massacre in south sudan, the bodies littering the streets of bentiu, we have an exclusive report. ♪ good to have you with us, you are watch aljazz with me. i'm david foster. also -- >> the united states standing with you. >> vice president joe biden reinforcement the u.s. east support for ukraine. and the united states says it will investigation allegations that syria used a

chemical against civilians. and farming from the roof top, how agriculture is finding a space in crowded cities. ♪ the united nations says it is standing by itself statement that rebels were behind the massacre of hundredsover people in south sudan. it says they went house to house hunting victims. even now piles of bodies litter the streets of the oil town of bentiu. south sudan's government has been battling forces loyal to the former vice president, and he has told al jazeera, that his troops were not behind the attack. ann ka visited the town and sent us this exclusive report in juba. you may find some of the pictures disturbing. >> reporter: even from the air we could see that there were dead bodies along the road.

but it wasn't until we reached the center of town, and in particular the mosque that we were able to see the extent of the killing. the things that could be seen along the road were horrific, but with no preparation for what was to come. there were so many dead bodies that construction equipment was used to move them. outside of the gate of the mosque there was another pile of bodies. the stench of death was every whelming. according to the government of south sudan, the presenceover rebels in the town is a clear indication of responsibility for this massacre. >> the rebels are not committed as you can see what they have done in bentiu, they have been violated the cessation of hostilities that we signed on january 23rd and 24th. >> reporter: bentiu like other towns in south sudan have

changed hands several times since fighting began in december. in bentiu people from darfur have believed to have been targeted for a specific reason, because they are believed to be fighting along to side of the former vice president. what we have seen in these towns are utterly horrible and i don't thinked -- beyond description. >> reporter: the un has accused the people of being killed because of their ethnicity. >> no, we don't kill those that were in the mosque. i think maybe -- who are those people, we do not know. we do not enter mosque. >> reporter: as the conflict continues the levels of violence seem to be escalating. so the rebel leadership is very clearly denied responsibility for what happened. all that we know for certain at

this stage is that the town was under the control of anti-government forces so in rebel command when the massacre took place. there is a human rights investigation underway at the moment. when that concludes hopefully we can get a better sense of what really happened that day. >> during the past few days bentiu has seen severe violence, targeted deliberate violence that struck individuals of certain identities, and i think what i have so far seen in the mosque and other parts of town has really been very, very heart wrenching. certainly atrocities have been committed here on a very significant scale. >> for those who have blamed in the general violence, finding relief even in the camps is very

difficult. a un camp came under fire attack last friday. and those left in the camp are living in fear. >> this family has lost three sons and all of their property in the recent fight in boar. >> translator: we have returned to our homes, we hope humanitarian organization could provide us with shelter and food. >> reporter: more than 5,000 people are seeking refuge in this un camp. they had to leave their homes as the fighting between pro government and opposition forces intensi intensified, but they are still not safe. dozens were killed here on friday when more than 300 men attacked the base. the un mission has increased security after the breach, and there are fears of revenge killings. >> translator: some of our young

men and a number of loyalists were killed. we gave the un a 72-hour mandate to transthem these people to new areas. >> they don't have their freedom. they are afraid. because especially with the incident that happened. so they are our people. we are concerned about their life and welfare. and the [ inaudible ] the problem of the insecurity [ inaudible ] comes from the rebels, not from the [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: south sudan is facing a humanitarian crisis. aid agencies are warning that unless urgent steps are taken, it may face one of the worst feminines in recent history. >> dozens of muslims who live in the central african republic have fled the capitol saying

they fear an attack by christian rebels. french police escorted the peop people. thousands of people fled in the violence that followed a coup last year. as part of international efforts, un peace keepers have arrived. a ukrainian military plane has come under fire above the city of slaviansk. the u.s. vice president joe biden is currently visiting ukraine. as a show of support for the interim government. the current prime minister said russia should stop talking and start acting to disarm pro-russian forces in the ukraine. barnaby philip reports from

kiev. >> reporter: vice president joe biden was warmly received in kiev. any government in such a desperate situation would be grateful for the u.s. backing. >> no nation, no nation has the right to simply grab land from another nation. no nation has that right. and we will never recognize russia's illegal occupation of crimea, and neither will the world. >> translator: russia should stick to its international commitments and obligations. we demand that russia fulfill its international obligations and not behave like gangersteres in the modern century. >> reporter: the americans are promising more support to help ukraine reduce its independence on russian gas, but that will take time, and time is one thing

the government in kiev does not have. in kiev's independence square, the crowds have gone, but the roads are still blocked, the mood still defiant. last week's geneva agreement said the illegal occasion of all public space should end, and the russians argue that applies as much here in kiev as anywhere in the east. but here in independence square they say their country is under attack from russia, and these barricades and this occupation should continue because the future is still so uncertain. >> thank you for your strong support mr. vice president. >> reporter: joe biden has encouraged the ukrainian government with his strong language, but he now returns home to washington, leaving the ukrainians to try to deal with their powerful neighbor to the

east. pro-russian activists in the city of donetsk say they are wary for mr. biden's reasons for visiting ukraine. a diplomatic solution to end the violence in eastern ukraine has so far failed. and the ukrainian city of slaviansk there have been tributes to three pro-russian protesters. a makeshift memorial was set up to mark the point where gunmen opened fire at a check point. syrian civilians have been attacked by chemical weapons. the united states now says it is investigating the allegations. we show pictures of what appear to be people suffering the after effects of a chlorine gas attack. syrian government and rebels

have blamed one another. >> reporter: they have problems breathing. they cough, vomit. doctors say these people are victims of chlorine gas bombs. this is a town in the northern countryside. activist say syrian government helicopters have been dropping barrel bombs that continue this gas. >> translator: there have been sixth attacked. when the bombs are dropped the smell of chlorine spread across the land. three people have die sod far. >> reporter: this is not the first time toxic materials have been used in the war. sarin gas was used last october, killing hundreds of people. an international deal to destroy

syria's stockpiled chemical weapons has now been reached. >> we have indications of the use of a toxic chemical, in the village. we are examining allegations that the government was responsible. we take all allegations of the use of chemicals in combat very seriously. >> reporter: but the people who are being targeted say that's not enough. they want these attacks to stop. >> translator: they are using the area as a field for experiment. they want to see how effective chlorine gas is to force people to flee. >> reporter: it's not the only area where chlorine-related incidents have been reported, and the frequency of the attacks is increasing. chlorine is not listed as a banned chemical agent, but it is not allowed to be used as a weapon of war.

80% of syrias declared material has been destroyed, but the government did not include chlorine in the stockpile. these chlorine bombs are being dropped on populated areas. >> i don't think any particular country is going to act on this right now, and you sort of got that sense from the white house statement, because they want to wait until the last bit of chemical weapons is officially destroyed and then they will take on this other issue as a separate investigation. >> reporter: people here feel the government is banking on international silence as it continue to clear these towns in its push to retake the area. we will be reporting in a moment on the confusing statements over the exact number of nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last week. the parents say more than 200 are missing.

and we report from south korea where parents are struggling to cope with the deaths of their children in a ferry accident. ♪ >> now inroducing, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for suvivors...

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>> results of analyses were skewed in favor of the prosecution >> the fbi can't force the states to look at those cases >> the truth will set you free yeah...don't kid yourself >> the system has failed me ♪ hello once again , david foster with you at al jazeera's headquarters in doha, the top stories this hour. the united nations says it is standing by its allegations that rebels were behind the massacre of hundreds of civilance in south sudan. the rebels have denied any

involvement. joe biden has warned russia that it is time to stop talking and start acting to reduce tensions in eastern ukraine. the u.s. is investigating allegations that an industrial chemical was used to target civilians in syria earlier this month. rebels and the government have blamed one another for the alleged attack. the parents of the girls abducted by gunmen in nigeria say the number of children missing is much higher than the authorities are admitting. the army says the number is 129, but it has emerged that more than 200 students were in fact taken. >> reporter: these are the first images of what suspected boko ra boko haram fighters did to a girl's

school last tuesday. dormitories were bombed and teaching rooms set alight. this girl managed to escape. >> translator: we thought they were soldiers, and they asked us to board a vehicle, and my friends and i jumped from the vehicle and ran back home, because we realized they didn't look next. >> reporter: the attackers spoke to one teacher. >> they took them around 11:00, and they say they are army, that if the children run away they will [ inaudible ] them [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: how many of them? >> around 200 -- over 200, approximately. but these numbers have not been confirmed by the parents.

no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it does look like the work of boko haram. the armed group has attacked many schools in the region before. it is against western education. on saturday boko haram reportedly set fire to a residential building at a girl's school, but none of the students were harmed. >> reporter: the nigerian military says it has launched a major operation to find the girls, but a week since the girls were abducted many parents feel not enough is being done. al jazeera's detained journalist were again on trial in cairo, mohammed fahmy, baher mohamed, and peter greste are accused of providing a platform to the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they have been behind bars for

115 days. the fourth al jazeera journalist in detention has been there since august. >> all journalists were ordered to leave by the judge, and that's because during the recess, journalists were asking the defendants questions, talking to them. this has happened in every single trial session before, so we didn't quite understand why it was different this time around; that we weren't allowed to have access to the defendants and talk to them. also because some of the journalists were taken a photographs, we have repeatedly been told not to photograph them in the cage. this was the fifth session of

the trial, and we were told it's the final session for the prosecution to present evidence against the al jazeera journalists. the journalists were shown videos. the video clips shown today were just standard tv footage that any journalist would have shot. also in cairo, criminal courts postponed the trial of ousted president morsi. and 35 others. they are accused also of carrying out violence by coordinating with armed groups. the trial has been adjourned until next week. more than 100 bodies have now been recovered from a south korean ferry that sank last year. but they are still searching for nearly 200 passengers, most of

them children. parents are struggling to cope. >> reporter: they just want to take their children home to give them a funeral, but still they have to wait and watch as each newly discovered booed sdi matched up on the white board, description, clothing, distinguishing features. at sea this huge operation goes on. diving crews having to feel their way through the ship to get to areas where most of the trapped passengers are thought to remain. this has thrown up questions about safety standards and regulation and enforcement across south korea's shipping industry. they said if necessary, inspectors would turn up anonymously and unannounced. but as a company officially classified as excellent, this company merely needed to submit

documents, and it appears to have been spending very little on training its staff. >> translator: according to the annual report for last year, it spent just $500 in staff training. looking at that, we can say they didn't spending any money on education, including crew member safety training. the families said the investigation could wait. they called on the media to report more accurately and less invasively and for the government to move faster. >> translator: please under the anguished hearts of the parents who want to go into the water to search for their children themselves. >> reporter: among the bodies brought ashore that of kim. on saturday her mother told al jazeera that her fate was in

god's hands. her father spoke of the guilt for not telling her to get off of the ship. at least now they can take their daughter home. two separate attacks have been care rid out on police in northwestern pakistan. three died when a bomb targeting a police vehicle went off in a busy market. and five policemen and a civilian were killed in another bombing. in china they are looking at raising the retirement age five years. as millions of its people soon turn 60. a shrinking work force threatens to damage economic growth. >> reporter: when he turns 60 in a few months from now, he'll say good-bye to his job as a company

driver, but he isn't ready to say good-bye to work entirely. retirement is set at 60 for men and 55 for women in government service, he still feels he has more to contribute than sitting at home. >> translator: physically we are still fine, but the government has this regulation that you have to retire at a specific age, so that's the reality. >> reporter: for employees in private organize ie iegs -- organization retirement age is even lower. when the retirement age was set the average life expectancy was 45. by 2050 china will have 500 million people over 60, who will

need to be supported by a shrinking number of people. >> for 10 years or 20 years, we will have a shrinking labor force and an increasing number of pensioners. so that is the reason. >> reporter: he currently looks after his mother. as they both get older, they will both rely more heavily on his grown daughter. his mother took retirement in 1982 and has had effectively another working life since then >> translator: i looked after my grandchildren to begin with, and then i worked in a store for a while, and later another job as a bookkeeper. >> reporter: with her retirement now longer than her working

life, it is the syst system -- symptom of a system that the government says needs changed. tuesday is global earth day, a day when all of us from around the world should try to do something to tackle the environmental problems this earth is facing. among them green farming. >> we have bok choy there. >> reporter: lettuce and tomatoes aren't the only things growing here. the business itself is expanding. >> building a facility like that has its challenges. >> reporter: the cofounder claims to have one of only two commercial greenhouses on roof

tops. >> we were able to attract a significant amount of investment. we raised over $15 million until today. >> reporter: this is about as local as it gets. the second greenhouse was built right on top of a whole foods supermarket. the main advantage is the shortened supply chain. gotham specializes in highly perishable vegetables and herbs. here they sell it right downstairs as well as throughout the region. this refuses the energy used to transport the produce as well as the cost. many stores in new york gets its produce from california. and so it is already a week old when it gets here.

this is another company wanting to grow produce to sell to groerry stores. >> the produce is fresher, tasty, safer, supermarkets love this idea. >> reporter: so too does government which has provided grant money to urban farms. >> they also stem stormwater runoff they provide greenery for neighborhoods. they are places where people can learn how to farm and get job skills so they really are beneficial in a lot of different ways. >> reporter: experts caution the business model is still new and largely untested. but urban farmers expect their profits to keep going. north korea is often

portrayed his leader as somewhat of a tough man. but they showed pictures of him as a child. that's their leader. ♪ >> it may sound like something from a si fi movie but now an app for that. what you have to gain from dream control.