>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm not jonathan betz in new york. a crisis in ukraine, continued coverage. a country on the bridge of war with russia. >> al jazeera america's reporters are across the globe. we'll go to moscow, kiev, united nation, new york city and washington d.c. the world is watching. so are we. al jazeera america starts right

now. >> here is the latest on the saturday night. ukraine put armed forces on high alert but said it will not be provoked into a conflict. russia is in control of the southern region of the crimea. uniformed armed men have been patrolling for days. in some areas demonstrators took to the streets showing support for russia. the russian parliament approved vladimir putin's request for military force inside ukraine. 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 the day of its adoption. >> it took less that an hour for

russia's parliament to vote on the authorisation of force in ukraine, not just crimea. >> british foreign secretary william hague summoned the russian ambassador and expressed concern. >> we are concerned about the escalation of tensions in ukraine and crimea, and the russian parliament this afternoon to authorise military action in the ukraine without the consent of the ukrainian authorities. this is potentially a grave threat to the independence, sovereignty and integrity of ukraine. >> an emergency meeting of foreign ministers was to be held. a russian decision does not call for military access, but clears it if vladimir putin decides to act. the legal reasoning sites a number of clauses between ukraine and russia.

it was drawn up after the fall of the soviet union. russian public opinion is in favour of supporting the russian efforts against a new government in kiev, seen here by many as extremists. >> now, one of the very interesting things that's come out of today as people analyse what happened here in moscow with the vote is that vladimir putin didn't have to go to the parliament, to the upper house of the parliament here. he could have just, as he did in 2008 deploy his troops, and a lot of people are saying why the show. there has been analysis as to what well happened. >> we want to talk to you a bit later, stay with us. now to kiev - ukraine's acting president has put forces on full

alert. ier -- we are live to independence square, with nick schifrin. how nervous are ukraine's leaders at this point. >> ukraine's leaders are very nervous. they have been on the job for 48 hours and are dealing with a maimer security crisis they were trying to deal with the economy. this is what they have to deal with. the president or acting president not only put his forces on high alert. he stepped up security at airports and security plants. we heard the prime minister discussing military intervention. they are warning soldiers to step back into bases. they are warnings echoed, include ag tatiana chernobyl, she said she wants diplomacy to work, but they feel there's no

choice. >> translation: there's no diplomacy with vladimir putin. russia spread information to make georgia the enemy. they stole part of georgia. with putin and viktor yanukovych, there can be no diplomacy. we have no choice but to defend the country ourselves. >> so clearly the government here are worried, using aggress if language, are they capable of acting, sending the military in. they have given no indication that they can do it yet. nick schifrin live for us. we'll visit with you in a moment. we want to get to the united states where president obama has been working the phones, speaking with the russian president and the leaders of france and canada. libby casey joins us in washington with more on this. what did the president say to the world leaders? >> a 90 minute phone call with vladimir putin. that in itself is noteworthy. the white house says president

obama expressed deep concern over russia's clear violation and a breach of the international law. all carefully and tensionally chosen phrases. the read out shows that the united states calls on russia to de-escalating tensions and says: >> now, the white house is trying to make russia feel like it's them against the greater global community. president obama revealed that he spoke with the french president and the canadian prime minister. the white house says they agree to coordinate closely and affirmed the importantlies of unity. the -- importance of unity. secretary of state john kerry making phone calls and defence secretary william hague calling his counterpart in russia. the u.s. is trying to reach out. now, secretary of state john kerry is of note. he spoke with the acting

ukrainian president and the secretary of state put out this statement saying: >> he went on to say a bevy of international bodies will meet in emergency sessions. watch the next 24 to 48 hours to be crucial. we'll find out if there's a deescalation or increase in tensions going forward. >> i want to bring in phil ittner from moscow and nick schifrin from kiev. you raise a lot of good points, the first is whether russia seems serious enough to move ahead with the threats of sending soldiers into crimea. i want to hear your thoughts on that, phil. i want to hear whether it's a serious move or whether russia may be making the guest ours to

influence politics in ukraine? >> this is what a lot of people wonder. again i mentioned earlier that vladimir putin didn't have to go to parliament. he has it fully within powers that he has to send in the troops without warning. so there is some questions, having said that it is of little confirmation to those in ukraine, who are seeing russian troops move in to crimea, who they are russian crimeaans who welcome them, ukraine is in a state of heighten d anxiety. whether the vote was for show, there's real ramifications on the ground, and it could be a slippery slope. these situations can get away from anybody, even somebody as adept at controlling powers like vladimir putin is. >> i want to get your thoughts on that. there is a concern that the government in ukraine is

alienating people close to russia within the country. is there a lot of credibility and sympathy within ukraine to that? >> yes, the old guard always takes advantage of any slip-ups that the new guard makes, whether in ukraine or other countries that have gone through revolutions. what happened here is that the new government repealed a law allowing russian language to be the second official language. if ipp feweriated many -- infuriate many that look towards them for political guidance and help. people in kiev and the western part of the ukraine are looking to the west. there's is sense that they may have stepped too far. they have made the step. it's too late to step back from that. they are focussed on crimea, but

they do not think that russia will back down. russian interests are high politically and economically. but geographically. this is the portal to the mediterranean. there's no sense that russia will give the territory up. can the government step up to the challenge. it's 48 hours old. the government needs to assemble it is a day after firing the chief. not easy on a good day, let alone 48 hours after taking over the resolution. it's not clear that the government is capable or willing do this. that is why you are hearing statements from the u.s. trying to prop up a government that is not clear, capable or willing to confront the russian military. >> it's not clear whether the united states is ready to confront this. >> the question is what muscle

is the u.s. willing to put forward. the u.s. said it would pull out of the planning stages of the g8 summit. what is the u.s. hoping to do, other than isolate putin, make him look bad, like a bully, a word that was used to describe russia. besides that, what is the u.s. going to do? they can look at economic sanctions, not just scuttling trade deals or talks with russia, but also targetting a key leader and figure, and harming them economically. but we are not getting to the point where we are talking about boots on the ground. right now it's about diplomacy and we'll see john kerry make the rounds on the sunday talk shows. that'll be the latest and best sense tomorrow of how of white house is responding. >> libby casey in washington. thank you to you and phil ittner in moscow and nick schifrin in kiev.

thank you for your insight. we want to get further insight with james jopren from the men institute. it's good to see you again. i want to talk about a theory that russia may not back down. do you think it's a possibility that russia will invade ukraine and try to make a land grab. >> i don't know that it's about crimea or grabbing land. i think the russians are effectively in control of the crimea peninsula, whether through their own forces or proxies, private security firms. the men in unmarked uniforms or through local sympathetic people. the overwhelming opinion in crimea is pro-russian. the question is what are the russians trying to do with this. are they trying to take ukraine or using it as a bargaining trip or lever to achieve something more important in ukraine. let's keep in mind they don't see this as a new government.

they think the administration is illegitimate, that it seizes power from the streets with violent elements against the democratically elected president viktor yanukovych, who is in russia and moscow considers the legitimate president. it was significant at the security council that the russian ambassador pointed to the february 1st agreement between viktor yanukovych, and the opposition leaders for power sharing, which collapsed within hours before the ink was dry in favour of total power. >> the point - i want to bring up the sound bite. we spoke to a former kremlin advisor. we'll play a part of the interview. he said that the west is stirring the pot. listen. >> what we are having here now is the situation is out of control for the interim government in kiev, and so the

western leaders like president obama and others are trying to whip up the frenzy about the possible war, and what is more interesting is they are saying or hinting that there'll be a cost for russia. let me ask a sympathetical question. what is it that they can do about it? this is not threatening iraq or syria or libya, this is talking to a nuclear superpower. i don't understand the threats. >> he raises is a good point. perhaps the approach is wrong. instead of bullying or pressuring russia, there should be a different approach to get the two sides to cooperate. >> i would disagree with the russian speaker that president obama is whipping something up. actually histone has been measured although i think it reflects the fact that there's little that washington can do without a direct confrontation with russia, of a strong nuclear

power. the question is will they take the step back and put hummity dumbity back together in terms of a political settlement in ukraine that can bridge the gap between the various regions of ukraine. what got us into the mess was the opposition's violation of that agreement. >> james will stick around for analysis later in the show. next live to the u.n., where john terrett is telling us the latest on the u.n. security council meeting to discuss the crisis. blood shed in china as a group of men armed with knives slash their way through a train stations. those stories and more when we come back.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz. we continue our coverage of the crisis in ukraine. the country's acting president

put armed forces on alert but they will not be provoked into a conflict with russia. >> translation: we will preserve peace. those provoking situations have not the right to intervene in internal affairs. >> russian troops are in control of ukraine's southern region of crimea. president vladimir putin has his parliament's approval too use military support. pro-russian demonstrators showed their support. president obama spoke with vladimir putin earlier today. barack obama raised concerns about russia's plan for possible intervention. we'll return to john terrett, outside the united nations with more on this. we heard some stern statements from the u.n. members, but not a lot of calls for a plan of action.

>> good evening from the united nations on the east side of manhattan, where the security council has been meeting. this is the body charged with looking after peace and security in the world. the meeting was called by the ukrainian ambassador to the u.n., passing the president of the council a letter. it's over, without any significant conclusions. let me, for a second, put you in moscow's point of view. from their point of view, to remind you what happened, a couple of weeks ago they thought they had ukraine in the bag. viktor yanukovych bringing them alongside vladimir putin's policies. then moscow blaming the west for agitating the revolution, and the crimea, the majority are russians, or have russian-speaking affiliations and passports. there's the report of sevastapol, offering the russian navy easy access to the area.

the russian ambassador spoke about all of that. and the agreement when it came into power. it immediately collapsed. and discussed the government of kiev limiting russian as a language. >> translation: the ukrainian parliament why did it off the top take a decision to - make a decision to take away the language lgz, which says that people have the right to use minority languages of not only russian, why the first day was that decision taken to take those away? >> what can the united nations do. it's the rest of the world versus moscow, and the secretary-general ban ki-moon issued a statement in which he said:

>> it is very difficult because the security council has five members - permanent members who have vetoed. one is russia. anything they come up vis-a-vis ukraine is likely to be vetoed by the russians. >> samantha power is the u.s. ambassador to the united nations. she said in a late afternoon press conference that the u.s. has no evidence of minority groups, including russia, being threatened by the ukrainian administration, and implied moscow should back off and cabinet out of the crimea. >> this is as dangerous as it is destabilising. >> we are disturbed by reports of russian military

intervention. >> it is without legal basis. it violates the commitment and independence of ukraine. >> what happens next - the momentum moves away from the security council in manhattan to a meeting tomorrow in n.a.t.o., and the european union. there are trade times. it's hoped that n.a.t.o. and the european union may have more influence. >> in other news much mourners held funerals for police officers killed in a bomb blast in north-west pakistan. two bombs struck workers assigned to protect polio workers. >> a second blast struck a police convoy dispatched to help victims from the first explosion. a child and 10 officers were killed. no one has claimed

responsibility. >> china's state media reports 27 are dead after mass stabbings at a strap station in the southern city. a group of men armed with knives burst into the train station and began to stab people. several of the attackers were killed at the scene. egypt has a new government. ith sixth since the 2011 revomit. the interim prime minister removed ministers belonging to political parties formed since the uprising. abdul fatah al-sisi is defence minister, a new government likely to be formed after elections. and still ahead - continuing coverage of the crisis in ukraine, and venezuelan community in miami showing support for protesters in the home country, and the nation's political unrest. >> inside el chapo's lair, the escape routs used to elewd authorities for decades.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at the top stories this half hour -

ukraine's army is on high alert as parliament apros the request for the use of force in ukraine. the southern region of crimea has scheduled the referendum on increasing the referendum for days. it met to discuss the next steps. the european union announced it will address the ukraine crisis on monday. there has been no official response from the white house today. >> we continue the comprehensive coverage from the crisis in ukraine, a country on the brick of war. let's look at why crimea is so important to russia. officially it's part of ukraine, but it has been an autonomous republic with its own public. it was part of the russia, by way it was separated by a narrow stretch of water. russia's black sea fleet operated from out of a port in 250 years. russia is supposed to inform ukraine of movements outside the

base. men in uniforms are in control of the airport and the regional parliament building. it's not clear who they are, mersanaries, military or russian soldiers. >> the crimian leader asked for support from russia. in crimea it's welcome news to many. >> jubilation in the crimean capital. the russians are coming. as moscow endorsed the use of force, ethnic russians took to the streets. like this family, supports the russian flag. >> they are our protect stores. they are just here to guarantee our safety. >> beneath the statue of communist leader, russian and soviet military flags, the bonds are close of crimea was part of

russia since 1954. the only crimea has a new prime minister, who is russian. >> i decided to take control of the military, armed forces, navy, tax and military, all commanders take orders from me, those that disagree, pleas resign. >> that scarce the crimea tattar population, many expelled by stalin. >> it's the first time in modern history that crimea lived under such conditions. they have taken over military bases. the society is filled with fear, afraid of everyone is everything. >> 400 miles north, in cashing i've -- karkiv.

in kiev former opposition leader now presidential candidate vitaly klitschko appealed for calm. >> translation: i urge everybody, no provocations, no calls for separatism, no violence or anarchy. legal and democratic societies are formed in ukraine. all have to show their patriotism and uni. >> signs of things to come. men in camouflage damaged ukrainian communications equipment. one mystery solved. the men in uniform that took over airports and other strategic locations are crimean riot police, intelligence forces, security personnel and some officers of russia's black sea fleet, according to the prime minister of crimea. there are some ethnic ukrainians and tatars that wonder what the

boods on the ground moons. >> that was jennifer glasse. i want to go back to james jatras. there has been a lot of talk about whether ukraine can defend itself against a russian invasion. a simple question - can it? >> i don't think russia has intentions of invading the rest of ukraine. they have been precise about citing their interests in crimea. that is a peace on a chest board for them. i think it relates to what appeared to be a week ago, a seizure of power by the opposition in kiev and running the elected president out of town, which seemed like a good sport at the time. the russians will have to live with it. those that voted for viktor yanukovych will have to live for it. they revoke limited official youse, and there's nothing they can do about it.

turns out there is something they can do. the russians made a countermove. it's up to the administration, whatever you want to call it in kiev to look at their options with a cold light. remember, they are not in control of streets of kiev. you have people on the streets. >> what are the options at is this point. >> i think the options are to go back to the negotiating table if they can to role back the clock to a power sharing arrangement that does not disenfranchise the people in the south and east, not just crimea, but those that elected viktor yanukovych. you cannot weaken the authority of a government by seizing power from the streets, including violent people out there. >> if russia has no interest working with the government, it feels that it should not be in power, that viktor yanukovych was independently elected, what can the ukraine government do in that case? >> i think moscow is not going

to negotiate directly with the administration in kiev. we'll have to have negotiation among ukrainians go back to where we were on february 21st, where the opposition that now styles itself taungts to people if not the mist riff of viktor yanukovych to people representing the constitutional order in ukraine as the russians see it and come up with a power sharing arrangements that can be approved by the people in europe and russia, and with some participation of the united states. >> i know you don't think russia is going to invade you crane and take a part of that country. a lot of people feel that way. i'm trying to understand what are ukraine's options if it comes to a military stand off, it does not have much control over the county. who can it turn to for help if it needs it. >> i don't think they can turn to anyone. i don't think the united states or anyone if europe - i think

the word is insane, insane enough to put military forces in ukraine in a direct confrontation with russia. as far as the russian position, if i was in their shoes, i would be content to holding on to crimea, and figure are the ukrainians doing to mountain attack against an impenetrable russia. i'm not sure that the armed forces will obey an order from the administration to do that. i think it's possible to limit the possibility of direct confrontation. remember, the russians have not attacked the ukrainian armed forces there's no direct military conflict. i hope that can be avoided. >> what about the georgia playbook, in 2008 when russia was in a war with georgia, that led to an escalation into problems, and that we are seeing the same pattern with ukraine.

>> i think there are a lot of differences. the georgian confrontation was hot when the president of georgia attacked south ossetia, employs peacekeepers. and many of whom held russian passports. russia responded militarily. it was a bloody conflict at that point. that is not the case here now. let's hope it does not turn into that. russia made a countermove. the accusation can me made that it has driven truck through the job. it puts american diplomacy in a difficult position. it sounds rich to hear samantha power talking about territorial integrity and she's a big advocate of uni hatteral force outside of international law

when we think that there's a humanitarian mission or something like that that justifies it. kosovo. >> is that fair to compare what is happening in ukraine and what is happening. >> we think the legal argument is a stronger legal argument than they had in kosovo. whether under the helsinki act, there was no right to intervene. >> deputy director of the american institute in ukraine. thank you for your insight. >> in other news. the pakistani taliban agreed on a one month ceasefire, a spokesperson says the truth is a step towards surviving peace talks. pakistan welcomed the deal. >> now to the protests in venezuela. hundreds marched in the streets in the third-largest city. human rights abuses - 18 have

been killed in protests. protesters are angry over 56% of inflation, food shortages and run away violent crime. anti-government protesters are getting support from a community near miami. they tell us what friends and family of the protesters are doing to help. >> there has been 33 registered tort tours. >> over the last three weeks this pair have spent hours monitoring facebook, instagram to stay in contact with family in venezuela. >> if there's no water or electricity, there's no way to inform anyone what is happening. the government did it on purpose. >> they rely on social media to get news out about what is happening in their native country. >> i don't think they knew what was happening. >> twitter is a life line for people. if i put it on twitter, it gets viral and everyone see what is

is happening. >> they flood the accounts with video clips so the world can see clashes between security forces and anti-government demonstrators who want to oust nicolas maduro. >> you see them running. >> nicolas maduro was elected president in 2013, following the death of hugo chavez. it was a tight race. >> the venezuelans grab arms and whenned themselves, this is -- defend themselves, this is not finished. >> leopoldo lopez was arrested. 17 protesters died and several hundred have been injured. >> vienezuelan has been coming down. there are 250 venezuelans living in florida, more than 2400 in

u.s., many living in dural. the community is concerned about what it happening in the homeland trying their best to work out what is happening. >> much needed medical supplies are being gathered. >> hundreds of patients are coming in. we are acting for medicines, food, any type of medical display. >> rick scott and marco arubio met with a large group, urging sanctions against venezuela. >> to do what he has the power to do. to revoke the travel visas of officials in venezuela. >> in the meantime. they will continue to rally peacefully on the internet and if the streets of miami. in solidarity with their

families back home. >> everywhere we go we can't escape images of violence. an artist in new york is trying to change that. we have that story. >> artist john bergerman is on a mission. >> i hope it works. >> to make people more aware of the violent images they see every day. he calls the project head shots. he snaps photos in front of violent ads and adds blood that violence creates. >> it's curious that you see the images, public spaces that see the threat of violence. >> it's a simply tool, smartphones, cardboard to encourage others to make the intervention. >> see something, making is.

maybe i'll make things fun and playle. >> his work drawing stares and praise. >> he's in and out of the subway station. that one is bloody. >> so far the photos made an impact in the u.s., where the gun murder rate is 20 times higher than any other developed country, according to the u.n. the photos were not allowed to be printed in newspapers in native u.k. because they were violent. >> it's interesting. you can show the before, but you can't show the after. even if it's done in a sloppy photo shopped way. the contradictions are all over the place. >> he hopes his work will make people re-examine the images around him, with or without him. >> it's a tool to encourage and inspire people to connect the dots for themselves. the next time i see that, they don't need me stood in front of

there, covered in blood. it's about looking again. >> egypt's government since 2011 was sworn in. this is a limited reshuffle widely seen as politically motivated. general abdul fatah al-sisi is defence minister, and he is expected to run for president. parliamentary elections should happen by the summer. >> to the story that's captured headlines. after 13 years of outsmarting authorities, western police now how joaquin guzman escaped. police are investigating the home of the drug lord and found tunnels connecting many houses in middle class neighbourhoods. the the interaps entrances were hidden under bath tubs. david mercer went to one of the

homes. >> we have seep strong reactions over the past week since the arrest of el chapo. there's a demonstration, a march that has been organised by a group called sina lowans for peace. they want to show not everyone is in favour of the work that el chapo has been doing. this is in direct response to a march that happened a few days ago on wednesday, where thousands of people showed up in support of elshapo. there were people who carried signs saying el chapo give me a baby. saying how much security he had brought to the region, and how much economic benefit he brought to people here. thousands of people were out in support, and were waiting to see the march happen today, in contrast to this. and see how many people gather together and show not everyone is in support of el chapo. and the questions that everyone has been asking is what is going

to change with the arrest of el chapo. drug security analysts are saying that the trafficking of drugs will not slow down, the drug infrastructure here is so strong, so deeply entrenched that it will not slow down the flow of drugs going north. there's a lot of economic activity, and that probably we will not see dissipating. something that people are worried about is what will happen as people vie for leadership, if there's going to be violence associated with that. if there'll be a violent take over and if people will see blood in the streets as that shuffle for the highest position starts to happen. >> still ahead, extreme weather slamming parts of the country with an avalanche in montana and rain causes problems for california.

and a look at sports. >> the new york yankees unveiled their $155 japanese import and a soccer manager head-butt a player.

>> welcome back. the kris sis in ukraine is casting a shadow over the par limp. >> they kick off in sochi. the international paralympic committee is on high alert but it not planning to alter the games. they continue in socchi, and the united states and everyone is talking about the masked men. jims. >> lebron james knows how to make a fashion statement. like you. he has been creating a buzz

after wearing a black mask to protect his broken nose. he said he went with the batman look to match the miami uniforms. the kings scoring 31. james did not get league approval to wear the shield. they said it's a no-no. according to an n.b.a. official the league prefers the players to wear the clear shield so opponents can see the eyes. >> i like the black mask. >> the new york yankees broadcasting live on three tv networks in japan at 3am for a spring training game. here is the reason why. masahiro tanaka made a debut against the phillies, and the $155 million input was very good. the 25 year-old masahiro tanaka dazzled, three strike outs in

two scoreless ippings of work. throwing 31 pitches, receiving a standing ovation as he left the field. >> tiger woods got his mojo back. he got off to a rough start. he barely made the cut yesterday. tiger was getting his grove on like you would not believe. he carded 65. tiger is sitting at 5-under par for the tournament. he trails rory mcilroy by seven heading into sunday's final round. we are kicking it in the english premier league , because the manager for newcastle head-butt the opposing player. david myers in the way. leans in for the head-butt. he was ejected from the match, and mitt with a $168,000 pipe, par due can get a message from the league.

now the team will consider firing their head coach. >> so, kids, when they say to use your head that's not what they mean. >> it's not as violent as the head but expected. >> well extreme weather in montana led to another avalanche warning, following a search in missoula. an elderly couple and a young boy were buried. they were found and taken to hospital. a rogue snow border may have caused that by going on to closed slops. more snow in the next couple of days. >> a lot more snow. the storm in the calve yn -- californian area is moving to the west. problems in colorado. to that in a moment. first to california, we are seeing one area of rain coming in right now along the coast.

then it has moved to los angeles, it is now coming through san diego, and parts of new mexico. we'll see heavier rain. we think it will go for the next six to eight hours and be spotty and light. some of the locations will see anywhere between six, eight and higher once they calculate the rain in the area. we are still dealing with flash flood warnings to the northern area, around parts of the eastern sections of what we think is east los angeles, and down to the south, coastal flood warnings to san diego. i want to take you over here to parts of colorado. look at the snow that they have seep. i want to show you video that has come out today. do we have that. this video is showing - it's one car pile-up, but we had two 45 to 60 car pile-up. unfortunately one person was a

fatality in the region because of the situation here. we had many injuries across the area. come back to the weather wall, we want to show you what you can expect to see in terms of prospects. look at the winter storm. as well as ice storm warnings towards parts of oklahoma, and over here to parts of kentucky. in this area we expect to see ice. we expect to see anywhere between half an inch and possibility three-quarters of an inch icing in the area. memphis, you can see power outages, downed tree limbs across the area. it will be messy, as well as up here towards new york and washington. >> thank you. >> hollywood is gearing up for the 86th academy award. the red carpet is being rolled out at the dowl by theatre. leonardo dicaprio, kristin bale

and meryll streep and sandra bullock are on the lifts. best documentary feature is on the list, from films about singers to death squads. the winner is anyone's guess. kilmeny duchardt has more. >> director joshua openhe. >> mer changed former disath squad leaders -- death squad leaders to re-enact their killings. >> what the active killing is doing is getting the people who are unapologetic mass murderers to see the horrible things that they have done from the perspective of the people they have killed. the only way to do that is get them to take a step back and look at the events not through whatever lens or filter they

create for themselves to live on and sleep, but look at the event specifically. >> it's taken the 2014 bafta award. britain's equivalent to the oscar. it faces a big commercial success, 20 feet from stardom. >> the only thing i thought i could do and make money, i started cleaning houses. >> this film shows a spotlight on backup singers like darlene love. >> she is cleaning someone's house while they are listening to the radio, listening to a hit song she sang and never got enough credit for and she hears it and thinks, "what am i doing with my life? i need to get back." >> that's what the whole movie is about. these people who are perpetually underappreciated and yet the whole universe of 20th century music, popular music, would not

have been the same without them. >> film critic says no to discount "the square", which is about the toppling of hosni mubarak, or "dirty wars", covert military operations in the middle east. if you watch all five in a row, it can be abusive. a lot are about serious subjects, so watching a film about the wonderers of music and all these classic songs can be a relief. i imagine, "i'm so going to photo for "20 feet from star dom", i needed that movie. but the act of killing is the film that i suspect 50 years from now we will be talking about in film schools. >> "cuty and the boxers", a love story about two jap needs artists in brooklyn. the winner will be revealed on sunday at the 86th academy in los angeles. >> a lot of excellent films.

people in the u.k. and ireland got a dazzling light show. spectators say the northern lights were the best they have seen. they were creative when solar winds collide. the time lapse photos taken in northern england along the irish coast. >> carnivale season kicks off in brazil. [ ♪ music ] >> parades beginning in sao paulo as the sam ba schools march. the theme is soccer. carnivale celebrates the last days before the californian fasting appeared. they are celebrating in new orleans. that's the show. thank you for joining us. i'm jonathan betz. i'll be back in an hour with more news. first a quick look at the

headlines. >> this is al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york with tonight's headlines. ukraine's armed forces are on high alert after rsha seized control of the crimea peninsula. armed men have been patrolling the streets for days.

ukraine insists it will not be provoked into a conflict. >> the u.n. security council meat it discuss the crisis. the u.s. is calling for negotiations. the council took no action as russia has veto power and can block a resolution criticising or sanctioning moscow. >> president obama urged the russian president to find a passful solution, peaking to him by phone. he told him he was deeply concerned. demonstrators are accusing the government of human rights abuses in crack downs on protesters. sl have been killed in student-led demonstrations. people are angry over 56% uninflation, food shortages. >> the recent drought is giving way to a downpour, causing evacuations, triggering mudslides and flooding.

those are the headlines. you can find us online, go to aljazeera.com. have a good night and a great weekend. [ ♪ music ] >> good evening, thanks for joining us. you are watching "america tonight", the weekend edition. i'm joie chen. we begin with the capture of one of america's most wanted men. joaquin guzman. known ag public enemy number one. el chapo. he had been running the