>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. >> russian president vladimir putin officially making crimea a part of his country, and ukraine making moves of its own. >> the search for malaysia airlines flight 370, the first try to locate the debris yields nothing. >> turkey taking on twitter, the leader of the nation cracking down on that the social media site.

>> russia signing papers annexing crimea, ukraine signing the association agreement with the european union. that is the trade deal that started this cries months ago. crimea has only been officially russian for a few hours, but things are changing fast. residents are stopped at check points, their cars being searched. >> i'm ready to stay here for days if that's what it takes to have a good life. yes, we are ready to stay here for many days. we work, we're simple workers. i want peace and friendship, not this shameful oppression. >> the switch very, very complicated especially for the military assets in the region. inive glass has more from sevastopol. >> they raise the russian naval flag over a ship that was until yesterday ukrainian.

on her side, ukrainian colors as i said alongside russian ships in sevastopol. she used to sit next to the ukrainian command ship that still flies the ukrainian flag and is locked in by russian ships. the ukrainian naval academy changed hands. there was fanfare here, an awkward official flag raising ceremony where it was taken over by decree of the russian president, citing two years of unbreakable history here. he was thrown out of naval command headquarters. he said there is no honor in russias actions. >> we have clearly seen in the past two weeks you can't believe russia. putin said his troops aren't here. i'm a military man. i can see perfectly that these

are military men. >> deals made with russian forces, they have broken, including the promise not to take the base. >> in my opinion, our blockaded ships should be sunk, because it's a war now, just no one's shooting at each other. god forbid they should start shooting. >> at the naval school handover, a last show of independence, ukrainians sing their national anthem, trying to drown out the sound of the russians. aljazeera, sevastopol. >> the upheaval began when the ukrainian government rejected the agreement to the european reunion. phil ittner has more. >> the secretary general ban ki-moon is getting at a number of factors around the country and region deeply concerned.

you've got militias here that are out of the control structure have the ukrainian government. they say in kiev that they are trying to disarm those groups. that is a grave concern. in crimea, you've still got two armies now facing one another on that disputed peninsula. we've seen some activity out there with russian forces going in and grabbing ukrainian naval vessels, lowering the ukrainian flag, raising the russian. the potential for a flash point to make this a shooting war is height. everybody knows it. here in kiev, they're trying to control things, internationally on the diplomatic front they're trying to control things. ban ki-moon said one of the most important things is to open a dialogue between moscow and kiev

because moscow does not actually even recognize this government. >> the ukrainian crisis is similar to the events that took place involving russia and georgia in 2008. at that time, the presiden president--then president of georgia joined us to discuss it today. >> the west should be willing and wanting and able to pay the price for sanctions of russia. it's like cutting out cancer. if you don't get proper chemical therapy, you cannot cure cancer. when you get this therapy, you get other portions of our organ damaged. this is temporary in order to be

cured. that's the same thing russia. lots of western companies say gas price will go up, we'll lose this contract, but about large scale conflict in europe? ukraine is all the way putin is happening, there is this thing that every time they neglect the situation in yugoslavia, milosevic said this is the last time i'm doing that. putin is saying that. some of them still say, he promised putin that this would be the last thing. he is not going further. he was promising the same after georgia, promising it now. milosevic was promising this after georgia, look what

happened. >> malaysia airlines flight 370 fell off the radar one week ago. crews are battling the elements as families fight for answers. >> in beijing, families of passengers know that news could confirm their fears. an absence of news is perhaps worse and that was all friday brought. the focus of the search is now the ocean off australia. the focal point of activity, an air force base to the north of perth. planes took off on a staggered basis to make the most of date, and improving weather. as the first returned, those onboard reported nothing, despite conditions significantly better than thursday. >> we had really good weather compared to yesterday, the visibility was great. we had better than 10 kilometers of visibility, no rain.

we had really good opportunity, i think to see anything that would be out there. >> the improved conditions mean a change in the nature of the search by eye from low flying planes rather than radar. >> although the search area is much smaller than we started with, and it nonetheless is a big area when you're looking at the window and trying to see something by eye, so we may have to do this a few times to be confident about the coverage of that search area. >> dusk on friday brought more disappointment, the objects spotted by satellite haven't been seen by plane. >> five aircrafts were involved in friday's search. because of the distant of the search area from here on the mainland, it takes 10 hours of flying time to get just two hours of search time. >> as well as planes, ships are heading to the area. china is sending a search

vessel, an australian naval boat should arrive saturday. two commercial ships are in the search zone. >> it is an extremely remote part of the southern indian ocean. it's about 3,000 kilometers southwest of perth, about the most inaccessible spot that you can imagine on the face of the earth. if there is anything down there, we will find it. we owe it to the families of those people to do no less. >> for now, for those families, the wait goes on for news, even if it's news they dread. aljazeera america, perth. >> remember for the latest details on that missing malaysia airlines flight 370, follow us on twitter @ajam. >> a fire breaks out at a new jersey shore hotel. seven people hurt were jumping from the second floor of the

building. ten people at this hour still missing. some of the people have been living there since super storm sandy, it spread fast. no word on how the fire started. >> the number of sexual assaults against young girls is causing concern in nigeria, an area governed by islamic law, local officials ordering mortality police to bring the rapists to justice. >> she rarely looks up when she speaks. her voice always soft. her father said the 6-year-old hasn't been talking or walking like her usual self since she was lured by a neighbor and raped in a construction site. he allowed us briefly to talk to her. we're not using her real name. >> when i play with friends on the street, they look at me differently, the same happens at school. >> her attacker has been arrested and faces prosecution, one of dozens said to be responsible for a recent rise in

sexual assaults. most victims have been young girls under 10, causing widespread alarm. the local government has started a media campaign. community groups have organized awareness sessions to educate mothers on how to protect their children and themselves, which turns into group therapy as they express frustrations. >> people are on drugs, people do not have a job and they think sex can be the alternative. i feel bitter, and it shocked me to see a man of 70 raping a child of seven. a boy of 30 raping a girl of eight. >> there's been a steady increase in rape cases across nigeria. here, officials say for the past two months, not a day has gone by with at least a case

reported, something particularly unusual in a traditionally conservative society governed by islamic law. >> this is one of 12 states in the north that adopt sharia alongside state and federal law, morality police have been at the forefront of the fight against rape. >> the cases have been weak, but the governor has given directives that the rape cases should be reviewed and they are now reviewing the rape cases in the statehouse of assembly. >> the rape penalty is being increased to life if it is a minor. staffs say the law cannot come soon enough. the extent of the suffering lately has been overwhelming. northern nigeria. >> coming up on aljazeera america, turkey wants to block

all access to twitter and that has given people there something to tweet about. >> the courts are forcing kansas to increase school funding. what the ruling means for students and taxpayers.

>> the turkish government is blocking twitter because the prime minister said people are spreading lies. >> many twitter users in turkey logging on to the social media website got this message, it reads: the protection measure has been taken for this website. the state's telecommunications regulator t.i.b. said its decision was based on four court orders against twitter. the government said twitter has ignored previous court orders to remove some web links. the decision came just hours after the prime minister warned to wipe out the social media

website. >> can you imagine there are international conspiracies? twitter, mwitter, we have a court order. we will wipe out all of these. they can say this, that, i don't care at all. everyone will see how powerful the republic of turkey is. the prime minister said the move was necessary. we took this decision as a last resort. if laws are violated by breaching private life, we have to act. >> some people are still able to log on to twitter, including the president. in some of his tweets, he wrote: i hope the current block will not last long. that is not going well with many here. >> definitely not a solution. that makes the people more

angry, more politically active, so i think it's not a very -- it's not a very smart reaction. >> banning twitter is entering the personal space for people and limiting it. >> others supported the ban. >> the government shut it down because of the leaking of voice recordings. i welcome it and think they should also ban facebook. >> at the heart of all of this is the corruption allegations the government has faced since december. a series of videos, documents and wiretappings allegedly for the prime minister and his family were leaked on different social media websites. the prime minister has denied allegations. >> the government said social media websites including facebook and you tube have turned into platforms used to spread lies and smear campaigns, but critics say the government is trying to block further

corruption allegations and silence dissent. aljazeera, istanbul. >> on wall street, stocks poised to end the week in the plus column. better than expected economic news is lifting markets and the s&p flirting with a record high today. >> the c.e.o. of general motors is heading to washington. congress wants to know about the countries delayed reaction to the deadly ignition switch problem. g.m. is facing a number of investigations aimed at finding out why it took so long to initiate the recall. >> parents and educators fighting for education equality in kansas, claiming the government was cutting too much for the public school system. some residents think the funding is still too low.

>> with four kids in kansas public schools, this mother is frustrated with the state's repeated cuts to education. >> educators cut, nurses cut, some of the classes have 27 kids. >> the tug of war over school funding has come to a head as the state supreme court ordered the republican controlled legislature to spend more on schools. four school districts and 30 parents sued the state of kansas in 2010 claiming schools were underfunded. in 2009, the state cut millions of dollars from education, kansas now spends $900 less per student. at full son elementary, 90% of children receive free or reduced lunch, even with increasing enrollment, there's no money to hire more teachers. >> overcrowding is such a big issue here, students are taking music up on stage while a few feet away, cafeteria workers are

getting ready for lunch and the notice you hear is from a nearby p.e. class. >> state cuts lead to disparts between wealthy and disadvantaged districts. >> it's easier in a more affluent community to increase taxes. >> the state was ordered to repay districts by july 1. that would equal $130 million. that isn't a total victory, because the supreme court left it up to a lower court to decide how much overall spending per schools is adequate. >> it puts us right back in this whole court and appeals and lengthy process. >> the issue is especially contentious. while lawmakers have not increased education funding led by republican governor sam brown back, they did in 2012 pass the

largest income tax cuts in the state's history. lawmakers are quick to defend the state's current education pending factoring in state, local and federal help. >> we do spend a significant amount of money add all three sources together, 12,000 plus dollars, almost $13,000 per student. >> with the high courts order, she hopes to see changes in her children's school soon, but the big picture issue of overall education spending is unresolved. >> coming up on aljazeera america, a drought could affect how much you pay for your mosh cup of joe. >> children holding hands to spread awareness. we'll tell you why in just a moment.

>> welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. three people are dead, eight hurt after a fire at a jersey

shore motel. ten people still said to be missing, no word exactly on how the fire started. some people have been living there since super storm sandy hit. tonight, two weeks since malaysia airlines flight 370 disappeared from the radar. a search for possible debris picks up again tomorrow in the southern indian ocean, crews facing harsh conditions there. >> russia officially annexing crimea, ukraine signing the e.u. trade deal. sanctions ramped up. ban ki-moon trying to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. >> while much of the world is watching crimea, we wanted to show you this. some people there don't see what all the fuss is all about. this is the harbor. locals have their lines in the peer, hoping the fish are

biting. >> of course this is better for russia, because it means power and protection of southern borders. for crimea, it means our life will become calmer. >> the flagship of the ukrainian navy is among those now trapped in the harbor by that russian blockade. >> your morning cup of joe might cost more because of a dry spell in brazil. farmers are afraid production could shrink to lowest levels in 30 years. >> a drought, the worst in living memory has struck brazil's coffee belt. >> how much rainfall have you had this year? >> 10% that used to be in this period, december, january, and february, we had just 10%. >> fifth generation coffee planter yugo is worried.

>> these beans are not well formed. when you cut it in the middle, you see this part should be bigger. >> to the untrained eye, the coffee bushes on the plantation look green and glossy. a closer look shows the beans shriveling. others are black, dried up. a lake that was full is now nearly empty. brazilian farmers will probably harvest 30% less coffee this year than expected. that means higher prices for coffee drinking consumers all over the world. >> at the coffee warehouse in the nearby town, workers are dwarfed by tours of coffee bags. brazil provides nearly 40% of

the annual supply of coffee. the price for futures of arabica beans surged 40%. every day his job is to slurp up endless cups of steaming coffee. he's a taster and broker, determining the quality of each batch and matching growers with buyers and exporters. he bluntly summed up what the drought will mean. >> inferior quality quarterback higher cost for producers and of course higher prices for consumers. >> back on the plantation, he can only hold out so long without rain. >> if we have another dry season like this, i don't know what we can do. >> nature has put brazil's coffee country in a predicament as bitter as the beans

themselves. rob reynolds, aljazeera, brazil. >> it's small but intense. this area of snow going through the northern plains, minnesota, great lakes, dumping quite a bit of snow in a short time, gusty wind and reduced advice bites. we have blizzard warnings in effect as it continues to push to the east. so the south, warming up a bit, that one area we're watching to the north of this area of low pressure. warmer air coming up from the south, nice warmup across the southeast and almost up to the mid atlantic states. it could barely make it up to chicago before cold air comes back. it's a brief warm up approximate you're ahead of this storm, followed by cold air coming back by this weekend. the snow will push through the great lakes and up through new

york, new england, there seeing heavy snow, just saturday morning. by saturday afternoon and evening, it's of the coast, dry weather expected, but the temperatures will be dropping. that wind picks up, high pressure builds in east of the rockies and here comes the cold air back by saturday night and sunday. don't get used to the warm weather. 45 in chicago, 50 in washington, d.c., but here comes the colder air. minneapolis at 22 saturday. still warm weather across the southwest and northeast dealing with the snow. the snow continues. the cold air sticks around, but southwest still dealing with the drought. >> a group of students in greece taking a stand against racism, foreking a human chain to mark the international day against racism. golden dawn has grown in

popularity there over recent years. in the past two years there have been attacks on immigrants. >> thank you for watching aljazeera america. tech know featuring mushroom experiments is next. >> hey guys, i'm phil torres. welcome to a very special show of "techknow". yoament yosemite national park. low hello and welcome. i'm phil torres, here to talk about innovations that can change lives. we are doing this in a unique way, this is a show about