>> they're locking the doors... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... >> truth seeking... >> breakthrough investigative documentary series space inc. only on al jazeera america >> the search for 287 missing people in south korea all hopes now pinned on finding survivors in the ferry's hull. >> hello, i'm martin dennis in doha. also, the russian flag flies across eastern ukraine, talks to end the crisis get under way. we are live in geneva. >> police break up an anti-government protest in nigeria, ahead of an election mired in division.

>> and al jazeera hits the road as the iconic ford mustang turns 50. >> strong currents and bad visibility, together are hampering rescue efforts in south korea. teams are searching for 300 people still missing after the ferry accident on wednesday. nine are confirmed dead, but it's feared that that number will rise. adrian brown reports from jinned u, clo -- jinnedo. >> the uncertainty over fate has turned to anger. when authorities tried to brief them on thursday morning, fights broke out. the >> officials decided transport

them to the site of the sinking. hundreds of people are missing. one senior rescuer said it's unlikely many survivors will be found. the prime minister said there's not a moment to lose. there is hope that some may be alive inside the hull of the ferry, surviving in an air pocket. overnight strong tides prevented divers getting inside. the opener of the ferry said slowly. >> translation: we deeply apologise to families. i am saying again we are sorry, our company will promise to do our best to not lose more lives. >> that it's unclear what caused

the ferry to list. some passengers were told not to leave the ship as it was taking on water and dangerous. the rescue will attempt to get air into the ship giving divers a chance to get inside. they believe if people are alive they'll be in the restaurant or computer games area. >> we have heard about conditions that are hindering rescuing some that may be alive. what is the situation now? >> as you can see, the weather is closing in. there's strong winds, rain. the worst thing is the strong current in the water behind me, making it perilous for the divers, as they try to approach the wreckage of the ferry, they

were able to get inside the wreckage yesterday and have a look around. they haven't been able to do that today. the visibility is poor. the waters are muddy, and very murky. this is a huge operation that is now underway. we have some 550 divers in all, some 169 vessels of all shapes and sizes, and 29 aircraft. they are not flying at the moment because of the weather. also today, the captain. stricken ferry hats been interviewed by -- has been interviewed by the coast guard and other crew members. in the coming days the coast guard will want to talk to some of the survivors, particularly those warned to stay on the ferry as it was starting to tult dangerously. now, a few hundred yards away along the wharf where i was standing at the moment, the port

coordinating the recovery operation, there are dozens of families still missing, presumed to be on board the ferry. as you can imagine the anxiety mounts as each hour passes and the emotions were running high when government officials came to brief them. there were fist fights, things thrown at the officials, and it was an illustration of the sheer desperation the families are feeling. the longer it goes on, the longer it seems ta it will be bodies to be recovered from the ferry. >> the frustration and despair almost turning the anger on the part of the relatives. we are hearing poiniant messages, stories emerging from those that have been rescued, and those that are yet to be found - text messages in the

main. >> yes, truly heart-breaking text messages have been published here today. here is an example. one was sent by a school - a child to her mother it said "i don't know if i'll be able to contact you again, mum, but i love you." that is typical of some of the messages that have been published in the media. heart breaking. three-quarters of the passengers on the ferry carrying more than 470 people were all teenagers. they were on a school trip. it's supposed to be a happy four days. we now have south korea's worst maritime disaster in 20 years, and let's remember, this is the second major transport tragedy, accident, in asia in the past five weeks. >> all right for now, thank you very much indeed. we are getting an idea of the

weather conditions as adrian friends off the wind and rain. >> to our other main story. ukraine, where the military of that country suffered what has been described as a humiliating setback in the eastern region. for days kiev has been trying to restore its authority over the region, when ukrainian troops arrived to rein in pro-russian militias, they found armed men they were meant to be fighting were intermingled with protesters. in a town close to kramatorsk, hundreds of pro-russian activists blocked ukrainian tanks. leaders in the crowd said they'd let the troop go if they handed over the magazines from their assault rifles. in the city of slovyansk, the russian flag was mounted on six armoured vehicles literally taken from the ukrainian army.

we have been speaking to armed men to find out about who they are. >> they advanced and took up position in the center. to the delight of many who feel closer to moscow than kiev. the appearance of these masked men raised allegations that they are russian soldiers. they are locally formed self-defence units. government, so-called government, indeed. we can't spack seriously with them. because we are the power. we are the people. >> others show a ukrainian passport as proof that they are not invaders, even though they will not reveal their name. >> they say men travel with

impunity from town to town. they have weapons, and armoured personnel carriers. they are emerging as a force on the ground. >> the armoured vehicles were seized from paratroopers, who were deployed. they were exported from the local buildings. some switched side. the majority refused. they were taken away in buses. not everyone is here to show support to the defence forces. this man is worried about the ever-going appearance. >> i feel bad. the situation is difficult, and we have no chance to tell what you want to say. we are here in ukraine, and we don't want troops of russian - of course, we go not think that they keep authority. they are for us exactly. because they do not want to hear

us. >> kiev showed presence from this guy. here on the ground ukrainian soldiers made little gain. pro-russian forces continued to spread across eastern ukraine. >> and in just a short while from now leaders from the u.s., e.u., russia and ukraine - they are due to meet in geneva to try to sort the crisis out. u.s. secretary of state john kerry arrived in geneva, and the white house threatened to impose tougher sanctions on moscow if it refuses to cooperate. the kiev government has its own set of demands. >>. >> translation: our position at these consolidations it, first of all, to demand the end to russia's support to terrorist groups, which are active in the eastern regions of ukraine. we'll demand the russian federation condome such action -- condemn such actions and withdraw troops.

>> so there's the ukrainian foreign minister talking. we see john kerry arriving in geneva. our correspondent is nick spicer. the other two parties to the four way talks is e.u.'s katherine ash tonne, the foreign policy chief, and the russians. how far apart are the four different parties to today's talks. >> their talking positions are as far apart as their version of reality on the ground in ukraine. we heard the ukrainian foreign minister accusing russia of foamenting problems, sending in the green men, which is to say russian special forces not to where insignia, stirring up trouble, using the template that moscow used to take over the pence of crimea, which was part of crimea. the european union and the

united states largely agree with the ukrainian position, and see russia's hand in the east and safety. they say the ukrainian government was rite to send in the army, because moscow, according to washington, had been complaining of a lack of order and piece, and it was time to establish respect nor law and order: the ukrainian government said it would do so. moscow said it would come up with a blew print for federalizition, which is more autonomy to the region, including the donetsk region. they may have foreign policy and negotiate with moscow. positions very far apart, different versions of reality this kiev. >> massive issues effectively on the table today. >> what happens if they fail? it has to be said that

inspection expectations are low, aren't they? >> they are quite low. i think the ratcheting up of rhetoric before the talks is an indication not just an attempt to play a better poker game, but an indication that the west is prepared to take more sanctions against russia, there are visa bans targetting officials, russian and crimean, involved in the annexation, including the freezing of assets. the next is level three sanctions, which is the nuclear option, if you will, freezing banking and targetting the sectors that are the most important to russia's economy - oil and gas, heavy industry and things like that. the americans are slightly more aggressive in this regard than europeans, which have a relationship which is 12 times more important with the united states than russia. >> nick spicer is our man in

geneva. he'll keep us across the talks. stay with us at al jazeera. >> there's a lot more to come here at al jazeera, including china's version of twitter going public. wee bow sets its sights on the nasdaq in new york. appear

>> hello again. i'm martin dennis in dough hoe with the top -- doha with the dop stories. strong currents and bad visibility are hampering rescue efforts after a ferry sank off

the southern coast. 300 are missing, nine confirmed dead. >> leaders from the u.s., e.u., russia and ukraine are to meet to try to solve the crisis, secretary of state john kerry arrived in geneva to start the talks. >> right. now, in nigeria the military is saying that it's rescued dozens of girlfriend kidnapped by gunmen on tuesday. around 100 students were taken from their school in the nearby borno state. we have this report from abuja. >> the nigeria military confirmed in a written statement that over 100 girls kidnapped from the government school in chibok have been rescued.

ate are in capt ist -- eight are in captivity. the principal of the school verified the numbers. the security services have not given any more information or detail as to exactly how this rescue operation was undertaken. we don't know whether it was dramatic, where the girls were found. we are not sure whether any of the assailants, the kidnappers, were apprehended by the authorities. earlier at least 10 to 15 girls escaped from captivity, and it's thought they may have given security services some intelligence as to the whereabouts of the other girl. no group has claimed responsibility for the abdctions, but -- abductions, but it looks like the group boko haram, who want islamic law impressed, and have attacked schools and are against western education. >> the abduction took place in borno in the north-east. there has been another attack in that state, in a different

district. this is the fourth attack in three days. at least 20 people have been killed this time. >> let's have a look at some of the other stories happening around the world. india's mammoth general election reached the fifth phase. thursday is the biggest day at the polls, with a quarter of 815 million voters going out to cast their ballots. there's voting across 12 states and 121 constituencies. the election is spread out over several weeks, ending on may the 12th. in venezuela demonstrators marched against the basic shortage of goods and the high cost of the living. this is the latest anti-government protest in the capital, which has been month of violent demonstrations. the ebola virus in guinea has

killed more than 100, and it's a new strain. the disease was not imported from outbreaks in other african nations. the source of the virus is not known. >> voting is underway in algeria's presidential election. more than 250,000 police have been deployed. anti-government protesters demonstrated on wednesday, angry that the president is running for a fourth term. he's expected to win, despite chronic health problems. >> al jazeera's presidential campaign ended on a note of deep division. >> translation: we want a fourth term. >> translation: we live in misery, we hope you win and help us. >> translation: i think most people are against him. >> the man at the center of it

all is rarely seen. the 77-year-old president is said to be ill. he's been taken to hospital, flown abroad for treatment. he looks frail at meetings with foreign leaders. supporters say he's the pest choice for algeria. he has served three terms in office. now he's running for a fourth one. a senior leader of the movement that led algeria to dependence, he's ruled with an iron fist, with the backing of the army. it started to change. for the first time a serious rival is gaining support amongst members of the military and the ruling party. >> no fourth term, we'll never accept a fourth term. >> the former prime minister had backing when he resigned as justice minister over what he considered corrupt processes. many saw him then as a reformer.

because he is a member of the counter party, some believe he may be the same as the counter system. >> the election will not lead to a change of government. it's a problem in alzeer -- algeria. >> after still war in the 1990s, growth was hurt. >> poverty, corruption and lack of freedom threaten the parties. >> translation: we are boycotting, we don't want to give legitimacy to the mass grade. >> it has nothing to do with the interest of the peep. >> supporters give support, and consider them a guarantor of stability, opponents say he's clung to power with

un-democratic means. they believe he's too old and ill to govern. >> too old and too ill. we'll talk to a nonresident fellow for the german institute of international affairs, thank you and welcome to doha. >> is he too old, can he win a fourth. >> if he win, he won't challenge anything. he won't be able to finish the first mandate. it's about the system of governance. with a new candidate, the system is not going to change. the governor is not going to change. it will be backed by the military, and new voices will not be allowed. >> the candidate who offers the most competition it's ali.

and seams to be creating most of the opposition. >> these parties, they are connected. they are formally corrupted opposition parties. so, again, are we going to hear new voices - i don't think so. >> many ask j algeria has not gone through the political and social term i will that others have, tunisia and egypt. what is it about algeria that prevented people rises in the arab spring. >> they fear if they take to the streets, they are not guaranteed that they won't be a massive operation. if demonstrations turn violent, they'll be the ones to whom it will cost dealer. they have experienced that in 1992. they don't want to experience that now. the major transition to come is

that it will have to be a nonviolent transition. >> thank you very much indeed for talking to us at al jazeera. >> to china now, and way bow, the version of twitter is set to go public on the nasdaq stock exchange on thursday. it hopes to raise up to $500 million. the beijing based microblogging unit was launched five years ago. it's to have attracted 600 users. we had 144 million users. the company's revenue has tripled in a year, to 188 million. >> jeremy is the director of a research firm tracking chinese media, and says it's an odd time for weibo to be going public. >> in 2011 and 2012 it was the hottest thing on the internet

that everyone was talking about in china, with an engaged and massive user base. in the last year user activity declined. they have gone ipo at a time when their user base is on the decline, and this is why the pricing is lower than had originally been expected. there are three factors that i would attribute the decline. one is a campaign of government censorship intended to silence the controversial voices which got going in august in earnest. the other is the massive increase in chinese use of $0.10. which is a different type of social media, using a lot of people's time. the third factor is seeing they put so much advertising on the interface that it was a lot off

putting. as a company, though it carved out as an independent unit, they have a long history of survival, one of the first of the big chinese internet companies, surviving the first crash offer the first internet boom. >> america's favourite muscle car is celebrating its 50th anniversary. in 1964, the ford mustang was cruised to the world and proved popular. it went through some design missteps. now it's back at its best. rob reynolds reports from los angeles. >> coming april 17th, the unexpected new ford mustang. a brilliant new kind of car. >> the 1964 ford mustang cost $2,300. americans couldn't get enough of them. the fast and stylish rowedster crewed into 1960s pop culture

and inspired car lust. >> must tang. >> perhaps no man alive knows and loves the mustang more than 82-year-old jim hanley who has been selling and restoring the cars at his shop. >> what has the mustang meant to you? >> 45 years of pleasure. i've been retired for 45 years, working on mustangs. we pointed out a design flaw. >> the back seat is a little too small to make out in. >> well, depends how bad you want to make out. >> over the years of the mustang has been good to ford. the company sold more than 9 million. >> i think the enduring appeal of mustang goes back to when we launched it in 1964 and 1965. it was a sense of optimism in america at that time.

a sense of freedom, and it captured, for that generation, that feeling - not only in the u.s., but around the world. proving that the mustang mystique is alive and well, hundreds of aficionados set off to los angeles, for a mustang across america tour. >> it's the mustang experience. when you drive, you feel the road. everyone knows it's a mistapping, and it's american. >> mustang is unique to america. >> the car may be unique to america, but love is international. these guys came from slovakia. >> what does mustang mean? >> if you drive a mustang across country, take a moment to wax and polish. >> ford is throwing a birthday bash for its now middle-aimed baby in, where else, las vegas. so that's where we are heading right now.

>> you can find out more about the mustang as it turns 50 on the al jazeera website. there's lots more as well. aljazeera.com. >> new york's police had a special detail that kept an eye on the city's muslim communities trying to foil the next terrorist attacks faced with complaints and controversy the city has dropped the policy. it's the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez.