i'm david shuster in for ali velshi. for everyonal real >> the celebrations continue on a new political dawn in the world's largest democracy. india says hello to a new prime minister elect, narendra modi. hello, david foster - you're watching al jazeera. also coming up in the next 30 minutes - the heaviest rain in the balkans in a century. thousands awaiting evacuation. tear gas and water canons as grief from the mine disaster

turns violent is step forward in police talks between the columbian government and f.a.r.c. rebels - this time on the drugs trade. india's prime minister elect received a hero's welcome in new delhi. narendra modi's supporters are holding a parade after his victory. his hindu nationalist party, b.j.p., drew a majority - the first time in three decades that a single party has down that. let's go to the indian capital to our correspondent. you had a chance to look at the papers. give us an idea of how narendra modi's victory is being received. >> reporter: yes, i think the country is stunned by the

victory. over 266 seats, topping to 330 with allies. the papers are awash with modi. indian express says he'll deliver the first single party in 30 years, "i'm your servant, an ordinary man." then the asian age says it's a tsunamo. the picture of the post-election page is narendra modi meeting his mother asking for her blessing before the vote count on friday. the delhi expecial says seven out of seven seats - the union state of the capital delhi have gone from congress to delhi, happening in the states of googerate across the board, a wipe out.

"the times" of india giving the congress party an opit uary. first family faces the deepest party - not just them, but the congress party. they are in a shambles. >> we talk about the size of the b.j.p.'s victory and the congress party doesn't have enough votes to form an official opposition. the question is why? what has changed in india. why do people want a turn around? >> it's easy to use the word change. we have heard it so many times in general elections after used by barack obama in the united states. over the past five years, there has been a deterioration in governments, as far as they are concerned, and a high level of corruption. we are not talking about getting a form from an office or civil

service - big corruption with big players. a lot were connected to the coalition government. led by the congress party and its allies. many of them were tarred in these allegations. the public didn't like it. add to that the big issues: remember the rape in 20 is it. cal vannizing the public. what is good govern arranges they did not see it. you've seep in its own state, the the economy, and people looked at goodrah and said "we'd like some of that in our state", he promises he'll do that in the 50 months he's been given in this term of office. . >> we have promises of good govern arranges war on corruption, low inflation, more jobs. if you promise people the world,

you have to be able to deliver. after a honeymoon period, people will expect to see results, aren't they? the referee: they are. with a huge mandate it will be a lost opportunity if narendra modi didn't make his mark. he has a majority in parliament. he'll be able to push through legislation. the 29 states are a different matter. each ruled by a chief minister, and in relative periodic elections, the state-wide elections - every two to four years - turn around the political make up of that state. not all the states are ruled by b.j.p. ministers. even though he can win centrally, he has to talk, speak and work with chief ministers in the states that the b.j.p. does not have a strong hold in. that will be the test. narendra modi has been a person

who takes charge and has never really thought consep suss. what he says goes. as part of government he has to seek consensus - certainly from other political parties, but the business leaders of the country who have their own opinions about how the economy can improve and the lives of ordinary people on the ground can improve with it. >> thank you very much indeed for the news and the analysis. live for us in new delhi. a horrible natural catastrophe - that is how serbia's prime minister is describing the flood sweeping the ball cans. thousands condition forced from their homes. we have more. >> reporter: stranded on their rooftops, residents flagged down military helicopters in a bosnia town. emergency crews are working around the clock to move

hundreds from their homes. it's the delicate operation. >> translation: i've been in rescue missions before to help victims of fires for snowfall. this is the most difficult i have experienced. the strong wind is making conditions difficult. >> reporter: an inland sea swamped towns in bosnia and hertza gough that. rivers are bursting their banks, including in sarajevo as heavy rain continues to fall. it's not just flooding that's devastating these communities. landslides are consuming everything in their path. >> translation: it's a catastrophe. when we sought the first two houses sliding down, when the place disappeared, you know, we would do nothing but cry. this morning my house, everything i worked for for 36 years, it's all gone. i saved my disabled daughter and

my wife, so it doesn't matter. >> reporter: as the landslides continued, authorities feared landmines laid during the bosnia war could pose a threat beneath the mud and rubble. in serbia, the prime minister says the floods are the biggest water catastrophe his country has ever seen. the earth is sodden and the riff swollen from two months of rain that has fallen in 40 hours. with rain still falling and landslides threatening more homes residents are clipping to all they have left. police in turkey used water canon and tear gas against demonstrators in soma, a town where 300 died in a mining disaster. more from andrew simmonds who is there. >> reporter: a town deep in grief witnessing its police force fighting with demonstrators.

protesters gathered in front of government buildings. as the numbers grew, the riot police tried to disperse them with water capons, tear gas and rubber bullets. many are from south soma. some did not want them to demonstrate. the police pulled back. crowds cheered. they'd been joined by large numbers showing solidarity. >> reporter: the riot police brought the demonstrations into a new dimension. many are minors, they are angry. no one is sure where they go next. >> translation: we don't have guns, why do you attack us? >> reporter: applause for every miner who dresses the police. >> translation: i don't want the police, i want my friends back. >> reporter: this man, a miner for seven years broke down and wept - talking of friends who

have been killed. >> translation: people are not allowed to express their grief. poor, poor soma. the past four days we have been bleeding. the water canon cannot wash the blood away. >> reporter: with newly dug graves, it had been a painful day. official estimates had been revived downwards. the total number of dead is expected to be more than 300. the mine's owners say there was not an electrical fault as reported, but build up of heat causing a collapse. the exact reason for what happened is unknown. the company denies negligence. >> translation: there is no negligence of ours in this incident. i haven't seen an event like this in the last 20 years. i worked as a mine engineer for 20 years and 15 years for workers safety. we are a company that will not

allow harm to our minors. >> reporter: back at the demonstration they stood to aattenti aattention, reciting the national anthem. mining is the national job here. they want to know what killed the men. what the company says raises questions, uncertainty and no comfort. before we move on from this story - worth telling you as we take you to soma - these are live pictures of the energy minister outside the mine. he said that 299 miners have lost their lives. and that there is a fire - another fire, we understand, underground, and that is delaying the rescue work, the removal of the bodies, one assumes, of those still

underground. 299 the government's figure for those that have died, and that there is a fire underground at soma, which is making salvage work, if you like. that much more difficult. syrian government forces launched attacks around damascus. a barrel bomb was dropped near a mosque south-west of the capital on friday. government helicopters are using such bombs around the suburbs to get rid of opposition fighters. the airport has been closed in the eastern libyan city after fighting between armed groups. 24 people are known to have died. 150 have been hurt. it's been led by a retired army general, backed up by military planes, we understand. targeted religious fights. they launched the attack to rid the country of armed groups.

columbia's f.a.r.c. rebels reached a deal with the government to eliminate the illegal drugs trade. talks have been held in cuba. the rebels declared a week-lopping ceasefire to take place during the presidential elections. the two sides aim to end a decades-lopping conflict leaving more than 200,000 dead. we have the latest from bogota. >> reporter: friday's agreement could signal a sea change in the war on drugs in columbia because f.a.r.c., essentially agreed once a full-peace deal was signed to give up on a business financing most of their operation, and they agreed on working with the government and the military in the future, in eliminating the illegal drug trade from columbia, helping in the development and reforms that will be necessary in the region where cocaine production

happened now in columbia. this shows progress towards a full peace deal after six months of negotiating this - a point which was the third in the 5-point agenda of the talks. the announcement came hours after the f.a.r.c. and the second rebel group, the eln, announced a unilateral temporary ceasefire in columbia. presidential elections will happen on may 25th. and it may help the current president's bid for election. he was the front runner, but is in a tight race with his right wing opponent, who is against the peace talks. richard will be along to take a look at the world weather. also coming up, protecting against polio. attempts to eradicate the

disease have been held up by isolated community, and the taliban plus - a cup for a canvas. an artist that loves its coffee.

good to have you with us. you're watching al jazeera with me, david foster. these are the top stories - india's prime minister elect received a hero's welcome in new delhi. narendra modi's supporters are holding a parade after his landslide victory in the general

election. >> in the balkans flooding from the heaviest rains in a century killed five people. thousands have been forced to leave their homes. now, the man who will be india's next prime minister was refused entry to the united states nine years ago. he head made an application for a visa and was turned down. president obama issued a personal invitation. rosalind jordan reports. >> reporter: in diplomatic speech this was the ultimate show of respect from a newly elected u.s. president obama. his first state dinner was hosted for the indian prime minister ma'am uan singh promising a push to help each other's societies. >> the u.s. is importing $5 million more in goods since 2009. india did better, increasing exports to the u.s. by an

additional 20 million, leading the u.s. to file multiple complaints at the u.s. tradeorganization, and narendra modi could help to even the playing field. >> the b.j.p. platform that they campaigned on spoke about the need to open foreign investment where it could be helpful to india. >> reporter: once results are counted white house operators connected president obama with modi, still celebrating. >> once the government is formed we look forward to working closely with the prime minister in the cabinet to advance strong bilateral relationship based on shared democratic valuation. >> reporter: during george bush's presidency narendra modi was denied a visa to the urks because he was -- because he was thought to have encouraged anti-muslim sentiment during a rally in 1992. they have moved on. narendra modi will receive

aninvite as head of state, if not to a formal dinner at least 45 bodies have been recovered from a ferry which capsized in bangladesh. 100 people are missing after thursday's accident. authorities say the ferry was probably overloaded. a plane carrying laos government and military officials crashed in the north-east of the country. the defence minister and deputy prime minister are among those confirmed to have died. other high-level officials were believed to have been on the antan of 74100 plane, including the minister of antram security and a governor. thousands in mooem mar have rallied in support of aung san.

>> reporter: this is one of a series of nation-wide rallies aimed at getting support. one of the clauses the main opposition party wants amended is one that bars anyone from becoming president. that disqualification aung san suy kyi. the other problematic clause is one that requires more than 75% of votes in parliament for any amendment to the constitution. that is a problem because at the moment 25% of seats in parliament are reserved for the military. the opposition says the constitution is un-democratic, serving to entrench the military's hold in power and designed to prevent aung san suy kyi from becoming president.

her party won landslide elections in 1990. the government says there is not enough evidence to suggest that people want constitutional reform. two days ago the president warned there could be unrest if parties working for reform don't work within the boundaries of the law. analysts say this issue is more important because the country is scheduled to hold elections next year. how it's handled is a test of openness and an ability to hold free and fair elections. >> two bombs killed 10, injuring hundreds at a market in kenya. it went off op friday. police said that they have detained a suspect. african leaders will be in france on sunday for a summit on the armed group boko haram. this is after the kidnapping of almost 300 nigerian school girls a month ago. as the security situation in

west and central africa deteriorates, france is getting ready to send 3,000 troops to combat al qaeda-linked forces. simon mcgregor-wood went to see the french forces training. >> reporter: lush french countryside is about as far from the sahara as you can get. these french troops are gearing up for a new mission. black hawk helicopters simulate dropping small teams in remote locations. this is a french artillery regiment. it will be taking these mortars as well. also on display, the tiger helicopter, french made and packed with the latest weaponry. french troops will seek out an elusive enemy across thousands of kilometres of remote desert.

according to the french it is growing. >> translation: terrorism in africa is a global threat. we intervened to ensure not just malian security and regional, but our own. security in mali means security in west africa, france and europe. >> reporter: the french say the deployment is designed to prevent armed groups from rearming, regrouping and destabilizing the region. it's about containment, not solving a problem and they could be on the ground for years to come. the french have military presence across the region, and that will expand counterterrorism operations with new bases in mali, chad, niger, and ivory coast. host governments are said to welcomed the move and francis hollande appears to have the backing at home for a long-term commitment. >> we understand, contrary to

the americans, it's not just about the nature of victory, you need to make sure that the post conflict phase goes well. you need to stablilize and stick around for a long time. >> reporter: the french calculate intervention carries minimal risks. french casualties have been light, and despite the spending cuts it's something they can afford for now. as with any military operation with a vaguely defined goal, it's easy to send troops in, harder to know when to pull them out. pakistan's prime minister says the country is on a war footing to deal with the spread of polio, and the army has been called in to help. the world health organisation has asked pakistan, cameroon and syria to ensure that all residents and long-term visitors are vaccinated for polio before travelling abroad. the who says the disease has

been diagnosed in 10 countries. 59 cases have come out of pakistan. >> reporter: there's a heavy security presence in tribal areas like the khyber agency. soldiers are here to protect health workers offering polio vaccinations. in the past they been attacked by the taliban, accusing them of providing a cover for foreign spies. the government announced a major immunization programme. the prop is getting to the remote areas. >> access has been the issue. >> reporter: the government directed that people from the viable areas will have to be vaccinated before travelling to another part of the country. the world health organization said people in pakistan will

have to be immunized for the diseased before travelling overseas. >> any part of pakistan - we'll tackle the issue. >> in the last few months around 30 polio workers have been killed or injured in the attack. taxes have been blocked from -- teams have been blocked from boxing in waziristan. the aim is to get as many children as possible immunized. >> in some areas, 4,000 children are the prime tart. we have sent out 20 polio teams to reach out to every child. >> pakistan was close to eradicating polio 10 years ago and wants to get back to that point. it lost a lot of ground. barristas from more than 30 counties are competing in australia for the title of the level latte artist.

here is andrew thomas. >> reporter: barristas as artists, cups as canvases. this is coffee culture in its literal sense. competitors from 32 countries giving their run to the title of world level larta artist their level shot. >> these are guys and girls that represent their skill and knowledge. >> reporter: is this more than a froth of an industry? robert nelson's regular haunts are the haloed hall of the national gallery of victoria. as an art critic he has his favourite artists. >> botta chely collectiveness. clarity. rubens, prolific. sumptuous, general. mona, an analyst, a lirist.

>> reporter: can art be compressed in foam. there's a difference between a mona and a macchiato. >> nation me thing of an insignia that be longs to the royal house of a lord, that there's almost tonal value inside. i love the way that the - that it doesn't just stop, but it sort of blends into the coffee. >> the critic then buzzing. >> one of the things you might look to to define art, is that it grabs people enough to prompt them to say something. it's not art in the way that, you know, raphael did art. it's not having to fulfil some weighty agenda. but it is art in the sense that it makes you wonder. >> reporter: nehm son is not --

nelson is not a formal judge. they'll choose a winner over four days. it may be a while before caricature in coffee comes to a gallery need you, but expressionalism in an expresso is the latest. >> the crisis of the bees, mass death, threats to agriculture has gone so far that the slowing down of the decline is framed as good news. what is happening to the bees? that's the inside story. h