>> we cannot close our eyes to tanks that are crossing the border from russia and coming into ukraine. >> a new push for peace from top u.s. diplomatic calling for immediate ceasefire as tensions increase in ukraine. also on the program government strongholds in the syrian captain of she would the air force responds with deadly strikes on rebel held suburbs. >> we agree to disagree. >> europe's top economic power skeptical about greek's plan to

cut its debt burden. >> i'm in berlin, where if year's film festival is getting underway. find out what the organizers here did or didn't do to upset north carolina. that's coming up later. >> the u.s. secretary of state is calling for an immediate ceasefire in eastern ukraine. john kerry met ukrainian president poroshenko in kiev, saying the u.s. wants a peaceful solution but will not close its eyes to russia's actions. it is a diplomatic push to end the fighting. angela merkel and french president hollande will be flying to you a crane on friday. the military alliance of nato is strengthening it's flank.

>> john kerry was the first to arrive on thursday in kiev, offering u.s. support to you a crane and warnings to russia. >> we cannot close our eyes to tanks that are crossing the border from russia and coming into ukraine. we can't close our eyes to russian fighters in unmarked uniforms crossing the border and leading individual companies of so-called separatists in battle. >> he'll be followed later by the leaders of france and germany. president hollande and angela merkel. >> we will present a new proposal to resolve the conflict. it will be based on the territorial integrity of ukraine and we will discuss it with president poroshenko today and on friday in moscow with the russian president because time is of the essence. >> this latest flurry of

diplomatic activity reflects growing alarm at the escalation of fighting in eastern ukraine and the belief in western capitol that is russia is fueling it. at nato headquarters in brussels defense ministers made an early start to meetings which will be dominated by ukraine. they are expected to announce an increase to nato's response force, with a new spearhead force of 5,000 troops deployable in days. crucially, it will have six command control centers in eastern europe. >> the important thing for nato of course is to underline that russia is responsible for violating international law for violating the sovereignty the territorial integrity of ukraine, annexing crimea, destabilizing eastern ukraine. >> they will also discuss russia's decision to upgrade its nuclear arsenal and worry it has

lowered its threshold for use of nuclear weapons. both sides are encouraged to stop the fighting and engage in peace talks while nato lays out military plans object how it mate have to respond if talking fails. >> we'll have the latest on the situation in eastern you a crane in a minute, but first an update from moscow. >> essentially moscow is waiting. the press conference between president poroshenko and john kerry, and it will be watch that go closely. it also made its own assumptions about what wasn't said in that conference now is preparing for the arrival of angela merkel and president hollande on friday, meeting with vladimir putin and bringing what they call a new peace initiative. now, there are very few details about what exactly that peace initiative is, but there are people i've been speaking to

here expecting the european leaders come to play good cop to washington's bad cop, basically sit down with vladimir putin and say mr. president let's free this conflict here. what we don't want, what you don't want is for the united states to start funding and arming the ukrainian army with serious weaponry, so let's have the lines of conflict frozen right here, right now and set up some sort of federalized system. the challenge for russia is to work out what its next move is going to be. >> there may be renewed efforts to try to bring a diplomatic solution to this crisis, the reality here in donetsk remains very different. the violence continues to he is skate, at least eight civilians killed, 33 wounded here in the last 24 hours. a sense of growing confidence amongst the separatist fighters who have so far ignored any

calls really for a ceasefire. we've just returned from the town of debaltseve, incredible scenes of devastation there a fear among civilians trapped in this town that the separatists seem to have surrounded. while these efforts on a international level diplomatic level continue to try to bring an end to this crisis, there are very different messages coming out of the separatist controlled regions in donetsk. >> 60 people killed in rebel held areas in the outskirts of damascus. at least seven people were killed in which four were children. the group behind the shelling of damascus calls itself the army of islam and warned of attacks on the capitol this week. its leader has declared damascus

a military zone and a target. that was in response to a series of government airstrikes in the stronghold of the army of islam. we have more. >> this is the aftermath of government airstrikes on rebel-held positions in duma on the outskirts of damascus. victims are taken to field hospitals. the army has recently suffered major losses in this area largely controlled by the army of islam, one of the main opposition armed groups in syria. after almost four years of fighting in which thousands were killed and entire areas reduced to rubble, the violence continues. in a damascus suburb, the army has also launched airstrikes using barrel bombs. fighters have been trying to control this mountainous area.

if they capture it, they say they can easily smuggle weapons to the outskirts of the capitol. government attacks are aimed at driving rebels out of the areas that surround damascus. this is a convoy from the army of islam on its way to shell areas in the capitol. >> our attack is a retaliation against government for the massacre of civilians on the outskirts of damascus and other areas of the country. >> the armed group has control in many areas of damascus. here fighters attack government positions. >> we do not favor the situation to be like this, and he can changes shellings from both sides. we don't accept bombings of civilians. neither the criminals of the

regime nor international community responded to our calls to put civilians out of the on going conflict. >> the army of islam has expanded north where it has joined an alliance of religious armed groups against government troops. the syrian military remains in control of most of the cities. now, it's on the offensive. government jets attacked this opposition stronghold on the outskirts of holmes. the city's crucial for the regime. it's fall may pave the way for the rebels to capture damascus. al jazeera. >> the king of jordan visited the hometown of a jordanian air force pilot burned alive by isil. he traveled to pay respects to the family of muath al-kaseasbeh. his father's calling for his son's death to be avenged. jordan has already executed two iraqi convicts who were on death

row for attacking jordanians. >> germany is skeptical about the greek government proposal to cult massive debt burden. the new greek finance minister met his german counterpart for the first time since being elected promising austerity. >> the german finance minister was always likely to take a tough line, a key player in negotiating five years of austerity for greece and he wasn't about to let greece simply walk away. he said they'd agreed to disagree. >> i cannot hide skepticism about some of the actions announced by the new greek government even though my colleague told me they are not confirmed yet. in our opinion, they are not moving in the right direction. >> if he was disappointed, he didn't show it. this was simply the beginning he said of deliberation that will put an end to a never ending

crisis. >> we didn't reach an agreement. it was never on the cards that we would. we didn't even agree to disagree from where i'm standing. from where i'm standing, we agreed to enter into deliberations as partners with a joint orientation towards a european solution for european problems. >> greece's new prime minister and his finance minister visited key european physician and institutions this week lobbying to restructure greece's enormous debt burden while holding firm to abandon bailouts and austerity. in response, brussels is look warm. the european central bank announced it would no longer accept greek government bands as collateral to greece's

increasingly shaky banks. for greece, abandoning austerity may be easier said than done. >> the message was said, whether it was heard already is open, i hope was heard that it's not only the decision of some greek voters how the rest of europe should handle greek debt. it's something where other parties have also something to say and of course they have to find a compromise. >> the new greek government is looking for support in europe and running out of place to say find it. there wasn't much support here at the german finance ministry, where the message to greece seems to have been turn back your plans to abandon austerity or we may turn our backs on you. >> outside the finance ministry, protestors sympathetic. a new poll indicates that 68% of germans against debt relief for

greece if it walks away from its commitments, and the german government is acting accordingly. al jazeera berlin. >> still to come here on al jazeera. >> christians in india demand an end to attacks on their churches. >> on afghan border, hundreds of families are arriving here every day, because pakistani authorities are forcing them to leave. >> there's nobody helping us... >> honest people, losing hope... >> i didn't fight vietnam so that someone could take my property away from me

>> hard sell an america tonight investigation only on al jazeera america

>> on the stream >> february marks black history month but is it time for a refresh? a look at why african americans are turning to twitter to discuss the issues their local communities won't >> the stream on al jazeera america

>> welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera the u.s. secretary of state called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern ukraine. john kerry met president poroshenko in kiev. >> french president hollande and german chancellor angela merkel are due there later on thursday. >> syrian government airstrikes killed more than 60 people in rebel held areas near damascus. the attacks followed rebel rocket and she will attacks which killed seven people in a syrian capitol. >> germany's skeptical about the greek proposal to cult its massive debt burden, the finance minister saying he agreed to disagree. it was their first meeting. >> the arab spring may be a distant member for many countries, but tunisia's parliament approved a new

government. >> this is the moment tunisia's parliament greed on a new government. it wasn't an easy decision for many of these members. it will abcoalition government. the opposition will be small and weak but tunisia's next prime minister says it's the only option. >> we're all invited the government and political parties, national organizations and civil society to work hard, hand-in-hand to open the doors of hope. >> most of the ministers are from tunis and the biggest party. a small number are from the opposing party it's main rival. >> political leaders seem to have put aside differences on how much influence religion should have on state affairs and focusing on the issues they do agree on. >> like improving the economy

that's a priority for leila. she renovated this historical building into a boutique hotel. she wants more economic reform. >> i think there are tremendous investment opportunities in tunisia in almost every sector and a lot of educated youth to create jobs for so i think the priority would be to make the administrative process a lot smoother. >> it doesn't have the ethnic and sectarian divide which is a problem elsewhere but there are security threats here. there's a fear libyan violence might spill over the border. the government says there are thousands of young tunisians fighting for isil. the president and parliament said the country needs unity. >> we agreed as we felt that this is a phase that we are passing through a phase of

dialects agreement and harmony we should all agree for the interests of the country. >> for some, the new government is a threat to democracy. for others, it offers stability. most people here are willing to give it a chance to prove it can change things. al jazeera tunis. >> police in indian capitol arrested dozens protesting against recent church attacks. there have been five such attacks in deli since december. christian community leaders accuse the hundred do nationalist government of not protecting them. we have a report. >> police were deployed to deal with trouble makers. instead, they watched as members of new delhi's christian community prayed for justice. earlier, some of them were attained as they tried to deliver a letter to the home minister calling for action. the protestors say the police used a disproportionate amount

of force during what was a peaceful demonstration. >> i had to lie down on the floor. they wrapped up all the sisters and nuns and took us to the police station. >> they want the government to address a growing threat to the state's secular nature. >> just because we are a minority, the majority should not take us for granted. whether minority or majority, all of us are citizens of india so i have the same right as you have because it is in the constitution of india. >> al jazeera obtained photographs of a church ransacked in new delhi earlier this month. recent attacks on churches in new delhi have shaken the trust of christians and other indians

as well. >> the right wing is out to finish the christians. they want to convert india into something like afghanistan and pakistan. >> coming to power promising development say issues like this have taken the focus off that agenda. >> they've always been an integral part of society. >> afghan refugees in pakistan are being forced to leave the country in record numbers. a tag ban attack on a school in

peshawar even afghans with proper documentation are forced to cross the border with nowhere to go. >> the border crossing between afghanistan and pakistan is always busy, and even busier than usual. in january, 24,000 afghans returned from pakistan. the international association for migration said that's more than came back all of last year. it's been 36 years since living in afghanistan. about a month ago pakistani police raided his home and jailed his son keeping him hostage, he says. >> we have to give them a guarantee that we would leave. the pakistani police seized our houses. >> he has never been to afghanistan. he and his family are legal residents of pakistan, registered to the united nations and entitled to stay until the end of 2015 at least. they say that didn't matter. >> the pressure on afghans started after a taliban attack

in december on the army public school in peshawar. 145 people, mostly students were killed, two afghans reported to be among the six attackers. after that, police started forcing afghans out. >> many of the families arrive here with only what they can carry. most have been gone for years if they even lived in afghanistan at all. approximate when they get here, they have to start a new life. >> he doesn't know what that life will look like or even where he will settle. he doesn't even have the fare to get his family on the bus to the nearest city. >> i don't have anything exempt my children and these are all of my belongings. now wherever god puts me in my country, i will survive. >> afghan officials know returning families are vulnerable but the government doesn't have the resource to say help them. >> all we can do is register them and give them a form. >> only about 10% of afghans who

crossed can get help here. the u.n. center where they're educated and registered and taught the dangers of land mines. the u.n. gives them money to start over, between $180 and $220 per pepper. it's small compensation for lives they were forced to leave behind. al jazeera afghanistan. >> boko haram fighters are reported to have killed more than 100 people in cameroon. a major regional offense has started against the group. troops have been sent to fight boko haram earls in chad, and nigeria are using ground forces and war planes. boko haram fighting since 2009 stepped up violence ahead of

nigeria's february 14 election. >> liberia started the first vaccine trials to try to cam both ebola. there are fears that with fewer than 10 new infections every week scientists may not be able to tell if they are working. we have more. >> dr. steven kennedy is one of the most relaxed patients this clinic that seen. chatting with the nurse as he's given a vaccine which scientists hope will protect him against ebola. the vaccine contains a tiny part of the ebola virus itself, not enough to cause an infection but enough to help the body build immunity. that's put a lot of people off but not dr. kennedy because he's the researcher overseeing the trial. >> i'm so happy that we were able to reach this stage in liberia. the global community eyes are on liberia to ensure that we do this properly.

>> two vaccines are being tested. 12 people have been given the drug to start with, but it's hoped some 30,000 volunteers will eventually take part. >> we are trying to rebuild a health system, so you cannot under no condition rule out this vaccine across the 15 countries at the same time, we are doing it gradually. >> some worry it might be too lately. almost 9,000 people have died of ebola since the outbreak began american a year ago. now the infection rate is slowing with just 15 new cases reported in liberia over the past weeks. some scientists say that means scientists will not know if the vaccines are working. some hope this epidemic could be coming to an end but those fighting for a vaccine have still got to make sure ebola

doesn't kill again. al jazeera. >> rescuers in taiwan are scour ago river for those missing from the transasia plane crash. the main part of the wreckage has been lifted from the water. the plane went down shortly after takeoff wednesday killing at least 31 of the 58 passengers onboard. the creator of the silk road website faces life in prison. at his trial in new york, he was found guilty of seven drug and money laundering charges. he'll be sentenced in may his site enabled more than a million drug deals worth at least $200 million. >> to the berlin film festival. it's had a confusing start for north korea.

>> they love a drama at the berlin film festival, but as this year's gets underway, they've been at the center of their own. sony knows how that feels hacked and humiliated, remember, allegedly by his people and all because of this. the movie "the interview" which mocked kim jong-un and the fallout moving from hollywood to here. this is why. the film goes on general release in berlin thursday, but north korea got the city of berlin and the berlin film festival confused seeing them as one single entity. it described the showing at terrorism. it vowed vengeance for the humiliation. the exact words were merciless punishment. this man had to race to the north carolinaen embassy and say you've got this all wrong it has nothing to do with me, it's just a coincidence it's opening

on the same day. pyongyang did eventually pull back albeit privately. there is plenty more to see here on screen over the next week and a half. the golden bear is the big prize, with everything from chile to chamber maids to cinderella on show. iran is doing it without the filmmaker being her taxi in for the top prize as he watches home in tehran. >> he doesn't stop, because that's what he's doing. he's making films expressing himself. he needs to make them and he will never stop. the films he makes are great and for us a great day of prompting his work to the world. >> over the next 10 days, the movie world will watch the crowds will freeze trying to watch and even north korea will be keeping on eye to make sure

the crowds keep looking at this, and not this. al jazeera, at the berlin film festival. >> you can keep up to date with all the news on our website there it is on your screen, aljazeera.com.