>> >> defying the u.s. in europe. president vladimir putin takes another step to bring crimea into the russian federation. >> hello, i'm sammy, and you're watching live from doha. also ahead - relatives from chinese passengers aboard a missing malaysia airlines plane threaten to go on hunger jet 10 days after the plan vanishes. >> prospects for meaning process in palestine and israel.

>> the government tries to control opposition strongholds in venezuela. >> vladimir putin has started taking the legal steps needed to bring the region of crimea into russia. russia's president informed the parliament of crimea's request to join the federation after it voted to breakaway from ukraine. the actions come despite sanctions being imposed by the united states and the european union. for the latest from moscow, let's go to fred. it shows how little attention putin is paying to the sanctions. >> they are of a wrist-slapping nature until now. they don't seem to weigh in the ballot against crimea, not just for vladimir putin, but most of

the russian elite that i talk to. that could change your if the crisis deepens and the sanctions tougher, but right now they are laughing it off. >> putin signed a decc cree recognising crimea as an independent country, a move to facilitate accession from the russian perspective, of course. >> well we are going to know for sure in four hours when vladimir putin addresses the joint session. he's obviously going to reveal his end game. until now there are different opinions on the table about what he's going do. but it does look increasingly like russia is going to, in one way or another take crimea back into the body of mother russia, and it may come in as some kind

of autonomous republic, or a new region of russia, there are different scenarios for it, but that does look like the way it's going now. >> if you look at the statements from the russian foreign ministry, looks like the spotlight focussing on eastern ukraine. >> yes, the russians are playing a real game of hardball here, that diplomacy, if there's going to be a diplomatic route out of this, they have put their maximum program on the table. it's a roadmap in which ukraine has to accept what they call federalisation. radically decentralize the government and permanent non-aligned or neutral status, which means no joining n.a.t.o., ever. and that would be in return for the russians ratcheting down the pressure on eastern ukraine, perhaps ending the war games on the border, and recognising the new government or some new

government in kiev. >> all right. thank you so much. >> fred weir there. in ukraine, some of the protesters who were part of the rallies in independence square, that led to the president's ousting started military training. on monday the ukrainian parliament agreed to bolster the armed forces, by deploying 40,000 reservists. the groups are learning thou use automatic weapons. >> real mobilization happened in maydan, as they volunteered to join self self-defence units. they demanded that the government arm us so we fight the aggressor with guns in our hands. if someone thinks they'll invade our land, that person is mistaken, and he will regret it. >> i hope i don't have to kill my russian brothers, but i will kill if they come here, and keep

no hostages, death is what they deserve. >> in northern afghanistan 15 have been killed whilst riding a rickshaw. the attacker was approaching a checkpoint when the bomb exploded. dozens have been wounded. >> thailand's government lifted a state of emergency in and around bangkok. the 60 day rule was lived in the run-up to february's general location. several protest camps von closed. >> thailand's caretaker government said it lifted the emergency law because the security situation improved, and anti-government protesters are no longer on the streets. in no way does this suggest the political crisis is obvious. protesters are camped out in a park in bangkok, saying that they will not leave until the government leaves office and are relying on the courts to push

the prime minister yingluck shinawatra to resign. she's facing a number of legal challenges. the situation is precarious. the economy has to be kept afloat. businessmen commine that the tourists are not arriving in large numbers. the occupancy rate is below average. you don't see many tourists in the street because many have imposed advisories. they hope that it will improve thailand's image. but the next few weeks could see more unrest. we see a number of security incidents here and there, like explosive devices placed outside courthouses. homes coming under grenade attacks. if the prime minister is indicted for corruption charges, we could see supporters take to the streets of bangkok, and we could see further clashes. unless there is a roadmap to get out the impasse, the threat of

violence is unreal. it's been 11 days since flight vanished. search and rescue teams continued to hunt for the plane. 154 of the 239 people on board are chinese. their families are outraged. >> translation: shame on you. >> they are demanding answers from malaysia airlines - some accusing the malaysian government of dragging its feet in the search effort. china has started searching its territory within the northern corridor that it's believed the plane may have vanished. >> rob mcbride is in hong kong. they are not hiding their displeasure with malaysia about the way it's been conducted. >> a sense of frustration and anger. a feeling that malaysia now the information leading to the expanded arc of a search area

last week, and the question is why wasn't the search expanded last week, did we waste valuable time. there's a mistrust, if you like, of what the malaysians are revealing about the search operation, and what information they know. state media are reporting this president ping has spoken to the malaysian prime minister urging him to come forth with correct and timely information. the veiled criticism being there that china officially and unofficially doesn't believe it has been getting correct and timely information. so there is also a team that is headed down to kuala lumpur, made up of chinese experts. as they look at the expanded search area, the various assets are trying to work out where to search next, how do you go about searching a vast expanse of the

indian ocean. the south china see was easier. china putting a lot of assets into this, 21 satellites. >> when it comes to the northern corridor, give us an idea how long it will take, what terrain they'll go through, and whether there's another of a corporation to search a vast area like that. >> that is an area of interest. fingerprint only because china doesn't have to wait for anyone else, they have chinese resources to stop the search. they have begun looking along the route. it is a long ark extending from south-east asia, central asia, and an extensive track of land. you would have thought it's inconceivable that if the aircraft vanished, it would not have vanished overland or had a disappearance like this for a week and a half without anyone

seeing the aircraft come down over land. having said that, when it comes to the chinese territory, they are the most remote parts of the planet. we are talking about the tibetan plateau, with the glaziers and hidden valleys, and into the north-west of china, some of the desert areas, the desert regions of china, where feasibly, if an aircraft has been lost and nobody spotted it, those are the places you may find the boeing 777. >> iran's foreign minister spects a difficult round of nuke lar talks. the two sides will try to overcome differences. it's due to start in austria on tuesday. >> iran's heavy water reactedor still under construction and a major hurdle for negotiators to overcome. it will be a focus of

discussions in vienna aimed at reaching a settlement in a decade-old dispute in iran's atomic activities. >> as an observer of the talks noted, the fact that little information is emerging implies that at lopping last they are -- long last they are talking seriously and making progress. >> no one is optimistic about a quick resolution. despite an agreement reached last year, when iran shelved higher grade enrichment in exchange for mod ests relief for punitive sanctions. iran's parliament told negotiators they should not accept bans on the development of the arac heavy water complex and the fact of enrichment. the iranian foreign minister did not expect to come to an agreement during the round of talks, and analysts remain cautious. >> the odds are against a break through, 60% against 40%.

i think this will be an important time. both sides are testing the waters. both sides are really positioning themselves, trying to maximise their interest, but they would argue that there is a wide gulf between the iranian position and some of the great powers on the other hand. >> iran long denied accusations from israel, western powers and their allies, but tried to develop the capability to produce atomic weapons under the cover of a nuclear energy program. >> el salvador court declared shan chez as the president elect, winning by 0.1%. his opponent arrived the court to annul the results because of alleged voter fraud. the court reject the demand and he'll take office on 1 june.

>> lots more still ahead - including pole land. there you go. in tune with the ukrainian government. we report from warsaw on their fears of rising russian influence. plus... >> a breakthrough in the big bang theory, and our understandings of the origins of the universe. i'm here in cambridge massachusetts with the details.

>> welcome back. let's recap the headlines. moscow has started taking the legal steps needed to bring the region of crimea into russia. president vladimir putin approved a draft treaty to adopt the region into the federation after crimea voted to breakaway from ukraine. >> negotiators from iran and six world powers are meeting in vienna for a new round of talks on the nuclear program. >> the event in crimea are making poll and anxious. it's and witched between ukraine to the south-east and the russian enclave of calangrad to the north. rory challands reports from warsaw where the new leaders are expected to meet polish leaders. >> at a charity concert in warsaw four ukrainian tenors and an orchestra are playing to raise money for poland's crisis.

[ ♪ music ] >> poland and the new ukrainian government are singing the same tune. russia cannot again be allowed to dominate eastern europe. >> translation: we hope that the efforts of the international community will lead to the peaceful solution of the conflict in ukraine. we'll need to be ready for the darkest of scenarios in ukraine, part of which is now taking place. we should treat the annexation of crimea as one of the scenarios. >> evidence of a time when poland was under soviet control is not hard to find here. this is a controversial monument for polish people. here are the remains of 21,000 of the soviet troops who died, liberating poland from the nazis at the end of the second world

war, and there are few polish people that want them to return. >> 72% of polls think the situation in ukraine poses a threat to polish security. it's being discussed on street corners, and cafes and campuses. the students are too young to remember a communist poll and but they know the history. >> the situation in the ukraine, how it develops and how the west influences makes a big difference. >> the arrival of 12 u.s. f-16 jets and 300 personnel provided assurance. warsaw is aware it depends n its western partners for application. >> poland is doing its best to make sure it trusts its organizations. get the the european union and n.a.t.o. to take a tough stance,

on what russian policy is, and trying to make sure, and mr vladimir putin will be made to suffer because of what he was doing. >> most polls tell you a russian invagus is unlikely -- invasion is unlikely. even so, when you foe is looking dangerous, it's no time to play solo. >> the venezuelan government september more than 1,000 security officers into a part of caracas controlled bit the opposition. protesters have been fighting with government forces for over a month. at least 29 have died. this report from the capital. >> the streets and emblem attic plazas of the main opposition strong hold awoke dressed in olive green, taken over by the venezuelan national guard. >> this the culmination of two

consecutive days of running battles between anti-government protesters and security forces. after president nicolas maduro announced he'd implement a plan to liberate the area. what you see are police and national guards under the new orders. that is to go on the offensive, to prevent protesters in this opposition strongholds from building barricades or roadblocks as they have been doing for a month. by dawn, authorities cleared the area, displays petrol bombs and materials confiscated by protesters. >> translation: we are bringing maintenance equipment. traffic did not move through here for several days. >> as clean-up teams swept up the remnants of barricades and burnt tyres, some welcomed what they hope is the return of calm.

>> the problem is not protesting, which the constitution allows. it's when people, students, demonstrate violently. but students say the national guard checked their guard for weapons, they are angry. >> i understand that there are few who burn tyres and engage in violence. we need dialogue. now i'm intimidated. >> opposition leaders were calling for regime change your and were outraged by a show of force. military regime, total airian regime and depression has been turned into a policy, a state policy. >> but there are differences within the opposition, and as these residents held up sign, the nahhed was asked to respect demonstrators for a moment. opponents and supporters seemed

open to reconciliation. >> china is dismissing a u.n. report that says north korea committed crimes against humanity, raising fears that beijing may be shielded from prosecution. it details human rights abuses with nationals involved. >> these are some of the people affected by north korea's crimes as outlined in a report. they are part of a japanese association helping people, who say their relatives were abducted and taken to north korea. they heard evidence from multiple defectors last month. the lead author addressed pyongyang at the human rights council on monday. >> allow humanitarian assistance in accordance with humanitarian rights and principles. en gauge in dialogue, exposing the whereabouts of those

abducted from japan, from the republic of korea and other countries. >> it's not just about abductions. the international commission of inquiry says north korea has a system of mass repress, torture, execution and rape to control its people. >> the democratic people's republic of korea condemned the process and denied human rights abuses. >> as we stated those human rites abuses mentioned in the report have totally nothing to do with dprk, our people are happy with pride and honour that they have one of the best systems in the world for promotion and protection of human rites. >> however, in 2012 north korea admitted to kidnapping 13 japanese nationals in the 1970s, and '80s. revving the case to the

international criminal court may be a way to get action. to do so requires approval from the united nations security council. one of the permanent members, china, say the u.n.'s findings are divorced from reality. a council at china's mission alt geneva said: if prosecution for the crimes is unlikely, other avenues will need to be explored. >> well, there has been violent protests in the capital of guinea where people are angry about road and water blocks. parts have no power, despite promises to provide 16 hours of electricity a day. some neighbourhoods have been

without water for three months. the national conference to discuss nij's -- nigeria's future opened in abuja. nij nigeria is the second biggest economy. it's the most pop u laws with 170 million people and a top oil producer, providing 80% of the income. >> they have been asking for this for years, and they got what they want. the nigerians at a conference, bringing together hundreds of ethnic and religion groups. at the heart, distribution of talks. an opportunity to restructure along the lines of truth in division, with they control the

resources and pay appropriate taxes. there has been growing discontent in the most populous nation, one of the largest exploiters of oil. in the north, violence by self-described islamist fighters is on the ride. near daily ethnic bloodshed is claiming hundreds of lives. there are increasing rates of unemployment, and more than a dozen people were killed. delegates will tackle this, including reforms. one thing that should not be open for discussion - unity. >> there should be no room for conservation that it impedes national progress. it this should only be in the national interest. >> opponents from the muslim dominated north who feel neglected by the federal government say the 3-month

conference is pointless. >> it's useless with the money, time and effort. it has been used to political advantage by the current president. >> the conference comes ahead of general elections, in his speech jonathan insisted he had no hidden agenda. >> recommendations will need to be approved by parliament to turn them into binding laws. will there be room for consensus? >> scientists in the usa say they have made a landmark discovery which could prove the big bang theory. a single violent event took place when particles burst into existence. it's based on the inflation theory, explaining now the universe expanded. the waves in the mass eventually crew into the large-scale structure known as the universe.

albert einstein existed the waste in his general theory of relativity and scientists believe they have located the time remnants. >> if the universe started with a big bang, it was known by rapid expansion, known as inflation. until nowers there was no evidence. >> there was an exponential expansion, and the universe was stretched out from a sub atomic vol uk,micro scopic scales. in that process the universe gets flatter and smoother. >> this is the smith sewnian center. they used a telescope to measure light waves and discovered a pattern, one that supports the theory of inflation and the

existence of gravitational waves. as predicted by albert einstein in the theory of the relativity. >> this is huge, one of the greatest discoveries in the history of science, and i don't say that lightly. >> scientists say they have proof of what happened in the one trillionth of a one trillionth of a second after the big bang, and that's a big deal. the big bang theory doesn't work without inflation. with this discovery there's talk of a nobel prize. >> one of the founders says the discovery shows that science has the power to explain our existence. >> extrapolations like that work. result of predictions that can be tested, and in this instance the predictions worked, and i think it does give us a lot more confidence in the power of rational thought. >> other scientists will check

and recheck findings, but many are calling this a breakthrough in the study of our universe. >> if you want to keep up to date with the stories we have been talking about, you know where you can go. aljazeera.com. disputed piece of land, and don't be too surprised bay lopsided result. the crimea referendum. what happens now. it's the inside story.