>> more than 30 feared dead and dozens trapped by an explosion at a mine in eastern ukraine. >> welcome to al jazeera from doha. the united nations cannot afford to house thousands of syrian living in temporary accommodation in lebanon any longer. >> edward snowden's russian lawyer said the whistle blower wants to return to the united states. >> a rare exhibition of north korean art on display in south korea isn't just drawing attention from art lovers.

>> a rescue mission in underway at a mine in eastern ukraine where there's been a huge explosion. thousands of families are gathered in the city of donetsk. according to reports at least 30 of dead and others trapped below grounds. donetsk has been racked by intense fighting between the government and pro-russian release for months and now kiev accuses the release of holding up the rescue effort by restricting access. we are outside the mine in donetsk. what more are you hearing? >> we are hearing from the separatist government that the cause of the blast was likely an excess buildup of methane inside the mine shaft, that there was no foul play. that means there was no shelling outside, despite the ceasefire here having been violated a number of times. we also have new numbers from the local separatist government

here the donetsk people's republic. they say 230 miners went into that shaft this morning and were there when the blast occurred about 6:00 a.m. local time. about 198 of them were evacuated and 15 injured. one was confirmed dead. that leaves about 32, according to local government tally still in the mine shaft. that's the figure we keep hearing is coming from there those 32 are feared dead. we don't have confirmation on that. those bodies have not been recovered, but it was apparently a verge blast the latest of several that have hit that mine over a number of years and difficult to determine just exactly how many people are in there, or to rescue them, first of all because the rescue workers had to vent out the methane gas or at least as much as they could. that shaft is also about a clam at her deep and the explosion occurred some 1,000 meters

underground. that means there's a lot of territory for them to cover and it will be differ to get down in there. so it could be quite some time before we have some more definitive description of just exactly how many people have died and how many might still be trapped under the ground alive. >> what of the suggestion that the rebels are holding up the rescue effort? >> that comes from the ukrainian prime, saying that he ordered six brigades and a group of 10 rescue workers who specialize in going underground and bringing these people out. he sent them here to donetsk but donetsk is run by the separatist government and he says that the separatist government or as he calls them, the russian terrorists refers to say allow those rescue workers in. that's a serious accusation, because the longer you're underground, the more likely

that you could die. he appears to be saying that the separatist government has endangered the lives of those who remain underground by not allowing those who are the best experts in getting them out to come underground and carry out their work. >> john, thanks very much. that was from the scene of the mine accident in donetsk. >> 14 syrian soldiers have been killed in the gas told east of homs. sources close to isil say they were killed trying to withdraw from a battle to retake control of the area. >> the refugee crisis in lebanon is deepening. the u.n. says it's been forced to move syrian shelter and temporary accommodation. nearly 4 million syrians live in refugee camps. >> this is northern lebanon. this building may not seem like

much but is home to these syrian refugees. the united nations said it was always supposed to be a short-term solution, but a huge number of refugees means the u.n. can't afford to continue housing these families. the people living here say they have nowhere to go. >> we were shocked after we heard that the u.n. will turn us out of the center, which will be a big problem for us. most families here don't have houses, and they can't afford to rent houses. we are looking for a solution for this problem. >> the u.n. says the solution is cheaper housing. it admits sheltering millions of people is not going to be easy. >> when the numbers of syrian refugees were much less, collective shelters were one way we were able to respond to an immediate shelter need. less than 2% of the refugee population are living in collective shelters. >> there is anger here but also a deep sense of disappointment that the world isn't doing more to stop the fighting destroying

their country. >> we appeal to the free world and arab world to return us to the country, which is the best solution. we are losing hope. we want to return home. it is the most important solution for us. it is better than food, drink, heating and housing. >> these people have fled war and poverty. they have safety here. now they risk losing this basic shelter and their hopes of a better life. al jazeera. >> in libya an attack on an oil field destroyed all equipment at the site. according to the oil minister, there were no casualties from the attack. the fighting was between isil and forces loyal to the tripoli government. >> u.s. and iranian officials wrapped up three days of

negotiations over tehran's nuclear program. they haven't made a deal yet but are making progress. u.s. secretary of state john kerry and iran's foreign minister met trying to reach a framework agreement by the end of the month. u.s. officials say the next round of attacks is set march 15. jacky rowland is following the talks. >> john kerry is learning that in this process of talking about iran's nuclear program, it's impossible almost, to please anyone. we've heard very strong criticism from the israeli prime minister about the process and iranians have been critical of the american objectives, but clearly for entirely different reasons. the statements made in public by the official news agency said iran would not submit to demands it describes as excessive or illogical.

there was also a criticism of president obama's position as being unacceptable and threatening. we must remember that these kind of public statements don't necessarily reflect the kind of nuanced discussions going on behind closed doors. in fact, these public statements of very much established positions are quite likely part of the negotiating process, part of the negotiating tactics. the key thing to remember, certainly the kay things the americans would point to is the fact that the discussions are still continuing and as long as the talking is going on, that has to be a positive thing. >> edward snowden's lawyer said he wants to return to the united states. he has been in russia since 2013. he was granted asylum there. washington says snowden will face criminal charges if he returns. roar challands is in moscow with

more. >> the man who's been edward snowden's lawyer was launching his book on tuesday and at that book launch made interesting comments about what seems to be going on right now behind the scenes legal discussions that would soon potentially lead to edward snowden's return back to the united states. let's listen to exactly what he had to say. >> of course, i won't keep a secret that he is considering it and wants to return back home. we are now doing everything possible to solve this issue. >> now it is pretty much inconceivable that if edward snowden went back to the united states that he wouldn't be put immediately on trial. of course, he's been a fugitive from u.s. justice for two years now. we heard a little bit from the lawyer, as well, about edward snowden's experiences here in russia. remember that he came to moscow by fairly circuitous route

never having been to russia before with no money and not speaking the language. considering all those things, he settled in pretty well, but obviously, not well enough to want to spend the rest of his life here. he would rather go back to the united states, it seems and face the very real possibility of a lengthy jail term than spend the rest of his life as an international fugitive. >> opposition parties say they formed a coalition to gain a majority in the country's general elections. the next step will be to form a new government. saturday's vote failed to produce a clear winner. it will be announced how many parliamentary seats each party won. >> drug smugglers will face a firing squad. and you say us's prime minister said he is ve voled by the process of the executions. indonesia has one of the toughest drug laws in the world.

>> indonesia's president has told al jazeera that the executions will not be carried out this week, but he says they will be carried out soon. >> i as the president have to follow the constitution, which still allows executions, and their verdicts have already been decided by the court. >> you are not only, a president, you're also a person. i'm sure you have thoughts and feelings about this. >> if you come to the drug rehabilitation centers, you will see the affect drugs have on these people. 4.5 million have to be rehabilitated because of drug distribution, which we are now trying to stop. don't just look at those people who sell drugs. you also have to look at their victims. 4.5 million people. >> executing them is a very harsh measure. i mean, there's no way out. if you make that decision, there's no turning back the clock. mistakes can be made.

indonesia justice system is notoriously corrupt. can there be another punishment for them than just to execute them? >> i am still convinced that the justice system in indonesia if you look at drug crime is still valid and based on facts and evidence. that's why when i rejected their clemency i also looked at their cases, how many drugs they were carrying, how much was distributed, how many kilos they distributed, how many hundreds of thousands of pills were distributed. this is what i looked at. >> you looked at all the individual cases? >> yeah. >> did you also look at how the people have changed since they've been in prison for a long time, for example the two australian men are set to be that now they have been rehabilitated, doing good work in prison. >> i think the decision was already taken by the court. we can't disdiscriminate between people from different countries. one more time, i am looking at our national interests and i see

4.5 million people whose lives are in ryan and need to be rehabilitated. that's what i see. >> you can see the full interview with the indonesia be president on talk to al jazeera starting from saturday. that is at 04:30g.m.t. >> still ahead why some of china's political elite have been band from this year's communist party gathering. stay with us for that. >> as the amount of drugs grew guns came in. >> murder rate was sky-high. >> this guy was the biggest in l.a. >> i was goin' through a million dollars worth of drugs every day. i liked it. it's hard to believe that a friend would set you up. people don't get federal life sentences and beat them. >> they had been trafficking on behalf of the united states government. >> the cia admitted it. >> "freeway -

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>> the top stories here on al jazeera, a rescue mission is underway in eastern ukraine after a large explosion. donetsk has been racked by intense fighting between the government and pressure rebels for months. the rebels are accused of holding up the rescue effort. >> the united nations say it is forced to move syrians sheltering because it can't continue housing them. the 4 million are now living in lebanon, turkey and jordan. >> a lawyer for edward snowden said the american whistle blower wants to return to the u.s. the former spy agency contractor has been in russia since 2013 where he was granted asylum after leaking government documents. >> a series of bomb attacks in east he were ukraine is raising concerns that russian backed provocateurs are opening a new front, away from separatist controlled cities, luhansk and donetsk, public gatherings are

targeted by what is called a terrorist campaign to destable ice the region. >> in the east of ukraine, shag support for the government in kiev can be fatal. the roadside device killed four, include ago police officer. a pro-russian bombing campaign targets activists had turned deadly. there was another rally sunday. the security and anxiety levels are very high. >> putin's russia is only 40 kilometers from us. we know that. when people come to our rallies. they know it's potentially dangerous. everyone knows. >> the campaign of terror is clearly having an effect. turnouts such as events like this has been markedly down in recent weeks but the bombing

campaign has escalated. it is not just kharkiv. russia is said to be behind it owl. >> we have confession testimony saying who recruited them, where they were trained, and it was on the territory of the russian federation. we know the exact people they made contact with in russia. it was representatives of the russian security services. financial support came from the russian side. weapons and explosives were provided. this is incontrovertible evidence. >> kharkiv is a complex city. there is a significant proportion of pro-russian sympathizers here. in january, 14 people were wounded by a bomb blast outside this district courthouse.

the intended victims were activists from the right sector group. casualties also includes civilians. the intention is to spread fear. >> one day, they were trying to kill us, but we don't think that -- it will be like here in such a place. >> the hundreds of arrests so far seem to have done little to reassure the public. >> we adopt, we learn but the fate of israel and the beyond awaits us. those countries who live under constant threat of terrorism and this threat will continue while vladimir putin remains president of russia. >> that would mean more bomb attacks like this one are inevitable. paul brennan, al jazeera kharkiv. >> in iraq, state run television says fighters from isil set fire to the oil pipeline east of

tikrit. isil was forced to retreat from the area by advancing kurdish forces. >> more than 2,000 men in china's top legislative good morning body are meeting in beijing. an anti corruption campaign is dominating the countries biggest political event. >> it's china's most important annual political gathering. a number of faces will be absent this year. 36 delegates and political advisors are under investigation for corruption. one of them is a former aid to china's previous president. many wonder who will be next. so far, more than 100,000 low and high-ranking officials across the country have been implicated. on monday, 14 generals were added to the list. >> the president's anti corruption campaign that began more than two years ago is expected to be a dominant theme of this congress, and it's a

campaign that appears to be far from over. >> the party is not a haven for corrupt officials. we support and endorse serious investigation into their cases. >> some analysts believe the campaign is merely a guise to stop political rivals. he has focused on two things aggregating power to himself and also fighting corruption and using corruption as a political weapon to intimidate. >> the drive to save money has hit the government's car fleet. more than 3,000 official vehicles have been auctioned with more set to go. >> al jazeera, beiging. >> the u.n. special envoy to yemen is in talks with the ambassadors from qatar inside saudi arabia, arriving in the city wednesday morning and

expected to meet with president hadi. he's trying to mediate an end to the political crisis in the country. tuesday, he briefed the u.n. security council on the situation in a closed door meeting. >> more than 900 people have been rescued by the italian coast guard in the last 24 hours. seven operations were launched in that time 50 miles off the coast of libya. ten died when one boat being rescued capsized. fifty women and 30 children have been taken to the island of lampedusa. >> details of the capture of mexicos most wanted drug lord have been emerging, he had a $2 million bounty on his head and was arrested friday. we have a report now. >> this is how gomez, mexico's most wanted man would want to be remembered, as a kind-hearted cartel kingpin handing out money to the needy.

he gave money to her sick mother during one of his handouts. >> i think that yes, people liked him because he helped them. >> unlike other mexican cartel leaders, he worked hard at public relations, presenting his cartel, the knights templar, as the de facto authority in the state. >> we're a necessary evil and here because if not, another gang would come in. >> gomez made a radical career change after working as a teacher. this school director worked with him several years and still considers him a friend. >> as a teacher, he would earn the love of the kids almost instantly. he had charisma. he spoke the people's language. >> gomez and his cartel, the knights templar, saw themselves with an order of code of

conduct, creating mid-evil style accessories. they couldn't disguise the fact that they terrorized by regularly subjecting the local population to extortion, kidnapping and murder. in 2013, some desperate citizens became vigilantes in order to protect themselves. this man took up arms after being kidnapped by the knights templar. >> we're all scared of him because of the killings. if you didn't obey him, you turned up dead the next morning. >> when federal forces arrived in the beleaguered state, the year long manhunt began and gomez was forced underground. he spent short periods of time in this cave when he wasn't running between other hiding places, including a series of luxury houses and a shack in the hills. >> his new home is a maximum security prison outside mexico city. despite his intermittent acts of kindness, gomez will be remembered as a violent and ruthless criminal. al jazeera.

>> an investigation found police in the court system in ferguson, missouri routinely discriminated against african-americans. this comes six months after a white police officer shot dead unarmed black teenager michael brown. most of the incidents where the police used fort involved african-americans, according to the report. >> battling to contain a wildfire burning since sunday, thousands of kilometers have been destroyed around cape town. it's hoped the rain forecast for the next few days will bring much-needed relief. >> a rare exhibition of north korean art has gone on display in south korea. the paintings are part of a dutch art dealer's collection. it's not only drawing the attention of art lovers. >> healthy happy faces gaze out from the canvass, telling a story of abundance and contentment lived in a landscape of rare beauty.

some evoke another time and place. could this be france? they are according to the title of the show, the hidden treasures of north korea. 147 paintings getting a rare outing here in the south, part of the collection of two and a half thousand bought in cash in north korea over several years by this dutch art dealer. he said it was a mixture of official transactions and private ones. >> of course, part of the money are going to benefit the government over there. again, this is really not my concern. >> in another gallery in seoul some very different paintings. this lampooning i have the dynasty is the work of the artist who escaped the country. we invited him to view this new exhibition. >> when i lived in the north i found these paintings impressive. since i studied art properly, i

realized there was no freedom of art. all the people are smiling in the service of kim jong-un and kim jong-il. it's a tool of propaganda. >> there are restrictions on art in the south. this painting had to be removed the south korean security services unhappy with the text, written in the service of the people, people written in a north korean way. >> it might seem farfetched, but people here are governed by the national security law legislation to prohibit the promotion of north korean ideologies. for proponents, it's a vital tool in a long battle. >> communist ideology is a scheme designed to grab power by capitalizing on social underdogs. it's a crafted grand scam.

there are many south careens prone to grand scams. >> for the organizers, it's about a long term financial investment, not politics, but for a man who's lived inside the real north korea, the brightness and beauty of the one depicted here brings back darker memories. >> there's more and more people trying to get fit around the world and sales of exercise linked technology products are racing ahead. sales of smart watches are expected to surpass $20 million this year. we have more from barcelona on a device in high demand. >> wearable fitness and activity trackers have been immensely popular. around 70 million of these bands have been sold in the last year. they seem to people to people's desires to get healthier and fitter and use technology to do. we are also seeing smart phones

hit the market. these new models give consumers greater choice where it comes to wearables. competition will be fierce. more than 20 million smart watches will be sold in the next year but for many people, such a high tech and expensive watch will remain a luxury item. >> this year's prize at the mobile world congress for innovation and health was a project dealing with maternal health. the mobile ultra sound patrol took a low cost portable ultrasound machine into two villages. the pregnant women in scanned and ultrasound images sent to doctors in the city for analysis. they were able to respond within hours and order the necessary treatment or follow up. the result, the cost of these scams go from 80 to just $2, meaning these women for the

first time could access life-saving technology that many people in the world take for granted. al jazeera barcelona. >> don't forget everything that's going on will be found on our web side, lots of opinions and nationals too aljazeera.com. very few people get up in evil. what evil can i do today? >> he wrote the epic novel, a song of fire and ice, the basis for the hbo series "game of thrones" now in its fourth season, george r.r. martin is working fotin issue the series. >> there are days i wonder if i bit off more than i could chew. did it have dotcoms? >> his characters are often