has violated the territory integrity of ukraine in two respects: in crimea and also in donetsk and luhansk. we're called upon now to come up with solutions not in the sense of mediator, but we also stand up for the interests of the european peaceful order. this is what the french president and i have been trying to do over the past few days. we're going to continue those efforts and i'm very grateful that throughout the ukraine crisis we have been in very very close contact with the united states of america and europe and this will be continued. that is, indeed, one of the most important messages we need to send to russia. we continue to pursue a diplomatic solution, although we have suffered a lot of set backs. these days we'll see whether all sides are ready and willing to come to a negotiated settlement. i've always said i don't see a military resolution to this conflict but we have to bring all our efforts in bringing about a diplomatic solution. there is a whole host of issues. over lunch we'll continue to talk about climate protection, and sustainable development goals. yet again, th

it wants more territory and greater viable of luhansk and donetsk to be able to act independently. ukraine wants to call up men for military service and across rebel territory volunteers are alongside. >> we need specialists technical repairmen, we need workers who are able to drive a tank or an armored vehicle. >> reporter: for months, russia has insisted it had no troops in ukraine, that any troops fighting there are, quote, volunteers, that is certainly not believed in kiev just as there's no question where the rebels have acquired heavy weaponry, equipment known to be in russia's arsenal. more in the past days. >> not only unmarked heavy military items but also convoys pulling heavy artillery. we're talking about multiple launch rocket systems, for example. >> putin in many ways is in the driver's seat today. he has the europeans and the ukrainians coming to him, asking for a ceasefire. the developments on the ground support russia. the separatists have enjoyed some success over the last few days. significant success. >> reporter: the renewed fighting has led to a new stream of

and the center connected luhansk and donetsk by lapped and rail. the situation in ukraine is the focus. joining me now, kurt volker, former u.s. ambassador to nato. director of the mccain institute for international leadership, and fred reeka bipedy, senior fellow from the school of advanced international studies of johns hopkins university. the last time you were here you argued against giving defensive weapons to the ukranian army. has what has transpired given idea? >> not yet, i'm afraid. i support the idea that petro porashenko laid down, having international peacekeeping forces in ukraine. that would be an excellent idea. more so, developmental context, mistake. >> here we are, arms continue to pour in over the russian frontier, even though russia doesn't acknowledge that they are russian weapons, giving an venge to separatist forces. they outgun the national army of a country maintaining borders and territorial integrity. >> it's clear that the rebels, took the last chance to connect the two. this would be their last chance it's also true th

>>> ukrainian forces and separatists have exchanged prisoners just west of the rebel-held city of luhansku two sides agreed to swooping prisoners as part of a larger ceasefire deal signed last week. ukraine's allies accused rebels of not maintaining their side of the agreement. we have this report. >> reporter: the marching orders these ukrainian soldiers have been waiting for. they were detained for months by rebels and now free in a prisoner swap. it's part of the agreement between ukraine and separatist fighters. already accusations of mistreatment from both sides. >> translator: we gave the ukrainian side 36 people from the donetsk people's republic, and the 103 people from the luhansk people's republic, we have received 37 people. one was refused but i don't know why. two were wounded. one in a wheelchair and one on crutches. the swap happened at a location where the guns have fallen silent for now. both sides agreed to release all prisoners under the minsk agreement. although the plan is holding. skirmishes have continued. separatists say they have taken control of many strategic lo

they cut off the supply line between the towns of donetsk and luhansk. anwar ibrahim has been convicted of sodomy, his appeals have all fallen through. >>> are congratulation of the aap leader and opposition pleerd leader arvin kegewal. >>> presidential vote scheduled for february 14th in nigeria pushed back six weeks. on monday the national security advisory told al jazeera opposition leaders will be driven out at the time of the vote. international coalition also being formed to get boko haram out of its stronghold. on monday, niger voted to send in troops, chad and cameroon, reeseing its leader abu bakar sh shakar. >> hearing from ash-har quraishi. >> nothing is more important than raising his children in a safe community. working as a jail guard carlos says they he will be an asset to the the community. there i think community policing is a very important part of the community. >> following the police shooting of michael brown in august many criticized the department for its lack of diversity. 4 you out of 53 police officers are black. six months aft

>>> ukrainian force he and separatist rebels have exchanged prisoners near the rebel held city of luhansk. >>> currently 133 people on death row in indonesia. human rights groups say 84 of them are indonesian and 49 are foreigners from 29 countries. drug trafficking and murder are the main reasons for which prisoners are executed. indonesia says it has executed 12 people in the last ten years. step vaessen reports. >> it's called the indonesian alcatraz. located in central java it's off-limits to journalists. last month six convicts were executed by firing squad another 10 are due to be shot soon. one was from brazil who was arrested in 2004, with 19 kilograms of heroin. although he is mentally ill his condition was never properly defended because he didn't have proper representation in court. >> i know the indonesian law doesn't agree with punish someone that is mental sick. that what i don't understand. if they don't know he is sick, okay. but he is sick. i intend prove this officially. >> reporter: human rights groups say indonesia's legal system has too many loopholes to enforce harsh

and the sounds of conflict well, they continue to be heard in the cities of donetsk and luhansk. government forces say 11 of its soldiers are being killed and more than 40 wounded since the deal was signed in minsk on thursday. there are unconfirmed reports that civilians have also been killed. fighting goes on for control of the key town of debaltseve that's still held by 8,000 government troops, but which russian-backed rebels say they have now surrounded. the main way in or out is through this key village of loqvanove. it cities on the important e-40 road and both sides are fighting over it before the cease-fire itself comes into effect. well, bbc's james reynolds gave us this update from donetsk. >> reporter: the cease-fire has yet to begin, and here in donetsk, we continue to hear the sounds of war. the sounds of explosions in the distance of artillery fire. we've also seen footage posted online from the rebel-held city of luhansk, which shows heavy fighting at night. and the ukrainian army has said in the last 24 hours, it has lost a number of its own service men. in other

christina will be getting news from luhansk. >> why didn't you leave? >> i didn't get the chance to go. it's because of work. she had a job and a salary. now they can only work half a day. they want to leave but they can't. you need to get a permit to leave the city. >> the winter nights are long here. it's colder, not all the locals are happy with ukrainian refugees taking good jobs and the accommodation is cramped. but as the man overseeing their building points out all of that is preferable to all of that going on back home. >> the only motivation for them to stay or go is safety. if it's more safe here they'll stay. >> now a third grader at a local school. it's entirely possible he'll graduate. start a job start a family here. ukraine will just be a fading childhood memory. >> hundreds of protesters are rallying in bahrain's capitol to mark four years since the up rising began. activists are up loading videos of battles with police in various suburbs. they say dozens of people have been injured. this appears to be the arrest of a child. demonstrator

in crimea and also in donetsk and luhansk. we are called upon now to come up with solutions, but not in the sense of mediator but we also stand up for the interest of the european peaceful order. and this is what the french president and i have been trying to do over the past few days. we're going to continue those efforts and i'm grateful that throughout the ukraine crisis we have been in very very close contact with the united states of america and europe on sanctions -- on the diplomatic initiatives and this is going to be continued. and i think that's indeed one of the most important messages we can send to russia and need to send to russia. we continue to pursue a diplomatic solution although we have suffered a lot of setbacks. these days we'll see whether all sides are ready and willing to come to a negotiated settlement. i've always said i don't see a military solution to this conflict, but we have to put all of our efforts in bringing about a diplomatic solution. there's a whole host of issues we need to discuss. over

this is what remains of luhansk airport. in september, insurgents fighting for what they call new pressure retook it from the ukrainian troops. minesweepers are busy. we asked one of the soldiers who fought here why these grounds are so important. >> we want to rebuild the airport, of course. we have to. we have big lands and big tasks to accomplish -- big plans and big tasks to accomplish. one plane is already ready for use. >> a statue of lenin with remnants of battle at his feet. we are in one of the most damaged cities. before the war, 38,000 people lived here and worked in the mines and factories. half of them have meanwhile fled. some say the ukrainian army intentionally punished the city. others say the new russia fighters had holed up in residential areas drawing fire. not even the city's two hospitals were spared. the city is in the area dominated by the done cossacks. we are allowed to explore only in the company of a soldier who does not stray from our side. the commander and effect overrule or of the city distrib

the self proclaimed luhansk peoples republic. and militias fighting the ukrainian army, the spar sparta battalion and others, the list has been greeted with a certain amount of consternation by people within the russian government who says that it's not helpful to the implementation of the minsk peace agreement but also at least one person rushkin has decided that this is a badge of honor. he says he's quite proud to be on this new eu list. >> hundreds of huh gairians hungarians are expected to sign a new energy deal. robin forester walker reports that diplomacy is being met with caution. >> reporter: this old russian tune was a hit for everyone who lived behind the former iron curtain. these days though hungarians have mixed feelings for what russia and its president vladimir putin has to offer on his visit to budapest. >> i think it's not a good idea to make bargains with putin no. >> they need to work together to get some kind of consensus you know. >> translator: it makes sense to solve our economic and political problems wit

ukraine government has opened a distribution center in luhansk. today hundreds of cars and trucks were lienld up at lined up at a border crossing near donetsk. now to the middle east where jordan announced today it has bombed i.s.i.l. locations 56 times in the last three days. ing the head of the affairs says this country is determined to destroy the group. has dramatically stepped up attacks in the past weekly. it follows i.s.i.l.'s burning to death of a jordanian pilot. part of a u.s. coalition other arab nations are stepping up in support of this battle. osama ben java reports. >> these are said to be targets belonging to islamic state of iraq and the levant that jordanian jets are continuing to hit. hundreds of strikes in the last few days after a captured jordanian pilot was murdered by i.s.i.l. also known by the arabic acronym of dash. >> we successfully destroyed more than 19 targets. after that, the war again dash is going to continue. we are determined to achieve the objectives of this war. and not only to degrade dash capabilities, we ar

martial law will be imposed in donetsk and luhansk. but across the country. guns and rockets are slept. if the ceasefire fails, the spotlight will be on the strategic corridor. >> translation: we will stop fire in all of the donetsk people public's region donetsk belongs to the region. attempts to break out will be considered a violation of the minsk agreement. any attempt will be stopped. >> conflict in ukraine force hundreds of thousands of refugees to escape to russia. they are at a border crossing. rory challands reports. >> reporter: it's been 7 months sense this family fled the bombs of eastern ukraine, leaving behind their house and everything in it. they share one room in a college dormitory. they didn't have a knife or fork when they arrived. they do not do much complaining. >> translation: he started working as a builder. he got work at the port. a representative from the company came here and said he needed men. several guys from the dorm got jobs there. i work as a shop assistant. >> the dorm houses 53 ukranian ref disease. -- refugees. since nove

it involved a degree of autonomy for the eastern donetsk and luhansk region it includes sweeping power of self rule. a monitoring mission will be set up and foreign m.e.r.s.onaries will be -- merceron ris will be withdrawn. >> hopes seem to be rising. the russian foreign ministry expects serious and significant decisions to be made there. the russians are not fully signing up yet. we can listen to comments that vladimir putin made in sochi earlier on sunday. >> conversation with colleagues from kiev berlin and paris in the norm andy format ended. we agree to organise a meeting in the same format between heads of states and governments in minsk. we hope to meet wednesday, if by then we agree positions which we have been did you says intensively. >> note what he said there we aim to meet on wednesday if certain positions are great first. clearly there's a lot of details that have to be thrashed out first. much of that will happen in berlin on monday when deputy foreign ministers meet there. then on tuesday in minsk, there'll be a meeting of the contacts group, including the o.s.c.e., and

russia wants guaranteed rights for russian speaksers and full autonomy for the luhansk and donetsk region. >>> the u.s. wants to see territorial zone redrawn. >> the president of ukraine went to the town that had come under rocket far. >> this is a severe incident almost 50 kilometers from the front fighting and the russian and terrorists attacking civilians, attacks peaceful city of cramkramatorsk. >> the president of ukraine. >> and to richard in those talks. it looks like all players will be attending but all sides still far apart. >> reporter: absolutely. they're a very big big hurdle to overcome in this summit we expect will take place -- we're actually outside one of the presidential palaces here in minsk where the summit is due to take place. officials saying the media will be able to go in in a couple of hours time. we think that the talking will actually get under way at around about 3:00 gmt. so in a few hours from now. it is looking for optimistic the very fact all these leaders are due to come. yes, massive obstacles to overcome if there is to be a cease-fire agreement. >> the

the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the establishment of a demilitarized zone and the future status of luhansk and donetsk. the goal of reported three begin a cease-fire with -- was reportedly to begin a cease-fire within 48 hours. the talks come as fighting has intensify recently. nic robertson with the latest. we now learned that the president of ukraine is not happy with some of the conditions set out by russia. talk to us about what we know about that part of the story. >> reporter: any successful negotiation is going to be something that all sides can walk away from and feel they've got something from. they might have given something up, but it's given a level of trust and grammy. doesn't appear that's where we are in minsk at the moment. there's been a heavy don are deluge of information coming -- heavy deluge of information coming from mostly russian media indicating a deal of close to being done. there was 80% agreement that a document was going to be signed. there were ten suspense in. a cease-fire by sudden. the situation that we're in at the moment stands like this -- talks continue

heavy shelling continues in the rebel-held strong holds of donetsk and luhansk.tal was targeted on wednesday killing three and many more were injured. the port city of mariupol has also been hit by violence, at least 30 people killed and does innings more injured in a rocket attack last month. but fighting is currently at its most intense in the major transport hub between russia and ukraine and that's where charles stratford is reporting from. >> reporter: ukrainian army fire a volley of grad rockets towards the frontline. the separatists say they have surrounded the town under siege. volunteers like this man are trying to drive civilians to safety. >> translator: you can hear shelling and shooting, at night it was very intense he says. >> reporter: i have to go says this man. it's bad in there. very bad. we followed a bus along the mud roads in to town. attempts at negotiating a temporary truce for safe passage had failed. >> go, go, go! go go, go. catch them. catch them. >> reporter: the shelling is intense. the very few people on the street run for cover. wha

it was kiev that sent troops to donetsk and luhansk. when an attempt was made to establish power by force, and the right sector, at the early stages of the crisis in kiev made an attempt to seize government buildings. fortunately, those attempts ended in failure. donetsk and luhansk held a referendum on their independence. this is not something that happened in kosovo. now, no referendum was held in kosovo. germany got reunited without the referendum. and we were an active supporter of that protest after the second world war came to an end. you will remember that it was the soviet union that was against splitting germany. the problem is that when we talk about the methods that are used instead of direct dialogue, the problem is that the president of the ukraine does not have the monopoly on the use of force. there are private units that are well-paid and forces from the regular units move over to these private units. and they act with the ultra-nationalist personnel. and we have been in contact for a long time. i would like to tell you,

christina is getting news from back in luhansk. >> translator: why didn't you leave?slator: i didn't get the chance to go. >> translator: it's because of work, she had a job and a salary now they can only work half a day. they want to leave but they can't. you need to get a permit to leave the city. >> reporter: the winter nights are long here. it's colder. not all the locals are happy with ukrainian refugees taking good jobs. and the accommodation is cramped but as the man overseeing their building points out, all of that is preferable to what's going on back home. >> translator: the only motivation for them to stay or go is safety. if it's more safe here, they'll stay. >> reporter: now a third grader at a local school, it's highly possible he'll graduate, find a job, start a family here. ukraine will be just a fading childhood memory. rory challands, al jazerra. >>> sri lanka's new president is arriving in the indian capital new delhi on sunday. it's his first foreign trip since taking office. one topic on the agenda will be the welfare of the tamil minority. >> rep

we've also seen footage posted online from the rebel-held city of luhansk, which shows heavy fighting at night. and the ukrainian army has said that in the last 24 hours, it has lost a number of its own service men. in other words, in the run-up to this cease-fire this planned cease-fire the conflict does continue. and now all sides are looking at the practicalities, at the details of implementing that agreement, including withdrawing heavy armor from both sides to create a buffer zone and looking very, very closely at that demarcation line. ukraine's president, petrov poroshenko, says said his military commanders will meet russian military commanders to go through details and to begin looking at implementation. the cease-fire is due to start at the end of saturday but few here in donetsk and perhaps few on the other side in government-held territory expect a complete or sudden end to war. >> that's james reynolds there. >>> now to news after surges of illegal migrants trying to enter the european union. most of the focus in the news has been on human tragedy. migrants from the middle

implementation of the previously accepted by the special status of these territories of donetsk and luhansk. >> president putin there. well, meanwhile, the french president, francois hollande, says there has been an overall settlement of the ukraine crisis, much work remains to be done. >> reporter: we have reached agreement on a cease-fire and on a global political resolution to the ukrainian conflict. the cease-fire could come into effect on the 15th of february 2015, at midnight. the resolution will cover issues ranging from the cease-fire to the control of border and obviously withdrawal of heavy weapons. as well as the resumption of economic relations. all questions were covered in this agreement which was signed by the contact group and the separatists. the chancellor and i alongside president poroshenko and putin are committed to verify the implementation of the cease-fire. >> well our chief international correspondent joins me live now from those talks in minsk. you've been following the progress to have these marathon talks that have been taking place. just hearing that from franco

in crimea, and also in donetsk and luhansk. so, we are called upon now to come up with solutions. but not in the sense of a mediator, but we also stand up for the interest of the european peaceful order. and this is what the french president and i have been trying to do over the past few days. we're going to continue those efforts, and i'm very grateful that throughout the ukraine crisis, we have been in very, very close contact with the united states of america and europe, on sanctions, on diplomatic initiatives, and this is going to be continued. and i think that's indeed one of the most important messages we can send to russia and need to send to russia. we continue to pursue a diplomatic solution, although we have suffered a lot of setbacks. these days we will see whether all sides are ready and willing to come to a negotiated settlement. i've always said i don't see a military solution to this conflict, but we have to put all our efforts in bringing about a diplomatic solution. so there's a whole host of issues that we need to discuss. over lunch, we will continue to talk abo

withdraw from the entire donetsk region. >> my thought is to push the enemy back to the donetsk and luhansk region as they are drawn on the map. after that we will see. >> there was a thinly veiled threat at any ukrainian stragglers. >> the near future what happened in ilivisk will happen here. time will tell. >> the loss of the town of debaltseve for the ukrainians is a bitter blow. they lost most capital human and military to defend it. bun it's a cleaning up operation for the pro-russian forces. the ukrainians it appears have withdrawn. the separatists are adamant that debaltseve was encircumstanced encircled well before the minsk peace agreement. but with debaltseve lost to the ukrainians, the fate of one of the last main disputed towns has now been settled. and that gives some small hope that the two sides can now begin to disengage across the whole length of the front line. paul brennan, al jazeera near debaltseve. >>> in argentina tonight thousands of people have taken to the streets in buenos aires. they are demanding answers regarding the death of a prosecutor. alberto nisman many

i don't think he necessarily wants to annex the luhansk and donetsk but that is a possibility. i think his goal is to make sure that russia has influence in ukraine, that it has veto over any attempts to join the e. u and nato and quite frankly, influence development in ukraine so it doesn't become a successful western state and that could serve as a powerful example inside russia. he doesn't want that to happen as well. host: host: from stanford connecticut, johnny is next. good morning. caller: i had a question given the history of russia losing 35 to 50 million people in world war ii the financial debacle. hopefully our on foreign policy will follow the same from the tank tanks that solve our politicians' directness with iraq and afghanistan >> you have to worry about that. i was wondering. i read that i know you address 60% of ukraine, east ukraine is russian. whether that's true, i don't know. two, what kind of economic infrastructure does russia have while they are drive to go eastern ukraine and, three, looking at it from their perspective, you know, if russia or china c

this town is between luhansk and donetsk, sits on a railway line. it's an important part of the jigsaw buzzle of the east of ukraine, and if the eastern territories, if the rebel enclave of donetsk and luhansk are to be future, you know, future proof if they're to be strong and as resilient as turn autonomous region, railway hubs like debaltseve are important as are ports like mariupol. >> all the while, of course, president putin is away in a completely different region to show that he has outside friends. >> yeah, he's in egypt at the moment. now, any foreign visits by any leader from any country in the world is an attempt to show they are friends. al sisi and putin are certainly leaders you can describe as cut from the same cloth. they are people who favor security in their own countries over such things that they might dismiss as western trifles like human rights, and that sort of concern. what we have at the moment is the, i suppose the expansion of a friendship and a strategic partnership that has certainly been building over the last couple o

the rebels hold a big sway in the regions including the cities of donetsk and luhansk. they have been fighting for the airport. rebels main offense has settled on the key railway junction between the cities of luhansk and donetsk. from debaltseve charles stratford reports. . >> ukrainian army fire rockets near the front line. they say they have surrounded debaltseve, a town under siege. they've been trying to drive civilians to safety. you can hear shelling and shooting. at night it's very intense he says. >> i have to go, says this man. it's bad. very bad. >> attempts at negotiating troops of safe passage have failed. >> go, go, go. >> the shelling is intense. very few people on the street run for cover. what sounds like artillery or mortars fires towards targets we cannot see. >> there have been repeated efforts at trying to get some of the wounded out of debaltseve. we fired and a humanitarian aids group going in to the city. they tell us it's too dangerous to film. >> we're trying to deliver aid to people who are still here at our own risk. we do not organize a temp

. >> fairly bellicose language by the two leaders of the self proclaimed separatist republics of luhansk and donetsk. trying to restart peace talks saying the two men they consent to belarus on their behalf had authority to make decisions for them. this recruitment drive that mr. zakharchenko was mentioning about getting 100,000 fighters in the luhansk and donetsk area, that recruitment to start within the next ten days. also pointing a finger to ukraine saying the men they were sending to the front were not trained sufficiently. reference to ukraine's drive a fourth way of trying to bring an additional 50,000 ukrainian soldiers to their front line. now all this talk comes at a time of increasing violence here in the region. there are daily attacks both incoming and outgoing shelling from here, and from across the front line. and the civilian population that frankly spent most of their time hunger erd down -- hunkered down in their house he, we've heard shelling only a few minutes ago in donetsk. some fairly saber rattling language, in the midst of increasing violence in the region. >> a

there is also shelling in luhansk. >> this is not just an attack of the ukrainian sector, but the minsk result. after minsk the offensive operation of russia, intensified significantly. >> at least 25 have been killed since the ceasefire was signed. charles stratford reports from the front line there. >> ukrainian tanks behind me are in a support position for what is believed to be 8,000 ukrainian soldiers in the town of debaltseve. separatists say they have surrounded the town. become a major stronghold, if the separatists take control of debaltseve, it will give them a direct route via rally way to russia. ukrainian fighting close by. everything is destroyed said this ambulance driver, you can't get into town and there are dead bodies on the road. we pushed up further towards debaltseve. we're here at a ukrainian army check point. there is a lot of heavy weaponry going towards the front. we are hearing a lot of shelling. these soldiers are very nervous about us being here. they don't like to be filmed, bad luck before going into palt. battle. one soldier agreed to speak to us. we were

earlier today wants to try and get what he says will be 100,000 volunteer fighters in the donetsk and luhansk region, as soon as possible, be that effort to begin in the next ten days. reference to ukraine's drive a fourth way to try and bring an additional 50,000 ukrainian soldiers to their front line. now all this talk comes at a time of increasing violence in the region. there are daily attacks both incoming and outgoing shelling from here, across the front line and the civilian population spending frankly most of the time hunkering down in their basements. we heard shelling in the past few minutes increasing violence in this region. >>> oil giant bp says it will curb spending because of falling oil prices. trying the reduce its spending by 10% or $22 billion this year. bp is suffering more than other oil companies now as it continues to pay for the 2010 deep oil horizon accident in the gulf of mexico. nicholas maduro continues diplomasdiplomats are for the restriction of the he daily protest. madmaduro described it as punishment. punishment. speculation has furthered. >> alberto nisman's

many feet the ukrainians need to be with ccialghts back to the borders of donetsk and luhansk region. after that we will see. >> in the near future i think what happened in illiv beingseisk will happen here. i can't imagine what will happen after that, time will tell. >> reporter: the loss of the town of debaltseve is a bitter blow. they had invested much capital both human and military trying to defend it. but the smoke that remains over the town is a small snors. the sprafts are adamant the territory was under separatist control. but with debilities debilities lost, debaltseve. under arms of the separatists. >>> alberto nisman was trying to prove whether the president cristina kirchner, had anything to do with the jewish center bombing 17 years ago. is. >> one month since the suspicious death of pros computer@berth o nisman. prosecutor alberto nisman. >> for once argentina wants to know the truth. there is too much political interference in the justice system and on the other hand, it is very suspicious that a prosecutor who precisely was investigating the president ends up dead and

ex and representatives of the donetsk people add republic and luhansk people's republic. on wednesday the main topic of conversation will be a ceasefire. how that can be brought in. the terms of the minsk memorandum which was agreed back in september of last year. also the degree of autonomy that will be granted to the separatist areas of luhansk, and donetsk. what western leaders will look for from russia is for the kremlin, for vladimir putin, to bring influence to bear on the separatist themselves. you can have as many high level agreements as you want. if the separatist on the ground don't stop fighting it means nothing, and russia and the separatists hope that the ukranian army will pull back and that is the responsibility for petro porashenko >>> the fighting continues in eastern ukraine, and civilians in donetsk are struggling to survive daily bombings. there are viewers places for them to seek shelter and rations they are getting are not enough. charles stratford spoke to some families desperate for the conflict to end. >> reporter: nearly 70 are living here. more

the heads of the self proclaimed donetsk and luhansk peoples approximate. >> reporter: increasingly well organized fighters now calling themselves the army of the donetsk people's approximate. there are more on both sides virtually every day. moscow says it's not supplying the separatists with weapons. >> we have a number of russian prisoners of war. and i must say the russian federation while sending in troops every day while getting ukrainian hardware says there is no russian federation there. this is cynicism of the highest degree. >> reporter: residents of donetsk parts of the airport which has seen part of the heaviest fighting has been without running water or electricity for weeks. many of the houses have been completely destroyed. another failed attempt at a truce as the fighting in this region intensifies. fear and uncertainty among civilian population on both sides of the conflict grows every day. charles stratford donetsk ukrainian. eastern ukraine. >> cleared the final protest camps. sarah clark is with us there how well supported is this rally? >> reporter: the organized had

among ukrainians and as long as ukranian governments see its own people meaning the separatists in luhansk and donetsk as enemies, there'll be no solution to the crisis. different point of views in munich. there's another day of negotiations to be held on sunday. by the end of that we figure out whether the proposal put forward by the german chancellor and french president would hold or not. >> thank you zeina khodr in munich >>> more still to come here on the newshour. let there be light - nigeria's president launches an ambitious privatize agency scheme to stop the country's chronic power cuts >>> a vote in delhi puts india's prime minister narendra modi to the test. we tell you why >>> equatorial guinea return to action at the african cup of nation two days after major crowd violence. two days later, in the sport. >>> nigeria's election commission will announce whether it will delay the forthcoming presidential vote. polls are due to open on february 14th. there are safety concerns for voters in the north-east of the country where boko haram has been carrying out attacks. more from our

. >> in my opinion the first task is to push the enemy back to the donetsk and luhansk regions as drawn on the map. after that we'll see. >> there was a thinly veiled threat aimed at any ukrainian stragglers. >> i think what happened here, i can't imagine what will happen after that. time will tell. >> the loss of the town of debaltseve for the ukrainian is a bitter blow. they had invested much capital both human and military trying to defend it. but the smoke hanging over the town now seems to be nothing more than a clean up operation for the separatist forces. the ukrainian forces have withdrawn. separatests are adamant that debaltseve was encircled well before the minsk agreement. now the fate of one of the last disputed towns has been settled and it gives hope that the two sides can begin to disengage the length of the front line. >> we have more on the conflict, and why this particular city, debaltseve is so important. >> very critical town, tony. keep in mind the rebels already control much of southeastern ukraine including the key cities of luhansk and donetsk in debaltseve, when

the separatists are trying to take over the regions of donetsk and luhansk.hey announced a drive to recruit 100 new troops. >>> the release of al jazeera journalist may be imminent. he was arrested more than 13 months ago, accused of aiding the bad muslim brotherhood. >>> dominique strauss-kahn is now on trial for aggravated pimping. charges stem from sectionx parties he allegedly took part in. encouraging progseing prostitution is illegal in france. >>> the most of the new cases of measles are linked to disney land in california. the outbreak is ramping up the controversy over whether to vaccinate. >>> a serious gap is revealed at airport security. this follows a high-profile case in atlanta where a gun smuggling operation was broken up involving a baggage handler and passenger. >> there are two different security standards at american airports, one for employees in secure areas and one for passengers. cnn has more. >> reporter: at miami international airport, this is the security you don't see standing in line. cnn got exclusive access to the screening that

mrk controlled debaltseve and luhansk. >> reporter: this may not be the end. these are rebels controlled and hunkered in the town many encircled by pro-russian force. now, some are leaving and happy to be getting out alive. we were praying all the time said one soldier and said good-bye to our lives 100 times. they had really good and heavy artillery. debaltseve is right on the front line between loyalists and rebel positions. it's been fought over because it's a strategic link between two rebel strongholds. the russian foreign minister said the cease-fire was holding everywhere except debaltseve. ser serghei ser sergey lavrov said there should be no withholding. he said the political and constitutional provisions should be implemented immediately. as to the united nations there was a return to cold war rhetoric as america fiercely denounced russia's actions in ukraine. >> you can stop arming the temperaturesseparatist temperatures temperatures -- separatists and stop sending hundreds of amounts of ammunitions to your troops and stop doing what you're doing an

christinea is getting news from luhansk. >> why didn't you leave?didn't get the chance to go. >> it's because of work. she had a job and a salary. now they can only work half a day. they want to leave but they can't. you need to get a permit to leave the city. >> the winter nights are long here it's colder. not all of the locals are happy with ukrainian refugees taking good jobs and the accomodation is cramped, but as the man overseeing their building points out, all of that is preferable to what's going on back home. >> the only motivation for them to stay or go is safety. if it's more safe here, they will stay. >> artima is a third-grader at the local school. it's entirely policiesible he will graduate find a job start a family here ukraine will be just a fading childhood memory. rory challands, murmansk. >> a hong kong ferry can't inner has been found guilty of manslaughter the he was convicted of endangering lives at see. a leisure boat collided with a commuter ferry in one of the city's worst maritime disasters in four decades. he will be sente

we want to liberate all the territory of donetsk and luhansk. people voted for us because they trust us. we want to bring them freedom. >> it's not known how many civilians were killed here. >> this is a town 10 kilometers as the crow flies prom debaltseve taken over by the separatists a few days ago. we are hearing a lot of out going shelling increasing the amount of incoming. separatists tell us they have debaltseve completely surrounded. the ukrainian army denied the claim, but the day before, we were across the front line and saw ukrainian tanks digging in close to the only route in and out of debaltseve. rocket launchers were driving towards the front. in the ukrainian military-controlled city 50 kilometers away, missiles hit a residential area and military base. >> we were feeding the kids, they were sitting at the table. the kids started screaming and the shells started to explode. it was judgment day. we started to round up the kids in groups and tell them fairy tails, kids, it's just thunder in the middle of winter. summer is coming soo

it connects the rebel held areas of donestk and luhansk. the main railway line running through the town here. reports just in over the past hour of a brief humanitarian truce that has been agreed so civilians can now leave the area. our correspondent james reynolds has been inside the town of debaltseve and sent us this report. >> reporter: the road to debaltseve is almost empty. the ukrainian army orders us to drive it as quickly as we can. rebels have nearly encircled the town. this is the only way in. we find almost no one on the streets. from the center of town we hear the boom of artillery fire. the army takes us to visit a bomb shelter in the basement of a music academy. one family takes refuge here. the older man, alexander, under a blanket, is too weak to be moved. debaltseve has become too dangerous to most civilians. simply decided they have to get out and leave for their own safety. the ukrainian army is determined to hold this town. it's vitally important if the government is to stop the rebels from gaining better ground. she is

debaltseve is a strategic down providing the link between luhansk and donetsk. it was a clear run between the separate areas. it goes to the moral. they put a lot of investment into holding the town. if it were to fail it would be a bitter blow. >> the russian minister says the separatists are ready to pull out heavy weapons from the front lines. >> a ceasefire is in place in almost all front line areas. in some areas. they pull out. the only exception is the town of debaltseve and we are concerned with what is going on there. >> now, myanmar's president is declared a state of emergency. and it is imposed martial law. the decision was made hours after the red cross convoy came under attack. >> two people were shot but survived. an armed group, the myanmar national democratic alliance army was suspected of carrying out the attack. the president of the mooep rah red cross volunteers responded take saying: the fighting in kokang forced tens of thousands to take refuge in china. the violence intensified earlier, and reportedly killed 47 government soldiers and 26 m

shelling conditions in donetsk and luhansk. the city of mariupol has also been hit by violence. fighting is at its most intensive, which is the major transport hub between russia and ukraine, that's were charles stratford had this report from. >> reporter: a volley of rockets fired towards the front line. the separatists, a town under siege. this man tries to drive civilians to safety. >> you can hear shelling. at night it was intense, he says. "i have to go" says this man. "it's bad in there, very bad." he followed us along the mud roads. it was a hope of attempting a temporary truce for safe passage failed. >>> shelling intense. few people on the city. sounds like mortar targets that we cannot see. there have been repeated efforts to try to get some of the wounded out. some of these ceasefires have been ignored. they are going into the city to try to deliver aid to the people trapped here. >> they tell us that they are going to an area too dangerous to film. >> we are trying to deliver aid to people at risk. we could nod organise a temporary truce to come here. approximately 2

we've also heard reports of a lot of shelling, certainly up until three hours ago in luhansk and then there's the on going battle for debaltseve, the very important strategic town that the military hold that the separatists say they've surrounded. while these talks go on and not due to start for a good 24 hours yet, the fighting continues. >> charles stratford in donetsk thank you for bringing us right up to date with events on the ground. >> in south korea a former airline executive has been jailed for a year all over a bag of nuts. she was found guilty of obstructing aviation safety. she'd force add korean air jet to return to the terminal and off load the steward because she didn't like the way he'd served her. we have more from the south korean apartment roll. >> in custody, she was at least spared the gauntlet of cameras at the western district court. she was brought by bus from jail to the back entrance. it wouldn't be long before she'd make the return journey as a convicted criminal. it's an incredible fall from her position as vice president at korean air just one arm of the g

the negotiator says the self proclaimed luhansk and donetsk people's republics they are fully occupied dealing with this. >> reporter: the fighting continues between government forces and what seems increasingly well organized fighters calling themselves the donetsk people's republic. the ukrainian defense minister says russia was sending in more troops. moscow has denied such a claim that it is not supplying the separatists with more weapons. >> we have a number of prisoners of war and i want to say the russian federation, while getting military hardware into ukrainian territory is saying there is no federation there. this is the cynicism of the highest degree. >> residents in parts of donetsk close to the airport which has seen some of the heaviest fighting have been without running water or electricity for weeks. many of the houses have been completely destroyed. another failed attempt at a truce as the fighting in this region intensifies fear among civilian population on both sides of the country grows by the day. charles stratford, al jazeera donetsk, eastern ukraine. >> live pict