the helicopter was shot down near slovyansk on thursday. separatist fighters say they suicide machine guns, but the government says their weapons were more advanced air defense missiles. we go live to donetsk. it's been five days after a victory, and petero poroshenko, the elected prime minister, is facing his first major test. >> reporter: yes. these are brave words from the president-elect, petero poroshenko, who said that he will continue with the military offensive against the separatist viters in donetsk, and the people's republic. it's clear now, that the fighters reinforced with weapons and ammunition and they have their hands on sophisticated weapons. >> as fighting intensified on the eastern front. a show of force in donetsk. a column of heavily armed fighters deployed to the biggest city to shore up defenses. >> the biggest blow came in the city of slovyansk, 160km from the russian border, where a shoulder-launched surface to air missile brought down a military helicopter. among the 14 soldiers killed - a senior army general, a hi

david chater, al jazeera, slovyansk. >>> big changes in carbon emission rules. what it means for the energy industry and your electric bill. >> and flawed forensics. in this age of csi, why people are still going to prison for crimes they didn't commit. commit. >> it's expected to be the biggest move yet to try stop climate change. now monday president obama's expected to announce new regulations to cut carbon emissions from coal fired power plants by 20% or more. scientists say coal plants are linked the greenhouse gases which leads to climate change. in 1940s, the u.s. was still the global leader of emission of co2. ftc europe and russia began catching up. in the 1980s u.s. emissions almost 500 million tons per year. 2011 shows the world's top carbon producers are china, the u.s., india and russia. here to talk with us, andrew holland, enrolling foal at the american security project. andrew, welcome. >> john thanks, glad to be here. >> why these regulations and why these regulations now? >> well i think first of all we have to realize that they're moving forwa

ukrainian troops sustained heavy losses after a military helicopter was shot down near the city of slovyansk. 14 people were reported killed. >> cities in the middle east have been under the control of separatists since april, and kiev is struggling to regain control of the region. >> the helicopter was bringing troops to government checkpoint. the government about the rebels would not go unpunished. >> i am confident our armed forces and security agencies will flesh out the terrorist. all the criminals financed by the russian federation will be destroyed or will stand before a court. >> government fighter jets flying over slovyansk in a show of force. at a press conference, the city 's self-proclaimed mayor said they will soon be free. >> at present, they are in the luhansk -- in the luhansk region. they have questions for the osce team, and when they get the answers and ask -- inspect their gear, the monitors will be released. >> internet, someone hundred kilometers south, there is an atmosphere of tense calm. earlier this week, fighting left as is dead. the separatists say they will use f

most says it condemns the use of forces in the operation in the town of slovyansk in the eastern part of ukraine and also condemns the participation of the members of the right sector group ukraine's the tories all the nationalist movement in operation russia's foreign ministry also size that it is very much concerned about and could reports of participation in this operation of foreigners earlier we also heard from russia's president vladimir putin spokesperson mr peskov that this operation anti terror peroration launched by kiev in the eastern and southern part of the country killed all the hopes for geneva peace accords. and investigative journalist believes sending in the army against a civilian population could add fuel to the flames in ukraine. a spark is enough to light up for a refire on this could be the spark that likes the printer fire of the civil war in ukraine the art show king slovyansk effect which is a key city where protests are really advantaged and it's a huge provocation russia is waiting to see what's going to happen and the kremlin has already been very explicit

as you say, there has been a renewed effort for a second day around slovyansk. we have seep a tv tower retaken by the ukranian military and it had been seized by pro-russian militants and had taken ukrainian channels off the air. now they are back on the air, information, of course, vital in this wide-open aridable land. it's important that the information rasps the people that -- reaches the people that live here. the end game is the etaking of the cities. >> paul brennan reporting. >> the crisis in ukraine was front and center at a white house meeting between president obama and angela merkel. michelle kai [s] [e] [r] has that store -- libby casey has that story. president obama and angela merkel stood side by side and spoke with one voice. >> if, in fact, we see the disruptions and destabilization continuing so severely that it impedes elections on may 25th, we will not have a choice but to move forward with additional more severe sanctions. >> translation: i agree with the american president. they are not an end in itself. combined with an offer that we want

so i hope the news out of slovyansk today, the terrible news out of odessa a couple of days ago will remind everybody of the tragedies of war and maybe we'll get back to a deescalation phase, which for several days now has been stuck. >> but based on your knowledge of him and your knowledge of the government that he presides over, does he want to do this? in other words, is he looking for an excuse? >> you know, charlie, i don't think so. i don't want to pretend i know, but i have watched and observed president putin for a long time. i don't think he has a master plan to annex eastern and southern ukraine. if he did, he's kept it very secret for a long, long time. i do think he is responding tactically, improvising, and if he can find a way to not do a full-scale invasion, i think he would settle for that, because he knows the cost of that. he knows it's not going to be an easy operation. it may be easy in the first days and weeks, but over the months and years, it will not. and i would hope that others around him will remind him of the economic costs as well of going into eastern an

in slovyansk a pro-russian stronghold forces have surrounded the city. in an eastern town, kramatorsk the offensive is on going. pro-russian supporters are gaining the upper hand in luhansk. >>> ukraine declared three days of mourning after more than 30 died in a burning building occupied by pro-russian demonstrators. jody hull is in odessa with the latest. >> reporter: perhaps unsurprising there are competing narratives about what happened, depending on which side you speak to. the pro-russian side insists that many of the people who died in the burning building were victims of mob justice carried up by supporters of kiev. on the other side a peaceful march was broken up by gun-wielding pro-russian mobs. there are overarching questions - who started the fire when both sides were lobbing molotov cocktails at each other and who was inside the building. the government suggests that there is evidence among the dead is russian citizens and people brought across from pro-russian transnistrya the breakaway province of mohl deafa. turn to the police is not goin

slovyansk eastern ukraine. fighting is also underway in the nearby city of qom a task according to care of officials at least one person is confronted and nine injured as a battle during the night. however protest leaders say at least ten people were killed and almost thirty injured here's interior minister says the army is now taking control of a t.v. center in the city and the two servicemen died in the shootout fighting erupted when an armored column blocked by the protesters tried to break free the soldiers reportedly first started shooting in the air and then at the people who tried to stop them here's what an eyewitness told r.t. up. troops have surrounded the protesters now and the ambulances in lights have been turned off on the nearby streets shorts are being heard across the city signal rockets light up the sky from time to time people see the ukrainian army shooting at everything that moves right now. and here's how some locals in east ukraine greeted the advent. handful of desperate people tried to

nick paton walsh is standing by near slovyansk. night has fallen. what are you hearing and seeing on the ground? >> reporter: well, it's quiet here but the ukrainian government tried to move down a highway. they have not made much of a gain but seem to control more and more of that road day by day. we saw them moving down this morning but the intense fighting happened. these two forces have been sizing each other open for the past few days and they moved into the first real open confrontation. four ukrainian soldiers claiming wounded militants and one in pretty bad condition. and explaining to me on a map quite where the forces were but say no negotiation until those forces are actually withdrawn and localre residents and a lotf anger simply galvanized by the military around them. jake? >> where does this offensive go next? >> reporter: the offensive, i think the fear is in the days ahead they may move more convincingly. they have to have something to show in the past few days and they were not in the building. there's a very strong pro-russian mili

these pictures are from slovyansk. pro-russian groups are reported to have moved many of their forces to the outskirts, and reinforced barricades outside the regional government building that was taken weeks ago. pro-russian troops assessed their losses, but are vowing to continue to defy the kiev government. >>> now, police fired gunshot into the air to disperse afghan villages who survived the recent landslide. the crowd began to attack police and workers at an aid cam in a desperate attempt to get food. as a result some aid agents sis pulled back -- agencies pulled back. 250 people have been confirmed dead after the landslide. we have this update from badakhshan province. . >> reporter: this is as close as we can get to the aid distribution center where gunfire erupted. if you look over my shoulder, you can probably see a large group of men at the aid distribution center. they were caught in the gun fire - violence that erupted over confusion over where the aid would be distributed. we were told that the government

and then in the early hours of the morning, ukrainian troops in the cities of slovyansk launching, what they're calling an anti-terror operation. according to the ministry of defense, two helicopters shot down, two soldiers possibly dead, nine barricades taken back. and driving into these various cities that are in the control of the pro-russian camp, you do see a number of barricades, tires that the pro-russian camp has established. those, now reportedly, some of them being taken back by ukrainian forces. but moving forward in the antiterrorism operation, if they decide to really go on the offensive, it's going to be incredibly difficult, because these various buildings that are in the hands of the pro-russian camp, they're in residential areas, they're in the very heart of these various cities. the potential for even more bloodshed, street-to-street combat very much out there, very much of great concern for a number of civilians that we have been speaking to throughout all of this. but it does seem at this stage as if the central government in kiev's at the very least attempting to tr

slovyansk eastern ukraine. the discontent over how ukraine's under us is unfolding has reached europe's powerhouse germany. this is the sound a little greeted chancellor angela merkel in berlin as she was arriving at a campaign event for her christian democratic union only to be haggled by people apparently unhappy about germany's a role in ukraine's crisis some waved to battersea quote stop the nazis in ukraine others are slogans a cold for closer ties with russia. the tension in east ukraine comes up in today's a boom bust here on i t international former u.s. presidential candidate ron paul explains how he feels about his country's involvement in the crisis take a listen. i don't like our government getting involved in the affairs of other people and leading only to trouble her fall to the admonition of our early founders of the country that we should be involved in the entangling alliances throughout the world nor in the internal affairs of other nations so whether it's the middle east northern africa or wh

. >> now n other news the self-proclaimed mayor of slovyansk in eastern ukraine says he's holding four international observers. pro-russian rebel leader says four men from the organization for security and cooperation in europe would be freed soon. our correspondent joins us now, live from donetsk. david, firstly, i want to ask about what you have been seeing or experiencing there. >> yes, this morning we headed off to where we were told the team were being held. we were about 45 kilometres east of donetsk when we got a tip off that there was a military convoy heading our way. we did actually reach the point where we started filming them. they spotted us, and in a very swift and professional operation, the six cars that were accompanying the trucks, which were heavily laden and covered in canvas, we think it was ammunition and weapons and vests inside there, life vests, and then they surrounded us with guns. they pointed them straight at us and demanded to know what we were doing. they took the camera. these men were highly professional. they were speaking russian. they were in combat

the fighting around slovyansk has been picking up pace. during the course of the day. they've not been using mortars in the city, they've also been using multi-barrel rocket attacks against those physicians. a very dangerous situation there. >> what is the situation in donetsk itself? >> i'm standing at the regional administration headquarters in the center of donetsk and now many of those fighters that we saw in the convoy heading toward the airport have peeled off here and set up very strong positions around the administration building. of course, it will be this sort of believe behind me that will be the target of the ukrainian government army if they do come in here and try and clear these buildings. the soldiers here are actually volunteers from chechnya and are beginning to take control of the situation here and they've deployed across all the streets leading into this area. they are pretty expert at urban wear fair and taking control of the situation here. they've got rocket propelled grenades, heavy weapons, anti aircraft guns. they are ready for anything that

what they're doing in slorches seems to be rather -- slovyansk seems or the rather carefully. looks like they're going to seal it off, that's the way i interpret news at the moment. the best would be for all illegals to disarm whoever they are, whatever conviction they have, and respect the fact that there will be elections in ukraine. and that will decide the future of the country. >> the question is of course how they're being armed, as you said two ukrainian helicopters were shot down at least one of them with a surface to air missile reportedly president obama said that is undercutting russia contention that this is a spon tain spontaneous uprising. you tweeted, some elderly ladies bought some rpgs or missiles at the local grocery store i assume. there's no doubt in your pined that putin is sending special arms or forces into the ukraine? >> whatever. these weapons don't come from nowhere, they're coming from somewhere. you could discuss that endlessly. what is evidence and obvious for everywhere, is the information warfare, fueling fears and to some extent hatred that is

fighting has intensified in slovyansk. a hospital there was allegedly hit by mortar. hundreds of people are holding anticoup rallies across egypt demanding that the military hand back power to the people following e elections. presidential candidate acisi has promised a new era for egypt. and the syrian observetory for human rights says nearly $2,000 people have been killed in barrel bomb attacks in alepposo this year. nearly 600 of the dead are thought to be children. security in nigeria and mali is at the top of the agenda in an emergency summit of west african leaders. 15 countries are members of the economic community of west african states. they are known as ecowas. its main purpose is to promote regional economic cooperation. the surge in violence has made nigh year i can't the focus. president goodluck jonathan announced a war against the group. the director of the afro middleast center in johannesburg says any african response to bell helicopter is coming too late. >> it is a strong organization. it has weight. it's members do take it seriously. and it is able

. >> dozens died outside of slovyansk. thirty pro russian activists were killed in some of the country's most intense fighting. four ukrainian soldiers were killed as the army tries to regain control of eastern ukraine. as of this morning, the government shut down the airport in donetsk, meanwhile top diplomats are meeting for a peaceful solution to the crisis. officials from the g7 nations are discussing decreasing dependence on energy supplies from russia. we have the latest developments. >> the ukraine again government is increasing combat readiness, announcing that many demonstrators who fought here on independence square in kiev, scores were killed by snipers will be allowed to join the national guard, an attempt to beef up the military presence in the southeast of the country, in particular. the town of slovyansk saw some 30 anti-government fighters killed in fighting monday. tension is rising in the region. there is a report that at least one airport there has been closed. >> aljazeera's nick spicier reporting from

for a media staffer caught up in the violence near the city of slovyansk one of the main targets of caves military operation in the region a french reporter was also injured in the same incident he managed to get to hospital and here's what he had to say about the attack. and he did not say. we came on to far as soon as we arrived at the village of andre i fell to the ground the driver left us and when i regained consciousness i realized that i was injured the gunfire continued as i tried to leave the area my colleagues were on the ground and i did not know whether they were dead or in line i reached the road and some cars picked me up and i arrived here. death threats abuse and uncertainty that's how two russian journalist describes the er ordeal at the hands of ukraine security services they were captured by the military a week ago and labeled terrorists by key if they were freed earlier on sunday he was at their press briefing where the pair spoke about their time and captivity. dechen spoke to the press about the ordeal indeed on the way to the building here i was giving this reminisc

david chater, al jazeera, rm slovyansk. l baher mohamed, peter greste, and mohamed fahmy have been held, a fourth al jazeera of al jazeera journalist, be be ab dlu al-shami, has been be requesting a medical report to document his poor health. >>> there are the generation that chamg challenged tuns tun d regime. >> many ton outskirts, she's going door to door. she is an educator. like a third of young tunisians here, she can't find work. >> they don't pay well. the salary's $100 a month. you cabinet live on that. >> lkes is close to tunisia's border with algeria. there are many historical sites. the people here accuse the government in b.tunis. spend their days in cafes like this. some have given up all hope of finding work. l. >> mohamed abas ifertion says he understands why, canned fines a permanent jock. >> i know graduates who have been unemployed for five or six years. my message is consider the unemployed because they are the ones who created the revolution. >> here we are in the terminal complex. >> trying to raise mo

escaping the violence with speak to children evacuated from the ukrainian city of slovyansk. has hit residential areas as presses on with its ministry operation in the east. former i'm going to. the shows are hoping for a peaceful retirement in the us including the ex intelligence chief on the outgoing president's brotha known for his reputation of brutality we'll find out how he's been doing in america. asian turn. to play a greater defense forward in the region promising support to all nations that are in that territorial disputes in what's seen as a dig at china.

if they try and come into the ukrainian army try to come into the city of slovyansk, they will face very professional lessance and of course this is urban warfare and the city has been reinforced with chechnyan volunteers, skilled fighters. >> russia has pulled most of its troops away from the border with ukraine. >> 33 people injured when a strong earthquake struck china near the border with myanmar. people running out of buildings. the quake was a 5.9 magnitude. 300,000 people live in that area, the same area hit with a smaller quake last week. >> more rain for the gulf coast and northern midwest. >> nicole mitchell joins us with the details. happy friday, nicole. >> we're all a little bit happy about that today. these have been slow moving weather systems. that means where you've gotten stuck you should this, it has dumped significant amounts. picking out one that we had along the gulf coast and then you can also on the broad picture pick out the next boundary, a frontal system moving through the midwest slowly. that will give us chances for rain totals to add up as this moves. this o

well we won't let them into slovyansk. and people are prepared to die to make sure of it as the army advances into cities and towns in southeastern ukraine we're down the street is that this is just a rehearsal the real showdown is coming yes i think the goal is first kramatorsk then slovyansk and then they'll continue under is recovering from two bullet wounds in his legs he was one of the first to be hit during saturday's comma tosca battle the twenty eight year old father of four held his position against the armored vehicles as they rolled forward towards little rock it's complete chaos those are murderers that are being paid by the oligarchs and they come here to kill people for money more and more checkpoints have been set up as thousands sign up to defend their cities and some are probably a lot of biggest problem we have is weapons and ammunition the only weapons we have are molotov cocktails a k forty seven s and pistols that the police gave us that is all we have they are armed with american weapons explosive bul

. >> reporter: the contingent of separatist fighters of slovyan slovyansk. fighting has killed 14 soldiers including a general. seven mortar shells were fired on the town. above the barricades the flags of both russia and self declared republic. the fighters here are becoming battle hardened, but they have built themselves bunkers. they can at least take shelter when the mortars start raining down. it's the families here who are most at risk. the russians have said that the latest offensive is breaking the geneva convention, failing to protect the lives of civilians. evidence here that the mortar barrages are random, not aimed at military targets. this is a maternity hospital. nurses showed me the shrapnel from the attack thursday night. it was a miracle that nobody was killed here. the barrage of shells and dead richarddeadly shards of glass. we were shown the basement where they took shelter. we found a mother nursing her newborn baby, terrified after hearing the renewed shelling as we entered the town. >> of course we are frightened, especially when our o

today after the country's military has launched a large operation to regain control of the town of slovyansk. sources say pro-russian separatists have strengthened their hold on donetsk after taking another government building. prime minister yanukovych has warned ukraine it entering its most dangerous ten days as soon as it became independent in 1991. those developments come as warsaw prepares to host energy talks today with the energy minister and eu ministers from russia and ukraine. the german chancellor, angela merkel called vladimir putin to urge him not to interfere. she's also reportedly asked for the russian president's help to secure the release of the osc members being held by rebels. americale is set to discuss the crisis further when she meets with president obama in washington later. >>> in poland, they seem to be taking an economic hit. data shows manufacturing expansion slowed to its lowest level since last summer in april. and german bund yields dip to their lowest level in years. joining us with his thought, and james butterfield is still with us. >> i think the prime minis

we are getting reports that ukrainian troops have entered the protester held city of slovyansk and that information coming from local self-defense units is unconfirmed so. it's alleged ukrainian troops are storming the city as part of kiev's operation to. protests in the region a local man says rocket propelled grenades. and self-defense forces claim they've gone down a helicopter killing one pilot and injuring another. international we will keep you fully updated by the hour on what exactly is happening. right now. but for the meantime here on the program abby martin she'll be breaking the set for you just a word. to the middle east peace process this afternoon that news is proud of this tremendous chance to pollute the peaceful dr to chart the best for the future so first up this way you five minutes just pinch me netanyahu should all be ready does hold to engage the peace process with close. to us the life we now cross directed also to check the box of the palestinians for closure because they do come out of the love as you can see. me with the ninety six bones this will be you recog

join harriet sallem from slovyansk on the line. tell us what you have been hearing and what you think is going on there? >> thank you. 12 hours away from the polling. the outskirts between the rebels on and off through the last week. fighting in one village and on the outskirts of the city. >> we are clearly having a few problems there with the sound. with harriet sallem and just to recap what we heard from her earlier, reports of some fighting, large booms going off. it hasn't been established if anyone had been injured. from the people she has spoken to, no one has been taken into the local hospitals. sol details sketchy. more information. preparing to vote on whether or not they support the self rule of the people's republic of donetsk. a vote will be held in 53 locations. ukraine's acting president says the vote for self rule would lead to disaster. jo jo jonah hull has more. >> the voters are encouraged to see their country in stark terms, blood-thirsty ultra nationalists waging war on the pooefings communities of donetsk. the

slovyansk eastern ukraine local than they thought here crane have been desperate to stop the army that van. yeah. ok you can see a crowd of people trying to stop a tank with their bare hands shouting at the soldiers not to shoot at their own people the troops however don't seem to there are those among the army however who believe that there is in the east of the country still there from take. me so much . where are you from. this do you think these are ukrainian people or separatists. they are ukrainian people. are you going to fight against these people know. they're ukrainians and so my i used the army had people want to referendum. you have to you know what is yes. ok this you know what do you think about that. i'm not sure how to answer their question if they want to referendum i have no right to tell these people what to do . you know your sleep but if you give an order to storm. what will you do. because i won't follow those orders because we pledged allegiance to the ukrainian people. most government taken them to the in the action of western countries towards the country wide

slovyansk eastern ukraine. now the city of trauma tore scales become another focal point of kiev's military offensive against protesters in the dinette screeching. the latest reports say the army's managed to get control of most of the city with and to kiev forces keeping hold of just one central square at least two people have been confirmed killed in the fighting graham phillips is there in the area for us so here in the center of comet's horse we can hear obama's going off around me and behind me we've got a scene of devastation as we go on to buses here load not we've got a vacuum also blown up there burning tires smoldering shells at the moment in the center of this main street of the city of some two hundred thousand fifteen kilometers from serbia and so this happened a few hours ago with members of the crimean national guard or the national guard is a military outfit comprising many members of the private sector this of course the far right neo nazi group linked with many terrorist acts across ukraine no

slovyansk eastern ukraine. and morning shortly here right here a national including a look at whether the afghan government could have done more to prevent thousands of deaths and one of the country's worst ever a landslide. boring to the books because the last years of the roman republic it was an article of faith to the romans but they were the most morally upright people hence the romans concerned to refute all charges of bullying and to insist that they had won their empire surely in self defense. for a million or stay. in your life. you. should have you with us here on t.v. today i'm sure. welcome back to watching r t international and more than two thousand people have been killed by a massive landslide in northeast of data stan according to the governor of the province it's thought the site of the disaster will be declared a mass grave landslide was triggered by torrential rains which struck a remote village on friday as crowds celebrated a wedding dress here after its have been hampered by a lack of equ

. >> across town pro-russian leaders have been following event in odessa and slovyansk. what if the army comes here. >> translation: what happens in slovyansk was not an amity terror operation, it was a terror operation against ukranian people, people unsure about the government in kiev. they understand the government is abusing its power. we must protect the city. >> separatists have well-established defensive positions and seem confident that they can cope with anything that the ukrainian arm ci throws at them, and they don't need the russian army at the moment. >> step away from where the separatists congregate and luhansk is peaceful many hope it will stay like that. >> we are trying not to be scared. >> translation: i'm a resident of the city. i was born here. it doesn't matter about meaning ukrainian, russia, jewish, tassar. no one is depressed. why the claim that russians are oppressed. >> back at the occupied sbu building volunteers practised weapons training. soon they could be doing it for real. >>> an unlikely partnership could bring a new museum to washington

this had been detained by the self-proclaimed mayor of slovyansk, vyacheslav panamaryov. the released men said vyacheslav panamaryov kept his promise to protect them from harm. documents that negotiated the released any other outcome was unthinkable. >> taking people working for international organizations as hostages is unacceptable. so it was extremely important to get through this mission. >> the mission was made more intricate by the ukrainian military offensive ongoing against pro-russian militia around slovyansk and other towns. there has been fierce fighting near kramatorsk. a pro-russian check point was attacked and a tv tower was recaptur recaptured. organising a hand over at this point was far from straightforward. >> reporter: it took days of delicate negotiations to reach this point, including the mayor vyacheslav panamaryov. the me from the o.s.c.e. are free, and as you can see, returning home. >>> let's take you to ukraine's southern city of odessa where there's sorrow and anger after pro-russian separatists were killed in an attack on friday. >> reporter: a

, i ask. >> translation: what happened in slovyansk was not an amity terror operation, it was a terror operation against ukranian people, people unsure about the government in kiev, and now understand that the government is abusing its power. >> reporter: the separatist have well-established defensive positions and seem confident they can cope with anything that the ukranian farmee throws at them. they say they don't need the russian army to help hem. step away from the areas where the separatists congregate. and luhansk is peaceful. maniling to that hope. >> we're trying not to be scared. trying to stay calm. >> translation: i'm a resident of the city. i was born here. it doesn't matter about being ukranian, russian, jewish, tatar, no one is oppressed why the claim that russians are oppressed. >> apt the occupied sbu building new volunteers practised their weapons training and could be doing it for real. >>> the united states is imposing sanctions against people on both sides of the deadly conflict in south sudan. the treasury department says the sanctions will freeze assets in the un

so we're now entering the town of slovyansk which is completely encircled by the ukrainian military this is a ukrainian army checkpoint and as you can see the cars are backed up a little way down the road there it will take me a better part of at least one hour to get in because of this because the town is so encircled you have a growing humanitarian crisis supplies simply cannot get in. get patients in the town are running out just many of them simply do not have any gas and we've driven out five to come and fill up the car here. put on your actual supplies will run out so there will be nothing to run our cars on and we won't be able to get. the local hospital is treating people who've been injured not only here in slovyansk but also in neighboring towns there's real concern that it's being pushed to crisis point and because of this ordinary people have been arriving with packets of food and blankets toiletries as well as medical supplies to try and stop this from happening the gates has been closed here for the better part of two days this is the local grid factory where people are sim

cnn's nick paton walsh is at the town of slovyansk, eastern u kre ukraine. what is the situation there? >> reporter: most soldiers on the ukrainian side we've spoken to believe they will have to penetrate deep into that city center and really people really wondering quite what they intend violence yesterday and a military spokesman told me that ten were killed and four of their soldiers and at least 40 others injured. crossing between ukrainian and pro-russian lines seems to take age. the army the day before amassed on this highway checkpoint and advanced in the worst fighting yet. but now drive into the wreckage of the violence and it's clear they have vanished. it's one of the hardest things to understand about ukrainian military campaign here. they fought intensely for this highway yesterday to a great loss of life and like in many towns where they advance, they don't hold the ground and have pulled back. where ten militants died, said their spokesman, now unarmed locals pile up trash, everyone keeping distance, everyone digging in. particularly here, the

this comes as ukrainian armed forces continue to close in on the city of slovyansk. the sof yeet leader there says he ordered the release of the hostages because of increasing insecurity in the area. two ukrainian helicopters were shot down yesterday, killing two crew members. >>> today divers in south korea are searching opened rooms in an effort to find 70 missing passengers from a sunken ferry. you're looking at video of the final moments inside the boat before it sank. the body of 230 people have been retrieved. more than 450 people, mostly students were on that ferry when it sank on april 16th. only 171 people survived. >>> well, still ahead, a mystery virus usually diagnosed overseas is now a threat here at home. >>> and the drastic steps health officials are making to control the spread. >>> plus a new kind of ride hits streets in the bay area, and it is exactly what it sounds like. we get a closer look at the hookup truck. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, charged as an adult for plag to blow up >>> police foil a bomb plot in minnesota, now prosecutors want a teenager charged a

in recent weeks slovyansk is the center of fighting between ukraine and the separatists. the government is launching an offensive to stop rebelians following the presidential elections. coming up, bargain price - the cheapest place to live in america. the answer will surprise you. young scientists. a teenager that left obama speechless with her project. >>> this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. coming up, moving back home dash it's not just for young adults. >>> gee whizz - meet the impressive young scientist who wowed the president. >> and the next chapter for reading rainbow. actor levar burton talks to me about his million-dollar fundraising goal. >>> a rough winter is blamed for a shrinking economy today. for the first time in three years there was a sharp drop off in output during the first quarter. we saw a 1% contraction in economic growth. data indicates a recovery began in the spring. economists expect 4% growth by the end of the year. baby boomers are not kids. many are moving home, not because they want to, but they have to. melissa cha

ukrainian forces launched a new offensive in the so-called anti-terror operation in the town of slovyansk here in the east. black sea town of oh december ot started earlier in the morning as ukrainian forces destroyed several pro-russian checkpoints norts of thnorth of the town. claimed by portable surface to airline missiles. proof the interim government says of moscow's involvement on the ground. this man is said to be a ukrainian pilot who survived from one of the helicopters. he is apparently being cared for by proseparatists. >> he was abandoned by his own people. >> ukrainian forces managed to retake this tv transmission antenna. it was seized by moscow supporters in a bid to control the message. all ukrainian channels had been taken off the air. but the message of both sides is spreading throughout country. the clashes that engulf streets of odessa, hundreds of kilometers away from the pro-russian heart land in the east, are a sign to put the entire country at risk and the question for many here is how close is the russian direct military intervention now thatful of its supporters

mortar fire is reported near slovyansk askew of troops cracked down on proton me protesters controlling the eastern ukrainian city locals say they're unable to back away the area plus. the government talks about a tough one for human rights but when it comes to enter that we come from it was also very happy to farm shimon rice abusers campaigners in the u.k. say far too many british weapons are falling into the wrong hands those babbling to open politicians eyes to the fact tell us about their mission. and the life and legacy of a digital freedom fighter the story of aaron swartz a sport to film its director tells us about the pioneers big brother battles which arguably prompted his suicide. it is six pm in the russian capital you're watching r t international with me maria and joshua welcome to the program ukraine's interior ministry claims it has retaken control of the city of mariupol which is a ten hour drive southeast of key if at least three people are assad to have been killed in the operation against pro. crowds there which started overnight and there are reports of mortar shell

ukranian soldiers are trying to recapture the city of slovyansk. vladimir putin called on separatists in the east to abandon an independent referendum. >>> qatar has presented a self-assessment to the u.n. human rights council in geneva on its treatment of migrant work exercise will host a football world cup in 2022. it drew attention to workers of those in construction and domestic maids. here are criticisms - the conditions inside the workers' camps. they are called squalid and camp. there's the caffala system, foreign workers sponsored by employers, making it different to change jobs and leave the country. qatar has been criticised for poor safety standards on some building sites. the number of domestic workers - a number of them - are being physically and sexually abused by their employers. >> most countries who happen to host major international events and in such case olympic or the world cup will be facing the report. it gives us the confidence that we are in the right directions and the right side. the commitment is strong. one has to balan

the most intense fighting is reported in the dinette region and also in the nearby city of slovyansk where three civilians reportedly been killed in an army shelling attack. also coming up on the program two years of isolation in jail bahrain's key human rights activist shares details of his ordeal with r.t. after serving his term for taking part in protests against the monarchy plus. britain to leave the european union i want to leave the european union. and to e.u. parties rock the blocks parliamentary election more than doubling their seats with french and british skeptics boasting the biggest wins. you're watching from in the world welcome to moscow and r.t. international i'm you know neal we start with our breaking news story the ukraine military is broadening its offensive in the countryside on a large number of fatalities including civilians have been reported. these are the images from one of the main targets of the operation the eastern city of the net it has been the stronghold of the government to stand for months but this is the first time it's witnessing full scale fight

os osce had already had another bad experience when another team had been taken by the fighters in slovyansk and they had been held there a week at least. and the u.n. was trying to negotiate of negotiate and didn't tell us where they were held. >> hoda, adjustment just a few o you were telling us about the standoff. does this indicate a new approach, a shift perhaps after the new president has taken over in ukraine? >> well, the new president hasn't taken over yet. the old president is still in place. an escalation in the will of the ukrainian forces to use more fire power. certainly those battles in and around the airport, they were using air and ground power. certainly i.t it did welcome hoe the separatists, around 40, 45, some of them you speak to them, they say i think those numbers are much higher. the casualties on the ukrainian side of that front line and they are not able to retrieve those bodies. but certainly a very dangerous escalation in the conflict so close to the cities. >> okay thank you hodda for all the clarification. >>> no running water and there's been an outbreak of sc

there has been fighting in donet donetsk, luhansk, slovyansk, among others. ballots were printed asking voters if they agree to self-rule. 70% in the east do not support the separatists and do not want to leave ukraine or become part of russia. but the polls show the majority reject the new government in kiev. the constitution doesn't allow for regional ballots, so the vote will not be binding. >> we should show you live pictures coming to us from a polling station in don esket. where there has been fighting. it's quiet at the moment. polls have opened. jonah hull has more on the run-up to the vote on donetsk. >> reporter: the voters of eastern ukraine are encouraged to see the country on their stark turns. those in kiev waging war on the peaceful communities of donetsk and its surrounds. the only answer - a tick for yes for the idea of their own people's republic. opinion polls suggest that popular support for the idea is low. we found it to be divided at level. >> i'll vote yes in the referendum. i want peace. i don't want to west to come and shoot at our k

slovyansk eastern ukraine. and that's the big worry now the operation in the southeast has been described as throwing ukraine into a fratricidal conflict that's a direct quote indeed russia's foreign minister has appealed to his u.s. counterpart for washington to use it to use its influence over kiev that's waging the war against his own people during a phone conversation circular also noted that the european security group the oas see could be useful in fostering dialogue between the opposing sides earlier anti-government activists in slavonic released seven o.s.c. foreign military observers who'd been detained for the past week had the organization find all parties involved because here in the release the group was held after the test is suspected there are spies among them they weren't on an official o.c.e. mission they've been invited by the kiev government to monitor. coming up britain's health services running a financial fever we hear the warning to the government about how cuts could be putting lives at

they had been detained by the self-proclaimed separatest mayor of slovyansk. the released men said he had kept his promise to protect them from harm but diplomats who negotiated it said any other outcome was simply unthinkable. >> taking people as hostages was unabsentable. it was extremely important to get through this situation. >> organizing a hostage handover in this environment was far from straightforward. it has taken days of very delicate negotiations to reach this point including the final say from a self-decide mayor. but the men in the osce are now returning home. paul? >> paul, in turns of the military operations that were underway today, where has that left things on the ground? >> well, the ukrainian military has made some success says. they have been able to failure unopposed launch operations around slovyansk. they have mounted road blocks and checkpoints blockading that city and preventing controlling traffic in and out. there have been, though, setbacks from the point of view of there have been more buildings taken over in the last few hours

our senior international correspondent nick peyton walsh is near slovyansk. what are you seeing there? >> reporter: there is a second assault that may occur in the days ahead. and despite the fact that they themselves lost four ukrainian soldiers, the militants said they lost ten of their own people. that's a lot of casualties. much more than an hour's worth of fighting and damage done on their highway. the ukrainian army pulled back right up the road. no sign of them holding the ground that they are actually taking. we saw inside the town, people are furious, funerals due to happen tomorrow. barricades being put up. a sense of siege. i've got to say, if the ukrainian army tries to move in, it will be an extraordinary bloody occasion. dealing with the population that is very hardened against them. there is talk about these elections. well, it's far from everybody's minds here. it's turning into a civil war, not a pre-electoral campaign. >> we talk about the diplomacy going on versus the reality of what is going on. does it have any relevance to what you're se

slovyansk eastern ukraine. we also talked to a local man from the city of constantine of and here's what he told us about the events there. there was information there were going to be attacked and we were preparing for the assault a subversive group of right sector arrived we clashed with them and we surround of them on all four sides of the t.v. tower they called for reinforcements an armored vehicles came they fired at civilians from these vehicles there are casualties on both sides at the but i'm not sure how many and there is information there will be another attack at dawn. the city of kramatorsk has become another focal point of kiev's military offensive against protesters in the donetsk region. the latest reports say the army's managed to get control of most of the city without a clear forces keeping hold of just one central square at least two people have been confirmed killed in the fighting graham phillips is in the area. so here the center of comments was we can hear obama's going off around me and

>> not lots of movement in slovyansk and people are holding on the ground they have taken and we understand however that the airport in dansk is closed down for security reasons. so that is something that adds to the tension overall in the area. there is some speculation that if you will a pause in the assault on slovansk that the head of the organization of security in europe is going to moscow on wednesday and that the optics wouldn't be good if the ukraine government was continuing to try to take back the administration building and taken by the anti-government protesters. >> nick thanks for that and we will cross to that press conference with the russian foreign minister sergei fedorov if and when it happens. now, a couple of other stories coming out of europe later on tuesday, uk and france celebrating 20 years since the euro tunnel linking the countries are in business and millions of passengers and vehicles passed through the so called channel. and the contest begins on tuesday and conflict between russia and ukraine are in the spotlight and they are competing to reach the final on s

votes were counted in the stronghold of slovyansk, ukranian forces on the outskirts was said to be pramping for the time phase of an operation to clear the town. the referendum will tip the region into abusiness. some feel that has happened. >>> the supreme court of greece ruled that the far rite golden dawn party can take part in european elections this month, despite it being investigated to linkses to organised crime and violence. six mps and its leader of awaiting trial. election can't dates are on the -- candidates are only prevented from running if convicted of a crime. >>> dozens of bodies have been recovered from the coast of tripoli, believed to be african migrants who drowned when their boat sank. at least 15 have been killed in a stampede at a football stadium in democratic republic of congo. rival fans have been fighting. police fired tear gas into the crowd, drinkinguring the stam -- triggering the stampede. >> the united nations will discuss a report that could narrow the hunt for jonathan cohn, the leader of the lords resistance army. he is wanted for wore crimes and crimes a

they had been detained by the self-proclaimed mayor of slovyansk. the released men said he had kept his promise to protect them from harm. but diplomats who negotiated the release said any other outcome was simply unthinkable. >> taking people working for international organizations as hostages is unacceptable. so it was extremely important to get through this mission >> reporter: the next was made more intricate cat by the military offensive ongoing against pro-russian militia around slovyansk and other towns. there has been fierce fighting near komatork. they began by attacking a pro-russian checkpoint at dawn. a t.v. tower has been recaptured. organizing a hostage handover in this environment was far from straightforward. >> it has taken days of delicate negotiations to reach this point including the final say from the self-decide mayor. the men from the osce are now free. as you can see, returning home. >> paul brennan, al jazeera, constanofka. >> joining me is nina kruscheva. good to have you with us. >> thank you >> are we on the brink of an o