the u.n. human rights investigator says it will have evidence of war crimes in syria, identifying suspect from the opposition and the syrian government after interviewing thousands of victims, witnesses and defectors. it include armed opposition groups, military and officials. three years into the war offer syria and the grand city of aleppo lies in ruins. many fled, others stayed saying they are not giving up. >> the beqaa neighbour hood in aleppo under fire. the result - rubble across the road. smoke rising all around. badly damaged buildings, and injuries. survivors shout to others above "come down." it must be hard to know which way to no. many other neighbourhoods here have been hit before. last month dozens of government helicopters dropped barrel bombs on the area. residents returned to find their homes unrecognizable. >> i came to see my house. i couldn't work out where it is. there are no doors and no walls. i feel lost here, as if i'm in a jungle or somewhere worse. i don't know what

ambassador to the u.n. saying it is time for russian intervention in ukraine to end, and she argues that it is as dangerous as it is destabilizing. and she also goes on to suggest some steps that the u.s. and its partners are working on, including bringing international monitors. before that we heard from the russian ambassador to the u.n., vitaly churkin in a very defiant argument starting by saying that really the russians were asked to come in by crimean representatives, pro-russian in that part of the country. said they received a request to provide assistance to restore peace in that country. he also went on to make the charge that it was the west, including the e.u. and the u.s., who stirred up the disturbances in kiev, saying that it was in his words a crude intervention into the internal sovereignty of the ukraine. so in effect, russia there reversing the tables on the u.s. saying they are not violating ukraine's sovereignty but that in fact the west did that by getting involved in those demonstrati

u.n. for delays in letting aid in to the people. >> i want to go to school. >> too terrified to learn. attacks on nigerian schools are forcing children out of the classroom. >> celebrating a peace deal in the southern philippines. some could be forced from their homes as a result. >> those stories in a hotel. first we begin in afghanistan where armed men attacked a building close to the election offices in kabul. we'll go straight to your correspondent in kabul. what more do we know about the attack? >> what we know is a number of attackers. taliban attackers have taken position in a building in front of the election, and they are firing from that building to the compound of the election office. eyewitnesss from the scene are telling us that these attackers are equipped with ak-47 and rocket grenades. it is still going on. afghan forces rushed to the scene, and they are trying to engage with the attackers, and taliban's spocks men have -- spokesman have taken responsibility, and they said

. >> this is the u.n. doing itself a completely perverse priorities. >> why this when the world is literally blowing up on them? >> well, because the u.n. does very well out of the climate change gravy train. it's something that is immensely complex, is very hard for people to sort of address one way or the other because the u.n. just comes back and says we have a gazillion studies and because the u.n. is funded for all these things, and at the same time the u.n. is apparently incapable of doing things to actually stop north korea, also threatening a nuclear test, possibly a form that would work very well with iran. might be an enriched -- our -- uranium based test, and as russia digests a piece of its neighboring country the u.n. is expressing dismay, but the new -- the rules of the new world orderer is that the u.n. is pioneering here, it's already for russia to chew off pieces of its neighbors. all right for rogue states to test nuclear developments about not all right for you to exhale without paying t

in the u.n. in light of that russian veto, what can the u.n., the u.n. security council do in terms of raising costs for russia? is there anything they can do? you mentioned they have the veto or is it really as you say just a place to vent? >> reporter: i think remarks will be made. but i think as you have hinted and said in other reports, the diplomat action will take place elsewhere with strong groups, whether it's lack of attendance at a g 8 meeting, sanctions, whether it's going to be condemnation. are going to get it on the table here. but while russia signeded on to some statement calling for calm and stability, it is rather meaningless. they would block any substantive action. but we've seen it with kosovo and other crises around the world, countries act so-called coalition of the willing whether diplomatically or militarily and bypass the u.n. itself. it makes the ukraine feel good. many countries still rely on the u.n. if for anything just to be heard. ukraine will get its chance on the international stage right now. >> we're going to go now to

we heard from an u.n. spokesperson saying that the man that you see here will return to kiev and continue his mission in ukraine. nick schifrin on the ground joining us now by phone. nickic give us a break down of what unfolded outside that have cafe. >> i think its important to underline that yes, he will return to kiev. he was run out of the country and it's a sign that law and order in this city is really not being led by police at all. this incident started about an hour and a half ago. robert berry was threatened. after he left the ukrainian naval base. that's when he left his car trying to find a little refuge. he ended up in a cafe. that's when militia members he said were armed blockaded him in that cafe. they were there for 20 or 30 minutes or so. inside was a group of journalists as well. but outside those militia members were blocking him and keeping him inside that cafe. at some point in that conversation he agreed to leave crimea. he did not want to leave crimea. initially he was asked when fi

, the u.n. security council can -- there's a limit to what actually is going to emerge other than a few statements. >> russia would certainly block any significant action by the u.n. security council however they did meet, russian met the u.n. security council yesterday, despite what they could say publicly to the press, and we don't know what goes on behind closed doors. they're meeting here on saturday in an urgent session, ban ki-moon has issued statements on concern on many countries in crisis over his six year office. there may be an open formal meeting where there could be angry opening speeches. the first meeting will be closed doors here at the united nations. there are articles in the u.n. charter that say that the u.n. security council has the right to get involved when international peace and security is threatened. this is at the heart of what the u.n. was originally set up for over 65 years ago when one country moves forces into another. things have changed a lot with terrorism and

the u.n. security council wrapping up a meeting to discuss what is happening on the ground in ukraine. we have our own richard roth who is at the u.n. for us today. richard, what can you tell us now as that u.n. security council emergency meeting has broken up? >> reporter: as we've seen before, this is sort of the post-fight analysis. you might say the spin room. the ukranian ambassador is now addressing the press corps here at the u.n. to give him interpretation of what happened in the chamber. i think he said the russian ambassador churkin was cold-hearted in his remarks regarding the situation. we may likely see other ambassadors to follow him. the security council of course has this dilemma. look, some aspects of successful crisis solving over the decades have been diplomacy backed by the threat of force. but there's no appetite for that. and it doesn't appear there's going to be any ooh type of military showdown. they can only hope here diplomatically to work out some type of new arrange

the u.n. security council passed a resolution that aid rape millio-- reach million the country. a report was ordered, friday was the first. according to the report pi the secretary-general , there has been little compliance. examples were given the opposition groups blocking aid getting into the country. mostly the blame was placed at the feet of the government. >> the asaad's regime murderous appetite deployed against civilians in syria, despite the council's call that they say types of attacks stop, is the number one factor driving displacement and the broader humanitarian crisis. >> some help reached civilians in an area along the turkish border, it's a tiny fraction of aid needed for the country. it detailed the government's use. the syrian ambassador to the u.n. was asked about this by a report are, and he was adamant that the government is not killing civilians. >> we drop weapons against terrorist groups. >> you don't deny it. >> no, but we use it against terrorist groups. >> it's landi

the u.n., samantha power says this was the wrong time to use the veto. >> russia used the veto as an accomplice to military incursion. the veto given 70 million years ago to countries that led a fight against aggression. >> moscow's line never wavers, violence could spread. >> the violence had to be noted. it happened over the months in kiev and other regions of the country. violence, which threatened and threatened to spread to other regions of ukraine. >> but ukraine's ambassador of the u.n. says russians actions hark back to the old soviet era. >> we upset with the difficulty proposed by russian delegation again. nothing serious, just words. at the same time, their paratroopers and - and other forces entered the mainland of ukraine. >> that resolution may have come too late to stop the vote, everything depends on what russian president vladimir putin does next, the world will be watching. legal affairs come through the security council, you can expect the u.n. to be busy on this issue next

. >>> u.n. human rights investigators say they have credible evidence of war crimes committed in syria. they have identified both government and opposition suspects after interviewing thousands of victims, witnesses and defectors. the suspects list includes names of syria intelligence commanders where prisoners were tortures. also on the lus, military leaders responsible for committing abuses including dropping barrel bombs on civilian areas. and armed opiniposition groups accused of targeting civilians. mass discussions have declared to have been carried out. >> an international criminal law expert and president of the center for defending civil rights and liberties says justice is possible in an international court. >> the international court is the one international judicial organization that has jurisdiction over similar crimes. there are also other national tribunals with universal jurisdiction such as in uk and spain but their jurisdictions are limited. so in order to have the perpetrators

. >> the u.n. is trying to get them to relocate to another base on higher ground. >> david lamb is one of a few people who agreed to move. >> there was something like three days and the water. >> this area was never intended for people to live on. it's part of the administrative base fon the u.n. mission and was home to staff and peacekeepers. now it has to accommodate an extra 21,000 people, prone to flooding. >> the u.n. mission had no way of knowing that in december that the people seeking protection would decide to stay indefinitely. >> at the time when we opened the gates, we thought it would be a republica of similar situations that we have seen in south sudan previously. >> we have usually had them for - under our protection for a few days, and then when things come down and people felt safer, they would return to their homes. now that they are living here, the u.n. can't force them to move. the place is unsuitable. most of the people living here don't want to leave. the existence of the cam

u.n. assembly, walked by each other in the hallway and shake eve r each other's hand as an initial step toward more substantive contact. i think that's something of what you saw here. although kerry and lavrov have plans to sit down, face-to-face, have a lengthier discussion. >> so the other question is, as all of this, you know, effort towards diplomacy seems to be getting traction in paris, everywhere else in the world there's still a lot of rhetoric and ramping up of the threats. for instance, chuck hagel is suggesting that there is going to be increased patrols of some of the nato nations. poland, in particular. and also in the baltic regions, which is just right next -- it's really on the cusp of russia. and the russians also saying, you know, come after us, we'll come after you and freeze your money. so it sounds like everybody is still talking trash, except in paris. >> reporter: yeah, i mean, you're right. listen, it's a good cop/bad cop strategy. but it's typical diplomacy. diplom

>> reporter: well, the u.n. will do various things. the u.n. secretary general man ki-moon like president obama has been speaking to president putin, he's obviously been on the phone for much of the afternoon president putin because again he was told by the u.n. secretary general he's gravely concerned about the situation. he has a special representative who is there in the ukraine robert, who he wanted to send to crimea to try to diffuse the situation. when he tried to get there he was told by the crimean authorities that he couldn't travel there. there will be somest to his at least get a u.n. mediator to crimea to discuss the situation going fore worl fore goad. they are going to go different routes and i think you need to look in the next 24 hours to brussels and nato which will be meeting in an emergency session. >> being on, our james bays live for us tonight at the u.n., thank you for that. >>> we also want to go now to libby casey, she is standing by in washington with more on all of this because obviously president obama and president

u.n. peace keepers. he was held without charge until his transfer to the icc in october, 2007. lee baka has more from the hague >> reporter: throughout court proceedings here in the hage, he remained somewhat relaxed, smiling occasionally. he was asked to stand for the verdict, and he remained impassive throughout. the court here found him guilty on two key charges of being an access occur to murder and both of these have to do with a massacre in the village that borders uganda 13 years ago in which go 00 people were killed. some eyewitnesses of that massacre say that people were hacked to death from machetes, others dragged from bed and killed. he found guilty of recruiting soldiers under the age of 15 being forced to be part of the armed malitia. he has been acquitted, also, of rape and sexual violence as well. we now know that he will remain in custody. the court will the now decide on a sentencing date, after which we will have a clear idea of what his full sentence will be, how many y

u.n. condemns the vote that lead to russia's annexation of crimea. and conserving the coffee culture and argentina wants a visit to a cafe to be part of its national heritage. ♪ protests taking place across egypt two days after the country's former defense minister and army chief said he would run for the presidency and are gathering momentum after friday prayers and these are people in the city of giza after the decision of krchl c to run for president. al jazeera obtained a leaked government from the military intelligence and says the government should pursue about securing the border of the gaza strip and it was published last year before the military coup and the document casts doubts on the trial of mohamed morsi and he is facing charges that include conspiring with hamas and deputy hamas foreign minister and confirmed they used to have positive relations we egypt. >> and even to 30 june they have contact with intelligence and we have many meetings with them and we discuss different

u.n. observers, u.n. envoys sometimes bear the brunt. they're the early century sometimes sent in to hostile situations to see if they can lay the ground work diplomatly for talks, negotiations, international monitors. sometimes they're kind of the actor in an early scene in a "star wars" or "star trek" the ones who suddenly disappear, first sent into harm's way. serry may go to kiev to brief the deputy secretary general of the u.n. on what's happening. >> richard roth at the u.n. if you get more information, let us know. angela stent is here, professor and russia expert at georgetown university here in washington, served in the government in various -- what do you make of this -- they detained in effect that he's holed up in a coffee shop right now, the special u.n. envoy for ukraine. he's in crimea, which, of course, is part of ukraine. >> oh, yeah. this is a very dangerous situation. one thing we have seen right from the beginning, from the first occupation of crimea last week is the deliberate ambiguity. you don't know who works for

the u.n. general assembly says crimea's vote to break away from the ukraine doesn't count. >> i'm mariane in london, with more on ukraine, including going for the presidency, an announcement from one of the country's most polarized figures. waybusy day in italy. >> allowing hundreds to kill crocodiles has been shut down in australia. >> but let's start with ukraine, and there have been a number of developments. the u.n. general assembly has voted to condemn crimea's independent vote for being invalid. she will run in the presidential elections on the twenty-fifth of may. between 14 and $18 billion to try to help avoided bankruptcy. >> on the u.n. vote first of all, see how it plays out. well, 100 companies supported the ukrainian drafted resolution. only 11 members of the asemiis bly joined russia in rejecting the resolution, and they includes north korea and syria. 58 countries along with china, decided to abstain from the vote. live at the u.n. in new york. it is the usual suspects who ramli

. >> we waited it out and then made the decision to go to the u.n. compound, because the fighting was obviously on our doorstep. >> we gathered everyone together, we gathered up a few things to carry, and we left the house. >> they took 10 of the orphans with them and settled in in a crowded u.n. camp, reactions cashews and beef jerky to get by, eventually running out of options, making the hard

article two of the u.n. charter, prohibition on the use of force to acquire territory and respect for the sovereignty independence unity and ente integrity of territorial states. this is something that the united states defends and all around the world. >> the u.n. headquarters in new york. and james the message there from u.su.s. ambassador seems to be russia versus the rest. >> yes, some things have become very clear. some things we knew. we knew that russia was going to veto and it's really clear that russia will veto any action at all on ukraine. but the thing we didn't know was the chinese position. were they going to back russia or were they going to abstain? they abstained which means russia does not have any other country that is supporting it. it is there alone on this particular issue. i think that other countries will feel that this gives them a bit more backing as they decide to pursue sanctions. we certainly think there will be sanctions coming out of washington and brussels after that referendu

. >>> the u.n. says climate change is already impacting people around the globe, and the worst may be still to come. >>> australia's prime minister says the magnitude of the search is increasing, not decreasing. >> that's right. we're talking about tony abbott. he says as many as 20 planes and ships are looking for flight 370, and more aircraft will be added tuesday. joining the search will be a special u.s. pinger locater. this is designed to find flight recorders beneath the ocean surface. right now that locater is expected to set sail for an australian ship about three hours from now. >> over the weekend, some objects were retrieved from the southern indian ocean, but none has within positively linked to the passenger jet. and chinese relatives of some of the airliner's occupants have gone to kuala lumpur demanding answers. >> our atika is live in perth, australia, and jim clancy is live in kuala lumpur. atika, you spoke with the australian prime minister today. i'm just curious, why did he feel

. >> reporter: the u.n. mandate reports 260,000 syrians are struggling to survive as the conflict there rages on. >> a year after the death of venezuela's former president, the new leader is still dogged by protests. >> on one side russia. on the other side the west, and they have been engaged in a day of difficult to say the least negotiations pro russian forces are taking think strangle hold on the ukraine. a group of armed men threatened united nations top envoy to crimea after he left a naval base. and robert surry is now leaving the region. they have warmed that the there are security implications not just for ukraine but for the entire world. john kerry, secretary of state and his russian counter foreign minister laborov meet in paris. >> reporter: europe and the united states trying to coordinate their position in the face of russian aggression. >> there will be sanctions targeting visas, economic negotiations if there is no de-escalation. >> reporter: de-escalation could come out of talks with the ru

ambassador to be u.n. told the security council the u.s. wants an immediate delight for of u.n. observers to ukraine the nato will meet tomorrow and we still address it on monday. there has been no official upon from the white house today. >>> chinaness estate media reports 27 people are dead after mass stabbings at a strain station. a group of men armed with knives burst in the strain station and began stabbing people. several of the attackers were shot dead at the scene. the pakistani taliban has agreed to a 1-month ceasefire with the government of the a spokesperson says the truce is a step towards peace. pakistan has welcomed the deal. >>> the retail giants sears says it's reviewing the company's says terms to see if it has fallen victim to a data breach. a precaution in light of tar he had massive psych ai cyber tack. a sears spokesperson says so far there is no evidence i've breach at sears or car. mart. those are ar the headlines, more news in an power but "faultkline dealt starts right now on al jazerra. >> every day across america, military-style raids are taking place.

the u.n. general assembly passed a resolution crafted to heap further criticism on them. western leaders are working on a number of fronts to contain russian president vladimir putin and support ukraine. more from nhk world's craig dale. >> reporter: one by one, delegates at the u.n. general assembly came together to send a message to russia. 100 nations, including the u.s. and japan, voted in favor of a resolution calling the referendum that triggered the annexation of crimea invalid. >> after two weeks of military occupation, an integral part of ukraine has been forcibly annexed. >> reporter: the resolution is nonbinding and it doesn't mention russia. it urges an end to any action that would undermine ukraine's national unity. the russian ambassador to the u.n., and ten other delegates, stood in opposition. vitaly churkin says his country was just respecting the choice of crimeans who voted in favor of joining the russian federation. the u.n. resolution is the latest attempt to isolate russi

. >> but russia's u.n. envoy rejected the concerns. >> they made this decision, and, of course, our authorities will need to, you know, to make a decision how they're going to deal with that. >> u.s. president barack obama has urged russian president vladimir putin to resolve the situation diplomatically. the leaders talked for an hour by phone. putin said his country is following international law. white house officials reported that obama said russia's actions violate ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. obama told putin the u.s. will impose sanctions, including visa restrictions on russian officials. obama called for direct talks between the governments of ukraine and russia. he also urged putin to agree to troigsal monitors in ukraine. officials in moscow say putin told obama that russia's actions are in line with international law and with the wishes of regional authorities. putin said ukraine's interim government lacks legitimacy. the officials quote putin as saying that russia/u.s. relati

we call on all u.n. member states, regional and international organizations, not to recognize the results of the referendum in crimea. not to recognize any alteration of the state carried out in clear violation of the constitution of ukraine, a u.n. founding member. we call on russia -- international observers have been invited by the ukrainian government and must be allowed to do their job. we also urge russia to reaffirm their treaty obligations, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. and to withdraw without delay of armed forces. only political dialogue and armed --respective international law can put an end to this crisis and prevent further bloodshed. >> i think the representative of lithuania for that statement. i now give the floor to their preventative of -- >> thank you, madam president. we wish to extend our thoughts on the task before us. it is unfortunate that we have come to this. this could have been avoided today. working for this was a hard decision. why so? we are n

samantha power, the u.n. ambassador, coming out strong, releasing aggressive statements about russian military movements. >> those government buildings in the crimea are still in control by those men. do these military moves by what seem to be russian troops. >> they are deeply concerned. i talked to people in the last couple of hours how they feel about crimea. it is not representative of all of ukraine. crimea has never wanted to be part of ukraine since ukraine broke up in the 1990s. but the government believes it needs to defend crimea. crimeans look towards the part of the ukraine and defend its territory and this is a bit personal. everyone i spoke to talked about putin on a personal level, not very nice comments that people here give me about putin but they really want to see the government stand up for itself. they want to see the government say actually, we want to draw the line in the sand. that's what they asked president yanukovych to say stop hooking towards russia -- looking tors europe we're go

the u.n. meets to discuss ukraine, russia says we don't want war. >> palestinian residents mahmoud abbas accuses his main rival of being involved in six murders. >> malaysia airlines says the likelihood of finding the missing jetliner in the indian ocean is low. international search efforts are focused in the west of malaysia and the malacca strait. vietnam has scaled back its operations. there are conflicting research surrounding technical data sent from the aircraft hours after the last-known contact on saturday. >> i don't think the families would be satisfied until they find out what happened to the aircraft. i think you have a range of emotions from people that are vocal and angry about the situation and frustrated at the lack of information. and others that may have reached a more equitable or balanced viewpoint. more resignation. that may not be the appropriate word. it is that they come to accept that there's not going to be a good outcome and are waiting for the information to come in

on the issue of the u.n. peacekeeping, the request that we put in to you, $753 million above the 2014 request, and that's primarily because of increases to meet our commitments for mali, somalia, south sudan. in addition, we have to fund all the missions at the u.n. assessed rate which is 28.4%, not the 27 point something percent we pay, so there's a gap. and, finally, we're adjusting for one-time offsets that are being used to cover our bills this time, this $218 million for that. we're pulling down on some of are our peacekeeping east of moore, liberia, haiti, several others. as the troop levels decline and as the need declines, but we have increased efforts in africa and a number of different places, the central african republic, the great lakes region, south sudan, so forth. so the demands from the u.n. has r have grown and the money's gone the other way. >> matt salmon of arizona. >> thank you. mr. secretary, it's my honor to serve as the subcommittee, the western hemisphere subcommittee on this full com

ambassador to the u.n. and saying what are you kidding me, when did moscow suddenly care about human rights. >> what might think that moscow is a rapid response of the arm of the human rights and so many of the assertions made by the russian federation are without basis and reality. let's begin with the facts. it is a fact that russian military forces have taken over the ukraine border costs and the ferry terminal and russian ships are moving in and around, and it is a fact that russian forces are blocking the telephone services and it is fact that russia surrounded or taken over a the ukraine military military facilities and journalists are continuing to report no evidence against russian or pro russian communities. it is also a fact that the five permanent members of the security council have a veto, including russia, and whatever they come up with is likely to be vetoed by russia and now inching forward in mediating the crisis. >> thank you, john. during the address to the u.n. security council the ukrai

a u.n. report published in february accused the church of failing to properly deem with cases of child abuse. the vatican bank is being audited but no results released. though the pope's tone on issues like gay rights and divers softened, there's no sign of actual religious reform. >> you cannot do this kind of things quickly without making disaster. certainly he is a man who will do things, but in due time. >> a year on, there's little doubt that the pope has the right intentions to change the church for the better. as these doves released by him and promptly attacked by seagulls, best intentions don't always happen. although he's had a great first year, he hasn't performed that miracle just yet. thank you for joining us. now what's really interesting is that the child abuse scandal was the worst that hit the catholic church. we're see that go report by the united nations published only a month ago saying that effectively, the church hasn't done enough. why didn't francis see it as a priori

the u.n. human rights council, and want those responsible for abuses in north korea brought to justice. the draft resolution was submitted three days after a u.n. special committee presented its report on human rights in the north. it urges pyongyang to abolish political prison camps and immediately return all people abducted by north korean agents. the document asks the security council to take steps to punish north koreans responsible for crimes against humanity. it also calls for new sanctions against them. the report is based on a one-year investigation. it concludes that systematic and widespread human rights violations are still taking place in north korea. the u.n. special committee reports as abductions of foreign nationals and political prison camps constitute crimes against humanity under international law. a u.s. state department spokesperson has expressed support for the draft resolution. >> we look forward to supporting a strong human rights council north korea resolution that pur

u.n. has condemned the vote leading to russia's annexation of crimea calling it an invalid referendum. the general assembly approved the resolution on thursday after intense lobbying from both sides, al jazeera's jennifer glasse is in sevastopol crimea and good morning to you and this vote has condemnation by countries and the moves in crime yeah but on the ground where you are is there any indication the u.n. vote will make a difference and are people even paying attention to it? >> reporter: good morning, stephanie, no, actually here they don't wear what the rest of the world thinks and made it very clear with the referendum on march 16 and made it clear when they voted for independence here and when russia annexed crimea and ousted the army and as we are speaking now some of the ukraine military are still leaving the crimea peninsula, russia points to the fact that only more than half of the country vote was 100-11 and 58 abstentions and they will hang on that but ukraine was looking fo

the u.n. security council called a special meeting. the united states wants the u.n. to deploy observers. president obama had a long phone call with vladimir putin, calling on the russian president to withdraw all soldiers from ukraine and deal with the situation peacefully. we'll start with phil ittner in moscow. he covers all day and joins us live. moscow doesn't appear to be backing down at this hour. >> absolutely not, all along during the crisis we have seen a clear quite between east and west. both power structures working to further their own interests. the west has their interests and they are pursuing them and here in russia they have their interests, and, of course, the kremlin is pursuing those russian centres. >> a day after the west and the white house warned russia not to intervene in ukraine, this was moscow's next move. >> translation: russian frags council votes to first approve vladimir putin's proposal to use russian troops on the territory of ukraine until the sociopolitical situation in the country stabilizes. secondly the decree is effective on t

the u.n. is accusing the syrian government and the armed opposition of widespread human rights abuses in their battle for syria. the u.n. says government forces systematically commit murder, torture and rape. they claim sexual torture is perpetrating against men and boys in detention. opposition forces have also been accused of committing war crimes including murder, torture, hostage taking and rape. they have also been accused of using children to fight t. report adds that over 250,000 people are trapped in besieged cities, denied food, water and medical care. most sieges have lasted longer than a year. let's go to bbc's imojen foulkes in geneva. the use of siege warfare and starvation in syria, what is the u.n. describing? >> reporter: it's describing a situation affectth over a quarter of a million people, many of them women and children who are trapped inside cities across the country, bombed relentlessly on a daily basis, the u.n. says, that no food or medical care is being allowed in. th

>> >> referendum illegal, the u.n. condemns the russian-backed annexation of crimea. >> broadcasting live from our global news headquarters. you are watching al jazeera. also coming up on the program - sri lanka releases indian fisherman. >> the australian prime minister calls the egyptian president to ask for the speedy release of detained al jazeera journalist peter greste. >> and conserving the coffee culture - why argentina wants a visit to a cafe to be part of its national heritage. >> the u.n. general assembly condemned russia's annexation of ukraine, calling it illegal. >> ukraine, and the member states support the general assembly resolution. 100 countries voted yes. there was intense lobbying on both sides. russia on the one hand, the other the united states, and self european nations. many member states addressed the general assembly. some called the referendum a violation of international law. self-determination is a value all of us here today hail. we do so while recognising the critical foundational import

the u.n. says many grow up as child soldiers in congo. u.n. troops support the congolese army to clear the groups from the east. commanders from both forces say they are ready to attack soon. >> what we observed on the ground is still continuing activities, including doing human right evaluations. we don't see them surrendering. >> the fdlr says a political solution is needed to end ethnic tensions that date back to the 1994 roou wandon genocide. people are waiting to see if they'll try. malcolm webb, al jazeera in the eastern democratic republic of congo. >> mexico confirmed the death of one of the country's violent drug cartels. the government declared nazaria smz moreno gonzalez dead in 2010. >> that pays tribute to nazario moreno. he was presumed dead in 120. he lived on to lead the knights templar. his reign ended on sunday. >> translation: he was intercepted by the marines and the army. when they asked him to surrender, he opened fire. >> many can't believe he was alive. many of those who didn't, prayed to him as a saint. the knights tem

the principles of the u.n., the whole reason for being of the u.n. are at stake. we call upon all the international community to support the efforts made by the u.n. we asked to bring about a political resolution of the crisis. we welcome the idea that has been mentioned of establishing the observers mission to make an impartial investigation. a solution to the crisis also requires an inclusive lyrical dialogue, keeping in mind the diversity of ukrainian society, and the need to respect the rights of all ukrainians. luxembourg supports new governments in the parliaments of ukraine which have taken steps to promote this inclusive political dialogue. we would encourage the ukrainian authorities to bring in the expertise of the council with respect to the protection of minority rights. in conclusion, we welcome the restraints exhibited by ukrainian authorities, particularly in crimea. it is vital for all parties to respect unity, territorial integrity, independence and the sovereignty of ukraine. thank you very much. i resume my functions as president of the council

we are hearing that there will be an u.n. urgent meeting today in new york. the u.n. security council meeting probably in an hour. we have heard from the e.u. foreign ministers. they also will be holding an emergency meeting tomorrow in london the british foreign minister has made a statement saying that calls into question the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine potentially if military force is used. and calling the russian ambassador to britain to get an explanation of what is going on with russian maneuvers. just an awful lot we know in london there will be protests tomorrow. a lot of fast-moving developments here, and a lot of reaction in moscow. >> as far as russia is concerned, what is the reason for all of this? >> they have said that that they basically maneuvered lega legale and motions and constitutions in ukraine that says enable them to do this. the reason again for those--for this development i. now our colleague in al jazeera lawrence lee went to crimea, and he spoke to many of those russians. some of whom would welcome action, but many of w

u.n. security council is meeting to discuss the escalating crisis in ukraine. this is just hours after the russian president is given permission to put troops in ukraine. vladimir putin warns of a threat for russians in the area. we're going to be going live to the capitol where we'll speak to rory in moscow, but first let's go to our diplomatic editor james bays. james, round two at the united nations. what are the expectations regarding the latest development? >> i think the expectations are pretty low. closed door meetings starting in an hour's time, and i think most people assume that it will be pretty similar to the meeting that took place 24 hours ago, but in an even more charged atmosphere. i think behind those closed doors you'll have denunciation of russian by western nations. you'll have russia fighting back. afterwards i expect to hear from key players speaking to the press. but i think its likely to be deadlock around the security council table. there is frantic diplomacy going

the u.n.'s top implement and a hoard, a large group of prorussian caichts. once he got out he was stopped by armed men that told him he needed to leave crimea. he politely declined, walked into a cafe and that's when he was surrounded buy group of militia men, they convinced him he had to leave crimea. that's when 40 or 50 pro-russian activists arrived. they created a corridor through which seri was actually led into a waiting car and he was led to the airport, definitely against any of his wishes and basically frog-marched into the airport, essentially kicked out of the country by these pro-russian activists and prorussian militia who increasingly john not only in this city, bases across the peninsula are really taking law and order into their own hands. >> so who is in charge of security in crimea? >> well, you know i talked to police outside tease bases or in the city and they just shrug. they walk away from me. whether they are embarrassed, unwilling or unable to fight these militia men th

u.n. envoy threatened and blockaded by a group of armed militia men, forced to leave crimea. secretary of state kerry meets with counterpars from ukraine and russia and says all involved will try to resolve the crisis through dialogue. >>> and what is vladimir putin really thinking? i'll speak with someone who got to know him. president obama's former national security adviser tom donlon will join me live this hour. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." a united nations diplomat threatened by armed men and jeered by a pro-russia crowd as tengs rise in ukraine. here are the latest developments. a u.s. special envoy was threatened and blockaded by armed militiamen, forced to take refuge in a cafe and ultimately forced to give up his mission and leave crimea. secretary of state john kerry meets in paris with his russian counterpart sergey lavrov who says all parties agree to hold intense talks to try to overcome the crisis. defense secretary hagel takes heat up on capitol hill but

sir, the u.n. human rights council has called for this independent inquiry into alleged war crimes in your country. will ve linda cooperate? >> what i can see at the moment is that scree linda will study the entire process that happened so far. sri lanka has been steady, this is not about human rights, this is a politically motivated, biased and unjustice interference on sri lanka. >> if sri lanka has nothing hide, why has it fought so hard against this resolution? >> let me explain. this is about human rights, the stream human rights is the right to life, right to life. people were being killed and discriminated, people belonging to all communities. moderate leadership was eliminated, then nobody spoke about human rights. this government under the leadership of the president defeated terrorism and entered the enjoyment of the supreme human rate that is right for life. >> i'm interested in why you say this is politically motivated, why would the united nations human rights council, the internationa

the u.n. security council met in an emergency session yesterday. >> it's time for the russian intervention in ukraine to end. the russian military must stand down. >> reporter: during a 90-minute call on sunday, president putin told president obama that russia has the right to defend its interests and russian people. other international leaders joined with the u.s. british prime minister david cameron saying there's no excuse. canada recalling their ambassador from moscow. this as pro-russia fervor sweeps eastern ukraine. flags torn down from government buildings, pro-russia protesters savagely beating those who support ukraine's new government. ukraine now more divided than ever. and the prospect of war growing ever closer. it's now a high-stakes gate waiting to see who moves next. will russia complete the take over and possibly other parts or bow to american and international pressure? george. >> that is the question. vladimir putin's intervention echoes previous military moves into former s

the u.n. security council met about this issue on an emergency basis on friday and they met again over the weekend and then they met again today. and although those u.n. security council meetings led to some very pushy speeches, because russia is a permanent member of the u.n. security council, they have the right to veto anything that goes through that body and so nobody expects that anything useful will actually come through the u.n. it would have to go through russia in order to go through the u.n. security council and it's not going to go through russia. there's also the matter of the g-8. the world's eight largest democratic industrial economies. this group used to be the g-7 until the late '90s when they decided to add russia to reflect russia's status as a real economy and a democracy and supposedly not a rogue state anymore. the next g-8 meeting was supposed to be held in sochi in russia in june, where the olympics just were. all the other nations in the g-8 including the united states

meanwhile ukraine's u.n. ambassador said monday that russia put 16,000 troops in crimea for the past week. sergei lavrov, the forin minister, in geneva said russia was protecting its interest and russian's citizens that lived in ukraine: >> russia's u.n. ambassador insisted troops in crimea were invited, entering at the request of deposed ukrainian president viktor yanukovych to establish: >> but america's u.n. ambassador samantha power didn't buy it. >> military action cannot be justified on the basis of threats that haven't been made and aren't being carried out. there is no evidence that ethnic russians are in danger. >> meanwhile at the white house president obama warned russia that the u.s. and russian allies were making preparations of their own. >> we are examining a whole series of steps - economic, diplomatic - that will isolate russia, and will have a negative impact on russia's economy, and its sta