>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. u.s. troops arriving in eastern europe. first stop for the president, japan. he is there trying to assure them that what happened in crimea won't happen there. and the right to carry a gun at an airport, school, or church, georgia's governor preparing to sign that ball into law. ♪

it was just a few days ago that leaders from ukraine, russia, and the west signed that agreement trying to de-escalate the crisis. today harsh rhetoric and troop movements. the russians saying that u.s. is now in control. the pentagon saying the troop movements follow what it refers to as russia's aggression in the area. >> reporter: no sign on the ground yet about the relaunch of this anti-terror campaign as the interim government calls it. last week pro-russian protesters seized armored vehicles from your next questionian

paratroopers. it appears this time the government want foes cuss all of its efforts on slaviansk and kramatorsk. these two towns seem to be completely under the control of pro-russian protesters. but when it comes to buildings like this one here in donetsk, it is a different story. it has been quite peaceful here. there's a lot of people going around. there's a lot of civilians who are here to support them. there are no signs of arms at least on the streets. so when it comes to places like this, the government still favors negotiations. >> as she just reported, in the eastern town of slaviansk hundreds have gathered at a

makeshift memorial for the slain police. and slaviansk is also where an american journalist is being held. pro-russian forces say they are retaining him being held under the suspicion he is a spy. the state department asking russia now to use its influence to release all hostages being held. the peace talks between palestinians and israelis hitting another hurdle. the palestinians has welcomed hamas in a unity pack. after nearly a decade of disputes rival groups controlling the gaza strip in west bank, the two sides are joining forces. hope has given way to mourning after the ferry

capitalized in south korea. the driver have found no more air pockets in the hull. a temporary memorial now in place in south korea. adrian brown has more on how the community is trying to cope with loss. >> reporter: it's a community that has been crushed by grief. at a makeshift memorial there was a steady procession of mourners. the majority of the dead and missing are students from the same local high school. funerals are one of the few occasions in south korea where people are expected to express their feelings. it has been an emotionally draining week for the people of this city. scenes like this are set to be repeated for days if not weeks

to come. >> translator: first we need to recover from the sadness, and the students also need to recover and be able to go back to their schools again. >> reporter: the operation to retrieve the bodies is gathering pace. helped in part by better weather. the sinking of the ferry was an anniversary one week ago that seemed to pass unnoticed here in the town. but the family of this girl can now at least mourn their beloved daughter. i last spoke to her mother on saturday when she still wanted to believe her daughter would make it. this girl was on the year of embarking on a year of exams. >> translator: she was very good at design, so we thought she would work as an architect. we wanted to support here in

that. >> reporter: the funeral is taking place in a hospital. this 16-year-old loved music and had wanted to become a composer. the character of both lives conveyed by some of their most precious possessions, remicceders of children now lost forever. adrian brown, al jazeera. and president obama will visit south korea later as part of his eight-day trip to asia. he rived in japan just a few hours ago. mike viqueira has a look at the president's agenda. >> first stop for president obama, japan. where rising nationalism has raised alarms not only in washington but in south korea and china. regional rivals who suffered under japanese wartime

occupation. now a high-stakes dispute over a set of remote eyelands. what would degenerate rapidly, because of japan and china, and because of our alliance relationship, the united states has confirmed that we would be on their side. >> reporter: next south korea. they serve as a trip wire against a potential north korean invasion in a peninsula still technically at war. despite the rise of a new leader, the erratic pattern of confrontation continues. china is its closest aol lye. >> unfortunately at this point discussion and engagement is being seen as reward.

north korea needs to remain high on the priority list. >> reporter: sunday mr. obama arrives in malaysia, where chinese criticism around the tragedy of the flight 370 has lead to resentment. >> some of it is more accuser to statements of malaysia, it harms china's soft power and tends to make china's neighbors even more desirous of a strong u.s. presence. >> reporter: last stop the philippines, like japan locked in a bitter dispute with china. >> they have problems with many of their neighbors, and everywhere they have got problems, they find the u.s. cultivating new friends. so i think they see this as a fundamentally constraining attempt. >> reporter: as china continues to broaden its power and

influence, the president's trip carries a clear message. >> this is about showing the american presence, and letting china know we're deeply involved in the region. >> reporter: the president's mission to tip the scales in his rebalance to asia. mike viqueira, al jazeera, traveling with the president. it's official name is the safe carry protection act, but critics call it the guns where every bill. it allows licensed gun owners to carry guns into areas you probably wouldn't expect. robert ray has more. >> reporter: here in the state of georgia the new sweeping gun line that the governor has signed allows anyone with a permit, an open-carry permit to have a loaded gun in various places across the state. one interesting element to this

is if a police officer sees someone walking down the street with a loaded gun, they are not able to ask that person if they have a permit. that creating a situation that a lot of people are wondering what is the point of having a permit then? also churches, now allowed to have loaded guns in them. except each place of worship will have the right to decide whether they want to allow the loaded guns inside of their churches. here at this church in downtown atlanta, which is the historic martin luther king site, the head of this church has his own opinions. >> this is clearly politicians doing the bidding of the gun lobbying, and not even the bidding of most gun owners, i would argue. when we get to that point in our service, when we say now it's time to pass the peace, this is not what we had in mind. this is a terrible idea. >> the national rifle association says this is the

most pro-gun bill in this state's history. here at this busy airport? atlanta, if you have the permit you can talk into the airport with a loaded weapon as long as you don't get too close to security check points. if you do get too close, you will not be arrested. you will just be given a fine. >> i believe in the second amendment, although there may be some concerns with weapons in the airport, i believe that, you know, as an american you have the right to protect yourself at all times, so certainly i don't have an issue with it. >> reporter: in schools across the state if you are a principal, a janitor, a cook, as long as you are given permission by the school district to carry the loaded weapon in the school, you are okay. licensed holders will also be able to take their weapons into any state or local government building, also restaurants and bars. but it's up to the restaurant

and bars that serve alcohol to make the decision as to whether they allow someone with a loaded weapon into their restaurant. georgia will become the ninth state this year loosening its gun relations. a young boy in syria narrowly survived a mortar strike only to be killed a few months later. first a warning the video you are about to see is very graphic. >> reporter: for this family joseph is not just another statistic, it was that son. it was only a few days thatting his father was able to remove the blood stains. >> there was smoke around us, and then i saw him lying down there. i picked him up and started to

run. shrapnel from the mortar hit his head. >> joseph is seen here on the far right. we spoke to them on skype last november, just days after they escapes death, they all appeared composed, considering that this is what they survived. >> translator: we were being filmed by a journalist when the shell landed. we were on our way. when we came home and told my mother she started crying. >> reporter: four months later her mother cried again. this time heraldest son didn't survive the strike. >> translator: whatever god decides, we will accept. we have faith in god, and i believe this was my son's fate, but it is difficult to be separated from my child you

raised for 12 years. >> reporter: tens of thousands of syrians on both sides have lost their lives to this war. activists say more than 7,000 children were killed. joseph's sister has still not come to terms with losing her brother. she says she always cease him? her dream. >> translator: i don't want to leave joebar, because joseph once told me, if he dies not to leave him alone here. >> reporter: behind grief there is anger. >> translator: i promise you, assad, i promise you, assad, you will lose a son just like i lost mine. >> reporter: this story is not just about joseph and his family, it's a story about war and the many syrians who have lost so much. we want to return now to one of our top stories the two main palestinian political parties are now ending a seven-year

rift. now they say they will form a new government together. what does this mean now for the mideast peace talks? >> hi, del, well, that's the big question at hand -- there are many questions at hand right now. even if this reconciliation agreement will go forth. we have seen it in the past, and we're seeing it again now. the leaders here say it is different now. they say this is a show of sign of strength of the palestinians. how it effects the mideast peace talks it is not going to have a great effect on the israeli side. benjamin netenyahu said instead of moving into peace with israel, he is moving in to peace with hamas, referring to the

palestinian president. i hope he chooses peace. so far he hasn't done so. but for the palestinians this is what they have wanted. they have wanted this for years. they have been asking their leaders -- leaders that they have been so disappointed in, they have be asking for reunification, because they say then they will be able to negotiate with the israelis on a level that is almost to the level that the israelis get to stand on right now. del? >> thank you very much. again, israel's president saying hamas or peace, but not both. coming up on al jazeera america, they call it home, but authorities in islamabad say these slums have to be torn down.

the pakistani government is cracking down on people living

in the slums of its capitol, as a result thousands of residents could be left homeless. the residents say the government just wants their land. >> reporter: this is the only home this man has ever known. his parents first moved here shortly after islamabad was established as the capitol more than 40 years ago. now he his brothers their wives and children live here. but if the government has its way they could all soon be homeless. the court ordered municipal authorities to clear slums like the one they live in. >> translator: this is our home, everybody we own is here. we don't have money to pay rent somewhere else. where are we supposed to go in >> reporter: the interior minister has lead the crackdown on the slums. he says not only are they

illegal, but they are also a place used by armed groups who have carried out recent attacks, killing dozens of people. but people believe the governments motives have more to do with money. violence in other parts of pakistan has made islamabad an increasingly desirable place to live because of its relative safety, and it's for that reason many who live in these slums believe authorities are cracking down on them, because the land their illegally built homes are built on, has grown in value as the city has expanded. there are around two dozen slums in and around islamabad. housing more than 80,000 individuals. bulldozers have already begun clearing some slums leaving those who's homes have been

demolished with little choice but to salvage what is left and find somewhere else to live. this man is with the aviance which advocates for slum residents. he says clearing the makeshift communities doesn't deal with the real problem which is shortage of housing for low-income people. >> there is no real logic, except flash in the pan let's do this and deal with the consequences later. >> reporter: people who live here have planned protests, but it's clear the government isn't listening, and that their homes will soon be gone. well april has been a great month for wall street but not today the dow right now down 27 points. boeing and chevron have the biggest gains so far.

for the first time tesla hitting china. eight cars delivered to customers in beijing. they are now looking to build charging stations across the count industry. the cost, $121,000 and counting. some irs groups received bonuses and time off despite being disciplined and not paying their taxes. 2800 workers with conduct problems received nearly $3 million in bonuses. police in oklahoma city have arrested two environmental activists on charges of bio terrorism. they were protesting the keystone xl pipeline. both sides are now accusing the other of using terrorist tactics. >> reporter: this is what happened at the headquarters of devin energy last december 13th. environmentalists unfold a banner from which some glitter fell, as a result the activists

were arrested for simulating an act of bio terrorism. if convicted they face up to ten years in prison. a few blocks away, the sight of the 1995 oklahoma city bombing which left 168 people dead. that's why the police say they take no chances. >> we had the bombing in 1995, one of the worst bombings in the country, so there's an atmosphere here that if a threat is made, we take it seriously. >> reporter: but the activists say no one was threatened by the glitter. >> i think that what the police are doing is exploiting that -- that history. i think they are charging terrorism and perpetuating that idea that non-violent civil disor -- disoh beadance is

terrorism. >> we are normal folks and we just want to get a message out there. >> reporter: even here, the keystone xl has inspired passionate opposition. and trans-canada is taking action. last year the pitch to law enforcement agencies along the pipeline's root was exposed. among the suggestions, consulting local district attorneys about the applicability of terrorism charges. the police deny they have seen trans-canada's presentation. but had to concede that consultations do take place after that document revealed that city officialings took part in a meeting with transcanada in 2012. >> reporter: their passion remains undimmed, however.

>> i have seen my family and land be devastated by the action of devin and other oil and gas corporations. >> reporter: however, they accept that they can now no longer be as active in protests against the energy companies. and coming up on al jazeera america, rome getting ready for a tourism boom. one of the unique events that is going on. a musical being promoted by the vatican. ♪

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm dell in new york. these are your headlines at this hour. more than 100 american troops arriving in eastern europe today for military exercises with nato forces. today russian's foreign minister accusing the uls of running things in ukraine. in south korea the death toll continues to rise as more bodies are recovered from the ferry that sank a week ago.

the president has arrived in tokyo today for the start of his eight-day trip to asia. after japan the president will travel to south korea, malaysia, and the philippines. ♪ i'm meteorologist nicole mitchell, let's start with looking at your highs today in the northwest. 55 in seattle, mid-section of the country, really some warm air, into the 60s, and that will be part of a flow that will be tapping in to warm southerly air and gulf moisture that will set up some severe weather today. the biggest risk is for larger hail. all of this risks shifts its way eastward to places like arkansas into the day tomorrow. but as we watch this, through

the day tomorrow on the northern side, even some areas of snow possible as the system moves in. as we put this into motion you can see a lot of rain in the mid-section, and some of that converting over for chance for snow tomorrow. the west coast as i say stays very active, so watch for rain conditions and even some snow. the snow pack is beneficial, but getting a little late in the season for you to probably want to see that stuff. >> rome is getting ready for a lot of tourists. a musical of pope john ii entitled "don't be afraid." and today happens to be the 450th birthday of a man who has experience with musicals and writing. shakespeare 450 years old.

so happy birthday, bill. you can check us out 24 hours a day, by going to our website, aljazeera.com, where the news continues 24 hours a day, seven days a week. >> a guy who has been grazing his cattle on federally owned land. he doesn't want to pay for that privilege. cliven bundy said the government has no business owning that land in the first place. this is inside story. >> hello, i'm ray ray. clive next bundy's family has