e headlines. crisis talks between russia, ukraine, and the west are underway. this as russian president vladimir putin defends his policies in a well oiled q and a session -- well-oiled q&a session. over 300 missing as rescuers search for survivors in the ferry disaster in south korea. it capsized and sank on wednesday. algerians are going to the polls in the presidential election there. that is widely expected to hand a fourth term to 77-year-old

president abdelaziz bouteflika, despite his health problems. also coming up for you this hour, you may have thought like rob went out in the 1980's, but it is all the rage -- thought lycra went out in the 1980's, but it is all the rage in japan. see how it has become a way of life for some people there. the biggest day in the world and the world's biggest election. over 200 million voters go to the polls today in india in the latest stage of the five-weeklong general boat. -- vote. first, as the crisis in ukraine

continues, russian president vladimir putin is taking to the air wives to defend his position -- the airwaves to defend his position. speaking earlier today, he once again tried to quell rumors that the pro-russian separatists now occupying buildings in eastern ukraine are actually russian agents. >> if we love each other, if we have respect for each other, we must find ways and means of understanding each other. as regards understate relations i am convinced that we will enhance our understanding it we have to understand each other. we can't ignore each other. we can't just separate from each other. i think ukraine finally understands that russia had no option but to intervene in crimea. we must recognize each party's right to make its own decisions, to make its own choices. to the inhabitants of ukraine

we must respect the choice made by the residents of crimea. >> president vladimir putin reiterating that there were no russian agents in eastern ukraine. our chief foreign editor has been listening into to that press conference of vladimir putin today. tell us more about that, how putin can say so blatantly that those pro-russian separatists are not indeed russian agents when so many people in the west believe they are. >> he said it -- what he said is absolute nonsense. he admits for the first time that there were russian troops in crimea, that they were there to help, they were standing behind the so-called crimean self-defense units. given that, it is difficult to believe president putin when he says there are no russians inside crimea. journalists have spoken to people who have identified themselves as russians, rather

than local self-defense units. many of the troops are identified as being russian as well. it is almost impossible to believe, given the level of coordination of events, the speed with which these so-called self-defense units took over administrative buildings all over eastern ukraine that it was just organized by local people. there is a groundswell of support of some level. we don't know exactly how popular, but certainly there is a level of support in russia in eastern ukraine. >> talk about the spectacle of this q and a session -- q&a session. we saw a film director. we are hearing that edward snowden is asking a question about surveillance. why is it so important to make this such a production?

>> vladimir putin does these shows, not that irregularly. there was one at the end of last year but it was much more formal than this. it lasted for a long time. there wasn't the impression of putin being in touch with his people. there was more the impression of putin talking to his people. this time, for some reason he has decided that he wants to turn things on their head and create the impression of being a man of the people, of answering, in the case of crimea, to the wishes of the russian population to explain to people in russia and the rest of the world that, in ukraine, he is acting responsibly. he is calling for dialogue. he is the voice of reason. the images of him talking directly to the people, not just the people in that room but in the square, who have gathered specially for that occasion, so they could put questions to their new leader.

of course, president putin is now the president of crimea as well. it is much different from anything we've seen before with vladimir. much more now trying to create the image that he is in touch with the voice of the people. >> thank you so much for that. on the ground in ukraine pro-russian separatists have been stepping up their movement. they have been occupying these public buildings for days now. they attacked a base of the ukrainian national guard overnight, killing three separatists. the new government in ukraine has launched an anti-terror operation to get the region back under control, but so far it has had little success. in one flashpoint city, members of the russian militia were cheered as they rolled into town on armored vehicles seized by ukrainian -- from ukrainian troops. a ukrainian army convoy was blocked until soldiers put down their weapons.

four-way emergency talks are underway in geneva. foreign ministers from the u.s., the eu, russia and ukraine are trying to find some sort of diplomatic solution to the crisis. >> what we have here in geneva is an attempt to defuse the worst crisis between russia and the west since the cold war. if these talks go badly, the risk is that the west then moves towards broader sanctions against russia thomas against russian companies in industrial sectors -- russia, against russian companies in industrial sectors, and then russia response. -- responds. the problem is that there is no agreement on the two key issues. that is, firstly, how should the escalation -- should de -escalation happen? who is responsible for the current escalation? second point, what should it offer to the future of ukraine?

should russians give more autonomy to -- should ukraine give more autonomy to eastern regions? all sides agree that a war in ukraine would be disastrous for everybody. in that spirit him in geneva, we have the beginnings of a dialogue -- in that spirit, in geneva, we have the beginnings of a dialogue between the russian and ukrainian foreign ministers. they have spoken on the phone during the crisis, but perhaps a face-to-face meeting could help a bit. ultimately we have to point out that the key decisions whether to escalate or de-escalate rest with three presidents, none of whom are here in geneva. that is to say the president of russia, the president of the u.s., and acting president of the ukraine -- of ukraine. >> now another story we are following for you here on "france 24," in south korea, bad

weather conditions are hampering rescue efforts for the close to 300 people still missing from wednesday's ferry disaster. the boat was filled with high school students on a field trip when it capsized and sank. the south korean president met with worried and angry parents in an impromptu and at times very tense meeting. much of their anger is focused on the head of the south korean coast guard, who is accused of not doing enough to find the survivors. so far, south korea has confirmed nine dead, including five teenaged students. the death toll does look set to rise. >> a second day of search and rescue operations. more than 500 coast guard and navy divers. almost 100 military and fishing vessels are active, as well as 18 helicopters. the boat itself is now almost completely submerged.

officials say the rescue efforts have been hampered by strong currents and poor visibility. clearly distraught and hiding his face while being questioned by the coast guard, a man identified by south korean media as the ship's captain has offered an apology. >> i am really sorry and deeply ashamed. >> meanwhile, relatives of those on board have become increasingly frustrated with what they see as a lack of information and insufficient rescue operations. >> i was in school where they told us to wait from 12:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. a repeatedly said the same things. nothing was new. ministers and lawmakers visiting here are useless. they just took pictures. >> near seoul, grieving friends and family members wept as

bodies were brought into the hospital. this six-year-old girl is among those polled from the sunken vessel -- pulled from the sunken vessel. her brother and parents are still missing. with more than 460 people on board, many were students on a school trip. it is the country's worst maritime disaster in over two decades. >> next to algeria where people are going to the polls in the presidential election there. so far turnout has been low, just over 9% in the first two hours of voting. the election is widely expected to hand a fourth term to 77-year-old president abdelaziz bouteflika. you can see him voting there in his wheelchair. he is recovering from a stroke, but he is widely expected to win reelection, despite widespread accusations of fraud. we take a look at the president

and his challenger's. -- challengers. >> a rare sighting of the algerian president. when he announced he was running for office, it was the first time in two years he appeared in public, his voice week as he -- his voice weak. >> i came here to greet you and to present my candidacy for the election, as prescribed by the articles of the law. >> despite long-standing concerns over bouteflika's health, all the signs are the 77 euro president will win a fourth term. world -- the 77-year-old president will win a fourth term. world powers are watching carefully. john kerry stressed the importance of the u.s. places on algeria. >> we have very much a growing relationship with algeria important insecurity, import and

in commercial ties. >> the west wants to see algeria remained a buttress of stability in an increasingly volatile north africa -- algeria remain a buttress of stability in an increasingly volatile north africa. to algeria's east lies libya, where heavily armed militias rule the roost. in algeria, well-trained security forces have cracked down on islamists ever since the civil war in the 19 he -- 1990's. there is another reason that international players welcome stability in algeria -- energy. it is africa's second largest oil producer behind nigeria. it supplies up to 1/5 of europe's gas. >> india is kicking off the biggest day in its mammoth general election so far. 1/4 of the country's 815

million voters head to the polls today. the ruling party is heading to the polls to save its party from defeat to the opposition leader, narendra modi. the election is over a five-week period that ends may 12. >> we are here at a polling station in the north indian state of wood harper -- -- of uttar pradesh. just to give you a sense of the sheer scale of things in this ballot uttar prasdesh sends the most mps to parliament. it is important to do well in uttar pradesh. voters are fed up with the state government.

that said, it won't necessarily translate into votes for the opposition bjp. there is a high muslim population. they don't want to vote for a hindu nationalist. >> the next -- am a next, protesters took to the streets of são paulo in protest against the upcoming world cup. the protests ended in clashes with police and over 50 people arrested. the world cup is set to open in less than two months but the são paulo stadium is still unfinished. >> it is not a street party, nor late carnaval celebrations. resilience were protesting the upcoming world cup -- brazilians were protesting the upcoming world cup. >> listed in that will host the

first match isn't ready yet -- the stadium that will host the first match isn't ready yet. we are going through a water crisis. there is the danger that the water supply won't be good to ring the world cup -- won't be good during the world cup. >> from 1000 -- some 1000 residents marched down the main bullard. the protests started off peacefully, but different -- the main boulevard. the protests started off peacefully but beerupted in -- they called on the government to defend the massive state spending for this event while public services in the country are often substandard. with less than two months till the first match kicks off, some of the stadium construction is still behind

schedule. there are fears that it will be plagued by logistical setbacks. >> crisis talks between russia, the ukraine, and the west are underway in geneva. this as russian president vladimir putin defends his policies in a well-oiled q&a session with the people. close to 300 still missing as rescuers struggled to find survivors from the ferry disaster. the boat filled with high school students on a field trip capsized and sank wednesday. algerians are going to the polls in the presidential election there. it is widely expected to hand a fourth term to 77-year-old president abdelaziz bouteflika despite his chronic health problems and warnings of fraud. it is time now to take a look at what the weekly magazines have been saying around the world.

lots of focus this week on russian president vladimir putin, especially given the crisis in ukraine. >> after annexing crimea, he is putting pressure once again on ukraine. this magazine focuses on the fascination the western media has on the russian president. you can see him on the front page looking a lot like "the godfather." he has a rose that says "crimea" on it. there are some puppet strings like he is the one calling the shots. "the world according to putin." it says that he is following his own rules. inside, it says that critics say he is on an imperial mission taking advantage of washington's powerlessness and what "der spiegel" calls "germany's strange indulgence." they point out that many germans are very tolerant of russia's

expansionist policies, mainly for economic reasons, but also for historic reasons. "der speiiegel" says germany still has very strong ties to its former occupier and it likens this to a sort of stockholm syndrome. >> vladimir putin's strategies are very worrisome to many in the west. they are wondering how far his ambition goes. >> this article talks about insatiable. after gobbling up crimea, the russian bear is trying to take another bite out of ukraine. inside, "the economist" says the cost of stopping the russian bear is high, but it will only get higher if the west does nothing. it calls for reinforcement of nato troops in central and eastern europe as well as widening visa restrictions for russian oligarchs and their families. "the economist" calls on the west to impose sanctions on

russia similar to those on iran. will that be enough? that is another thing magazines are taking a closer look at this week. a new weekly in france says that putin's logic often seems to escape reality for a lot of people in the west. it is very foreign to us. it calls putin the man -- putin the man we love to hate. another magazine takes an in-depth look at vladimir putin, a profile of him, promises to reveal the real putin. it says he is much more complex than the caricature a lot of the western media can make him out to be. it says he is "truly nostalgic of the soviet union." >> according -- in france, the man of the moment is prime minister manuel valls. >> this week, he presented an in-depth look, a detailed vision

of the government's 50 billion euro budget-saving plan in the next three years. this has drawn criticism from the left and the right. valls says he is on a volcano. it lists a couple of the difficulties that lie ahead for the prime minister. he has his work cut out for him. he has to deal with the president, francois hollande, get your administrative blockages, and deal with the "ball and chain that is the left." >> we have a quick look at some other magazines that he'll with very different -- that deal with very different topics. >> this focuses on alzheimer's disease. it describes the ordeal that it is for the families of those affected. in the absence of any effective treatment. they are hopeful that one day at your will be found. on the front page, you can see a photo of a famous french actress who passed away in 2011 after struggling with the disease.

moving on to something completely different stateside new york city, exploring the city's latest extravagance and excitement. this is a topic that comes up time and again in the french media, opting -- often taxes or real estate. here, it is new york. you might have never heard of her, but she is on the front page of -- she is called the coolest tv presenter. she will have a son soon. congratulations. >> she is cool, but not as cool as you. thank you so much for that. let's take a look at sports headlines, including the result of spain's biggest football fixture. >> on all french fido after stunning monaco in the semifinal. a smashed the lead in six minutes. monaco hit back at the end of

the first half. it went into extra time. 8:00 from time, and a few minutes later, they secured the win. in the final of the copa del rey real madrid beat their catalan rivals barcelona 2-1. it was real's 19th cup triumph, their first since 2011. bayern munich thrashed the second division side to set up a mouthwatering final against borussia dortmund. klub rouge have --

they were reduced to 10 men. they broke the deadlock to seal the win with 2:00 left. they have played one more game. the monaco masters. top seed rafael de gaulle -- rafael eased through past gabashvili. wawrinka thrashed cilic. carreno busta stormed past gael monfils, may not be so lucky as he next faces novak djokovic.

joubert warmed up for the classic by edging out the others in the race. a flurry of movement at the front. he was initially left behind but supported by his tireless team, he hit a sprint going up the final climb. the belgian led out the sprint, taking the best line to hold off australia's michael matthews and claim victory in front of his home fans. he appears to be rediscovering his form at just the right time. just 18 months until the start of the 2015 rugby world cup. one new zealand flight is all ready looking forward to the tournament. they lifted the trophy for just

the second time on home soil in 2011. no team has ever managed to rid chain the crown. -- to retain the crown. >> no team has done it twice. there is a reason for that. it is a pretty tough thing to do. so that is something we really want to do. we work extremely hard.

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