hello. i'm geeta guru-murthy with "bbc world news". our top stories. after mass celebrations following sunday's referendum the parliament in crimea declares independence from ukraine. eu ministers meet to discuss possible sanctions against russia saying the vote was illegal. the search widens for malaysia's missing airliner. in kuala lumpur it has become a truly global operation. >> our priority has always been

to find the aircraft. we would not withhold any information that could help. but we also have a responsibility not to release information until it has been verified. just why is the smallest planet in our solar system shrinking even further? hello. the parliament in crimea has declared independence from ukraine following sunday's referendum. the region's defacto prime minister is traveling to moscow formally to request that it becomes part of russia. let's go live now to crimea in simferopol. and ben brown is there.

>> reporter: yes. we're outside the crimean parliament in simferopol. very shortly after the final results were announced of the referendum yesterday. 97% of voters voting in favor of annexation into russia. and 83% turnout. straight after that vote was announced, then they would a meeting here in the parliament behind me. mps voted, again, overwhelmingly formally to declare independence from ukraine and formally to apply to russia to be absorbed into the russian federation, an exed by russia. it was part of russia until 60 years ago. what will follow from that we gather in a month they will switch the russian ruble here as their currency and also switch to the moscow time zone. there have been huge

celebrations among the ethnic population in crimea as daniel sanford reports. >> reporter: wild scenes in simferopol last night as people who have longed to rejoin russia for almost a quarter century take a huge step towards their dream. >> we come back to russia. we happy. we all happy. >> reporter: the people here in the center of simferopol have got what they wanted. but how it came back b is going to have a lasting impact on international relations. the referendum produced an overwhelming vote in tpaeuf of leaving ukraine and joining russia. although the russian president vladimir putin consists it was consistent with international law, it remains hugely controversial. it was organized in less than a

fortnight, while russian troops were already in effective military control of crimea. and it's not recognized by the fledgling government. if they choose to join crimea onto russia they will get sanctions from the european union. the fallout could escalate over the weeks ahead. with pro-russian protesters in mainland ukraine agitating for their own referendums relations could go from bad to stkaftous. daniel sanford, bbc news, simferopol. so the referendum result has been celebrated here with an all night party in simferopol. but it has been denounced by much of the rest of the world by the international community. we will wait to see now today

what sanctions are imposed on russia by the european union and the united states. the e foreign ministers meeting in brussels. on her way in baroness catherine ashton. the eu policy chief told us this. >> good morning. not surprisingly top of our agenda will be the situation in ukraine to look at the results of the so-called referendum. i don't have to remind any of you that it is illegal under the constitution of the ukraine and international law. i call upon russia yet again to meet with ukrainian leaders and to start dialogue with them and to try and move to de-escalation as quickly as possible. we see no evidence of that. today we'll be continuing our discussions on the seriousness of the situation and also looking as you know at what we should further do on this question ahead of the european

council which will be meeting later in a week. >> baroness ashton with the so-called referendum. the referendum denounced by the british foreign secretary william hague. >> we move to a further stage of the european response today with travel bans and asset freezes on individuals. that's one of the things that we will be discussing today. i'm confident we will reach an agreement on that. at the same time, every diplomatic channel remains open to russia. and we continue to be in communication with russia about creating a diplomatic framework, about finding ways to deescalate this crisis. it is important that work goes on as well over the coming days. >> so that's william hague, the foreign secretary. let's go to kiev and talk to chris morris.

i suppose the ukrainian government will be looking to the eu and the u.s. to punish russia for what appears to be the inevitable annexation of crimea by moscow? >> yeah. in a weak hard, it's the best card they have. both in terms of pressure on russia, helping them with political support, moral support and financial support to make sure they don't collapse under the weight of the pressure. they are taking flag waving, morale boosting military measures. the ukrainian parliament with a partial mobilization of armed services. they was that was necessary to bring the military up to full readiness. he wouldn't be drawn in a press conference he has given in the last half hour or so, how many

troops are in the east of the country. but he says russia has 60,000 troops in the best of his knowledge in crimea and along ukraine's borders. and he said he hoped still this would be sorted out through diplomatic means. he said armed forces are ready to carry out any orders september down by the country's political leadership. >> okay. chris, thank you very much indeed. that's chris morris there reporting from kiev. here at the crimean parliament, sergei preparing to travel to moscow to meet people from the russian parliament, the russian government there stkwrouft discuss the for pharplts,formal.

he said they would switch to the russian ruble and the time zone many they are already starting to change street signs. this place is beginning to feel less and less ukrainian and more and more russian. that's it from simferopol. you can follow me on twitter for the latest developments. >> ben brown, thanks very much indeed for all of that. we will of course keep you updated on anything that changes this hour. other news, 26 countries are now involved in a fast search over a widened area for missing malaysia airlines plane that disappeared a week ago. they believe the co-pilot spoked last word to ground controllers. >> reporter: searching for flight mh 370 is becoming more

difficult by the day.he shallow seas near malaysia and vietnam have been discounted. based on satellite data, two new regions are being explored. the first stretches south into the indian ocean where a remote location and deep rough waters make only the most sophisticated of planes and ships useful. the second, a wide band across central asia is more accessible. and the 11 countries along the possible flight path are being asked whether they might have missed a boeing 777 overhead. it's not an easy thing to own up to if you have invested in expensive military surveillance. here in malaysia, the team is trying to find out why the plane is diverted west. whoever was in control need to know what they were doing o. the two pilots have come under renewed scrutiny. the chief pilot even had a flight simulator in his own

house. it is now being taken away by police. nothing anyone has said about the two men matches the profile of someone wanting to hijack a plane. >> translator: he is very friendly and actively involved in community outreach. he comes from a good family. and at the very least i can tell you he's a polite young man. >> reporter: pulling in experts and companies from around the world, this investigation appears to be making little progress. the fate of mh 370 may well be remembered as one of the great aviation mist approximateries of our time. jonah fischer, bbc news, kula lumpur. the european union, foreign ministers meeting in brussells to see kind of sanctions they might impose. they are moment sanctions

discussed only actually target individuals through asset freezes, travel bans and so on. the west could move to sanction russian companies as well. who will be most disadvantaged? europe ranks as the biggest trading partner. it accounts for 41% of all trade. exports to europe were dominated by crude oil and gas. in fact, european countries import 84% of russia's oil experts. russian goods and services exported to the eu. it totaled $317 billion. in return, european companies sold t$210 billion back in 2012. alibaba said the move will make it a more global company. the move being widely predicted by analysts is expected to be the biggest share offering since

facebook in 2012. they predict the listing will raise $15 billion. however, alibaba did not reveal when the initial public offering would take place. they initially planned to list in hong kong. talks broke down last year. let's have a quick look at the markets. this is where we got with a little bit of relief. we had one of the worst falls, most prolonged falls we have had in the european markets for about two and a half years. we actually have a bit of a rise here coming back the last few hours. ftse up 35%. euro/dollar $1.38. euro looking strong. dollar looking a bit weak. on the asian markets, not an enormous amount of trade going on. really we need to see what comes from the sanctions against russia about ukraine.

that's it. geeta, back to you. >> jamie, thanks very much. stay with us here on "bbc world news". more to come. british forces prepare to pull out of the country by the end of this year. art valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa. in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced. seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk

if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® reckless seeding. a backyard invasion. enter homeowner, and ortho weed b gon max. kills weeds without harming innocent lawns. guaranteed. ortho weed b gon max. get order. get ortho®.

this is "bbc world news". i'm geeta guru-murthy with the latest headlines. crimea's parliament declares independence from ukraine. the de facto will formally request that it becomes part of russia. and 26 countries now involved in the search for the missing malaysia airlines plane. the pilots of the missing airliner have come under the spotlight after authorities revealed they think it was the co-pilot who spoke the last words to ground controllers before the plane disappeared. well, now, just staying with that missing plane, we heard a

press conference in the last hour with the transport minister. he confirmed thmalaysia is workg closely. >> an investigation into all crew members, including the pilot and co-pilot, as well as all ground staff handling the aircraft. on sunday, 9 march, police officers visited the homes of the pilot and the co-pilot. and also spoke to the family members of the pilot and the co-pilot. they went to the homes again on saturday, the 15th of march. the pilots flight simulator was taken from the house from his family. malaysia to be cooperating with the fbi, interpoll and other

agencies since day one. gener >> jennifer, what do we know about the pilots? they seem to be at the center of investigation at the moment. >> what we know is there are two experienced pilots. one, the captain zahari has been described as loving, warm, friendly, a good member of the community, a good chef as well. we know slightly more about the co-pilot, hamid. he is 27 years old. he joined seven years ago. he was the one co-piloting the flight. they believe the last verbal contact they had with the aircraft was through the co-highlight. they still have to double-check on this information.

what it suggests is that the co-pilot was there in the cockpit shortly before or afterwards when all transmission was lost from the aircraft itself. and that's where we are left at at this point is to try to find out what happened to this aircraft. according to satellite information they are looking at two vast tracks of area. one stretching up to central asia. the other from indonesia deep into the remote areas of the indian ocean. malaysian officials say they are also starting their search efforts and have redeployed aircraft. we are at day 10. they are working 10 days behind schedule. is it possible. the question now is it possible for them to sign any of the wreckage or the plane? >> jennifer pak, thank you. breaking news from libya.

this is report odd reuters news agency. a car bomb has exploded outside a libyan army base in benghazi in eastern libya. five people have been killed. others have been wounded. the hospital is saying that the five were killed in the bomb explosion. people were leaving a graduation ceremony for officers in the army. so an explosion in benghazi outside the libyan army base there. now, british forces in southern afghanistan have closed or handed over all but two of their military bases. it is a key milestone as they prepare to pull out of the country by the end of the year. jonathan beale reports from helmand. >> reporter: from dust to dust. this was camp price, once a large british base. diggers and saws and the soldiers with them. but even taking the concrete barriers that stood as makeshift

memorials to fallen comrades. these soldiers on their last patrol are still dressed for combat. and they are still wearing. but there is relief they will soon be home. >> i'm happy they are in a much better place now. but for me it's job done, get on. >> the end is getting nearer. this is one of the last military convoys bringing it back. so what's the legacy they leave behind? >> i only wish that people at home could see the changes that i have seen. i think they would feel a lot better about the investment and what the work that we have done here. >> but the british military can give no guarantees for the future. they will soon all be out with no one left behind to see what

happens next. jonathan beale, bbc news, helmand >> pakistan's national security minister aziz told of his hopes for stability in the region. nato's combat forces leave next year. in an exclusive interview, he said reconciliation is possible. >> by this time next year, nato forces are due to have left afghanistan. are you optimistic that peace will come to the region once they have left or will it deteriorate? >> so it is uncertain. pakistan taliban have not shown any willingness to talk. >> can you persuade them? >> we have been trying to. we have had informal talks. and there are some contacts

elsewhere. i'm sure some group of the taliban would like to talk. so the new government is a little more flexible in terms of offering them something. you may have reconciliation. >> al qaeda, what's left of it, of its leadership is still thought to be in pakistan somewhere in the tribal territories. i'm sure you've been asked this question a lot of times. why can't you find the al qaeda leader? >> well, they are looking for him. i don't think it is something that is certain as to where he is. but in our case the only area we have not been able to clear out so waziristan. >> what is the opposition on dreams now, that are targeting militants in the tribal areas?

>> basically prbgs whatever hybrid target you want to reach, along with them you kill many innocent people. that creates not only reaction. you lose the battle of hearts and mind. i think they are -- they won't say we are stopping the war but they have quietly suspended them for the time being. >> have relations with washington recovered now from the low point when they killed osama bin laden. >> you want to follow an open policy. if they share spwels with us it is not going to happen. let's try to restore trust. you can't have strategic relationship with the country. finally, saudi arabia has been a

great friend and ally to pakistan, especially to mr. shareef. is it true that if saudi arabia asked for pakistan to buy pakistan nuclear weapons you would provide them? >> out of the question. we have a very strong policy. i hope there is no need for nuclear weapons. >> the pakistani prime minister adviser on on national security. it's been discovered that mercury, which is the closest planet to the sun, has shrunk since it originally formed. it is reduced by four and a half miles from its center to the surface. it may have formed further out

and drifted towards the sun later. the measurements have been taken by nasa's messenger aircraft. much more of course. we're back in a couple of minutes with a full look at our latest developments. stay with us for that. thanks for being here. (vo) you are a business pro. maestro of project management. baron of the build-out. you need a permit... to be this awesome. and you...rent from national.

because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. and only national is ranked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. power. (aaron) purrrfect. (vo) meee-ow, business pro. meee-ow. go national. go like a pro. ♪ they lived. ♪ they lived. ♪ they lived. ♪ (dad) we lived... thanks to our subaru. ♪ (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. feeding your lawn need not be so difficult neighbors. get a load of this bad boy. whoa. this snap spreader system from scotts is snap-crackin' simple -- just snap, lock, and go. [ scott ] feed your lawn. feed it!

because an empty pan is a blank canvas. [ woman #2 ] to share a moment. [ woman #3 ] to travel the world without leaving home. [ male announcer ] whatever the reason. whatever the dish. make it delicious with swanson. [ ship horn blows ] no, no, no! stop! humans. one day we're coming up with the theory of relativity, the next... not so much. but that's okay. you're covered with great ideas like optional better car replacement from liberty mutual insurance. total your car, and we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. learn about it at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories.

i'm geeta guru-murthy with "bbc world news". our top stories. after mass celebrations after sunday's referendum, the parliament in crimea declares independence from ukraine. and possible sanctions against russia saying the vote was illegal. this call on the eu and the united states to recognize crimea's right to decide its feature. the search widens for malaysia's missing airline tpher kuala lumpur. authorities say it has become a truly global operation.

why is the smallest planet in our solar system shrinking even further? hello. the parliament in crimea has declared independence from ukraine following sunday's referendum. the region's de facto prime minister is traveling to moscow formally to request that it becomes part of russia. they have announced all property on the pa mains la is to be nationalized. in response, approved a mobilization of troops. european union foreign ministers meeting in brussels to see what kind of sanctions they might impose. they say the vote was illegal. russia insists, though, a poll was in line with international law. 97% of people who voted were in

favor of joining russia. they have called on the european union and the united states to recognize crimea's right to decide its future. daniel sanford reports. >> reporter: wild scenes in simferopol last night as people who have longed to rejoin russia for almost a quarter century took a huge steps towards their dream. >> we come back to russia. we happy. we all happy. >> reporter: the people here in the center of simferopol have got what they wanted. but how it came back b is going to have a lasting impact on international relations. the referendum produced an overwhelming vote in favor of leaving ukraine and joining

russia. although the russian president vladimir putin consists it was consistent with international law, it remains hugely controversial. it was organized in less than a fortnight, while russian troops were already in effective military control of crimea. and it's not recognized by the fledgling government. if they choose to join crimea onto russia they will get sanctions from the european union. the fallout could escalate over the weeks ahead. with pro-russian protesters in mainland ukraine agitating for their own referendums relations could go from bad to disastrous. daniel sanford, bbc news, simferopol. with me is alexei from the bbc's ukrainian affairs analyst. just tell me about troop buildups on both sides. we have been getting reports

from the ukrainian and russian side of more activity today. >> the latest we hear from the ukrainian defense ministry is in their calculation, 60,000 russian troops on the border with ukraine and crimea, which is not a huge increase. we are also hearing reports of troop movement, armor towards the russian border. 20,000 on top of that to the national guard. there isn't any de-escalation whatsoever. politically it looks a little bit different. i think the russian foreign minister has just come out with a proposal how to absorb the crisis. there are several points about a contract group, about ukraine being given the non -- welsh basically, neutral status, not member of any military blocks. that should be enshrined by the council and to change the

constitution to give the russian language the status of state language, to do a referendum. so quite an interesting thing. it come as a last minute thing. >> so is your sense that russia wants to stop any further action to take -- are there any other parts of ukraine itself? >> it's difficult to say. yesterday the demonstrations in donetsk were not numerous but vocal and quite nasty. in other cities of ukraine in the east, there wasn't really too much presence. so maybe the support of joining russia is not as strong as we are portraying sometimes. on the other hand, there is a little bit more movement on the part of the ukrainian government. for instance, they are sending more to donetsk, the flashpoint. so we will see how that will develop. there is an initiative, some kind of political offer to talk rather than to brandish weapons. >> we are seeing threats from the eu and the u.s.

realistically, will we get any strong sanctions like germany? >> well, this is debatable. the policy of the european union seems to be more coherent. germany and its eastern neighbors in the baltic states. >> will russia be worried about that. >> it is difficult to say. depending on the quality of sanctions and whether they top the top echelon of ministers. >> could be even more tough sanctions. tomorrow president putin will be addressing the parliament. this is the tpfrt time we will hear what his positions are and how he plans to respond crimean referendum. >> many thanks. 26 countries now involved in a vast search over a widened area

for the missing malaysia airlines plane which disappeared a week ago. authorities revealed they think it was the co-pilot of the missing aircraft that spoke the last word to ground controllers before the plane disappeared. it's not clear if those words all right, good night, were before or after the plane's tracking devices were shut off. martin patience is in beijing for us. martin, we've seen ongoing frustration from the chinese. and what is the reaction to the press conference that we had earlier in malaysia today and the weekend's very dramatic news about the system being deliberately turned off. >> they have called for greater clarity from the malaysian authorities.

there is a hotel close to the airport. i spoke to some of them. there's a real sense of desperation, anger and grief. you can mantle more than a week after this plane disappears many of them just want answers. they want to know what happened to their loved ones. whilst a majority of passengers were from china, the attention the story will get in this country will remain incredibly high until we get some kind of resolution to what until now has been a bigamistry. >> we heard in the news conference, the investigations with the crew, the staff. the passengers, families, shoe see whether their loved ones will be investigated. >> what we have seen is a

widening stash on two corridors. one jutting? central asia, the other south of the indian ocean. the focus for china has been the south china sea. >> i think that will deepen frustrations within china. it took the authorities so long to inform them of the updates. they are under enormous pressure. information is coming in but it is coming in slowly. they have done so in an upto date fashion. but from china's point of view, again, they just want a resolution. they want to find this plane and

they want to know what happened. >> martin, just finally, you said you have spoken to some of the relatives. what are they saying to you? what are they feeling now? >> they are getting press conferences from malaysia airlines. they don't know any more than the the media do. so many of them are following this very closely through chinese newspapers, international channels. there is a deep seated sense of despair. there is anger towards malaysia airlines. within man i spoke to his cousin who was aboard this plane. he just returned from singapore. he had been working as a construction worker. he said malaysia as a whole is not being honest. it knows more than it is letting on. that's a belief shared by many of the chinese families waiting

here in beijing for answers, news, information on what happened to their loved ones. >> thanks very much in beijing. with me is frank gardner. frank, a dramatic turn it seemed over the weekend. what are you hear about that? how can you be sure this was deliberately turned off as opposed to just fail something. >> there are two phases into this investigation. we are now in the second phase. the investigators were very much -- although they kept an open mind they were largely based on their assumptions on some kind of catastrophic or mechanical failure. engine failure, electrical short circuit. an accident basically. what happened saturday morning, the discover, going back over the records for the umpteenth

time, the communications and reporting system and the tran ponder further down the body of the fuselage, both were deliberately turned off. what changed it to suspicion of foul play. pause there was no subsequent communication. now, it is possible that initially they could have looked at was there a medical on board. for example, did somebody have a cardiac? but there would have been a three-digit code transmitted by the pilots. that didn't take place. so we're in a completely different area in terms of the investigation. some of the initials measures put us quickly cursory are having to go back over. the whole area is being

reexamined. that will take quite some time. it involves a great many countries. >> rupert murdoch has tweeted. former u.s. government official has tweeted about whether the plane is taking off to hit a city in india. >> i think everyone has a best. all the sovereign nations have a vested interest in finding out what has happened to this plane. in this digital inge where we are tracked every minute of the day that something the size of a boeing 777 200 can go missing. it is easier to go missing over deep waters. that is the harsh reality of this. for it to go missing over land for long is very hard. >> so it would be picked up by

somebody, the spy satellites. someone would pick it up. >> more likely, the national air defense radars of the countries that it has gone over. they have hinted it would be difficult for it to enter into their territory and pass over place like pakistan without being detected. to go missing over the ocean, that's possible. >> i know you can't speculate. is anyone giving you any guidance at all as to why anyone would want to do this? >> absolutely none. i have spoken to a number of agencies on both sides of the government. unless they are really hiding something or bluffing, they don't -- they've got no clue, i don't think. i don't think they know anything more than you or me on this one. was there any kind of great chatter? any great discussion about some

big hit coming up? apparently no. they wouldn't necessarily tell us, the media. washington is notoriously leaky on this. a real hint of terrorist plot it would have come out in washington. the u.s. presence seems to get a hold of these things before we do. i have not seen anything about this. i'm not going to say which way it is. the things they are looking at is mental stress, breakdown, suicide, pilot error, family issue. there is the whole thing, was it interfered with from outside signals. that is still being investigated. >> very difficult for the families involved. thanks very much indeed. in other news, u.s. naval commanders have taken control of an oil tanker flying the north

korean flag in eastern libya. a statement from the press secretary admiral john kirby said no one was hurt in the operation, which was carried out at the request of libyan governments. the ship morning glory was boarded southeast of cyprus. >> a car bomb has left five dead in benghazi. it targeted a graduation ceremony. benghazi is often the scene. >> convicted mafia boss will not be extradited back to italy after a ruling by a court. he will be electronically tagged. he is known as the professor in his native sicily. he moved in london in 1994 with his wife and two children. he was found guilty of extortion and given a seven-year jail term.

much more to come. getting its message across the syrian border. what if my abdominal pain and cramps come back? what if the plane gets delayed? what if i can't hide my symptoms? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisinfo.com to get your complimentary q&a book, with information from experts on your condition. i can't believe your mom has a mom cave! today i have new campbell's chunky spicy chicken quesadilla soup. she gives me chunky before every game. i'm very souperstitious. haha, that's a good one! haha! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right.

[prof. burke] at farmers,we make you smarter [ male announcer ] campb[bell rings] soup. about your insurance,because what you don't know can hurt you. what if you didn't know that taking pictures of your belongings helps when you have a claim? or that farmers offers a policy that will replace your car with a new one if it's totaled within the first two model years. and that parking near a street lamp deters thieves? the more you know,the better you can plan for what's ahead. talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum♪ [announcer] call 1-800-470-8502 and see how much you could save.

this is "bbc world news". i'm geeta guru-murthy with the latest headlines. after the sell brazes, crimea declares independence from ukraine follow sunday's referendum. and 26 countries are now involved in the seven for the missing malaysia airplane. the pilot of the missing airliner have come under the spotlight after authority revealed they think it was the copilot who spoke the last word before the plane disappeared. north korea's ambassador to the u.n. walked out of a hearing on human rights violations on his country when a japanese representative began to speak. the meeting is discussing a u.n. report which describes north

korea's crimes as chilling, as those of the nazis or the cambod cambodia khamir raoupbl. >> it has been long and difficult. kim young ill can't forget the regime he escaped from 17 years ago. the u.n. investigation claims uses terror, violence and starvation. >> our family had a bit of corn because my mother had a small business. my friend in high school died of starvation. i watched him died. >> deliberate famine is one chilling allegation in the 400-page investigation. there are also horrific details

of prison camps. of the living lying with the dead. and inmates forced to eat snakes and rats to survive. the investigators believe the u.n. must act. >> too many times in this building there are reports and no action. well, this is a time for action. we can't say we didn't know. we now all do know. anyone who wants to know can read the report. >> the north korean defectors who traveled to geneva are pinning their hopes on action from the u.n. human rights council. >> there is no chance of change with the current regime. but i have faith in the u.n. to put pressure on. eventually the current system will collapse. the government has to change. we need a new system. >> those hopes may be

disappointed. the human rights counsel can advise but only the security council to advise to the international criminal court. there china, which says it prefers dialogue to sanctions, has a veto. so today the world's top human rights party will have to consider what it can possibly do about one of the most detailed accounts of atrocities ever produced, atrocities which the victims hope surely cannot be ignored. imogene fuchs, geneva. exiled syrians trying to reach back into their country. james reynolds has spent the day at the station. >> from a rooftop in istanbul, rowa presents "good morning my country."

she reads the news on syrian state tv. but she got fed up with being told what to say so she went into exile. >> syria now changed. people in syria changed. not the same last time. now we want to speak and speak -- we want to say what we want. >> the station sent radios to syria. and it asks its listeners to phone in. >> some of them are very tired. they just want to finish at any price. some of them they don't want to come back. they want to finish up and to bring him to the prison and to the court and to get the right from him. and the others want to make a deal with al assad to stop

destroying the country. >> yusef a ranges the music. at the start of the war inside syria he did the same thing for the government. >> after the revolution i made a song. >> you made a song? >> yes. famous songs. >> now at night from turkey, yusef plays with the opposition. his music is used to inspire both sides. james reynolds, bbc news, istanbul. now, just before we go, the smallest planet in our solar system and it's getting even

smaller according to nasa scientists who say mercury has shrunk 14 kilometers since it was formed billions of years ago. >> the planet mercury dwarfed by the sun. it's the smallest planet in our solar system. over the years it has become smaller. nasa has spent the last three years. this is the first complete picture. it simply shouldn't be there anymore. now, tphas has has published that the planet shrunk four and a half miles. >> we are learning more every month. we have a year to go.

it has relatively rich volcanic activity. ice in the craters near the poles. and it is shrinking, as we expected. i'm sure there is more to come. >> what many thought to be the dullest planet is more interesting and mysterious than imagined. a bit of bad news for you i think. doing at least two and a half hours of vigorous exercise does cut the chance of developing flu. good if you are able to do that with exercise. but the findings made by this year's online flu survey run by london school of hygiene and medicine. researchers said moderate exercise did not appear to have the same protective effect. two and a half hours of vigorous exercise a week is necessary.

the parliament in crimea declared independence from ukraine following sunday's refer den up. i'm geeta guru-murthy. this is "bbc world news". back tomorrow. see you then. [ male announcer ] ortho crime files. reckless seeding. a backyard invasion. enter homeowner, and ortho weed b gon max. kills weeds without harming innocent lawns. guaranteed. ortho weed b gon max. get order. get ortho®. ortho weed b gon max. my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa.

in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced. seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa.

inside every ricola drop, there's a magic herb blend. the swiss call it: chrüterchraft. for powerful cough relief with a liquid menthol center that calms your cough. new ricola extra strength. ♪ riiiiicooolaaaa

man: close your eyes and tell me what you see. the library. open your eyes again. where are you now? my living room, dr. moon. when you close your eyes? i go to the library. go to the library now. are you back there? yes. the same part?