>> cl the u.s. and the philippines seal a 10-year defense deal as president obama heads to manila for talks. hello, i'm veronica pedrosa in doha with the world news from al jazeera. also ahead - beaten and bloodied. ukrainian special forces put on show by pro-russian gunmen. the u.s. top diplomat warns that israel could turn into an apartheid state as peace talks with the palestine state fail. top u.s. basketball players stage a protest over racist

remarks attributed to the team's owner. u.s. president barack obama is due to arrive in the philippines in this hour. on the final stage of his tour of asia. the two countries finalised a 10-year defense deal as president obama departed from manila, giving america access to the bases. it is one of a number of countries involved in territorial disputes with china, claims focussing on parts of the china sea. in 2012 ships from china were involved in a long stand off in relation to islands both contain. the tom has sholl is contested. beijing claims parts, parts claimed by taiwan, brunei,

malaysia and vietnam. we are joined from manila. what difference on the ground, or on - at sea, i should say, really, will this make to the balance of milt - military balance in the south china sea. >> well if it means anything, it means the fortification of defense forces in the western philippines, in the area of the islands. the agreement as clarified, washington will return - the rush of the u.s. base, and increased soldiers rotating around asia. the activists, those against these visits of president obama, those who are opposing what they call u.s. imperialism says the question is sovereignty really. the u.s. bases may have left officially in the '90s, but

there is a number of soldiers stationed here. the philippine military admits more than 600 are stationed across the country. not sure what it is, but they help out encounter-terrorism operations, particularly in the southern philippines. the question of sovereignty, during the judicial process, if you remember, a few years ago, five soldiers were convicted of rape after raping a filipino in the northern philippines, and they were sentenced to gaol, life in prison to be spent in the philippines gaol. it was overturned when the u.s. government, through the help of the philippine government, overnight expressed an out of the philippine gaol. no one knows where they are serving their term. an issue is the dumping of u.s. toxic waste in northern full peens supposedly by u.s. military ships which the u.s. government says is not their fault, but contractors that they hired. these are the same problems that

is deem safe. this agreement is declared a humanitarian one, not just military. >> how might this affect philippines relations with china, which have not been good for some time, for various reasons, including disputes over the south china see or the western philippines sea. >> well, we have spoken to an analyst... (technical difficulties) >> it looks like... >>..between the united states or the philippines... >> it looks like we have lost the signal there. thank you, we'll have to move on, unfortunately, we had technical problems there. members of the european union will meet on monday to discuss sanctions against russia. a team of european sort offers are being held by pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine.

the g7 group agreed to impose additional sanctions on russia over the weekend. we have this report. >> the european military observers were paraded before traders. they are in no position to complain about what is happening to them. >> we are not prisoners of war. we are the guests of mayor vechislav ponomaryov. and we are treated as such. >> at least they were able to show their families they are alive and well. later, one observer from sweden was released on grounds of ill health. others have not been treated to kindly. these three men were captured by pro-russian gunmen near slovyansk. ukrainian intelligence officers, and this is what they looked like after their interrogation. on the road into slovyansk, the ukrainian army. this is not a town under siege, but the soldiers are working to

prevent weapons from coming in. >> this is the ukrainian army trying to show that it is in control. but throughout the crisis its approach has been tes tant and cautious. that's because the government in kiev is concerned at how russia will respond to a use of force by these men. >> in the next down are are demonstrations in favour of russia, a small withdrawed. they seem to have some support on the sidelines. pro-russians colt the government building in donetsk. they had an unexpected visitor. mikhair khodorkovsky - once one of russia's richest men before he fell out with vladimir putin and was imprisoned. now trying to mediate in ukraine. they call him a traitor, and tell him to go away. also in donetsk, armed pro-russians took over the regional tv station, and yet

again the ukrainian police, unreliable allies of the government stood by and watched it happen. but the largest crowds of the day were in the cemeteries. this is the day of the dead when people go to meet their ancestors spirits. nataliya mourns her dead relatives, wondering what they would make of all the chaos. >> my relatives would be shocked if they could see what is happening. they would say "you have to fight for our beloved ukraine. my brother lives in russia, i live here. i'm afraid of war, and worried that my son will be taken into the army." >> she's part of a silent majority that wants peace and their country to stay intact. a majority that is powerless to stop the drift into conflict. >> at least 22 people have been killed in an attack in the central african republic. three local staff from the

medical charity doctors without borders were among the victims. it happened on saturday, about 450km north of the capital bangui. and in the capital a mosque was looted after the last remaining muslims were escorted out of the city. 1300 packed what they could carry and boarded convoys heading north. tens of thousands have been killed by fighting between christians and muslims. >> translation: with what the ant balaka are doing -- anti-balaka are doing, they killed a lot of muslims, we can't stay, we will leaf to save ourselves. >> south sudan's government is expected to resume peace talks in a few hours. they are being held in the capital of ethiopia. negotiations failed since the signing of a ceasefire, which

never took hold. the rebel leader riek machar denied his forces were behind the massacre of hundreds of thousands of people. >> thousands have been killed in a car bomb attack, happening in an outdoor market in the shia neighbourhood of the city. iraq is holding elections for a new parliament. the number of deaths and attacks reached its highest level since 2008. >> 21 people have been killed and 50 injured in a mortar attack by rebels in syria, happening in the largest city, aleppo, when opposition fighters targeted government-held areas. there were also casualties in opposition-held areas of aleppo. government forces dropped barrel bombs, oil bombs backed with explosives and metal designed to maim. >> the u.s. secretary of state john kerry warned that israel is at risk of becoming an apartheid

stake. kerry was setting out the consequences if peace talks failed to produce a separate palestine state. the comment were covered by a news website, saying it had a recording of kerry's remarks as a private meeting between u.s., russia, japan and others. kerry said: >> the u.s. state department said john kerry was echoing statements previously made by former israeli prime ministers. the spokeswoman said:. >> now palestine president mahmoud abbas has given some of his strongest comments yet condemning the nazi genocide of jews in world war ii. >> but did little to ease tensions with israel. both blame each other for a

breakdown in the u.s.-brokered peace talks. stefanie dekker reports. >> reporter: it's the latest back and forth in an exhausting blame game. this time it's prompted by the palestinian president's statement of support for holocaust day. mahmoud abbas is quoted as saying: >> some say it could be an olive branch at a time when the peace talks are as good as offer. israeli prime minister binyamin netanyahu was having none of it, specially when abbas is planning to form a unity government with hamas. >> instead of making conciliatory statements meant to apiece international public opinion, mahmoud abbas should choose between hamas, a terror group calling for his rail's destruction and denies the holocaust, and peace with israel. we hope he abandons the unity

pact and returns to the true path of peace. the palestinians blame binyamin netanyahu for not being true to peace, saying his refusal to release prisoners is the reason the talks collapsed. what should be a positive, they feel, is being used by israel to suspend the talks. >> we need to understand that peace and agreement between israel and the palestinians are up. we cannot negotiate with hamas as a terror. >> organization. at issue is hamas not recognising israel, but abbas is trying to convince israel that the government is not a threat. >> the new government is working under my orders, and my policy. it takes care of local issues. i recognise israel, and it recognises israel, i renounce violence, and it renounces violence and terrorism. i'm against violence and terrorism. >> and so more signs that there

really is no common ground here. the talks remain suspended, and the april it 29th deadline is imminent. nine ambitious months spearheaded by u.s. secretary of state john kerry yielded zero progress. the hard issues that deal with what a 2-state solution look like have not been touched. >> a court in egypt is due to pass its final judgment in the case of 529 people sentences to death in march. the african commission on human rights asked the court to suspend the sentences. the case has been widely criticised as the judge passed the sentence after two short hearings, many of the defendants were not in court, convicted for their alleged role and violence after the oust are of president mohamed mursi last july. al jazeera calls for the immediate release of its journalists held in egypt. the trial has been adjourned

until may the 3rd. they have been in gaol for 121 days peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed are accused of providing a platform for the outlawed muslim brotherhood, declared a terrorist organization. abdullah al-shami, the fourth journalist in detention has been held without trial since august and he has been on a hunger strike for 98 days. al jazeera relates all the charges. now, coming up on the program, a leadership dispute within zimbabwe's main opposition lees many wonder -- leaves many wondering who is in charge. as south africans celebrate 20 years of democracy, we ask if promises have been fulfilled. stay with us.

hello, a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera - the united states and the philippines signed a new 10-year defense pact allowing a larger u.s. military presence. the deal was announced as president obama heads to manila.

he's due to arrive this hour. members of the european union will meet on monday to decide on further sanctions in russia. u.s. secretary of state john kerry warns that israel risks becoming an apart hide state unless a two-state solution is reached with the palestinians, making the comments at a closed-door meeting with international officials. zimbabwe's main opposition party, the movement for democratic change appears to be split. there are reports about whether its leader morgan changa wry has been suspended. >> reporter: morgan changa wry has been the force behind the movement for democratic change for years. in that time he's been faited by the international communicate for his opposition to mugabe and resist considered to have won the election in 2008, which should mugabe retain his voice.

a power sharing deal saw changa wry uniting with him. a meeting in the capital on saturday voted to suspend him and other high officials over a decision he had taken to expel the party's treasurer. the man behind the vote is the secretary-general. his faction believes that by their actions, they are saving the democracy of the m d.c. >> you cannot run the democratic state if you cannot run your own party. you don't be addicted in your party and be a democrat in government. we are in the process of saving democracy and deal with the economic problems of zimbabwe. changa wry's followers rejected this. on sunday they came out fighting. >> what happened yesterday is

they formed a political party. it is a political party for which they are failing to fight in them. but it is a political party nevertheless. [ clapping ]. >> reporter: morgan changa wry has been the leading opponent of robert mugabe, fighting a series of elections against him. now he's fighting for control of his own party. and police in south africa have used mortar canon and stun grenades to break up rites in a shanty town, stepping in to stop protesters throwing rocks at a sports minister campaigning for the upcoming election. police say he was attacked by the minors union. people celebrated freedom day. it's been 20 years since the first elections in which the black majority were able to

vote. tonya paige reports from pretoria. south africans at the official freedom day enjoyed pomp and party. it's 20 years since the end of apartheid when people of all races voted for the first time. mary took part in the historic 1994 election. >> what i remember, i was very, very excited. i was very happy to vote, to put muck on a pit. >> it was a day promising a new era and hope that everything would be better. in the 20 years that the african national congress has been in power, basic services, housing and health care has improved. there was a wealthy elite. millions are struggling to feed their families. >> they are struggling with basic services. toilet, drinking water, we are struggling a lot. people have to build their own toilets to

collect money. the government is not providing any. >> president zuma's african national congress is facing a tough challenge at the may 7th election. there's a rising sense of discontent that the party of the nelson mandela has not done enough in the last 20 years. voters are angry about controversies such as the $22 million of taxpayers money spent on president zuma's home. he stayed in safe territory, focussing on the positives. >> south africa is a better place to live in today. 1994, under the leadership of president nelson mandela, we had set out to achieve the following goals. the building of the united democratic nonracial, non-sexist society. >> dispute the a.n.c.'s failings, it's guaranteed to

win. there is not a strong enough opposition to threaten the majority and it has a special pass. >> the sails is a party that brought liberation. there's that legacy, and the legacy of nelson mandela is still there. less than two weeks, sav cabs will vote again - whether -- south africans will vote again. whether they look to the past or the future, it's a right no one here takes for granted. >> the death toll in saudi arabia from the middle east respiratory syndrome, mers, passed 100. medical officials identified eight cases, including a child. that brings the total number of deaths to 102 since the corona virus was identified in 2012. there's no known vaccine. australia's prime minister says it's highly unlikely any debris from the missing malaysian plane will be found on the ocean surface. flight mh370 has been missing

since march 8th with all 239 people on board. australia leading an international search focused in the indian ocean north-west of perth. >> essentially, though, what we are looking to do is conduct as thorough an under sea search as huge scrp -- as humanly possible, if necessary of the entire probable impact zone which, as you know, is roughly 700km by 80km. we owe it to the families of all on board. we owe it to the wider travelling public to do everything we reasonable can to get to the bottom of this mystery. >> at least two people have been killed by tornado in the united states. the twisters caused widespread damage in little rock, in arkansas and also in the town of quarpor in oklahoma.

forecasters issued severe thunderstorm warnings. >> basketball players from the n.b.a. l.a. clippers staged a protest against racist comments made by the team owner. it's alleged donald sterling was caught on tape about flaunting her relationship with black people or bringing them to games. . >> reporter: the protest took place before the game, with players wearing inside out warm-up jerseys so the logo could not be seen. >> to me, personally, he sound ridiculous. he opens a team with nothing but african-american players. it makes him sound like a racist. i love the game, i'm an n.b.a. fan. i support the team. whatever he said, it's his own

personal thing, not ours. we love our clippers. >> the issue goes beyond basketball, with president obama commenting at his press conference halfway around the world during his visit to malaysia. >> when ignorant folks want to advertise ignorance, you don't have to do anything, just let them talk. that's what happened here. >> the audio that has gone viral renewed the debate about america and racism. . >>:. >> lebron james, one of the biggest names in the game is calling on the new n.b.a. commissioner to take a firm stand against bigot i. >> there's no room for that in our game. we found a way to make this the greatest game in the world. and for comments like that, it

taints our commam and we can't -- game and we can't have it from a player, an owner or public. >> the voice from the recording has to be authent kated as sterling , there may be an issue about how it was obtained. the the players' association is asking to be included about the decisions about the team owner. >> we are collectively one family. i am confident that this family will speak together in one voice. there's absolutely no place in the n.b.a. family for ignorance, intolerance, reprehensible comments that are unacceptable and not fitting for what the league is all about. >> as for the team - l.a. clippers's coach doc river says the best move is to move on as one. >> i think the biggest statement we can make as me, not as black me, as men, is to stick together and show how strong we are as a

group, not splipter, not -- slinter, not walk. it's easy to protest. that will be in our play. >> the team hoped for a different outcome, taking a pummelling - losing by double digits. >> reporter: donald sterling's comments may shock many but some say this is nothing new and has gop on for years. the comment may be why his behaviour has been allowed to go on for so long. you're watching al jazeera, plenty still ahead. these are the live pictures from manila where president obama arrived on the final stage of his asian tour. plus... >> i'm in the pakistani si of karachi. coming up, find out why the armoured vehicle business is booming.

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