evidence... >> now a three year al jazeera investigation, reveals a very different story about who was responsible >> they refuse to look into this... >> so many people at such a high level had a stake in al megrahi's guilt. lockerbie: what really happened? on al jazeera america sna >> the polls open in crimea, as people there decide between a future in russia, or more autonomy in ukraine. >> hello, this is al jazeera live from doha. government forces in syria have captured the si of yabroud. if true, a significant move for the president. >> and search for the miss ing plane. >> growing anger at venezuela's government after an ultimatum

from the president. >> voters in crimea are casting their ballots in the controversial referendum seen as legitimate by russia, but illegal by ukraine and its western allies. voters have two option, both of which propose a caning to have the region -- change your to have the region as governed. they have a choice of answering yes or no. are you in favour of the reunification of crimea as part of the russian federation. or are you in favour of restoring the 1992 constitution, and the status of crimea was part of ukraine. supporting the second option would grand crimea more autonomy. jacky rowland is live in the crimean capital simferepol. how does it look like it's heading now? >> well, certainly there's a lot

of enthusiasm for the referendum, certainly if this particular voting station is anything to go by. there were people lining up outside the door, and there has been a steady stream of people waiting. inside the voting stations there are transparent perspex boxes in which people drop their vote. i did my own unscientific study to have a look. i could only see papers where people said yes, they want union with russia. >> now, at the same time all expectations are, perhaps what you have been observing, but the result will be a yes vote for reunification with russia. what will it mean for the rest of the country, particularly eastern ukraine, where there are signals of people being unhappy about their status in ukraine

there? >> well, in the past week i spent a bit of time in eastern ukraine, particularly in donetsk. and there's a very strong pro-russian sentiment. we attended a number of rallies at which thousands of people came out to demand that they, too, should be given the opportunity to vote in a referendum to reunite with russia. in areas where we were, there was significant parts of the population who felt strongly that they wanted to remain with ukraine. specifically young people we spoke to who were keen on the idea of integration why europe, and older people that felt they had done okay under ukraine and were wary about changing the status quo. here in crimea there was no

question about maintaining the status quo, because both questions indicate a breaking away from ukraine to a certain extent. >> if the referendum goes the way everyone expects, what is the process after the vote from the crimean authorities, and the authorities in kiev? >> well, within a matter of minutes of the polls closing, we should get exit polls. within a couple of hours we should get the preliminary results. it won't be long before we can start talking about the future, based on hard figures. if the vote is in favour of reuniifying with russia, there are weeks and months of work to put in place mechanisms, formalities, financial positions to enable crimea to function as a republic within the russian federation. we are talking about monetary

union, currently the currency. they'll need to be withdrawn and the ruble put into circulation. the question of salaries and pensions, changing the prices op articles in the shop, the question as well of who would own state assets, oil and gas and other companies which are currently in crimea and belong to the ukraine. this is not something it be sorted out overnight and would take months before the new status of crimea would be set up. provided, of course, that the referendum produces the yes result to joining russia, which is wide by expected. >> thank you so much. jacky rowland there. >> there has been widespread condemnation of moscow's support for the referendum from the west. the e.u. and the united states say they will not recognise the results. the security council tried to

have a resolution passed declaring the referendum invalid. russia used its veto powers. china, who normally votes with russia abstained, they have their own border problems. i understand there's reaffirmation statements coming out from officials. what is being said, john terrett. >> the foreign minister received a call from secretary of state john kerry yesterday, on saturday, in which may opened up talks again, trying to get an idea from sergei lavrov. kerry offered up some propsals, one of which was an idea that russian forces would be returned to barracks and move away from the broader areas, and allow diplomacy to take its place. this would be after the

referendum, of course, but the russians only used the call to reiterate their position. the foreign ministry said the crimean referendum fully complied with international law, and the results should be the starting point of any future negotiations after the referendum on the future of the black sea peninsula. also, sergei lavrov had the opportunity then to condemn what he called rampant attacks by ukrainians on russian-speaking citizens inside the ukraine. he was talking about ultra nationalist, and fascists carrying out these attacks, and condemned them in the strongest words. basically the call only gave the kremlin another chance to have, basically, the last word on this, and to finally state its position on crimea as the people

of the peninsula start to vote now in the referendum. >> thank you peter sharp in moscow. >> to syria - state television reporting that government forces, hezbollah, have recaptur recaptur recaptured yabroud. is this news confirmed? >> no, it's not. it seems that the government or state-run media are saying - reporting that government forces captured the town of the yabroud. the spokesman for al nusra, one of the main rebel groups fighting, deny that yabroud had fallen into government forces hands. a spokesman said the fighting is on the outskirts.

it is fair to say that government forces did make big gains in yab -- yab road. >> what does that mean for the opposition, if it's true. >> yab road is the last strong hold. it means they'll cut the supply line for the rebels coming from lebanon, and mainly the sunni village. it is seen as a pro-syrian revolution. that's why it is important for the for the government to cut. yab road is in an area that is under heavy military forces. now by securing it the government would control the land linking the capital

damascus up all the way to a strong hold of bashar al-assad. final finally yab road is important, because the leader of bashar al-assad said "if we don't control the border area with syria, of lebanon, they'll have car bombs on a daily basis." >> malaysian police are looking at clothing items of a pilot, the pilot of a plane with 239 passengers on board that disappeared. >> a lot of attention focussed on a flight simulator. tell us about that, scott. >> that's right. mohammad javad zarif was the 53-year-old cap tape. the police went into his home and stayed for about two hours

in a nice suburb of kuala lumpur on saturday. we are not sure if that was the first time they visited the house. this is the first time they took out an elaborate flight simulator. he had a picture of it on his facebook page - multiple screens and a control setup. they'll pour through the history of the hard drive, if there was a hard drive, and look to see what he was practicing. it's not uncommon for a pilot to have a symulator in their house. police are running out every lead to see what they cap get from the flight deck crew. focussing now on the pilot. because there's so much evidence clear and confirmed evidence that there was a deliberate turn in that aircraft, a deliberate west turn to the west, that's one of the things they'll be looking at. the history in the flight

simulator, was there anything practised that could match the manoeuvres that this plane went through. >> what is going on with the search. why are some countries waiting for instructions on where to look next? >> really, because of the information that came out on saturday. the prime minister announcing there's two corridors that are focussed on - one to the north, one south. >> india has been involved in the search. they say they are putting it on pause, outline the search operations. that is out of request for the malaysians. they want all these nations - and that list is growing, together who will participate in the search and rescue operation moving forward, so they can best coordinate effort. india is going to stay put. they have ships on the water. they are waiting to see how the plan comes together as they move forward, because it's greatly expanding. we are talking about thousands

and thousands of square kilometres in the south indian ocean. it's different terrain at the bottom. where they were searching before. they have to make sure the equipment they need, to search all the places they need to. >> scott heidler in kuala lumpur. still to come - running on empty. fuel in the gaza strip in short supply. plus... >> i'm andrew simmonds reporting from a ski slope in pakistan's swat valley. can this normality be retained in a place where the taliban once ruled?

>> welcome back, let's recap the headlines. polls have opened in crimea, the question whether to have greater autonomy or join the russian federation. the poll has been condemned by the government in kiev. >> government forces have recap attitude yabroud. forces have nod recaptured the town, and clashes continued on the outskirts. >> malaysian police are examining a flight simulator taken from the home of one of the pilots. >> protesters fought with police in venezuela capsule hours after president nicolas maduro issued an ultimatum. masked protesters threw petrol

bombs at police who shot tear gas at them. nicolas maduro spoke at a rally and told anti-government demonstrators that if they didn't clear out of the square they could face eviction. we go to the capital. >> on the last day we commemorate the death of chavez, tv descended in a message, the opponent of the government. this is a non-too subtle way to remind the opponent that the national guard and the civilian militia are on nicolas maduro's side. they are not soldiers, but after a month of protests, the president wants to show that he was the means with which to confront the biggest challenge to the chavez revolution, since the death of its found are.

this gathering was called to show support for the national guard at a time when ifs under fire by human rights advocates. guards men have been accused of using force and torturing protesters after they have been detained. the government will not tolerate abuses. there were no words of approach or encouragement for those that were supposed to defend the go. this at a time when some in the position speculated and in some places hope that if the unrest spread, the armed forces will force the president to step down. >> hundreds of people around latin america have been out protesting at the situation in venezuela, and against what they see as strong response by security forces. they have been joining a vigil. argentina was one of over 70 countries that took part in the vigil. around 300 people sat on the steps of the university

building, holding candles to form an sos distress signal. visual participates unfurled a flag, chanted "freedom", and called for an end to violence. in venezuela itself, they gathered in vallen she where two -- vallen she where two died. >> in nigeria, thousands a gathered to apply for jobs. they came in tens of thousands, people looking for work, crowding into the national stadium. the government was recruiting workers, and the turp out was overwhelming. >> the number we invited, you ask us, you know, almost doubled. we expected 68,500, but what you

are seeing now is how many people. go out and see. so we are apraying for people to be orderly. >> instead of order, there was chaos. only one entrance to the stadium was open. people were desperate to get in. there was a stampede. victims were taken to a nearby hospital. even there, some could not be treated. the numbers were just too great. >> they needed to open the gate. so people who are at the back were pushing us. so people pushed pulling the gate down. so people there early, they are on the ground. >> this was one of several recruitment drives held on saturday across nigeria, where unemployment levels are high. more than a third of people under 25 are jobless, which helps to explain why so many jumped at this rare chance to

work. >> in other world headlines, polls open in serbia. the ruling serbian progressive party is expected to win. it's promising to drive out corruption, overhauling the economy is number one priority. >> a watchdog create by chinese government has cut expenses by half. last year's expenses on meetings, overseas trips and paying cars was decreased. libya's deposed prime minister zeidan says his dismissal was unjust. >> people in gaza are feeling

the effect of an energy shortage that has left them without power for the past 24 hour. >> the situation in gaza is bleak. more than a billion are cut off from the rest of the world. the main power station stopped producing electricity because it ran out of fuel. >> we will only have electricity for six hours out of the 24. if we want to use generators, there's no fuel. if there is, it costs $2 a litre. >> there was a rush to by petrol on thursday. est israel closed its border crossing. >> translation: i'm afraid the situation is deteriorating. no one can predict what will happen. i'll keep fuel for emergencies. >> some stations have run out of

fuel. egypt closed the borders. egypt is well. generally the situation doesn't look good. >> for the last few months people survived off fuel from israel, bought by qatar, by the palestine authority. qatar agreed to fund fuel, but it can't be delivered while the borders were closed. residents suffered economically. 51,000 employees had not been getting salaries. the government lost almost two-thirds of its revenues, $500 million since imports stopped last july. >> it was the worst time for gaza, for hamas, in the past 20 years. the closure continues. the main source of income for hamas government and the economy. >> the pressure on hamas is rising, with borders closed on both sides. support for the group dropped to a new low, down to 29% from 55%

since 201. >> three al jazeera journalists have been held in an egyptian prison for 78 days. mohamed fadel fahmy, peter greste and mohammed badr have been linked to spreading false news. al jazeera rejects and demand their release. their next court appearance is 24 march. >> abdullah al-shami, from al jazeera arabic is in custody. this week cairo's criminal court extended detention for 45 days. he's been held for more than six months, and he's been on hunger strikes sips january, the 23rd. >> in pakistan people have been enjoying a snow festival in the swat valley. the region was controlled by taliban fighters. it's hoped the once busy ski

resort will make a comeback. >> fun like this was unthinkable five years ago. this is swat valley, once under the rule of the taliban. this is the country's only commercial ski resort destroyed by taliban fighters. it's gradually being revived into a symbol of formality, with a rickety chair life and hopes for a future. taliban has been driven out in an offensive in 2009. they believe the valley is secure, and plans are in place for the army to hand over the organization of this snow festival to civilians. the commanding officer accepts the taliban is a threat, he says it will never return. >> it has the capacity and intention to profit in a short time, create trouble and go back

into their safe havens in afghanistan. i can assure you we will never let this delete materialize in the valley. >> and so what you see here is a glimpse of what it could be like in swat valley. >> pakistan's military is trying to convince people that the situation with security is good enough for investment in tourism and other industries. for now the numbers coming here may not instill the confidence big-time investors will need. but the mood is good. >> people should come here. it has been taken over by the army. there's no such problem here. >> it's not many places around the world. >> the security forces maintain that they should keep law and order with or without the

taliban peace deal. it's a view not shared by everyone. without the shoulders, many wouldn't feel as carefree as this. >> parts of australia are in the grip of the most drought ever recorded. some farmers are having to shoot their cattle because they can't afford to feed them. the financial strain is taking its toll op people's mental health. in the second of our 3-part series, andrew thomas reports from broken hill in eastern australia. >> this is what charity looks like in rural australia. a truck delivering hay harvesting an 11 hour drive away. hay shouldn't be needed but a drought has dried the ground and killed the grass. for free food farmers drive from far and wide. 70% of queensland is in drought.

30% of new south wales. today is good because it let's farmers know others care. >> in other times this would be more green than orange and cows and sheep would be feeding on the grass. now it's hard to find any animals however far you look. in fact, all you see around here are bones. sally and tony bright are receiving seven bales of hay. they haven't yet had to shoot desperate cattle, but only because they are taking preventative measures that will be financially painful for years. >> we are selling some of these girls what were potential future breeding stock, and we don't have the choice. we'll be left with less breeding numbers. it's upsetting. something that manifests physically. you walk around with a knot in your guts. you look at the sky a lot, hoping it will rain. >> the flying doctors are more associated with farming

accidents than farmer depression. this year they describe treating mental health as a key priority. >> the referrals we have had my team see as stress related. to do with depression, additional stress. >> we haven't seen suicide, but it's something people are talking about. they have been feeling thoughts. >> demand for fly in, fly out mental health clinics has never been higher. australia government declared the drought a natural disaster. this is what is really needed. broken hill last week got its first substantial rain in two years. most farmland has not been touched. for the farmers, the skies are stubbornly blue. >> in sri lanka, the lack of rain damaged crops. farmers are struggling to cope. there are fears the worse may be yet to come.

in the third and final part of our global drought series, we look at what the future might hold for food producers in sri lanka. and, of course, you can keep up to date with all the news we are following, including the vote in ukraine, by heading to aljazeera.com. school. >> it's important enough to remind all of us that everybody has to be in the game. there are 57 million children around the world who don't get to go to school. and many of them are girls. >> ttys first major role for the australian prime minister since leaving politics. i spoke to her about being the first woman who has led