they've been held in eastern ukraine since january. both ukraine and agreed to exchange prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal. the separatists say they've released all ukrainian prisoners and are waiting for kiev to do the same. >> sporadic fighting continues in eastern ukraine despite a ceasefire. people have been hiding in underground shelters for months, including children living with

during this hearing, i hope to have a detailed discussion that explores the situation in eastern ukraine since minsk cease-fire agreement was signed, examines why the united states has failed to provide ukraine with lethal military assistance and considers additional ways to support ukraine with its ongoing economic challenges. i look forward to your testimony. i thank you for being here and now i'll turn it over to our distinguished ranking member for his opening comments. >> thank you, mr. chairman, for holding what is an extraordinarily important and timely hearing on countering russia and ukraine and i appreciate our witnesses being here. let me join you in very heart felt condolences to someone who was a courageous opposition leader. and sometimes true patriots pay a price. boris nemtsov led efforts in which he passionately believed in, in a different russia. and i find it pretty outrageous to see the latest narrative that is being portrayed that an islamist plot is the reason why he was assassinated. but to his family, his friends, and his followers, we have our heart felt thoughts

to coordinate military operations there and russia established training areas in eastern ukrainen separatist fighters in gun and artillery fighting and what they said for many months now and that is believed by washington is believed by kiev and the reason that poroshenko requested from western governments military training and military assistance and not just coming from the united states there is already a rotating force of british military advisors in ukraine, 75 of them and dealing with issues like intelligence and battlefield medicine and logistics. the u.s. force is going to be bolstered and going to be more than doubled in the coming weeks and also by the beginning of the summer there are going to be some 200 canadian military advisors in ukraine as well so as i said earlier this is exactly what russia wants to avoid at the beginning of the whole crisis and nato troops are on the territory of ukraine, they specifically didn't want this to happen but it does seem to be happening. >> rory live in moscow thank you. still to come on the program thirsty for more water, the braz

while staying with eastern ukraine, there are reports here in germany that berlin was well aware of the risks of flying over the region when passenger flight mh-1 was down -- mh-17 was downed last year. brian: just before it was down, the german intelligence agency told the government that the airspace over eastern ukraine was not safe, and that warning should have triggered flihtght path. >> this is where mh-17 came down last year. investigators are still trying to figure -- determine who brought it down. a team of german journalists say berlin had intelligence about the dangers two days before the crash. separatists had boasted of shooting down ukrainian military cargo planes -- shooting down a ukrainian military cargo plane. the intelligence service warned that the airspace over ukraine wasn't safe. experts say this should have raised red flags. it meant that passenger planes were not safe either. >> in a case like this, where intelligence cables clearly show there is a serious threat to security i believe the government had a responsibility to alert the airline and to make sure that

. >>> i'm andrew simmons reporting from donetsk in eastern ukraine, and i'll explain why families aretill living in these conditions underground, even though there's a ceasefire. ♪ >>> hello, the fight for control of yemen continues between forces loyal to the government supported by a saudi-lead coalition, and shia houthi rebels. it's a been nearly two weeks since the air campaign began. let's take a look at some of the latest targets to be hit. saudi war planes bombed an air place controlled by houthi fighters near the city of ibb. in an area in the southern port city of aden many civilian homes were destroyed. and yemeni government forces are said to recaptured the air base from houthi fighters north of aden. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: a civilian in the center of aden is shot by a houthi sniper as he films the streets below, an example of how dangerous the streets of yemen have become. this is the kind of violence any saudi-lead coalition says they are targeting with their air strikes. they accuse them of cracking down on anyone who opposed them. >> translator: the ho

but nazar's home is nearly 1000 kilometers away in eastern ukraine, in a war zone.he family has fled and parents try to hide the situation from their child in vain. irina: he hears us talking and he doesn't believe us. he asks, when are the bad men going away? i want to go home. and i say, why do you think there are bad men there? he says, i don't know. so i say there aren't any bad men. reporter: while her son is in day care, irina and her mother watch videos coming from ukraine . they are glad they escape the violence on time. more and more refugees from the war in ukraine are coming to moldova. so far the country has been able to take them in, but officials are expressing concern. >> theworrying, particularly whu look at the staff we have and the available accommodation and the financial resources we have to help them. reporter: impoverished moldova has a generous law governing the rights of refugees. people fleeing war zones get the right to stay, modest financial support, and most importantly, a work permit, all within months. irina's husband dima has found wor

you look at ukraine, the russian president denying there are russian troops on the ground in eastern ukrainer after russia took the territory of crimea which we barely hear about anymore as russian troops continue to advance on eastern ukraine. these are the daily elements on the agenda of the u.s. defense secretary. that's just a sample of questions he'll be facing today. but those are the crises the department faces today. >> i know as we watch and wait -- stay with me jim. i know just yesterday, secretary carter met with the iraqi defense minister at the pentagon. can you tell me what they discussed? >> well first of all, the iraqi prime minister wants more help. you're seeing that on the ground even in ramadi right now. we're hearing from officials inside the city who have been calling for more air strikes, more reinforcements from the iraqi army who's been unable to give the help the units inside the city need. this is a consistent problem. a big question for the defense secretary is what does this tell us about the capabilities of iraqi security forces nearly a year after isis swept in

they've been held in eastern ukraine since january. both ukraine and agreed to exchange prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal. the separatists say they've released all ukrainian prisoners and are waiting for kiev to do the same. >> sporadic fighting continues in eastern ukraine despite a ceasefire. people have been hiding in underground shelters for months, including children living with foster parents who can't afford to clothe and feed them. we have a report from the rebel held city of donetsk. >> children shouldn't have to live like this, an existence underground with little food. there's no exception in the self declared republic of donetsk. >> places like this answer the question is there any confidence in the ceasefire. families living underground in musty, damp conditions, and here, there are 28 children trying to get by. >> many families refuse to give up their space here, because they're convinced the fighting will resume. some of the children have foster parents who can't afford to clothe and feed them. she used to get a $10

there are indications hostilities are escalating in eastern ukraine. kiev accuses pro-russian rebels of using heavy weapons that should have been withdrawn under the terms of the truths -- of the truce. steve: he is hosting counterparts from russia ukraine, and rants. terry: earlier in the day he dismissed speculation russia may be invited to the g-7 economic summit in june. he said russia's diplomatic isolation could be eased if the situation in ukraine improves. let's get the latest on those talks rum melinda crane -- from melinda crane, who is standing by there. what is the most can be expected from the stalks? -- from these talks? melinda: he started out by giving a guardedly positive assessment of the cease-fire, saying it is mostly holding. he said the the agreement to end the conflict is much more than a cease-fire. he said we are here tonight to bring that process forward. he listed for milestones along the path that process. the first being holding elections in the separatist regions. the second one ensuring humanitarian relief for people in t

as fighting continues with pro-russian rebels in eastern ukraine.y challands has more on the reaction from moscow. >> reporter: you can probably assume that the kremlin is a bit more worried about this than they are letting on. they will see this as part of a continuation of nato encroachment on russia and they have always been against the joining of ukraine into the nato security umbrella. obviously this isn't going that far, but they are not going to look on this kindly at all. another thing that the russians will be watching very very closely is exactly who is being trained by these u.s. paratroopers because included in ukraine's national guard are various irregular units that have been fighting against the pro-russian separatists in the east. and some of those are on the far right of the political spectrum. so if it is proven that brigades like the bah italian are included it will give the russians a very strong case that the u.s. is training armies. >>> behind bars without charge or trial, israel continues to detain thousands of palestinians de

tom barch eastern ukraine. laura: president obama will remove judah from the list of state-sponsored terrorism. another step in normalizing relationships between the two countries. this comes days after obama and castro met in panama. john, you are there in panama mixing with the cuban delegation. what does it mean, being kicked off the list of state sponsors of terror? john: they thought it was a slur on their name. and it is an important step to normalizing relations with the united states. castro had a long speech. he got to obama and said he is an honest man. a man that should be allowed to succeed. you can see there was a chemistry. it was not unexpected that this decision has been made. nonetheless it is hugely significant. it means diplomatic relations can't go on. we noticed the flagpole outside the u.s. embassy had been painted to fly the stars and stripes. laura: it means cuban diplomats can have bank accounts. john: the state of cuba can have american bank accounts. that presents commercial opportuni

. >> reporting from donetsk in eastern ukraine i'll be explain requesting families are still living in these conditions under ground even though there is a cease-fire. >> and why the world's worst performing currency is now the best. and how the russian ruble is fighting back. >> the u.s. said it is bringing up weapons supplies to saudi-led coalition that is fighting houthies in yemen. unicef says that 47 children have been killed since the first of march and that everything is being done in the fighting. >>> in connection with kenya's university attack, the suspects are accused of supplying weapons to the attackers in garissa in the north of kenya. well the u.n. say that more than 140,000 children have been forced to leave their homes because of the crisis in even ukraine. some are underground and the lack of money keeps families from being able to feed and clothe them. >> children should not have to live like this. an existence underground with little food. it's always the poor who suffer most at times of conflict. and there is no exception in the self-declared republic of donetsk. p

i'm andrew simmonds reporting from donetsk in eastern ukraine. i explain why families are living in these conditions under ground even though there's a sees fire. sees fire. >>> welcome back: a reminder of the top stories, the u.s. is speeding up weapons supplies to the saudi led coalition. the red cross is warning of a catastrophic human tare crisis and wants a truce for aid to be brought in >>> a memorial for the university students in garizas, al-shabab stormed the university and killed 149. five men have appeared in court >>> a white police officer in the u.s. state of south carolina has been charged with murder over the shooting death of a black man. a video surfaced showing the policeman shooting 50-year-old walter scott. more on the top story, and the conflict in yemen. washington says it's increasing intelligence sharing to stop the houthis taking more of the country, military expert explains why the u.s. is stepping up its involvement. >> i think it's clear that as the saudi air strike campaign moves into the end of the second week it's

molly: oliver cragg reporting from eastern ukraine -- gulliver cragg reporting from eastern ukraine,nk you. time now to look for today's business news, and for that, i'm joined by stephen carroll. you start out with potentially huge news in the telecoms up there. -- telecom sector. stephen: that is right nokia is wanting to buy out alcatel-lucent. if the deal did happen, it would be a big step for nokia and its efforts to compete in the telecom network business. the firm completed the sale of its handset unit to microsoft last year. alcatel-lucent meanwhile is undergoing a massive cost-cutting plan in an effort to return to profitability. a merger could risk involving the french government, though. oversight on deals and strategic sectors, government telling reuters they will be watching for the possible impact on jobs as well as research and development. let's see how the markets have responded so stop out until lucent shares up around 12% in trading today in paris -- have responded. alcatel-lucent shares up around 12% in trading to the in paris will have generally speaking, pretty

large parts of eastern ukraine remain under separatist control. laila: kiev is warning that the separatists could be on the verge to try and capture the strategically important port city of mariupol. brian: our correspondent filed this report from there for us. reporter: these soldiers are a vital part of mariupol's defense. they belong to the volunteer battalion fighting on behalf of the ukrainian government. with funding from private donors , they are better trained and equipped than the regular army. the government in kiev has come to depend on their expertise. >> we are heavily fortified here. we can hold on until reinforcements arrive. reporter: the two sides still exchange fire almost daily from the frontline. pro-government forces are now getting ready for that fight to come closer. these are new positions and freshly dug trenches just a few kilometers east of the city. the troops here are busy shoring up the defenses. this battalion patrolled the area surrounding its power base of mary opel -- this battalion patrols the area surrounding it

. -- while the war continues here in eastern ukraine. katty: in baltimore today, they bury the young american man whose death in police custody sparked days of protests. freddie gray died of severe spinal injuries early this month after an arrest caught on video. after weekend protests, collapses erected again this evening, during which a number of officers were injured. reporter: days attention have led to this -- young people rampaging through the streets of baltimore, targeting police, throwing stones and rocks and vandalizing cars. officials say several officers have been hurt, some with broken bones and at least one who is now unconscious. >> we have officers deployed throughout the city to make sure we can continue to deliver police services to the citizens of baltimore, and we will continue to keep the city safe. our officers are working as quickly and appropriately as they can to bring about order in the area and effect arrests of the criminals who violently and without provocation attacked our police officers. reporter: it all f

it's more than a year since russia took crimea, and you have action in eastern ukraine and fighting flaringspite the attempted crease fire and vladimir putin again claimed there are no russian troops on the ground in eastern ukraine. when the intelligence is to the contractor. i just wonder how you can move the ball forward when the adversary won't even grant the fractures on the ground -- the facts on the ground, and i wonder what evidence you have seen that the administration policy of gradually raising the economic coast on russia is having any effect in ukraine. >> you're right, or as you suggest, the principle point of pressure that the united states has been applying to russia for some time now in account of the fact that russia is, and we know is participating in fomenting trouble in eastern ukraine if the economic pressure -- of course that's not just ours jim, and in particular, i guess it's important to note it's not especially ours. it's especially european sanctions because they have the most economic leverage over russia. i'm not an economist but i understand those sanctions ar

the separatists who are still in control of parts of eastern ukraine have dismissed poroshenko's statement. there are almost daily violations by both the pro-russian separatists. 7.9 million children live in ukraine. in the past year, more than 100 have been killed in fighting in the east. 140,000 have been forced to flee their homes. that figure includes some of the 95,000 children who now live in orphanages and residential homes. as andrew simmons explains, those in state care are at the center of the crisis. >> in ukraine a country in conflict, there's even a fight over children who don't have a home. they're aged from under five to teens and all under the care of the state. but they're from a self-declared country of donetsk yet living sings last july under the control of the government. after they say of separatists said you are going to go whether you want to or not you have to go. >> translator: we told them we wouldn't they used obscene words, didn't care we were children. when we said we are not going they said just trying saying. we'll chute you and shoot you and your teacher. >>

that would allow space for politics to begin if eastern ukraine. if not, we have to be prepared to have more sanctions pressure on russia. >> that's a big if. i would argue that sanctions haven't worked particularly well. one of my meetings with the european allies, the comment was made that as russia becomes weaker economically they become more dangerous. and i kind of agree with that assessment. which is why i believe we have to provide a military response, lethal defensive weaponry. let me close with a quote by president shalikashvili, or his assessment, there is a couple of quotes in here, about changing putin's calculus, as senator menendez mentioned. he was there on the front lines when russia invaded georgia. and the bush administration sending in supplies without russia knowing what was on the cargo airplanes. that did, certainly one of the factors causing russia to stop further expansion into georgia. so he said deployments from russia's far east are proof that the kremlin is sensitive to the rising cost of putin's invasion of eastern ukra

troops are inside the war zone in eastern ukraine.tagon spokesman flatly denied it, saying a few hundred u.s. troops are training ukrainian forces in the western part of the country near poll land which we knew. he says russia's claim they're in the east is a ridiculous quest to shift the focus as the kremlin deploys more and more troops inside ukraine. state department says the russian troop presence on the boredder is is the largest since last fall and accused russia of beefing up the air defense system inside eastern ukraine. the pentagon spokeswoman saying that arming the rebels is a blatant violation of peace deal signed in february by vladimir pun and other leaders. joining me to talk about this and the breaking news of russian headquarterses getting into the pentagon network retired general sedrick layton. a one-time deputy director for training at the national security agency good to see you again. >> good to see you too shep. >> is this more of the same on the part of the troops by putin in the east or is there something bigg

they moved into crimea and then eastern ukraine. harsher essential or other military sanctions they will keep moving. >> you mentioned the russian economy has been damaged but actually what we have seen is that the currency has picked up a little bit in recent months. the treaty is not holding the military option does seem unlikely doesn't seem much appetite in the u.s. or europe for that. >> there's no interest in u.s. or europe for sending european or american troops into ukraine. that is certainly true and the ukrainians are not interested in having other people's troops come into their country. what the ukrainians are interested in is being able to defend themselves. and so there have been requests from the ukrainians to the europeans and to americans to provide them defensive weapons that will enable them to resist and indeed deter the russians from further aggression. >> again you mentioned sanction he and the european union's sanctions against russia due to expire later in the year. it is possible they will not be replaced. y

and i believe we'll see activity in the baltics similar to the eastern ukraine.hat is serious. >> status of russia is key to the potential agreement with iran and what happens with the sanctions with the u.n. and i want to mention you spoke of important water ways for russia and there is another water way that is person in the middle east. iran is sending a naval fleet to the gulf of aiden that borders yemen and this is where the saudis are trying to attack iranian backed rebels with air strikes. they don't like the moves there. and what do you make of iran's move in this particular water way. >> it is very serious and deserving more attention. what they are trying to do, if they can consolidate power and take over yemen entirely that is a victory for iran in the sense that the balance of power shifts to iran in this region. when you look at the gulf of aden where yemen is located. the port of aden is right there in the port of aden. if this is iran's client state, assume that they will drive ships in there at that port, and it will be a naval base. that strip wh

. >> i'm reporting from donetsk in eastern ukraine i'll be explaining why families are still living in these conditions on the ground even though there is a cease-fire. >> and we'll have all the sports news including africa's chief tells the fifa president he can count on all of their votes. >> they need more munitions and they need them now. the usa said it is speeding up weapons supplies for the rebels in yemen. they say it is necessary to keep houthies from taking over more of the country. more than 550 people have been killed and 1700 injured in the fighting in yemen in the last few weeks alone. unicef said that 17 children are known to have died in the 13 days that the saudi-led operation began but they put the number much higher than that. and in the port city of aden they want an immediate truce to fly in medical supplies on thursday. >> saudi-led airstrikes in yemen claim more casualties among civilians. some are being treated at the main hospital in the capital of sanaa. the united nations has expressed concerns over the rising death toll among civilians since the start of the

sporadic fire in eastern ukraine despite a ceasefire. people have been hiding in underground shelters for month, including children living with foster parents who can't afford to clothe and feed them. andrew simmonds report from donetsk. >> reporter: children shouldn't have to live like this an existence under ground with little food. it's the poor who suffer the most at times of conflict. there's no exception in the self-declared republic of donetsk. places like this answer the question is there confidence in the ceasefire. families living underground in musty camp conditions. here there are 28 children trying to get by. many families refuse to give up their space, because they are convinced fighting will resume. some of the children have foster parents who can't afford to clothe and feed them. this man used to get $100 a month for fostering anton. in the breakaway republic of donetsk, there's nothing. they were advised by a welfare worker to put anton into an orphanage. >> translation: how could they say this? she is mine. she is mine.

we're seeing dangerous escalation on the ground and in the last days a pick up on fighting in eastern ukraine. we'll continue to meet every action and undermining of ukraine's stability with isolation and with sanctions. fundamentally russia needs to decide if he cares about the people and fate of his economy and if he wants to take russia down the path of ruin. >> russia will resupply iran with missile technology at the point weapon's inspectors are tasked to make sure they have not violated past and current agreements on war heads and missiles to make it possible to go forward with this agreement. what do we do with russia now arm ago arming up iran? >> we've long raised the question to that particular arms deal. russia has stood with us in the negotiations and through the years of u.n. multilateral sanctions. as we go forward of course -- if we are to secure a deal we need russia on the side of sanctions enforcement and pressing iran. again, in the talks that gave rise to the frame work russia stood with us and sees it as national interest also to deny iran a pathway to a nuclear weapon. t

there was a journalist who asked him point blank where russian troops were active in eastern ukraine,e said no they weren't. he was also asked by a carer who deals with people dying of cancer. she asked why was it that a young girl who she is looking after was finding it so difficult to get access to morphine in the final days of her life. and there was also an exchange between vladimir putin and his former finance minister who is criticizing the government's handling of the economy, saying that it is over reliant on fossil fuels. and putin shot back and said basically you have got to accept some responsibility for this because you were my finance minister up until 2011. so yes, there were toughish questions. >> any ore tough questions on the economy in how did he handle that? >> reporter: well yeah the economy obviously is weighing on many russian's minds, and a lot of the first half of this four-hour phone in was devoted to economic questions so small business holders were asking questions. farmers were asking questions. pensioners. putin's general message was yes, times are tough,

we have seen the improvement in the backdrop in eastern ukraine. we've seen russian consumer sentiment on the upside. we've seen the drop in dollar rouble. rouble strengthening which is very important and we start to see inflation impulses. so i would start to get a little bit more optimistic on the growth outlook but again we need peace in eastern ukraine to sustain and keep that. >> i was going to say, another big head wind or on going risk for investors when looking at russia is the ceasefire deal was reached in february between ukraine forces and pro-russian separatists but that deal remains fragile and the relationships remain fragile. >> absolutely. it is fragile. it's a shame there's no international peace keeping force in place. some form of force in order to keep both sides apart. without that peace keeping force in place you're bound to have fighting continue in different areas. so let's see what happens on that front but definitely all sides see this is a lose lose situation if this were to escalate again and definitely if we'd see an es

to the eu sanctions that have been imposed on russia over its alleged military involvement in eastern ukraine. you also have this very rankoruos dispute going on between greece and germany, greece saying germany owes it money, reparations that should be paid to compensate for the nazi occupation back in the 1940s. none of this is helpful. greece desperately needs money and there's still a wide gap between greece and the european union. essentially, the european union is asking the government to impose austerity measures -- that puts it in an awful bind. >> okay. we've got to leave it there. thank you very much. >>> more now on our top story, the iran nuclear negotiations. in the last few minutes, the u.s. state department has made these comments. >> we're not negotiating in public. we've talked a lot over the last week about the parameters of the framework and we've certainly gone into some detail about them. so we're not going to negotiate on those terms in public. of course there are a number of details that remain to be negotiated. that's why we have the process until the end of june: thou

villages in eastern ukraine received humanitarian aid. teams of the international committee of the red cus period the city and surrounding villages controlled by pro-russian separatists. a ceasefire was reached. it's barely holding. fighting killed 6,000 people since the fighting a year ago >>> french investigators suspended the search for bodies in the alps where a german plane crashed. investigators accused germanwings co-pilot andreas lubitz flying the plane into the ground killing 150 on board. scientists examine d.n.a. councillors to the site >>> legal action athanes a thai company accused of forcing fishermen into slavery. more than 300 will be rescued, fearing hundreds are slapped in similar conditions. some of theest cue many have been taken. >> reporter: a rescue operation this region has not seen. a convoy of six fishing vessels protected by the indonesian navy brought 300 fishermen to safety men from myanmar, smuggled to indonesia, forced to work without a salary. many say they were abused. the company changed identities by giv

after president putin reiterated the fact that russian troops have no presence whatsoever in eastern ukraineat during that marathon telethon he took part in. >> yeah that cuts no mustard with kiev and no mustard at all with western government particularly the united states. most resent press briefing the state department if i can read a quote from the state department spokesperson who said that no amount of propaganda can make true what is not russia has command and control elements in eastern ukraine to coordinate military operations and has areas to train separatist fighters and artillery fighting so these military advisors are in ukraine because they have been requested by poroshenko and he made it in the spring and they will be joining, the u.s. troops there will join 75 british military advisor whose are already in country. they are advising the ukrainian army on intelligence and battlefield medicine and there will be some 200 canadian military advisors and they will be in country by the beginning of the summer so we are seeing quite a multi national advisory force building up now in uk

fighting has returned to eastern ukraine after a month of relative calm. the conflict between pro-russian separatists and government forces has killed more than 6,000 people. >>> a pop last dutch far right populist dutch supporter wilders. >> if you love your husband or wiefer you must raise the alarm if you love your children raise the alarm. warn your neighbors friends and colleagues of the threat islamization poses. a threat to your system and your children. >> a handwritten manuscript by alan turg turing has raised more than $1 million. >> the incredible work of alan turing to a wider audience. >> what are we doing? >> break an unbreakable code and win the war. >> a humble 56 page notebook and a piece of mathematics history. >> this is the very first time we have been able to see his notes and how he went about figuring things out and again because there are no other known known manuscripts by him. >> kept private until now turing grapples with theories. perhaps surprisingly for a platt genius he admits difficulty with what is known as the liebnitz for

the separatists who are still in control of parts of eastern ukraine have dismissed is his rks gesture. >>> impact the war is having on children. 7.9 million children live in ukraine but in the past year more than 100 have been killed in fighting in the east of the country. 140,000 have been forced to flee their homes. the figure include 95,000 children living in state care. at the center of this crisis. >> in ukrainian a country in conflict there's even a fight over children who don't have a home. they're aged under five to teens and all under the care of the state. but they are from the self controlled republic of donetsk looking to ukraine for their future. they have been living under the control of the ukrainian government since last july. the children were moved in secret when the fighting was at its height, after separatists told them they were going to be moved to russia for their safety. >> translator: they told us whether you want to go or not you have to go. we told them we wouldn't. we started to cry. they used obscene words. they didn't care that we were children. when we s

>> we had statements from ministers and in the ukraine that warned of a situation in eastern ukraine.man minister, -- russia and ukraine say that they made an agreement in preventing the front lines. maybe a little bit of optimism. steinmeyer was negative. the cease-fire is close to being there. >> thank you for being there. >> the top stories on bloomberg this hour. greece denies that there preparing to default on a payment. it was reported that they would hold payment if no debt deal was reached. greece said creditors are not preparing for the scenarios. meanwhile, the singapore dollar climbed and the central bank kept the policy unchanged. separately, the government announced growth in the economy empty analyst estimates. the florida senator has announced that he is running for president. he is the son of human immigrants and would be the youngest and first latino president. a 60% increase in third-quarter sales. the world's largest luxury growth maker saw success in the americas. shares are up 30% this year. >> tell us what you are following today. tell us what you think of the sh

former liberal politician who asked if russian troops were fighting alongside separatists in eastern ukraine. i can tell you directly and affinity very -- and definitively, there are no russian troops in ukraine. western leaders will not be attending events in moscow marking the 70th anniversary of world war ii on may the ninth. this has pained many in russia. putin said it was up to the west to improve time. the most important precondition is respect for rush upon interests, he said. >> vladimir putin presented himself as a manager, telling people to prepare for more economic hardship to come and preparing for a standoff with the west over ukraine. he also said no one wants to reestablish the old empire of the soviet era. anchor: there are two high-profile deaths rocking neighboring ukraine. a politician and a pro-russian journalist have been shot in the space of 24 hours. police found the body of a former lawmaker in his apartment on wednesday evening. anchor: he served in the government of the ousted president. journalist oles buzyna was gunned down outside his house in central key of thi

the conflict in eastern ukraine is driving the rise in recruitment with many seeing russia as a direct military threat. >> deep in the woods east of warsaw, members of the paramilitary group are playing war games with model weapons to the sound of real gunfire. their weekend hobby has suddenly taken on a new significance. just four hours' drive away is the ukraine border, a country in real conflict. poland's part time militia say no one can be certain of moscow's intentions. >> we want to be prepared so the government wouldn't have to train people on the spot. they would have someone trained before and if something happens, god forbid and we hope it wouldn't and believe it wouldn't, then we would do what we would have to do, and if this means, you know, fighting, then we will probably fight. >> concerns about ukraine and on line recruiting videos like this have prompted a sudden increase in volunteers for the paramilitaries, who date back to the end of the second world war. >> it is estimated there are 120 groups like this across poland with a total of around 10,000 total membership. t

says more than 140,000 children have been forced to leave their homes because of the crisis in eastern ukrainesome are now even living in underground shelters, and their familiarries are struggling to feed and clothe them. andrew simmonds reports. >> reporter: children should haven't to live like this. an existence underground with little food. it's always the poor who suffer most at times of conflict and there's no exec shun in the self declared republican of donetsk. places like this answer the question is there any confidence in the ceasefire? families living underground in musty, damp conditions and here there are 28 children trying to get by. many families refused to give up their space here because they are convinced the fighting will resume. some of the children have foster parents who can't afford to clothe and feed them. this woman used to get a $100 month allowance for fostering 4 year old anton. she was advised by a welfare worker to put anton into an orphanage. >> translator: how could they say this? he is mine. he is mine. i won give him away never. never. do you love your mom? >>

we recognize that to regions in eastern ukraine? why don't we do that?e'll probably have to and want to adjust in any case. >> on the flipside, yes, the economy is in good shape. the ruvell falling below 50. a good 2015. the rybuble falling below 50. a good 2015 -- at least for now? >> at least for now. maybe this is going to be tenuous. 52 the dollar. that is the best the ruvell has done since november. yesterday we had an all-time high. it aids the russian budget. it could be tenuous. russians think about the exchange rate. you look at the month of march. inflation was shy of 17%. real wages are declining. think about the first two terms. the economy teetering at the edge of recession. a quiet confidence. as you said, local bond markets. of 80% in the last couple of months. i listen to him be very careful. maybe give us some hint. >> how long will he go for? >> four hours and 47 minutes. i know you time it. it is all about the alpha male. he disappeared from the public eye. you wouldn't have known it. maybe it is back pain. maybe his girlfriend is havi

warn said russian officials are fueling confusion by providing weapons to separatists in eastern ukraine. sporadic fighting has continued between government troops and pro-russian forces despite a cease-fire deal signed in february. >>> the head of the philippine military expressed deep concern about china's apparent activities to build runways on the spratly islands in the south china sea. the philippines, china and several others are involved in a sovereignty dispute over the islands. general gregorio pio catapang said china is carrying out construction on seven reefs of the islands. he said reclaimed areas at fiery cross and subi reefs are large enough for air strips. satalite images suggest china is building a runway on fiery cross. the general said similar work is picking up speed. the reef is close to an island controlled by the philippines. >> it might create friction so i think we have to really know the intention of china, what's the purpose of this rec la make? >> philippine foreign ministry representative said that the president will raise the issue at a summit of the associat

. >> i'm andrew simmonds reporting from donetsk and eastern ukraine. i'll explain why families are still living in these conditions under ground even though there's a ceasefire >>> also ahead - the volunteer police force helping to stop human trafficking in thailand. thailand. >>> hello again. welcome back. a reminder of the top stories an al jazeera - weapons supplies sped up in saudi-led coalition, targetting the houthi rebels in yemen. the situation across the country is deteriorating, u.n.i.c.e.f. saying 74 children have been killed since the end of march >>> u.s. security council is demanding humanitarian access to a refugee camp in syria's capital after it was stormed by i.s.i.l. fighters last week >>> hundreds of students mark through the kenyan capital calling for better security at universities following the attack in garissa, 149 dying after gunmen stormed a campus in the north-east >>> >>> malaysia's parliament approved an anterior. -- an anti-terror law. they reintroduced a policy revoked years ago in relation to those planning attacks in t

reporter: nowadays many of the demonstrators of old crossing the square are soldiers fighting in eastern ukraineagainst the pro-russian separatists. it's at the heart of the ukrainian capital and it's now also a part of the front in a way. maksym and his friends are converting a house here into a hostel for soldiers passing through. >> it's symbolic. it's an extension of the protests on the maidan. reporter: this war is a major effort for the whole of ukraine. without the thousands of volunteers, it's said, the government troops wouldn't have a chance. after 45 days, the soldiers come back from the east. many stop off here, and can spend the night for free. >> we're the first to offer them help when they come to kyiv -- with a warm shower. many want to wash their clothes. we give them civilian clothing if we have it. reporter: the one-time revolutionaries are now hostel staff. the nine friends are renovating more and more rooms, as long as their building supplies last. >> even back during the protests on the maidan, the most important thing was being able to organise yourself. we all played a pa

the separatists who are still in control of parts of eastern ukraine have dismissed poroshenko's expressions. >> there's grave concern what the war answer effect on orphaned children. 140,000 have been forced out of their homes. the figure includes some of the 95,000 children who live in orphanages and residential homes. as andrew simmons reports. some are at the center of this crisis. >> in ukraine a country in conflict aged from under five to teens and all opportunity care of the state. but they're from the self-declared republic of donetsk, now looking for russia for its future. yet they've been living since last july under the control of the ukrainian government. the children were moved in secret as the fighting was at its height and after they say separatist fighters told them they were going to be moved to russia for their own safety. >> translator: they told us whether you want to go or not you have to go. we told them we didn't. we started to cry. they used obscene words they didn't care that we were children. when we said we are not going they said, just try staying. and we will sho

sanctions against russia over the alleged military involvement in the eastern ukraine. i don't think that went down well at all. then there was a rancour us disagreement between greece and germany, with the greeks saying that germany owes it money for reparations in return for the nazi occupation dating back to the 1940s. all of this is making it difficult for the greek government and the european movement to finalise an agreement. >> reporter: a french television network is back on air after a cyber attack crippled its broadcast and social media acts. a group calling itself cyber cal fate is thought to be behind the hacking. we have this report. >> reporter: in television a black screen usually spells disaster. when several french channels went to black on wednesday night producers in the office knew something was wrong. >> it's been a powerful cyber attack. we have strong firewalls and that has been checked very recently. >> this is how seriously the french government is taking the attack. not one, but three ministers spent the morning at the hours. >> we have taken m

the separatists in control of parts of eastern ukraine dismissed petro porashenko's gesture as meaningless. some form of a ceasefire is supposed to take place in the region. yet there are violations by both sides. there's concern about the impact the war is having on children. more than 8 million live in ukraine, hundreds are killed fighting in the east and 140,000 have been forced out of their homes. that figure includes come of 95,000 children that live in orphanages. they are pawns in the crisis. >> reporter: this modest factory >>> the republic of donetsk is looking to russia for their future. they have been living under the control of the ukrainian government. the children were moved in secret as the fighting was at its height and after separatist fighters told them they'd be moved to russia for their own safety much >> translation: they sold us whether you want to go or not, you have to go. we told them we wouldn't. we started to cry. they didn't care that we were children. when we said we are not going, they said just try staying. and we will shoot you or your children. >> whatever