let's go to david stern also in donetsk. david, what are you gathering from other scenes like that around eastern ukraine? is anyone giving up ground? >> reporter: well no, nik. nobody is giving up ground yet. we've heard from the pro russian activists down the road as you heard from james. they are holding ground. they say the government in kiev is itself an illegally arm add group that seized power. until they leave, these people here won't leave. obviously there's a launch that needs to be done before this agreement is implemented. the question also is is really what is russia prepared to do. part of this agreement is russia would exert influence on protestors. russia up until now said they have no influence. officials and ukraine government say russia is disingenuous. >> do you think it are really is just a matter of time and eventually passions might cool and allow this deal to at least be implemented for the time being? >> reporter: well nik, it's difficult to say. but yes it's still very early. this deal is less than

back in donetsk they're mopping up after fire ravaged the ice hockey arena. one report spoke of unidentified gunmen storming the building. the situation in the east is clearly still highly combustible. nick chiles, bbc news. >>> the situation at the aport is calmer than it was yesterday, but still pretty tense. mark lowen sent this report from here. >> reporter: you can see the aftermath of that intense fire fight around the airport yesterday. this truck completely burned out, the windows full of bullet holes. around the base of the truck, we can't show you because it's too graphic, there are body parts we've seen and a lot of blood, but also a lot of debris from the fighting that took place yesterday. now, we've been here this morning where there have been some gunshots that have rung out from the airport, but not the same intensity that there was yesterday. there was spore raddic gunfire coming from inside the airport compound. we understand that the ukrainian troops are largely in control of the airport base, but it seems that there was some kind of clear-

the borders between luhansk and donetsk reeje donetsk region. that makes situation for the ukrainians even more. >> we have the statement from vladimir putin that there should be immediate negotiations about state hood for south eastern ukraine. how mu how much did that ratchet up what's going on? >> he used the word which in russian means state hood, nothing else. his spokesman later said he was misunderstood. what he meant -- it does not really mean state hood. we can see there's only talk of independence for luhansk and donetsk regions. >> the accusations of direct russian military involvement continue. russia remains adamant this is not the case. >> that's correct. this is hard to believe that because the tanks and armored vehicles do not appear from nowhere. they have to come from somewhere. there are tanks as many experts pointed out that are not on the ukrainian army stops but are used by russian army. they appear to be operated by ukrainian rebels. that means those could have come only from russian territory. >> we heard osce in the last

yet at the same time the prime minister in donetsk has the weekend. the president both pointed to the possibility of deinvolinvol power to a certain extend. is that now the route to take? >> the biggest problem is we cannot secure those who leave there. people are very much afraid of what's going on on their streets. kiev has to take actions to protect their security as long as we can. this is not only the region but also to show himself -- >> you keep talking about the russian involvement here. there's a very heavy and clear nationalist involvement as well isn't there? people in the downs, in the place like donetsk, so koz mo h cosmopolitan are per identified of russians? >> this is not the case. unlike crimea, they support ukrainians. they were treated very badly. this is the additional people waiting for russian provocation. they definitely can find someone on the propaganda by russia which is not actually the case in ukraine. not only russian speaking. they're using russian propaganda to find those who can theoretically support the separatist. >>

in terms of the airports, we understand internal flights in ukraine coming to donetsk and leaving donetsk do appear to be operating again. international flights we understand are still cancelled for now. slightly fluent situation around the airport. there's a lot of concern in the run up to victory day celebrations may 9th and may 11th which is when the referendum is due to be held in donetsk and neighboring regions. referendum on independence for regions. both of those dates are potential flash points. authorities are concerned to stabilize the situation as far as possible before the dates. >> sarah in donetsk there. >>> in vienna, foreign ministers are meeting to discuss the crisis. we're expecting to hear from lavrov within this hour. before they started their meeting, the british secretary hague said he hoped the talks would achieve progress. >> if we could find diplomatic way forward to reduce tensions, all would do so. that would require stronger russian commitment. last time three weeks ago they came to geneva and did nothing to implement the agreements made. so if there is a furth

we are joined from donetsk. sloviansk 50 to 60 miles from you. significant loss of life there mark? >> reporter: a huge blow to the ukrainian military tim. 14 soldiers dead after the helicopter was shot down near sloviansk. one of the 14 was an army general. the president said the helicopter was transporting personnel to a military base for a change of shift when it was shot down by rebels. sloviansk has been the center of heavy fighting in eastern ukraine. it fell to ukraine in the beginning. it is one of the areas the president elect is vowing to push forward and try to retake as he pushes on with an antiter operation to dismantle the terrorists and ban it to eastern ukraine. he has likened to somali pirates. >> what are the pro russian rebels still where you are in donetsk -- are they falsifying positions there? >> reporter: well, certainly they attempted to regroup when the ukrainian military launched a huge air assault on the air force monday and tuesday to try to get it back from rebel control. remember abels tried to seize i. we watched as rebel insurgents tried to regroup. t

kiev where ukrainian security services have released pictures of paratroopers captured near donetsk. it says they were on a special mission rejecting russia's account that soldiers crossed the border by mistake. timing is crucial. poroshenko meets his russian counter part vladimir putin for talks. we'll be live shortly where that is happening. nick reports on the latest. >> reporter: a raging tire cast a fog over donetsk in ukraine's troubled east. a result of shelling as forces and pro russian separatists continue their deadly struggle. tensions are on the rise again. these are some of the ten russian paratroopers kiev forces have captured in a direct russian incursion in the east of the country. the the latest word from moscow that the troops crossed the border by mistake. at the weekend, the separatists paraded captured ukrainian government troops through the streets of donetsk, their main strong hold. hardly overture. moscow continues to deny it. u.s. national security advisor tweeted repeated russian incursions into ukraine unacceptable, dangerous, inflammatory. they represent s

whatever is said in geneva has time to filter down here to donetsk. >> let's go to donetsk live now with bbc david stern. has there been developments in the situation around that government building david, any negotiations? >> reporter: no, nothing at all. as you've been hearing from james down the street from here, there's no movement. in fact, a more of a digging in. this deal is barely a day older. it seems to run into difficulty. of course the pro russian activists saying the government in kiev is itself an armed military group and must vacate the buildings it has occupied. it should be said we're still early in this. as i say, it's only a day old. it's not clear if this is political posturing or perhaps russia has not been able to bring the influence promised on these groups. it should also be said the western officials and ukrainian officials say that russia is s disgenerous saying they're carrying these operations out themselves. >> russian forces are still on the border. wh are ukrainian troops visible in donetsk? >> reporter: yes, they are. it's a stand off. ukrainian troops are

now they're defending sloviansk and donetsk. what do they do in terms of donetsk and how do they make of the situation they're in. i've be been speaking to alexander. that's not his real name. he puts himself forward for the spokesman of the donetsk republic. >> he promised to get rid of any separatists in a week or two. it's now, what three months, and we're still here. you know, to this moment, the situation in the area is a stalemate. >> they've been taken back by government forces. they're going to do the same thing with donetsk. >> i would say a victory of the army wasn't planned to retreat. there's just no point of defendi defendi defendi defending. most forces here are called to regroup to come up with a plan. i think the next move will be an attack. >> an attack by your forces you say? >> yeah. >> right. in which direction? are you still getting material, support armed men coming from russia? >> i can't say much about it. from what i've seen, most of the arms are coming from donetsk region. most are ex ukrainian weapons.

the pro-russian separatists are telling us that at least 50 rebels have been killed in donetsk. the ukrainian government deployed helicopter gun ships and fighter jets in operations to retake the city's airport. to talk about the situation in ukraine we are joined by kiev from our correspondent david stern. slightly different numbers coming out in terms of the death toll. it e certainly seems like this was a bloody episode in this crisis. >> reporter: yes, that's exactly right. a very bloody episode. it's not over yet. we have been getting various numbers as you say. we were confirmed or we had our confirmations from the pro-russian separatists at least or around 30 of their gunmen were killed yesterday. now we're hearing from the russian agency that the self-proclaimed prime minister is saying around 50. it's difficult to say. what we can say is this was one of the fierce is it battles if not the beefiercest battle so f. we saw fighter jets and helicopters used yesterday. of course, the government says they are in control of the airport. we haven't been able to confirm that. if

the security defense council tell us the towns in the strategic rebel held donetsk region as well the luhansk region. the self-proclaimed people's republic of donetsk says militia reinforcements are staging counter attacks. here's tom with the latest. >> fighting in the town east of the rebel controlled strong hold of donetsk. we believe this was filmed over the past two days by pro russian rebels. most of the fighting is now focused around donetsk after ukraine's army took the city of slovianviansk earlier this mont this is the city controlled by the russians. the leader of the pro russian rebels claim they're doing all they can to cut supply lines. >> i will knot estimanot estima battle. the enemy is throwing everything they have into battle. all possible resources are deployed to close the circle around the militia forces of donetsk. >> for two day, fighting has prevented a team of dutch experts and international observers from getting to the nearby crash site of flight mh 17. even with armed guards. >> for a third day running, it appears they might not reach the site. ukraine's ar

there is fierce fighting still continuing around donetsk. one of two remaining rebel strong holds here in ukraine. despite that, we understand the pro russian rebels along with ukrainian forces have agreed a six mile cease fire zone around that crash site with the intention of getting professional crash investigators onto the ground so that they can go through the wreckage which is strewn over several square miles of country side. let's catch up with the latest developments. this report by denise hammock. >> dozens of recorders packed a room in donetsk to watch the black boxes handed over. rebel leaders signed them over to malaysian officials. >> i can see the black box is intact. >> experts hope the box will give much needed answers about the crash. the aircraft position at the time, the moment it happened, and exactly what caused it. it comes five days after mh 17 came down in part of ukraine controlled by pro russian rebels. yesterday they allowed a refrigerator train carrying the bodies of passengers to be moveed and checked by inspector

richard reports from the city of donetsk. that's in the heart land of the separatists movement. >> in their apartments here in the city of donetsk, she and her daughter read a book by the famous poet. she is a strong supporter of ukrainian unity. now she fears for the safety of her family. >> even if there's a separate people's republic found here, i will have to leave. i won't be able to speak ukrainian, my native language. my friends are currently selling their houses and moving to western ukraine. people are afraid for their families. freedom is the most important thing for me. >> when the official results of the referendum in donetsk was announced monday by pro russian separatist leaders, their plans became very clear. he declared it was an independent sovereign state. for him, the fears of the ukrainian speaking population seem of little concern. what about the impact on the economy of the declaring independence? this region is ukraine's industrial heart land covered with mines and factories. dating back to soviet need o

i believe i can talk to our reporter richard in donetsk. what are rebels saying about possible ceasefire arrangements that might be drawn up? >> reporter: the fighting is continuing in some areas here. literally in the last few minutes we've heard a substantial artillery fire coming from around the airport where the two sides are still fighting each other. in terms of what a the rebel leadership here said about the ceasefire, they said they basically support it. to have the key demand, they're saying they'll stop firing if the ukrainian army pulls out completely from this entire region. now i think that's something which is going to be very difficult for the ukrainian government and military to accept. it's pretty much leaving rebels completely in control of this part of south eastern ukraine. >> what are you hearing from residents from people who are in the middle of all this fighting in donetsk? >> reporter: i think basically talk to anybody here, and they will say we are desperate for this conflict to end as quickly as possible. i don't

we've seen heavy fighting around the city of donetsk. that's the strategically important city. for month it's been the capital for pro russian rebels. it's a city that's important but also if the ukrainian army -- big if, we don't know when if they do. we think they could be mounting something in the future. if they take that city, it would be a propaganda coup. we think they're trying to maintain roads that link the city with russia to the east. the ukrainian government in kiev say those roads are essentially supply lines from russia to donetsk. of course russia denies supplying those pro russian rebels. it says actually the united states, europe is guilty of a propaganda woar when it comes t their role in this. >>> going to brussels where ambassadors are trying to agree tougher economic sanctions against russia over actions in ukraine. >>> a war crimes prosecutor says former leaders of the liberation army should face charges of crimes against humanitarian. a small amount of people seem to have been killed to harvest organs. >> this practice did occur on a limited scale. a sma

many rebels fleeing to the regional capital of donetsk. steve rosenberg has been to slovyansk to see what changed since the government regained control. >> reporter: the road to slovyansk is a reminder there is a war now in europe. pro russian militants had called this town their fortress. but under heavy fire, they have been forced to retreat. in town, the ukrainian flag is back. separatist symbols are being scraped away. but the collective trauma will take longer to erase. after weeks of fighting, there is widespread damage. many here accuse the ukrainian army of indiscriminate shelling. she tells me how she had come under fire and heard explosions nearby. i don't know who was shooting, she says, but my nerves couldn't take this anymore. this was the most feared building in slovyansk, when the insurgents were in control. their headquarters and their prison. they took hostages and locked them in the cellar. some of the prisoners are still missing. >> these are the conditions the prisoners were held in underground, some here for three mont

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

we went to another city in the south of donetsk yesterday. there is now ukrainian military check points on the main roads into that city. armored personnel carriers on the main road in this region. it's a very difficult situation. nobody knows now where this is going. >> also very wet. looks miserable as must be the mood there. thanks very much. >>> barclays says its will cut 19,000 jobs over the next three years following a string of disasters including the scandal. 7,000 go in investment banking. the bank tries to retreat from more risky areas. barclays will set up a bad bank to sell or run down non call operations. >>> nigeria's president johnson has said the kid thatti inappin school girls could mark the terrorism in nigeria. special lists are being sent to the state to look for the abducted schoolgirls. >> the government promised our sisters. i believe our assist will come almost immediately. the government of the united states of america, the united kingdom and france have also spokeen with me and expressed commitment to help us resolve

i live in donetsk near the airport and railway station. it's very tense in donetsk at the moment. people are worried. i'm worried. we're worried for our lives and our homes because apart from that city, people don't have anywhere to go. it's the same for me. i've lived in donetsk all my life. i used to go outside a lot but since the fighting started i only go out when i have to train. i make up my mind depending on where i hear the shots coming from. if they're close, i stay in. if they're far a way, i go out and i'm not scared. well, it's still a bit scary. training for me became 100 times more difficult because it was scary to go outside or train in the swimming pool that was shaking. now when i hear noise or rustling, i think oh no, something is going to happen. and then the swimming pool where i used to train was hit. the water had to be drained out, so now there's nowhere for me to swim. i can only do general physical exercise like sit-ups. in donetsk it's really difficult to prepare for competition. i feel supported by everybody. lots of people say i should leave the city. t

they won't let anyone through. >> james reynolds in donetsk. there is a sizable minority who feel very uncomfortable the way things are evolving over the course of the next few weeks. let's talk about what the west and international community can do. we saw the u.n. special envoy came here to simferopol in crimea and of course was taken away by gunmen and driven back to the airport and left very quickly afterwards. a delegation is supposed to come here, the unarmed military observers and supporters. 23 of them travel anything two buses. yesterday they were turned away from the border. they are trying again today. david, we're going to watch that very closely. they're due to arrive in the next hour. >> christian, thank you very much indeed. a fast moving story on "gmt" and on "bbc world news". let's catch up with some of the other stories around the world. a court in malaysia convicted the leader on charges of sod my. it overturns his a quilts on the same charges two years ago. it is punishable by 20 years in prison. his lawyers have already sai

the leaders in these self-declared luhansk and donetsk republic say this will lend them legitimacy, but the fear here in kiev where i am is that it will either lead to a frozen conflict, as we've seen in georgia and other parts of the former soviet union, or perhaps to an escalation in the fighting, because there has been fighting ongoing ever since a truce was announced the beginning of september. 300 people in the last ten days. more than 4,000 since it started. so there's a great fear that this could lead, in fact, to even more or heavier combat operations than what we're seeing now. >> david stern there. >>> now, at least 24 migrants have died after their boat sank in the black sea off the turkish city of istanbul. seven of the people have been rescued. the vessel was believed to be carrying about 40 people, including many children. let's get the latest now. our correspondent mark lowen is in istanbul. this is terrible news, mark. what's happened? >> reporter: a migrant disaster on the shores of europe. this morning, early on in the morning, a vessel capsized about five kilometers n

there was a big march in their favor today in donetsk. it's not completely clear how much support they have. >> briefly, we talk about imf releasing to receive, much needed money there. also a warning from the imf the russian economy rirvsked becaus of sanctions. >> the first quarter of negative growth happened. everybody knows the second quarter is going to happen as well. also in recession. there are concerns if these sanctions carry on at this stage, there will be perhaps 2% reduction in the russian economy over the next year. that would be a fairly serious recession for a country that is already struggling slightly financially as it's demands in terms of pensions and increasing or improving armed forces continue. >>> thank you both very much indeed. >>> there have been violent clashes between police and protestors at the may day parade in the turkish city. police used water cannons and tear gas as hundreds defied a ban on demonstrations in the taksim square. this is the rallying point for trade unions. last year this was the focus of

this is the city of donetsk itself at dawn break. the president turchynov told parliament the operation will be conducted in a manner stage by stage to stop the attempts s s tear our country apart. in another develop action, putin rejected accusations during a talk with president barack obama saying allegations were unfoended. gabrielle spent the last few days in sloviansk not far from the border. >> a police station in eastern ukraine, on the streets outside there's a battle for control. a shot i thirings out saturday morning. this is where it all began. that man in the blue jacket is a local journalist. they decided he's an enemy of their cause. in town across this region, angry pro russian protectors are taking over government buildings. we arrived just afterwards. our car was stopped by the same crowd. >> the protestors are are extremely aggressive. they saw us with our camera. they threatened us, broke our memory chips and told us to get in the car and get out of here immediately. what is by now a familiar pattern, we got news p

the head of the people's donetsk republic. he's led pro russian act vis in the seize of local administration buildings in donetsk. he is named on this list. if he has assets in the eu, they will be frozen. he'll also have a visa ban. also the staff member of the intelligence unit in the russian armed forces. he was said to be involved on the ground in the city of sloviansk, the most rebellious city. they believe there are people linked to russia in events on the ground in ukraine. western officials have accused russia of orchestrating events in the east of ukraine which is something of course russia has repeatedly denied saying it is a local uprising against the new leaders in kiev who they few as illegitimate. >> duncan, obviously these measures are not as tough as the americans for obvious reasons. we've seen that in last sanctions too. will they make a difference to asset freezes and travel bans on these people that actually hit them? >> it's difficult to know if the people involved on this sanctions list if they really do

donetsk is a rebel strong hold. it's emptying fast. to the east in lisix have died. it's been conflicting heavy losses on nearby bases. over the board erder what's bel to be the first fatal say in this town. a woman holds fragments of the shell which she says killed her god father. the victim's mother says the shell hit him with such impact, doors, windows and even the chimney breast were blown off. the russian foreign minute industry has called the shelling an extremely dangerous escalation of tensions between moscow and kiev which could have irreversible consequences for ukraine. kiev denies any involvement. as the russian f president arrives in rio for the world cup final, the spiraling conflict was on his mind. away from this reception for heads of state, he had a private meeting with the german chancellor. they agreed the crisis is getting worse and urged direct talks between kiev and rebels. the british prime minister and u.s. president weren't here but they've been talking to. speaking by phone they agreed russia needs to take further steps towards peace and m

it's out here in donetsk. just a few moments ago a military jet flew over the center of the city where we are right now. and it seems to be making a few -- making passes. we've also been hearing, of course, about the very tense and explosive situation in the east from our reporters there. but we've also been receiving reports from western journalists, from western agencies, that they've seen armored carriers, armored military vehicles, that are now flying the russian flag. it's not clear exactly but they think that this is, in fact, ukrainian troops that have gone over to the russian side. difficult to say exactly what the situation is. but there are numerous reports that there is at least one group of armored vehicles that are flying the russian flag. >> what about the warning from president putin in moscow to the united nations and germany that ukraine is now on the brink of civil war? you live there. what's your view? >> reporter: well, we've heard this from the russians before. also i should say, i've hear

donetsk is strategically important to both sides. it is under rebel control. that's the way rebels want it to stay. fighters from other parts of the east have travelled to donetsk to reinforce numbers against the ukrainian army who are blockading the city. but the army is facing resistance from large numbers of people who support the rebels. >> translator: i will take up arms tomorrow. better to die on a barricade than under the ukrainians. >> there lies the central problem in this crisis. retaking territory from the rebels may in the short term prove to be the easy part for the ukrainian army, but more fighting will lead to more bloodshed. that will only deepen divisions and make it more difficult to win over hearts and minds. bbc news. >>> let's bring you a story out of australia. immigration authorities have confirmed they returned more than 40 asylum seekers to the navy in operation at sea. the asylum seekers ship was intercepted off the islands in the indian ocean. the move has been criticized by refugee groups. i spoke to the bbc phil mercer in sydney wi

kiev claims parts of donetsk and luhansk regions are declared russia. reports say four international monitors were detained in eastern ukraine thursday. we have the bbc ukrainian service. we've had confirmation from russian troop withdrawals and more focus on east military. >> there was withdraw of troops on the russian side of the border from 40,000 to estimated 10,000. the pull back has happened there. from the ukrainian perspective. there's a large number of infiltration of russian fighters, militants from the russian territory into the ukrainian territory that change add. the fighting on the side of the pro russian separatists. there seems to be a build up there particularly with reports of people from other areas taking part on the side of separatists in ukraine. >> how worried is kiev about that? >> well, i think on the one hand there's been a shooting down helicopter with one of the generals of the national guard. there have been attacks on the ukrainian military. there's loss of life on the ukrainian side. however the ukrainian military men and

it's a long way from the fighting around donetsk. the authorities in ukraine now say that the town of azov has fallen to russian military. let's talk to the vice news reporter from mariupol. tell the us haow you were able o get off. >> we tried to leave the road north. we traveled along without major incidents. the coastal road is apparently blocked. when we tried to approach the town however we were turned back at a check point established by the pro russian sources. it's not entirely clear who they are. some looked like locals. we were not sure where the commander was from. they established a check point on the north side of the town. they were dug in. we were not able to pass. locals were being allowed in and out of the town without problem. he said he was unable to guarantee safety of journalists. it was clear we would not be allowed to travel a along that road. >> does it seem to you pro russian forces are completely in control of the town? >> yes, it would seem that way judging by the size of the check point there judging by th

let's take you now to richard who joins me from donetsk. russia's next move will be critical. what's the latest line from moscow? >> reporter: that's interesting. the russian foreign minister has been holding a meeting with delegation in moscow. he also is stressing that moscow wants there to be negotiations. he's saying at the moment the problem lies with the government in kiev. they're not serious about negotiations. he says talks must get underway between the government in kiev and pro russian separatists here in the eastern regions. i think the goal for russia is that there should be a change to the constitution as long as possible so that essentially power is much more involved around the country. regions here in the east would have much more power. as far as russia is concerned, that would mean the ethnic russian population would have better rights. rights would be protected. of course it would mean russia itself, moscow itself would potentially have more influence here in the east and further into ukraine. >> richard, turnout wasn't that high on sunday's vote. with thes

and in one of those areas, donetsk, alexander zakarchenko has been sworn in. he said he promised to serve the people of donetsk people's republic, but president poroshenko said the weekend's vote was a violation of the current peace agreement. he's thinking of scrapping part of that deal. why would it be a great loss? >> reporter: we're seeing a different type of situation. the president said that this would give the two statelets, the two self-declared republics in the east autonomy, but a limited autonomy and for a limited period of time. some felt it would give them de facto independence, but obviously the donetsk and luhansk people's republics as they've called themselves see it differently. they have had these elections, which were earlier than what was foreseen in the peace deal. the elections weren't supposed to take place until december, and they were supposed to take place under the auspices of the ukrainian government. so everybody here in kiev and also where i am in western capitals see this as mr. poroshenko said, a gross violation. in fact, the cr

presence of russ russia in ukraine, the group says since april armed fighters supporting luhansk and donetsk are detaining hundreds of civilians including journalists, pro activists and non orthodox religious leaders. a report shows a photo of what the group says is the basement of the security services. civilians were kicked, stabs, burned with cigarettes, all subjective to mark execution. this is a half destroyed list of detainees found after insur is gents left last month which have the names of those that have been taken. human rights watch says it has what the group says is a mass grave where the bodies of four christians were found after the men were abducted from a protestant church service. i spoke to the author of that report. i asked if there's a particular group of civilians target aed. >> these people deemed to be critics of the self-proclaimed authorities in eastern ukraine. those critics are activists, journalists, religious activists who are not russian orthodox and being perceived as disa approving of the self-proclaimed. it's as simple as that. then of course other people ar

the heavily armed separatists movement is in ukraine's center of donetsk. using unusually blunt language, secretary of state john kerry accused russia of actively coordinating unrest across eastern ukraine. >> this is a full throated effort to actively sabotage the democratic process through gross external intimidation. russia has put its faith in distractions, deception, destabilization. for seven days, russia has refused to take a single concrete step in the right direction. >> russia's language is equally tough. these are ukrainian troops in the east. moscow says the u.s. is doing nothing to stop kiev mounting raids against pro russian separatists here in the east. russia's foreign minister lavrov's blunt language has matched john kerry's statement. this is what he told a meeting of young diplomats in moscow. mr. lavrov said ukrainians are waging a war on their own people. he called this a bloody crime and those that push the army to do that will pay, he said. i'm sure, and they'll face justice. he added russia is decommitted to deescalating in ukraine b

in donetsk and elsewhere in eastern ukraine, it remains a high stakes battle of wills in the country and beyond. >> now we're going to take you straight to the island where survivors of the south korean ferry are brought after shore. the news guard is having a news conference. listen. >> the president has come down and to give insistence for rescue efforts. we will expedite the rescue effort as much as possible following the president's instructions. and the organization -- operations is briefed. >> well we were hearing from the regional coastal guard chief in south korea about the ferry that capsized more than 24 hours ago with almost 500 people including more than half of high school students on board. there has been quite a bit of n anger and frustration because the number of death toll is changing and there are a lot of mixed messages. the president said time is running out, but they are putting efforts to the rescue operation. jane francis kelly has the report. >> reporter: coast guard shows rescue efforts before the ferry went down. among those found, this 6-year-old carried of

they've declared a people's republic of donetsk p p that's for the region. there are two standoffs causing great concern to the authorities here. the question is if they decide to take force or if, indeed, they decide to negotiate how they're going to solve this problem. >> great concern, of course, internationally as well, david. at the same time, you've got president putin meeting senior government leaders, looking at the economic links between ukraine and russia. and potentially that could be extremely damaging to ukraine, couldn't it? if, for example, there were bans put on certain trading agreements? >> reporter: indeed. as you pointed out before, very much the focus will be on gas and on energy. ukraine gets the majority of its gas from russia. it's a very gas-dependent economy. russia has already raised the price in recent days of ukrainian -- that ukraine pays for russian gas by 80%. ukraine has said they are not going to pay this price. they say the previous price was perfectly fine. but the russians say now that the ukrainians have not paid their b

are a number of other hostages or people detained by the pro russian separatists in the east in this donetsk region. >> many thanks indeed. joining us live from kiev. >>> at least 17 have been killed by a series of tornados in the american midwest. 11 deaths were in the suburbs of little rock in arkansas where the tornadoes reported to be a kilometer live. wendy reports. >> reporter: on the kansas, missouri border, the city lies in ruins. whole buildings are torn apart. the ground is covered. from the air it's easy to see the extent of the damage. roofs torn off homes, contents exposed. people are clearly determined to clean up the mess the twister left behind. it wasn't done yet. from oklahoma it headed to kansas. here too homes were damaged beyond repair. trees are ripped out by the roots. their dama they caused more damage as they fell. the massive tornado plowed through this community and left almost nothing behind. a desperate search and rescue operation is underway to track down anyone who may be injured or trap add. in nebraska, the sky looks me nising as the tail begins to form. the

bbc news, donetsk. >> we're going to take you straight to nairobi now. the president of kenya uhuru kenyatta is addressing the nation about an attack by the militant group al shabab in the northeast of the country that killed 36 people. let's listen in. >> the decades of horror, fear, outrage, and frustration, we resolve as a nation to protect our sovereignty by pursuing our enemiy iey ies beyond our borde somalia. by mid 2011, it had become clear that our long border with an ungoverned territory, teeming with violent criminals, was a threat to our national stability. joining military efforts to bring peace to somalia was the inevitable answer to our terror and security threats. in october 2011, the government authorized the kdf to pursue al shabab militia into somalia. this decision was right then and remains so today. following requests by regional, continental, and global actors, kdf joined in february 2012. to date, we remain part of the african union mission. the incursion in somalia has been largely successful. al shabab is depleted and on the retr

this is donetsk, capital of self-proclaimed donetsk people's republic. militants are busy state building creating their own police force, tax inspectors. from the campaign posters around town, there's going to be an election here too but not for ukrainian parliament. >> this is head of the people's election economy. he's giving a press conference for what they're having here for local parolemeliament. >> meanwhile, many of the shops here are boarded up. most banks aren't working. there's heavy fighting going on still on the edge of the city in places and reports of fighting amongst the rebels. no one really knows here how this attempt to break away from kiev is going to end. steve rosenburg, bbc news in eastern ukraine. >> to pakistan where a leading antigovernment cleric says he's ending the the two month protest. he started the campaign against the government with a mass rally in august. >> the announcement came last night. since then, protestors have been packing up. they have been camped out last two po months. the movement was led by cleric from can

we've been told the airport in donetsk, the main city there in the donetsk region has been closed. at least to international flights. not clear what's happening with regional flights. as i'm in kiev now, the situation -- >> i was going to ask you, do we have idea about whether loyalties of these city, populations, lie? >> well they seem to be mixed. it's difficult to say. when you have armed separatists in your midst you may not be speaking freely. it appears there's a significant portion at least in sloviansk and perhaps other towns of the local population that does support it. other people are not as vocal. obviously that would be a risky move to go out and say you oppose this. what would be interesting to see is as activists and separatists carry out this referendum may 11th. what exactly the reaction of the local population would be. >> yeah. looking at vienna the council meeting as well. is there anything kiev authorities are hanging onto some sort of diplomatic solution here. >> well difficult to say. there's diplomatic solutions that seem to be in effect or perhaps even dead

there is fighting in and around the area of donetsk, the city of donetsk especially, the airport which is a very key spot. the government forces still control the airport. there's been shelling as well as in the town itself. we've heard six people have died recently under many casualties, and obviously the fighting is in other areas. but as i say, even though it seems to be escalating somewhat in the past days, it's not quite at the levels that we've seen before and nobody is saying that the cease-fire, or at least that full scale hostilities are break out any time soon. >> so david, have we seen an improvement in the humanitarian situation? >> well, in some ways yes. i should start off by saying in some ways no, obviously with the fighting, it is much worse for those people who are coming under fire. that said, some people seem to be coming back to donetsk and luhansk, the cities that are controlled by the rebels. we also have been informed of prisoner exchanges or p.o.w. exchanges between the two sides. russians also have delivered another convoy of humanitarian aid. but, of course,

. >>> as clashes continue in donetsk, some find themselves out of europe and u.s. >>> a memorial service and apology from the president for those involved in the ferry disaster. >>> what chance is at risk for a peace deal as the initiative fails? aaron is here. an oil giant is caught up in the sanctions against russia. it may be british. bp owns a 20% stake many the giant rosneft. now the u.s. has added this man the boss of rosneft to its sanction list saying he's in vladimir putin's inner circle. we asked what impact this could have on bp. hello. it is midday in london, 7:00 washington, 3:00 in moscow. there's been a twist? the tug of war over ukraine. russia described the unprecedented increase in u.s. and nato activity near borders. the defense minister told his u.s. counter part to tone down the rhetoric promising russia had no plans to invade ukraine. meanwhile eu followed washington and announced new sanctions targeting top political players in russia. on the ground the situation remains unchanged and unstable. nick childs has this. >> sloviansk today looking very much like a pro r

she says they are from the donetsk wing. opposed to the kiev government against the overthrow of vi-- >>> nato has just announced in the past hour or so it has agreed on more military measures to reinforce its member's security. the organization's secretary-general said it will deploy more air, land and sea forces in eastern europe. >> today we agreed on a package of further military measures to reinforce or collective defense and demonstrate the strength of ally solidarity. we will have more planes in the air, more ships on the water and more readiness on the land. for example, air police and aircraft will fly more over the baltic region. ally ships will deploy to the baltic sea, the eastern mediterranean and elsewhere as required. military staff from allied nations will deploy to enhance our preparedness, training and exercises. >> anders rasmussen speaking in brussels. jonathan, what's that announcement all about? reassuring the nervous neighbors? >> absolutely. two things. reassuring nato's allies in the baltics and in c

therefore the skepticism. >> richard on the ground in donetsk. among those who are really urging nato's leadership to take a tough line against russia are the baltic states, former soviet union states. states such as poland. they're very pleased today one of the things due to be announced is creation of nato rapid reaction force, the kind dispanded a number of years ago. that idea being that there could be a multinational force ready to go to any hot spot such as russia's borders within a matter of days. i've been speaking to one of those ministers asking him about his view of russia and ukraine. >> of course everyone hopes that the killings and violence are stopped in ukraine. we see. ceasefire will be welcome. of course there's doubts because one of the problems is russia didn't admit so far it's part of the conflict. it's crucial if you like to find solution. >> how do you perceive president putin's strategy? do you think he wants to push ahead into ukraine? >> i'm quite pessimistic. it's clear russia wants to stop ukraine's movement closer to

one in donetsk. they've called for a referendum there if you call. authorities have cleared activists from one of the government buildings in kharkiv and detained or arrested 70 people there. obviously the situation continues. there's a great deal of concern not just in parliament but the ukrainian government as well. we have heard from western governments and nato leaders. >> looking at what's happening in kharkiv there, we've seen people arrested. how much appetite for another referendum pushing for further ties with russia? >> that's really the question. we don't know how deep this pro russian or antigovernment movement goes. we have a few hundred people, couple hundred that occupied the donetsk building. they claim to represent a larger movement. east, even though russian speaking and quite a few ethnic russians, they are ethnic ukrainian citizens. recent polls indicate the majority of people don't want to join russia. they would like more autonomy but not federallization of the country. this is a fluent situation and difficult to say what exactl

>> reporter: we're hearing there is fighting down in donetsk. social media reports and phonev conversations we've managed to have with people living in sloviansk have talked about fighting on the outskirts of the city. there's unconfirmed reports the interior minister has talked about casualtyinies on both sid. this latest fighting on the outskirts of the city, the pro russian strong hold here in eastern ukraine. the reports are saying the number of casualties is yet to be confirmed. it does appear there's fighting in and around sloviansk. the operations there intensified. >> okay sarah thanks. now to paris. is there any indication it may be time for sanctions to be imposed against entire sectors of the russian economy? >> well i think he's reflecting today the difficulty getting everyone around the table to determine what kind of sanctions. germans have supported asset freezes and bans at the moment. americans are reflecting larger sanctions. we know europe is highly dependant on gas from russia. half of that flows through ukraine. there are so

the mill tabt-- 150 kilometers in the neighboring republic, this is donetsk, capital of the proclaimed people's republic. people are busy building their own police force. from campaign posters around town, you can tell there's an election here too, but not the ukrainian parliament. >> he's giving a press conference now about the election they're going to be having here for local parliament and local head of state. meanwhile, many shops here are boarded up. most of the banks aren't working. there's heavy fighting going on still in the edge of the city and reports of fighting amongst the rebels. no one really knows here how this attempt to break away from kiev is going to end. steve rosenburg, bbc news in eastern ukraine. >> get more of steve's road trip around ukraine in the program on thursday. >>> now you are bound to notice, but do you wonder why are some creatures have such dazzling skins? researchers here in england appear to have found the answer. they say the surface of fish and insects is made of multiple layers of crystals which creates a reflective appearance when the light bo

officials say troops in the donetsk region were subject to artillery and rockets. we'll keep an eye on that. i'll be back in an hour with impact. follow me on twitter also. thank you very much for watching. [ male announcer ] it's one of the most amazing things we build and it doesn't even fly. we build it in classrooms and exhibit halls, mentoring tomorrow's innovators. we build it raising roofs, preserving habitats and serving america's veterans. every day, thousands of boeing volunteers help make their communities the best they can be. building something better for all of us. ♪ the worlds most entertaining device with a color... colorfully brilliant screen that blows the competition out of the water. what is this? i thought i was doing the announcing... stunningly thin and effortlessly light..." i was literally about to say that. it certainly has the best screen of any samsung tablet. and i would add... or of any tablet, period. or of any tablet, period. see, buddy... teamwork. introducing the galaxy tab s with twice the resolution of hdtv, it's the world's mo

this is donetsk airport, the scene of more fierce fighting. the pro russian separatist rebels have been gaining ground in recent days in luhansk and donetsk regions. ukrainian forces say they were forced to withdraw from the airport. the defense minister says on his facebook page russia is behind the rebel attacks and begun a full scale military intervention. he says a great war has arrived at our doorstep, the likes of which europe has not seen since world war ii. russia denies involvement in the conflict. lavrov said monday's talks should agree on a ceasefire. those talks brought together ukrainian, russian and separatist envoys over a few hours. >> rebels do appear to have softened demands. they're seeking a special status region if for ukraine to give amnesty of prosecution. it will allow the deepening of economic with russia. they're set with closer economic ties with eu. talks are adjourned until friday. >> at the next few days, nato is set to agree on a rapid response force of several thousand troops that can be deployed in two days. th

this is our home. >> so you're saying there's no way back to a united ukraine for donetsk? >> translator: we have passed the point of no return. if there had been no aggression by kiev, no victims, then we could have held a referendum about being part of a federal ukraine. now anyone who suggests being part of a united ukraine would be seen as a criminal. the state of ukraine doesn't exist anymore. >> do you exclude having talks with the new president? >> translator: talks isn't the right word. dialogue is possible. we view russia in that role. there are two questions we could discuss. first exchange of prisoners and second withdraw of all ukrainian military units from our territory. >> how important is assistance from russia? there are reports of volunteers from the russian federation to fight on your side in ukraine. >> translator: the volunteers keep coming. there are more from russia because we and the russians are one people. we were born in the same country, soviet union. we grew up with the same ideals and have the same heroes. our fathers and grandfathers defeated t

it slightly takes our eye off the ball of what is going on around luhansk and donetsk. what's the situation? >> the situation is intense. there's heavy fighting in the place which is half way through the corridor that cuts donetsk away from luhansk. now the two seem to be separated by ukrainian forces. there's heavy loss of lives including civilian life. roughly 60 people a day are dying in the area. there's a lot of loss of ukrainian military. today they reported for instance, the downing of another military helicopter with the crew being killed. this happened two days ago and only reported now. there are also reports of a loss of regular russian troops sported in the area. there's very little hard evidence to prove that this is large numbers. at least the ukrainian officials have produced some evidence of armored personnel carriers with russian documents, driving licenses, military cards inside. the russian defense ministry defenses that as yet another provocation. one more illustration to the blame game and one more illustration of how tense the situation is and how