jennifer glass, al jazeera, kiev. >> reporter: u.n.nspectors in iran ready to over see the long-awaited iran nuclear agreement and the deal will last six months and iran must limit enrichment of uranium and are worried about sanctions relief. >> reporter: after marathon diplomacy january 20 marks the day when the iran nuclear agreement comes in force and in iran the key issue is how much, if at all, it will effect daily life. many iranians don't think much will change. >> translator: they put us under such pressure that but a little thing such as this we are hopeful and still hopeful for the future considering the agreement has different aspects, not just economic, some are political, it's about giving and taking concessions, so for the beginning it's good, but it's not enough. >> reporter: iran in the 6th world powers will implement the agreement over the next six months, four iran it means a complete stop to enriching uranium to 20% purity and iran will continue to enrich but at a much lower level of 5% and tie ran will begin convert

not only here, but in eight other cities in the ukraine. >> jennifer glass reporting from the capital in ukraine, jennifer, thank you. >>> the biggest movers and shakers from the business political, ali velshi is there, and he caught up with the international monetary fund. >> reporter: it's fueled by the private sector, and that's a good thing because we have observed a drive because budget policies were tightening public spending, were increasing revenues, and that drug is gradually fading away as we move to 2014. growth in the u.s. should continue to instructin strengthd that's good. >> and ali velshi will have more today and tonight on "real money." >>> recreational marijuana in colorado and washington is bringing in big money for both of those states, but banks and credit cards are reluctant to work with retailers. thomas has more. >> reporter: standing in line in the snow. >> reporter: colorado made history on january 1st when the state legalized marijuana for recreational use, the first in the country to do so. by noon that day, customers were lining up for bubba kush and it's

joining us now from the ukrainian capital is al jazeera's america's jennifer glass. nnifer, has the time limit on the trues passed and if it has, has there been any movement on the square. >> you know, ray, the time limit has passed and it actually pass add couple of hours ago here, and as it was -- as it was the time for it approach, orthodox priests went on to that street that has been the battleground here. that's the road that runs between the parliament building here in kiev, they went to keep the peace, and so far that truce has held just a few minutes ago, we saw one of the opposition leaders talking to the protestors there with a megaphone talking to both the protestors and the police telling the police be patient, calm down, they feel they have made progress, after their talks this afternoon with president victor. >> you know, developments have been carrying on throughout the day, and such rapid succession, i wonder whether the large group of people is able to keep up with what is going on and be aware of what is being done in their name? >> everybody here is

jennifer glasse reporting from keefe in ukraine. nnifer thank you. >>> sales of recreational marijuana in colorado and washington are bringing in in big money for both states but banks and credit card companies are reluctant to work with the retailers. >> i'm standing in a line in the snow outside that's how important it is to me. >> translator: colorado was the first in the country to legalize recreational marijuana. by noon customers were lining up for bubba curb, some pot-infused chocolate truffles had left atm's dry in this booming business. on thursday attorney general eric holder announced he would soon relax regulations that would allow banks and credit card companies to do business with marijuana distributors. because cannabis remains classified as an illegal narcotic, most businesses have been working on a cash basis. owners complained about the security risks of dealing with large amounts of cash. holder addressed the concerns directly saying . . . colorado's pot business would possibly rake inasmuch as $600 million this ye

jennifer glasse has been following the story for us in the capital, kiev. jennifer, we saw the two sides come together on saturday, not a lot of results. what if anything might we expect at this time? >> well, stephanie your question is a very, very good one. nobody really knows. on saturday, president viktor yanukovych offered the office of minister and deputy minister, the opposition reject they'd flat out. they want the repeal of a law that makes the -- that criminalizes many, many aspects of freedom of speech and criminalizes many human rights there here. they would like president yanukovych to either step down or set a date for early presidential elections. that is what they are asking for. whether he will do that, these demonstrations have spread far beyond kiev to regions including the east in the president's stronghold. even though opposition strong holds are rising it has to be a clear sign to the president that many of the people stand against him. >> jennifer, the justice minister earlier threatened a state of emergency. the foreign minister says

as jennifer glasse reports the trip came amid accusations of human rights violations against ukraine's government. >> a report from human rights watch says ukrainian police targeted journalists and medical workers when clashes started in kiev and are calling on the ukrainian government to carry out an investigation. the ukrainian government does not have a great reputation for investigating such violations, coming as an actist who had been missing for eight days was found alive, badly beaten and had been tortured. he's an activist in the thorn of the side of the government. his demonstrations for the past few weeks targeted government officials personal homes and has taken dozens of officials there. he has been in the darker side of what had been going on. there are reports of ak ductions and bettings from security officials, thugs connected to the police. they are called tatushki. dozens of them have been around ukraine and the country recollects fighting on behalf of the government. serious allegations against the security forces here. this all comes as president viktor yanukovych go

that's aljazeera america's jennifer glass in kiev. we're going to take a short break, and when we come back, we're going to take a closer look at the demands of the opposition and the prospect of the process >> welcome back to "inside story." i'm ray soares. on this edition of the program, we're discussing the political crisis in ukraine. and the process began in november when the government turned down a deal with the europeaeuropean union, and it hn a violent turn. we have the ambassador to the ukraine, john hurst. and research associate from the ukrainian studies. and from the ukraine, the executive director of the national minorities of the ukraine. ambassador, let me start with you. you heard our reporter in the square mention that over time, the demonstrators have upped their demands, and they have seen the possibility for getting a greater prize. did yanukovych miss an opportunity. and does he continue to miss them? >> i'm not sure that the protesters have upped their demands. in the very first days of late november, people in

jennifer glasse reporting from kiev. thanks, jennifer. day after controversial comments by mike huckabee, the republican party looks to reach out to women at its winter meeting. every day, someone leaves their home searching for a better life. >> two hours in, we come upon a body. >> now, in a breakthrough television event, al jazeera america takes you beyond the debate. experience first hand the tragic journey of these migrants. >> a lot of people don't have a clue what goes on until you live near the boarder. >> six strangers with different points of view... >> i don't believe in borders. >> our government is allowing an invasion. >> ...get to experience illegal immigration, up close and personal. >> its very overwhelming to see this many people that have perished. >> a lot of families that don't know where their babies went. >> i want to make sure that her life, its remembered. >> what happens when lost lives are relived. >> the only way to find out is to see it yourselves. >> on borderland. only on al jazeera america. >> any of you gu

jennifer glass, in kiev, and yanokovych is telling the rest of the world to butt out and getting involved. >> reporter: yes, tax the case, but i think given what has happened in the last days and weeks, people can't help but make comments. we have just heard from the white house spokesman, jay carney, that the white house is appalled by the signs of torture. he's talking about dmitry bulatov, found last night after missing for eight days. he had been badly beaten and tortured and he said he was crucified by his captors, and they issued an arrest warrant for him. 25 policemen went to the hospital where he's treated and had surgery, trying to arrest him. and he's being protected by the members of parliament who support the opposition, and the standoff has been going on for a few showers. the opposition and the government, and the police feel they can arrest this protester who is very badly injured. he was covered in blood when he was discovered last night, dumped in the woods in sub 0 temperatures. this is the kind of brutetality that we have experienced here. 30 people are still missing, 2

jennifer glasse joins us. >> reporter: right now the opposition leaders are meeting with the president- or supposed to be meeting at the president over at his office not far from here. that trust expected to expire around 8:00 pm, not necessarily that that is a hard deadline, but that's the time that the leader -- one of the leaders of the opposition gave to the people, the police, and the protesters that he spoke to. nonetheless the protesters are preparing -- this is one of the barricades behind me. these are the places that they are worried the police might come into. a couple of days ago they poured water down the hill so if the police approach, it would be very difficult to get to it. people have been using everything they can to protect themselves on this hill. the president's call for an emergency session of parliament is supposed to happen last week, and the people here believe that the government is basically stalling. they are hoping this demonstrations will lose momentum, but after two months i don't think that is a possibility. >> theying want the president to step down, bu

jennifer glass is in kiev, on one hand we are getting mixed messages.ecretary kerry saying more powers shouldn't get involved and then he gets involved. >> well, i think that's the way russia will see it as foreign intervention, which they have warned against in the past. secretary kerry says the if the hasn't gone far enough in offering concessions to the opposition, but is expected to say to the opposition, that if the government offed an inclusive option that they should take the opportunity, that violence isn't good for anyone, he is trying to avoided any more violence that we have seen in the past week or so with opposition demonstrators clashing with police here. the president for his part says he has done all he can. he has fulfilled his obligations in trying to end the crisis. we have also heard from the russians in form of one of the president's senior aids. he has told the if the that he could lose power here, if he doesn't quash the rebellion. so very different messages from very different sides. reflecting the kind of tug of war between east

jennifer glass is in kiev, and the clock is ticking on what appears to be a very, very fragile truce. >> reporter: that's right, del. just two hours to go for the truce, and the opposition leaders are back today trying to meet with prime minister yanukovych. just as we speak, the demonstrators are going to pass behind me in just a second. and the people have not lost hope. they will continue to demonstrate. there is a truce on, and they're heading into the square for a demonstration. it is quiet over in the area where there have been clashes. quiet for now, but it doesn't mean that the people haven't stopped preparing. there are barricades, and reinforcing the barricades behind me, they have been filling with snow all day and digging up the pavement and getting rocks ready for any possible attack. so while it's quiet, it's at a standstill for now, and it really depends on what happens with the politicians in the president's office. >> jennifer, two questions, first of all, are you safe and do the protestors want a diplomatic solution or do they want the president gone altogether? >> t

they want change. >> jennifer glasse reporting on developments in the ukraine. thank you. >> a deep chill returned to the mid west and parts of the south. it will be dangerously cold. there are subzero readings in some cities. in minneapolis, it could feel lining minus 3 and chicago could see 48 hours or more below zero. the blast is moving south to states like texas. snow is forecast for much of that state. for forecasts on the call, here is dave warren >> yes, we have seen plenty of these surges of arctic air coming in. we are looking at another. the orange colour indicates the windchill is below zero, dangerous in some areas, 20, 30, 40 below zero, as cold as 40 below for the windchill. a large area seeing temperatures below zero with the air temperature 15 below, 7 below and minneapolis and fargo. one in omaha and fargo. when you factor in the wind, almost 40 below for a windshil. that's dangerous levels. when it gets this low you get frost bite if you are not bundled up. take precautions if you need to head outside. it's a large area of bitter cold wind chi

they are fighting for democracy here. >> jennifer glass, live, again these are live images that you are looking at right now. jennifer, thank you very much. and as you can tell, even though that fragile truce has expired, the crowds that have gathered in the central square showing no signs of leaving. south sudan's warring factions now agreeing to a cease fire, leaders from both sides signing off on a five week cease fire agreement. jamal has more from jube ba, the capital of south sudan. >> it's been a long awaited cease fire, but a huge break deal nonetheless. at least now those who have fled their homes because of the violence that has raged through south sudan over the past several weeks has some hope that they may return soon. the cease fire just signed essentially guarantees there will be permission, or both sides would allow for aid to reach those effected. however, it will only be implemented 24 hours after the signing of the time of that signing. despite this break through, despite the cease fire, many view that this is just a patching of a wound that continues to bleed. becaus

from here, and there were thousands of them, the police have been very restrained. >> reporter: jennifer glassn kiev, thanks. that's it for me for the moment but much more later in the news hour including. >> i'm in london at a sunday service with a difference. this one he is not invited. ♪ iraq government says it launched an offensive against fighters from the islamic state, the alaska die linked group has taken over the providence and controls parts of the nearby city of fallujah and the silence must end they say. >> translator: iraqis are united as never before in the fight against al-qaeda and supporting them with money and weapons. their sons are fighting alongside their brothers in the army which is forcing al-qaeda to come out so we can strike them. >> reporter: a few days before peace talks in switzerland. it's a breakthrough of sorts and they had previously rejected peace talks demanding removal of the president of bashir al-a said before coming to the negotiating table but now some of them are changing their minds about attending the talk, a sign perhaps of battle fatigue. several sy

jennifer glass joins us live. what is causing the latest round of protests? >> well, this is the first violence we have seen, really, in the last few weeks here. protesters were here in the square, trying to march, but areas were blocked by police. clashes started late this afternoon. i can hear explosions across the city as the clashes begin. the protest has been going on for two months, starting in late november when viktor yanukovych failed to sign a trade deal with european union. many believe they should point towards europe, rather than the soef yacht ally -- soviet ally, russia. the protests started in november. early december there was violence with police, and protests started in independence square. hundreds set up camp. thousands came. people came in the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands. they continued for the past eight weeks. >> jennifer glass covering it in kiev. >> tomorrow marks a day that iran will implement the u.n. agreement. u.n. inspectors are there. the deal lasts for six months as a final agreement is negotiated. we have this re

let's go to our correspondent jennifer glasse who is live in kiev following the developments since the begin. cull tell us what's happening right now? >> reporter: you know, dark has fallen again here in kiev. it's been a relatively quiet day, but we see demonstrations spread further across the country in two more cities today as demonstrators take over buildings associated with the government. now, that's something we saw here in the ukrainian capital late last night. in the heart of the capital, ukraine's besieged the former lenin museum, afraid police inside were waiting to ambush demonstration. this is the latest civil unrest as the anti-government movement grows. with demonstrations spreading across the nation, president yanukovych meets with opposition leaders. he's now offering to share power and to reform laws for speech and assembly passed just a week ago. while the three opposition leade leaders. >> translator: our clear position is to ascend these laws. our commands are to hold presidential elections already this year. and we are not stepping back. >> reporter: they also wan

jennifer glass is in kiev, and those protest are now spreading across the country, is there a sense thatll of their dend mas will be met? >> well, dell that's what they are hoping. certainly the government has made a big about face in the last week or so, but the protestors are staying put until they get what they have. tomorrow, parliament are talk about amnesty b about getting all of those people out of jail that were arrested for the past two months because of demonstrations. but the opposition and the government is far apart on this. the government and members of parliament say that amnesty should include the police and security forces and that's a problem for the opposition, because they say why should they be rewarded and security force whose attacked protestors in some case shooting protest torture laws, why should they be rewarded and that is a big sticking point. of course there is the question of president victor. many of the people i spoke to today, at the barricades that face on the road to parliament, say the president has to go, he had to resign or call early elections. so

. >> we go to jennifer glasse live in kiev following the protests from the very beginning. jennifer, why didn't the opposition accept the government post? what's in it for them by staying outside of the current political structure? >> reporter: well, the leaders said it themselves here in independence square last night. when they came from the presidential meeting, do we trust viktor yanukovych? no, we do not. he has promised things before and not delivered them before. the fact he promised so much so quickly, a prime ministership in deputy prime ministership a week after trying to push through laws basically criminalizing freedom of speech here shows he's on his back foot. the opposition thought it was too little too late. they thought they could get more concessions, and what they want is early elections and they really want him to step down. >> jennifer glasse live from kiev. thank you for being with us this afternoon. >>> meanwhile, there's still no word on a motive, but police have identified the gunman in yesterday's maryland mall shooting. >> darin agular is the shoot

. >> that's where jennifer glass is joining us, live from kiev. at are the protesters calling for right now, jennifer? >> reporter: right now, those live pictures that you are seeing are about 400 meters that way. i can hear the blast. the police have been throwing stun grenades, firing pepper spray at thousands of protest who left here, a very peaceful protest early in the day on kiev independence square, tens of thousands. a few thousand broke away and tried to head toward parliament. the police are blocking that road. the police have very much stood their line and been very restrained in contrast to proceed tests and clark that happened in early december when police attacked protesters. the protesters have been very aggressive here they were throwing some fireworks we have video of them kidnapping one policeman and separating him and taking him away. the clark continue to go on about in their a little over two hours ago, they started. we can see flash grenades. protesters have set police buses on fire. there is a heavy police presence around the

need to dismantle demonstrations so there's a lot of concern here about what that might mean. >> jennifer glasse in kiev forus. thank you, jennifer. >>> fishing boat packed the migrants collapsed in the dark. a patrol boat tried to tow the boat but two and a half kilometers from shore two people dived into the sea sparking a rush whichover turned the bolt. >>> and five days after dozens of migrants rushtd over the border of morocco, 50 people made a go. in a separate incident, 13 migrants tried to reach malea in an inflatable boat. one drown when they jumped into the sea as police intercepted them. >>> the trial of two french football are pro formas accused of paying for sex with an underaged person, he didn't know they were 16 and 17 at the time. real madrid striker credit didn't know either. in this news hour, including new threats against the sochi olympics. and we're in bosnia talking to recent victims of a war that ended nearly 20 years ago. >> we've got all coming up in about 20 minutes, including a sneak preview, at brazil stadium. >> all this week, >> the strength of our future relies on

jennifer glasse, al jazeera, ukraine. >>> coming up on "al jazeera america," a new species moving into the chicago area. why the rare snowy owls are making a comeback in the windy city calling it home now. >>> welcome back to "al jazeera america." i'm del walters. these are the headlines at this hour. secretary of state john kerry trying to keep hope alive for middle east peace, meeting today with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. netanyahu is saying that the u.s. and israel is committed to peace. he said he's not sure about the palestinian leadership. >>> in beirut at least six people are dead, dozens more wounded in the second bombing there in two weeks. today's death toll is expected to rise. that blast happening in a stronghold of hezbollah. >>> the violence in south sudan is getting worse as leaders hold peace talks, the president declares a state of emergency in an oil-rich battleground. >>> not since harry potter has the snowy owl captured so much attention. teams the owls are showing up in chicago, and that is a long way from the arctic tundra. al jazeera has a closer

jennifer glasse joins me. what did the president offer. >> it was a big turn around for president viktor yanukovych. a week ago he didn't want to talk to the opposition. now he's offering them the positions of prime minister and deputy prime minister and so farring concessions on demands, including considering changing laws limiting freedom of expression and tro pest. the answer from the opposition no deal. and opposition vitaly klitschko says the opposition knows what it wants. >> translation: our clear position is to rescind these laws. our demands are to hold presidential elections this year. and we are not stepping back. >> now, that deal would mean that president viktor yanukovych would stay in power. the opposition says it's a deal breaker. they have a lot of power and president viktor yanukovych has shown no indication that he would step down. they hope he forces early elections. >> they said no, we don't want your deal or offer. do they feel like they have the strength and leverage to get what they wan

jennifer glass reports >> reporter: in some ways, ag culture hasn't changed much here in the past 100 years. many work the fields by hands and most are still poor. the soviet union's forced collectivization program was supposed to modernize farming. but it killed millions of farmers. when the soviet union collapsed in 1991, the transition to private farming meant productivity plummeted at first. now, it's booming >> reporte. >> this was an jolted old collective farm in soviet times. now, it's one of the most modern agricultural complexes >> reporter: a farm like this has allotted of catching up to do. the average cow produces 25 liters a day. it would be about 60 in europe. >> the sanitary conditions also leave much to be desired. so milk can't be used to make soft cheese or yogurt. still, the country has a lot of potential. >> ukraine has some of the richest soil in the world. and many here believe with better integration and closer ties to europe, ukraine could become a regional bread basket >> reporter: who ounwns that so is a big obvious stackel? >> land is a problem here because

jennifer glass joins us live now, and jennifer what has been the reaction from the opposition to the president's leave of absence? this move took everybody by surprise when the announcement was made that the president is ill, and will not be attending to his duties. he hasn't signed into law the two that were passed. that was repealing those laws that criminalize freedom of speech and expression, and the amnesty law, and the former heavy weight boxer, says his toricly when a leader declared himself sick, that's not good news. that usually meant they were trying to do something unconstitutional popular, and that's the real concern. they aren't sure what the president is up to, but legally because he is on sick leave. from the government, areasoning with the announcement that he is sick, the office also made a statement saying that the government has done all it can to solve this problem, and it is the opposition that is enflaming tensions. so not really good signs here. >> yeah, yeah. so i am wondering a couple of things. how much pressure is this government really under at this point

but very tense here. >> thank you jennifer glasse.e'll have more on the crisis in ukraine later this hour. >> two explosions rocked egypt on saturday, injuring one person. one of the bombs exploded near a police academy in cairo. the second went off in a nearby neighbourhood, following a series of bombings killing six people. >> the bombings followed an uprising leading to the removal of hosni mubarak. >> explosions at the heart of cairo, the aftermath of the largest one. a suicide bomber rammed the car into cement blocks, surrounding the police headquarters, killing and wounding a number of people. nearby buildings were damaged, including the famous museum of art. near a metro station closed to the russian cultural center, causing casualties. a third smaller blast near the giza police station. causing no casualties, according to authorities. >> translation: a pick-up truck had two passengers, stopping outside police headquarters. a seduced bomber killed himself. >> they were described as a vial terrorist act. this was a child's body

central and western regions. >> they're also taking pictures of him. >> yes. >> joining us now is jennifer glasslks proved fruitless again thursday. what's it like in the central square there today? >> you know, it is a bitterly cold day and as you see behind me, there are hundreds of people in the square. that this has been the heart of the protest since they started at the end of november. a few hundred yards from me, in the streets, it runs up to parliament, the police remain in a line on a barricade there with their shields ready. the protestors may be 100 yards from them in a line of their own behind some burning barricades in a tense standoff. >> and as you can see, we just lost jennifer glass reporting from kiev. that we will try to get back as soon as we can. >> there have been deadly explosions in and around cairo. the first happened this morning outside a police station in downtown cairo. four people were killed and dozens more injured. state television says witnesses saw gunmen opening fire on surrounding buildings. a second explosion near a metro station left at least one person dead

for more, let's go to jennifer glasse in kiev. jennifer good to have you with us.saw some ugly scenes of violence wednesday. what is the situation like now >> reporter: there's a very odd standoff going on a few hundred yards from here. the police are there in their lines holding their shields. the protesters standing maybe 50, 100 feet from them behind their tear barricades, some of those tires burning, but no stones being thrown at them, none of the flash grenades or any of the violence we have seen. >> what can you tell us about the deal the government offered and why the protesters turned it down. >> reporter: well, the -- the three leaders of the opposition went to the presidential palace today, to the president's office today to talk with the president and they were offered essentially a deal that -- sorry -- i know it's a bit loud behind me, they do this every hour, they are singing the national anthem on independence square during these demonstrations, they do it every hour. i know it's a bit loud. but the president offered the opposition an opportunity. th

john. >> jennifer glasse in kiev for us tonight, jennifer thank you.n geneva the syrian peace talks are hitting a road block over transitional government. our james bays has the lateliesn the economic tu -- diplomatic tg of war. >> this the first time the most difficult item of political transition has been on the agenda. their position remains uncompromising. >> translator: so-called opposition talking about president assad and talking about what they call the regime our country has been destroyed our factories our school our hospitals our people we have 6 million displaced syrians. >> why doesn't president assad should step aside. maybe your 44 years is long enough. >> we are 10,000 years old, we know what's good for us. >> when the two sides met it was a stormy meeting. the syrian government presented this paper on transition, it is a new document but has nothing new in it. conditions rather than any concessions. it's not just on transition whether it's deadlocked. the opposition doesn't trust an offer from the government to let women and children l

our jennifer glasse is there, joins us and what's the situation right now? why being cg. >> well, john, you join me here on independence square, they just sang the national anthem which they do every hour. the pictures are very dramatic, i have to say the violence certainly isn't as bad as it has been for the past few days. there's been a truce for 24 hours but those fires have been going all night. it is the early morning here. while the protestors occasionally hurl the occasional monthly off the cocktail at police, i think this is really about keeping up pressure on the government. for the first time protestors feel like they have momentum, some kind of movement. president yanukovych has called an emergency session of parliament. not what the protestors want but at least there's some movement. the drum beat is what you hear john. >> is this a tipping point in the crisis? >> well, i think it is a tipping point. because not only have we seen movement here in kiev but across the country. there has been really movement with protestors going into state houses,

jennifer glasse has been following this story from kiev. jennifer this is one of the demands. it looks like the president is giving into that demand. will it begin to calm the streets of kiev? >> well, i'm not sure are that that's the case actually. you know, the president made a statement after meeting with the opposition leaders, this evening, that statement said the laws would be repealed but then it goes on to say that parts of the law that weren't objectionable will be repassed by parliament tomorrow and those will be also debated and brought into european norm. so very vague language. and that has been the problem all along in trying to meet the opposition demands that the language has been very vague, the commitments have been very loose. the opposition again refused president yanukovych's offer to become prime minister and deputy prime minister. so the negotiations are going ocontinue but that progress came -- to continue but that progress came after that surprise meeting tonight. back to the negotiating table. president yanukovych meets the three opposition leaders to

. >> well, jennifer glasse joins us from kiev live now. jennifer, are clashes still ongoing? >> reporter: well, right here in independence square it is very peaceful. about 400 meters that way i just saw a couple of flash grenades go off. nataly klichko just led a demonstration, they have set a bus on fire. the police are throwing flash grenades. the protestors are throwing fire crackers. dragged some demonstrators off from the cordon. pretty serious confrontation going off right now. earlier today, tens of thousands of protestors gathered in this square. a few thousand of them have now moved off and are clark with police. they are around this square hundreds of riot police in buses, trying to keep the protest contained to indians independence square. >> jennifer, the protest began peacefully on sunday, can you give me a sense of how many protestors this large number are involved in these scustles with police and the d rks -- scuffles with police and who that tends to mean for protestors? >> there has been a big divide here in this square. some protestors are frustrated after

jennifer glasse joins us live from kiev. what sort of risks to american travelers are we talking about, jennifer? >> well, john, i think the state department issued that warning because it is a very, very fast moving situation in kiev and also around the country. because we have seen demonstrations spread to 12 regions of ukraine's 24 regions. but even here in kiev tonight, the demonstrations, uneasy truce that had been going on, those demonstrations got a little bit more intense tonight. the barriers are burning on grushevska street a little from me in independence square. you can hear the demonstrators a little from me here. the state department is concerned that anybody who doesn't understand what's going on could wander into the demonstrations. not just the demonstrators but the police. we have seen brutality when protestors got caught by police. we have seen them on camera, seeing them beaten up. the opposition leaders here tell them not tot to go to the hospitals -- to go to the hospitals. the hospital he report them an

our jennifer glasse has more from kiev. >> reporter: it's the worst violence in kiev in nearly two months. clashed with police blocking the road to parliament. protesters set buses on fire. police fired pepper gas. the demonstrators kidnapped a policeman. opposition leader and former professional boxer vitali klishko tried to calm the people without success. tensions heightened this week when the court declared demonstrations in the center of kiev illegal and the president signed into law sweeping measures that limit free speech and assembly. earlier sunday tens of thousands gathered on independence square to defy the new regulations. >> translator: my appeal to law enforcement bodies to service men, join the people, protect the people, you gave an oath to the ukrainian people first of all and you have to protect them. >> reporter: the government says they're public order laws. the people here disagree. >> this is not just a new law, it's a coup. and when a coup happens in the country, especially when there's a social explosion in the country the situation is an unpredictable way. i think

jennifer glass is in kiev for us. we're looking at these pictures. we'll go to you and then we'll go to the picture. what are we seeing and what are we hearing? >> what you're hearing and what you're see something is happening a few hundred yards on the street that leads to parliament. that banging you're hearing is protesters using whatever they can. you'll see a lot of people walking by here and many of them carrying sticks. they bang against metal, flagpoles, light poles, anything they can to make noise and let police know that they are there. they're stoking the fires with tires. it's been a very tense situation. there have been a few--a little back and forth between the police. there are the intear year ministries have made the statement, and heightening tensions here already in a very tense kiev that there has been a truce in that area for 24 hours now. it does appear to be a tentative truss, the state department warning to american citizens not to come here because of a very fluid and uncertain situation here. >> so the president, viktor yanuk

jennifer glasse has the latest from kiev. >> in the heart of the capital ukrainians besiege the lenin museum. police inside were waiting to ambush the demonstration. >> this is the latest unrest of the with demonstrations spreading across the nation, president viktor yanukovych meets with opposition leaders. he is offering to share power. snoolt for the three opposition leaders, they said "no deal." >> our clear position is to rescind the laws. >> translation: our demands are to hold presidential elections this year. and we are not stepping back. >> they also want the release of dozens of demonstrators detained by the government. on the barricades defiant protesters face police lines. there's little time to worry about politics here. this is the public face of their battle with the government. >> concessions by viktor yanukovych - too little too late. many say they'll take country back. this is their fight. they want to show the people they are here to stay. they are ready for a fight, even if it is just with stones. >> as protesters try to take over the museums, they broke windows an

step toward ending this political crisis a meeting between opposition leaders and the president, jennifer glassas been covering this remarkable story from kiev, jennifer, what came out of today's meeting between the opposition and the president? >> well, john, the leaders of the opposition spoke here in the square behind me, there's a lot more people than thousands of people came out. and the first speaker a former heavy weight boxer and the man who really is emerging as a leader of those three men who are in the opposition, came out and said there is disappointment. he calls it hours of empty talk. he said the government was trying to scare them that they would not be scared. one of the other leaders said that the government has plans to arrest dozens of opposition leaders, dozens of activists, dozens of people that have taken part, which are made legal under draconian laws last week. one of the oppositions demands of the president is that they waive any charges against the protestors here, they release anybody that they call prisoners of war. that they call anybody who has been picked up in t

jennifer glasse live in kiev. thank you. >> the unrest is spreading beyond the capital. demonstrators stormed government offices in nine other cities. we have this report from western ukraine. >> this is the regional administration building in a city in the wst of ukraine. on thursday, a large crowd of anti-government protesters arrived and went inside and got the regional governor appointed by president viktor yanukovych to resign. later he said he did so under duress and took it back. the protesters are in control of the building and are maintaining a 24 hour presence, singing songs and keeping their spirits up. they say they are not going to move, like the people in the square, independence square in kiev. they have erected large barricades made up of tyres and bags filled with snow to stop security forces getting anywhere near here. it's one of many sites in this city that have been taken over by anti-government protesters, and it's part of a movement that has spread across much of the west of the country, and they've been heart ebbed by what is happening in kiev. ma

our reporter jennifer glasse is in kiev and joins us with more.hat came out of the meeting between the opposition and president viktor yanukovych? >> well, when the meeting ended the three leaders of the opposition came to independence square, the heart of the protest since it started. one of those opposition leaders, wladimir klitschko, he got on the stage and said they may be disappointed. they were offered a deal, if they got protesters to leave an area a few hundred yards away, where there'd been clashes, he would release anyone that was detained and consider lesser sentences for those who have been arrested because of these protests. t the opposition brought to to the people. they rejected it and told them to stand their ground. they are singing the national anthem. it's 6 o'clock in the morning, bitter code. hundreds of people are here. at the other site, thousands of there, but very peaceful. the opposition says keep demonstrating, keep it peaceful. that is what is happening this night. >> there's a video that's gone viral in the ukraine, s

winter up rising will continue as they try to keep their country on the long road to europe and jennifer glassin kiev. >> they will gather in sochi for the winter olympics and after the bomb ings in volgograd last week, we have peter to report. >> there is a streak of love of country that runs through these people and the russian olympic team carries the hopes of the nation, launching the new sports clothing for the olympic games which is next month and it will move to the black resort of sochi before the opening ceremony in february. the excitement not shared by world leaders, obama and merkle and cameron will not make an appearance of the winter games but doesn't matter says russia olympic chief. >> translator: the olympic games is a porting event for the athletes. >> reporter: they will be on home ground and no excuses. and this is where russia's winter olympic hopes lie, out on the ice. the national hockey squad and the ice skaters are the bright lights in these winter olympics going for gold in sochi. and also salvaging russia's reputation and it's the night of february 25, 2010 and facin

jennifer glass is live for us in kiev. so, jennifer, what's happening tonight? >> reporter: jong than, as we speak, thousands of protesters here in kiev, just about a block away, are trying to take over ukraine house. it's a -- used to be the lenin museum here, a big ihibition hall. they were concerned that the government was putting the dreaded rapt police, that there were hundreds of them massing there,iot police, that there were hundreds of them massing there, that is between this protest here on index square behind me and just a block over on the road to pardon mer parliament, i am now hearing explosions or gunshots as those people take over that building. it has been an extraordinary political day in ukraine. the president offered big concessions to the opposition, including the position of prime minister. three opposition leaders turned that down saying they have the power of the people behind them. they told the people to expand their civil unrest, to expand their spheres of influence, areas of democracy, as they call them, to take more area, stands their

jennifer glass is in kiev with more on the developing story. >> in terms of movement, not much has changed in 24 hours. this is the front line between this side, the protesters, and the police on the opposite side of the barriers, hundreds with shields and roy ot gear -- riot gear. protesters have been firing fireworks at the police lines, and the police respond with a flash grenade filled with the kind of pepper spray to move the crowds back. as you see, it hasn't been terribly effective here. there are thousands of people here, down here, coming to see what is happening to support the protest here. the protesters say they'll do what they want, stay for as long as they can until they get what they want. they are making a lot of noise, making themselves heard here so the police know they are here and despite concessions by president viktor yanukovych saying that he will hold talks with the opposition, a lot of people here don't hold off hope. there has been disturbing signs. the prosecutor general said this street protest is a crime against the state. menacing words against officials as cl

jennifer glass has been following the story in kiev. this story has been changing hour by hour. but how tense is it right now? >> it's very tense here in ukraine. just a few blocks as the police are in a tense stand off with protesters as they have been in the last few days. the last few hours rocks have been exchanged, jot the violent protesters seen earlier in the week. one of the opposition leaders went on is it today to directly appeal to prosecutors to the court and to the security forces to stay calm. >> don't execute crime orders. don't make unfair and illegal decisions. don't take part of opposite investigation of citize againsts of ukraine. those who have honor, please defend today. >> appealing to the security forces because there is a lot of concern of what might happen next here as they negotiate peace with the president. >> the president said he'll make reforms. for example he said he would be willing to shuffle things around. right now do they have any leverage? >> well, you know, the opposition has leverage. they have thousands of people not just on the treat in k

jennifer glass joins froes kiev. this story has been changing, how tense is it right now? >> i was at the barricades just an hour ago, and the truss holds as the opposition leaders are there at the president's office talking with him. they say they only went over there because the council of churches asked them to, that's the only reason why they're negotiating with the president. we've seen harsh words from both sides. the government saying that really talks are futile because they say that the opposition is armed, and the opposition saying that resignation of the president is the only option, but still they're at the table tonight and have hope that something might come through, some negotiated end might happen. >> so the government is saying that the talks are futile, but the president said he would make reforms and shuffle some things around, but the opposition said this is all too little too late. so what exactly is the opposition fighting for? >> you know, the opposition does not really have a true leader. it really doesn't have a plan to move forward. one of the iss

. >> that is jennifer glasse joining us from kiev in the ukraine, jennifer thank you very much. ♪ >>>cking your business news so far today it looks like a repeat on wall street for a second straight day stocks are mixed. right now the dow is lower. the nasdaq, though trading higher. >>> the arctic cold is driving the price of natural gas to levels we haven't seen in 2.5 years. an indication that the cold snap is going to last for several more days. >>> the mortgage banker's association reporting its index of home loan applications rising 4.7% last week. the average 30-year fixed rate loan calling to 4.57%. >>> the head of the cleveland clinic is warning that the affordable care act will cost jobs. the doctor telling ali velshi that if costs were to be reduced, which was the goal of obamacare, the work force has to be smaller. >> we're going to see less money coming into health care. health care is the biggest industry in the united states, 17.3% of the u.s. economy. and if you look at that, and we are going to are reduction in employment -- or reduction in costs, it's got to be people

our jennifer glass has been covering this, good evening, so the protestors are going anywhere?they are not, they are near the the square behind me, on the next block, and it is very very cold here as it has been for most of the two months that they have been demonstrating, while they have seen progress, the vice president biden congratulated the president on the progress today that saw the repeal of unpopular laws that criminalized many aspects of freedom of speech. vice police department buyen asked the president to sign those laws. they want to see concrete action, not just repealing something they didn't like, they want to see anybody who has been arrested or detained because of demonstrating freed immediately. they have accepted their resignation, that means that a new government needs to be formed. they have asked the prime minister to stay on, people will be watching closely to see who has chosen in that inner circle, but mainly they would like to see the president go. whether he resigned immediately, or calls early elections this year, ethey are of those things would sat

let's go live now to jennifer glasse in kiev for us. >> well tony this case proves what many activists say has been the case all along that the opposition has been targeted by the police. this is a case of an opposition activist who had been missing for eight days and was found just last night. he was beaten and left for dead in a ukranian forest. opposition activist says he is lucky to be alive. >> i was crucified. i have got holes in my hands. a part of my ear was cut off. they cut my face. there is not a spot on my body that hasn't been badly beaten. i couldn't tell who they were because it was always dark. but the accent was russian. i will tell you more later. now i cannot see very well because i have been in darkness for so long. >> he was a thorn in the side of the government. he organized vehicle convoys to protest government minister's homes. and group members received threatening text messages. then their leader vanished. >> he isn't the only one who disappeared. an independent monitor says there are about 30 people still missing. relatives don't want to talk about them in pu

it will be an eventually week here in ukraine. >> our jennifer glass in kiev tonight. the unrest there is spreading beyond the capitol. demonstrators stormed government offices in at least nine other cities. this report from western ukraine. >> the regional administration building in the city of the west of ukraine on thursday, a large crowd arrived here and they went inside and got the regional governor, appointed by yanokovih and took it back, nonetheless. the protesters are in full control of this building. they are maintaining a 24 hour presence here singing songs and keeping spirits up. they say they are not going to move like people in index square in kiev until their demands are met. they have erected large barricades made up of tires and bags filled with snow to stop security forces getting anywhere near here it's one of many sites. it's part of a movement that has spread across the rest of the country. they have been heartened and many people from this city have gone to independence square there to further those protests. so there is a lot of solidarity betwee

. >> jennifer glass in kiev, thank you very much. our al jazeera colleague peter greste appeared in court to appeal his detention, but that appeal was denied. he and four other of our staff members continue to be held without charge. bader mohammed and mohamed famny have been held for two months, and two others who have been held for nearly a year. >> for journalists, for egypt to treat journalists this way is a shame on that nation. >> a spokesman for al jazeera maintain that the journalists have not been notified of any developments in their case. they said, quote: >> we're following breaking news coming out of washington. the federal reserve saying the economic recovery in the u.s. is strong enough for further cuts in the stimulus program. ben bernanke along with other policy makers refuse to reduce its bond buying. it began reduce its bond buying last month and they will keep interest rates low. >>> the dow right now down 182 points. stocks have been deeply in the red all day on worries about economies and emerging markets. >>> t

jennifer glass is in kiev, what is is mood now following these new concessions. >> a water channel to divert water, it is being funneled dune by police that have been creating ice flows. the opposition leader says it is not everything they want, but it is moving in the right direction. >> now that the -- >> we have revoked those shameful laws can were voted for with hands instead of electronic cards against constitution. this has never happened before in the history of the ukrainian parliament since 1991. this is a small but very important step. today we also need to bring up a question a very important question of amnesty to stop the prosecution of all the protestors. it is that amnesty that is still part of the parliament. they will leave tomorrow to discuss it further but it gives you a sense of how far apart the two sides are. the opposition wants amnesty for all the protestors. the progovernment -- but also for the police and security forces. that attacked them in late november and early december that made this such a big demonstration, you know, that made it the demonstrations g