>> the european leaders plan to hold emergency talks on monday to talk about the crisis in ukraine. they're considering another round of sanctions against russia for actions east of the country. seven of the world's biggest countries accuse russia. america has accused russian jets of violating ukrainian air spa space. they continue to hold military exercises across the border. there are fear those kidnapped could be used as hostages.

>> we urge russia to pull back its security forces not to provoke and not to support russian-led terrorists. we urge russia to leave us alone. >> well, let's go to barnaby phillips, monitors are still being held. any change to that situation or negotiations ongoing? >> no substantial change, stephen. the people who are holding them, the armed separatists say there are spies amongst them. they're referring to the ukrainian contingent. there has been reports from the last hour within the german government that some type of mediation is on its way here to try and talk about these people. but let's not forget the largest

foreign elements within this small group is german. we think there are four germans, a dane, a pole, a swede, and someone from the czech republic as well. russia also said they would be working to secure their release, but it has not happened yet, i'm afraid. >> rebel militia continue to up occupy the cities. series tension there. what is the mood where you are like? >> reporter: i'm in donestk, the regional capitol. it is also the capitol, people's hubble of donestk. where they are firmly controlled by separatists. i was just there a half hour ago. the barricades are up. russian flags are flying. on the stage a woman was mocking

president obama of the united states and saying people in this region demand a referendum. but the crowd listening to her was pretty small, in the hundreds at best. probably more in the tens, and as you can probably see behind me there is a glorious sunny day, and the vast majority of people going about their business, taking kids out for a walk in the park. that's the situation i've seen in several towns in eastern ukraine in the past few days. yes, there are potential check points set up both by the government and by breakaway or separatist pro russian militias. on the whole people are going about their lives. it is an uncertain situation. >> barnaby phillips reporting from doneskt.

thanks. president abbas said he's open to reopening the peace process with israel. abbas said israel must stop building settlement on occupied land and release palestinian prisoners. >> what we have noticed these days, and the talks of these days stress that the israelis do not want a wise, reasonable two-state solution that leads together stability and security. >> we're live from are ramalah. he said he is open to restarting the peace process with israel again. >> absolutely, stephen. actually president mahmood abbas said that the reason he reached out to abbas was to unite the

palestinian people. for some time now the israelis have pointed the finger at the palestinians saying they were not unified. now that they're unified they say they want to pull out of the talks. president abbas stating that it's really israel that is a deterrent, and he's willing to further talk with the israelis past the april 29th deadline. one, to release the last batch of prisoners. two, to have a serious discussion when it comes to the borders of the palestinian state, and three, to freeze the construction on occupied land. he said any settlement on occupied palestinian land is not accessible to the palestinian people. this meeting will go on for two days. we don't expect major policy decision to be made. we should mention not all factions are represented in this meeting, including hamas. >> is it likely that israel

would restart the peace process. >> that's the big question that many people are asking, and really the answer that we're hearing is no. this is something that president abbas and the palestinian people have asked for over and over again and they've never really--those conditions have never been met. the palestinians for their part are saying that the israelis were looking for any excuse to stop the talks. the israelis for their part saying they can't negotiate with hamas because they consider hamas a terrorist group in the state of israel. >> thank you for joining us. south korean investigators have detained the remaining four members of crew of the passenger ferry that went off the coast last week or 15 crew members who are now in custody. they're accused of negligence and failing to help passengers when the ferry started take on water. the captain is accused of ordering the passengers to stay

in their cabins and taking an half hour to order evacuation of the ship. the chinese plane searching for missing malaysian airlines jet, crew plane members were unable to find debris. eight aircraft took part in the search for flight 370. the airline on its way to beijing when it disappeared serve weeks ago. the syrian army has regained control of the kalamoo ion regi. we have reports it's a strategic win for the government. >> reporter: the syrian opposition has lost the town. their last stronghold in the region west of the damascus. iran's tv broadcast pictures of what it said dozens of

opposition fighters holding themselves over to the syrian authorities. >> the fighters were forced to accept the truce because supply lines were cut and there was no safe corridor for civilians. the area has been sealed off on one side and the militia on the other side. >> reporter: 30 kilometers northwest of damascus, it lies along the strategic region along lebanon's border. together they have taken control of the towns and cities in the past few weeks. the government has consolidated it's control over the highway that leads to its stronghold along the coast. the syrian president bashar al-assad visited the recently recaptured villages. >> there is no nation that face what you face. the military victory here already recorded in modern

history. >> reporter: over recent months syrian state tv has shown opposition fighters abandoning the insurgency and joining the rreconciliation process. 500 men surrendered last month alone. >> reporter: some call those men traitors, but at the same time there are those who say they have been disillusioned. the groups are in disarray, they receive little support and they're outnumbered and outgunned by the supremest groups. >> the government is on a major offensive on the other areas of the capitol have been under heavy bombardment. this push as seen as assad's campaign to be re-elected in june. the recent gains, the recaptured territory, pictures like these are all designed to strengthen the president's position before the election. >> here in qatar at the

university he joins me on set. a major victory for president assad? >> it is, indeed. it is something that was expected, the longer the war has been going on the balance was tilting towards assad. i think the fourth coming presidential elections in syria in june it was very, very important for assad to claim victory, which he has done stay. done today. if things have gone done as it has been going of late i think the conflict may be over in 18 months from now. >> can you identify what the turning point was in favor of president assad's forces? >> well, the variety of forces it seems like the option of a political solution is no longer on the table. basically the opposition is

divided, and they don't want to get into taken talks. >> i don't suppose it was ever on the table in the first place in theory. >> yes, what they say is that the opposition has made continue for negotiating so on and so forth in assad goes. this was never an option. the second is the events taking place far from syria, which is crimea with the situation between bashar and the united states. >> let's go a bit further on this. why is crimea having an impact in syria? >> basically the divided to a large extent the positions of the united states and that of russia. basically if there were any

talks between them over the issue of syria, the issue of crimea and especially the visits to ukraine has divided the two opposing further. >> briefly because we have run out of time, how would you describe the opposition. we would call it disapray, what would you say? >> divided. >> thank you very much. >> al jazeera continues to call for the immediate release of the journalists being held in egypt. the trial has been adjourned until may third. they have been in jail for 11 days. they have been falsely accused of providing the platform to the outlawed muslim brotherhood now declared a terrorist organization. the fourth al jazeera journalist in detention has been held

without trial since august. he has been on hunger strike for 98 days. >> president obama has arrived in asia on the third leg of his asian tour with aims to rebalance th trade with the reg. out of the four countries visiting malaysia is the only one that is not an american al ally. >> it's been identified in the defense review as a strategic partner. obama is making up for lost time. he was due to speak last october at a major economic conference. so by coming there and everybody is mentioning it's the first visit since lyndon bane johnson

in 1996, the context is that they played is softly, softly, quiet, quiet defense role allowing it to creep upwards because of problems in the south china sea. >> youyou're watching the new h. coming up, starving in sudan. plus concern in russian hospitals as the government considers banning foreign medical equipment needed to keep patients alive. and in sport, celebrating the life of tito villanova. >> south sudan is facing one of the worst food crisis in recent years despite having the largest

largest. south sudan roughly the size of france, 60% of its roads become unusable in the rainy season. it needs 1.3 million tons of food but produces only 900,000. it costs $1,300 to drop one ton of food. that's four times the value of the goods being dropped. not all the country is at risk. the potential for agriculture is huge. >> this is south sudan's green belt. the county in the southwest. down here the land is fertile and farmers produce surplus of food. they have a saying here, a hungry man is an angry man. over 20 years of civil war the ability to farm has been lost to south sudan. but gradually with the assistance of ngos they have

been able to learn to regrow. here in south sudan with uganda, there is no shortage of food. but elsewhere in the country there are people suffering from severe acute malnutrition. people who are on the very brink of starvation. south sudan does not yet produce enough food to feed it's entire population. even if it could the real problem is getting food to people who need it. in this vast country there are no real roads so huge numbers of people are unreachable by land. the world food program has no choice but to air drop food to remote parts of the country. it's an expensive thing to do and seen as a last resort but sometimes it's the only way to get food to the people who need it. aid workers are becoming increasingly concerned if the tightening continues it will make the situation worse. >> we sense from the earliest part of the crisis there is a risk of famine.

there is no famine right now. famine is not only about food ability but people's access to food in the country. people in the east of the country are not able to access that. >> reporter: they're restricted by the fighting. if the situation doesn't change there prediction that many people will die from hunger and it's related diseases. al jazeera, south sudan. >> nigeria is missing out on billions of dollars of tax revenues because of widespread corruption in the oil industry. the government said it's trying to crackdown. we have reports from the capitol. >> drivers get their gas. it has produced locally and then e ported and finally reimported for sale to the nigeria public.

nigeria lacks the capability to extract its oil, so it needs investors. when some of them come they under report the amount they produce and the profit they make in a trend called mispricing. the enormity of this problem has forced nigeria to seek international help. >> it's a challenge that results and effects the inter continent. when you have natural resources some of the natural resources contracts and the way they're shaped also allows room for some of these things to happen. >> reporter: this is how some companies do it. if the current cost of oil is $100 a barrel, they may sell it at artificially low price of $60 $60. the company declares little profit and pays little taxes in

nigeria and then sells that oil to a third party at the true market value. the money stays in a tax haven and nigeria loses out on the tax it is owed. >> we have so much concessions and declare so much profit, and ultimately it affects us. >> activists blame laws and poor law enforcement but tax authorities say that is about to change. >> yes, in the past we take th,e don't go back and say this is not right. this is right. the application as they apply. >> in this case to make sure that a subsidiary is not used to evade taxes or hide income. they say they have no business

being poor when taxes are properly utilized. the problem is many businesses do not pay. most of them do not see the need to do so when a small bribe can save a lot. it is this attitude that experts say is preventing growth. it is impoverishing a population more than 60% earn less than $2 a day. >> 6.5 earthquake has hit off the northeast coast of tonga. the u.s. geological survey say it struck 75 kilometers from the pacific item. people felt a short and violent jolt but there was no reports of significant damage. thousands of people around the world have started arriving in st. peter's square to watch the vatican canonize two popes. some waited overnight, and some

will camp out to get the best spot ahead of sunday's ceremony. around 1 million people are expected to attend the canonization. pope john paupope john paul ii n xxiii. a tornado ripped through south carolina. it has damaged homes and down power lines and heavy rain prevented even a walk outside. more ripping news with everton. >> reporter: thank you very much. it's been a ripping weekend. it's been a long time coming because we have the extended winter in the u.s. we have now got the tornado season well and truly under way. we have the cloud showing up on the satellite picture. that's where the storms are moving across south carolina. it is now clearing its way to the northwest atlantic. clearer skies where things will

improve. it's not going to be all together quiet. we still have a fair amount of clouds around the rockies. we have storms in the forecast and we still have snow particularly over the high ground into that western side of canada. we're going to see that wet weather gradually make its way through the east. then we'll go with the brighter skies over the eastern seaboard looking fine and dry not too bad at all. we're going to see that wetter weather pushing into the central plains. so heavy rain and some snow in place here, the possibility of some flooding, and big downpours certainly a possibility around the central and southern plains. we go on through sunday and monday and we see wetter weather gradually making it's way further eastward. skies will come for the southern-most parts. we could see flooding around the midwest this weekend.

>> more weather now, 180 people have been killed in flooding. thousands of people were--forced out of their homes. >> reporter: flash floods have turned people's lives upside down in remote parts of north and west afghanistan. thousands of homes were hit across four provinces. other results of the heavy rain and floods and people hav. >> they say they urgently need help. >> our shops and houses have been destroyed because of floods. so far we have not received any aid from the government.

>> reporter: the afghan military rescued people from the worst-effected province. the regional police chief said they found many bodies, and expect to find more. >> people take dead bodies to the hospitals. then the bodies were handed over to their families. seven villages were destroyed by flooding. >> reporter: it's the start of spring usually a wet season, but not to the extent seen here in recent days. the disaster relief committee said more than 5,000 people have been displaced. and medicine and drinking water are running out. caroline malone, al jazeera. >> five soldiers belonging to n.a.t.o. have been killed in a helicopter crash in southern afghanistan. it happened in kandahar provin province. it's understood that the helicopter came down because of a technical fault. the crash is still being investigated.

fighters belonging to the iraqi state in an explosion that killed 70 people in baghdad. there is a rally for the movement, ahead of parliamentary elections the movement is accused of carrying out several sectarian attacks across the country. hundreds of members are fighting along side government forces in syria. security is the big issue for iraqis going to the polls in parliament election this is we week. we have reports now from baghdad. >> cameras are rarely allowed no this.

the government understands that it faces security problems. >> preventing iraqis to exercise their democratic right to vote. we believe the stakes are high but we feel we have a concrete plan to help guarantee security. >> check points such as this dot the city. you can find them in the security plan, and soldiers understand the threats that they face. >> we are the spearhead. we are fighting terrorism on behalf of the region. the war continues with al-qaeda linked groups and we're confident in our plan to secure the city for elections. >> his confidence didn't shared by many in baghdad. there are attacks across recognize every day and the damage is clear to see. along with people's frustrations

with their politicians. according to the united nations over 207 people have died as a result of violence in attacks like these since the year began. that grim statistic will likely have an impact on people as they visit the polling booths come april 30th. >> more to come on the news hour. from textbooks to tablets. we'll meet the children making the digital switch over in the classroom. >> find out why the city of karachi's largest jail has come under criticism for offering arts and [♪ music ] programs to inmates. >> and a splash, but it's the wrong type of splash. join this race in arizona. [ grunting ]

i'm taking off, but, uh, don't worry. i'm gonna leave the tv on for you. and if anything happens, don't forget about the new xfinity my account app. you can troubleshoot technical issues here. if you make an appointment, you can check out the status here. you can pay the bill, too. but don't worry about that right now. okay. how do i look? ♪ thanks. [ male announcer ] troubleshoot, manage appointments, and bill pay from your phone. introducing the xfinity my account app. xfinity watchathon week was the biggest week in televisionhone. history. but just when you thought it was over... what now? with xfinity on demand you can always watch the latest episodes of tv's hottest shows. good news. like hannibal... chicago fire.... ...and bates motel. the day after they air. xfinity on demand. all the latest episodes. all included with your service. it's like hi-fiving your eyeballs.

xfinity...the future of awesome. >> welcome back to the news hour. the top stories, ukraine said pro russian government are coordinating with moscow. it's required that the members could be shield as forces try to free them. >> syrian army has gained control of the strategic region. opposition rebels surrounded

after intense fighting. it was their last major stronghold along lebanon's border. russia is considering a partial ban on foreign medical equipment as it's facing more sanctions over the ukraine crisis. up to 80% of all medical supplies are thought to be imported. as reports from moscow that's there's a concern a sudden ban would deprive patients. >> the hospital named after the 0-year-old boy with cancer who invited vladimir putin to tea and pancakes in 2005. showing him around his crowded ward he asked his president when they could have their own children's hospital. six years later the facility opened it's doors. he had died from leukemia by then. the hospital was named after him. it's got some of the most advance state of the art medical

equipment virtually all imported from abroad. in floating the proposal to ban the import of foreign sophisticated medical technology the russian government believes that it will spur on the development with its own medical science industry in the face of institutfuture sanctions down t. but what of the immediate effect of the patients suddenly deprived of the technology that ensures their survival. people giving blood at the hospital had their misgivings. >> i'm not against buying russian medical companies but it should only be done if we have the highest quality in equipment. that's going to to take some time. 80% went to manufacturers abroad. >> i think the appropriation of adopting the ban of foreign medical equipment came directly from the need to respond to the

western sanctions. the officials heard something somewhere and decided to protect the domestic medical supply industry and show they could react quickly. >> representatives from russia's home dronhomegrown medical techt this week. >> there would be a delay in the short term. the swift change is divot, but in the long run we will handle it. the right mechanisms would be found. in my opinion the markets and the patients will not notice this decision. >> at the hospital they have an 80% success rate in treating these children. the parents of these youngsters with cancer will be hoping that these encouraging statistics can still be met by homegrown supplies in this very new untried medical industry. >> the world's first museum

dedicated to the te tienanmen square, it is declared open. >> reporter: it's designed as a maze and takes the visitors through the events leading up to the crackdown in which student protesters were killed. at just 75 square meters it's one of the smallest museums around but organizers expect it to have a big impact. >> we're targeting the youngest generation that are born after the john fourth massacre so they can come and experience what we have experienced at that time, the despair, and also the hope at that time brought about. >> it is made up of lawmakers. they formed in 1989 to support and help fund the students

democracy movement. with the model of tienanmen square, the museum hopes to educate mainland tourists. there were 41 million visitors from across the border. many mainlanders are not aware of the crackdown because all reference to it is banned there. but there are citizen groups who feel that the discourse could threaten the hong kong stability. it shows one side of the story and people want to move on. >> titienanmen square is histor. >> some of those who share her views gathered on the treats outside of the building housing the expedition. the museum is in the middle of this normally quiet alley. on its opening day it's already creating a lot of noise between confrontation between supporters

and detractors. >> reporter: the commotion and the press will bring attention to the museum but it could also jeopardize its existence. the building's owner is threatening legal action saying that the museum will be disruptive to other tenants. >> authorities in panama have burned 9 tons of illegal drugs. the massive hole include cocaine and marijuana were worth millions of dollars. they were a transit point from drugs being smuggled from south america to the united states. demanding better opportunities within the army. they want changes. they say there is preferential treatment of ranking officers.

now we all know that gun crime is one of the biggest problems in america. and especially in chicago. last weekend 45 people were shot there. some residents say the only way to combat gun crime is through better access to firearms. but not everyone agrees. dominick cane has more. >> what we're going to do? >> reporter: general vernon takes his class through shooting practice. he has been teaching responsible gun ownership. >> if you can't handle a gun safely. you're going to be more of a danger to yourselves and those around you than the so-called criminal. >> reporter: the cancel and weapon allows people to carry weapons in public. approve since december there

have been 600,000 applications for permits. chicago has been a city plagued by gun violence. hundreds of people are murder there had every year. last weekend 45 shootings were reported. >> something has to be done about the gun laws in the state of illinois. something has to be done about it because time and time again every single year we take more guns off the street than any police department in the country. and nobody goes to jail for possession of those guns. >> reporter: but gerald vernon argues the only way to combat illegal gun ownership is for responsible people to carry guns. as a card-carrying member of the nra he believes attitudes among his own opportunity need to change. gerald said the only thing that stops bad people with guns is good people with guns. that is a view that sharply divides opinion. dominick cane, al jazeera.

>> still in america, some schools are making the digital transition from the text book to the tablet, but the move is proving not to be quite as simple as a click of a button. from white plains new york. >> reporter: the method of solving the log rhythmic equation has not changed. but the way to solve it has. instead of thumbing through a text book they turn on their laptops and tablet. >> they have one portal for all the high school-level books. >> reporter: all of this private school textbooks are now digital and available online. the added bonuses of tutorials and videos that compliment lessons. >> they can see these onlines oe videos and access all these

supplements which are now at your finger tips, they don't have to go searching for them. >> reporter: that means every student must bear the cost of purchasing the computer. but the cost of books has gone way down from $600 a year to $150. for the school it meant invests $1 million to improve it's infrastructure, a cost harder for most public school systems to handle. the school still has an old fashion library full of books, but fewer and fewer are going home with the students these days. the technology changes the way students access information and the way teachers teach, but also what they teach. with so many facts at students' finger tips they can focus more on analyzing information and way of thinking. >> the challenge is helping kids become excellent thinkers, system analysts, accessing information and figuring out what it means and how they can use it to make positive change

for themselves and the world which they live. >> look up all the information we have so far. >> the school blocks the internet so students won't be tempted by social media and other website in class. for this secretary-savvy generation it's been a natural transition. >> everything is organized because we have all the text books on one tablet. >> and forgetting your book is no longer an excuse. >> it's also posted online. the only excuse is i didn't do it. >> reporter: at the end of the day fewer books to bring home makes for a much lighter back back with all the information a student needs still just a click away. al jazeera, white plains, new york. >> saudi arabia has announced mhrs. 92 people have died from mhr,

since it was first diagnosed. beginning the annual spring hunt. japan would sunday it's arctic whaling program. when it was found to be killing whales for commercial purposes and not science. >> hundreds of nepal eae risk their lives every year. they're only paid a few hundreds dollars for the risk. after the death of 16 guides brings light on the risk they're taking to take hikers to the top.

>> i've been sherpa for 50 years. the sherpa community has many monks and alook after a district near everest. >> monks are involved in the spiritual rites and ceremonies around birth and death. the tragedy at everest means that i've had to perform many funerals. i've known many of the victims and their families for years. they're like family. the sherpa community is devastated, as is the country. families have been looking to ask for guidance so we have a duty to give them religious guidance for the here and now and the after life. i think that such tragedy needs to be remembered by generations

to come. perhaps the memorial, religious school or college could be named in their memory. it could help the families remember them, but also help them to move on with their lives. >> still ahead on the news hour. britain celebrates the 450th birthday of its greatest playwrite, william shakespeare. and the man for all seasons at manchester united.

>> a well-known artist he's campaigned against the arts and music program at the can rashy central jail. he said inmates are there to do hard time, not enjoy the arts. >> i've been to this prison and i've met the prisoners. they are criminals and they cannot be rehabilitated by programs like this. the point of jail is to be so bad that when they get out they

never want to go back. >> reporter: but inmates disagree. he said without his music sessions he wouldn't cope. >> what they want to believe is that the world at large has not forgot been them. they do care. in return they care about their own. >> reporter: a hopeful perspective from a place which traditionally offered a narrow one. al jazeera, karachi. >> time to enter the world of sports. here is your guide andy. >> reporter: thank you so much. players and fans gathering following the death of former coach tito villanova. villanova died from cancer. age just 45. >> reporter: barcelona's first team should be getting together ahead of an important league game on sunday. instead, they unite in grief for

their former coach tito villanova, who died on friday night aged just 45 after a long battle with throat cancer. villanova's time at barcelona both as an assistant and head coach coincided with one of the most successful period of the club's history. he was manager for just a single season. >> tito was someone who was very responsible, someone with a lot of energy. so we have to take his energy that he has had always, and going and advance and continue. because we have to continue and take care of what we learn from him and we have to we have to use it for the future of the club. >> it is a hard time. two years of fight and tito fought until the last day, the last moment. always with strength and energy. he cheered us on and urged us to

fight every day. he was very important to us, and today is a very sad day. now we have to be by his family's side. >> villanova became assistant in 2008. the pair guiding the club to 14 trophietrophies in just four se. villanova took over as coach i in 2012. barca going on to make their best-ever start to a league season with 18 wins from their first 19 games. but in december of that year he was diagnosed with cancer for a second time. and had to temporarily step down. he returned in time to see his side win the league with a record points hole before announcing he was leaving the job to concentrate on his treatment. >> this team is show they're capable of winning much more than anyone can imagine. 14 titles out of 19 with a

record 100 league points. they've also shown they're capable of overcoming very heavy blows. but at this time things look tough. >> a relatively disappointing season on the pitch has very quickly been made to look all but irrelevant. sara coates, al jazeera. >> manchester united have dismissed reports what it has been doing to make louie van hall it's next manager. and stepping in to replace david moyes, griggs working along side the players. alex ferguson reporting that griggs should be given the job on a certai a permanent basis. >> i want to say how proud i am possible managing. i've been. associated with it 25, 26 years,

so it's a proud moment for me and one that i'll injoy. >> unitunited's game with a late kick off in england. he have ton stayed down in fifth after being beaten 2-0 in southampton in the early game there. football's world governing body say they expect the investigation into our the russia-qatar world cups were voted to be completed very soon. talking while overseeing last minute preparations over this year's world cup in brazil. examining allegations of corruption in leading the award to the next two tournaments. >> we should find a position even before the world cup 2014 as we can move and just work on the next world cup.

>> michael phelps came back earlier than expect. the 18-time winning champion missing out on qualification in arizona. rather bizarre circumstances. he came back a little short when he used the heat to fine tune his butterfly stroke. rather than raising freestyle as everyone else was. >> it's a good starting point to get races under my belt. it wasn't ideal for what i should swim at this moment. >> the houston rockets have claimed game three of their third round series outlasting

the trailblazers in overtime. by as many as 11 points. sending the game into over time. it's all tied up with 12 minutes to go. troy began yell scored three goals there, winning 120 to 116, still 2-1 down. >> it was a huge game for us like it was for them. they made one more play than we did. you know, it will be a problem if we lost this game because effort, or we weren't focused on taking care of the business. we were. it's the playoffs, and nobody said that we were going to come out and sweep them. >> heavyweight champion the big favorites to win yet another title bout in germany. he has not been knocked down or lost a fight in a decade. he'll have to, quote, rip his heart out if he's to beat him. the fight gets under way later

on this saturday. plenty more on our websites. the latest there on the death of tito villanova, www.aljazeera.comsports and more details on twitter and facebook. that is it for now. >> thanks, answered. time to brush up your shakespeare. celebrations to take place to mark the 450th anniversary of the birth of william shakespeare. one of the world's greatest playwright is being remembered in his birthplace of stratford on avon. >> reporter: shakespeare wrote all the world is a stage, and no truer words could be said when it comes to his work. 450 years after his birth this version of hamlet will tour every country in the world, a

truly global icon. >> his plays are about everything. it's domestic drama, political drama, philosophical drama. >> reporter: and shakespeare's birthday is being celebrated in the english town in which he was born. stray ford upon avon is proud of its famous son. this is where it all began. the bard's birthplace. tourists from around the world flock here to immerse themselves in all things shakespeare. >> while his stories may have started here, his stories have transcended cultures and borders. with shakespeare's place being performed aroun around the worlm inside prisons to the great wall of china and translated into schools of languages. >> he creates this sort of landscape that isn't connected to any one specific place.

anyone in the world can find themselves in his writing. >> nowhere do they feel that more than in strayed ford where the wind and rain only adds to the drama. al jazeera, in stratford upon avon. >> we're waiting for preliminary presidential results. it is expected there could be a run off. bye bye.

>> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something

seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america the cdc blocked by congress from even studying gun violence. we're joined by a congress woman and nra member who was a top doctor at the cdc. also a man supposed to be making history on everest left mourning a friend after the deadly avalanche. plus russian forces allegedly kidnap seven international observers in ukraine.