... this is al jazeera america, live from new york. i am jonathan betz with today's top stories. showdown in crimea. russian forces storm an air base as president obama prepares to head to europe to discuss the crisis. the u.n. tries to find a non-violent solution to the crisis in crimea. another hazy satellite photo offers new hope and new director crews searching for the missing airliner. in our series, the new frontier, we will head to north dakota

where the oil boom is changing lives in unexpected ways. russian troops are in a tense stand-off with ukraine forces. today solid stormed the south of crimea firing shots and demanding ukrainian troops leave immediately. it is one of a number of basis russian soldiers have taken over since the march 16th referendum that put crimea back in the hands of moscow. jennifer glasse joins us. update us with what you have seen today >> reporter: good evening, jonathan. it doesn't sound like there is a crisis anywhere near here you can doubtless hear the very lookout music behind me in this very popular water front area on a friday night. you know, that's kind of been the irony of this whole situation here. life for many here has gone on as normal.

people voted in wide numbers to become part of russia which has happened, which happened yesterday, but just a couple of miles up the road, we've got a stand-off with troops. and just around the corner here is the -- apparently the ukrainian commandship has been taken over by russian forces, we are being told by forces here in sevastopol by relatives of sailors on board. you have the dichotomy, civilians going on with their lives, celebrating, very happy that they have come back to the motherland, they say and cuff ukrainian forces in terrible stand-offs at the air base up the road just about an hour up the road between here and the crimean capitol, simferopol. the russians went in with armored personnel carriers. we understand shots were fired in the air. >> base has been taken. here, at a time commandship which defiantly hasthrown the ukrainian flag the last couple of days when all of the other ships of the ukrainian ship were taken and the russian flag were

taken. >> that, we are told is under russian control. >> i know you spent time with those soldiers in those ukraine basis. do you get the impression that they are beginning to fight back for the first time, that this could lead to further aggression? >> reporter: you know, jonathan, they have always been defiant. they have always been steadfast in saying they would stand their ground. not a shot really has been fired. you know, in aggression. there have been shots fired in the air, and with the exception of one ukrainian officer killed by a sniper in simferopol earlier this week, we haven't seen anyone open fire. there has been discipline on both sides there. the ukrainians are caught in the middle here kiev is telling them to stand their ground and yet, they are out manned and out gunned by russian forces. on wednesdays, of the naval headquarters, they sent women and civilians in first. they had women first and then

civilians behind them. and the ukrainians said what could we do? we couldn't shoot at all. the ukrainians feel stuck. they are waiting for orders from kiev. the orders right now are to stand their ground and yet, gradually, they are being pushed out of their basis, off of ships. they have gone home. they are living in their apartments here where they live here are government granted apartments for naval headquarters and things like that. but they have to decide what they are doigoing to do next. many say they want to continue serving with the ukrainian navy and they would like to keep their ships. the ships aren't tarrant county nickcally so far written te sovereign territory. so they are not sure how they are going to back to ukraine proper and where they might serve again. >> jennifer glasse, live near that base. thank you. from crimea let's go to ukraine's capitol. phil itner joins us. how concerned is the government about today's developments? >> reporter: deeply concerned, jonathan. it's incidents like that that many fear could lead to this

situation overflowing into an open confrontation. bank ban ki moon was here yesterday speaking with the police department. today, he did a little tour of midon square where he paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the uprising. we actually were able to attend that with him. following that tour of madon square, he met with the prime minister and it has been a flury of activity on the diplomatic front fori y /* him. they have all been in town trying to deescalate the situation, trying to talk to the ukrainians about what they need and how to open a line of dialogue with moscow because the kremlin doesn't even recognize this government right now, j jonathan. there is also word that the organization for security and cooperation in europe, the osce, will be sending about 100 civilian observers out to the east of this country.

now, why the east, jonathan? because there are growing numbers of those who support following in crimea's footsteps and trying to rejoin with the russian federation. here in kiev, they say that is because there are agent provaca. is it eurs sent to stare you up tensions. >> that's why kiev wants to see those osce observers out in the east of the country. but they will not be allowed actually on to crimean territory. >> that's because moscow says, look. this is our territory now. we will take care of our internal business on the crimean peninsula. outside observers are not necessary. jonathan? >> phil, do you feel like those outside observers that will at least be allowed in eastern ukraine, do you think they are calming the fears for now of some of ukraine's new leaders? >> reporter: well, they are meant to go out there and look to see whether or not those

protests that are growing in the east and the south of this country are a natural occurrence or whether they are being orchestrated by somebody outside of ukraine proper. of course, that most likely being moscow. will they calm the fears of the people in this part of the country? unlikely. they are very much -- they are very much concerned about what is going on in the eastern part of the country. and they are thinking that practices this is being done purposely by the kremlin to break up this country. >> that's what they are very much afraid of. they are, of course, upset about crimea, but they fear that that is just the beginning, jonathan. there is a real sense here in kiev and there has been for quite some time that moscow has grander designs opinion this country than just the crimean peninsula. >> that's what those observers are being asked to go and check, whether or not indeed moscow is behind all of this. >> okay. big fear for so many there. phil itner live in kiev. thank you.

president obama heads to europe for an emergency meeting of the g7. it will take plates on the sidelines of a previously scheduled arms settlement in netherlands. randall pinkston is live with more of this >> reporter: jonathan, the president's meeting to europe was originally planned for the nuclear summit plus meetings with members defendant european union and nato but after russia's invasion of crimea, the president called for the emergency meeting of the g7. he is refining remarks and instead of focusing on u.s.-european security, he is emphasizing afree europe that is at peace and that will not tolerate blatant violations of international law. >>, of course, is the charge that the u.s. and its allies have been leveling against putin's taking of crimea. the new concern about putin's intentions in ukraine where russia has mobilized 20,000 troops along the border p national security advisor susan

rice was asked what russia's move signals. >> it's not clear what that signals. the russians have stated that they are intending military exercises. obviously, given their past practice and the gap between what they have said and what they have done, we are watching it with skepticism. >> now, as the president attends that nuclear summit at the hague, he will also be holding those emergency g7 meetings on the sidelines with leaders of the g7 who specifically did not invite russia to the meeting. previously, of course, it was the g8 back to the g7 now because of russia's actions in kraim. the president is hoping to get more g7 and allied support for more stringent economic sanctions against russia. the problem is, europe has closer economic ties to russia and if they should impose strict sanctions on russia, they face the real possibility of some

economic blowback that would be much more harmful to the to rohn europe that u.s. but some are saying that's about the only thing that might give some pushback to putin. jonathan? >>. >> back to the summit. i know you say russia is not invited. in diplomacy, is there a chance that there may be direct talks between u.s. and russia at this meeting? >> reporter: well, so keep in mind that there is more than one meeting. there is the emergency g7 meeting. russia will not be there. but there is also the nuclear summit at the hague, and russia will be represented there. it's expected that russia's lavrov will be present. he has already had a number of discussions withes secretary of state john kerry. it's an open question as to whether or not [ laughing ] would be in did -- lavrov would be in conversations with president obama himself but

there will be an opportunity to continue negotiations. the problem is, whatever russia says at this point is being graduated with ask skepticism bi most people in the west. russia, of course, at one point was saying they had no troops in crimea. now we know something different. jonathan? >> the situation keeps on changing. the reality keeps on chairing. randall, thanks for us in washington. joining us to discuss this is tim fry, professor ofpost soviet foreign policy. thank you for being here. >> my pleasure. >> this is the question that keeps on coming up. i talked about it with you extensively, it seems. the answer, i don't know if is it always changes. the concern that russia may be looking at more than just crimea. based upon what we have seen today with the basis in crimea, the shots fired, reportedly, the buildup on the border, how afraid are you that russia might try to grab more of ukraine? >> i have two concerns. one is that i think it's important to bear in mind that i think president putin would have

preferred to have a friendly government in all of ukraine than to have an opposition government in kiev and control over crimea. i think this is a second-best solution for president putin and he has been i am provevising to try to make the best of a bad situati situation. >> it looks like he is getting what he wants. >> i think he wanted to not be overthrown, not face the international sanctions and the reputational costs that go along with an exing territory. mind you, this is only the second time in post-war europe that we have seen a transfer of territory from one country to another through this type of annexation. so this is really a very big deal. i think what would be ideal for president putin at this point would be to be able to continue to exert leaf recommending over the government in kiev by the threat of introducing, say, irregular forces into eastern ukraine or stirring up trouble

in eastern ukraine that would keep the government in kiev weak and divided so that in the future, when a new government comes to power, he might be in a better position to negotiate. >> these protests we are seeing in eastern ukraine, the demonstrators storming government buildings, you think that's as far as it will likely go at this point? >> that's the hopeful scenario, that this is mostly bargaining to try to create a weak, divided government in ukraine and that the constitutional changes that the russian government has been pressing ukraine for to create a more federal system that would be more sam pathetic to the east earners who are more sympathetic to the -- to russia, that this would be enough and that this president putin could claim another victory without having to incur the costs that would go along with more sanctions, more, you know, more damage to russia's international brand if the conflict were to escalate.

>> let's talk about those safringsz. also, the fact that russia is not being invited to the g8 summit here how damaging are these? do you get the impression president putin cares. >> i think the sanctions on individuals will make like difficult and uncomfortable. sanctions are not particularly effective getting things to do things don't want to do. what they are designed to do is to prevent escalation, to prevent the next step and to signal that if there is an escalation that there will be costs for this. >> do you think it's working. >> i think not sending sanctions would have been a very, very strong signal that this was all okay even though i think you really have to do it if you -- particularly because -- >> even though a lot of people argue sanctions are weak and europe is not on board with a lot of them. >> sure. there are still room for the u.s. government and for europe to rachet these sanctions up. you know, we are not talking anything like iranian style sanctions where you would cut

off financing, say, to state-owned companies. that would have a much bigger impact on the russian economy but we are not there yet. there is still a lot of game left to be played here. >> a lot of game left to be played. professor tim fry with columbia university, thank you for your time? >> thank you. >> as always, we appreciate it. >> turning to the missing malasian airplane. the search is focusing on a strength of the indian ocean off australian. crews are stim coming up empty. >> another image. this one from a chinese satellite, an object in the indian ocean 120 kilometers from where an australian satellite spotted something similar two days earlier. in the australia, reinforcement from the search teams are coming. two chinese search aircraft flew into australia on saturday. a japanese plane will arrive on sunday. nothing of significance has been spotted yet. but the search is winding up,

not down. the media presence, too, though it might yet get bigger. >> there are more chinese will be here when we find something. >> saturday saw more planes searching than on any day yet. they included two fast jets which can stay over the several zone for five hours. the military aircraft which take four hours to reach the zone and four hours back can only spend two hours actually looking. >> the far plane behind me will be the last to join saturday's search. combined, the six aircraft involved will have just 18 hours directly over the search zone. >> over the ocean, while there is high-tech kit on board the military planes, the people on board are probably more valuable. >> we are looking at just plain ol' eyesight, some of the best people at spotting, being at the window, looking out for things that radar won't find, plastic, seat cushions, these sorts of

things that would be tell-tale signs of an airplane crash. >> australia's deputy prime minister visited the based on saturday and said the search would last as long as it takes. he batted away rumors that australia have more satellite images that suggest a crash than it's revealing. >> is there anything you are saying to other governments privately that you are not saying publically. >> we have discussions withes other governments, but -- with other governments but i don't think there is anything of substance that has been said between governments that you are not aware of. >> boats are looking, too. an australian naval vessel is on site as are commercial ships. china is sending three ships, though they are still days away. if the objects are found and they do come from flight mh 370, that will explain roughly where the aircraft ended up but not why. a recording of the final 54 minutes of the co-pilot's communication with those on the ground was revealed on saturday.

the only remotely unusual thing was that unnecessary repetition of the aircraft's height. it's possible the where will lead to the why and that is what this is all about. andrew thomas, al jazeera, perth. >> it's been two weeks since the airliner disappeared. >> i feel so bad for the family members looking for relatives. the weather is not going to get better. now, we are switching to winter like in the united states we are switching to the spring season, we are in a transitional stage here across the south indian ocean. they are looking to approach winter right now. you can see there is plenty of activity here across the south indian ocean. we have several hours of low pressure tracking in out of the west. they will continue to push towards perth. we will have to monitor this area where we saw the debris on the satellite. another area of lowpra pressure will move through here. >> will create gusty conditions on the water with that wind churning across the ocean. in addition to that, the ocean currents are always changing in

this area. so they continue to spin around. so we may have found the debris maybe here just six days ago, but because we continuously see currents move the debris around, it may take several days for them to actually locate the aircraft. hopefully they will be able to locate that aircraft. back tower, job than. >> so many desperate for answers. gay couples have begun to marry in missing. one clerk in central missing said 25 marriage michigan said 25 marriage listens have been issued. the state's attorney general ask that the ruling be frooedz until an appeal is made. it is unclear whether the court will uphold that request. still ahead on al jazeera america, north dakota's booming oil bids is attracting thousands of job seekers. now, it's causing a new problem no one saw coming. later, the fallout of a failing economy caring for the increase abandoned children in agregreec

north dakota's booming

thanks to the oil industry. the job search does have a downside. diane easterbrook has more. >> eric kirby makes the best of a cramped situation in this 1200-square foot mobile home, the living room also functions as an. >> the shed we built. >> no room for tools and other household items. so they are stashed in a shed. >> the gun safe out here, the freezer out here. it's pretty packed. >> while small, the mobile home was the most affordable option for the civil engineer, his wife, and son who recently moved to north dakota oil country from oregon. >> 1.800 a month is a good deal for this right here in this town. for sure, there is two bedroom apartments going for over 3,000. >> thanks to the bakken oil rush, williston is the most expensive housing relationship market in the nation as thousands of job seekers flock to the area for work in the oil

fields. since the 2010 census, the population here has doubled from 15000 residents to roughly 30,000, but work is plentiful; housing isn't. developers are rushing to fill the void. >> danny hogan is one of them. his firm is being 3,000 modular homes for oil service workers but rent here won't be cheap. >> we have corporate contracts coming in. comme depending upon the amount of people coming in and what agreement is come to, but we aim for 1399. >> north dakota spent about $50 million over the past few years building affordable housing all over the state. but mostly here in the oil patch. so far, the state has subsidized about 1200 apartment units with lower rents or so-called essential workers for teachers, police officers and nurses. but communities like williston say that's hardly put a dent in the prom.

merits medical center got a state grant to build the $11 million apartment complex for staff who couldn't find housing. >> ceo matt grimshaw has rented out all 66 units. now, he's worried about how he will accommodate new-hires. >> we have between 25 and 30 full-time opportunities. as of today, he we no longer have guaranteed apartments. >> as more housing gets built in the next few years, developers think it will be less expensive. eric kirby isn't waiting for that to happen? >> we will have the garage. >> he is building a 275,000 dollar he home his family will moved in to this summer. >> that's to you, a lot of money? >> that's a heck of a lot of money. my house back in oregon was half of that. >> until oil country, that's the price you pay for the american dream. diane easterbrook, al jazeera, williston, north dac okotdakota

>> our coverage of the new frontier will continue. we will see how the oil boom is providing jobs for veterans and the challenge of north ddakota'g number of school-age children. >> across the country, people can't wait for warmer weather. one woman wants the sub-zero temperatures to last. pam solberg-tapper is training for a marathon on the north poll. that's right. the north poll. the rates starts april 9th and seven of the 48 runners are americans. i can't believe they found 48 people willing to run on the north poll. >> i wouldn't be one of them. i will tell you right now, job than. >> when we are so looking forwards to this nice weather. who wants to be in that kind of snow and ice? >> i don't. >> we have had our fair share. >> we have plenty in new york city for sure and across the midwest and into the northeast. we begin in the southwest actually where it's dry and very

comfortable. we have onshore flow but unfortunately, no rain in the forecast. we could use the drought, exceptional across areas to the signature of san francisco to the north of los angeles. we could use that rain, but unfortunately, we will have to wait several more days until we see any meaningful rainfall. we will continue to look at temperatures where very comfortable in los angeles out there today. right around 65 degrees, san francisco at 56. 53 in salt lake city. >> higher elevations, snow, but that has subsided. we will make our way further today east. we have showers and storms flaring up across the southeast. atlanta climbing to 75 degrees out there today in new orleans, 73. we make our way further toward the north, it's fairly comfortable in the northeast as well. temperatures in new york city going to reach in the 60s today, but unfortunately, when you factor in the cloud cover and winds that are gusting up to 31 miles per hour, it feels just a little bit chillier across portions of the northeast. back into the midwest and across

the plains, high temperatures in the 20s from minneapolis toward billings only reaching 26 in billings today. when you factor in that wind, the lack of sunshine and those temperatures, it feels like it's 1 degree in fargo right now, 13 until bismarck and only 6 in minneapolis. this cold air is going to continue to travel towards the south and towards the coastline and it's going to make its way toward the northeast as we track on into later on this week. generally speaking, saturday, high temperatures across the north central plains and the midwest will be about 15 to 20 degrees below where they should be. >> cold weather will advance and by monday, in new york city you will need a jacket because temperatures are going to be in the 30s generally speaking. >> that's 20 to 30 degrees degrees below where we should be at this time of the year. so, unfortunately, we are not going to get much warmer out there as we approach the new week. jonathan, back to you. >> even though it is officially spring. >> yes.

>> thanks t. ahead, unanswered questions 60 years later. a passenger plain disappears over the great lakes. why the search is still on for northwest airlines flight 2501. how a drought in brazil could affect your trip to the coffee shop.

welcome back to al jazeera america. here are the top stories this half hour: russian troops have formed ukrainian air base in crimea. shots were heard although the origins are unclear. reports say one sold has been hurt. the u.n. secretary general in kiev with international monitors heading to ukraine. michigan performed the first same-sex marriage today. several counties say they will extend court hours to give listens to gay couples. two weeks after flight 370 went missing, a possible new clue has emerged. the china easy government released this photo showing a large object in the southern

indian ocean. so far, though, search crews have not been able to find it. and as the search continues for flight 370, memories of another missing passenger plane still that you wa haunt families. this happened in the united states more 60 years ago. usher karishi still has more on those looking for answers. late on the night of june 23rd northwest airlines flight 2501 vanished from the skies over lake michigan, en route from laguardia to seattle when a final radio call was made requesting dissent as they encountered stormy weather. >> that request was denied. that was the last anyone heard of the plane. >> author and explorer valleyary van heath wrote the definitive book on the fatal crossing over lake michigan. >> a big search developed the morning of the 24th. the coast guard, the navy were called in. five huge vessels, small planes, private boats coming the waters of -- comaing the waters of lake

michigan for debris. they didn't find anything. >> a 1951 accident investigation report concluded, none of the 55 passengers and three crew members survived. the aircraft was destroyed. at the time, investigators believed it crashed into the water some 18 miles north/northwest from here but the wreckage was never found. for the past 10 years, van heist and a group of volunteers have searched. >> initially, it was a search to solve a historical mystery but now, it became a search to provide closure for these family members still seeking answers after all of this time. >> rescue planes searched the waters of lake michigan. >> kim scout's, iii's grandfather was on the flight. >> the aircraft flew into a thunderstorm. no one knows what happened. did they try to turn around? i would like to know, you know,

what happened. >> pieces of passenger's clothing and other debris tell a tragic story. >> they found a debris field almost 12 miles in diameter, all kinds of pieces of the plane, human remains, luggage, personal effects. none of the human remains were identifiable. these were shredded human remains, flesh, organs. it was a horrible tragedy. >> among the pieces of debris recovered, a shaving kit and many articles of clothing. the broken buttons on this tattered jacket reveal how violent the crash must have been. perhaps most haunting is a personal checkbook registry showing a check made out to the airline for a ticket on that fateful flight. for the families, even decades later, the need for answers remains. >> my father, he was 18 when his father died. but because he knew him, it's not as important to know where the airplane is because, you

know, he is gone either way but for me, it's a little more important. >> as for van heist, she says she will continue her search and recovery mission until the mystery is laid to rest. >> there is chants it's just beyond the area we have searched. so we are not willing to give up. we will be back out there this spring, continuing the search. >> for now, a 2008 memorial for the 58 victims will suffice. their names etched in black granite, a constant reminder of so many lives lost 63 years ago tt al jazeera america, benton harb harbor, michigan. >> searching for the plane 60 years later. they are still severaling the seas for the missing malaysian airliner. let's turn to transportation contributor todd curtis, a pilot and expert on security. todd, good to see you again? >> thanks for having me. >> i want to get your thoughts on the news today that we have photos from this chinese satellite showing possible debris. how encouraged are you by this

finding? >> well, i am encouraged primarily because there is another set of satellites out there looking for debris. the more satellites you have, the better. in part, because the way satellites work, you can't just order them over a particular area. so the more you have occasionally going over the area, the better chance you will have of a clear day, clear photographs and better evidence. >> so do you get the impression they are zeroing in on the location of this missing plane? >> well, i am not so sure about this particular chinese photo because the sides of the object, the estimated size, is a bit large. something on the order of 70 feet by 40 feet. and while it's possible that the object in question could be from the airplane but not necessarily any single object. to make a long story short, the wing, for some reason the wing could float on its own, it would be about half the size of what they spotted. >> okay. that's an interesting point,

todd, because i thought the plane was 200 feet wide by about 200 feet long. so, if this piece of debris is 74 feet long, would that not fit with the dimensions of the aircraft? >> it would fit with some of the dimensions. to make it simple, for example, fuselage where everyone sits, that's about six meters or about 20 feet wide. so although it's very, very long, much longer than the peace th piece that was seen by the chiep easy, it's not as wide as the. it doesn't have the width. i am intrigued by the photo, but if anything, if it is from the aircraft, it might be several pieces of the aircraft in close proximity rather than one single part of the fuselage or one ssii wing. you are. >> you are not too optimistic that photo shows a piece of the airliner? >> i would be if there were better resolution. it's hard to tell what this is

made of, whether it's single or several smaller pieces. >> what about the search overall, though? do you get the impression that the malaysian government. it's a concern in the past. that the malaysian government is the handling the search effectively? especially now that we seem to have a zeroed-in location off of australia's coast where crews are focusing a lot of their effort? >> well, the malaysian government is an interesting situation. they have the responsibility for running the investigation. but they don't have control over theatsets that can best search the southern indian ocean. so they have to rely on their international partners, some of whom are coming on scene solely. we have obviously united states and australia right now but britain, china, perhaps other countries will participate. there has already been one civilian cargo ship that was looking as well. and although they can coordinate from a distance, it would seem -- it would seem that the australians at least are in a

better position to coordinate what's going on. so again, they are working with the malaysians, but the malaysias have little control over the details. >> considering, todd, how long it's been, more than two weeks now since that airliner disappeared, how much -- how many resources have been devoted to finding it and how they have found so far absolutely nothing. when do we reach the point? -- do we reach the point where the conversation starts being had that they give up the search? >> i think the conversation may shift to, how do we re-do the several so that we have a long-term sustained, steady search in the southern indian ocean? there are a lot of things to consider. of course, in the short-term, we have several naefz plus civilian ships that are in the area. scalp scbut if there is going t be any kind of long-term search, there will have to be logistical issues? who would do it? how many people? what sort of resources?

frankly, given the area that has to be searched, they may have to come up with new technologies or new ways to use current technologies that goes far beyond the equivalent search that happened five years ago with air france. the air france event in the atlantic ocean was a long and arrested would you say search on the ocean. >> as it turns out, the aircraft was found on the ocean floor less than 10 miles away from its last reported position whereas there is no telling what the last reported position was of this aircraft which is why the search at least initially is so bro broad. they are going with estimates that aren't as good as what happened five years ago. so, i expect the search will be possibly much lock earn the search that happened five years a ago. >> it is testing the skills of the people out there searching so hard for this missing airliner. todd curtis, thank you for your time today. >> thanks for having me again.

an oil tanker carrying $30 million of stolen crude oil has been returned to the libyan government. u.s. peptide did seized "the morning glory" last week. they had taken over several refineries and sold oil to the vessel. the takeovers have set back the country's struggling economy. despite ongoing peace talks between the israeli and palestinians, a violent night in the west bank. israeli soldiers conducted a raid that killed three palestinians. more on this story but some of the images may be disturbing. >> reporter: showing anger at israeli soldiers, a crowd of men hurled stones at army vehicles outside a hospital in januaryine in the west bank. a hospital filled with those killed and injured in an overnight raid by israeli forces. >> it was like a war at 2:45 a.m., we woke up and they were

firing toward the house. after an hour and a half, they ordered us to leave, and we did. my two children were injured and the house was almost destroyed. >> reporter: israeli soldiers entered to arrest a man israel suspects was involved until past attacks. he and at least two other palestinians were killed in the ensuing gun fight. >> they have to be aware that at a time intelligence capabilities are advanced and we have the capability to intervene and prevent them from happening. if the you participate in these terrorist activities, then you are putting yourself on that list and that's why we have to step in. >> the regular attacks are having a noticeable impact on public opinion inside palestinian pair tory over the peace process. protests in ramala on wednesday called on the palestinian authorities to pull out of the

talks. as they carried the bodies of those killed in this latest raid through the streets, they channelled slogans against palestinian president mac mud abbas. the chief palestinian negotiator is voicing frustration. he says 59 palestinians have been killed by israeli forces in the past six months alone. >> is this the policy of a government that really seeks reconciliation and peace? absolutely not. these are deliberate attempts and deliberate policies to undermine any effoto derail the pizza process. >> that process restarted again in but with the stalemate over israeli settlement and continuing vie accumulation undulation, the resolution the u.s. is trying to broker seems more than ever elusive. >> in spain, protesters have

descended on madrid. they say job cuts have eroded civil liberties. spaniards say cuts have increased evictionsing. >> the sinking economy in greece is leading to a rise in abandoned and abused children. the health minister told parliament, the number of healthy children being cared for at state hospitals as tripled. john seropolis has more. >> these children are filling in gaps left by their parents. some were abused. some left to fend for themselves and some were completely abandoned. two dozen children now make up a family of their own along with 16 teachers and nurses who care for them in this homerun by a charity called "the smile of the child" and as the economic crisis wears on, it says demand is racing ahead of resources. >> the crisis has caused parents

to lose jobs or live in a state of terror because they can't feed their families. they start drinking. some commit suicide. some take drugs. some become mentally unbalanced. this has an impact on their children and in some cases, endangers their lives. >> the charity raises $17 million a year from private donations. >> the smile of the child last year increased its capacity to shelter over 300 children like these doing their homework behind me and helped another 2 and a half thousand families feed their families, twice as many as in the year before. >> the state gives nothing to the charity. it does, though, support newborns abandoned at hospitals around greece or children sent to hospitals because there is no where else for them to go. last year, greece's two biggest children's hospitals took in 300 minors, a third more than in the year before. >> in the past, children didn't stay for more than two to three weeks. now, we keep them for up to two or three months. a healthy child shouldn't be

kept in a hospital. they can catch illnesses and it's not good for them psychologically and we shouldn't be occupying nursing staff taking care of them. >> the government says it is now preparing shelters for abandoned children, but as these workers know, raising a child takes more than a bed and a roof. john soropolis, athens. >> an outbreak of the ebolavirus killed 34 neim guinea. the health ministry says the highly contagious disease that has been spreading through the forest. there is no treatment for it. it causes severe intestinal distress and bleeding and kills up to 90 percent of its victims. today is world water day recognizing 750 million people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water. this year in brazil, drought has aggravated the problem. the lack of rain is leading to a rise in coffee prizes. al jazeera's rob reynolds takes

a closer look. >> a drought, the worst in living memory has struck brazil's coffee belt. >> how far rainfall have you had this year? >> ten percent. >> 5th generation coffee planter, ubro brito is the worried. >> we see 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 his 1,000 hechter plantation look green and glossy. but a closer look shows how the beans are slihriveling. some ripening too soon and others are black, having dried up. a lake that a year ago was full is now nearly empty. brazilian farmers say they will probably harvest about 30% less

coffee this year than they had expected. >> means higher prices for coffee drinking consumers all over the world. >> at the coffee warehouse in the nearby town of tres pontes. workers are dwarfed by towering piles of coffee bags. brazil is by far the world's largest producer of coffee, providing nearly 40% of the global annual supply. the price for futures of the beans has surged more than 80% this year recently topping $2 for a half kilo. >> every day, arajuo's job is to slurp up endless cups of coffee. he is a broker determining the quality of each batch and matching growers with biers and exporters. he summed up what the drought will mean.

>> inferior quality, higher cost for producers and, of course, higher prices for consumers. >> back on the pazenda. he says 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 predictament as bitter as the beans, themselves. rob reynolds, al jazeera, brazil. >> and the rest of your breakfast may soon be more expensive as well. in february, food prices saw the biggest jump in the past two and a half years. the average cost of a pound of sliced bacon was $5 and $0.46. >> that's up almost $0.65 from a career earlier. >> is due to outbreaks of diseases on big farms. the drought in the brazil affecting the price of orange juice.

although napoleon's empire did not stand the test of time, some of his personal belongings have. they will be on sale tomorrow. >> story next on al jazeera america. in sports, what nascar's brian vickers had to overcome to get back on track. this this this this is

the mystery could be solved, making more clues about whether he was poisoned or died of natural causes. emma haywoohaywood, sars. >> go to find it. >> that's our show. thank you for watching ahead at the top of the hour, fault lines, a resurgence of the taliban in afghanistan. a look at the day's top stories. >> al jazeera's investigative unit has tonights exclusive report... >> from coast to coast... >> people selling fresh water for fracking... >> stories that have impact... >> we lost lives... >> that make a difference... >> senator, we were hoping we could ask you some questions about your legal problems...

>> that open your world... >> it can be very dangerous... >> i hear gunshots... >> the bullet came right there through the widdow... >> it absolutely is a crisis... >> real reporting... >> this...is what we do... >> america tonight, next only on al jazeera america.

. al jazeera america america live from new york. i am jonathan betz with today's top stories. russian croups troops have stormed air base in crimea.

reuters reports one soldier has been hurt. the u.n. secretary general is in kiev and international monitors are headed to ukraine. two weeks after flight 370 went missing a possible new clue has emerged. a chinese satellite shows a large object in the indian ocean. now, the ebola virus has killed 30 more people in the west african nation of gedy. the health minister there says the high left of con tangous disease has rampaged for the past six weeks. there is no treatment it causes severe intestinal distress and bleeding and kills 90% of its victims. same-sex marriages are on hold in michigan the state's ban was struck down yesterday. some services were held today. several count ease said they will extend court hours. a federal appeals court suspended them until wednesday. >> the belongings of napoleon

bonaparte are hitting the market. buyers can see a shirt the leader wore in his final days. i am jonathan jetsz. "fault lines" is next here on al jazeera america. >> "america tonight" investigates. beaten up by sheriff's deputies. >> and i have about four or five officers come around me and then i heard this. >> denied medical care. >> she would sit and cry and say please please take me to the hospital. i need them to stitch it up. it needs to be closed. a botched execution. >> when you strap somebody to a board, deprive them of oxygen for 25 minutes as they slowly die in front of their family.