>> the search for 287 missing people in south korea - owl hopes pin on finding survivors in the ferry's hull. >> hello, i'm martin dennis in doha. also to come - the russian flag flies across eastern ukraine as talks to end the crisis get under way. we are live in geneva. police break up an anti-government protest in al jazeera, ahead of an election

mired in division. >> al jazeera hits the road as the iconic ford mustang turns 50. >> south korea's president has visited the site of wednesday's ferry accident. she was briefed by a coast guard officer as rescue teams continued to search for nearly 300 people still missing. strong currents and bad visibility are hampering rescue efforts. nine are confirmed dead. it's feared that number will rise. adrian brown reports from jindo. close to the rescue efforts. >> more than a day since the ferry sank, and for some of the family the uncertainty over their fate turned to anger. when officials tried to brief

them about rescue efforts on thursday, fights broke out. officials decided to transport them to the site of the sinking to see the rescue efforts for themselves. hundreds of people are missing, and one senior rescuer said it's unlikely many more survivors will be found. but the prime minister has said there's not a moment to lose. one hope is that some people may still be alive inside the hull of the stricken ferry, surviving in an air pocket. overnight strong currents prevented divers getting deep inside the vessel to find out. the cap that owns the -- company that owns the vessel said sorry to family of those on board. >> translation: we deeply are sorry, we are really sorry. we'll do our best not to lose more lives. we are sorry.

>> it's still unclear as to what caused the ferry to list and capsize in apparently calm conditions. some survivors said they were told not to leave the ship once it started to take on water, as it was dangerous. the rescue effort will focus on getting air into the hull of the ship, to give divers more chance to get inside. they believe if there are people left alive. they'll be in the restaurant or the computer games area. >> and our other main story, of course, is ukraine, and the foreign minister is just about to sit with some of the most powerful diplomats in the world, hours after his country's military suffered a set back to gain control of the eastern part of the country. when ukrainian troops arrived to try to rain in the pro-russian militias, they found peaceful protesters intermingled with the

armed men they were meant to fight. pro-russian troops continue to occupy self buildings and have seized hundreds of weapons. the four diplomats sitting down to talks in geneva trying to end the crisis are the u.s. secretary of state john kerry, e.u. foreign policy chief, you are looking at sergei lavrov, the russian foreign minister. katherine ashton and the ukrainian foreign minister. so we are going to go live to geneva, and speak to our correspondent nick spicer. and, nick, they are polls apart, besides all sides agreeing. russia is sponsoring and aiding and abetting the pro-russian forces destabilising eastern ukraine. >> it's really going to be about reconciling two different versions of reality with ukrainians, but the americans

and europeans saying that moscow is directing the unrest in southeastern ukraine, providing logistical support, possibly sending in special forces troops who are not wearing military insignia, and trying to use the template that it used to take over crimea to possibly gain political influence over southeastern ukraine, send in troops with there being tens of thousands of troops along the south-eastern border of ukraine. the russians, how far, say that the ukrainian government, which it refuses to recognise officially is not doing all it should to protect the rights of russian speakers in that part of ukraine, and therefore the kremlin preservreserves the rig protect them. >> we are expecting the russians to put up a vigorous defence and go on the defensive and attack the actions of the government in

kiev. >> that's absolutely right, given the latest reports from at least ukrainian news sources in ukraine, that three members of the so-called self-defence forces were killed at a military base when the defense forces tried to take it over, and ukrainian troops fired upon them. whatever the troops, reports are bound to further anger the russians and provide them with what they feel is evidence to say the ukrainian government is filing upon people who feel that the rights are not being respected. firing upon urban speakers. the mass ard government was saying that kiev was incapable of controlling the country and ensuring law and order. a catch 22 for the people in kiev. the position, as you say, are

far apart, and the news from ukraine is likely only to push the two side, the two versions of reality further apart. >> and also the stakes are high, aren't they, because we understand that the americans are definitely in the process, aren't they, of preparing a new round of sanctions against russia, and there's phase three of e.u. sanctions, which we know the germans are pushing for. >> that's right. there's a ratcheting of diplomatic work, looking at the economy, how it cap be worked with bans. politicians in crimea, also, who helped to enable the annex as of the peninsula, and they are talking about targetting key section, oil and gas to get the kremlin to stop meddling in

internal affairs. >> thank you very much, indeed. nick spicer, our correspondent in geneva. >> the russian president vladimir putin of course denies that his troops are in eastern ukraine. >> translation: this is nonsense, there are no russian troops in the east, no special forces and instructors, they are local citizens, and the best proof is that the people have taken off their masks. they are the owners of the land, and they will not leave. >> vladimir putin is currently involved now in his megatwo-way session with the russian people. peter sharp is our correspondent in moscow. it's become an annual event. he clearly. vladimir putin clearly enjoys the exchange. but it obviously has particular significance when an important briefing is getting way in

geneva. >> that's right. and the date of vladimir putin's 4-hour telethon was announced at the same time. this was not something, sitting in a collingwood calendar -- calendar at the same time. no coincidence there. vladimir putin denying that russian troops are involved in the ukraine. that runs counter to what the u.s., the e.u., and, most importantly of all, kiev says. they say that russia is making all the running in eastern ukraine, and it's basically leading the unrest there. >> vladimir putin went on to say, interestingly enough, that he admitted that russian troops, however, were involved in the annexation of crimea. this is after forthright denials by him. and a host of others, saying categorically that russian troops weren't involved.

putin says they were. he said that without the presence of those troops, the referendum could not have taken place. the q and a basically is covering a lot of crimea and the ukraine for obvious reasons. speaking to the people of ukraine, standards of living will rise, standards will rise, and the military that stayed on and not gone pa back to ukraine will get four times as much. if there was a note of reassuran reassurance, i suppose, from vladimir putin, there's no way that russia and the ukraine can meet what is described as mutual agreement. we have too much to do with each other. >> as this meeting gets under way in geneva, are we any clearer as to what vladimir putin's intentions are for the

region of the eastern ukraine. >> no, we are not. he's keeping his options very much open. nature's convinced and the u.s. is convinced there's 40,000 troops on the border. ukraine seems to be falling apart. the rebel separatists are growing in number, and the attempts by the kiev government to put down this wave of occupation seems to be faltering. at the moment i suppose russia doesn't have the to do anything. the kremlin is happy to sit back and see how things lay out. it will be interesting to see what the outcomes of the talks are. no great hopes that they'll see any way forward, not with the entrenched positions that nick spicer is talking about. >> peter will keep ice ears and eyes open in moscow for us, as

vladimir putin has the question and answer session with the russian people. >> we have a lot more to come at al jazeera - including no friends, no family and little money. we report from mexico where people are struggling to start over after being deported from the u.s. plus, china's version of twitter going public. weibo sets its sites on the nasdaq in new york.

>> hello again.

i'm martine dennis in doha. these are the top stories. leader from the u.s., e.u., russia and ukraine are meeting to try to solve the crisis in eastern ukraine. >> ukrainian troops failed to oust pro-russian groups from buildings in the east. vladimir putin says the deployments are another serious crime by the ukrainian government. >> strong currents and bad visibility are hampering rescue efforts in south korea, after a ferry sank off the southern coast. 300 are missing. nine are so far confirmed dead. >> let's go back to one of our main stories today, that of the situation in ukraine, and there's a new u.n. report out.

ethnic russians in ukraine falsely claim to be under attack to justify russia's intervention. it highlights human rights violations leading up to crimea joining russia. >> among the key findings, the vote in crimea was carried out in an atmosphere of intimidation. there was torture, harassment and arrests of journalists and activists opposed to the remembered ums. reports looked into allegations that russian speaking citizens were being targeted and harassed. reports found that these attacks were neither widespread or systematic. the russian ambassador to the united nations denied findings in the report and said the document was biased. it was a robust defense of the report by the u.s. ambassador.

>> this document, unfortunately is biased in nature. >> it's true that the reports ch chose not to notice the authorities became so because of a coup, rather than civilized democratic elections. >> today's remarks by the russian federation were an independent report provided by the u.n., was disparaged, indeed founded as biased and unfounded, is worrying. if you don't like the message, the russian strategy appears to be, metaphorically - shoot the mess enger. >> once again, deep divisions. the russian version of events is nothing more than a fantasy narrative. moscow is finding it hard to find sympathy or allies. all eyes will be on geneva, when the four-way talks take place.

many will watch from new york, hoping for a breakthrough. >> let's go to india where the world's largest exercise in democracy is taking place. this is the fifth and perhaps the biggest phase today, because a quarter of its 815 million voters are casting their ballots today. they are voting across 12 states. 121 constituencies much the election is spread over several weeks, ending on may the 12th. >> voting is under way on al jazeera's presidential election. more than 250,000 police are being deployed to find security. anti-government protesters demonstrated, angry that the president is running for a fourth term. he's expected to win, despite his health problems. his rival warns that an army of supporters will monitor thursday's vote to prevent fraud. we have this report.

>> algeria's presidential campaigneneded on a note of division. >> we want is fourth term. we support the president for life. >> translation: we live in misery. we hope you will help us. >> i think most people are against boutifl. >> ka. the man at the center of it all is rarely seen. the 77-year-old president is said to be extremely ill. he's been taken to hospital and flown abroad for treatment several times. he looks frail. he's still the best choice nor algeria. he has served three terms in office. he's running for a fourth. a senior leader of the movement that led to independent. >> that has started to change.

for the first time a serious rival to boutifleka is gaping support from the military and ruling party. >> no fourth term. we'll never accept a fourth term. >> former prime minister gained popular backing some years ago when he resigned as justice minister over what he considered corrupt processes. many saw him as a potential reformer. because he is a member of the ruling party, some are concerned he'll be a continuation of the current system. >> this election will not lead to a change of government or political debate. it's a problem, other big problems. >> aljeeria is a big producer of oil and gas. decades of military rule and the civil war in the 1990s, hurt economic growth and welfare. poverty, corruption and lack of

freedom separates others. >>translation: we are boycotting because we don't want to give legitimacy to the masked shahhate. with nothing to do with the interests of the arab spring. they >> al jazeera is demanding the release of its journalists imprisoned in egypt. mohamed fadel fahmy, mohammed badr, and peter greste are falsely accused of providing a platform for the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they have been behind bars for 110 cause, the case has been adjourned until this month. abdullah al-shami, a forth al jazeera journalist has been held

without trial since august. he's been on hunger strike for the last 87 days. al jazeera relates all accusations. >> in venezuela, demonstrators marched barefoot demonstrating against the high cost of living. this is the latest of protests, which has seen months of violent demonstrations. president nicolas maduro's government and members of the opposition have been meeting trying to find ways to stop the unrest. >> last week we brought to you the story of people deported by the u.s. government, despite evidence that they may, in fact, be american citizens. when we met esteban tiznado, he was in prison. on saturday he was deported to mexico. >> esteban tiznado is afraid to

stand still. back in mexico, he's wary of kidnapping games. he says he had to pay them $10. so he wanders the streets, with no friends, no family and little money. he's overwhelmed. >> at the age of 40 he's forced to start over again. >> stressing, depressed. because i'm in this position. >> this is the sixth time esteban tiznado has been deported. he says he's a u.s. citizen. in 2008 he conscrinsed a federal criminal court that he had a right to be in the united states. an immigration judge said he hadn't proved he was a citizen, and with a criminal record, deporting him was a priority. >> esteban tiznado is one of 2 million people deported under

president barack obama. >> those that champion the rights of migrants have a clear strategy. >> to make it so hard that the suffering gets you to bow down and break, and then say "i can't do it any more. >> that strategy may be working. for the first team stacey tisdale is questioning whether to cross back, knowing it will mean more gaol time. migrants come to places like this throughout the day looking for basic services - showers, to make phone calls or eat a mill. other than the extremely basic things they are giving, they are not given much support here to start obvious. >> they need help. he asks to borrow a phone. nearly out of money, he calls his sister in the u.s. she wired him $100, just enough

for a short trip to the coast, where he's heard there's more jobs than in the city. >> i don't want to do gaol. >> unsure where he'll end up, he dreams of being allowed to go home, a dream he knows may never come true. >> weibo, china's version of facebook and twitter, is set to go public on the nasdaq stock exchange. the beijing based site was launched five years ago and is estimated to have attracted more than 500 million users. the company's revenue almost tripled last year. jeremy is the director of a research firm that tracks chinese media, and says this is an odd time for weibo to go public. >> in 2011 and "12, weibo was

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

offputting to a lot of people. >> given the decline, as a company. although it's carved out as an independent unit. it's a long history of survival. it was one of the first big companies. fiving a crash after the boom. >> an american classic celebrating the 50th anniversary. it went on civil in 1964, the ford mustang, and was a hit. it symbolizes the dream, as rob reynolds reports now from los angeles. >> coming april 17th, the unexpected new ford mustang. brilliant new kind of car. >> the 1964 ford mustang cost $2,300. americans couldn't get enough of them. the fast and stylish roadster cruised into 1960s pop culture

and inspired incurrable car lust in millions of red-blooded american males. >> mustang, mustang. >> perhaps no man alive knows and loves the mustang more than 82-year-old jim hanley, who has been selling and restoring mus substantial at his job in los angeles for 45 years. >> what has the mustang meant to you in your life? >> 45 years worth of pleasure. i've been retired, basically, for 45 years, working on mustangs. we pointed out one slight 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 the mustang has been good to ford. the company sold more than 9 million. >> the enduring appeal goes back to when we launched it in 1964 and 1965. it was a sense of optimism in

america at that time. it captured, for that generation, that feeling, not only in the u.s., but around the world. >> proving that the mustang is alive and well, hundreds of aficionados set off to los angeles for a must tang cruise. >> it's the experience. everyone knows it's a mustang and it's american. >> mustang is unique to america. >> the car may be uniquely american, love for it is international. these guys coming all the way from slovyansk. >> what does mustang mean to you guys. >> here is a tip. if you drive your mustang across country, take a kid to watch and polish. >> ford is throwing a birthday bash for its middle aged baby in, whereless, los angeles. >> that is where we are heading right now.

rob reynold's, al jazeera, on the road to vegas, in a mustang. >> you can find out more about mustan mustangs, if you like, or anything else on the website at aljazeera.com. business with china, you will want a piece of the action. i will tell you why. here in the united states, factories are making more, builders are building more and people like are you spending more. i have a brand-new snapshot of america's economy. little guys who do what the bankers don't, small community banks and their important place on the main streets of america. i am ali velshi. this is "real money."