a rescue operation is fast becoming one of recovery in south korea. as drivers struggle to access the wreck of a sunken ferry: ♪ ♪ hello, or am martin dennis in doha. we'll have the latest attack on a u.n. compound in south sudan. the government there says the u.n.'s own peacekeeper provoked the attack by firing in to the air. also ahead, president obama signs a bill designed to block the man iran has chosen as it's a ambassador to the u.n.

>> and i am rob mcbride in china with the small plant that has a big part to may in the fight against industrial pollution. ♪ ♪ all right, but we can start now in south korea where the ferry that sanction on wednesday is now fallen on its side on the sea bed. three days after the ferry capsized with more than 470 people on board, hope of finding survivors impossible air pockets is, of course, dwindling. so far 29 bodies have been recovered. 273 people remain missing. now most of hospital are high school students. one of the divers said he saw three bodies inside the submerged vessel but wasn't able to get them out. 40 dives are planned for today, that's saturday, in an effort to get inside the ship where most passengers are still believed to be trapped.

let's have a look at the live scene there you can see it. where the rescue operation is assembled and you can see some of the rescued vessels which are out there in this part of the east china sea. well, our correspondent hairy hy faucet is there for us. harry we should start talking about the fact that the ferry has descended to the sea bed and has turned on its side. which is not good news. >> reporter: no, that is a major development today in terms of the rescue and trying to access it, in terms of how the parents are feeling about all of this. when we were out there a little more than 24 hours ago, the very end of the bow was still just above the waves. it went under during the course of yesterday. and now we get this information that we only got really because the familie families families tt

publicist, they had representatives out at the site and the members of the families here during a briefing given by a maritime police agency official, they said look you are not telling us what really has happen we know the ship has fallen on its side. at which time the maritime police official admitted that had happened. there is some contention as to how far its fallen over, whether it's totally on its side on the bottom of the sea bed or whether as one maritime official -- police official told us it was more of a 45-degree angle. the key thing is that the access points that they struggled so hard to establish and have good ropes leading to, they are on the underside now of the ship. so far more difficult to reach. we were told that diving would go out and go on throughout the day by one police official who we have just spoken to, seen here source among the rescuers on the phone we expected them to be out there for a 12-hour shift

looking at the -- managing one of the dive teams, he's told us that they are already back on land because among all of the other problems, the waves are so high that they weren't even able to attach the dingy to the larger boat that they were on the divers couldn't even get on at that to a dingy let a later get in the water and get access to the ship and it's extremely difficult work out. >> perhaps inevitably the families are having to move towards the gastly moment that they realize hopes that finding their children for the most part are now running out and that this is now turning from a rescue operation in to one of recovery. >> reporter: i think that's been happening in fits and starts. when we arrived on the night of the disaster some people were already saying their children must be dead. i think more people are coming to that conclusion now. just as i was during that

exchange between the maritime police official and families, one family member was saying, look, if it's tilted on its side that means the air pockets have gone, that means there is no chance of anyone alive. another woman, another mother, was stands on the ground a table and she shouted back saying, no, that we still hope that our children are alive. don't get lett them stop searching for them. each family has to make that calculation on its own terms, but the longer that this goes on, of course, the less hope that there is. >> harry thank you very much for updating us on the dire situation there taking place in jind on. in south korea. now, the south sudanese government has sent troops to secure a united nations base that was attacked by gunmen. 58 people died there. the u.n. says thursday's assault macons toot a war crime. but the south sudanese government is saying that u.n. peacekeepers themselves provoked

the attack by firing in to the air. anna is in the south sudan capital. >> reporter: this is a town that has changed hands between government and rebels several times since december. it's been in south sudanese army control since late january. a few months later, and the situation is still volatile. >> we are ready for any venture true at, what happened yesterday is that a group of 350 men, well, and even some children, decided to walk towards our peace-keeping base. we were led to believe that they were going to hand over a petition regarding the work of the united nations. upon arrival at our base part of the group broke off and went to the area of the base which is where we are protecting civilianses, and they opened fire. we immediately returned fire and we have used lethal force to repel the attack. >> reporter: the u.n. made a

statement condemning the violence saying what happened there constitutes a war crime and reminded the government of south sudan that it has have a responsibility to protect its bases of the country. the u.n. peacekeepers were the ones that provoked the crowd. the past weeks have seen a wave of armed incidents. the town was retaken by rebel forces. the state is rich in oil and strategically important to both sides. the rebels and the government are supposed to be observing a seize fire that was brokered in late january, but just this we week. the rebel leader said he was targeting the capital and the oil fields. barn bass is u.s. representative for california and a ranking member of the house subcommittee on african.

>> i think you have to look at why this happened. a statement was issued by the south sudanese government that was a little unclear in terms of what started the violence. you know, some reports say that it was started because the people that were inside of the camp were celebrating a battle that took place and that upset the government and upset government supporters. so if it is, in fact, true, that this markets one of the first times you have a civilian militia that's in support of the government i, i think it's very frightening. at the end of the day, of course the government is responsible for protecting that camp. >> now the u.s. president has signed a law aimed at blocking iran's chosen united nations envoy. the u.s. says hamid was involved in the 1979 take over of the u.s. embassy in teheran and doesn't want him taking up the post. tom ackerman has the late nest what's becoming a growing dick low mat being spat.

>> reporter: the decision to refuse iranian dip los angeles mat entry as iran's knew ambassador to the u.n. has been met with outrage in teheran. >> translator: it seems the americans have used the u.n. as a tool in different forms in the past. now we are witnessing this abuse of the role of the u.n. in another way. >> reporter: he has been accused of helping to hold 52 americans hostage in teheran for 444 days when the u.s. em bass a action iowas taken over in 1979. the diplomat who had previously been given a visa to the u.s. said he had only served as a translator. but the state department called him not viable for admission despite what some international lawyers are saying are long-time treaty requirements for hosting the u.n. in new york. >> we take our host country obligations very seriously that's why cases like this are so rare, we are happy to have a conversation about why we won't be grant this is visa with the u.n. as we have already. we have had them with the

iranians. >> reporter: congress sent obama blanket legislation that would bar entry to anyone engaged in spying, terrorism or a threat to national security. president obama signed the bill. but in an attached statement, he reserved the right to exercise presidential discretion. in enforcing it. just as his predecessor george bush did with other laws he felt infringed on his power to conduct foreign holland i poll s for the u.n. a spokesman says he's staying out of the dispute calling it a by ratting dispute that should resolved bite country. it might complicate the currents talks to did views the iran nuke or issue. american officials say so far that's not been the case and they a that the iranians have been fully compliant in freezing their enrichment program. to him ackerman, al jazerra, washington. >> the u.n. is warning that from today, saturday, palestinians in seasyria's refugees camp will he

no food it says in the past 10 days it's been stopped from providing aid there. the food parcels it delivered recently ran out on friday. the camp in based damascus and set up for palestinian refugees. aid workers are warning that up to 2 million syrian children may need psychological help base of the conflict. some children living in refugees camps in jordan are receiving support as well as treatment. she went to meet them at a camp. >> reporter: severe depression has left this 14-year-old boy scared, vulnerable and desperate for help. he has tried to end his life four times. >> translator: i was upset with my grandfather and i used glass to cut my arms. >> reporter: he says he never felt suicidal until he moved to jordan from syria two years ago. he's now receiving free psychological support and

medication from the ng on. the international medical corp. his parents are divorced and he and his siblings have been separated he says the death of his youngest and only sister by heling ishelling in homs devastm the most. he says he has dropped out of school and picked up drinkal. >> i hurt myself so i can escape. it's no big deal if i die. death is better than my life now. >> reporter: there are so many syrian children like him who need specialized help. here the children who need psychological support are attending a group counseling session, this is where they share their fears, war experiences and worries about their future with their psychologists the u.n. organization for children uncief estimates that 2 million syrian children need psychological support or treatment. but more severe cases can required individual sessions. she hasn't said a word in over a

year, she's been silent since her street was heavily she would. her condition is called selective muteism. she points at things to communicate. and this is a common condition among syrian children. he washe was mute to a year has spoken again but now suffers from a speech impediment and requires specialized speech therapy which her family cannot afford. >> translator: if she sees a laser she thinks it's a sniper. if she hears a thump she thinks it's a bomb the girl is living in fear. >> reporter: thousands of syrian children are being treated for psychological conditions across jordan. psychologists say it's much harder for children to come to terms with war. >> they can't understand the issue you they just understand i am not happy because i lost my father. i am not happy because i couldn't even accept the people, the atmosphere in jordan. >> reporter: some syrian children continue to receive help here in jordan but back in

syria millions more face an uncertain future of war and further devastation. al jazerra. lots more to come here at al jazerra. including when the price is certainly not right. the high cost of food in venezuela means not everyone is celebrating president maduro's first year in office. plus. >> i am nervous about the future. >> but not backing down. we immediate the pro-russian activists in ukraine who are refuse to go abandon their protests. ♪ ♪ >> the new space race is here >> there are people right now who will walk on mars >> it could be a big payday for corporations >> the same companies will be controlling your life in space. >> who will conquer the cosmos? >> these men believe the universe is theirs for the taking >> fault lines... al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> 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 >> these protestors have decided that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance.

these are the top stories here at al jazerra. a officer-y that suna ferry thah korean waters has sunk to one side making it harder to find survivors, 29 people so far are confirmed dead. 273 are still missing. the south sudanese government has sent troops to secure a u.n. base that was attacked by an armed group. 58 people died at the compound there. the u.n. says that starting from saturday, palestinians in syria's refugees camp will have no food. it says that for 10 days now, it's been stopped from delivering aid to the camp. now russia says eight u.s. threat of more sanctions over the crisis in ukraine is unacceptable. the white house says it will impose more sanctions if moscow doesn't adhere to an agreement it signed in geneva on thursday.

but this is what vladimir putin's spokesman had to say about it to a local telejournal. you can't treat russia like a guilty school boy who has to put a cross on a piece of paper to show that he's done his homework. that kind of language is unacceptable. i quote. well, inside ukraine, pro russian groups are vowing to continues their fight and they are defying therefore the terms of thursday's agreement. armed groups have recipients fuse today put down their weapons. hundreds rallies in lennon square in support of moscow. they are demanding that the kiev government step down. pro-russia groups are also occupying government buildings in several eastern ukrainian cities. >> reporter: the barricades are still up. and the pro-russian protesters

are holding ground. >> i am nervous about the future. >> reporter: igor anism it. specialist when he's not protesting has been here for nearly a week now. and has no intention to leave any time soon. >> translator: if they disband the national guard and get the right sector and acting president out of the government, then i will leave this place. the right sector a big problem. they are in power. they are making laws and they say they want our heads. >> reporter: the protesters have settled inside the building and are preparing for the long hauled. there is no shortage of fool and medical 134r50euz here donated by sympathizers who see their cause as a just one. they are fully support by their families and wives. pro-russian supporters have counted on the backing of moscow they worked hard to keep the momentum in a region where not everyone agrees with them.

>> translator: the picture is not very clear right now. it's all uncertain think we are only counting on our forces and strengthening. we are not going yet. let them try to come and disarm us. >> reporter: so far, none of the demands of the pro-russian protesters have been officially met. in kiev, the acting president and prime minister attempted to duplicate those in the east. their message of reassurance is in crisis. >> the ukrainian government is ready to conduct a comprehensive constitutional reform that will secure powers of the regions in accordance with which regional and district states administrations will be eliminated. people will be able to elect councils and committees and we will give a special status to the russian language and will defend it. >> reporter: the protesters want other pledges made by the government turned in to legislation soon. only then, they feel that their rights will be protected in the

new ukraine. al jazerra. now supporters of algeria's president have been celebrating his reelection for a fourth term. ♪ ♪ >> this is the scene in the capital, the supporters danced in the streets. the interior minister announces landslide victory on national television, but the opposition has rejected the results. 77-year-old president hasn't appeared much in public since he suffered a stroke last year. now a police has been killed and another injured in an explosion in the egyptian capital according to state media which security officials said the bomb was planted signed traffic post in cairo's lebanon square. some passersby were also wounded by the blast. well, al jazerra is continuing to demand the immediate release of its journalists impressed in egypt.

they are falsely accused of providing a platform for the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they have now been behind bars for 112 days, their case has been adjourned until late they are month. the fourth al jazerra journalist in detention has been held without trial since last august, he's been on hunger strike for the last 89 days. al jazerra rejects all the accusations. know, this weekend marks one year since nicholas maduro became president of venezuela in a narrow election victory. president maduro promised to carry on the legacy of his mentor hugo chavez, but as al jazerra's gabriel el san dough reports from caracas he has struggled to solve many of the country's problems. >> reporter: fish, and lots of it will be eaten this easter holiday in venezuela and this sprawling fish market is where

many people come to buy it. this year they have having to pull more money out of their wallet. last year one kilo cost $12 at the official exchange rate. this year it cost double that. on the other side of the market, luis admits he struggles to pay the high price of fish. but this isn't another store by inflation, it's how two people neither with strong political leanings see the same simple fish price situation very differently. >> the food shortages and inflation problems don't seem to be a concern of the government. they are only worried about fighting and arguing and threatening. and this is all our president does. >> for me, president nicklaus maduro has done a lot to create jobs and bring down high prices of food. people see this. >> reporter: in many ways this

fish market perfectly represents where venezuela is at one year in to ma goo owe's term. everybody agrees that the price of the fish has gone up, but nobody can seem to agree who is to blame and who is best suit today fix it. this week supporters i was nicholas maduro celebrated his first year in office. despite the support of his coalition behind him there has been little to celebrate. maduro has been able to keep this coalition together by not taking by not making some of the most difficult did h decisions. economic reforms. crime and violence have not improved at all. >> reporter: resent street protests have allowed the president to change the focus of the national debate from the serious economic problems for what he says is an opposition planning a coup against him.

for now back to the market the once that can still afford it can buy their fish for easter. but in a country still with plenty of uncertainty, the problems are clear, the solutions less so. gabriel elizondo, al jazerra, caracas. the kid mappers of a tunisian an diplomat are demanding the release of people over terrorism charges. he was bourque at the embassy in the libyan capital triply. he disappeared on thursday, his colleague was abducted last month. the tunisian government says they are being held by libyan fighters accused of carrying out a deadly attack in 2011. and the u.s. has delayed a decision whether or not to approve a controversial oil pipeline project. the keystone excel pipeline will transport thousands of barrels of crude oil from canada to the u.s. but it's unlikely to get approval before midterm

congressional elections later in year. environmental groups are critical project but canada has been pushing for it. ben schriber is the climate and energy director to the environment the organization friends of earth and he says the delay is good news. >> definitely not a guarantee that the pipeline is going to be stopped and we'll continue to pet pressure on the president to make the right decision. but it does show that the state department is hearing all of the opposition that the activists in nebraska and all across the country are putting forth and they are listening. so this pipeline would bring some of the world's dirtiest oil in to the gulf coast refineries for the first time. and it would basically help open this really dirty oil to the rest of the world. and so it's a really important piece of infrastructure that stops the bottleneck that's created right now around the tar sands in canada.

well, people in china are being forced to deal with the environmental costs of the country's economic growth. a government report says nearly a fifth of all farmland in mainland china is polluted. 16.1% of china's soil and 19.4% of its land is contaminated. the reports says the heavy metals cadmium, nickel and arsenic are the main commute phrao*ut tans. it blames industrial and ago reu call trail activities things like factory waste, the improper used of fetter lighters and irrigating land with polluted water. central kind i china is one of p medal producers and worst soil pollution. the government is now supporting numerous projects to try to find solution to his this problem. in eastern china, for instance, there is a special plant helping make land officer til fertile ab

mcbride went to find out more. >> reporter: the soil samples they collect at their test site could help clean up vast tracts of lands across china. located in effect to old copper works this area represents perfectly a lot of the land in china, polluted by industry. especially with heavy metals. >> translator: we chose this area more than 10 years ago because some of the land is heavily polluted and some of it is lightly polluted. so it is perfect to study. 67. >> reporter: what they have been studying in particular is the effect of this wild indigenous plants which has the ability to soak up levels of pollutants such at led and cadmium that would be harmful to humans. >> translator: the more heavy metals there are the more damage to human health in the short-term you don't notice it. but they accumulate and the damage comes later in he life. >> reporter: these tests have shown a dramatic reduction in those heavy metal levels. the known as the hyper

accumulator, this plants is able to absorb more than 100 times more heavy metals than ordinary plants. it's that quality that makes it a powerful weapon in the fight against pollution. the challenge for scientists is understanding just how it does it. back at his laboratory tory, the staff work on trying to unlock the plants' genetic secrets, looking at ways of replicating its cleansing properties in bigger plants. the need for a solution is pressing. recent studies show 10% of chinese rice production is now contaminate today some degree. >> translator: even lightly polluted farmland can pose a danger. we have such a big population to feed. we have to guarantee food safety. >> reporter: success also has a global implication. china's growing and effluent population now consumption more of the world's food. while more of its own farmland

lies idle. rob mcbride, al jazerra, china. you can find out a lot more about the pollution situation in china on the al jazerra website aljazerra.com. that's aljazerra.com. . >> back in october the hoped for 7 million enrollments under the affordable care act looked pretty doubtful. 8 million sign ups later , is the president's initiative working well enough to run on in november? that's the inside story.