. >> the election is held in donetsk and luhansk. with a combined population of 6. million people. only those in areas under separatist control will be able to vote. we have this report from donetsk. >> the voters of eastern ukraine are encouraged to see their country in stark turns. blood-thirsty ultra nationalists in kiev waging war on the communities of donetsk and its surrounds. the only answer a tick for yes to the idea of their own people's republic. opinion polls suggest that popular support for the idea is low. we found it divided at level. >> translation: i'll vote yes in the referendum. i want peace. i don't want to west to come here, shooting at our kids. >> i'm not going to vote. of course it will have an impact on us. >> i won't go and vote. it's not that i support it, i don't find the referendum legitimate. >> neither does the government in kiev. there doesn't seem to be much it can do to stop polling stations from opening. >> the head of the central election commission of the people's republic of donetsk says the referendum will meet all international standards. here

see the chipping away of control of kiev of this situation, these eastern regions of the ukraine, the luhansk regi on where i was yesterday, and the donetsk region where i was right now. we see the same scenario over and over, they fall to the hands of separatists. separatists or taking control of strategic building sites, local administration buildings and tv towers, police stations. they arrive on the scene usually in a large crowd that will gather in front of the building, and they will start shouting pro-russian slogans and you'll have a smaller, core group of armed men often in military fatigues, often carrying weapons and assault weapons kalashnikovs. they will go about seizing the buildings. we saw the takeover yesterday of one building here in donetsk, a customs building. when we arrived on the scene the military men had just arrived, in their uniforms with no real insignia that would verify them as attached any particular force. they entered the building and within a few minutes you see the employees filing out, and they say everything is calm and normal and under control, and they w

there has been fighting in donet donetsk, luhansk, slovyansk, among others. ballots were printed asking voters if they agree to self-rule. 70% in the east do not support the separatists and do not want to leave ukraine or become part of russia. but the polls show the majority reject the new government in kiev. the constitution doesn't allow for regional ballots, so the vote will not be binding. >> we should show you live pictures coming to us from a polling station in don esket. where there has been fighting. it's quiet at the moment. polls have opened. jonah hull has more on the run-up to the vote on donetsk. >> reporter: the voters of eastern ukraine are encouraged to see the country on their stark turns. those in kiev waging war on the peaceful communities of donetsk and its surrounds. the only answer - a tick for yes for the idea of their own people's republic. opinion polls suggest that popular support for the idea is low. we found it to be divided at level. >> i'll vote yes in the referendum. i want peace. i don't want to west to come and shoot at our k

the representatives of kiev, donetsk and luhansk. >> lavrov there. speaking at the heating, the british foreign minister william hague condemns the referendum. >> these attempts have zero credibility in the eyes of the word. they're illegal by anybody's standard. they don't meet a single standard of transparently being conducted in the public referend referendum. people organizing them didn't pretend to meet the standards. >> steve rosenburg says while president putin previously called for votes to be postpo d postponed, russia has decided to respect the results. >> moscow takes a different view from william hague. we heard from lavrov a few minutes ago. he was quoting from a kremlin statement issued earlier today, a short statement issued by the kremlin basically saying the referendum in the eyes of moscow represented the will of the people there. moscow noted the high turnout in those votes and made it clear it would respect the votes. it also described attempts to sabotage the votes with the use of violence including the use of heavy weaponry agai

step away from the areas, and luhansk is calm and peaceful. many here cling to the hope it can stay like that. >> translator: we're trying not to be scared and stay calm. >> translator: i am a resident of the city. i was born here. it doesn't matter about being ukrainian or russian or jewish. no one is oppressed here. what are these claims that the russians are oppressed? >> reporter: back at the occupied building new volunteers practice the weapons training. they could soon be using it for real. paul brennan, al jazeera, luhansk. >> we'll have more from europe later in the news hour, including this. >> for one of the champions of french industry is facing a take-ov take-over, and people here are worried about losing their jobs. >>> the head of the u.n. aapologizes to refugees in south sudan. we'll have that in just a moment. >>> in sport we'll hear what english title favorites man city have to say about liverpool's latest sitback. >>> things got nasty at an aid camp in afghanistan where survivors have been sheltering. gunshots were fired into

the luhansk region one kill there had and two injured. i have been speaking to the correspondent there. >> earlier this morning there was an attack in the village which hasn't been the center of the recent violence. there was a recent ukrainian check point they put up yesterday. it was attacked by proseparatists militants. several armored personnel carriers were destroyed. large loss of life because of ammunition that exploded during the attack. according to the security chief of ukrainian security national council, there were four attacks overnight at four locations. one is still ongoing. it intensified seriously. as you correctly say, this is all because of the upcoming presidential elections which the separatists vowed to not hold in areas can which they claim under their control. >> yes, indeed. kiev says it insists the elections will go ahead across the hull of the country. those soldier, ukrainian one, there to make sure the ballot boxes are usable and people can go to polling stations? >> this is part of the reason they're there. i

and luhansk is peaceful. maniling to that hope. >> we're trying not to be scared. trying to stay calm. >> translation: i'm a resident of the city. i was born here. it doesn't matter about being ukranian, russian, jewish, tatar, no one is oppressed why the claim that russians are oppressed. >> apt the occupied sbu building new volunteers practised their weapons training and could be doing it for real. >>> the united states is imposing sanctions against people on both sides of the deadly conflict in south sudan. the treasury department says the sanctions will freeze assets in the united states and ban them from being moved outside of the country. thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands fled their homes since the conflict in south sudan began in december. >>> a new u.s. report has been released about climate change, saying that it's impacting every corner of the united states. water is growing scarcer in dry reasons, rains increasing in wet regions, wildfires are worse, heatwaves are common and the economic cost is skye rocketing. the report und

security's top watchdog, the osce says pro-russian militants abducted a second group north of luhansk and contact with the four observers has been lost. the fate of the first group of monitors kidnapped last monday remains unclear. the separatists claim they have set them free, but the osce has not confirmed. the u.s. blames russia for inciting violence in the region. >> there is evidence of russians crossing over, personnel in chechnya trained in russia that have come across to stir things up, engage in fighting. >> there is no response to john kerry's accusations from moscow. the russian prime minister has called for an end to the crisis, comparing the situation to africa and the middle east, urging both sides to come to the negotiating table without preconditions. >> now, germany's intelligence agency plans to step up its monitoring of social media. according to german media reports, the agency wants to improve its ability to conduct widescale surveillance of facebook and twitter in real-time. they are due to vote on funding for the program in the coming weeks. the program is likel

the separatist leadership which controls donetsk, luhansk and slovyansk are refusing to participate. kiev won't sit down with people it calls terrorists n ukraine, the acting prime minister remains upbeat. >> i am fully convinced distinguished ambassadors, my friend minister, we will succeed. we wi well over come all of these difficulti difficulties, and we will become strong earn we are today. >> reporter: in the separatist strong hold of luhansk, shattered windows and worried people. >> translator: what is happening here, i don't know who to tell for help. they are killing us, our own army. >> the marketplace, of course, is the place where you deal, where you trade. but there is no expectation here, at least, for an imminent deal with the kiev government. there is the fervent desire for stability for peace, but there is no appetite for reconciliation. paul brennan, al jazeera, slovyansk. >> people in the world's largest democracy today woke up to something they haven't seen in decades. >> that's a new political party in power. the hippedew conservative bjp won elections in a landsl

. >> at present, they are in the luhansk -- in the luhansk region. they have questions for the osce team, and when they get the answers and ask -- inspect their gear, the monitors will be released. >> internet, someone hundred kilometers south, there is an atmosphere of tense calm. earlier this week, fighting left as is dead. the separatists say they will use force again if provoked. >> i hope kiev decides against bringing troops into the city. the city is already surrounded by them. that's enough. if they want a war, it will be a bloodbath on both sides. >> separatists are erecting fresh barricades all over donetsk. russia has called on kiev to start a national dialogue to avert what it called a national catastrophe. >> the crisis in ukraine started last november when the country's then president shows an economic union with russia over an association deal with the eu. that union has just come into being without ukraine. >> this morning, the presidents of russia, the logos, and cause extensive and the pact to create the eurasian economic union. >> i

troops fired on donetske, luhansk and eastern ukraine declared independence after referendums a few weeks ago. daunting task facing petro poroshenko. it is good to see you i haven't seen you for a while, thanks for being on the program. >> thank you, thank you. >> so the president elect, petro poroshenko is from the same party as the out offed president viktor yanukovych. what makes him different? >> he is the consummate political chameleon and politician. he served in the cabinet of viktor uchenka, in the orange revolution in twown. 2004. i think that reflects an ability to compromise. on the other hand, maybe it reflects the degree to which people can trust him. >> he has to walk this very delicate line doesn't he, the line, where he needs to improve the security situation in his country. will he be able to square that circle? >> that remains to be he be seen. if they are going to put ukraine back together again in any meaningful sense, i think the bigger challenge will be as we saw on the introduction, what he does with respect to the east, particularity luhansk and donetske. does he s

if the russians come, luhansk could be the first stop. the pro-russian city would not oppose them. >> it's not a problem, i'm russian and born here. like serbs, born in kosovo. >> reporter: you were born in luhansk, but you see yourself as russian. >> i was born here, but i'm russian. >> this is no picnic in the part. some have sticks and table legs. others have brand new military kit. not supplied by russia. you went to a shop and bought all of this. >> yes. >> across town pro-russian leaders have been following event in odessa and slovyansk. what if the army comes here. >> translation: what happens in slovyansk was not an amity terror operation, it was a terror operation against ukranian people, people unsure about the government in kiev. they understand the government is abusing its power. we must protect the city. >> separatists have well-established defensive positions and seem confident that they can cope with anything that the ukrainian arm ci throws at them, and they don't need the russian army at the moment. >> step away from whe

especially around luhan -- around luhansk and donetsk. in luhansk, rebel forces are in control of most of the city. armed groups of about a thousand people doing abductions, stopping traffic. in donetsk, the situation is becoming even more serious than it was a couple weeks ago. armed groups are using things like intimidation, abduction, to gain the loyalty of the local population. this includes ordinary citizens, even the election committee workers. there is a presidential election coming up on sunday. above and beyond that, another worrying trend is the proliferation of weapons. not only talking about ak-47s anymore. talking about rpg's, and a while ago there were mobile launching pads for surface air missiles. all that taken together is cause for concern. >> preparations are underway in ukraine for sunday's elections. are the osce monitors in the southeast seeing any problems? >> there is a separate osce election monitoring mission -- and they have 900-plus observers throughout the country. a number of those are in the 70's. -- southea

. >> we do not recognize the sections of donetske and luhansk. >>> focus remains on the presidential election. >> we want to see a democratically . >> not going to be an easy rote for michael sam. >> every team that passed me i was taking an active quarterback. >> we begin with the tragedy unfolding in. boko haram releasing what it claims to be the girls kidnapped in nigeria april the 15th, supposedly sold as slaves. the leader says the group allows the seizing and selling of slaves. these girls will not leave our hands until you release our brothers in prison. we are joined by rawya ragya from abuja. >> there hearnt been a government speech per say, but independently, one level of government officials saying they are considering all option he but on another level, the minister of the interior maintaining the government line, they will not are negotiating with the people who they describe as terrorists. it took a long time to publicly acknowledge or for the president goodluck jonathan to admit. >> has anyone in the nigerian government been able to confirm that the video actually does

people voted in the regions of donetsk and luhansk. they were asked if they support self-rule for the region. it's not clear if people were voting for independence or for a system allowing greater autonomy within ukraine. the pro-russian organizers say the turnout was about 75% in donetsk, and over 80% in luhansk. >> translator: 89.07% voted in favor. >> the organizer says the voting was fair, but did not disclose how the results and turnout rate were finalized so quickly. many observers are pointing to possible ballot rigging. this video supposedly shot at a polling station shows a man writing names on multiple voting slips. he's also showing several passports as voter identification. this woman has two voting slips. and she casts both of them in the same ballot box. confusion has been reported over the referendum. at another polling station in western dancesque gunshots were heard amid clashes between residents and authorities trying to stop the voting. one person has been reported killed. the country's interim government maintains i

in doing so, they are using the people of donetsk and luhansk. we are told the prosecutor general has warned people across the east they will be criminally responsible for their actions around this refer endsum. mean kwhooil we are told the anti-terrorism operation in the east is in its final stages. at the same time, though, talks to try to stabilize the country are ongoing. eu council president is in town tomorrow in kiev. he will be speaking to both interim president alexander turchynof and yatsenyuk. they are to be held between all political sides, to be held later this week. this is all happening as authorities prepare for the presidential elections which are two weeks today. >> there are fears a fragile he's fire could be on the verge of collapse. the south sudan easy army is accusing rebels of breaking the dealsese army is accusing rebels of breaking the dea deals. they say they have come from attack. they were struck on friday between the president and former vice president. they have called on the warring parties to lay down their weapon

security watchdog, the osce, says pro-russian militants abducted a second team of observers north of luhansk on thursday. all contact has been lost. the fate of the first group of osce monitors kidnapped last monday's remains unclear. separatists claim they set them free, but the osce has not confirmed this. the u.s. blames russia for inciting violence in the region. >> there is evidence of russians crossing over, trained personnel who came across to stir things up, to engage in fighting. >> there has been no response to the accusations from moscow. russian foreign minister sergei lavrov has demanded an immediate end to the violence. he compared the crisis to situations in africa and the middle east. he urged both sides to come to the negotiating table without preconditions. >> our correspondent is standing by in kiev. two tweeams of osce observers ae now missing. what is the latest on their whereabouts? >> there are conflicting reports coming from the east regarding the whereabouts of these teams. first, the first report from osce officials is they have no contact whatsoever with neither of

but step away from the areas where the separatist congregate and luhansk is calm and peaceful. many here cleaning to the hope that it can stay like that. >> translator: we are trying not to be scared. trying to stay calm. >> translator: i'm a residents of the city. i was here. it doesn't matter about being ukrainian, russian, jewish, it. atar. no one is oppressed here, why this claim that russians are owe oppresss. >> reporter: back at the occupied sbu building new volunteers practice their weapons training. they could soon be doing it for real. paul again an al jazerra. >>> there was gunfire today at the site of recovery efforts in northeastern afghanistan following last week's mudslide police clashing with people getting aid firing shots in to the air trying to disburse the crowds. relief is lowly beginning to trickle in for the 4,000 people who have been affected but many say they are frustrated with the government's slow response, 250 people now confirmed dead. it's believed that as many as 2,000 may be buried alive. that slide is one of the poorest regions in afghanistan.

. >> we do not recognize the sections of donetske and luhansk. >>> focus remains on the presidential election. >> we want to see a democratically. >> not going to be an easy rote for michael sam. >> every team that passed me i was taking an active quarterback. >> we begin with the tragedy unfolding in. boko haram releasing what it claims to be the girls kidnapped in nigeria april the 15th, supposedly sold as slaves. the leader says the group allows the seizing and selling of slaves. these girls will not leave our hands until you release our brothers in prison. we are joined by rawya ragya from abuja. >> there hearnt been a government speech per say, but independently, one level of government officials saying they are considering all option he but on another level, the minister of the interior maintaining the government line, they will not are negotiating with the people who they describe as terrorists. it took a long time to publicly acknowledge or for the president goodluck jonathan to admit. >> has anyone in the nigerian government been able to confirm that the video actually does

there could be some fighting around luhansk as there has been. as you say -- >> david stern i'm so story. we're going to leave it there actually. that line is obviously having problems. apologies for. that hope we got a gist of what he was saying about the ongoing tensions in that region. stay with us on bbc world news. there's more to come. taking old age for a test drive. we try on the suit hopefully to prepare younger people for challenges of life. (growls) (man) that's a good look for you. (woman) that was fun. (man) yeah. (man) let me help you out with the.. (woman)...oh no, i got it. (man) you sure? (woman) just pop the trunk. (man vo) i may not know where the road will lead, but... i'm sure my subaru will get me there. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. i dbefore i dosearch any projects on my home. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. >>> this is bbc world news. i'm geet

separatists in the region of donetsk and luhansk held a vote and it is said the vote is the illegal and could result in the self destruction of those regions. turn out was high despite attempts by ukrainian forces to block election workers from carrying out that vote. donetsk and luhansky have a combined 6 million people but only areas living under separatist rule went to the polls. today's vote went ahead despite calls from vladimir putin for postponement. more from the refer endsum from donetsk. >> hastyly arranged, low budget, the referendum drew large numbers of voters to a small number of polling stations in towns and cities across the east of ukraine. this was the regional center of donetsk, would-be seat of the people's repuckp publicblic of donetsk. the ballot asks whether they agree with the proclamation of the people's republic or not. the word something vague on how much autonomy they should have. most here want little more to do with the central government in kiev. >> well, big crowds have turned out to vote. just one question on the ballot paper, a simplier than. the proble

. >> we respect the will of the residence of the donetsk and luhansk region. dialogue between representatives of kiev, donetsk and luhansk. >> to talk more about ukraine was and is referendum will mean, we're joined by stpehen cohen from new york university and princeton university. his most recent book is, "soviet fates and lost alternatives: from stalinism to the new cold war." he recently cowrote an article for the nation with katrina vanden heuvel headlined, "cold war against russia -- without debate." so the significance of this election? >> the referendum yesterday? to make relations between moscow and the united states and europe worse, but it shouldn't. a bunch of people decided to have a referendum, which is no more or less legal than the government in kiev, which came to power from the street. what is interesting about it is that it went off with animal violence, and it tells you a lot of people down there -- minimal violence, and it tells you that a lot of people down there -- we had a slogan that was no taxation without representation. they're sayi

will not recognize sunday's secession referendum in the eastern regions of donetsk and luhansk. she called it illegitimate.ç >> it was illegal under ukrainian law and an attempt to create further division and disorder in the country. its methodology was also highly suspect, with reports of carousel voting, pre-marked ballots, children voting, voting for people who were absent, and even voting in moscow and st. petersburg. >> ifill: separatists in donetsk, however, declared they are ready to join neighboring russia. we have a report from alex thomson of independent television news. >> reporter: barricaded into the regional council building, bolstered by their referendum, for these people, today is day one of the world's newest capital of the peoples republic of donetsk.ç and ten floors up, separatist chairman denis pushilin says it's war. your own key officials say that this area is now at war with kiev, do you agree with that?ç >> ( translated ): every day in fact people are dying in our territory at the hands of those sent by the illegal kiev junta. this is civil war in i

it would be a tremendous burden to take on both donetsk and luhansk. it would take a toll on the economy, for sure, but perhaps even more complicated is really who's in control here. remember, vladimir putin just days before the referendum actually personally asked that the referendum be postponed, but the donetsk people's republic said, no, we're not going to postpone it, we're going to go ahead. so, it calls into question who's really in control of the streets here. we've seen the regional administration is surrounded by barbed wire and barricades. there is men toting guns, wearing balya clavas, and it just seems to be lawlessness with nobody sure who's giving orders or who's actually taking those orders. so, right now, the problem may simply be who's in control. >> yeah, which obviously raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the vote. atika shubert for us there in ukraine. thanks so much. >>> happening now, severe spring storms barreling through the country. millions in its path this morning. indra petersons is tracking what you can expect

maybe 15% of polling stations were open in donetsk and fewer in luhansk if any. what is the top of his to-do list? >> this first trip as a primitive -- as a president will be to donetsk. the second thing on this list will probably be changes of the constitution that they had been going through. that will come in september/october. atwill probably looking early elections at some point. >> president putin surprised us all on friday when he said he will work with whoever the ukrainian people choose. would he think poroshenko's relationship will be with the russians? how is he viewed by the kremlin? >> it will be difficult. start the campaign, poroshenko was portrayed in a not very comfortable light. this factors have been targeted by anti-immigration raids. his bank accounts had also been frozen at one point. it not all comfortable. russia might be willing to work with them. they worked with him before when he was in foreign minister. it may work with him now, but it is not going to be a warm embrace from hooting. if he had wanted to do that, he would already have d

using the people in donetske and luhansk. prefilled ballot paper near slovyansk, the justice minister is saying. the eu says it will not recognize the volt. obviously authorities here in kyiv they say because this is illetting they are absolutely not going to recognize any outcome. it is fair to say that when these people and these do come out with their results, so-called results, that this will put pressure on authorities to destimulate the cries i considering in two weeks today -- cries crisis will be held. >> this time across the entire country. voters will be selecting a new president, projects fellow job fenning. whether they will be able to move forward with that vote. >> to the extent the kyiv government isn't able to exercise control or wher or infe over this country. an election across the country is very, very risky at this point. it's very hard to conceive of it being conducted in a conceivable way free and fair. this is what pp president putins long said and long called for. if kyiv government is not able to prev

>> so in luhansk we had something around 80%. >> and there are a lot of people in those regions that are not really recognizing president poroshenko. what are you going to be trying to do to make sure that the president is legitimate in the whole of ukraine? >> first of all, these people, they could not, because they were threatened by the weaponry, the polling stations were seized and occupied by the separatists. we know that the support is in that region is absolutely evident that people are supporting not the radicals, but supporting those who have the pro european progress. look at the first fo four leades of the election. they were all representing the pro european part of the ukrainukrainian political. >> the u.n. security council meeting on this issue is due to start in the next hour. we will be following those developments. thank you so much for sharing your views with us. >> thank you, thank you. >> now france's far right group of the u.n. parliament. that's the national party winning the vote in france. the vote has the backing of right wing parties in the netherlands, aust

just to remind you in terms of the results of those referendums, we're looking for luhansk up to 95% support. we don't quite know at this stage what the turnout was of course. for donetsk, 89%. those are sizable overwhelming figures of support among those that bothered to take part in that vote. how on earth is kiev going to respond to that? we can speak to the ambassador at large for the ukrainian foreign minister. he joins me live from kiev. thank you very much indeed for joining us here on "gmt." overwhelming support for self rule whatever that may be. what do you do next? >> well, for starters, the reason overwhelming support, this is a support among some people who came to the polling stations. there was no verification on the usual printer. the election commission -- i can't imagine anybody seriously calling it referendum. >> obviously the pro russian supporters see it that way. i appreciate your point. what in that case do you do about that? >> well, we should do what we were supposed to do to organize a broad domestic political dialogue that would include the people in questi

not everyone could do so in the eastern regions of luhansk and donetsk. the majority of polling stations were unable to open because of threats from row prussian separatists. it's clear the winner of the election by a landslide is the billionaire chocolate maker petro poroshenko. he is insisting on the return of crimea. there's been fighting at the donetsk international airport. pro russian separatists apparently taking over part of the building with helicopter gun ships. ukrainian gun ships reported to be circling overhead and firing down. machine gunfire comes from the ground. one building is believed to be on fire. we'll get more in a meeoment. more of the news of the presidential election. >> petro poroshenko is a familiar face in politics. he always played a supporting role. now the 48-year-old chocolate king appears poised to take over the reigns of power. the results are not final, but he is already outlining his plans. chief on his list, a relations with russia. >> i hope that the world will support us. i hope mostly that the russian federation wi

this russian from luhansk says she's determined ovote . >> can you understand? no kyiv authority can convince us otherwise. >> are the pro-russian militants control just a few buildings, under what conditions even who controls the voting list. all questions not likely to be answered by sunday. today ukrainian troops be fought to drive is pro-russian rebels from police headquarters on a town, between annexed crimea and russia. one of the biggest battles yet as kyiv fights to regain control. more than 20 people, ukraine calls them quote terrorists are reported killed and the rebilities say there could be -- rebels say there could be no talk of peaceful dialogue. >> "america tonight"'s sheila macvicar. sheila, tell us, if there is no hope for return to peaceful dialogue, what are the imloaments diplomats doing? >> sergey lavrov calling john kerry, talked about the need to return to the table, the need for a negotiated agreement, security in europe and off please make -- oh please make sure that those in kyiv talk to the militants because we can't go back to the tab

it's due to take place on sunday in the eastern cities and towns controlled by separatists in luhansk and donetsk. organizers say they have spent over 1,000 euro on materials for the referendum. >> several members of the red cross, held by separatists in eastern ukraine have been released. one worker was badly beaten. activists in donetsk say the group was captured on suspicion of spying. >> paul brennan is live in donetsk. let's talk about the referendum first. how is that playing out and what do they hope to achieve? >> well, if you believe the organizers here in donetsk... >> we have lost paul brennan, terribly sorry. we'll try to get him up later. more to come in the newshour, including homeless and desperate - chaos hampers relief efforts for the afghanistan landslide victims. >> plus, it's a little scary to know someone is watching me. >>> why traffic cameras are making some people in chicago uncomfortable. >>> in sport, the indiana pacers show why they are a favourite to win the n.b.a. championship. the latest from the playoffs coming up. >>> there has been a breakthrough in ef

in the lathest incident, 100 kilometers north of luhansk. separatist leaders say they are safe and will be freed soon. >>> 23 people have been arrested in spain after riots broke out in barcelona. police evicted squatters, 300 extra riot police have been deployed to keep things under control. >>> egyptian presidential candidate abdel fatah al-sisi is promising new future, 92% of the vote. hundreds who boycotted the polls have been staging anti-coup rallies as georgi jamal fasal r. >> egypt's second largest city, alexandria, thousands of political prisoners currently behind bars. activists are billing this the second indian intefada. some say the number is as high as 40,000. many are crammed into small rooms forced to sleep on the ground with little or no sunlight. forcing prisoners to take drastic measures in a bid to secure their freedom. >> they treat my father very badly. they treat us badly when we go to visit him. that's why we have decided to gather with him to start an open-ended hunger strike until he is trowrnd us a free man. >> che

dozens of polling stations in the eastern regions of donetsk and luhansk have been taken over. there has been no campaigning. the few posters of presidential candidates that could be seen on the streets have now been removed. any show of support toward kiev was quickly silenced. we met natalia nedsky away from his workplace. he is one of the few people left still trying to save election day here >> translator: because of the moment, it's very important. usually, i speak russian, but now, i am speaking ukrainian as a matter of principle, to show our position, to show that there are people who want peace and unity for this country. >> unity is ever elusive. the run-up to the election has been marched by blood -- marred by blood and violence with an area of militias attacking each other. armed men were often seen on the streets in a show of force. to keep order in the new republic, they say. but for many, it felt more like intimidation. but perhaps one of the biggest threats to the election is a lack of enthusiasm among those who still regard the east as ukraine. >> vote where? th

donetsk and luhansk well 6.7 million people. but only people under separatist control are voting. organizers say there are more than 3,000 polling stations. people are being asked one question in ukrainian and one in russian. do you support self rule? a recent opinion poll suggests more than two-thirds of people in the east don't support the separatist movement to join russia and break away from the ukraine. but polls also show that the majority in the east reject the new government in kyiv. in a moment, we will go to kim vannel but first, to paul brennan, who is outside a polling station in donetsk. but i guess it's not hard to speculate about what the outcome is going to be, paul? >> reporter: no. i think the outcome is a foregone conclusion. i am here at school 12, which is in the east of central donetsk. you can see we have had an ebbing and flowing. there was a hughes queue outside weight, people waiting in the sun. still a steady flow of people voting. they come in, register with ids or passports, pick up a ballot paper. some of them wait to use, in this polling station, a v

. >> at the start of the week there were heavy clashes in the astern ukrainian city of luhansk. the army moved in to retake the city. with both sides armed with heavy weapons, the fighting lasted for hours. the clashes left 30 separatists dead. four government soldiers were also killed. in the end, government troops were unable to retake the city. >> ukrainian soldiers cannot shoot at civilians. this is our limitation, which ur enmay is making f.a.a. full use of. our enemy is hiding behind civilians and shooting at us. >> the situation in ukraine remains tenls. then on wednesday, there was a change of tone from moscow. after talks, president putin urged ukrainian rebels to delay a planned re-- secession vote. >> we are requesting that representatives of ukrainian southeast delay the referendum planned for may 11. >> putin also voiced support for presidential elections scheduled for may 25 in ukraine, calling them a step in the right direction. collection -- elections that moscow had previously described as absurd. on the ground, putin's words appeared to make little difference.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> gunshots rinking out across luhansk. far from the only hot spot in eastern ukraine. a uniform live reports for you coming up. >>> also, global anger toward the nigerian government. find out what's being done right now to rescue hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls. >>> of course, we rolled out healthcare.gov. that could have gone better. >> well timed understatement there from the u.s. president garners big laughs at the white house correspondents dinner. we'll have more of mr. obama's self deprecating humor. >>> hey there, everyone. i hope you're enjoying your sunday. a warm welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. this is "cnn newsroom." clashing between government troops and pro-russia activists at this moment are threatening to take ukraine into a full-scale civil war. take a look at this. now, these scenes played out in the eastern city of donetsk. protesters there siding with russia, smashing their way into the ukrainian security building. being now played out in luhansk. gunfire there rang out in the

as much as 90% of voters in donetsk and neighboring luhansk voting to separate from ukraine. cnn correspondents on the scene, however, reported seeing many people like this woman vote once, and then vote again. and officials in kiev were quick to dismiss the election as pure fiction. >> translator: that farce which the separatists call a referendum is nothing more than propaganda and an excuse for those crimes. awful crimes such as murder, torture, and kidnappings. >> reporter: russian officials express some public support for the vote. >> translator: we respect the will of the residents of the donetsk and luhansk regions and practical implementation of the results of the vote will be carried out in a civilized way. >> reporter: moscow did not declare it would annex the provinces as president putin did shortly after crimea held a similar referendum in march. with crucial national elections approaching may 25th, european officials intensified efforts to find a diplomatic solution. backed up now by a modest new round of economic sanctions targeting a handful of russian official

voting also for independence, luhansk mad -- may soon hold a referendum on joining russia. the mayor is calling for russian military help. four weeks, the rebel stronghold has seen fighting between armed separatists and ukrainian forces. >> we need russian troops to for oure stability, people first and foremost, and to ensure a peaceful future and eligible -- and our region. ukrainian troops as occupiers and what he calls the independent people's republic. you can government place the blame on russia -- the ukrainian government laces the blame on russia. >> for more reaction from russia let's bring in our moscow correspondent. has there been any reaction so far from the kremlin to these requests to join russia? >> rebels and the eastern part of ukraine asked to join russia but there hasn't been a reaction from official moscow on that. in terms of a statement on the referendum, it doesn't specifically say that russia recognizes the results of the referendum but it does say that moscow respect the will of the people, and some experts in russia believe it is the bargaining chi

it's due to take place on sunday n the cities, and towns controlled by separatists in luhansk and donetsk. organizers say they have spend over 1,000 euros on materials. >>> campaigning in the world's biggest election is coming to an end. it's been an aggressive election in india. b.j.p. leads in many exit polls. it's too early to ta whether it will win 232 seats required to form the next government. the prime ministerial candidate narendra modi is running. we are there. >> reporter: the holy city is marking the final day of campaigning in india's marathon 5-week long elections. it's been a mammoth process, the largest democratic exercise on the planet. 814 eligible voters expected to take part. more than double the population of the united states. a pletedera of plit -- plethora of political parties are vying for votes. the opposition b.j.p.'s campaign is led by narenda modi, who is expected to get the most number of seats in india's lower house, and expected to then form coalition deals and form india's future government. the results will not be known until may 16th, of course. the other

in both luhansk and donetske claim they overwhelmingly credit voted for sovereignty, asking to be a part of russia. meanwhile, russia is talking for talks between kyiv and representatives from those 60s. but kyiv and western leaders don't accept the results. british foreign secretary william haig say the results are suspect. >> they are illegal, don't mead standard not the single standard of be objectivity or fairness and properly conducted and the public referendum and election and the people organizing them didn't really even pretend to meet any of those standards. the important thing is that the ukrainian elections go ahead on the 25th of may. >> there were some violent exchanges during sunday's vote. some ukraine yarian voters prevd some from going to vote. several people were injured in the clashes. >>> pro-russian separatists say are self-rule is what they want ant continue to guard their new territory. jonah hull has are more. >> the donetske people's republic, on his wall, a crude hint of things to come. borders redrawn in marker-pen. huge chunks of the south and eastern ukraine

pro-russian supporters are gaining the upper hand in luhansk. >>> ukraine declared three days of mourning after more than 30 died in a burning building occupied by pro-russian demonstrators. jody hull is in odessa with the latest. >> reporter: perhaps unsurprising there are competing narratives about what happened, depending on which side you speak to. the pro-russian side insists that many of the people who died in the burning building were victims of mob justice carried up by supporters of kiev. on the other side a peaceful march was broken up by gun-wielding pro-russian mobs. there are overarching questions - who started the fire when both sides were lobbing molotov cocktails at each other and who was inside the building. the government suggests that there is evidence among the dead is russian citizens and people brought across from pro-russian transnistrya the breakaway province of mohl deafa. turn to the police is not going to help. they say an inquiry is under way. the prime minister is in odessa. this morning he has blamed the security forces themselves for failing to act to stop t

and in another contested region, luhansk, ukrainian border guards said they seized vehicles and weapons from gunmen who tried to bring in munitions from russia overnight. the ukrainian offensive intensified on the heels of billionaire petro poroshenko's claiming victory in sunday's presidential election. russian president vladimir putin called today for ukraine to end its offensive against the separatists. and foreign minister sergei lavrov warned ukraine and poroshenko to reconsider their strategy. >> ( translated ): if they are counting on suppressing resistance in the southeast with before poroshenko's expected inauguration and enabling him to go there as a victor, i don't think this will create good conditions for a warm welcome in the donetsk region. the military action has to be stopped immediately. >> warner: still, in kiev, ukraine's first deputy prime minister insisted the operation in the east will continue until, in his words, "not a single terrorist remains." a member of ukraine's national security staff told me today that as bloody as this counter- offensive is, it could ge

those in areas under separatist control will be able to vote, in donetsk and luhansk. let's cross to dooun esque. tell us what is the wording. what is asked on the ballot paper? >> what is being asked here at the polling station in donetsk and the region and lugansk is whether the people favour self-rule. but think about it. that word, self-rule, is home to different interpretations. the feeling is the posing of the question, the wording has been made coy in order to allow for the there's a widespread variety of opinion, hard liners that would like to rush into the control of russia and others thinking it should remain the east of ukraine, with greater autoon omy. so the wording of the question has been left deliberately vague, if you like, to catch as many people as possible, and bring them into the ballot. >> self rule or separation is the key, and as you identified is the nuance as well. what is moscow's stewed? do we know what their attitude is in terms of whether they want a separate east or a more east-leaning ast? . >> in recent days moscow has publicly at least

. >> representatives of luhansk announced they'd do like wees. >> in the stronghold of slovyansk, the focus of an effort by ukranian forces to dislodge armed pro-russian groups, the message - here, too, they are ready for sunday's vote. >> the majority of the region and the city will vote positively. i know this because i have talked to citizens in all sectors of the population. everyone supports us and wants a better solution. >> with that, in the cornes of eastern ukraine, vladimir putin's potential was dismissed. >> translation: i can only expect, and i think all the cities in donetsk agree with us, the separation from ukraine from the donetsk people's republic. >> translation: we are oriented to the european public. all our roots are here in russia. >> with soviet music blaring across the square. this is the music occupied by representatives of the people's republics. after sunday's vote, many here hope it will become the seat of an autonomous government. and the hopes raised by vladimir putin on wednesday of a resolution to this crisis in ukraine appear to be unfounded. >>> we ar

at the same time i was calling and texting with officials i knew back in donetsk and luhansk and it was chaos and most didn't even dare to open. >> margaret warner in kiev, thanks so much. >> my pleasure, hari. >>> and now to our signature segment. we thought this holiday weekend when millions of americans go to barbecues was a good time to rebroadcast this story we first brought you in december. that's because it's about obesity. millions of americans suffer from it as do millions of mexicans. that nation recently launched an ambitious national program to combat the problem. its biggest component, increasing taxes on foods loaded with saturated fats and sugary drinks. it's all being done with the assistance of former new york city mayor michael bloomberg. martin fletcher reports. ♪ >> reporter: every sunday mexico city tens of thousands answer their president's challenge to exercise one hour a day. mexico's health ministry says its citizens are too fat. yoga classes on the city's main reforma avenue. nearby zumba, five straight hours of latin american dance and aerobics all overseen

. >> we also are very concerned about efforts of pro-russian separatists in donetsk in luhansk, to organise, frankly, a contrived, bogus, independent referendum on may 11th. we flatly reject this illegal effort to further divide ukraine, and the pursuit will create more problems in the effort to de-escalate the situation. >> it's been six months since typhoon haiyan struck the philippines. many survivors have been forced to fend for themselves. >> reporter: pedro hopes that every little thing built in his new home means that he is slowly finding a place to store away a painful memory. he lost 22 members of his family - his wife, children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters and cousins. six have not been found until now. he is left with his only son. all the others died when typhoon haiyan struck the philippines last november. >> translation: i dream of my grandchildren - how i used to play with them. i dream of me coming home to my wife. i remember the voices of my children. they will never leave my mind. >> he met the president aquino a few months ago and felt privileged to have shaken hi

there are also reports of fighting at a military base in lujan's -- luhansk city in a neighboring base, and there are reports of casualties on both sides. as you can see, the events are rapidly developing. >> there are still protesters behind you there on the maidan, but ukraine has already held elections. what are they planning to do? >> yes, you are absolutely correct. there are still people out there. there are still barricades. traffic is still blocked, despite the fact that newly elected mayor promised to clear off the main square from protesters. today, they issued a so-called joint declaration that until their demands are met, all those responsible for corruption and so on and so forth will be there as a reminder for the current government that they can also be removed by the same protest. >> thanks for joining us with that update from kiev. russia is ramping up pressure on ukraine to pay its outstanding natural gas bill. russian state-run exporter gazprom says kiev will soon go over $5 billion when the bill is tallied up. >> gazprom has now threatened to cut off gas supplies an