and dr. fitzpatrick march 19th on google hangout. >> great conversation. see you next time. ♪ >> condemnation and sanctions as crimea moves to break away from the ukraine. >> hello, this is al jazeera, live from doha. also ahead - accused of using child soldiers. the international criminal court so due to deliver a verdict against a former congolese leader. >> urgent help or risks of falling apart in crimea. >> how this pint-sized boy's

dream came true. >> first to the crisis in ukraine, and the concern that crimea will split from kiev and become part of russia. the crimean parliament declared thaurs that it wants to join russia and we'll put the decision to voters. the move has been condemned by the new government in kiev. the prime minister denounced the move and called it illegal. the e.u. meanwhile is grappling with how to pressure russia into backing down. it is split over what to do and announced limited measures against moscow, including the suspension of trade and visa talks. in the u.s. barack obama ordered sanctions including visa restrictions and asset freezes. >> the proposed referendum on the future of crimea would

violate the constitution, and violate international law. any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine. in 2014 we are well beyond the days where borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders. >> vladimir putin and president obama had a one-hour phone call on thursday, their second conversation in six days. nick schifrin has more from moscow. >> the call was initiated by the white house and lasted an hour. at the end of the that it was clear both sides remained far apart. vladimir putin was at pains it didn't want to sacrifice the special relationship or the relationship he has with washington for the sake of one international problem, albeit a problem as serious as this. and on the other side, president obama was able to put up a

3-point plan hoping to break through the diplomatic impasse, including direct talks between kiev and moscow, which would be facilitated by international countries involved in the diplomatic efforts. it would include the deployment of international monitors in parts of the ukraine where voout jib is concerned that russian citizens are being maltreated, and would call for the withdrawal of russian forces in the crimea. >> sevastopol is an important city in crimea. the city council has decided to immediately join russia and sever all ties with kiev. jennifer glasse reports now. >> the abandoned building across from the navy base are abandoned again. yesterday the russians were here. they are overlooking the bay.

>> where are they? >> maybe they are just tired, i don't know. >> lieutenant commander yessen says he has no idea what the russians are up to, maybe they'll be back. he doesn't blame the men on the ground. >> they just follow orders. i understand them. i don't feel that this is enemy for me. >> as they have done in some places across crimea the russians left in the middle of the night leaving garbage in their wake. the ukrainian flag is flying on the base across the streets and the russians left their positions here. they left behind medicine and ration packs made in moscow. some russian troops were down the road, as elusive as ever. >> where are you from? where is your commander? >> no answer. >> even as some of the russian

ground forces disappeared, on the sea a more aggressive stance. helicopters circled the bay. ukraine's top naval commanders were trapped in their headquarters for a fifth day. the majority were ethnic russians and welcomed closer ties with russia. a new ukrainian flag for medical headquarters in sevastopol. we are raising it, says the naval captain, to show we'll stand until the end as long as the country is here. he disagrees with the ukrainian parliament. the parliament was gathered under the threat of machine-guns. i believe it's up to the people to decide where and with whom to unite. >> ukraine's navy is blockaded. stranded in its own port. crimea is provided with a

future. jennifer glasse, sevastopol, ukraine. >> the international police agency interpol says it's reviewing an arrest of viktor yanukovych. the organization says it's been asked to issue a red notice by ukrainian authorities. they want viktor yanukovych held on charges including abuse of power and murder. let's go live to kiev. interpol is mulling over a request to arrest viktor yanukovych. but evidence has emerged to suggest that others may have been involved in orchestrating the violence there in kiev. >> that's right. of course amongst the protesters when i was here in february, there was a generally held belief that there were snipers acting on behalf of or taking orders from viktor yanukovych, the president who has now fled.

but in recent days there have been claims, controversial claims that perhaps they may have been snipers who have been acting or loyal to figures in the opposition who are now in the interim government, actually responsible for some killings. in fact shooting people on both sides as a prove okay tur. they have a lot of people angry, but some people are taking the claims seriously. >> they were scenes that shocked the world. now independence square in kiev is a shrine to dozens of protesters. when viktor yanukovych tried to storm the protest. >> the flowers marked the spot where some protesters were killed in february. the chief prosecutor says there's evidence that there was sniper fire coming from the building over there. what no one can say for sure is who was shooting.

and whose orders they were following. >> this was a priest, and part of a self-defence unit. he was there. now he's told independent investigators what he witnessed. >> i got wounded by a pallet myself. this is where it entered and came out. people took me to a makeshift hospital. i saw three dead bodies. no one from the police or prosecutor's office interviewed me. i found someone and gave them information. >> police officers died in the fighting. elite phone calls raise questions over who was shooting who. katherine ashton heard anti-government prove okay terse and carried out the shooting. >> it was disturbing. all the evidence shows that people who were killed by

snipers among police men and people from the streets. they were the same snipers dealing with people from both sides. >> olga, a medical doctor working with the protesters denied saying the same people were shooting protesters and police. an investigation is still going on. he rejects the theory voiced in the phone call. >> i don't think politicians from ukraine could be involved. you'd have to be cynical and criminal. i think if there is such information we'll need to announce it. it could be a long time before the truth is established. for now that are painful memories and plenty of unanswered questions. in the square behind me, independence square, there are huge mounds of flowers in tribute to the people called the

martyrs, people who died on the protesters side. some of those we shouldn't forget were members of the riot police as well. there are many members who still want to know who killed them. i think it could be a while. the government's promise to crack on with the investigation. but as you heard in my report, there are civilians and independent investigators. they may overtake the official investigation and come out with conclusions of their own. we'll have to wait and see. many thanks indeed. >> now to other news. the international criminal court. 35-year-old jermain katanga is charged with war crimes and other crimes against human tip. it's alleged that he led an

attack in the democratic republic of congo, in which 200 died. live to the hague. neve barker is following the case. when are we likely to get a verdict and give us some background. >> we are expecting a verdict in 15-20 minutes time. it was delayed because a key judge had been sick. it had been pushed back for a week, raising all the more interest and intrigue surrounding the verdict. it will be a major test of how capable the i.c.c. is of actually delivering any kind of verdict. this only two years after a codefendant in the case and accused warlords was acquitted on similar evidence of that of katanga. the verdict, though, it's unclear. it's not seen anyway as a done

deal because of that earlier acquittal of the co-defended. still, this is incredibly important, an important case bringing justice to those who involved the victims of ongoing violence in the d.r.c. katanga is accused of using child soldiers. children under the age of 15. accused of using sexual violence and rape and accused of killing up to 200 people in the eastern city - village, rather of vergola. as yet, a series of cases of - have been happening here, at the i.c.c., but none have borne fruit in terms of bringing the accused, the guilty to justice. >> neve barker at the hague. we'll let you know the verdict

as soon as we hear. >> more to come. growing fears over the central african republic. we'll talk to a top official who says what happens on the ground is critical. >> we visit a burns unit at a bank in bangladesh. where some are struggling to recover january's election violence. ♪

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and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before. >> hello, the top stories. crimea's parliament voted to join russia and speed up the referendum. barack obama says the vote would

violate international la. >> russia's president vladimir putin says his phone call with president obama highlighted the difference. the u.s. leader urged mr putin to withdraw the troops much the international criminal court is expected to deliver its verdict in a short while in the trial of a former congolese leader. jermain katanga is charged with war crimes. >> more on the crisis in ukraine. international monitors arrived in the crimea region. there are reports of a tax against local media. al jazeera's correspondent reports. >> today freedom of expression in crimea depends on who you are and where you are. in the regional capital protesters against russia's military preps were chased away

by men who call themselves the defense force, the same group who targeted media outlets, and black sea television had the plug pulled. it's available on satellite and the web. >> there has been problems while filming. we had to film without logos, every day people called them self-defenders. the television channel has close links to the new government. here and crimea the pro-moscow administration is openly defiant of crimea. that may be the cause of problems. to find out how tough things are getting, the right and security watch dogs, the organization in europe, spoke. >> the most important thing is to work and report. by being here i want to give a

clear signal that whoever has the responsibility has to ensure your safety. >> the osc had to leave by the back door. the crowd was angry. >> you are escalating the situation. they are escalating the situation. there's a war here. we are under russian occupation. there no russian forces. russia would never be an occupier. >> never mind that russian forces surrounded and seized ukrainian's facilities. the russian state media echoed the kremlin. that's where russians are going to for their news. the outcome depends on who has the drums and their message across. >> the foreign minister of the

central african republic says that the country is at risk of falling apart. he's told them that they need a large peacekeeping mission in car. diplomatic editor james bays reports from the united nations. >> there have been repeated security council meetings on the central african republic, but the situation on the ground got worse and worse. now for the first time it seems there's a broad agreement on sending u.n. peacekeepers 12,000 troops. there'll be no quick fix in the central african republic. responding to the crisis requires time and resources. the scale of the needs in the central african republic is doesn'ting. >> central african republic's foreign minister made this plea. >> please, we need your help.

if we delayed, it be too late. we may lose the country. >> african peacekeepers will form part of the u.n. force. a vote on the resolution will not take place for a matter of weeks, and the new force will not assume control for about six months. one senior u.n. official who recently was there says what happens on the ground now is critical. >> many of the terrible things that people talk about, the cleansing of the muslim community being completed, the risks of the emergence of some terrorists organizations and all these things could happen if african force is not immediately present. >> the u.n. says the western part of the central african republic has been virtually cleansed of its muslim population, and hope what they

are planning to authorise will start to stablilize the situation. >> james bays, al jazeera at the united nations. >> algerian security forces broke up an anti-government protest. at least 40 were arrested. they were demonstrating against the president's decision to run for a fourth term later this month. two people have been killed this venezuelan, a soldier and a motorcyclist drove when a group of bikers drove into the city to try to remove a street barricade. troops were called into the capital on thursday, demonstrators want president nicolas maduro to step down. the protests began a month ago when students in the city rallied against crime. demonstrations spread across the country. people are angry over a range of

issues. young venezuelans remain concerned about their vurt. ross shimabuku reports. >> they see no future in venezuela, or not the kind of future they would like. >> these opposition protesters have, for the past month, called for radical changes in president nicolas maduro's government. some want him to step down now, saying his intransgens leaves no room for compromise. >> i don't see a future. i see an unstable future. i'm going to graduate next year. i don't know what will happen then. i'm disillusion the not over my career or teachers, but in my problem. >> it's been the young people building the roadblocks and young people among the victims of the clashes between protesters and security forces. the government says students are behind the violence, accusations

they strongly deny. >> translation: as a stupt -- student, a person, a venezuelan, i take to the streets. i'm young. i should be on the beach enjoying the carnival. no, because they have been killing students. >> many young opposition demonstrators have sacrificed this year's carnival to protest against the government. a gesture repeated across the country. these people are marching for their future, a future they believe is denied them by the government. these are the ones that remained in venezuela, the ones that have some hope. >> many of the brightest and best have gone, loft faith in venezuela's future. this man went to argentina, found work as a graphic designer and is building a new life a

long way from home. >> translation: i would love to return. i'll wait until things calm down. i have faith that the situation in venezuela will change your, and as soon as it does, i'll buy my ticket home and work for my country. >> it seems unlikely that he'll go home soon. the protest continues daily, and venezuelan society becomes ever more polarised. >> calm is slowly returning to bangladesh after an election in january marred by violence. a return to normality is some way off for those caught up in the trouble. al jazeera's correspondent has been to the burns unit of the hospital in the capital. a warning that some of the images in the support could be disturbing. >> this man's daughter wanted chips, he didn't have the money.

he had barely been able to work. desperate to please his little girl he decided to risk defying the blockade and took out his vehicle. someone through a petrol bomb at him. he is still in the burn unit at the hospital and still in afghanistanonizing pain. >> what this patient is going through right now is something no one can understand unless they go through it themselves. >> that's been a harrowing few weeks. she's not sure what the future holds. the husband was the sole income earner. >> right now we are having to ask our neighbours and fally just to get by. >> translation: my family needs help. i'm suffering. i lost everything. i'm getting treated. we are poor people, having

financial problems. >> 24 victims of political violence died in the war. the most recent casualty a police officer. another victim of a petrol bomb. >> he is due for surgery in a few days. he hopes to leave. he is excited about heading home. he and others know getting out doesn't mean the troubles will go away. >> this woman doesn't remember the fire. she blacked out when the bus she was on was set ablaze. she don't pretend it didn't happen. >> translation: i didn't want this life. i'm an ordinarily person. i did nothing. these wounds will not disappear. >> thousands have had their lives turned upside down by politics. the burns unit may be the most heart breaking testimony to this

reality. >> more than 1,000 workers have gone on strike in an ibm factory. this video was taken by an ibm worker. ibm is selling its server business, including the factory to len ovo. the workers want higher pay or better redundancy terms if they choose to leave. >> a man described as japan's beethoven made a public appearance. he apologised for not writing his own music. he admitted he'd been working with a ghost writer for 18 years. >> translation: i am extremely sorry to have caused tremendous trouble. it is very hard to explain my hearing problem. i can hear from time to time, but sound gets distorted so i

cannot hear conversations most of the time. >> it's been called the last great race on earth and the ideterod race is nearing its finish. we have a report on how the teams are faring after days on the trial. >> this is a race that traverses the huge state of alaska from south-east to north-west. we are at the western extremity of the race. the racers are coming out of the hills. the hills over to my left. they are the last really rugged bits of terrain after mountains, tundra that they had to go through. it wasn't the terrain, but the absence of snow. as you can see from the pictures, dog sleds and teams were bouncing and tumbling over frozen ham okays, logs, tree routes. 11 or 12 had to drop out.

a counting section lays ahead, the frozen expansion of the baring sea, the sea between russia and america. weather challenges, snow, frigid temperatures and several days racing. id. >> they say it's all about the challenges, you and your dogs, and whatever section of the trail, whatever challenge. you do it to finish, to be sure that you can. we'll know in a few days. pitch invaders are frowned upon. the brazilian football team and star striker took a ship to one fan that ran on to the pitch. on wednesday this week, this little man received a warm welcome from the players and was embraced by namar before security could take him away.

it was smiles as the pint-sized pitch invader posed with the brazilian squad. >> sure to be a moment he'll remember for some time. don't forget you can keep up to date with the news on the website at aljazeera.com. a cold war style showdown with america threatening sanctions against america. beware from payback against vladimir putin. the cosley cuts making a trillion dollar crisis even worse for middle class americans, plus the multi billion dollar commodity that literally falls right out of the sky every day. i am ali velshi. this is "real money." ♪