has been taken over by the army, and it's safe now, there's no problem. >> it's beautiful, that's all i can say. there's not many places around the world like this, i mean... >> the security forces maintain that they can keep law and order in swat valley with or without a taliban peace deal. it's a view that is not shared by everyone. without the soldiers here, many would not feel as carefree as this. >> the ski federation of pakistan has set up a committee to develop ski infrastructure hoping to host international events. >> while the number of monarch

butterflies are dwindling down. >> what is your most important lesson you learnt in life? >> is to be good to older people, and love them. >> a great expression of love that has a great-grandmother dancing. the heart-felt way her final days are documented on social media. >> tracking severe tomorrows, we'll let you know where to see the rain change your to snow, and where we have winter storm warnings posted.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. the migration of the monarch dwindling year by year, but first let's get a look at where the snow and the rain may fall, with meteorologist eboni deon. it's turning out to be an active end to the weekend. the snow is coming down, on the lighter side.

heavy rain and storms, tracking across areas of the deep south. a light band of snow, a little further north coming down out of iowa, northern end of missouri, and illinois. here where it's warm, the north air in place, and i'm dealing with a line of storms stretching across alabama into mississippi, this is where we have tornado warnings. watch out there, take shelter if we live in the area. the warning is in effect for seven minutes. here with the storms coming in across the mississippi, storm warnings and further west. this small area, storms around - we have a severe thunderstorm warning effect for you. this same storm system will lift. increasing moisture, interacting with colder air. snow expected into the early morning commute on monday. >> thank you so much. >> every year there's a stunning

migration of monarch butterflies, flying from mexico to north america and back. their habitat is under threat. adam raney reports. >> hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies taking refuge from the winder cold in the u.s. it's an annual journey. fewer make it. in general terms the situation for the monarch butterflies is critical. it's the lowest number of butterflies we have seen in 20 years. that's because many that begin the flight never complete it. the food of choice for them and the young, wild milkweed is disagree. large-scale farming wiped out large parts of it. drought is also to blame. until recently they also faced habitat loss in mexico. large parts of the worse are under threat from loggers. now, public and private programs

are looking to replant whatever trees are cut. >> people used to come and cut down trees, there's a law against it. visitors come and that brings in money. >> many tourists want to see the phenomenon before it's too late. >> i'm concerned about disappearing. i need to see them now. particularly i like that the corridor where the bunny goes, where canada, and the united states. all of north america. in this corner of north america they are committed to keeping the fight up. in mexico, they took important substance. they need the u.s. to do the same. a plea for cooperation. it now says it realises what is

at stage. >> conservation organizations are asking for tougher rules op roundup, which is a weed killer that kills milkweed. >> comedians and fans are remembering david brenner. he died in his new york home after battling cancer. david brenner appeared on the "tonight show" 150 times. if this is to be a joke, i don't get it. >> if the grandma has more instagram followers. grandma betty has more than 73,000. grandmother, what is your most important message to be in life? >> be good to people and love them. >> it's documenting her last days as she is losing her battle with cancer. >> the 80-year-old hasn't lost her zeal for cliff.

this video showed her appropriately dancing to happy. i say she should win an significant grammy. at the end of the first hour, here is what we are saying to you. it's referendum day, or seek greater independence. protesters say they are fighting for their future. the criminal investigation into the missing malaysian jetliner focussing on the pilot and what is found inside their homes. also community as seen through the lense of high school students. there are projects rebuilding a city that was devastated, and floodwaters roared through town. and in the 8 o'clock hour, one of the most loved orchestra conductors set to embark on a u.s. tour. >> first, she sits with confrontation with al jazeera.

>> temperatures are falling. snow piles up for the start of the work week. >> don't go anywhere. i'm morgan radford. i'm back with you in 2.5 minutes. when al jazeera america will continue.

>> a live look inside the crimean capital of sevastopol. ukrainians there deciding whether to form their own territory or become part of russia. >> the worst time for gaza, for hamas, for hamas movement in the past 20 years. >> from bad to worse in gaza - why more than a million palestinians are now in the dark. >> and the search for that missing malaysia airlines jet

now a criminal investigation. >> it's upsetting, it's something that affects us physically, you walk around with a knot in your guts and look at the sky a lot. hoping it's going to rain. >> bone dry with no rain in sight. australia epic drought taking a mental toll on farmers. >> it's 1:00pm in the ukraine, and ballots are being cast in a critical decision that could change your the fate of crimea. welcome back to al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm morgan radford. it's a fateful day for people living on ukraine's black sea peninsula, where polls are open and people are voting on whether or not to join russia or become their own trert t-- territory.

the interim government and u.s. and e.u. have called the vote illegal. first to jennifer glasse in sevastopol. when are the results of the referendum expected to be announced? >> well, we are expecting exit polls here about 10:30 local time. the polls opened at 8 o'clock. they'll close at 8 o'clock tonight. there's a boisterous turn out. a lot of people are out. we are expecting preliminary results later this evening. the local election commission will make an announcement in the main square, where they set up a stage where people are expected to gather. >> if crimeans vote yes to join russia, what comes next? >> you know, everyone kind of believe believes that that is going to be the outcome. 50% of the population are ethnic

russians. a lot of urban enthusiasm, and tartars and ethnic ukrainians are boycotting the vote. they are not v they are not voting. once the vote has been counted and officiated. crimea is expected to declare itself a sovereign state and after that it's supposed to ask russia to become part of russia. that's to head off the international criticism that we have heard. the united states and european union are not recognising the vote at all. the o.s.c.e., organisation for security and cooperation in europe asked whether they could send observers, and they said they can't, because ukraine has not asked for that. this is still part of ukraine, because crimea is part of ukraine. not russia or crimea.

>> let's go to phil ittner. he's following developments from kiev. we see a lot of activity going on behind you. how are people in kiev reacting to the referendum? >> well, morgan, there's a lot of concern here. the people in this city are deeply worried, not just about the referendum, but, of course, they feel that there are greater designs on ukraine's territory. there's a real sense of fear here, morgan. and i have to say that these - these people think that crimea is the start. well everybody is watching the referendum. they are concerned that russian troops may be looking at the eastern part of the country. >> you mentioned this fear. given that fear, what is the interim government doing now to prepare for the result of today's vote and even the russian incursion that they are afraid of. well, let's talk about a rehabilitation to that

referendum. there's not a lot they can do, and they know it. there are russian troops on the peninsula, and it's unlikely they'll dislodge them. they will contest whatever happens, they won't see the referendum as legitimate but take it to the court system. but they are also, as i mentioned deeply concerned about grander designs by the russians, and so they are looking at a military option. there's a sense that crimea is a done deal. if the russians try to take the east, general consensus is that's a line too far. ukraine is preparing to fight if russia tries to take the east of the country. they are calling up national reservists. they have established a new national guard. 60,000 men they want. they have gotten -- they have to establish a borderline, even if there's not a conflict in the

east of the country. they have to reiterate. that is the fear. if it doesn't happen, this is it a nup country. it will have to set up a new border. they'll look at this in strong terms. i have to say, this sigh is deeply, deeply worried. >> fill, you mentioned strong terms. you just said that they considered this a line too far. russian foreign minister sergei lavrov called on the ukrainian government to kerb what he calls violent behaviour of the ultra nationalist groups, are they as bad as he's making them out to bep. >> not as far as kiev. they say the nationalist groups are trying to get self-identity. their national identity is squashed for centuries. they say that's what it is about. what they are concerned about, what they are concerned about is the language coming out of moscow. what sergei lavrov said is that

russia is concerned about nationalist groups cracking down, not only in crimea, but the east of the country. it's seen as a pretext by moscow to make the leap into mainland ukraine. that's what they are concerned about when it comes to nationalists. if there's provocations in the east of the country, whether started by the nationalists or pro-russians. people say it will create more problems and it will be a pretext and it will grow into a larger complex and we may be looking at a war. they are very concerned. >> absolutely. phil ittner joining us now from kiev. >> joining us again to discuss legal implications is jennifer, an associate clin call professor of global affairs. >> my pleasure.

what happens next if the referendum gets past? >> first, it's clear - one wants to make it clear that it's not a legitimate referendum. first it sounds like it's a rigged ballot. they are not being given a fair choice here. >> why do you say that? >> it sounds like the two questions asked are - there's no questions you want to maintain the status quo, and within ukraine as things are. so those who might want that are probably staying home from nepal. it looks like it's somewhat of a rigged ballot. also, one doesn't give a group within a state, within ukraine, the right to decide to have a referendum and break off all by itself. this should be a question for ukraine as a whole and not simply for crimea. even if this weren't a rigged ballot. i don't think of the results could be legitimate. you mentioned the status quo. it's not to remain part of

ukraine, it's to remain autonomous. crimea has a fair amount of autonomy. russia has violated the sovereignty. it's violated the u.n. charter and put troops, and it sounds like it's beyond crimea. going into crimea, this is a sovereignty violation that was part of ukraine, despite its sense of autonomy. >> yesterday we saw the u.n. vote. the western power said hey, hey, not so fast. slow your role. but does the vote have an effect on what is happening inside crimea. >> it's hard for the u.n. to have teeth because of russia's veto on the security council. i think putting the issue to a vote, with significant, it didn't pass, and no measure by the security council is going to

pass on that issue when russia can veto them all. the security council is really marginalised from being very effective right now in all this, and what we have to see is other actors take their place, such as the u.s., and the e.u. putting pressure on russia. to pull back and/or contain what it is doing. >> earlier in the program you mentioned that this was almost like a return of the old russia. should the neighbouring countries be concerned about what they are saying right now. >> i think there is cause for concern, because we don't know what the intent is or where it will end. now it seems like possibly it's not limited to crimea. if it were limited to crimea, it would be a concern. it feels very cold warrish, and one has to wonder what vladimir putin thinks he's doing here. >> jennifer, an associate of

clinical affairs at n.y.u. >> we'll bring you the latest on voting in ukraine. you can get up to the minute information 24/7 by logging on to aljazeera.com. >> the search area for malaysia airlines flight 370 expanded to 2500 miles. authorities are looking into the backgrounds of the two pilots and every passenger on board. malaysian authorities say more authorities will join the effort in scott heidlerw was in kuala lumpur. they entered the house of the pilot and the copilot. in the pilots house he had an elaborate flight simulator, they removed that and recreated it in the police headquarters. they were looking at the history of t the natural thing is to see

if there were manoeuvres that were practised that mirrored what took place last saturday evening. there's a lot of information to pour through. it's a delicate stage. yes, with the investigation going on in malaysia. one thing that the minister said and the press conference that ended is that he has not gotten all the background checks from the snagss of the people on the plane. they are waiting for that. it's a multinational effort. they are waiting for the background checks. >> naval officers on the uss "kid" are scanning the ocean for debris. each item they find is reported and inspected to see if it might be from the aircraft. the search area increased to encomp as 2500 square miles and two sea hawk aircraft are aiding in the search.

nothing credible has been found. as the search enters its ninth day, fatigue is a factor. we asked commander marks with the 7th fleet, how concerned he was that they may never find the plane. >> i'm very concerned, first and foremost for the sailors. we have 700 navy sailors and we have to watch the grief levels. we set out grief counsellors to make sure sher doing okay. you can't operate equipment 74 hours a day. we are very concerned about the fatigue level. we are watching it closely, and that's where we are right now. >> the thought of this being a hijacking rather than a crash has left many families emotionally torn. while they await for any word, the new information has given

them hope that they are alive. at the same time they are worried about conditions they may be in. the one passenger describes the torment of not knowing anything at this point. >> it raises your hopes, because you think the participation is there that my brother is still alive. then i think i find that scary as well. because if someone has deliberately taken the plane, then they have taken it for a reason, and i think we know oftentimes that's not good. >> the families of many passengers have expressed concerns about getting little information from malaysia airlines since the disappearance first happened. we are following the developments as they occur. you can get up to date information from the website at aljazeera.com, and on twitter. >> venezuela president nicolas maduro warned protesters to clear out of the capital.

just hours before issuing the ultimatum clashes broke out between demonstrators and police. nicolas maduro addressed a rally to support the military. >> on the last day of a week-long series of events commemorating the one-year anniversary on the death of hugo chavez, this march by the revolutionary militia is meant to send a message to opponents of a government. this is a non-too subtle way to remind opponents that nicolas maduro has on his side not only the national guard, but the civilian militia, formed, trained and armed to defend the revolution. they are not soldiers, but after months of protests, the president wants to show he has the means with which to confront the biggest challenge to the hugo chavez revolution since the death of its founder. the gathering was called to show

support for a national guard at a timed when it is under fire by human rights advocates. gharde men have been accused of using excessive force. the government will investigate all the charges and won't tolerate abuses. there were no words of approach, just encouragement. this at a time when some in the opposition are speculating. in a few cases are hoping that if the unrest spreads, the armed forces will force the president to step down. >> that report from caracas. >> dealing with devastation, one photograph at a time. >> students really needed to tell their story. >> every single picture tells a story. this is a page turner. the class project helping students cope with floods that destroyed their town.

>> they say everything is bigger in texas. hail is no exception. >> and they are smarter than your average bears. a zoo showing campers what not to do on a trip to the great

outdoors. >> that is hail pounding parts of north tech as -- texas this weekend. some 2 inches in diameter, creating dangerous road conditions. hail storms are moving to the eastern u.s. welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm morgan radford. >> in a moment the colorado flood in pictures, but first meteorologist eboni deon looks at the forecast. >> we are checking out the textures. we are seeing them coming down, tumbling, we are noticing it here across parts of the great lakes. when we take a look at 24 hour difference as far as our temperatures dropped, we are talking anywhere from 10 to 30

degrees colder than yesterday. in toronto, around albany. into the midwest temperatures cooler. the cold air is making its way to the southern plains as we go through the day. >> today only 67. now, as we take you out to the south-west, this is where we are really going to feel the heat. temperatures near record highs. the the record for the day is 93. we'll be a few degrees shy of that. temperatures falling back slightly. a high of 75. notice the warm-up into the plains. denver climbing to 74 degrees. we'll see temperatures warming back up. by tuesday, chicago close to 50 degrees, nearly 40 degrees in minister -- minneapolis, finally

where we should be. >> it's been six months since a flood described as bibly call destroyed much of the town had beens in colorado. it destroyed much of the town. >> these are the sounds of recovery. and for the students at licence high school, six months after a devastating flood wiped out the town, recovery sounds like this. >> work it. the 2013, 2014 school year had just started when the creeks and rivers swelled. >> senior jo christiansen took home video as the waters rose near his home. >> people well river front property don't. it's dry. people that used to have dry property used to have a river running through the middle of their house.

we were trapped in a beautiful place. >> these are the thoughts he wrote, published in a book. >> a lot of us left the homes, everything. you didn't know where your camera was. >> stephanie busby felt the project would be art therapy. >> the students needed to tell their story. the pictures are as different as the students who took them, from american flags to sun-soaked ruin. it was amazing, everyone was proud. they couldn't believe we were open. i'm so happy, it's somewhere to go. our town, our story may not be on the "new york times" best seller list, but it's selling out at $29 a piece. the money to rebuild trails where kids walked to school, destroyed by walls of water of the today students are hand delivering autograph poips to a woman who -- copies to a woman

who lost her farm. 70-year-old barb operated the farm stead since the '60s. >> it's huge. we will overcome. the unsinkable molly brown, i ain't down. bring on the life boats. >> it's healthy to talk about what happened, the opportunity to take the pictures and paint the flood to get sadness, stress, happy possess, loneliness at some points, to get it out and express it. there's plenty of work ahead. this is what renewal looks like, a sunflower silo wetted by stormy sky, a vision of promise by 20 teenagers helping to strengthen a weary town. >> lyons , which is north of denver, was one of the many towns damaged by the flood. damages there alone are estimated at $50 million.

>> live pictures of the voting booths buzzing in ukraine. people on the crimean peninsula deciding whether to form their own country or become part of moscow. we are live. a glass explosion reduces a new york city apartment building to rubble. we have surveillance footage of the blast that killed eight. >> genghis kahn, a ruthless man in history. but one group says he's misunderstood.

>> back to our top story. people in the crimean region of ukraine are voting stood on a referendum that could make them part of russia.

international powers including the u.n. tried to stop the vote going forward, including u.s. and secretary of state john kerry and sergei lavrov in london. dana louis is live from london with more on the rehabilitation. the last-ditch effort to talk vladimir putin off the ledge did not work. what whether be the fallout of the failed diplomacy? >> no, it sure didn't. for a referendum it's a foregone conclusion. reaction is coming ahead of the vote. none of it any good. this week it could be a dark one, on all sorts of levels. let's look at the headlines in the london sunday times. vladimir putin guoes to the brik of war. vladimir putin may face an e.u. travel ban. ukraine warns russia could be planning a full-scale invasion of its country.

as secretary of state john kerry tried to convince the foreign minister sergei lavrov to back away from ukraine. it's been called a shameless grab for the country by the back door. angela merkel, it will cause economic dam. and mick mcfall, the former u.s. ambar door writing, "i'm depressed for those of us, russians and americans, who believed in the possibility of a strong prosperous democratic russia. putin's recent decisions represent as a giant step backwards. we are entering a new period, with comparisons to the cold war." buckle up. this goes from bad to worse tomorrow. freeze on foreign assets. travel bans, russia will be kicked out of the g8.

russia says it will respond by seizing foreign assets in russia. the temperature is about to rise tomorrow. >> ut you just mentioned the former ambassador. i understand you had a chat with the former ambassador about the sanctions. what did he have to say. >> it was interesting to talk to the prime minister from 2000 to 2004, not only under yeltsin and vladimir putin. he knows the inner circle, and putin, if he thinks west is week, he thinks compromise is weak. he doesn't want to compromise. he doesn't think putin will send troops to eastern ukraine, unless the response is weak from the west and he perceives them to be so, and the individual sanctions that will target members of his close circle are

vital. he thinks it will hurt. a lot of people that may support vladimir putin will back away when it starts to cost them billions of the dollars. >> vladimir putin things the west is weak, he thinks compromise is weak. their dropping words. dana louis in london, thank you for being with us. >> as the referendum gets under way in ukraine, peoplea is weighing options in washington. the national security team is keeping a close eye on the situation and declared the upcoming vote illegal. western leaders vowed not to recognise the results. russia says the vote is legal. peter sharp joins us from moscow. there were massive rallies in moscow where you are with russian supporting a ukrainian crimea. what are their concerns? >> for antiwar peace

demonstrators who are in the minority, this was the last opportunity to put the point across. and the turn out was impressive. up to 50,000 people. it was described as a gathering of a small group of people, it's part and parcel of the coverage. it was a large turn out. the people, i think worried about what direction the president is taking them in. they don't know what will happen. they talk about being isolated in the international community. they had banners that said things likes the enemy is not in ukraine and the kremlin, and there are derogatory marks about vladimir putin. it was a last chance to get their point across. it was a smaller stage-managed

pro-putin demonstration illustrating that there is some opposition, but i must say on the face of it, vladimir putin has enormous support for the crimean adventure. 70% of the people are in favour of it, many believing that the fall of the government in kiev was the result of a western supported coup, and those responsible for the violence are ultra nationalists in ukraine. one statistic that struck me is this is an independent poll. only 2% of the people polled in russia believe that the kremlin was responsible for this crisis. >> peter, you mentioned that putin has support for the crimean adventure. russia has signalled that it will accept crimea, is it prepared to support crimea economically. well, there'll be a price to pay, and it could be a heavy one. let's look at the positive signs. you have security now for the

black sea fleet in sevastopol, and you also have access to offshore gas supplies in the black sea. but, you know, since the crimea got limited autonomy in 1991, it has taken more in subsidies from the government in kiev than it paid in taxes. this is not going to stop. initial estimates are staggering. it is the you crane controlling the water coming into the crimea, those are two of many infrastructures that have to be completely rebuilt. it could cost up to 3 billion, and some experts are warning that to absorb crimea into russia at a time when the russian economy is not going great guns could cost $20

billion showing that some experts say that vladimir putin and russia are thinking sentimentally. thank you for being with us this morning, peter sharp from moscow. >> we'll brink y -- bring you te latest in the vote and you can get more information by logging on to aljazeera.com. >> fuel in gaza is in short supply. the territory suffered blackouts after its only power station ran out of fuel. israel stopped shipment after some of the worst violence in the two sides. an egyptian blockade is hindering the fuel supplies. gaza residents fear worse is to come and they have been stockpiling. >> i'm afraid the situation will be deteriorating. no one can predict what might happen.

i'll keep fuel for emergencies. >> some fuel stationing have run out of fuel. equipment closes the borders generally the situation does not look good. >> fuel can't be delivered while the boardsers are closed. >> iran this ward sabotage event, including on a key facility in iraq. the country has seen cyber attacks on its nuclear facilities in the past. in 2010 there was one that disrupted senator fuj operations and at the end of the day -- sentry fume operations. >> rebels controlling three oil ports in libya are ready to negotiate with the government. they seized the ports six months ago and say they'll open up talks only and if the government holds off on military offensives against them. the rebels won a greater share on the oil wealth.

tripoli threatened to attack a north korean tanker that took oil from the port. >> muslims and christians have been torn apart by violence. the story is different in the do democratic republic of congo. refugees from both camps are mixing brought together by mutual hardship. >> life in the refugee camp in the democratic republic of congo is a struggle. all these people run away from violents in the neighbouring central african republic. here, they do what they can to make things feel normal. the weekly church services important. most people lost loved ones. many have been targeted for religion back home, the conflict described as sectarian. like most people in the camp,

religious hate red is a world away. >> here in the camp there's no problem. we are all the same. we all fed the conflict in the central african republic, so we have no problem. we live peacefully together. >> there are 10,000 people living here. they fled violence, blamed on muslim and later christian militia. >> there's a small market in the camp. most of the traders are christians, everyone uses it, muslims and christians, to do shopping. >> the owner of this is a muslim. there's goat meat on the grill. it's halal, but the people that eat are a mixture of muslims and christians. it's normal for people of both r rely imons to live together. the camp has a committee of elders, and they have known peaceful cohabitation all their lives. they tell us leaders competing

for control have changed that. >> the conflict was created by politicians. they are the ones who manipulate the population. before, we were living together. and there were no problems. everyone prayed as they wanted to pray. and there was no problem. the politicians created problems. >> it's time for prayers. there's no mosque here, but they make do under the shade of a mango tree. no one minds. the united nations will investigate reports of genocide against the muslim minority. here in the camp people are left wandering how things went wrong. malcolm webb, al jazeera. >> more than 60,000 residents of the central african republic have fled to the democratic republic of congo since april of last year. >> new video emerged explosion causing two new york city

apartment buildings to collapse last week. it's believed a gas leak caused the blast, killing eight, injuring 70 others. the rescue operation is continuing in case others are buried in the rubble. taxes are nearly down clearing debris from the basement. >> honda is recalling nearly 900,000 minivans that could catch fire. the 2005 to 2010 oddiesies have could have a crack in the fuel pump. replacements won't be available until the summer but honda is offering a temporary fix. >> good morning. i'm meteorologist eboni deon. as we counselled down -- count down the spring, the winter not done.

many areas put into the top 10 snowiest winter areas. we can see the snow flakes flying. spring arrives thursday, and that's when temperatures bounce back. winter will make its mark. we do have winter storm warnings and advisories in place across virginia and on into maryland. that's where we are expect to see snow. >> it's not starting yet, but the cold air is pouring in out of canada. temperatures are minus zero. as much as 20 degrees below zero. the air will move north word and it will change to snow. we could end up with five inches across the south. we have an area of low pressure making its way with east ward across the lower mississippi

valley. we are putting up with sceefr weather, stretching from new orleans, into talahasi. it is wet, stormy, and there's a lot of lightening with the line of storms moving through, and we have, still, a number of toronto warnings from alabama. >> when it rains, it pours. importantly that is the case in one part of australia where there has been no rain since a dale uj two years ago that led to floods. farmers are bubbling under the pressure, causing mental health issues. andrew thomas as this report. >> this is what charity looks like in rural australia. a truck delivering hay, harvested an 11 hour drive away. a drought dried the ground and killed the grass.

free food for the animals, farmers drive from far and wide. 70% of queensland is in drought. 50% ever new south wales is drought declared. today makes a psychological difference, because these guys know others care, and this is it a small token of what to do. >> in good times, this farm land is green. there'll be cows and sheep. now it's hard to find animals, however far you look. >> in fact, all you see around here are bones. >> sally and tony receive seven bales of hay. they have not had to shoot cattle. only because they are taking preventative measures that will be painful for years. we are selling some of these girls who were potential future breeding stock, and we don't have the choice, we'll be left with less breeding numbers, it's

upsetting, something that manifests physically. you walk warned with a knot in your guts and look at the sky, hoping it will rain. >> the flying doctors are associated with farming accidents. this year the service describes treating mental health as a key priority. >> the referrals we had, my team see as drought related. >> i haven't seen suicide, but it's been something that people are starting to talk about, that they have been feeling thoughts. >> demand for fly in, fly out mental health clin icts has never been higher. the australian government declared the drought a natural disaster promising money to help. this is what is really needed. broken hill last week got its first substantial rain in two years. most farmland has not been touched. for the farmers the skies remain

stubbornry blue. australia announced a $320 million aid package to help farmers affected by the drought. >> mongolian lawyer genghis khan built a large empire in the world. he was called a tyrant, responsible for the deaths of millions in the 13th century. a group of monk owlians are trying to set the record straight. >> these followers of genghis khan are praying for the blessings of the universe, believing everything is a part of god and peace and happiness are humanities right. >> i'm a descentant of the youngers son of genghis khan, the keeper of his philosophies.

he said his ancestors, genghis khan was misunderstood. he taught equality and inclusiveness, but people were not ready. >> genghis khan's followers believe the world is ready now, that human tie's thinking evolved and it rein effect the religious sights like this one. symbolizing a direct link to heaven, and everything on earth. >> genghis khan as a peaceful man is not a favourable act. in is part of mongolians to hold on to their identity. >> children must worship their parents. parents worship the heavens, and the temple. >> being family centered is a mongolian teaching.

the biggest home is the entire universe, and family is everyone in it. >> genghis khan's empire stretched across asia, the middle east over to europe. >> she's losing her battle with cancer, but not her lust for life. [ ♪ music ] >> happiness is the truth. why grandmother betty probably has a bigger social media following than you do. >> a hungry bear, a tent filled with sleeping campers. a popular attraction put to work in a powerful demonstration. >> i'm mark morgan, coming up, a special look at what nascar officials are doing to protect drivers.

. >> grandmother, what's your most important lesson us learnt in life. >> be good to older people and love them. >> there you have it, if your grandmother has more instagram followers, grandmother betty has more than 173,000. her grandson sit-up the account since she is losing her battle with cancer. she got the attention of a favourite artist pharell. she got his attention after dancing to his seconding "happy." >> ahead, big safety changes coming to a popular sport in america. first, meteorologist eboni deon is here with a look at the forecast. >> i'm deal with active weather

across the deep south where we have heavy rain and thunder storms. some prompting thunderstorm warnings, and tornado warnings. across mississippi, and alabama. here is two line of storms. that's where we have the heaviest of the rain packing a punch with gusty winds and the possibility of hail. back in texas, a line of storms. this heading to the mid-atlantic spelling out a change your of rain to snow. >> thank you. one of america's popular sports is putting safety first. al jazeera's mark morgan is here to explain. >> that's right. thank you so much. in a sport with cars, racing around a track at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour, naz car takes the safety of drivers. a death in 2001 helped to spark a program that is evolving. jessica taff with more.

>> part of nascar safety initiative and the changes in the cars are what we have learnt from looking at crashes. we looked at the car, studied the damn, took it to the research and development centres. sometimes we'll build or test fixtures where we can duplicate the angle in which the car hit the wall or rolled over so we can look at different problems in the car and try to fix them. >> how often do rules change for when you guys make suggestions? how often does it happen? >> it happens a lot. when we started the program in 2002, we had dozens of rule changes for safety. we have crash boxes in the cars, data recorders, three accelerate om terse and they track the car and the g-forces that the driver feels, we have backum on the history rit within the sport that we can go back to electronically and poll what the

driver and his body felt in a crash. we have implemented items that try to help people on the ground, allowing the air to get out. escaping so it doesn't lift the car up. one of those is new for last year, which are hood flaps, these open up when a car turns backwards, allowing the air underneath the car to escape out of the top. >> therefore helping it to stay on the ground instead of lifting off the ground. >> you want to come back this way. another thing we have in place are roof flaps. these flaps, when the car turns backwards, goes up in the air and changes the air on the spoiler of the car, and keep the car on the ground. >> a major safety initiative was the hans decries, when dale earn hart had a fatal clash. it was an option. but after that it was mandatory.

it drives over the drive's neck. some put the hans on and then attach the helmet to it. when a driver hits the wall the belt stops him, his head will want to keep going forward. what will happen is the hans deathers tighten and limit the motion of the head. if you didn't have the limitation, pull your head forward. >> nascar went a step further, mandating the type and length of support surrounding the neck allowing the absorption foam to kush impact. >> danny suffered a back injury that provided engineers with data that led to an immediate rule change your. the car nosed into the wall, came off the ground, slamming down, causing the injury on his back. this particular driver wasn't using any energy absorbing foam

underneath where he sat on the seat. it's mandated that every driver has this energy absorbing foam so we don't have that injury. >> there's no surprise that nascar is trying to stay ahead of the curve in keeping drivers safe. >> the spring cup series is in bristol tennessee, danny hanlon will start on the poll. >> the next video should scare you into keeping a safe site. bruhn. and aussie did a demonstration -- bruno and aussie did a demonstration of their power. the tent, sleeping bag and the cooler all destroyed in a matter of seconds. the point is to show destruction can be prevented if a campsite is set up safely. >> what i would suggest doing to keep yourself safe is, you know, having your campsite spread out

a little bit. store your food centre at least 100 yards from where you are cooking and 100 yards from where you are sleeping. >> the zoo keeper says food should be hung higher than 10 feet up and campers not leave it out. >> there's a stunning migration of monarch butterflies flying from mexico to north america and back. their habitat is under threat. adam raney tells us why. hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies taking refuge from the cold. >> translation: in general interpret this is critical. this is the lowest number. >> many that begin the flight never come pleat it. the food of choice for them and their young, mild milk weed is

disappearing. large parts of it has been wiped out, that used to dot their path. drought is to blame. until recently they faced habitat loss in mexico. large parts of the forest were under threat from loggers. public and private programs are looking to replant whatever trees are cut. >> people used to come and chop down trees. now there's a law against it, and you can't do it any more. visitors come every year, bringing in money. >> many tourists want to see the phenomenon before it's too late. >> i'm concerned about them disagree. i thought i needed to see them now. i like that the corridor of where the process goes, canada, united states, and mexico. so all of north america. >> in this corner of north america, they are committed to keep the fight up to protect the

natural wonder for future generations. >> translation: in mexico we have taken important steps in conservation, but we need the u.s. to do the same. >> a plea for cooperation from a powerful neighbour who says it realises what is at stake. >> and here to look at what we are following for you at the end of our second hour - it's referendum day in ukraine where voters head to the poll to decide whether crimea should join russia or seek greater independence. protesters in venezuela say they are fighting for their future. and the criminal investigation into the missing malaysian jetliner focussing on the pilot and what was found inside their homes. >> and in the 8 o'clock hour, one of the most beloved issuing stra conductors set to embark.

first a conversation here with al jazeera. >> severe storms are pushing across the south. i'll show you where it's headed next and the impact on the start of the week. >> don't go anywhere, al jazeera morning news continues soon.

>> referendum day in ukraine where voters head to the polls in crimea, deciding whether or not they want to join russia. plus, civil unrest in the streets of venezuela, where protesters say they are fighting for their future. >> the investigation into the missing malaysian jumbo jet, focussing on the pilots and what was inside their homes.

>> one of the most beloved orchestra conductors in the world set to embark on a u.s. concert tour. first, he sits for a conversation with al jazeera. >> good morning to you and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, live in new york city. first, the next chapter of ukraine's political crisis is under folding as we speak. right now polls are open in the country's black sea peninsula. people are voting on whether or not to join russia or become a more independent from ukraine. the country's interim government in kiev, along with the u.s. and the e.u. called the vote illegal. phil ittner is in kiev for us. first to jennifer glasse, who is in the crimean city of sevastopol. jennifer, polls have been open

for a few hours now. how is the voting going? well, you know, it's been very healthy, it's been a big turnout. a lot of people - it's a very enthusiastic atmosphere here in sevastopol, and across the crimean peninsula, where the voting is happening. there's music in the streets and at the polling stations. more people are out and about. we also went to an hour and a half north-east of here to look at the polling station. it's colder and higher. it was snowing at the polling station this morning, but we heard at that polling station what we heard to other polling stations that there has been a healthy turn out. despite the weather, the referendum is going well from what i see as a civilian providing security. many have come here. 10% have voted.

there'll be more and more. >> now, also, though, even though the voting was high, we talked to people in the neighbourhood who will not be voting, saying there's no choice in the vote. because there's isn't a choice on the pallet for crimea to remain part of the ukraine. the choices are do you want independence, go to russia or refer to the 1992 constitution. that gives crimea its own president, foreign policy and autonomy that remains in ukraine. many who oppose the vote say the choices on the ballots are no choice. you have a lot of people voting. there's a couple of parades, a lot of peopling walking with the flags, the navy flags, and here there's a pro-russian town. across crimea, where the

majority of the votes are, expecting it to do moscow's way. >> let's go to phil ittner. he's been following the development in cove. phil, how are people there r rakira reacting to the referendum. >> there's a sense of anxiety. they believe that crimea is the start, that russia has designs on mainland ukraine, and if the wrench um goes the way moscow wants. they'll take it a step further, it will be a step that the government says will be too far, that it will be an act of the war, and they are willing to fight that war. now, we went to a church today, and attended sunday orthodox rites. what they found was people praying, praying not only for peace, of course, but for the future, for their young men who they fear could be in a war, but also, of course, praying for the

future of their country. >> we hope the russian people will look at the ukrainian people and become free. from the regime, vladimir putin, we hope for help from the americans. we love america and want the democracy you have and live in a free country. >> now, aside from prayers, we are seeing other things in the capital. people are taking action. there are recruitment centres where we have seen lines of people signing up for a new national guard, and in addition to that, there's an advertisement running in heavily rotation on ukrainian television in which the government is urging people to use their phones and send texts, pledging money to build a new army to send bullets, to provide soldiers with armour and other supplies that they need. there's a sense that crimea may not be the end of the matter, it could be the start.

>> phil ittner joining us live from the ukrainian capital of kiev. thank you for being with us. >> we'd like to bring in former russian prime minister, he was in office from 2000 to 2004 under putin, and has become an outspoken critic of him since being dismissed. he joins us from the phone, outside of moscow. >> what would it take for putin to back down? >> i think the plan is very clear. mr putin wants it, as we can see now, wants it to separate crimea from ukraine. because putin always thought and thinks now that crimea is not a real independence, that's not sustainable territory. that is - that is the opportunity that he's undertaking now, is part of a plan to re-establish some kind

of soviet union. it's a dangerous development. i think we are going a dangerous way, and for the russian opposition, it's unacceptable development, which is contrary to russia's national interest. >> you call this dangerous and unacceptable. but what type of sanctions do you think will be effective for the west to achieve their goals? first of all, we'd like to believe that civilized west will want to ply economic sanctions against the country and the peoples of russia, but limitations against individuals who violates human rights, and responsible for a movement, an intervention. it is contrary to international law what is going on now in crimea. for that reason, i think - i

think the civilized - the west, should mean that reactions should take place. to stop hanging. putin, secondly, applying sanctions to individuals. if it doesn't happen, it could continue the trend, and it could continue. in a couple of months the west will one. then you can expect developments. for instance, other regions of eastern ukraine. >> do you think it is possible that vladimir putin is willing to use military action in this case. >> i think right now, that's clear. in crimea, the military is already in port, and then it's there. the only thing they need to be identified officially is the russian sources. but i think crimea - that is

already unfortunately settled event. the issue is what the direction will be. it's not aggressive right now. >> do you think crimea is the beginning? >> in fact, right now the majority of russian population fought for that development. i mean, so that crimea would be in federal part not ukraine, but the russian federation, because russians - such russians believe, and not without reasons, but they don't think about international law or the obligations of the russian government or territorial integrity. we want guarantees integrity of ukraine, together with the states and great britain.

>> you mentioned integrity. i want to go back to something you told our reporter dana louis. you said if vladimir putin thinks the west is weak, he thinks compromise is weak. what did he mean by that. >> the west is weak could be viewed in that way if the west doesn't perform appropriately. i mean if the reaction is week. if it's - and then a couple of months again, a different toxin leading to [ inaudible ] taking place, et cetera, and vladimir putin will be invited to different things, it would mean that the west already - it it does develop. it would mean that it's possible for mr vladimir putin to behave this way. strengthening his power in, internationally. >> finally, let me raids a brief

scenario. do you think under any circumstances, u.s. imposed sanctions will back fire on obama and america. i think so. i think sanctions, individual sanctio sanctions against those people who are sitting in the russian parliament who calls themselves deputies, who make this possible. and help mr putin to make this possible. i think against them, individuals with limitations, like bans and frozen financial assets, that will be absolutely on touch and effective measures. and in this case it would in this case stop, and in this case of the power of vladimir putin's power will start to dilute. >> former prime minister under

vladimir putin. thank you so much for being with us this morning. >> my pleasure. >> voting is underway in serbia, 6.5 million people are headed to the polls to elected a perimeter. the ruling party is expected to maintain power thanks to a popular corruption campaign and efforts to joining the european union. >> good morning i'm meteorologist eboni deon. a stormy start, and a tornado watch across mississippi and ban. also, tornado barn -- alabama, also a tornado warn for sworn washington, in place for another five minutes, seek shelter if you haven't done so. the storms racing to the east between 45 to 50 miles per hour. the warnings are minimal at this time, we could see the threat

with us through the first half of the day. the rain is heavy at times, making its way across alabama, into georgia, so atlanta, keep in mind it will be a wet, soggy day. we have an area of low pressure across the lower mississippi valley. to the north, high pressure is building in. it is ushering in the colder air. today we are dealing with the storms. it's all that moisture listing northward. we see rain changing over to snow. d.c. and balt mar. this is an area to watch. we go from rain to snow. it will be piling up and we could be talking five inches and more. further across western virginia, we could see from six upwards to a foot of snow. these areas we have winter weather advisories and storm warnings posted.

elsewhere light to moderate snowfall across parts of illinois, and flipping south. we have the cold air making its way further south. into texas it will be windy and cooler depend the passing storm system. >> the search area for malaysia airlines flight 370 has expanded to approximately 2500 miles. authorities are looking into the background of those two pilots and every passenger that was on board. malaysian authorities were holding their press conference saying more will join the effort. >> they are going all over, getting people who touched the aircraft. any engineer that had a reaction. that includes ground staff, cabin crew and flight deck. they entered the house of the pilot, copilot. in the pilot's house he had an

elaborate flight simulator. they have recreated it in the police headquarters. the natural thing is to see if there were manoeuvres practised that would mirror what took place. there's a lot of information to pore through and delicate stages that they are going into, yes, with the investigation going on, but obviously this will extend behind malaysia, and one thing the minister said in a press conference that ended here, is he has not got the background checks from the nations of the people on the plane, they are waiting for that. obviously it's a multinational effort and they are waiting for the background checks. >> venezuela's president nicolas maduro warned protesters to clear out of the capital. clashes broke out between demonstrators that you see there and police. nicolas maduro addressed a rally in caracas. our correspondent was there. >> on the last day of a

week-long series of event, the march by the militia is meant to send a message to opponents of the government. this is a non-too subtle way to remind opponents that nicolas maduro has on his side not only the national guard, but the civilian militia, farmed, trained and armed to defend the revolution. they are not soldiers, but after a month of nonstop protests between anti-government groups and security forces the president wants to show he has the means with which to confront the biggest change your to the revolution since the death of his founder. the gathering was cause to show support for the narttional guar at a time when it is under fire. guards men have been accused of using excessive force and torturing protesters. the government says it will investigate the charges and will

not tolerate abuses. on this occasion there were no words of reproach, only encouragement for those who are supposed to defend the government. this at a time when some informant opposition are speculating and in a few cases are opening if the unrest spreads, the armed forces will force them to step down. >> rebels controlling three oil parts, and rebels are ready to negotiate with the government. they seized the port and want a greater share in oil wealth. they are open to talks if the government holds off on a military offensive against them. >> there's crisis in gaza, where a power plant shutdown left people without electricity. caroline malone shows us the blackout is part of a larger political crisis. >> more than a million people are boxed in and cut off by the

rest of the world. >> the power station stopped produce electricity because it ran out of fuel. we'll only have electricity for six hours out of 24. if we want to use generators, there's no fuel. if there is, it costs $2 a litre. there was a rush to buy petrol. israel closed the border crossing with gaz aafter some of the worst -- gaza after some of the worst regional fighting. the israeli military hit back after rockets from fired in from gaz a. >> translation: i'm afraid the situation will be deteriorating. no one can predict what will happen. >> translation: some fuel stations ran out of food. the situation doesn't look good. >> for the last few months people have been surviving off fuel from israeling bought by

qatar. they have agreed to fund mour -- more fuel, but it can't be delivered while the border is closed. the government has lost two-thirds of its revenue. $500 million since imports from egypt stopped. >> it's the worse time for gaza, hamas, the movement in the past 20 years. the new egyptian close the tunnel, the main source of income for the main government and economy. >> the pressure on hamas is roosing. support for the group has dropped to a low. down from 29% to 59%. >> fallout from the missing malaysian jetliner, why it's sparking fears of fly, and what

can be done to overcome it. >> dying for work. a job fair in nigeria turns deadly. >> hot topics facing the country coming up on the political rounding. >> i'm andrew simmonds reporting from a ski slope in swat valley. ♪

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>> good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. >> coming up, a psychologist who specialises in the fear of flying. >> first, a look at temperatures we can expect across the country with meteorologist eboni deon. >> we go to the south-west of the this is an area we feel the heat. temperatures within a few degrees of record highs, including los angeles. we'll climb to a high of 87, 20 degrees warmer than average. definitely enjoying a warm end to the weekend. as we get into the work week temperatures falling back.

warmer than what we typically si. along with the cool down there's a cool down across the north-east where tech tours are -- temperatures are in the teens and 20. notice the blue shading on monday in georgia, 40s are the high. tuesday and wednesday, temperatures warming up across the middle of the country. >> thank you so much. over the last eight days people around the world are following the mysterious disappearance of the jetliner. something that may create fear of flying among passengers. 6.5% of americans or some 20 million people have a fear of flying. our next guest is a psychologist that treats patients with fear. dr robert raynor is with the department of psychiatry at n.y.u.'s medical center. good morning, and thank you for joining us. my first question to you is what

will the effect of all this be on american passengers psychologically. in this digital world we have an image that everything is being watched and happening at the same time. how is this heightened surveillance affect the people flying across the country? >> i think it's not on the same scale, but since 9/11, people are more frightened and this creates, an irrational assistance of fear. there are two kinds of people, those that fly and those that don't. >> so say i'm on a flight and i become scared, what are the practical tips that you can give me for bat thing blight anxiety. the single most important thing to do is stop hyperventilating. you have to breathe from the

belly. when people breathe from the chest, shallow breathing, that causes increased heart rate. slow your breathing down. put your hands near the belly button, do it. five since in, five seconds out, that's the until most important thing to do. rational explanations, telling statistics don't work. you are wasting your time. >> briefly, do we see the number of cases of aviation phobia rising after scenarios like this. >> temporarily, yes. my experience - people don't become phobic don't become more phobic. these terrible situations don't cause people to develop fears of flying. they can exacerbate it among people who are foebic already. >> all right. >> it's not as if it's going to

be a long-term effect, fortunately. >> okay. >> executive director of behavioural associates in western new york. >> the fighting in syria escalating once again. the latest outbreak, and how it's affecting people trying to flee the region. >> and the life and work of one of the most celebrated orchestra conductors. our conversation next. >> i'm mark morgan, the clock is ticking on selection sunday as college baskets ball teams chase their ticket to the big

>> good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, and these are the top stories we're

following for you. polls are open in the black sea peninsula. people are voting on whether or not crimea should join russia. along with the u.s. and e.u., they have called the vote illegal. they are home to many people with close cultural and ethnic ties. >> venezuelan president, nicolas maduro warns protesters to steer out of the capital. this hours after issuing the ultimatum when clashes broke out between demonstrators and the police. >> authorities are investigating the backgrounds of both pilots and the passengers of the missing malaysian jetliner. international teams are expanding their search as it's believed the plane fewer for 7 hours. it could have reached north into

central asia or deep into the southern indian ocean. >> senators struck a bipartisan deal that may revive expired long-term jobless benefits, after months of dramatic negotiations, and joining us is basil smikel, former aid to hillary clinton. and in pittsburg, lennie mccallisters, conservative commentator and u.s. candidate. thank you so much for being with us. >> good morning. >> jobless benefits. thursday, a bipartisan deal revived long-term benefits. what finally convinced the republicans to compromise. >> i think the republicans wanted to find a way to pay for this. they understand that we are looking at the new normal. it's higher unemployment than what we are used to. if that's the case, we'll have

to pay for people to be out of the workforce long are than anticipated. we'll have to find a way to make this revenue neutral so we are not getting further in debt. we can strike a deal that democrats and republicans will be happy with. hopefully we'll get something done in the house. those struggling since the end of 2013 can finally get relief. >> is this one of a few victories that democrats can hang their hat on. >> he's hopeful something will happen. john boehner, the speaker suggests that this may be dead on arrival. there are few things that the democrats can hang their hat on in the 2014 elections. that's problematic. the president is not on the

ballot. there isn't a tremendous amount of motivation to go to the polls, this is concerning for a lot of democrats. you saw in that special election in florida, that the democrats narrowly lost that. this is of concern, and we hope in is one thing that we'll be able to take into november. was the florida election a wake up call for democrats? >> i think so. a lot of conversation is around obamacare, and how it hurt. folks in the senate. mary len u and others are running away interest it. that's a strategy they shouldn't take. people of colour, now have health care. if democrats are tainted as supporting obamacare, embrace it. yes, we know it needs to be fixed. you can't say "i support it but

don't really", it's a john kerry strategy, i voted for it before i voted against is it. you can't have it both ways. embrace it. >> i'll stay on the obamacare. lenny, a strong critic of obamacare is scott brown. he all but announced he was running for senator of new hampshire. what about those that say he's a carpet bagger, taking advantage of tenuous connections. >> when you look at the new gland -- new england states, that's a criticism. if the democrats follow basil's advice and embrace obamacare and the bad economy, basically you are embracing obamacare, saying it's broken but maybe it will be fixed and embracing a recovery

that is not really a recovery, do that. people such as scott brown will win the upcoming elections, and the republicans will control the senate what the house. that's a criticism scott brown will have to challenge and face that. at the same exact time he can say he did not vote for obamacare. people need jobs. they don't need to buy into the rhetoric that is not working. >> they need jobs and leadership. moving to another social issue, the president said he'll use executive power to expand overtime protection for millions of workers, we are seeing him beef up on the executive powers, which he promised he would do. is this a good or bad thing? >> i think it's a good thing. if you look at some of the criticism of the president over the years of his administration, people have felt that he tried to compromise too much. one of the things that a president has going for him or

her, potentially into the future, is knowledge of the power. >> hilary, i see you throwing suggestions on al jazeera. >> the president needs to know the power of his or her bureaucra bureaucracy, that's a big criticism. you have a phenomenally powerful and important bureaucracy, you can tweet public policy, the going back to congress, not getting anything done. all that did a hurt you. it's a good thing, and i think democrats appreciate these strengths. >> i want to ask you the lat question. president obama's approval rating was down to 41%, according to a "wall street journal" poll. any time it has dipped below 50, that's big trouble for the party in office. does that give us insight as to what is coming up around the corner in 2016. >> it does, in 2014 the republicans will control the

senate and house of republicans. the president will have a choice. the president will shift to the center, the same way clinton did, he'll do it after his last two years. he'll have to move forward to get something down so by the time we get to 2016, the democrats have a chance and americans have a chance. >> he'd have to use the executive power that you weren't keen on. he want have to use the executive power. >> how will he do it? the republicans have blocked him. >> he'll have to go to the middle. he talked to the democrats and say there are some republicans ideas you need to incorporate. they shunned that. he'll be in a position as a lame duck president. he'll say "we tried it your way, we tried to be partison", it's time to work with the republicans to get things down and get the economy and the

nation on track. >> i remember 2008 in the middle of the state of the union address, he was called a liar and that set the don. >> that was not the state of the union, that was 2009. >> it's been a tense political scene, one we will watch unfold in 2014. >> lenny mc-kallisster, and basil smycal joining us. >> god bless al jazeera journalist. >> strategic town lying north of damascus is the last rebel held city in syria. >> how big of a loss would this be for the rebels to lose yabroud? >> it is a big loss for the city and opposition because they've

lost their last stronghold on the border with lebanon. they have lofted the supply line coming from lebanon. that brings in a much-needed weapon and fighter and to the wider region. that region is close to the capital damascus. it is a big loss for the opposition fighters. what is the importance of yabroud. is it a big blow to the opposition when they lose the battle. give us an idea of what the context is yarding yabroud. snoop the importance of yabroud lies in its location. it's close to the lebanese border and close to the capital damascus. now, yabroud lies within an area called alcalamoon. and the government has been trying to take control of that

area. the reason is to secure the capital damascus. now, with controlling the yabroud that will give more control to government forces on a land route that links the cap fall of damascus with the province of homs up to the coastline of latakia and that is the stronghold and birth place of president bashar al-assad. also, the fall of yabroud means, for the syrian opposition, it means they have lost control on areas near the capital damascus, and it will allow government forces to tighten the siege on the areas in damascus countryside. >> all right. thank you so much. thank you for being with us from istanbul. >> seven were killed and dozens injured in a stampede in nigeria's capital. thousands looking for jobs packed into the stadium to apply

pore work with the immigration department. large crowds broke down gates and the stampede broke out when some applicants staged towards center stage. >> it's the last weekend before the n.c.a.a. tournament, and college basketball teams are making their mainly push to enter the big dance. mark morgan, tell us all about it. >> that's right. let's talk college football - college basketball. i'm so excited. it's one of the most high profile jobs in college sports. head basketball coach, john wooden cast a long shadow over westwood with 10 n.c.a. championships. steve alford is the latest to accept the challenge to return the bruins. kyle anderson decides he's the open man, drives force the bucket, part of a 12-0 u.c.l.a.

run. the bruins leading by three at the break. aaron gordon baulking down, a fade away. 11 point in this one. under a minute to go. jordan adams takes the shop. three ahead into space, no problem. u.c.l.a. wins the tournament, beating arizona 75-71. the bruins group to 26 and 28. over to the big 12, iowa taking on baler bears. baler up six, cory jefferson, his first basket, finishing with five points. the birds lead bias many as 10. cyclones rally. under six minutes to go. tied at 50. melbourne buries the three giving iowa state the first lead. iowa seals the deal. george drives. that is off the glass and in. five cyclones, four double

figures. baler wins the first big furniture title since 12,000. >> in the big east final, hugging it out. first half priors up six. providence led by nine. at the half a surprise. more priors, senior bryce cotton. under three minutes, doug mcdermott, likely the player of the year, look at the wrong three, he had 27. the blue jays within three. ladonte, the long jumper of providence surprising creighton 65-58. the fryers win the first title sings 1994. >> that wraps up the sport. i'm mark morgan. >> thank you so much. speaking of sports. pakistan sent only one athlete to this year's winter games in

sochi, a 16-year-old who taught himself to ski and didn't have the proper equipment. andrew simmons tells us why we could see more winter athletes coming from pakistan in time to come. >> fun like this would have been unthinkable less than five years ago. this is swat valley, under the rule of taliban. this is a ski resort destroyed by fighters. it's being revived into a symbol of normality. with one rickety chair lift and hopes for a peaceful future. for now, it's all under army guard. pakistan military - plans in place to hand over the army to hand over the snow festival to

civilians. the commanding officer accepts the taliban is still a threat, but says they will never return. >> it has the capacity and intention to come, create trouble and go back foo safe havens in afghanistan. we will never let the threat materialize in the valley. that's a message i want to give across. >> what you are seeing is a glimpse of what it could be like in swat valley. pakistan's military is trying to convince people of the situation with security is now good enough for investment in tourism and other industries. for now, the numbers coming here may not instill the confidence big-time investors would need. the mood is good. >> people should come and realise that it has been taken over by the army and it's safe now. there's no such problem. >> there's not many places around the world like this.

>> the security forces maintain that they can keep law and order in swat valley with or without a taliban peace deal. without the soldiers, many would in the feel as carefree as this. >> the ski federation of pakistan has set up a committee to develop ski infrastructure, hoping to host more international events. >> and the master maestro. we sit down for a conversation with famed conductor zuban. met ner. >> i'm tracking a storm system prompting storm and tornadoar

warnings.

>> good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live in new york city. one of the most beloved conductors in the world about to tour the u.s. he'll talk to al jazeera this morning. first, let's get a look at where the snow and rain may fall across the country. >> it's an active day across two-thirds of the nation. snow coming down. then you get further south and we have warm moist air. it is heavy rain coming down to the south-eastern. that will continue heading into the afternoon. there has been reports of a tornado around south-eastern arse of -- southeastern areas of alabama, tracking. the rain is on the move. it's heavy and creating flash flooding in the south-eastern areas of mississippi.

further north of the rain has not quite made its way into virginia, and north virginia, and then it will change your to snow. >> a beloved author is about to begin a u.s. concert tour. 78-year-old zubin mehta bought orchestras around the world together, trying to spread a message of harmony, something that he knows a bit been. [ ♪ music ] >> in the world of classical music, there are few people as well regarded as zubin mehta. he has conducted the world's best orchestras, including those in berlin, montreal, new york, los angeles, and bombay. he closely identified with this group. [ ♪ music ] >> the israel philharmonic orchestra. zubin mehta has been leading them for 20 years. >> we carry a positive message.

we don't go with the israeli flag. we go on the tour as a world class orchestra. we make music. >> this maestro seeks to make is profound impact on man. he is not shy about the efforts, starting with his own ensemble. >> it is my dream that an israeli arab would sit amongst israeli jews and make music. >> why is it so meaningful. >> there are over one million israeli arabs living within today's boundaries of israel. they should be included as one of us >> you sympathise with the palestinians and are opposed to the settlements. >> i'm opposed to the settlements. i don't want to make is a discussion. but i think settlements to the future of palestine and israel are counterproductive.

there are fanatics on both sides. >> it's not just the palestine-israel conflict. he led tours to sarajevo and kaz mish. >> there's something about you and conflict that draws each other. what is that? >> we must never stop using our art to help people, to bring people together. in sarajevo it was in the war, "94 the boston war was still going, and we played a concert in the bombed courtyard. one of the first things that the serbs want was a house of books. in kashmir it was my life-long dream to have muslims and hindus in my country sit together and listen to music. i didn't change your the history of kashmir from the end of the

concert. but they sat together and heard beethoven. i think they went away with a smile on their face. there was some remnant of peace in their hearts, i am sure. >> music diplomacy never stops, and the healing power it brings inspires zubin mehta. >> the first time we played in berlin after the war, 1971. the germans were with tears, especially at the end of the concert when we played the israeli anthem. >> what was it like for you and members of the orchestra. ? >> i'm neither jewish, israelly or german, but i was proud to be a part of it. >> zubin mehta grew up in bombay india, studied. and was mist ra at 35. he was a novies at leading

people. >> great musicians were sitting in front of me. i was not cop shes about the inner most feelings. i insulted them by making negative gestures if i didn't like what they did. and the poor man or woman was destroyed for the rest of the country, he or she couldn't make music. >> zubin mehta's first opportunity to lead the israel's philharmonic came in 1961. >> i got a call from a venerable conducto, eugene ormondi was ill. i went there. it's important to note every conductor gets a first chance. if i went this to help them out and nothing music reply important happened between us, they would have said thank you very much and i would never see them again. they wrote me the second time, and then the third time, et cetera, et cetera. therefore it started in incredible friendship with me,

and the israel philharmonic and israel. >> pa friendship and a marriage. like any other, with the occasional misunderstanding. >> ups and downs with israelis is a matter of daily discussion. we are a family. >> years ago, zubin mehta asked his orchestra, including holocaust to play a work by wagner, adolf hitler's favourite composer. you tried to get is rayy philharmonic to play it, it didn't work out. will you try again. re will, but we need -- we will, but we need patience. there are a few people with tattooed number on their arms. they are revered saints in israel. we have to respect them. it's not that they hate the music of wagner, but music transports them back to the time of terror. and we want to avoid that.

zubin mehta adores israel - the people, the dreams and the music making. >> the israel philharmonica has some of the world's finest soloist, if it's a horn or clarin et or concert master. they play the solos with such dedication and cop vection that i -- conviction that i stopped there and am awe struck. >> the israeli people and musicians are awe struck by him. zubin mehta has been given countless awards and governmental honours. >> the most famous orchestra conductors, did you think along the way you'd have this career and this life. >> not in my wildst dreams. it's not as exaggerated as you just put it. >> how so? >> i'm just a musician carrying his draft all over the world. >> it's a world now dominated by

pop stars, celebrities and reality shows like "american idol." in concerts, but the shows go on. i don't watch television in the evenings. >> the concept of amateur musicians getting up in front of millions of people and maybe they have a hidden talent. >> i can tell you one thing. if i would send on one of these shows a talented american, german or israeli violinist or pianist they'd wipe all of them out. they have such talent. but they are not inviting classical musicians. >> the orchestra invitations for zubin mehta never seem to end. he's conducting dozens of concerts in half-a-dozen countries. >> you are 78 years old, how long are you going to do this. >> i'm not dying in a sanaa torium. >> do you want to die in front of an orchestra. >> why not. >> if someone were to describe

your legacy and you could write it, what would it be? ultimated i tried to be an honest musician, and i tried with the music to bring people together, and i spent as much time with my family as i could, which was never fuf. >> that may be because his family extends countless musicians and issuing stress. ever the optimist zubin mehta plans to see all again soon. >> the orchestra kicked off its tour last night in michigan, and tomorrow they box in chicago. that will do it for this edition of al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. we leave you with more music from the orchestra director zubin mehta. [ ♪ music ]

>> we have our top stories. >> we have a chance to make it. >> crimea votes on whether to join russia or stay in ukraine. >> syria's media after the major blow to the opposition. >> 25 countries now involved as the search widens for the