members of congress can claim. we'll separate politics from policy and just prescribe the facts. >> oo >> two weeks since a jumbo jet vanished without a trace. where the search is focussing for the missing plane. >> international monitors are headed to ukraine as russia's president officially takes over the crimean peninsula. >> and hash tag turkey twitter gets shutdown in a blow to free speech. >> the lake dried, people stopped coming. >> once the largest lake in the middle east, now a patch of bone-dry desert.

financial fallout from the lake's disappearing act. - >> hello to you and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, live in new york city. it's been two weeks since malaysia airlines flight 370 vanished with 239 people on board. the focus is on a remote patch of the indian ocean, 1500 miles off the australian coast. that's where satellite images showed two large objects floating in the water of the search crews are focussing on that or. six planes and two merchantships are taking part in the search. the pentagon says the u.s. spent $2.5 million on the search efforts. >> officials are also pouring over transcripts of the final 54 minutes of recordings between the pilot and ground control.

al jazeera's andrew thomas brings us the latest. >> of course the objects spotted by the satellite on sunday, 16 march will have moved. the swells are rough, as much as 3 metres, over 20 foot up and down. if there are objects there, of course they may have filled with water, some may have sunk. the bigger object, 24 metres in length, a sizeable chunk there, whatever it was, australia's deputy prime minister said on friday that sort of size object may have sunk. they are looking for smaller objects. we should caution that there may be nothing to do with flight mh370. it may be random bits of sea debris. while the word that is flown around here is optimism, relatives realise that this could be news that they dread. this could be the worst possible news. we shouldn't get too excited for

double reason. if it comes, it will be bad news, and that may be that this is yet another false lead. >> that was al jazeera's andrew thomas reporting. weather conditions in the indian ocean will be optimal for search efforts in the next day or two. another storm coming on sunday could bring back lower visibility, making the search more difficult. >> a team of international monitors is on its way to ukraine in an attempt to de-escalate tension. that was after vladimir putin signed a bill making it part of the russian federation. ships changed hands in crimea. ukraine signed an association agreement with the e.u., the same that the last president viktor yanukovych rejected back in november. ukraine's deputy foreign minister said the protests were about making the country better. >> maydan was not about russia. maydan was not about the

european union. maydan was about ukraine. we would like to build a good country. >> in crimea, russia's forces are removing traces of ukrainian authority. our correspondent jennifer glasse spoke to ex-naval officers in sevastopol. >> with little fan fare they raised the russian flag. this is the ukrainian colours on the side, sitting alongside russianships at a new berth in sevastopol. >> the ukrainian naval academy has changed hands. there was fan fare here. an awkward official flag-raising ceremony, where russian overs took it over, citing the past two years of ukrainian control as part of the history of naval administratory. there's not much glory for the departing navy. >> the united states is describing what happened to crimea as a land grab.

what is happening to the ukrainian navy might be a sea grab. this ship is one holding out, still flying the ukrainian flag. a passing pedestrian said that there's a last ukrainian flag flying. not everyone is happy the russians are here. the take over here is complete. once ships sat side by side. now only the russian flag flies here. many in the ukrainian military are unhappy about how it's been handled. kiril was one of a dozen officers thrown out of military headquarters on wednesday. he says there's no honour to russia's actions. >> translation: putin says his troops are not here. i'm a military man, i see that these are military men. >> kiril says every deal made with ukrainian forces have been

false, including not taking the base. >> it's a war now, and god forbid anyone start shooting. >> at the naval school ukrainians sing their national anthem, trying to drown out the sound of the russians. >> crimea's residents are not the only europeans eyeing ses session. kata lona plans to vote and venice, completing an unofficial one where 89% of voters want independence from italy. >> this is a true venetian. his ancestors lived here for more than 500 years. that's why he flies the flag of the former maritime republic of venice rather than the italian

colours. >> translation: our city used to be the capital of an empire. now it's underdeveloped because our wealth is in the hands of the state. it's distributed unequally. >> he is one of hundreds of thousands of residents of venice and venato who voted in an unofficial referendum that broke away from italy, and back to being an independent state. >> venice was the heart of a republic lasting 1,000 years. sips it became part of the italy in 1866, resentment has grown steadily. >> year-long tourism and a strong industrial base made bentall a wealthy region. the network that organised the vote are tired of seeing taxpayers' money washed away. >> translation: we are victims of on open air robbery.

we pay 70 billion euros in taxes, 20 billion are stolen by the italian state. they don't come back in any shape or form. >> not everyone in venice wants to break free. >> it's senseless, we live in the european union, why would we want independence. >> my family is asking me to vote for independence. i'm not sure it's the right thing to do. >> the vote is not particularly binding or recognised by the government. organizers say they'll appeal for the right to telephone determine nation and to keep the lion's share of the wealth. >> about 3.8 million residents of ben eato were eligible to vote online or at polling stations. >> turkey blocks twitter in response to complaint from citizens. others say twitter was taken down because of allegations of government corruption that

spread via twitter, including audio tapes implicating the prime minister and his son. it is being condemned by turkish citizens and the community. turkey gaoled more journalists than other countries. we report on the declining freedoms under the current prime minister. >> in 2012 reporter alerted the world to the large number of journalists behind bars in turkey. when he found out that he, himself, was facing an 11-year sentence, he sought asylum. >> to prevent this, the state uses violence, cooperation and antidemocratic laws. >> the organization says there are around 63 journalists in turkish gaols. the committee to protect journalists and reporters without borders cite lower

numbers, but turkey tops the list. the largest number is a reflection of the struggle for kurdish rights. many kurdish journalists say the culture feeds off conflicts with anti-terrorism, nationalist and laws used to limit free speech. >> it's not just the kurds. others are writing for the press. always from the left wing. they are getting arrested too. >> 2013's protests exposes falt lines. main stream outlets did not report of the clashes when they happened and journalists lost their jobs. >> many turkish journalists describe a climate of political and commercial pressure, explaining the big media owners have more important business interests than just publications, and don't want to

lose privileges by rocking the vote. when investigations were launched in december, the government pointed to a hidden enemy, a move led by islamic cleric. it filled with rumours of allegations, and the government passed new laws to control them. >> there's a war going on. the parallel state - they are illegal, but very difficult to fight. so the government needs extreme measures. >> turkey is locked in a circle of conspiracy theories. an independent cree and professional media could break the cycle, but it's more under pressure than ever. >> this latest censorship in turkey is being condemned.

the the white house weighed in. >> we urge turkish authorities to respect the freedom of the press and to restore the blocks. >> turkish citizens have bypassed the ban, spraying graffiti on walls, with instructions on thou do it. >> four people died in a fire at the mariner's cove motor in in new jersey shore. officials do not know what caused the fire. the firefighters rescued a woman who survived by jumping into a bath tub and turning the water on. another escaped by jumping through the second author window. >> north carolina's regulators are asking a judge to pull a settlement involving coal ash pollution, allowing duke energy to pay a $99,000 fine, but

didn't require the company to clean it up. the coal ash spill in 70 contaminated the river. the officials say they'll work with the environmental protection agency to go after the company. >> a victory for same-sex marriage. what a federal judge did in michigan. it could have a ripple effect. >> america's public schools struggling with racial economy. it begins as early as preschool. >> the pope with a new message for the mafia.

>> a federal judge struck down a same-sex marriage ban in michigan. a lesbian couple fought the ban, claiming it violated their constitutional right. the ban was put in place in 2004 with 60% supporting it. the attorney-general plans to

appeal the ruling. it will be the 18th state to allow same-sex marriage if it stands. four states, oklahoma, texas, virginia and you tea put off enforcing similar bans. >> a mass same-sex wedding took place on friday, 60 couples married four years after the same-sex laws went into effect. a mexican supreme court ruling requires same-sex marriages in the capital are recognised through the country. >> kansas - state legislatures are looking at boosting spending in poor district. public school funding was so low it violated the constitution, a court ruled. >> i mean, this is the... >> with four kids in kansas public schools, josie is frustrated with the state's repeated cuts to education.

>> educations have been cut, nurses vice-president cut. some classes have 27 kids. >> the tug of war over school funding came it a head as the state supreme court ordered the republican controlled legislature to spend more on schools. four districts and more than 100 parents sued the state. the state started to cut millions, spending $900 they say per student. >> at fulton, many do not receive lump, and there's less teachers. >> a few feet away cafeteria workers are getting ready for lunch. the noise is from a pe class. >> principal mary welsh said the state cuts lead to disparities

between wealthy and disadvantaged districts like hers. >> it's easier in an affluent community to increase taxes. in poor or rural areas you may not have the tax base to draw from. >> the kansas state agreed. back in april 130 million. that decision is not a victory for some education advocates. the supreme court left it up to a lower court to decide how much overall spending for schools is adamant. >> it puts us back in the court of appeals, and lengthy process. >> the issue is contentious because while lawmakers have not increased funding, led by republican funding. they passed the largest income tax cuts in the history. >> some lawmakers are quick to defend the current spending, factoring in state, local and

federal health. >> we spend a significant amount of money at all three sources. $12,000-plus. >> with the high court's order, josie hopes to see changes in her children's schools soon. she is realistic knowing the big picture issue of education spending is unresolved. >> jonathan martin, al jazeera. >> the bill included a provision to expand charter schools. the legislators say it was never part of the original plan. >> racial inequality is common, and it begins as early as preschool. students are three times more likely to be expended or expelled than the peers. they attract education from preschool and high school. david shuster breaks down the

numbers. >> this report on inequality comes from the u.s. department of education, based on 2012 data from every school district. let's start with suspensions. 5% of white students were suspended in 2012, compared to 16% of black students. black girls were suspended at a rate of 12%. the numbers are stark when it comes to preschool - that's right, kids who are less than five years old. black students represent 80% of preschool enrolment, accounting for 42% of preschoolers once, and 48% suspended twice or more. the report also details access. 40% of public school districts do not have a pre school. where it is available, it's mostly part only. >> 81% of asian american

students and white students attend high schools where the full range of maths and science courses are offered. however, only 57% of black students and 67% of latino students attend schools that have access to the full range. data does not explain why the disparities - whether it's course work or preschool suspensions, why they exist, but it underscores that when it comes to equal opportunities for education success, our nation has a way to go. >> attorney-general eric holder says the report shows a need to eliminate racial inequality and disrupt the school to prison pipeline. >> every data point represents a life impacted, a feature diverted or derailed, and a young man or woman at the likelihood of becoming involved

with the criminal justice system. >> it's for the 2011, 2012 school year using data for 97,000 public schools. >> pope francis takes aim at the mafia, condemning them to hell in if he don't repent. >> translation: the power, the money you have coming from dirty businesses and crimes - it's bloodstained money, bloodstained power. you can't bri you can't bring it with you to the next life. repent. a prayer vigil for relatives of victims killed by the mafia was held. this is the first address by the pope aimed at those in organised crime. >> a salt water lake a fracture of its size much we'll tell you what is causing it to dry up.

>> well, we are looking at better conditions on saturday. enjoy the day. things will not stay that way as we go from sunday, monday, tuesday across the eastern sea board. temperatures beautiful on friday. well above average, and we are going to see nice weather. there may be a rain shower pass through new york, and snow up to the north unfortunately. the rain to the south is not going to last long. maybe about 30 minutes as a system pushes through. these are the temperatures we expect today. 62 in new york, 71 in washington, as we go through sunday, monday, tuesday, the temperatures dropping. 44 on sunday, 36 op monday, and possibly another event of snow on tuesday. to the south - things will be wet across mississippi,

louisville, arkansas and alabama. atlanta - you'll see the rain showers in the evening. a nice day of 74. orlando 84 and key west 81. the same weather system from the north-east, that will bring you temperatures down as we go towards wednesday, your low is going to be about freezing there. out here to the south-west we are looking at some still dry conditions. snow is a big possibility across the higher elevations of colorado, and denver, you'll see a high of 38 degrees, with los angeles at 65. >> thank you so much. speaking of the weather - a rare fiery dust delve was caught on camera in colorado. it catches dust and debris. it happened last week during a cold 150 acre burn north-east of

denver. it swept fire and tumble weeds into the air making it dangerous for the fire crews. >> an environmental disaster is unfolding in north western iran. the largest lake in the mooeffed is drying up -- middle east is drying up. it's not the only one. >> iran's great lake now a great desert. the waters of arumia in the north-west used to draw holiday makers in their thousands. they'd come from everywhere. the ancient lake is almost empty, tourists gone. the bungalows are abandoned. the once coveted colourful resorts a coast town. in a village opposite, it's the same. >> this man was in the tourist business, but left it long ago. >> compared to the past when the lake was not dry, it's different. when there was water, there were many tourists and everything was

flourishing. there was enough number. we had no water shortage for agriculture. if the water does not exist, would you come here? of course not. the lake dried, people stopped coming and we lost the income. >> iran's environmental organization says there's many reasons arumia is disappearing. government and water mismanagement and a lack of rain is the main causes. >> the cree eights of the dam is another, and the bridge that divided the lake in two. there's 5% of its water left, and it's eight times saltier than sea water. >> scientists define what has happened to lake arumia as nothing short of an environmental disaster. it could get worse. one of the reasons is the surface. when the water dried up, it left behind the salt. when the wind blows, it create salt storms, and it is what is blowing into neighbouring

villages and towns. that put the region's agriculture and economy at stake. then there are the ecological effects on nature's wildlife. they are obvious. the lake used to be full of mying atory birds, now it is not. >> the government is trying to save the lake. it has brought in japanese experts to help. >> translation: this situation did not happen in one day. it's not something that can be reversed in the day or one year. even if we start now, it's optimistic to think we could see an improvement in the next three to five years. in my opinion an important key in saving the lake are the people who live in the vicinity. >> back in the village, the local kids turned the abandoned boat into toys. this girl tells us he wants the water to come back, to find out what it's like to play in the

lake. >> that's it for this edition of al jazeera news, i'm morgan radford. thank you for watching. >> welcome to aljazeera america. "the stream." >> lisa fletcher is out on a well earned vacation, and we have my man subbing in as cohost