i am richard walker. thank you for joining us. u.s. with the moscow's top diplomat says russia does not want to invade ukraine. vitali klitschko throws his weight behind an all a dark for ukraine's presidential vote. body thatn attack the is arranging a vote in afghanistan.

russia has no intention of invading eastern ukraine. that was the message from foreign minister sergey lavrov today. he said that his country has no interest in crossing ukraine's border. despite having thousands of troops lined up along a. his comments are part of a new effort to ease tensions with the u.s. >> president barack obama has been on a state visit to saudi arabia. it was there he received a phone call from his russian counterpart, vladimir putin. a white house said that putin had called to discuss a u.s. proposal for a diplomatic resolution for the ukraine crisis. obama reportedly suggested that moscow report -- respond in writing. foreign ministers have spoken on the phone to discuss further contact. since russia's annexation of

crimea, thousands of russian soldiers have been station on the borders to ukraine. peers have mounted that moscow may be preparing to invade eastern ukraine. the u.s. has made clear that that would be unacceptable. >> there will be further consequences that will hurt russia even more and further isolate them, whether it is diplomatically, economically, militarily from the rest of the word that they do. >> rush has said they do not want to invade eastern ukraine. -- russia has said they do not want to invade eastern ukraine. >> we have no interest in crossing ukraine's borders. this reinforces a message from putin that russia would settle for crimea. he praised the russian's military actions. he told ukrainian troops he wants the government in kiev to leave the area and that some ukrainian military units would regain their arms and equipment. >> what to these latest moves

from the kremlin mean? we have this you from moscow. seems that the kremlin wants the west and the u.s. especially to think that they are trying to ease tensions. if this is a strategic move or there will be some serious suggestions going on, that remains to be seen. it is the first time the vladimir putin called barack obama in this crisis. before, it was always the u.s. reaching out. on the inside, the kremlin does everything to show itself firm and unforgiving inside russia. it is interesting that when we look at the home page of the kremlin about this official phone talk, half of the text that the kremlin has published was about the break weight region -- rick await region -- breakaway region that longs to mold over -- moldova. experts suggest it may be a

new shift the focus there. >> in ukraine, people are gearing up for elections to choose a new president. that is coming up in may and the ground is shifting. klitschko is giving his support to an oligarch ally who he says has better chances. >> boxing champion turned politician vitali klitschko protests thate toppled the previous government. the one in 10 ukraine to vote. ukrainians0 would vote for him but he is not right. >> i put my support behind peto poroshenko. -- the most of most

powerful businessmen in ukraine. he openly supported the movement. there is a good chance that you will be the country's next president. -- he will be the country's next president. he has a background in ukrainian politics. if elected, he vows to increase military spending, a popular move. this not only at under occupation, we need leadership. >> nicknamed the gas princess because of how she made her enko is, yulia tymosh also running. despite a loyal following, she trails in the polls. >> let's move on to other news.

prime minister has told supporters he wants another four years to steer his country on track. hundreds of thousands of his supporters waved on gary and flags -- waved hungarian flags to show support. more than 30% of voters back him and his conservative party. if reelected, he has promised more jobs and better education. agencytional security collected data on 122 can international leaders and eight -- in a single month. that is according to a german magazine, "der spiegel." released information shows that more than 300 items were collected on german canceler -- chancellor angela merkel. a suicide bombing on the

lebanese-syrian border has left at least 300 -- at least three people dead. he detonated his car near a lebanese checkpoint. that region has seen a spillover of conflict. syrian forces are pressing their campaign against rebels. the terrorist group has taken this possibility for the jack -- responsibility for the attack. the taliban has taken onponsibility for an assault the building in kabul. >> the assault went on for hours. suicide bombers unleashed rockets and gunfire on the election headquarters in kabul. >> individuals wearing workers

entered the building. they were killed by our forces and only two police men were wooded. >> the taliban claimed responsibly for the attack, the third in two weeks. they have threatened to disrupt the upcoming elections with a campaign of awnings and assassinations. -- bombings and assassinations. it week ago, they attacked a police station leaving 10 officers dead. ur gunmenme day, for stormed a luxury hotel in kabul. undeterred by the violence, tens of thousands of afghans are .egistering to vote on april 5 analysts say it will be a test of democracy in the country. the current president is not eligible to stand. >> search crews looking for the missing malaysian airline flight

say they have spotted new objects floating in the indian ocean have not been able to recover them. the strike in maritime safety authority says the international search for the flight has wrapped up for the day. australian say the object earlier thought to be from the plane turned out to be unrelated. rescuers were returned -- will return on sunday. here's a round up of other stories making news around the world. of thousands of antigovernment protesters have marked -- marched through the thai capital bangkok. it comes a day before a crucial vote to elect a new senate heard in california, a magnitude five earthquake has shaken los angeles. the epicenter was 30 kilometers southeast of downtown. damage was minor and there have been no reports of injuries.

dozens of same-sex couples across england and wales have tied the knot after a historic law legalizing gay marriage came into force. took their vows just as the clock struck midnight. where hoffenheim bayern munich's winning streak. bys was held at home last-place braunschweig. goals pasthree freiburg.

burton -- asusberg. schalke entered the match in fighting spirit, determined to won second place in the championship. they netted the first goal seamlessly in the 16th minute. the second half kicked off in similar style, 29 minutes into play. side up 2-0.ome their final hopes were dashed when the referee disallowed a header. the final score was 2-0. schalke is on course for champions league qualification. >> it leaves the bundesliga table looking like this. tothe top there is pride

diebold and the championship seeds as well. the real action is in the bottom. stuttgart join them in the automatic relegation places, while homburg has a chance of climbing out of the bottom three -- hamburg as a chance of climbing out of the bottom three. fastest inriver was a session of the circuit. a hard timead staying on the qualifying track and the malaysian grandly -- malaysian grand prix. during the session it was very tricky out there. particularly at the end, it was on was impossible to see. i could not do my last lap. i could not see anything.

i didn't know where the corners were, where to break. >> he finished just hundreds of a second ahead of the world champion. the red bull driver struggled, but because of rain or competitions in the pit is hard to say. it was a good day for the mercedes team. from thirdwill start place in sunday's race. in an unusual turn of events, the best two tennis players in the world have made it through to sunday's final in the sony open in miami without even hitting a ball. nadal got through with his opponent withdrew to illness. novak djokovic got through when his opponent withdrew with an injury. the best bikers are battling out in the cape.

two writers is the toughest. continuously,limb covering a total height difference of 2900 meters. -- belgian-a tiger duo belgian-italian duo were first czech comboman- defended their lead. finally, crowds at the munich sioux have turned out to admire 14-week-old polar bear cubs. one male and one female. they do not have names but they look to be in good health. the mother played with her offspring, but daddy was unfortunately recently moved to the stuttgart soup -- zoo.

male polar bears sometimes kill their young. maybe better to keep a safe distance. thank you for watching. >> crimea has decided -- the peninsula is now part of russia. to find out what that means for ordinary crimean's. day-to-day lives have been affected by the crisis. it is monday morning. anton is applying for a new russian passport. the 28-year-old is one of the first people to do so.

he tells me that all he needs to apply is his birth certificate, a copy of his current passport, and 200 russian rubles. i asked him if he has the money. >> well, i do. >> anton is a taxi driver. he is doing great business with all the median crimea at the moment. i asked him about the russian annexation. >> crimea is now part of russia. for me, as an ordinary entrepreneur, that means paying my taxes to russia. already paid taxes for this quarter to ukraine. i have heard that i should get those back. i should hope so. first, i need a photo for my new passport. the former palace is now a business center. photographers are doing a roaring trade at the moment.

come through, says the woman. don't crowd. everyone will get their turn. i feel like i am backstage at a talent show. instead of seeking 15 minutes of fame, these people want a new identity. queue asked how long the application progress will be open. they are making each other crazy with rumors. there are no russian rubles to be seen here. business is still done in the ukrainian currency. apart from that, it is all different, says the cashier. the size of the passport photos, the paper, and so on. after a 20 minute wait, it is anton's turn. he has taken the first step towards getting a russian passport. the white, blue, and red of the

russian flag are now everywhere and crimea. for the 340,000 inhabitants of colorsmean capital, the stand for a new beginning and new opportunities. most locals think that union with russia will give them the chance of a better life, both economically and personally. the government says it wants to fight corruption on the peninsula. it promises happiness and prosperity in a new crimea. there are people who don't believe those promises. familyt day, i visit a

tarpic tartars -- ethnic tars. this is the grandfather. we are welcomed. grandchildren makes sweet turkish coffee for us. tartar's make up 14% of crimea's population. they are the original inhabitants of the peninsula. in stall and had them deported during the second world war. in the 1990's, many families returned with old wounds and new hope. the hopes have faded again. we tartar's have always been treated badly. for 300 years. now this russian comes along and wants to hurt us again. they live under there as if it

is still under stalin. aboutt want to hear russia. i would rather die then become russian. this is my homeland. >> we have lived in crimea for so long. we're supposed to go -- where are we supposed to go? other people know people in ukraine, but we don't. hopefully they will leave us in peace here. >> because they voted against becoming part of russia, they fear repercussions. there crimea only exists an old folk songs. their crimea only exists in old folk songs. ♪

>> in the evening, i leave the capitol and headed towards the sea. a resort town is on the southeastern coast. even in soviet times, it was a popular tourist destination. the scenery around the town is beautiful. the climate is sub-tropical. the beaches are peaceful. until now, tourism was the main source of tourist -- income for the region. despite how run down some parts of the town are. it's a nice day, and the cafés on the street are filling up. i hope lots of russians start re, says islam.

the appraisal not come here anymore. they should. i've got nothing against them. >> we have been promised to much. we should wait and see. >> the two dozen private hotels and rest homes in the town are now said to be nationalized. real am a russian, a crimean russian. i am happy the region belongs to us again. ukraine did everything possible our backs onrn them. apart from 300 passes, there has been nothing done here. >> people here believe things can only get better and they are happy about the new homeland. >> i want to speak to those people who were no longer welcome in crimea -- the ukrainian military. i managed to speak to a captain of one of the ships that does not want to surrender. the commander tells me that he

and the 50 sailors under him won't give themselves up to the russians without a fight. even though he knows there is no hope for victory. the first onese to fire, he says, but if we have to we will shoot back. of ship became a symbol resistance to russia. the crew held up for two weeks. they kept their courage up with fighting songs, like this one posted on the internet. ♪ the sailors told me that if they were to lose, at least they would not be traders. their homeland is ukraine and always will be. -- at least they would not be traitors. their homeland is ukraine and always will be. but on the evening of the 25th of march, things changed very quickly.

the next morning, i met with a ukrainian officer. he is the head of the press office. it is a role he wants to keep, but not in crimea. spot russianwe transport vehicles carrying away ukrainian thanks. russia now house the peninsula completely under its control. he said it is time for him to leave crimea, but he tells me it is not that simple. after weeks, we still have not been ordered to leave. aside from that, i will probably have to go to ukraine without my family. my daughter is just finishing school. my wife is looking after the kids. my mother is sick. they can't just up and leave.

i never thought that her family would be split up and that i would have to cope with these problems in my homeland. >> back on lenin square, a few dozen protesters are calling on russia to annex more parts of southeastern ukraine. the demonstration is organized by the political party russian unity. anton does not think that anything will come of those plans. the young taxi driver has now got his passport photos and has launched his application. now, he just needs to wait. in the evening, i made some of his friends. they are all excited about the changes that are happening, but they have concerns as well. like anton, they are self-employed and looking forward to new business

opportunities that could come their way through russia. >> my ukrainian partners are still working with me, but they will not for long. i have to try to make contacts in russia, whether i want to or not. >> the whole world is probably shocked about what is happening in crimea. no one can fathom how it was even possible how putin managed it. it was absolute genius. i am happy. >> ukrainians should resign themselves to the fact that crimea is russian and we will get on with life in our new homeland. russia is a land of opportunities, like every other country in the world. as for me, if things do not work out here i will go to siberia. i can earn money there as as a civil servant. why not? i can go anywhere i feel happy. shouts, "welcome to

the russian federation." they want to drink to the future and they have no doubts about the legality of russia's takeover of crimea. s4ç!g