♪ >> >> u.s. navy ships turn their attention to the indian ocean to help in the search of the missing malaysian airliner. >> this is al jazeera, live from doha. also ahead - 94 women and children are held hostage by rebel fighters in syria. >> as the u.n. meets to discuss ukraine, russia says we don't want war. >> palestinian residents mahmoud abbas accuses his main rival of

being involved in six murders. >> malaysia airlines says the likelihood of finding the missing jetliner in the indian ocean is low. international search efforts are focused in the west of malaysia and the malacca strait. vietnam has scaled back its operations. there are conflicting research surrounding technical data sent from the aircraft hours after the last-known contact on saturday. >> i don't think the families would be satisfied until they find out what happened to the aircraft. i think you have a range of emotions from people that are vocal and angry about the situation and frustrated at the lack of information. and others that may have reached a more equitable or balanced

viewpoint. more resignation. that may not be the appropriate word. it is that they come to accept that there's not going to be a good outcome and are waiting for the information to come in. >> scenes of frustration in beijing where distraught relatives are waiting for news. most of the passengers on board the missing plane are chinese, and many family members are accusing malaysia of wasting time. >> translation: the malaysian folks people should be responsible and keep share promises, instead of giving us the impression that it's a rogue state and make irresponsible remarks without thinking. >> flight ma 370 disappeared with 239 on board.

aviation people are calling it a baffling mystery. u.s. naval vessels are steaming towards a new search area after the white house said unspecified new information indicates that the ill-fated flight 370 may have veered off course. >> based op new information that is not necessarily conclusive, an additional search area in the indian ocean may be open. >> a multinational flotilla has been searching by air and sea since it disappeared en route from kuala lumpur to bm. the white house announcement came after the "wall street journal" published an article saying automatic flight signals

were sent to boeing for four or five hours after it vanished from radar screens. boeing declined to comment. malaysian authorities denied the report says there were no automatic transmissions from the aircraft. u.s. defense department officials told an american defense network that there were indications that the plane had gone down in the indian ocean. a senior boeing inspector said india joined the search effort, a further indication that the plane may have ventured far into indian ocean. >> there are multiple countries that have joined the effort. boeing has i don't knowed the effort. >> as anguished relatives of the passengers and crew wait for information, aviation experts are baffled, and the fate of malaysian air flight 370 is the greatest mystery in the history

of modern air travel. >> scott heidler is joining us live from kuala lumpur. the search area has been expanded yet again. and now includes some of the most sophisticated search equipment in the world. >> absolutely. the focus now and probably discussion in this upcoming press conference in 2.5 hours will be focussed on the indian ocean. that's the latest expansion of the search area if you will. part of the reason for that is the u.s. government statement coming out. some other statements coming out. there are pings which seem to be what they are using for data package transfer from the engines on the triple 7 airlines. when you listen closely to what the malaysian officials say, they say there's no direct and confirmed data transfer. maybe they are not considering

the pings, or that this is something the americans are focussed on, and they haven't discussed it with the malaysians or they haven't announced it yet because they haven't had a press conference since the information came to light. up in the skies, absolutely, there'll be two p8 aircraft. one from the united states, and one from india. they are the most sophisticated surveillance aircraft in the air. the platform is a boeing 37 and surveillance is on board that. those are deployed. the u.s. destroyer is on route, and will probably go up further to the andeman sea and the indian ocean. a lot more resources are shifting west, a lot more technology. again, a large area. >> that's scott heidler joining us from the capital.

>> let's go to other news and al jazeera obtained video said to show 94 women and children kidnapped by opposition fighters in syria. they are from the alawite sect. the civilians were abducted from villages in the coastal strongholds. the rebels say they are holding the hostages to secure the release of opposition fighters held by the government. >> the u.n. and arab league envoy lakhdar brahimi said the presidential election in syria could end talks with the opposition. president bashar al-assad is expected to seek a new term despite ongoing conflict. we have more. >> syrian president bashar al-assad has four months left on his term as president. all signs lead to him seeking another. >> on thursday the parliament pursued a new law. the u.n. representative for

syria warned the security council that elections would have dire consequences. >> if there is an election, my suspicion is that the opposition - all the oppositions will probable not be interested in talking to the government. >> it was lakhdar brahimi's first briefing to the coup since the talks in geneva broke down. behind closed doors he blamed the government. the council took no action to back his plan. >> during the discussions they were very much support given by some council members as to their approach chosen by the joint special representative. the french and british ambassadors backed russia. the syrian ambassador paid little heed to concerns. >> this is an integral part of the syrian people to decide it's

not up to anyone else. it's a domestic matter related to the choices of the syrian people for their own future. >> the security council's inability to muster formal support for the special representative is the latest example of the international community's discretion on syria. as the conflict approaches the third year, there's little sign of hope, and the increasing likelihood that bashar al-assad will seek another term as president. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry is due to meet russian sergei lavrov later on friday. it is the latest attempt to solve the crisis over ukraine before a southern crimea region vote in sunday's referendum on whether to join russia. one person has been killed in confrontation between pro and anti-russian demonstrators, and the eastern city of donetsk.

violence broke out after protesters tore through a police cordon, and across the border russia has been holding another round of military drills. 8,500 troops were involved in the exercises. russia's ambassador told the security council that it doesn't want war. the acting prime minister called on moscow to join the crisis. james bays has more. >> a clean message from the interim prime minister of ukraine to the u.n. security council holding its sixth meeting on this crisis in two weeks. arseniy yatsenyuk, and some of his strongest comment were aimed at russia, looking at the russian ambassador as he spoke. >> my country has faced a military aggression of a maybe ouring country, which is a p 5

member. it's absolutely unacceptable in the 21st century to resolve any kind of conflict on the ground. >> i'm going to respond to a question put by mr arseniy yatsenyuk. russia does not want war, and neither do the russians. it's not russia that unfolded the violence. >> the last remaining chance for a diplomatic solution to the crisis will be at a meeting in london. secretary of state john kerry will meet sergei lavrov tomorrow in the hopes of finding a way off this path of confrontation. given the risk of conflict none of us can afford to leave any stone unturned. >> if sergei lavrov and kerry do not make a breakthrough, the security council is like i had to meet again.

no one doubts that russia will use its veto. we here a text of resolution has been drafted. what will be achievement by bringing the security council to a vote on this? >> let's wait and see. what we want to achieve, we want to stop russian invasion. we want to get to the negotiating table. we want to find a peaceful solution of this conflict. and we want to have ukraine independent and free. >> the interim prime minister met the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon before leaving new york. he's on his way to kiev and knows that the time he has to keep crimea inside ukraine is running out. if that goes ahead there'll be sanctions from the west, but it will be hard to change the facts that exist on the ground. >> james bays. al jazeera, united nations.

>> the fires trial of its kind on french sail. >> a verdict due on a rwandan army captain. >> pope francis's home country celebrates his first anniversary as head of the roman catholic church

>> good to have you with us. these are the top stories on al jazeera. al jazeera has obtained video set to show 94 women and children kidnapped by opposition fighters in syria. they are reportedly from the

minority alawite sect. the u.s. secretary of state is due to meet the russian foreign minister in london for talks of solving the crisis in ukraine. the acting prime minister told a u.n. security council that the conflict with russia can be solved through dialogue. malaysian airlines says the likelihood of finding a missing jetliner in the indian ocean is low. search efforts are being focused in the left and in the malacca strait. >> modern airlines are fitted with many ways to communicate data with those on the ground. aviation experts are having trouble figuring out how malaysia airlines flight 370 could disappear. we take a closer look. >> this is the malaysia airlines boeing 777-200 which has disappeared. it can communicate with the ground in a number of ways. traditional radio.

the last voice communication was a routine call to hand the plane on to vietnamese traffic chrome. on board transponders tracked the position. details of mechanical performance are transmitted. >> they want to cut down the time on the ground to a minimum. they want to know does anything need to be changed, modified, so they sent data not just on engines, but other things as well. the "wall street journal" is reporting that it may have flown for hours after its last-known positions. it's true that this raises questions about what going on in the cockpit, and why the pilots made no radio transmissions or discretion calls. >> this seems to have evaporated, which is ridiculous. in any other circumstances the pilots have time to take actions. >> rescue teams searched huge

areas around the plane's last position. flight mh370 command to fly. malaysian authorities say they have no evidence to support it. >> air strikes continued between israel and gaza, despite promises of a ceasefire. the four rockets were fired, one was intercepted by the iron dome missile defense system. the strikes started on wednesday after israeli forces killed three fighters. palestine president mahmoud abbas has accused one of his main political rivals of murder, corruption and selling out palestine national interests. he's hinted that he could have played a role in the death of former leader yasser arafat. he was seen as a possible

successor. he was once a senior leader but ousted from the group in 2011, following corruption allegations. >> translation: in 2004 an statement was given to the paper saying arafat's mission has come to an end and there should be a new generation. who delivered the poison to kill yasser arafat. >> it was rejected, allegations against hum. in a facebook post he said: >> richard white is a senior fellow at the center or military analysis. he said abb as's remarks show desperation. >> in the past they've been able to keep the tensions under control. there must be some concern on

abbas's part that basically they have positioned themselves to succeed him. that is something that abbas would strive to prevent. this kind of manoeuvre strikes of desperation, and is again even if it becomes a new success or not, whatever the outcomes, it will leave a major split in the movement for a long time. >> the world bank authorised an investigation into labour and human rights violations at tea plantations in india owned by tatar. they are not being treated fairly. we travelled and spoke to workers at a tea plantation. >> this man and his wife have been living and working on the tea estate for more than a decade. five years ago amalgamated tea, owned by the conglomerate

covered employees a chance to by company shares. he and others were not interested, but were not given a choice. >> we were told if you don't take shares, your work will be shot. they were rounded up and forced to give prints. we were scared. that's why we give in. >> even though he's a part opener, his family lives in a home without trist -- tristy, and a -- tristy, and they say any complaints are ignored. >> our house is in a bad state. i can't take an $80 loan. how could they take $130 from us. we tried to speak to others, but we were asked to stop filming by men on motorcycles. >> amalgamated tea declined an interview. they stated that dividends have

been paid yearly. they were called something else in bank statements. they say issue with worker conditions were isolated incidents. al jazeera met other amalgamated tea employees. despite being part owners of the company they live in pore divisions. company officials gave them different answers. >> they rely on a large number of workers. it's touted as a way to share of the profits. >> for critics, it's a way to shield the company. this union leader says now that they are shareholders, they have lost the right to complain. giving shares distracts from the conditions they endure. >> after giving 120, the workers have problems. they don't have proper homes, water to drink.

what they need to get, they are not getting. >> when contacted, amalgamated tea stated that the share scom is involuntary and they dispute there was coercion on employees to prescribe to the team. and the employee lost his or her job for not prescribingar airing grievances. workers are too powerless to complain. >> well, the general secretary of the new trade union initiative and says plantation staff in india work in miserable conditions. >> workers work eight or nine hours a day, which is not long. but they work under enormous pressure, because they are

required to pick a minimum amount of tea leaves every day to earn a wage. they work in exposure continues. one cover. and they walk long distances to get their wage. they are paid on the basis of picking 25 kilos of tea a day. >> we'll have part 2 of the series op plantation workers starting saturday. this time we'll be asking why are the workers some of the poorest people. >> a verdict is due in paris in the form of a captain accused of taking part in a 1994 genocide. prosecutors are seeking a life

sentence. they want an accused did charged with genocide. it's the first of its kind on french soil. >> it's almost 20 years sips the rwandan genocide. clashes between two troops left 800,000 dead in the space of 100 days. ethnic tension existed for years. when the hutu president plane was shot down, what followed is hard to comprehend, i campaign of brutality and blood shed saw 20% of the population wiped out. most minority tutsis. mean hutus also decide. >> now an historic court case is drawing to a close in paris. a former army captain on trial for his alleged part in the

killings. he is accused of being complicit. witnesses were told how weapons were distributed. but there's also been conflicting evidence. claims that he saved tutsis by hiding them. since the war, relations have been strained. france has been a main backer. rwanda accused paris of providing the hutu government with military training and sheltering hutu militants. beyond the diplomacy the case is crucial to the relatives of those killed in the genocide. at last we have the feeling that impunity is over and the french is looking into the case. it is also very important. we have the feeling that we are

being heard at last, supported at last. if found guilty, pascal faces a life term, more significantly his case could set a precedent for many more rwandans to be tried. >> the democratic republic of congo declared a victory against a rebel group in the east. these pictures were obtained exclusively by al jazeera, showing the army's defensive against the fighters. the group known as the allied democratic forces is made up of gunmany in uganda. the mineral rich region was plagued by violence for decades. >> new york is searching the cause of a fatal gas explosion. seven were killed, and two apartment buildings were flattened in east harlem. the incident attracted

criticisms. >> i can't imagine how we can have pipes under ground here in new york that were put in in the 18-00s. you know, and we talk about infrastructure, but the whole dam city is falling apart. >> italian police confiscated assets worth 585 million during a crackdown on local mafia. the anticorruption operation targeted the calabria based mafia. houses and luxury houses were seized, and businesses shut down. 20 people were arrested earlier this month. >> it's been a year since the vatican ushered in a knew year. they spent their one-year anniversary and reflection on a spiritual retreat. ross shimabuku travelled to the

home country argentina to see how people there are celebrating. >> i'm in the parish of st. mary mother of the people in the flores neighbourhood of venezuela. close to where the young pope was born and brought up, and opposite the football club. the presence of the catholic church is apparent. they run a music school, a nursery, a home for old people. it was an area that the young father was responsible for as well - visiting here on a regular basis, getting to know the people and working in this neighbourhood where he's well-known. the people here, a poor neighbourhood are following the pope's progress in the vatican closely. he is staying in regular contact with his old friends here.

just a few days ago he gave an exclusive interview to a local radio station, which is being transmitted for the first time, the first anniversary of his election as the bishop of rome. >> that storey and the rest of the news can be found on the website. ♪ . >> hello, i'm ray swarez, the man who used to be jorge mario is cardinal arch bishop has shown he is a master of flipping the script. it started from the moment the votes that made him the head of the worldwide catholic church were counted an enormous