. hopes dashed as argentina's president loses ground in elections. . hello, this is al jazeera from doha. >> a u.s. envoy heads to syria in attempts at peace talks. political standoff - why three months on from an election opposition politicians in cam bodia are boycotting parliament. and saying goodbye to a rock

legend - velvet underground frontman lou reed dies, aged 71. . argentina's ruling party has kept copt of congress -- control of congress in elections. the opposition has made gains. cristina fernangez de kirchner's party has lost seats in four districts, ending her chances of changing the constitution to allow her to stand for a third term. >> putting on a brave face. sunday's midterm elections confirmed they had lost, but they still celebrated. "we will build the dream of a better argentina", said the vice

president defiantly. >> in buenos aires province, which accounts for 40% of votes, president cristina fernangez de kirchner's former chief of staff, now a rival, comfortably beats the star candidate for congress. >> sergio massa, more business friendly than the president is mentioned as a front runner for the 2015 presidential race. >> trans-tran let's open -- trants trants let's >> translation: let's open our arms and respect our differences. >> this election was clearly a litmus test of the public mood and a sign that the 10 year cristina fernangez de kirchner hera is ending, even though cristina fernangez de kirchner was re-elected by a landslide a few years ago. a year ago the party was looking for a landslide again, enough to allow cristina fernangez de

kirchner a third term in office. now that is out. soaring inflation, corruption and crime - as well as the president's authoritarian style are to blame. cristina fernangez de kirchner's victory front party is the largest political force with the largest number of deputyies in congress, but the president no longer has a free ride. >> she'll need to compromise in congress to obtain legislation. there's no doubt that without complete control that the cristina fernangez de kirchner's have during 10 years is finished. >> how the often temperamental president will react is uncertain, as she remains out the sight, recovering after undergoing emergency surgery this month. >> in columbia farc rebels freed a former u.s. marine. kevin scott sutay was kidnapped in june whilst trekking through the jungle. columbian police warned him not

to travel in the region. we have more from bogota. >> 26 years old kevin scott sutay was released on sunday, after spending more than four months in the columbian jungle. he was captured in june by the biggest rebel group, the farc while he was backpacking in this remote region of columbian. he's been handed over to a delegation of red cross, and the cuban government. he's been flown to bogota, and appears to be in good condition and should be able to travel back to the u.s. late on sunday. negotiations for his release have been going on for months - since the beginning of his ordeal, but have been complicated by the fact that the forkthought he was a mercenary involved in

anti-counterinurgency activities in columbia. the liberation, the release was complicated by the agreement between farc and the government. kevin scott sutay is a veteran of the war in afghanistan and since his discharge has been travelling to central and south america as a backpacker, trekking through many regions, until he got to the area which is a remote area, it's a conflict region, a rebel strong hold and drug route. local authorities tried to warn him not to walk through the area. it seemed like he didn't follow the advice. >> spain has become the latest country to summon a u.s. ambassador after reports the national security agency monitored 60 million phone calls, text messages and emails of spanish citizens. the nsa says barack obama did

not know that angela merkel's phone was tapped. german media reported that the u.s. president was informed in 2010 about the phone monitoring. a reporter said the u.s. president must have known the phone tapping was going on. >> this is exactly the kind of intelligence that almost certainly is included in daily intelligence briefs to the president, which, of course, are, you know, the things that are most interesting to the political leadership of this country. so that's why i think that it would be highly unlikely that the president would not have been informed about the fact that the prime minister was being monitored in that way. and that certain tied bits of intelligence must certainly have been - made their way into the oval office in that fashion. this is a serious problem politically for the united

states with germany, because of the particular sensitivityies of the german political system, because, of course, the stasi's role in privacy and very aggressive way during the communist period. this is a particularly sensitive issue for the germ jrns more than in other -- general jrnings more than in other european companies. . >> the united nations security council will hold talks before fighting in the democratic republic of congo killed a u.n. peace keeper. the congolese army says it's taken over a number of towns from the m23. the rebels retreated to the rwandan border. they have threatened to pull out of peace talks in you ganda. >> three people have been killed in china's tiananmen square. a car crashed into pedestrians

and into the crowd. several people, including a police officer, have been injured. the square has been evacuated. >> at least 21, 2.1 million syrian refugees in neighbouring countries are registered with the u.n. or awaiting registration. in syria the arabic groups are to arrive in damascus for talks, to meet the president and foreign minister. lakhdar brahimi is trying to build support for peace talks planned for geneva next month. the main rebel groups refused to take part. >> lakhdar brahimi's visit to damascus is part of a regional tour. he's visited iraq, egypt, kuwait, imam and kata and met the king of jordan in a country that hosts over half a million syrian refugees. on thursday he held talks with

leaders of the free syrian army and others fighting against the government. on sunday he met iran's president telling him this his country's presence is necessary for the geneva talks to succeed. >> abdul ham eed joins us from beirut. what are we expecting from lakhdar brahimi's visit to damascus? >> well, it will be a difficult visit, if you read the state controlled media in syria. they are saying lakhdar brahimi is welcome, but should not represent particular parties, he should be impartial. they described him and mocked him a bit like an ageing tourist going around the region trying to find a solution that may not be there. the syrian government will tell them what they've been saying, that they will not discuss or sit at the table with anyone who held up weapons, or anyone with a link to a foreign state.

that basically means that it won't sit down with the syrian national council or any members of the free syrian farmee. that's a tactic that damascus has been doing, saying it will spoke only to the patry otic opposition. who that is is not clear - certainly not the people fighting against bashar al-assad. and those leading power and paving the way for a transitional period. >> we have the rebel groups or many of them declaring that they won't go to this so-called geneva ii peace conference, which is slaighted to be held in november. will that happen? >> well, that is another major obstacle for lakhdar brahimi, in the sense that, as you said, about 19 rebel groups said they will not go there. and anyone going there will be treated as a traitor. i think that's one of the biggest challenges of the syrian

opposition. it is not united. when statements like this come out it underlines how ununited it is. the second issue is that the syrian opposition, those willing to go to geneva say we are only going there if we discuss the ways that bashar al-assad will lead the leadership of syria and bringing about a transitional government. it seems like a difficult mission at this time. specifically also you have to bear in mind that bashar al-assad feels that somehow he has the upper hand maybe militarily. he has been complying with the chemical weapons file well and on time. he admitted a few days ago his file about how he'll destroy all the chemical weapons, and the details of the program. on one side he feels that he has the upper hand, whilt the opposition is really disunited and giving different signals. >> thank you for the update

who'da. live from beirut. >> inspectors have completed the first phase of their mission to destroy syria's chemical weapons, and they say the government submitted a detailled plan to eliminate stockpiles. damascus allowed access to sites. the u.n. plan is to destroy syria's weapons by the middle of next year. >> more than 60 people have been killed in the latest bomb afacts in iraq. 10 bombs went off in mine lay shi'ite -- mainly shi'ite areas of baghdad. a suicide bomb went off in mosul. >> clearing debris and washing away the blood. this is what it looked like after one in a series of four car bombings and suicide attacks in the mostly shia neighbourhoods in baghdad. >> what happened here today is a kat as trough ni - a child, woman and a father.

three members of the same family have been kill. >> it was too similar in other areas. the number of attacks in iraq grew steadily for months and people are demanding answers. >> cars were set on fire and shops damaged. why does this happen to us. where did they come from. it's not a human being that commits an act. it cannot be a european >> iraq's opposition says a corrupt and lock sided government -- lopsided government contributed to sectarianism. sunni politicians are accused of supporting terrorist groups like al qaeda. after this much death there seems no real move to bridge the divide between shia and sunni muslims. >> prime minister nouri al-maliki is heading to the u.s. and is hopeful of winning a third term in upcoming elections. a recent study estimated as many as half a million people died in

iraq since the u.s. invasion. getting rid of a dictator made no difference in the lives of many people who today have to bury their family. >> still to come on this program - georgia set for a new president. we'll get the russian perspective on the results live from moscow. >> plus - casting their ballots to choose their village leaders. police on high alert in polling booths in the philippines.

hello again.

a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. >> argentina's president cristina fernangez de kirchner bid to run for a third bid is over. the ruling party holds the majority, but doesn't have enough seats to amend the constitution. >> the u.n. arabic envoy lakhdar brahimi is due to arrive in damascus. he's trying to drum up support for an international peace conference on syria, set to take place next month. >> three people have been killed in china's tiana men scare. several people, including a police officer were injured after the car ran through the barriers. >> exit polls in georgia's election put the prime minister on force. results indicate that georgi margvelashvili has taken more than 63% of the votes, enough to avoid a run-off in the forker

soviet republic. let's look at the issues that came up. creating jobs for 4.5 million people is a top priority. campaigns focused on georgia's brittle relationship with russia. ties were severered after the two former allies fought a short border war in 2008. we'll talk about this with a russian analyst in a moment. corruption is of contention. dozens of the outgoing president's team faced charges, some have been gaoled. we have this report >> celebrations to mark the end of an era and the beginning of a new tile of government in georg georgia. georgi margvelashvili is set to take the presidency with two-thirds of the vote, and has one man to thank, the prime minister. >> translation: i'd like to thanking a person who is -- thank a person oh is important

to me. my friend mikheil saakashvili. >> although the new president will be head of state. constitutional changes means real power is about it transfer to bidzina ivanshivili. the prime minister claims to have restored georgia democracy and believes the nation should be grateful >> translation: a second round shows that georgians would not have a sense of gratitude. we would have won any. victory would have come. i wanted to make sure my feelings are right, i understand you correctly and i love you. >> rival candidates appear not to have come close. david bakradze conceded defeat. nino burjanadze pledged to hold out until official results are in. >> i know people are active and we had real support. i am sure the numbers which will come will be different and that

polls have been publicised. >> a roouful mikheil saakashvili is leaving after 10 years at the top, his departure completing a changeover of power, beginning with his administrations defeat last year. >> georgia will go through a terrible period. looks like it, no matter the result of the elections. we have a serious setback, unfortunately in the economy. in our international situation and reputation, i think it's - i hope it's reversible. >> the prime minister is georgia's richest man. mikheil saakashvili denies he'll exert influence. he handpicked georgi margvelashvili, and now bidzina ivanshivili appears to be choosing his own sug cessor --

successor. it's unclear where the real power will lie. >> dmitry bab itch joins us from moscow. thank you for being with us. what's russia's reaction to this georgi margvelashvili win? >> first of all, it's seen as a gat and hum ill -- gat -- gat and humiliation with mikheil saakashvili. his relations were a disaster since coming to power in 2003. relations worsened. there was a short war, and still we don't have diplomatic relations with georgia. so what happened is seen as a signal a georgian people do not like mikheil saakashvili, or his outer liberal poll circumstances and probably don't like his anti-russian foreign policy. >> they were looking for a change, but we do have a new man

looking to pursue close ties with russia and the west. do you think that dual course is possible? >> well, i think that mikheil saakashvili will have to choose. he may not be loyal to rushe splittic -- russia politically. he'll continue his own foreign policy. he's been manoeuvring between russia and the west. if he's serious about joining the european union, they will require him to worsen relations with russia. that happened with ukraine. i don't see how it will be avoided by georgia. >> you think he'll have to choose, he can't pursue both tracks? >> if the foreign policy of the european union changes, and sees russia as a threat tore

competitor, it will be a very happy one for everyone, because then georgia will be able to develop close ties with russia and the rest of europe. right now the stans of the european union is anti-rush j. and the media. >> what overtures will russia make to the new leadership to try to improve ties? >> already tourism started between russia and georgia. it's a small amount. russia is the main potential market for georgian tourists. we have been in the same country for almost 250 years, and people know georgia well and love it in russia. so russia may restart some of the economic tie, but certainly everything will depend on georgi margvelashvili and his team. if they decide to go the

anti-russian way, i think it will be worse for georgia and russia. >> we appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. thank you for speaking to us. >> security forces are on full alert in the philippines where more than 50 million are electing their chairman. many have been killed in election-related violence. hundreds have been arrested for violating an election-gun ban. with more than 500 firearms confiscated. at least five people have been killed in bangladesh during a nationwide antigovernment strike. thousands of riot police have been deployed across dhaka. a shutdown caused by the opposition will continue until tuesday night. they want a nonpolitical caretaker government to oversee elections in january. >> more than three months after national elections in cam bodia

opposition politicians are refusing to take their seats in parliament, accusing the ruling party of fraud. >> in cam bodia religion has been a source of guidance. the spiritual source of life rarely crossing into the political arena. >> that is changing. this is one of several monks taking part in antigovernment protests. >> translation: according to buddhist teachings monks have the right to participate in social activities, especially when the people are suffering from injustice. >> the opposition accuses the ruling party of using fraud to return to power. they led a series of mass rallies. during the latest demonstration thousands of people marched across pyongyang to hand over a petition with 2 million thumb

prints to the u.n. and foreign embassies. they are trying to pressure the government to allow an independent investigation into the elections. >> the government has no legitimacy and cannot do business with the rest of the world. unless these issues are resolved properly. >> opposition politicians who won 55 seats out of 123 are boycotting parliament. on the day that members of parliament from the ruling party were sworn in, the opposition were in another city. the government has indicated it's not about to give in to their demands. >> it's a tactic by the opposition, by their leader to gain power. the national election committee has said the cambodian people's party won the election. >> the only concession the government made is to announce it will hold a forum on elect

ral reform. the opposition has threatened to widen protests, confined to the capital. cam bodia's political stalemate looks set to continue. >> pioneering american musician lou reed died at the age of 71. you'll probably best remember him as the creative fours behind the velvet underground, an influential rock band of the 19 '60s, and '70s. korlos molina is in new york. >> for lou reed life was expressed through music. his band, velvet underground, set the tone for rock in the punk music movement in the 1960, and early '70s. >> for a lot of people who like punk music. lou was as important was any of the beatles. >> back in the "60, lou reed and

others called this place home at one time or another. they used what they saw in the hallways of this hotel as musical inspiration. fans dropped off flowers in front of the chelsea to pay tribute to reed. >> the velvet underground was years ahead of their time. lou reed - he sort of was the godfather of punk rock. >> when i was in hospital he was my musical taste. growing up in a small town in wyoming, listening to that music - it was bizarre and different than the country western i listened to. >> reed and the velvet underground mixed music with art, collaborating with andy warhol. as influential as it was, their first album sold few copies. >> the classic quote about the velvet underground is that only 30,000 or so brought velvet underground records, but every one of those went on to start a rock band. so much of what lou did with the

velvet underground prestaged punk and everything that was called alternative rock in the "80, and "90s. >> reed had greater success as a solo artist after the velvet underground broke up in the mid '70s. >> he never stopped making music or changing. he had commercial success with transformer. it was an album produced by david bowie. reed made no secret of his problems with drugs and alcohol. he underwent a liver transplant in year. the velvet underground was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1996. lou reed collaborated recently with mettalica and toured with his new band. he added vocals to the 2012 album "syn this, heti --

synthettica." it will be his time with velvet underground that most fans will remember when they think of lou reed. . just a reminder you can keep up to date with the news on the website aljazeera.com. >> slavery in nepal has been abolished, by law. but behind the high walls of many city homes here, young girls continue to serve as slaves. known as kamlari, they are the daughters of indebted farmers, sold to landlords for little to no money.