live in eastern ukraine. we are hearing the same thing coming across the associated press wires as well. let's go back to fox news analyst kt mcfarland for a lot more on this closely watched election in ukraine. kt, it sounds like the polls are indicating he'll be the outright winner possibly not in need of a runoff which would have come in mid-june. tell us what we need to know about him, how he will be able to deal with putin or not, what his relationship is with the west. what do we know? >> reporter: okay. he's called the candy king. that's how he's made his billions is in chocolates and candy. so he has to be a sweet guy to cut the deal he's got to cut to go forward. really to me the winner of all this is putin because he now has domination and more or less operational control over eastern ukraine. that's where all the goodies are. eastern ukraine is where the oil, natural gas, coal, energy industry is, military factories are, that's what russia wants out of this. and they got what they've wanted. these

well the flurry of diplomatic activity comes as the fighting in eastern ukraine intensive phonics and government are upset and circle the flashpoint city of lubbock and candor tightening their grip after deadly clashes with progress since the protests. tss thirty insurgents and foreign government soldiers were killed in battles on monday ukraine has stepped up its offensive to try to take back control in the east the rebel fighters ever been hoping for mass production fighters still man the barricades lead into the center still be on they're patrolling the streets the eastern ukrainian city remained quiet on tuesday a day after bitter fighting in which thirty heavily armed separatists were killed according to the ukrainian government the separatists and for good number have done it. it was key as most ambitious effort to retake looking on. it said ukrainian troops have refrained from pushing into the city center to protect the lives of civilians. and ukrainian security agencies have collected more evidence that russian soldiers are backing the rebels oh what a loser testimony mostly c

in a matter of weeks, putin stole crimea, now he's onto eastern ukraine. and other members of congress were in ukraine last week and the people were rightfully concerned about putin's next move into their nation. according to press reports this kerry saidcretary that we now have intelligence revealing that operatives in taking orders directly from moscow. secretary kerry also said that russianthe same operatives from crimea and georgia have shown up in eastern ukraine. when i went to eastern ukraine one of the officials gave me a poster for what he called russians saboteurs. ukrainian and he, it's on the screen. this is a copy of the wanted poster, and he was willing to forout of his own money russian equipment that had been, it was confiscate bid ukrainians, everything from guns, rifles, to anybody that's occupying one of the ukrainian buildings without permission, he's willing to offer rewards for that, so i quitet that was interesting that they are the insurge ends in his own part of the state. actions should, we should understand that we have to reeval

putin say keo has to do a better job of reaching out to eastern europe -- or eastern ukraine. you have seen attempts by kiev and a very serious way to propose decentralization of power. to provide for local elections. for them to offer amnesty to those who have already taken over these buildings, none of them have been acknowledged by mr. putin or various russian mouthpieces out there. you have also seen suggestions or implications that americans are responsible for meddling inside ukraine. i have to say that our only interest is for ukraine to be able to make its own decisions. the last thing we want is disorder and chaos in the center of europe. so, for the german audience who perhaps is tuning into russian tv, i would just advise to stay focused on the facts and what has happened on the ground. a few weeks ago, mr. putin was still denying the russian military was involved in crimea. a few weeks later, he acknowledged that they were his guys. they're just has not been the kind of honesty and credibility about the situation there and the willingness to engage seriously in res

. >>> pro russia separatists have shot down a military helicopter in eastern ukraine. at least 14 ukrainian soldiers were killed in the attack over the city. acting president tells parliament the helicopters flying troops to government position on his the hill outside the city when the attack happened. he also said russian weapons were used. >> translator: i have just received information from the area that terrorists with russian miss aisles have shot down our helicopter carrying soldiers, 14 of our soldiers have died. >> it comes as a convoy of pro-russia separatists were seen heading toward donetsk airport also in eastern ukraine it was the scene of heavy fighter earlier in the week, the kiev government claims it has taken control of the side but the separatists have taken the rod leading two it. also a tense stands off between different pro-russian separatist groupings armed members of the group have surrounded the headquarters of the self-proclaimed donetsk people's republic, the stan of stands ofs provoked eye report by reports . four men are alive and well after

putin say, well, kiev has to do a better job of reaching out to eastern ukraine. you've seen attempts by kiev in a very serious way to propose decentralization of power and to provide for local elections, and to offer amnesty to those who have already taken over buildings. none of that has been acknowledged by mr. putin or various russian mouthpieces that are out there. you've also seen suggestions or implications that somehow americans are responsible for meddling inside ukraine. i have to say that our only interest is for ukraine to be able make its own decisions. the last thing we want is disorder and kay os in the center of europe. so for the german audience who perhaps is tuning into russian tv, you know, i would just advise to stay focused on the facts and what's happened on the ground. a few weeks ago mr. putin was still denying that the russian military was even involved in crimea. then a few weeks later he acknowledged, yeah, i guess that was our guys. so there just has not been the kind of honesty and credibility about the situation there, and a willingn

pro russian separatist solidify their grip on the eastern ukraine teething. voters in iraq go to the whole supplying deadly attacks. and the man tipped to become india's next prime minister has cast his ballot at a later stage the country. boy or a fast moving events in ukraine today with the peace now slipping away from central control. kiev says it wants to hold a national referendum on territorial integrity. but the move might be too little too late for the pro russian separatists who now control key cities and towns and are demanding secession will be live with our reporter for more on that shortly. it also looks like there could be some progress in efforts to free the international observers being held by pro russian militants. so the ants still behind barricades. pro russian separatists are firmly in control of the town center and two comes and goes here. seven osce observers are still being held hostage there. it's unclear if and when they'll be released negotiations continue between the towns self proclaimed mayor and osce representatives. so far they

coming up, separatists in eastern ukraine hold their controversial vote on self-rule condemned by kiev and the west as ill get mat. mercedes power ahead with another victory in the spanish grand pee. wurstag question conchita uses her victory to send a message to vladimir putin. separatist leaders in eastern ukraine say turnout was high for sunday's controversial vote on splitting away from kiev. with no independent observers allowed to monitor the pole, there's no way to verify the claims but activists say turnout was around 70%. some violence has been reported. the e.u. has announced it will not recognize the results. this report. >> blots -- ballots at voting stations like this but the process was haphazard with few identity checks and an absence of independent observers. even moscow has distanced itself from the vote. this man appeared to vote several times. this man declared himself the leader of the people's republic of donetsk. he's hailed the vote as a success. >> the legitimacy is reflected out. large for now we're awaiting the official reaction, especially from our brothers i

and as ukrainian forces moved to restore order in eastern ukraine. it is obvious to the world of these russian backed groups are not peaceful protesters. there we are militants. four received significant support from russia russian leadership must know that if it continues to de stabilize eastern ukraine. and disrupt this month's presidential election we will move quickly on additional steps. me on tuesday night dustin and i know. what if it is a key link in the ukraine ukraine on the basis of self determination and commentaries as the bridge they were still learning to use the twentieth of may it's a very crucial thing to learn to love and we will see to it. a scene in nice the time to move on to the mine. the twenty fifth of may is not for the coloration that nobody went on in my state taxes that are eaten by the private sector will be unavoidable but this time when we ask me. she sent a message to the question is which. we are the meek and the song on the ticket collector chance. in it. i know. the nation has described the bench this morning in ea

. >> watching them digging trenches in eastern ukraine mistakes one thing of i. >> what has startled is the ve hementions of the coverage. >> that's almost a method for the ukraine, situation, itself. >> here is just one example of that: a demonstration in donetsk ends in fighting between pro-and antirussian forces. one story, two versions, depending upon whether the channel you are watching is coming at you from east... >>. >> armed and menacing, the pro-russian camp guarantee they are the absolute authority. >> the russian media is depicting those who overthrew yanukovych as nazis. they are the minority. the russians are well aware of that. they are trying to misrepresent what's going on. war. it's just an exchange of information. but the audience in different parts of the world, of course, can have their own assessment and when some bias is on one side, then you can decide who is on the top in this information media space. >> on the other hand, i think russian press was not completely objective in the sense that especially from the t.v. reports, you might get an impression that al

it said it lost contact with a second team of monitors in eastern ukraine. we'll keep following that on bbc world news. ♪ show 'em the curve. it's beautiful. it's more than that... ...it's perfect. introducing curved ultra high definition television from samsung. ♪ ♪fame, makes a man take things over♪ ♪fame, lets him loose, hard to swallow♪ ♪fame, puts you there where things are hollow♪ the evolution of luxury continues. the next generation 2015 escalade. ♪fame the ones that keep people out. like this one. and the ones that keep people in. like your living room. go and smell the roses. there are cameras,, police, guards...ds us. but who looks after us online, where we spend more than 200 billion dollars a year. american express can help protect you. with intelligent security that learns your spending patterns, and can alert you instantly to an unusual charge. so you can be a member of a more secure world. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. like their crisp and fresh strawberry & avocado salad, make for a more invigora

eastern ukraine. separatists in the region of donetsk and luhansk held a vote and it is said the vote is the illegal and could result in the self destruction of those regions. turn out was high despite attempts by ukrainian forces to block election workers from carrying out that vote. donetsk and luhansky have a combined 6 million people but only areas living under separatist rule went to the polls. today's vote went ahead despite calls from vladimir putin for postponement. more from the refer endsum from donetsk. >> hastyly arranged, low budget, the referendum drew large numbers of voters to a small number of polling stations in towns and cities across the east of ukraine. this was the regional center of donetsk, would-be seat of the people's repuckp publicblic of donetsk. the ballot asks whether they agree with the proclamation of the people's republic or not. the word something vague on how much autonomy they should have. most here want little more to do with the central government in kiev. >> well

putin they kiev has been a better job of reaching out to eastern europe or eastern ukraine. you've seen attempts by kiev to propose decentralization of power. and to provide for local elections. and for them to offer amnesty to those who have already taken over these buildings. none of that has been acknowledged by mr. putin or various russian outreaches. you've also seen suggestions or implications americans responsible for meddling in ukraine. i have to say that our only interest is for ukraine to be able to make its own decisions and the last thing we want is disorder and chaos in the center of europe. so for the german audience who perhaps is tuning into russian tv, i would just advise stay focused on the facts and what is happening on the ground. a few weeks ago mr. putin was denying the russian military was even involved in crimea. a few weeks later he acknowledged it was our guys. there is not the credibility and honesty with the situation there and the willingness to engage seriously resolving these diplomatic issues. our hope is mr. putin recognizes there is a way f

according to this cnn poll, 37% of those living in eastern ukraine favor an alliance with russia. 14% favor an alliance with the e.u. and 49% want no change. the pew research center found 18% wanting secession, 70% claiming they wanted to stay united. this is not going to be the easiest place to poll. richard engel is in eastern ukraine and has a lot more on how this is playing out on the ground. >> reporter: good morning, chuck. just a few days after declaring independence here in eastern ukraine, today they are trying to show that they are independent. we are now in the center of the city of mariopol in southern eastern ukraine and here they are taking down the barricades set up in the center of the city. this is an act of defiance. these barricades were set up by the pro-russian community here to defend against the ukrainian government. at times the fighting has been very heavy here. this apc, this fighting vehicle, was from the ukrainian army. ukrainian troops came in, there was a major battle here and the ukrainian soldiers had to abandon this vehicle. the protesters took it over

we can go there now and join the witness sarah rainsford who is in eastern ukraine. it looks peaceful behind you. what is the situation in donetsk today? >> reporter: so it is peaceful here in donetsk. there were reports the railway headquarters were seized by pro russian groups and they were controlling the rail lines and have stopped movement on the railways. we haven't been able to confirm. that we understand that might not be entirely the full picture. we're trying to find out. certainly suspicion would be the aim would be for pro russian groups here that control the city's administration buildings to send enforcement to sloviansk. we're trying to find out exactly what happened at the railway stations here. the real activity is happening around sloviansk. we heard from nick childs inside the city itself things are calm. troops are not in the city. there's activity around the city early hours this morning. the interior minister talked about the operation that began this morning. we know as a result of that, two ukrainian helicopters were shot down. two ukrainian s

president reagan appointee and called separatists in eastern ukraine to defraud the so called referendum to the back that i can make such a statement after his meeting with the president of the osce reading a book contest in moscow. i read that he called the upcoming presidential elections in ukraine the right direction at the same time the russian president once again xd and to still be anti operation in the east. immediately you did you know it was him. a new and awesome to see august of that allegation. he's trained me to do for the referendum is the settled in the main lessons. when you push or will that keep him still enough to maintain the site conditions but the style of teaching the presidential actions intended to keep our eye in the nhs. as for up to the correct direction. and isn't it. we will not solve anything. in all citizens of ukraine cannot understand how the price will be getting cleaned up today's presidential me the directions to you. mcrae who received the highest amount of biomass. one then finaly and yet still the sweat runs but on tuesday the national bank of ukra

over the insurgence in eastern ukraine but but the influences are not absolute. it is about the same as pakistan over insurgents. after all, these insur jegents dying in the antiterrorism violence. it is not mr. putin dying there. so they don't want to die for nothing. but the problem is that they only put one question to the people, do you want the regions to be declared sovereign states and do you want to regions to become sovereign? this is not feasible for the regions to become sovereign states. the best solutions is sooler -- sooner or later to elect their governors, right now they are getting them from kiev and there should be some comp prizing in kiev and kiev is not ready for a compromise. >> dozens of syrian soldiers are killed by rebels. fighters detonated a massive bomb in a hotel used by the army barracks. the rebel forces leaving the old city. we have more from beirut. >> the last 400 armed rebels left today and now the forces are in full control of the third largest city. this is a major setback for the syrian opposition and the armed rebels. that w

she is covered and if it goes in with his troops to eastern ukraine and if it does well. i'm also sure i think the problem. today is that we lived in government and the kid is a week and were consumed with. of the ukrainian army with the police does not a babe with the troops basically refusing to up off the stick into quarters and some support. on one hand the ukrainian nationalists and a half of the right wing groups they have rights act and to have a smile for the day. i'm not in the end of the houston court where people are pro russian. they are armed thai government has recognized legitimacy of the death and given point on. still you'll simply to unwind and ukrainian politics are largely clan based on text from different regions and different political groups are present different plans we got to visit gay marriage you will have on her leash so we do how i would see in the eastern part of the trim the deficit one because the of ukrainian soldiers ukrainian citizens shooting at ukrainian citizens most of them are ukrainian citizens not maybe all of them but you might

well there certainly has been a huge day for people here in eastern ukraine the words that have been bandied about are historic optimistic the polls closed at ten o'clock on sunday night and counting has continued overnight into the early hours of this morning we've just heard that they could be a delay in the announcement of those results but we still are expecting them any hour where at the same time we are hearing from the election commission that that was is unlikely to be resoundingly yes now the crowds turned out in huge numbers voter turnout is put it more than seventy percent as you see in the pictures and certainly we saw by visiting some of those voting stations here in the donetsk region the queues formed all the way down the street and sometimes even went around the corner but despite this the government has said that the vote is illegal they've also said that the voters turnout was not all the tories that are controlled by terrorists more relish to do this kind and be considered too rough around the turnout was zero now this referendum asked voters one question it was no

putin has to do a better job of reaching out to eastern europe -- or eastern ukraine. you have seen attempts by kiev and a very serious way to propose decentralization of power. to provide for local elections. for them to offer amnesty to those who have already taken over these buildings, none of them have been acknowledged by mr. putin or various russian mouthpieces out there. you have also seen suggestions or implications that americans are responsible for meddling inside ukraine. that our only to best is for ukraine able to make its own decisions. the last thing we want is disorder and chaos in the center of europe. audience whoerman perhaps is tuning into russian advise to stayt focused on the facts and what has happened on the ground. wasw weeks ago, mr. putin still denying the russian military was involved in crimea. a few weeks later, he acknowledged that they were his guys. they're just has not been the kind of honesty and credibility about the situation there and the willingness to engage seriously in resolving these diplomatic issues. our hope is that in fact

coming up, tension in eastern ukraine ahead of the disputed poll on breaking away from kiev. they urge russia to de-escalate the crisis. they finally raise the shield having won the title three weeks ago. will eastern ukraine go the same way as crimea? pro-russian separatists are hoping it will. they have organized a referendum on whether or not to split away from kiev's control. placenday poll is taking with no independent observers and has drawn international condemnation. the interim president has warned moving toward secession would be a step into the abyss. >> pro-russian separatists were out in force. they barricaded administrative openings. they are determined the sunday election take place. >> it is my job to give every resident the opportunity to vote, to determine the final number, and inform the media and world about it. i don't know how things will go, but i think a crimea like scenario would be appropriate. >> organizers have printed 3 million ballots. but there are no security markings to prevent them from being duplicated. election officials are refusing to all

violence in eastern ukraine leaves at least 20 people dead. in crimea, president clinton makesa -- president putin a triumphant visit that is condemned in america stop anger in the nigerian government after they say they have advanced warning about the raid on the girls school. and could the next generation of life-saving drugs lie underwater? we will show you how the new frontier could change treatments right around the world. ♪ >> welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. today, serious clashes in eastern ukraine. this time in the port city. bepeople, most believe to pro-russian activists, were killed after they tried to storm a police hel headquarters. the vladimir putin made his first visit to crimea since russia annexed it in march. we have this report from richard galston on the scene. believeswhich bbc shows ukrainian troops fighting a pitched battle with pro-russian separatists in the center of the city. the military sending in reinforcements they say were needed to dislodge a group of separatists w

in eastern ukraine people are taking part in a referendum on self-rule. voting is happening in parts of the separatist-controlled allegiance of donetsk. the african national congress won the fifth consecutive term in the south african elections, falling just short of a two-thirds majority, taking 62% of the vote. >>> the son of muammar gaddafi is due to give evidence via video link to a court. dozens of former officials are facing charges raging from corruption to war crimes. >>> libya's interim interior ministry says tripoli could help asylum seekers get to europe if the e.u. doesn't stop them using libya as a transit point. libya is suffering because immigrants are spreading disease. the north african country has been a springboard for africans seeking a better life. >> translation: with did regard to illegal immigration i'm warning the world and the european union that if they do not shoulder the responsibility with us, the state of libya will take position on this matter, to facilitate the passage of this flood of people flow india, since god made us

in eastern ukraine, meanwhile, the unrest continues. perot russian separatists clashed with you cranian soldiers and -- in some of the fiercest fighting the region has seen. a number of separatists were killed trying to hold on to police headquarters in the city. >> at the end of the week, all eyes in italy turned to a care center for the elderly new milan. new team member bell yanni arrived for his shift. he was

that's the armed forces in eastern ukraine. we see is qualitatively different but that those forces will will take similar action and in the nearest future. we're encouraged by what we see happening in terms of the government's progress on a broad amnesty law which understandings being debated in the rada this afternoon we also welcome the further progress that the government is making in its development of a framework for constitutional reform. i've devoted evolution of local authority greater local responsibility on issues of governance and politics in particular. all of these statues represent to our mind the substantial progress on that key has made in the film ends of the geneva objectives we regret the fact of russia has not yet been able to exercise pressure on to encourage similar action in the east where obviously the situation continues to deteriorate. including today's reporting of seizure of the administrative building in them once maybe to last last three points in the week and we can open it up to questions. first

possible direction to supporting the separatists of the eastern part of ukraine. so i believe this potential action will be hard anyway the situation and the crime will continue. >> soccer fans in japan finally know who is on the country's squad for next month's world cup. the japanese football association will be sending a 23-man roster to brazil. coach alberto zaccheroni has gone for a record 12 overseas based players. honda of ac milan is one of eight strikers. kagawaa of manchester united also makes the squad along with okazaki. and okako of munich 1860 is also on the list. in the midfield, hasebe is included as captain. at the back, defender nagatomo's inter milan is on a plane to brazil along with uchida. and yoshida of southampton is expected to recover from a knee injury. hanover and stuttgart will also make the trip. kawashima is one of three goalkeepers. japan's italian coach has set his sights on the quarterfinals with a squad packed with experience. >> translator: most of those selected have played in the asian cup. the others are players who have show

>> it matters because for russian separatists in eastern ukraine, about to declare independence. not for one but two provinces bordering russia. they need this vote to give their efforts a veneer of legitimacy. that's why there's been some people heading to the polls, that's very important. >> when you spoke to people at the polls today, was this a vote for independence and to join russia? or was this more frustration against kiev? >> it's a combination of both. if you look at public opinion polls, the ones that were conducted independently by professionals, there's very, very low support for any sort of independence or secession from ukraine here. interestingly, those same polls also show, as you said, great frustration with the interim government in kiev. the vote today, people that did go to the polls, and pretty much everyone who went to the polls would vote yes to the question of state sovereignty. so they were voting against kiev as much as they were voting for any sort of independence. >> we've already heard from the western powers, the ukrainian government, who finds this

are people in the eastern ukraine, afraid to go to the west. vice versa. there is a climate opinion polls move slightly to one side, we see bullets fly more often. the big question, you don't hear the anti-independence noise in the streets. you may hear a whisper here and there you simply dent know, with guns on the streets, nobody really speaks out. >> many didn't turn up to vote. and official results, we term that losely, should be done it hours. >> we turn now to the 300 school girls taken from the remote village. >> cnn is the first international new its organization to make the dangerous trek there, and the it does seem to be in place for part of the journey there. >> it has been checkpoint after checkpoint, we have definitely, traveling north from the capital, seen evidence of those promised security reinforcement. as we travel deeper toward that heartland, much of that importance seems to have evaporated. >> the it should have taken eight maybe 10 hour t became a four-day long journey. when she arrived, she spoke to a school girl who managed to esca

the united states consider the referendum would just put that in eastern ukraine could try it unfolds the us secretary of state john kerry is convinced that moscow will continue trying to spring summer in ukraine see you on the reaction of the most intense in ukraine the story but look rather cook. moscow the contrast is the panda mei tai is bringing its amit ukraine. washington will apply sanctions. his argument was repeated by the assistance of the u s secretary of state kicker daniel and speaking in this material can be keen to stress that they cannot recognize false referendum the unsaid convinced that the instability in the present cost the trust of its agents. it is split material aid and weapons and cut in a day actions. nolan also specified that the consensus was that finance energy and defense out to impress on. the new sanctions against russia is constantly being union as well. the president of the european council haven't been on fire he said that the pressure continues to stumble as investigation ukraine. bass also into his punitive measures in to take an economic bill the

eastern ukraine. both the e.u. and the us have the smiths the vote in eastern ukraine illegal washington. that will lead to more disorder and division on the state department has reiterated its support for the interim government in kiev but international affairs expert sergio the violent tactics being used by kiev against civilians in the east is deepening voters' resentment. what they have in common is actually to go to a rejection of the legitimacy of legality of the regime so i think that after that it will no longer be possible for the regime to say that they do not want to negotiate with the so-called terrorists because it will become obvious that the political consensus will do at least and downs in donetsk the agents is such that they can no longer speak for ukraine quote unquote as a whole they will be forced to knowledge internally live their facing the level of agreement among the people of these eastern regions and the truth is rather difficult. to deal with by force. around four hundred mercenaries from

far from the only hot spot in eastern ukraine. a uniform live reports for you coming up. >>> also, global anger toward the nigerian government. find out what's being done right now to rescue hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls. >>> of course, we rolled out healthcare.gov. that could have gone better. >> well timed understatement there from the u.s. president garners big laughs at the white house correspondents dinner. we'll have more of mr. obama's self deprecating humor. >>> hey there, everyone. i hope you're enjoying your sunday. a warm welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. this is "cnn newsroom." clashing between government troops and pro-russia activists at this moment are threatening to take ukraine into a full-scale civil war. take a look at this. now, these scenes played out in the eastern city of donetsk. protesters there siding with russia, smashing their way into the ukrainian security building. being now played out in luhansk. gunfire there rang out in the streets. a local separaist leader declared a st

country. >> jim sciutto in eastern ukraine, stay safe. thank you so much. >>> just a little refresher. here's what president obama said earlier this month on what the obama administration would do if russia did not de-escalate the situation in eastern ukraine? >> if they disrupt this month's presidential election, we will move quickly on additional steps, including further sanctions that will impose greater costs. >> escalating violence in eastern ukraine, putin calling the ousted ukrainian president the legitimate leader, would that be disrupting elections? joining me now is the deputy spokeswoman for the state department marie hart, thank you for joining me. you heard president obama say that these separatists are, quote, russian-backed groups and are, quote, heavily armed militants receiving significant support from russia. so isn't russia meddling in this election? >> absolutely. this election is going to happen. a vast majority of ukraine -- i know you just spoke to jim sciutto on the ground. it's calm. a vast majority of polling pla

and also yearly fire hates a children's hospital in eastern ukraine during the latest round of a quantum done by the military on the dissenting region. this is all seen to a national coming to life. and welcome to the program. the rhetoric over that future of scotland intensified today as the official campaigns for and against independence got underway at september's referendum voters will be asked to whether a three hundred century old union should be brought to an end. delved into the squabbles between the pro and anti unity can. the formal start of the independence referendum campaign ahead of that all important vote that will take place in scotland on september the eighteenth and if the last few months are anything to go by off you can bet that it's going to be a fifth bite now if you take a look at the speeches that we've heard recently and it seems that both the better together campaign and the yes campaign have decided to put the economy right at the heart of this battle now the scottish government said that everyone in scotland would be one thousand pounds better off a year in th

eastern ukraine. international affairs experts here jette coverture i spoke to him earlier he believes the violence is the reason protesters in the east are defying have four fifths of the people of the region mainly do not quite know what do you want whether to be a communist within ukraine or to join with russia but certainly low what they would not get what they have in common is absolutely categorically rejection of the legitimacy of legality of the regime here and likewise in knows where some of these elected on maybe twenty eight or thirty two percent of the total vote of ukrainian citizens it will be showing the worst is a great and glorious victory for democracy mark my words how what may even if it's completely boycotted be in these even if it is only partially successful in the style in the sense that they will claim that ukraine now is the legitimate state and that head of state is a man who is committed to bio and who is the corrupt oligarchy and a puppet of the west the harkov region of e

. >>> also it's voting day in eastern ukraine. pro-russian separatists decide whether they will declare independence from kiev, but will the controversial referendum launch the region into civil war? your "new day" starts now. >>> doesn't that michael sam get you and make you feel good this morning? what a way to start sunday, mother's day. good morning and happy mother's day. i'm ana cabrera in for christipaul. >> happy mother's day to you, to christi, to my mom, to everybody. i'm victor blackwell, 6:00 on the east. it's "new day" sunday. michael sam is making history, shattering barriers, becoming the first openly gay football player taken in the nfl draft. >> he was a first team all-american from the university of missouri. sec co-defensive player of the year. he was chosen late in the seventh and final round by the st. louis rams. >> now the historic moment was cheered from st. louis all the way to the white house. >> with the 249th pick in the 2014 nfl draft, the st. louis rams select michael sam, defensive end, missouri. >>

after weeks of violence, intimidation and diplomacy the votes have been cast in eastern ukraine. >>> suicide bombers and new attacks on the government in yeg. the cycle of violence is escalating >>> rescuers facing new hazards searching for the missing school girls in nigeria. >> and deep in the desert at atta come by a new window is opening. >>> the polls are closed in lugansk and donetsk. residents voting on a referendum for self-rule. final results are not spected until tuesday. jonah hull has more from donetsk. >>> hastily arranged, low budget. the referendum drew large numbers of voters to a small number of polling stations in eastern ukraine. at issue - the question of whether the region should split from the rest of ukraine. the government in kiev denounced the vote. >> i would like to underline that it is not a referendum, it's an attempt by terrorists, and citizens to cover up. >> kiev's word doesn't carry much weight in the so-called people's republic of donetsk. how much autonomy they should have is vague. >> reporter: big crowds turned out to vote. just one question of ye

, that's kiev, western ukraine, eastern ukraine. to talk about the future of ukraine. which means a new constitution. and he says that he agrees where that and he where i support that. you have it appears if he's telling the truth, germany, and russia in favor of this roundtable, not united states as far as i know is silent, in fact when merxel was here, just a few days ago, i don't recall it being part of what they reported they discussed. this putin is telling the truth the united states seems to be dragging its feet, i don't know, but that's the impression. >> woodruff: we need more clarification y. is putin doing this? how do you read -- >> i think part of it is, you know, the threat of -- the sanctions, both chancellor merk,l and president president a ma said there would be suffer sanctions and the europe and the u.s. they latch affect on the russian economy, deterring investors from you this projects, banks, lindhing money. that's one clear reason. also, there is the possibility that after the election, i agree that everyone w

she is live in donetsk in eastern ukraine. bring us up to speed with, i guess, what has been an escalation in the crisis over the weekend. >> reporter: and the concerning thing about this escalation is that it really, christine, underscores just how lawless the situation has become and just how potentially even more difficult it could be for the ukrainian authorities to try to bring it back under control, not only with that jailbreak in odessa, where the authorities were effectively helpless and unable to stop it from taking place, but also, here in eastern ukraine, a number of incidences that saw the pro-russian camp taking over additional buildings and even going so far in the city of luhansk, for example, of issuing a deadline, telling the authorities that they had to evacuate certain locations. there have been reinforcements that were sent to eastern ukraine in some of these instances. the pro-russian camp wanted to see them out. and at the end of the day, the pro-russian side got what it wanted. it's absolutely clear who

since unrest the surface in eastern ukraine. well to two hundred fifty five victims had ended in a five out of hundreds of villages very often due to the collapsed homes in need of a landslide on friday in afghanistan. this is in the north eastern afghan province of that . thousands more are viewed it. an official with the local disaster management department says they have talked with relatives of victims and the appalling fountain register the identifications of two hundred fifty five people earlier though provincial government spokesman told local media that more than two thousand one hundred people were confirmed it has been no official statements or fall on the exact a toll afghan president karzai has designated sunday as the national day of mourning the two mudslides happened within an hour walk or out of each other. around midday on friday the second daring rescues who had come in to help survivors. this is the most residential designs to dip into afghanistan and in quite some time. in fact the last two weeks have been pa

still the stanford is referendum in the eastern ukraine. that's the message for russia's president. but as in south africa outlet daniel parliament with the ruling anc expected to win easily. thailand's prime minister is forced to step down from violating the constitution. i know after weeks of escalating tensions in ukraine today of a break for the russian leader vladimir putin says he's pulling his troops back from the ukrainian border and is urging pro kremlin separatists in the east to put off sunday's referendum on sovereignty. so is that a change of heart. ukraine's leaders are convinced. nato says it's the no signs of russian troops were trying to get over to our correspondents in moscow and ukraine in a moment but first this report. self proclaimed authorities in donetsk have begun printing ballots on sunday the separatists in eastern ukraine plan to hold a referendum on breaking away from kiev. but the vote could be postponed on the recommendation of the dhimmi putin the russian president that was the head of the osce. the main cooperation forum between east and west europe

. >> something very rare in eastern ukraine. voting in the presidential election here in the town. the turnout, we are told, is pretty normal. however, the people here, we are also told, are a bit nervous. the turnout is said to be high. they are blocking pro-democracy uprisings this year, and maybe getting a government in place that can deal with the situation here and deal with russia. vladimir putin has claimed it will respect the outcome of the vote. chris. >> greg palkot reporting from donetsk. thanks for that. let's bring in our panel to discuss the situation in the election. let's assume that what happened is what we expect, is that the election, as it appears so far, several hours into it, it will go pretty well in the west, and there will be some areas in the east where it is blocked because of the pro-russian separatists. >> it leaves ukraine in the position where putin can stay, and it is his sacred obligation to defend russian minorities outside the borders of russia, and he can say that this election, the purpose of which is to legitimatize something, didn't legitimati

>> it's vitally important if there's not going to be an escalation of violence in eastern ukraine. ukraine has to get on its feet. the program is the right way to do it but if there's war, if hundreds of people and maybe thousands of people are going to be dying in eastern ukraine, the funds package won't matter at all and won't be able to be implemented. today was a big important turning point. ukrainians decided to try to reassert their sovereignty in eastern ukraine and i suspect the russians are going to respond to that tragically -- >> and clearly president obama is working hard to rally the europeans and this meeting is some evidence of that. you know the world diplomacy intima intimately. how damaged do you think it is? >> i'm not an expert on the american/german relationship. other peoples did that when i was in the government. i do know because i've heard him pauk about it many times, president obama deeply values the relationship he has with the chancellor. i've heard him say it many times. and at the end of the day we're united by our interest and values. we have really

steven pifer, what happened in ukraine and eastern ukraine this weekend. was it legal? >> certainly not by ukrainian law and the referendum is not recognized by anybody other than perhaps the russian government. first of all, the basic question is asked, was very ambiguous. independence to join russia? > >> ifill: that was the question. >> does it mean you ton my within ukraine?ç it's not sure what people knew they were voting for. >> ifill: whas what was your impression the people thought they were voting for? >> somewhat a separate state, but what that separate state is was not clear. in general, the people who voted, by no means the figure given by the people in control there, the people were voting their unhappiness with not having -- being heard by the authorities and also showing they have been very much influenced by the paint of the kiev authorities as somehow illegitimate. >> ifill: we've hatched elections and judged turnout or by international observers who come in and make sure that it's fair and free. do we have any way of measuring that in this case?ç >

this premium lawmaker is one of the victims of human rights violations in eastern ukraine. shows himur footage arguing with a dozen pro-russian protesters outside of city hall. the men get aggressive. last month, his body was found in a river. issued thisort friday says that like him, dozens of people have been killed in eastern ukraine. >> we are talking about issues that have to do with intimidation, harassment. abduction. detention. killings. torture. is those in control of the groups. >> political activists and local politicians are the main targets. crimea was annexed by russia in march. they face numerous problems. the freedom of movement of their leaders, physical harassment, restrictions on their media, fears of religious persecution. according to moscow, the report is biased and politically motivated. insurgents alone of tearing the country apart. the court says the documents goal is to clear the name of the key of authorities. obama hasnt barack made numerous calls for the national minimum wage to be increased in the united states, but beating him to it, union lea

the russian leadership must know if it continues to destabilize in the eastern ukraine, disrupting this month's president elections, we will move quickly on additional steps including further sanctions. for reaction from moscow, i spoke with daniel sanford a short time ago about what impact the existing sanctions were having so far. >> i think at the moment, they are causing a great deal of nervousness in the financial markets. they are causing a continual slide in the value of the ruble, which means imports into russia which are important to people's standard of living will start going up. people will start feeling an impact in their pockets. at the moment, the sanctions that have targeted president putin's inner circle are not at this stage affecting ordinary people very much. only one of the banks was targeted by the sections. that affected the payment system a bit, and there was a bit of a readjustment. i think the key thing would be if further sectoral sanctions were brought in. in that case, the russian economy will suffer very badly. it's already in recession. i think it could st

report says human rights are under attack in eastern ukraine. russia slams the document, saying it is completely biased. >> im molly hall in paris and i will be with you in the next hour. also coming up, the cannes film festival in full swing. catching one of the screenings is no easy task. some tips on how to make sure you get a seat. outrage image prompting in turkey. an aide to the prime minister called lashing out at a protester in the wake of the terrible mine accident. william hildebrand has that story and more. but first, we begin with what is on track to be a resounding the three in the world biggest election. after weeks of voting that saw a, india's opposition bjp party is heading for a commanding win. official results are not yet in but the party that had been at the center of indian politics for decades has conceded defeat. trends,ving the early toogress party and upa respectfully accept defeat. >> let's get an update on the situation of for that we cross to the natasha butler who is in new delhi. ministerrime congratulated the bjp p

italy demands explanations from kiev over the killing of one of its journalists in eastern ukraine while a russian t.v. crew revealed the death threats and abuse they face during their detention by the army. and arrest overshadows a bitter ballot as ukraine chooses who is next to take the tough job job while eastern regions refuse to vote amid ongoing military crackdown. was among the week's top stories russia and china strike a historic gas deal worth four hundred billion dollars it's moscow's largest manager kondrat in decades as it turns its business priorities eastward. courtyards international live from moscow with me marina joshie italy's foreign ministry is demanding explanations from kiev over the death of an italian journalist who was shot down in the village of andrea in eastern ukraine ever coming under mortar fire andre were cali's the first member of the media to be killed in the conflict in his russian interpreter has also reportedly been killed now this is a food which we're getting from where the deaths occurred you can see passports and belongings of those came under att

[cheering] >> attack another official building in the eastern ukraine city. >> you are with al jazeera live. coming up, talks between the governments, and rebels restart. protests in turkey. and police in northern ireland question the leading republican leader over a murder over 40 years ago. >> pro russian separatists are tiektenning the grip on eastern ukraine. they hurled the rocks around the building. >> this is the prosecutor's office and the crowd has taken it over within the last couple of hours. about 3,000 people are here. they have put the riot police under siege. they have been throwing rocks and stones. in many cases the riot police have their shields and batons taking from the protestor. this is an example of how the government in kiev to clansing. >> there is a $17 billion bailout package for the ukraine. they are raising the taxes. the gas prices are to soar by 50% and the government is freezing the minimum wage. paul has a report from kiev. >> they are been working hard to look at the economic situation here in the ukraine and deciding whether or not not to loan the mon