>> >> ukraine cracks down on pro-russian protesters. more than 70 people arrested in overnight raids. >> hello and welcome to al jazeera america. live from doha. also ahead - 50,000 people made homeless by the storms in the solomon islands. now aid workers warn of disease. >> going hungry - the u.n. cuts food rations to syria because donors haven't delivered on their promises. plus...

>> i'm tania paige reporting from kenya on a marriage bill that damages women's rights when it comes to pal iing amy, aopponents. >> ukraine's government launched what it's calling on anti-terrorist operation in the eastern si of carr active. 70 people who seized a regional building have been arrested. ukraine's presidential candidate yulia tymoschenko accused activists who seized the parliament as working for russia's secret service. we have more. >> ukrainian's official forces moved in on the regional government building in carr kif in the past few hours. 70 people have been arrested. there were dramatic scenes overnight. pro-russian protesters set fire to the building. it was extinguished some hours

later. so-called anti-terrorism operation in carr active is still ongoing, the city metro services have been shut down and will reopen when the operation finishes. >> the administration government building here is in the control, in the hands of pro-russian protesters. people are talking about whether security forces will move in on the building. there are negotiations on that side as well. one of the oligarchs in the ukraine - the richest man in ukraine - spoke to police and protesters. we understand a deal may be reached about if protesters hand over their weapons, there'll be no use of force. it will be a tense few hours. >> our correspondent is monitoring development from the russian capital. both sides blaming each other for the latest unrest.

meanwhile the russian foreign ministry warns of a civil war in ukraine. >> these are some of the toughest words i have heard from the foreign ministry in some time. this is a direct message to the authorities in kiev, to the interim government in kiev, to sees all military preparations and to cease any attempts to reinforce their forces down in the south-east, where we have seen the proseparatists, proreturn demonstrations and riots occurring now since the weekend. the kremlin took exception to what it said was 150 u.s. mercenaries who said - who the foreign ministries said have been drafted in to help, and were drafted in to help the ukrainian forces. the mercenaries come from the gray stone group, they are dressed in ukrainian security

uniforms. we have no way to confirm those allegations, but the war of words continue with a tough line from the kremlin. absolutely. russia says the u.s. mersan ris, the presidential ukrainian candidate yulia tymoschenko saying they are russian provocateurs. where does all this leave the interim government in kiev? >> i think the government is in a very, very difficult position at the moment. the russians, kremlin are saying do not send forces down to the easement don't interfere in the grass roots activism carried out by pro-russian forces. if they don't intervene, and that gets out of control, then if they stay out russia could say "well, the situation is out of control. they have lost control of the east and we can bring in humanitarian forces to settle the situation and restore order.

if, on the other hand, kiev sends the troops down, and there's conflict between the troops and pro-russian demonstrators, russia could say "we have to send in the troops to protect the inters of the minority. it's a difficult situation. >> thank you for that, peter. our correspondent peter sharp joining us from moscow. >> to other news. aid workers warn of an out break of disease in solomon islands, following what has been described as the worst flash flooding in the country's history. 23 are dead, and 50,000 people are now homeless. andrew thomas is in the capital honiara. >> this was one of the two ways across the river that divides the city of honiara in half. a concrete bridge washed away by the flood. leaving one downstream. that's been damaged. huge traffic jams.

the big concern is not only that the missing turned up and drowned, but disease takes hold in some of the big camps that sprung up around the city. >> 50,000 displaced 10,000. one has 2,800 people in it with two toilets. the real concern is dyer ear takes hold, dengue fever, mosquitos can breathe in still water. they are concerned that more will die of disease than flooding. this, the first dry day in about a week. it does give a little window of opportunity to try to get the bakeses to people, water contained and that sort of thing. >> at the moment, the big concern is that disease might take hold before any real aid effort can properly get underway. >> negotiators from iran and several world powers are in vienna it conduct a round of

talks on nuclear power. iran's minister said work will begin on a final deal following two days of negotiations. he says there are many differences between iran and p5+1. >> the u.n. says that it's been forced to cut food rations for those left hungry by the civil war in syria because of a shortage of money from don arse. rice, flour and sugar has been cut back to each family. >> 2.2 billion was pledged. only 1.1 billion was received. half of what was promised. as a result the standard food basks has to be cut by 20%. the u.n.'s target is to feed $2.4 billion in syria, and it reached 4.1 last month. >> u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon condemned the killing of a dutch priest living in syria.

francis van der luke was shot in the city of homs. he made headlines for refusing to leave, despite the danger. we have more. >> this jesuit monastery in the old city of whom was home to father francis. like tens of thousands of people living under siege, violence, death, a lack the food and medicine was his daily reality. nothing like the netherlands that he had left behind almost 50 years ago. when asked to evacuate in joint enterprise, he refused. syria, he told journalists, was his home, and if the syrian people were suffering, he would share their pain. >> translation: i hope these people whose lives are at risk don't die as a result of all this. >> since the start of syria's conflict rebels and government forces fought hard for control of homs. tens of thousands died or fled.

70,000 christians lived here. now there are thought to be less than 100, those that knew him say he worried about the fate of those remaining christians. >> and he said because of the news that it was part of his life to stay with the syrians, which he considered as his brothers and sisters. he said he would be at least with the last person in the center, and he suffered a lot from missing food items. >> but the 75-year-old priest told journalists he didn't distinguish between muslims or christians - "i see a human being first and foremost", is made him make this plea on youtube to get aid. >> it's impossible for us to continue like this. we need a lot of help. >> it drew the world's

attention. later he spoke via skype of the misery for those living in homs. >> people are running down the streets screaming. they are saying i'm hungry. van der loot lived a life of hardship. speaking in january he showed food supplies. olives for breakfast and dinner, the last bit of tea and an empty jar full of wheat. humble conditions, in keeping with a man prepared to risk hills life to repay the kindness the syrian people showed him. >> the jordanian government is considering sweeping changes to its juvenile detention law. more than 2,000 children live in detention centres, most convicted of minor crimes like petty theft. we have more from ayman. >> teenagers in jordan can end up in a juvenile detention

facility for simply hurting one in a fight. many boys never expected to end up here for something as mine or of that. others didn't expect stealing would land them here either. >> this boy is 14. he has been here for five months because he stole money. he said he did it because a man threatened to stab him if he didn't. >> translation: i regret not listening to my father, he used to tell me not to make friends with bad company. i didn't line. i regret stealing and the court case. >> there are alarming figures about the psychological state of juveniles held in detention. 23% considered suicide. 87% suffered from severe depression. 64% experienced severe psychological trauma. this is why the social development ministry wants parliament to approve a draft law to soften the impact on young people.

>> the proposed juvenile detention draft law suggests substantial changes to the law, including replacing detention sentences with community service and the age of criminal accountability from seven to 12. legal experts say these amendments will ensure child protection laws are compatible with international sanctions that it has signed. >> 85% of juveniles in detention have been condemned for minor offenses they would be better off in school. >> there is a need to look into the urgency of not disrupting their school life, and therefore the idea of instead of residing in centres, we would go towards programs were there would be behavioural changes. >> most parents of young farnds agree changes in the law are necessary.

>> a child's first mistake should not be punished with prison. my son has learnt to commit misdemeanourors from those in cricket. >> it is expect that the amendments will be adopted. >> more ahead - including we are in venezuela with staples like sugar can be resold immediately for the same price as cocaine. sex education is mandatory.

>> good to have you with us. these are the top stories on al jazeera. ukraine's government has launched what is called an anti-terrorist operation in the eastern city of carr keef. police have arrested several people. >> more than 50,000 have been made homeless in the solomon islands. aid workers warn of the autobreak of disease as people struggle to access clean water. >> the u.n. has been forced to cut food rations to those that are hungry in syria because international donors have not pledged what they's. kuwait has relieved some of the

shortfall, but it's still a billion dollars short. >> sex education in schools, and contraf seption for the poor filipinos has been upheld by the supreme court. it attracted string opposition and challenge by the catholic church. we have more from manila. >> this law took almost 15 years to enact, and the supreme court finally ruled that the contentious reproductive health law is constitutional, despite opposition from the hierarchy of the human catholic church in the philippines. the supreme court lifted its temporary retraining order on the limitation of the law that has been in effect sips march 2013. understand the law, that means that the government is compelled to institutionalize safe sex education in schools and

university. it also means that the government is compelled to provide contraceptive measures to the communities that will not be able to buy it for themselves. there are many components of the law who are skeptical, because many important provisions have been taken off. >> in a country with a burgeoning population, and a government having a hard time to a rising population, and definitely as a step for a country with a high-rising case of h.i.v. in the world. >> search tales failed to relocate faint sound they think could be from the black box missing malaysia airlines plane. there has been no trace from the signal since being picked up via pinger locations. batteries last around 30 days, the search coordinator says the area is being narrowed.

it's been a month since the plane disappeared from kuala lumpur to beijing, with 239 people on board. >> the last signal detected by "ocean shield" is some 1700 kilometres north-west of perth. that's 600km away from the spot the chine aees say they picked up a transmission. it is the strongest lead with the signal heard for two hours on saturday and sunday in a part of the indian ocean that is 4.5km deep. >> we all know we have a positive lead. today we have 14 ships and 14 aircraft over those sights, flat out trying to enhance that lead and to deliver up something more tangible. but again, of course, as you have heard me say in the past, this is a herbing ulian task over a wide area. the water is deep.

>> u.s. secretary of defense pledged to protect japan in the event of a dispute with china. chuck hagel made the comment on his first official visit to china, criticising beijing for unilaterally declaring an air defense zone over disputed territory. >> rescue workers are racing to free 22 workers trapped in a goal mine. they've been lowering pipes into the mine to pump out water. there has been no communication to the men since the shaft was flooded. >> the sri lankan government says it will not cooperate with a united nations investigation into war crimes. up to 45,000 tamil civilians may have been killed in the time month of the war in 2009. the sri lankan government doesn't accept the u.n.'s authority. >> the view of the government of sri lanka is that we will not be

participating in any investigation. that is carried out by the office of the high commissioner for human rights. for the simply reason that we do not accept the authority of the commissioner to do this. >> kenya's parliament passed a bill legalizing polygamy saying it will protect women's' rights. the bill will allow men to marry as many women as they want without permission from their other wives. >> the chief says a benefit of his memories is that the burden of chores is shared. most of the time the union is harmonious. because each of his wives had a say in the newcomer. >> translation: it's important to be part of the negotiation, because the land has to be divided again, and i have to

make sure that the next one is willing to help with the chores. >> pal iing amy is about bringing the whole family together. he consulted the wife's parents. >> translation: you don't just marry because you have more than one. there is a system to follow. >> kenya's parliament passed a bill that legalizes pal iing omy. customer unions should have a marriage certificate as legal proof and allows a man to marry without his existing wife's concept. >> the new bill has implications for husbands being able to marry. the wife has no control over how thinly the family income and resources are spread. supporters argue that it covers all kennions, and raises the status of women whether mar yit in a mosque or a civil union. >> it's all of them. because it is the women who are

complaying, men are not complaini complaining. this is one-sided. >> this is an mp that walked out of parliament during a debate. >> after being elected, who, as a woman member advantaged men. men, regardless, they should not make law that disadvantage the women. >> the marriage bill led to fierce debate over the balance between equal rights, customary practices and modern interpretations. it needs to be signed by the president before it becomes law. >> heavy rain forced thousands of people to abandon their homes in six provinces in argentina. the hardest hit area has seen four days of storms and floods. storms have been cancelled and

public transport suspended. >> construction workers building rio de janeiro olympic park fought with security cards. police are investigating who fired gunshots. the dispute centered around a week-long protext. the builders are demanding more pay and better union representation and working conditions. >> there is a severe shortage of food in venezuela. people are hoarding large amounts of supplies some of it is being smuggled into columbia, forcing the government to begin a food rationing program. we go to one food store to find out more. >> these venezuelans are queueing up at a government-run market for a weekly supply of food. inside government volunteers are asking buyers to register for the new system of ration cards, called the electronic card

supply for security. it's necessary because of food shortages in venezuela. it's a way to organise consumers so they can get the bake food and control subsidised products. >> the government wants to control how often people shop, and how much they buy at government-run markets. in 201328% of basic food items were unavailable. a supply of some products will now be restricted. >> this woman says she doesn't mind. >> translation: i don't care, you don't eat chicken or meat any way. >> officials say ration cards will control the pattern of consumption of everyone who registered. >> ration cards are usually associated with food shortages during war time. products are bought at cheep prices, smaugled in and --

smuggled in and sold at 75 times the price. nicolas maduro says it's a business that is more profitable than selling cocaine. >> not everyone agrees. >> translation: contraband is transported in huge quantities. it's not common vehicles involved. it's trucks taking goods into columbia. >> in venezuela, one of every four staples is scarce. the government accuses businessmen much speculation and shortages. >> thanks to the revolution designed by our commander chavez, we the poor have access to food, even if we don't have much money. the enemies of the revolution are the ones using food to make money. >> over 100,000 venezuela registered. for now the ration card is not

mandatory, but the government offers to have incentives to get millions of venezuelans to sign up. >> ireland's president is making an historic visit to the u.k. it's the first official trip by an irish head of state since ireland's independence from britain in 1922. journalists from around the world have come together to demand the release of al jazeera's staff detained in egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy, and mohammed badr have been locked up for more than 100 days. they are falsely accused of providing a platform. patty culhane reports from new york. >> students in new york joined the movement here to learn about the unjust imprisonment of al jazeera's journalists. >> it has been 100 days since peter greste walked freely.

100 days since producer mohamed fadel fahmy slept soundly. 100 days since mohammed badr new freedom. al jazeera arabic's abdullah al-shami suffered for longer than that. all behind bars in egypt. their crime - committing journalism. they may be cut off from the world, but they have not been forgotten. in london, journalists that compete with each other united - their silence sending a message - the world is watching. >> they are keeping a close eye at the u.s. state department. >> we are, of course, watching closely the trial and we convoy our deep concerns to the government of egypt. we urge the government to drop the charges and release the journalists. >> in new york some of the powerful members of the journalists attend a conference. >> any government that wants to appear legitimate, but for as long as the egyptian government

is parading journalists in cages, dressed in white jump suits, there's no way that an egyptian government can be seen as legitimate. >> the journalists believe pressure from those in the profession and the public will lead to their release. >> hopefully if the pressure is relentless it will seem as though it's a fax that can -- fitch that can be made. >> academics joining journalists to send the message - the hamping spotlight on your -- harsh spotlight on your country will not be turned off, not until our journalists are free. >> you can get more on our campaign to free our journalists on the website. there'll you find the website. there are messages from family members and our own staff.

. >> they were only doing their jobs. >> they are innocent. >> we want them home. >> we demand justice. >> you are not forgotten. >> the world is watching. >> do the right thing. >> set them free. up mansions, condos, and vacation homes. plus more late flights, more lost bags, but one report puts airline performance at an all-time high. "real money." ♪ >>