>> announcer: this is al jazeera. hello, welcome to the newshour. i'm martine dennis in doha. these are the top stories. at least 30 are killed and dozens injured in an attack in china's north-west xinjiang region. breaking an opposition siege. syrian government forces reclaim aleppo's central gaol. >> translation: literally everything, our lives have been destroyed. >> lives washed away - serbia

faces a billion dollar bill to repair flood damage. and the crisis in ukraine is hitting the big screen at the cannes film festival. but first, an attack on a busy market in china killed more than 30 people, and wounded 90 others. the chinese government is condemning what it calls a terrorist attack, the capital of xinjiang, an autonomous region where muslim separatists have been blamed for previous bombings. >> reporter: it's the worst act of violence in the troubled region of xinjiang in years. two s.u.v.s driven into a busy market as assailants threw explosives. they crashed head op, one vessel

exploding. witnesses said there was at least 12 explosions. it's not known who was responsible, but violence has been blamed on uighur separatists. the security chief said he's intensify a crackdown against the arrogance of terrorists. thursday's attacks took place a few weeks after a bombing at a train station that killed three, injuring 79. this area was quiet since mass riots in 2009 killed almost 200 people. ethnic tensions between the uighur community and han chinnees existed for years. recent violence, including a suicide attack near the gates of the city of beijing shows separatists are starting to go after civilians, rather than police and government figures let's talk to roderick.

why is china analyst at chat am house - he joins us via skype, via london. is there doubt in your mind that this has been committed by uighur activists? >> i think it's very likely that it is, because it has been done by weeingers. but it is difficult to tell who or why at the moment. the chinese government will argue that it is part of a terrorist - a well-worked out terrorist plot that covers not onward xinjiang, but other parts of china. >> beijing accuses the activists from this region of seeking ipp dependence, complete independence, and being prepared to use violence to achieve this. >> well, this is the chinese government official narrative. it is difficult to establish from outside exactly what the

motivation of many of these individual attacks are. many seem to be linked in xinjiang itself to local grievances and problems with the way that the chinese are trying to enforce their way of looking at things on the uighur population. it has been growing recently. it has been spreading to other parts of china, the violence, and has been escalating in the scale. >> how far would you extend the similarities, the comparisons between this particular region and, indeed dibb et? >> the - they are very different places. and the - i think the problem for china in xinjiang especially is it's not as self-contained as tibet. xinjiang has islamic overtops because the uighurs are an

flamboyant people. it borders with troubled parts of the world and there are opportunities for individuals to liaise or get experience in other places. it is particularly worrying for china, xinjiang, because of the way it is open to the borders are in a sense more open and the influences are wider. indeed, beijing accuses radical uighurs of buying influenced by al-qaeda, if not having direct links to it. >> it is impossible to prove. it's part of the way the chinese government shows that they are not sort of being - that it is nothing to do with the way the chinese government behaves, it's a wider problem, worldwide terrorist problem, and these people are encouraged by outside groups. in fact, i think most of the problems stem from domestic reasons, from the pay that uighur culture, to an extent the way it is in tibet, is soup

revved and -- soup revved and uighur religious and social every day practices are frowned upon in china. and life is being made very difficult for people to go about their ordinary normal way of life. >> roderick from chat am house in london. thank you for your talks. >> thank you. we have important news coming in from thailand. it's being reported that the army chief, the thai army chief is saying that the army is taking control of government. now, this could be a significant development. let's find out by talking to our correspondent veronica pedrosa, who is in bangkok. how significant is this? >> extremely significant, as you suggested. we know that marshall law, of course, was announced at 3 o'clock in the morning on

tuesday morning now, just a few minutes ago, at 1700 hours local time. the chief of the armed forces was live on all channels. the military has taken control of government. they have been saying, insisting, that the declaration of marshall law was not a coup, that it was to bring the political battle to some sort of revolution. to that end they have been holding meetings to all the regions of the political factions. what we understand, and these reports need to be confirmed, but what we understand from local sources, media outlets, is that the leaders of call the groups are inside the army base where the talks were taken away, although some reports say that they have been taken away to an undisclosed location. once again, martine, we have the

chief of the army announcing that the military has taken control of thailand's government. >> this must signify then the end, at least for now, of the dialogue which was apparently in order to establish some form of political change. that dialogue now seems over. >> well, if you look at the declarations, that the military announced on tuesday morning, when they announced marshall law. it had, in any case, rendered the executive and judiciary effectively powerless. there is little resort for people when it comes to the courts. the military would give overarranging control at that time. it may be that when they got in

to dialogue situation, that the general made the judgment that it was impossible to govern because of that huge gap that both meself and my colleague, scott heidler here in bangkok have been reporting about. it seemed unbridgeable. one side wanted elections, to elect a new government. the other refused, and wanted an unelected government appointed, and they were willing to cause considerable disturbance in order to achieve that political aim. >> veronica, thank you very much indeed. veronica pedrosa will keep us abreast of developments in thailand as it becomes clear that the army chief said that his army is taking control of governments. more on thailand, of course, he were at al jazeera. now, let's go to syria. opposition groups there are

saying that the government has made a major breakthrough in the city of aleppo. troops ended the 13-month long opposition siege of aleppo's central gaol. it's thought bashar al-assad's government will be able to cut off opposition supply routes on the outskirts of the city. live to beirut and our correspondent who is monitoring developments from there. this is a significant victory, it would appear, for the government of bashar al-assad. >> yes, it is. it's not just a battle over who controls that prison, but the prison occupies a very strategic point. it sits on the top of the hill. it's not just a building, it's a huge complex, almost the size of a small village. for the government to take it over, it's not only a strategic position, it's a blow to the rebels. al qaeda-linked groups and other groups have been besieging the prison for 13 months.

deadly clashes took place, but they failed to take over the prison. they besieged it, the government was airlifting supplies to the prisoners and the guards. according to the syrian observatory for human rights, hundreds of prisoners died in the siege because of a lack of food, humanitarian and health services that were lacking. the government is, again, saying they are in control of more territory, more trat eejic places a -- strategic places ahead of elections. they want to say that to give these elections credibility and legitimacy. >> thank you very much. >> updating us with the latest from syria. >> now, the u.s. president obama has sent 80 soldiers to chad to helped find the nigerian girls kidnapped by boko haram. the girls were abducted five weeks ago. president obama told congress that u.s. troops were supporting intelligence gathering and

carrying out reconnaissance over northern nigeria and surrounding areas. people in the northern part of jij say fight -- nigeria say fighters attacked villages, willing 48 people. they have been carried out by boko haram, say the villagers, and it's near chibok. hours after twin car bombs exploded in a crowded market in the central city of jos. 122 were killed in those blasts. we have this report now. >> reporter: at a cemetery outside the city, the police arrive - one after the other. mourners are here to bury the bodies of relatives who died in two bomb attacks that tore through a market. this man's sister was one of many people killed. >> i lost her just like that. we just able to get her, just

part of her body. this is very unfortunate. >> at the main market in jos red cross officials were looking for body parts. some on the roofs of nearby buildings. in the hours after the attack they found complete bodies thrown by the force of explosion. >> just like that. >> irene was lucky to survive. she was buying food when the bombwas detonated. she says "i might be saved, i'm not happy after seeing all those people who died and got injured." what happened here is terrible. i'm in shock. >> this is caused by the blast. goods that traders were telling us about. it was strewn from vegetables, fruits to second-hand clothes. their lives brought to an end. fire gutted the market and police say they'll have to go into them to see whether anybody is still under the rubble.

at hospitals across the city, the injured received treatment. >> i don't know what happened. i just - i just found myself in a fire. everywhere was dark. i was rolling in the fire, and i just don't know. i didn't know it was real at first. when i realised pain that i was in the fire, and i said "no, i can't die here." >> i was thinking what hit me. i started screaming. >> there has been no claim of responsibility, but many suspect a radical group boko haram is behind the attacks. until recently the group's activities have been restricted to the north. there are fears they are spreading a campaign of violence. >> what is happening - it's taking shape. we have to improve our

vigilance. i'm afraid i'm a human being. i must be afraid. >> at the cemetery the mourners finished with a burial. they are led in prayer. "may god punish those killing our people." with so many boko haram attacks, it's no surprise that people here have more trust in god that the government. still to come here on the newshour. should there be a ceasefire in northern mali. the president says yes. one of football's biggest stars may not make it to the world cup. hassam will be here with all the details. preparations for egypt's presidential election are in full swing. the two-way race between the

former army reece abdul fatah al-sisi, and the leftist hamdeen sabahi will be held on may 26th and 27th. as nicole johnston reports, the third power transition in as many years is creating more uncertainty for mean egypt chance. >> reporter: these are the men in charge of egypt for the last three years. first hosni mubarak - president for 30 years. it all came to an abrupt end in 2011. for three weeks anti-government demonstrators rallied in tahrir square, demanding hosni mubarak resigned. in february they got their wish. he stepped down, handing power to the armed forces. the commoneder in chief -- commander in field marshal. he was the temporary head of state. he was the head of the soup ream council of armed forces or skaf and ruled for the next 17

months. in 2012 there were presidential elections. the first since hosni mubarak was removed. mohamed mursi was voted in as president. he was from the muslim brotherhood freedom and justice party. under hosni mubarak the group had been banned but tolerated. now it had to get a country which had been through an extraordinary revolution on track. it couldn't do it fast enough. a grass roots movement called tamerod or rebellion formed, collecting signatures calling on mohamed mursi to step down. and on june 30th, last year, hundreds of thousands of egyptians took to the streets to protest against mohamed mursi and the muslim brotherhood. a few days later he was removed from office by field marshall abdul fatah al-sisi. mohamed mursi was arrested and the muslim brotherhood declared a terrorist organization. once again, the military was

back in charge. and abdul fatah al-sisi appointed an interim president, adly mansour. egyptians are getting ready to elect a new president. they can choose from abdul fatah al-sisi, or leftist politician hamdeen sabahi. for anyone watching egyptian politics, the last few years is about change. no one is sure whether this election will lead to stability. well, three of your journalists have been held in an egyptian prison for 145 days now, peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed are now back in court in cairo for their 9th appearance. now, they are falsely accused of conspiring with the outlawed muslim brotherhood. peter townsend is a journalist associated with the doha center for media freedom. thank you, good to have you here on set to talk to us. what, really, would you say is on trial in cairo today?

>> well, as far as we see it, it's - the issue is, as your campaign says, journalism is not a crime. these al jazeera journalists are currently being tried for doing their jobs and reporting on what was happening on the ground. >> given the amount of international outrage, because it's mounting, is it, the campaign, it doesn't seem to have too much of an effect in cairo. do you think the authorities care? >> well, as we have seen with the case so far, it's been anything but predictable. we were hoping last week that the defense could begin in easternest. it suffered a setback. so we think once the defense get stuck into the case that the international support will play a huge role in proving they were there doing their jobs. >> the case of abdullah al-shami, our colleague from al

jazeera arabic is different from that of the three who work for al jazeera english. there are now reel fears for his health. >> yes, definitely. we have been expressing our concern over his condition. he has been held without trial, without charge, and according to medical reports, he's in serious danger at the moment. we have been campaigning for his release. >> how optimistic or otherwise are you that freedom of expression and freedom of the press will return, come to egypt after presidential elections are over? >> it's hard to predict, and we don't like to get involved in the poll techs of these -- politics of these situations. we have seen across the region, space for dissent has been tightened, and we hope that this case will be resolved, and they can, you know, serve as a boost to media freedom in the future.

>> thank you for that. peter townsend from the doha center for media freedom now to ukraine where security personnel have been killed in fighting with pro-russian separatists in the east. at least eight were killed. 18 others were wounded. this happened at a military checkpoint in donetsk. more on this now from our correspondent hoda abdel-hamid who is in donetsk. >> reporter: there has been at least four attacks on ukranian forces overnight. two in the donetsk region, and two in the lugansk region, both declaring to be independent people's republics, the worst happening south of the city. now, in that city it appears that there was a check point manned by ukranian force, coming under attack by russian

separatists, and the ukrainians were overwhelmed. there was a direct attack on ammunition, causing a large explosion, brought about all the casualties you talked about earlier. it's underlying how difficult it is for the government to carry out its anti-terror operation in the east of the country and explain why some people have now decided to take matters into their own hands, and even though they support kiev, they are forming their own armed militias. it's by the side of the road that they make final adjustments before starting the operation of the day. they are heading to the regional council in one of the towns where a new man is in charge. this is a recently formed militia fighting pro-russian

separatists in eastern ukraine. >> they are important because people are worried. they'll protect the regions and districts so people can vote in piece. >> reporter: the group of volunteers athey are -- say they are filling the gap of police who do little. >> translation: they forgot, they gave an oath to the office and people. if they don't execute, they should leave. their traitors. >> another group of armed men on the streets is wearing thin. the next stop is the city council where they'll talk to the mayor. the mission is upcoming elections - making sure they go on with no disruptions. >> the mayor monitored them storming the building. when they entered the office, he seemed to welcome them. >> it's not always so small.

after a short drive we reach donetsk. the mayor gives them a frostry we sense. he's accused of being pro-russian and comes under attack for not allowing a pro-unity rally in the up to, something the men in black will not tolerate any more. the battalion had some success since it was formed. they have taken checkpoints from the pro-russians and handed them to the ukranian military. they continued their covert operations to keep ukraine united. >> translation: maybe the government is busy with something more important than this. i don't know what it should be. >> reporter: similar battlons are forming and operate with the knowledge of the government in kiev. with the emergence of another armed force, the government risks losing more control in the east. now, the question is where do the presidential elections go in

this part of the country. people could take polling stations and small towns. in donetsk, where the separatists are in control and intimidated anyone that has to do anything with the elections, it seems to be very difficult prospect of electoral commissioners being kidnapped, ballots have been stolen at gun point. it is a very difficult position. now, the one change on the ground is that the richest man in the country, the most influential man here in the east, has put hits weight behind the elections. he has finally spoken out against the pro-russian separatists, and he is calling on people to go to the polling stations. now, a lot of people however, say they are scared. one will have to wait until sunday to see what will happen.

>> hoda abdel-hamid live in donetsk. thank you. the european union promised to send aid to serbia following flooding there. the country will need more than a billion dollars to rebuild its damned infrastructure. we meet a family suddenly left homeless. >> reporter: in a shelter in belgrade this man is waiting. he lost everything in the floods, except his family. they are among 35,000 people with nowhere to live. it will cost him thousands of dollars to rebuild his home. that is money he davis cup have. >> literally everything, our entire lives, has been destroyed. it is the same for all of us here. we have been reduced to nothing. the only thing we can cling to is that we save our families and our children. >> it will cost more than a billion dollars to help the families. this is a country already in a

deep financial crisis. the scars of the n.a.t.o. bombing are visible in belgrade, 15 years after the war. the economy minister belongs to a new government elected in march. he says this is another setback. >> it's not that i'm backing for assistance, i'm saying that it's important that serbia receive a quick response so they can resume and use the unique does note to condition with the reforms and become a credible member of international community. >> many countries are helping. the european union has promised serbia access to an emergency fund. it has to assess the costs of the damage first. that money will not arrive for at least another six months. sandbags like these are protecting communities over serbia. the waters are high, and there is a risk of more flooding. that makes if very difficult for the government to start rebuilding the country.

>> the government's priority is to fix serbia's infrastructure, including power stations like this. that is bad news for people like this. she needs the money now, to save what is left of her home. well, the waters receding there. what is in store for the region. richard is here with the weather. how does it look for the balkans. >> at the moment weather conditions are not looking bad. you have the ideal weather across the region for the floodwaters to go down. currently warm weather across central and eastern europe, with temperatures in the mid 20s or sarajevo and belgrade. we not have high temperatures, but sunshine and low humid di. obviously it will take time to get rid of the water.

europe's weather is split. fine conditions to the east and unsettled to the west. areas of low pressure. there's a contrast between the french capital and the russian capital where temperatures have been 10 or 11 degrees above what they should be at this time of year. it looks like for moscow they'll hang on to those degrees until tuesday or wednesday of next week. then they'll come back. more typical values around about the 19 degree mark. at this stage syria will change the weather across the balkans. rain is pushing in. it stays fine across the balkans for the start of the weekend. we may see one or two thundery showers developing. okay. thank you very much indeed, richard, with the weather. now the latest on the changing situation in thailand where we

have heard from the head of the army. the general saying that his forces, his forces are taking control of the thai government. he made the announcement after a meeting between the political rivals. they've been in talks over the last two days marshall law was imposed on tuesday. scott heidler is there. it looks like you are outside the army club in the center of bangkok, and obviously with thai military behind you. >> yes, that is something that didn't happen. it lasted two by five hours. when the statement happened, we were in a press conference expecting a spokesman from the army to brief us on what happened. we saw vehicles leave, escorted by the army. that raised a red flag.

a rush to the press conference room. instead of someone addressing the media, they pointed to monitors, and we heard, like everyone across thailand and the world heard the government announce - sorry, the army announcing they had taken over government of the country. >> what change will that make in the immediate sense? >> in the immediate sense any negotiation and any kind of direct mapping out of what will happen in the future will be put on hold. the army controls everything in the government now. were these discussions go on, there'll be more peace talks, we don't know. we don't know what will happen to the leaders of these groups - the yellow shirts, the red shirts, the former government. what will happen to them. that will be a big question. the general said that he's doing this for the safety and security of the nation, and that is used

as an excuse for coups through thailand's history, and he was concerned about the factions within the political arena in thailand. we under from that that that means there was no compromise given by either side in the two days of talks. two days of talks after six months of no compromise from either side. you weren't going to get a big answer in two days of talks. >> absolutely. >> they needed to control it. >> this announcement, you know, a lot of people said it looks like a coup, it smells like a coup, it is a coup. not a huge surprise to many. has there been a reaction, adhaves rehabilitation to this declaration. this is a confirmation, pretty much, of what most in thailand must have known already. yes, as you said since marshall lalaw was put into place, there were rumours about coups.

as far as the reaction, this happened in the last 25 minutes. we have been on the army base, as you see behind me, and they are telling me we have to leave. we haven't gone to the streets. this is it something that thailand has gone through time and time again. there's a tense state in this country for the last six months. this is something that most thais waited for the others to drop, if you will. it has, and they meed to underline the army general said in very much underlining at the beginning that international relations thailand has with other countries around the world, they are intact. he made sure to make the statement off the top when he said that the military - he was flanked by other officers from the navy, air force and police at this table where he made the statement in the last 25-30 minutes. >> that means is a suspension of all other institutions in

thailand. >> absolutely. it comes under the army. it is their call. we'll have to see how moving forward, how they organise this. this is something that the army is experienced with. there has been many coups in thailand. how they divvy it up, what will happen, how they operate on a minimal level, international relations will continue. the running of the country continues. it will be interesting to see what the army and military do to make sure staff is operating minimally. that is coming over the next several days. they are in control. >> what sort of effect is this likely to have on the rival parties of the red stirt pro-government sector of the political class, and, indeed, the yellow-shirted anti-government section? >> well, for the red shirts, the

biggest blow was to them. they kept saying that they wanted their democratically elected members who were running the country to stay in office. they are not in office any more. that's something the anti-government protesters wanted. they wanted a move or a caretaker to go into office, they wanted reforms. we hit the reset button. the yellow shirts have a victory. the two thai parties are no longer in power. it's the military. >> early days, of course, we talk about the announcement having occurred within the hour. do we have any idea whether there's a schedule, a plan by the military in order to restore a democracy and elections within thailand? >> no, there has been no schedulelike that mapped out

yet. i imagine that will come down the line. new they are saying for safety and security, this is what they have to do. any schedule they put out is about protecting the people of thailand. we are not out of the woods. the pro-government red sharts. there's tension, and the yellow shirts. there'll be more armed people on the streets to prevent that happening. there's a possibility of that, i imagine immediately moving forward the army will focus on that, that's the main reason. they underline that, why they are taking over the government. they want to make sure there's a safe, secure thai n land. when the announcement of military rule was made on tuesday, it seem that thai people on both sides of the political divide were sanguine, and didn't seem to be upset

about it at all. >> yes, no, when you went out to the streets hours after there was the announcement of the imposition of marshall law, it was for the post part business as usual. you had choops, troop stations. that was about it. people went on with their daily lives. that's obviously going to change. this is a coup. how and to what deg that changes will unfold as we move forward. like we talk about simple things - school, public transportation, what will happen with the military in control. because of thailand's history there's precedence. they probably will use some of what worked in the past. moving forward, that's the big thing. the military said that they wanted to pave the way so the two sides could sit and discus and move forward. it was two days, concerned about what could happen to the

country. we'll come in and take over the government. >> we talked about the suspension of the institutions in thailand. what of the position of the monarchy, much revered and one which the military's main aim is to support. >> the military - and it's been said many, many times, regardless of who is in power or what strings are pulled when it comes to different governments and political parties and politicians, that the army always acts, if you will, as a political party, without being one. they have such influence over - no heart who is in office, when you work in its relationship with the royal family. they've been an institution that is at the core of running thailand for so long. so when you look at it, when we all wake up tomorrow, friday morning, how different will

thailand be now that it's ruled officially and completely by the military, for a lot of people it's not something completely new, they have gone through this. what is curious is to see what they are going to do to try to pave the way for the future. in is something that all entities said. they want to eventually get back to democracy and hold an election. government protesters want reform before the elections take place, and that's why they wanted on appointed government and prime minister. the current government said yes, they wanted reforms and election, but if they were democratically elected, they'd stay in office until it happened. that will not happen, because the army is in charge. >> thank you, scott. we'll let you get out and about on the streets of thailand to find out a little more as to how people are reacting to the news that the army chief has said that his army is taking control

of the thai government. that news within the last hour or so here at al jazeera. we'll keep you up to date with every development coming out of thailand today. while our team in thailand is finding out more about that, we'll go pakistan. new reports came in this morning with reports that the army has gone in on a ground offensive in north waziristan. if this is confirmed, it will be the first ground operation in the tribal area since 2006. pakistan's civilian government called on the taliban to resume peace talks. at least 60 taliban fewers were killed in military air strikes on this area, north waziristan, on wednesday. now, the two remaining presidential candidates in afghanistan are resuming campaigns for the run-off vote next month. abdullah abdullah and ashraf

ghani are the two ganned kates, neither -- candidates, neither securing 50%. since then 3,000 election staff have been fired because they were accused of fraud. we have this report from the african capital. >> reporter: preparations for afghanistan's presidential run-off are well underway. these workers are preparing to seal ballot bombs for delivery to polling stations across the country. there are more than 12 million voters for the june 14th pole, and cord noting the poll at 24,000 polling stations will be a huge challenge. this political analyst warns it is not the least of it. >> the situation is unpredictable. as i say, we are hearing a lot of indications that taliban will disrupt this round, security may be the first and biggest challenge. >> last week the taliban began a

spring offensive, marking the start of the fighting season. the group dlatenned to -- threatened to disrupt the poll, describing it as fake. we speak for the election, and they are confident the vote will be held on time. >> the option for the afghan people, organization and afghanistan, but we know that probably the taliban and other insurgents try to sabotage the process. we know that the people of afghanistan will conduct that. >> others are not so sure, although a record number of ballots were cast in april's election, the threat of violence ahead of june's run off means voters may stay home on polling day. we can talk live to a spokesman for the african interior ministry, in the capital kabul.

thank you for taking the time to talk to us at al jazeera. tell us about the precautions that you as the interior ministry are undertaking to protect people that come out to vote for the next round of the election? >> we started preparations. the election is important. the process is not completed yet. that's why the african national force have a chance to prepare police and security measures for 14 june is top priority. it was clear, the security was provided and the taliban and, you know, armed - those opponents were not able to disrupt the election. that's the confidence now among

the population and security forces that we will provide security with full confidence, with the help and support of the afghan people. everything is in its place, and ever is waiting for that day to come. >> how important is it for afghanistan to be able to be seen to be managing its own electoral process? >> well, it's a very historic process here in afghanistan. everybody beliefs that this is, for the first time, happening that in a full democracy and based on people as well. the election takes place and there are many moment who are willing to be part of this process. and, of course, for the afghan security forces this was the biggest test for this year, 12014, which, you know, on many occasions people were not unhappy with the way security was provided for the population. >> for all afghans, and the

security forces it's an important event. this is a milestone to be achieved in this year in afghanistan. when it comes to an elected government to come, and, you know, take care of the occasions in afghanistan. overall people are excited. they came out in millions, and this time as we see, there's a full commitment by the afghan people so complete the process, millions, to participate in the election. >> democracy is a flawed process wherever it takes place. what are you doing in order to prevent the allegations of vote rigging? >> well, of course, all the election commissions are responsible to make sure that this time the election is transparent. but overall, you know, the problems this time are - was

less than what happened in 2009 elections. the election was held in 1st april was acceptable and transparent. there are many lessons learnt from that election and this time everybody is ready, especially the election commissions and the afghan police force will do their level to make sure that - they will do their level to stop fraud or misconduct by people in the polling stations. everyone is careful of the observers. we would like to make sure that time the election is successful, and there will be a way for millions of afghans to come out and vote tore the government. >> from the afghan interior ministry, thank you. hope to speak to you closer to those elections taking place

next month. now, the president of mali is calling for a ceasefire in the north. separatists are resisting attempts by the mali army to take control of the key down in the north of kiddall. several soldiers were killed during fighting on wednesday. this renewed unrest threatens to end efforts to revise peace talks with rebels who want independence for the reason. >> let's talk to mo. you know the story, you covered it for a long period of time. what is the significance of the president calling for a ceasefire. is this the fires step to something more like dialogue? >> that is a good question when we know the malian government has never accepted or ponder theed the idea of negotiating. it was over the essential demand

which is autonomy. this is at a time for troops to compete in kidal. it's interesting. it means that they are taken by surprise, they are overpowered by the rebels. it's a tactical retreat, regroup troops and send reinforcements. it will not negotiate autonomy or independence. >> it must be hugely embarrassing for the government to suffer defeat. what is the position of the international troops who were there, supposedly helping to prop up the government of bamako. >> the u.n. has troops there, they are peacekeepers, they didn't come to fight. the french have troops, coming basically to al qaeda from the cities, and help the mali government gain control of the cities. the french reserved a special status for the rebels, conceding that they have a measure of right to have a say in the

morth. so the french distinguish between the taur egg and al qaeda. now they have taken a neutral stance and left the two sides to fight each other, which is interesting, meaning that the french are pondering a new policy in the region. when we concede that the taur egg have been seen as bitter allies, the french probably have an interest in seeing. the taur egg in control in some areas. >> thank you very much indeed. thank you mo. rica mobile app,

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>> translation: i believe what happened in ukraine teaches a lesson to the world. the people that died paid for their lives with dignity. >> there are four ukranian movies on show - different titles, directors, same story, same goal - sell the rights to show the films. get them out there to a wider audience. there's a slight problem in doing so. cash. or more to the point, a lack of it. this is number 102. this is the official ukranian residence in camp. it nearly never happened the the government in kiev cut the money it's suspending on the film industry, and it shoes. all of the countries here have their doors open and are trying to grab people as they go past, they are looking for business. the ukranian office is different. this place has nobody inside. it's locked up and has been like this for much of the time. this office can only open on a

part-time basis. >> the job is to support ukraine also. they have cut part of the budgeted. it has cost about $17,000 euros. they have cut it, and we have brought the money for directors. >> up the road russia's sales office is open for business. despite what is happening at home, the feeling in cannes is that the two countries are friends. russian film bosses came by to say high and wore ukranian flags to show solidarity. where politics divide, cinema unit. >> ukraine is an important economy. everyone expects the issue to stop. >> conflict and reality are two big themes. ukraine's hope is that the reality of conflict will bring the crowds in. right. time for the sports news. hassam is here.

it's the build up to the world cup. >> yes, a few days away now. that is where we start. one of the potential stars of the world cup could be out of the game before a ball is kicked. reports out of uruguay says laue suar suarez injured his knee and could be in doubt. he's having key hole surgery to repair damage to a meniscus. he could be ruled out of the tournament if there's complications. >> the second world cup game will be against england who had their first day at a camp in portugal. manchester united striker wayne rooney is determined to shine at the tournament, following two disappointing campaigns in germany and africa four years later, where he failed to score

a goal. >> he realises what a good mare he is and knows that we as a footballing nation places a lot of faith in him. he knows that the eyes of england, if not the rest of the world, are on him. he'll do everything to make certain that he brings out, if you like, his level qualities. >> to the n.b.a. and san antonio secured a second-straight win against oklahoma city, taking a 2-0 lead in the western conference finals. spurs were out of sight by the fourth quarter. 29 ahead. tony parker did most of the damage, hitting 22 points to top score on the night. danny green was an fire, sinking seven 3s, and the spurs ran out 1-12 to 77 winners. game 3 on sunday in oklahoma. >> we had keep starts, and pushed the ball, took two

victories from danny, and it gives us a boost and third quarter we made stops and pushing the ball, did some lay ups. >> tony runs the engine for us. his aggressiveness and ability to find people both at the same time really keep us aggressive and active offensively. defensistly he works hard at it. >> we got our butts kicked. we had a good opportunity to win game 3. we have to play a well-balanced multiple effort, 48-minute game to beat the team. but it's very possible - it's not something that we have to play special, but we have to play better. >> to ice hockey and the los angeles kings made it one game apiece in their n.h.l. western conference with the chicago

black hawks. the defending stanley cup champions taking a 2-0 lead wednesday night. but from then on it was all downhill. l.a. came back to win 6-2, jeff carter scoring three. they are the first visiting team to win in chicago in this year's playoffs. game 3 is saturday night in los angeles. >> at some point they'll lose a came at home. we thought if we could - the only difference is if they play better in game one. the difference is not goals for, it's goals against. if you lose three against them, you are in trouble. >> i liked how we played for 38 minutes. we did everything we were looking to do. they got a little momentum at the end of the period, scoring a big goal, innocent play and gave them life and took a couple of

penalties in the net. that was it. >> in the u.s. nine months after the number of fl was forced to pay a $760 million settlement after downplaying concussions, it's facing another lawsuit, launched by retired players saying they were illegally fed pain-killers so they had play on during injuries. a suit seeks compensation for long-term injury, pain and suffering and monitoring medical expenses. the league is not commenting on the lawsuit. >> england beginning a 5-day, one-day series at the oval. it provides an opportunity to bounce back from a terrible form, a whis wash in australia, and t20 games where they managed one win. >> lots more to come here at al jazeera. don't go away. keeping you up to date with events in thailand in

particular.

>> he was always watching. she would go right back inside as if she knew she had to do what he said. >> kidnapped as a teen, abused, brainwashed and forced to marry her abductor. escaping after 10 years. >> the u.s. sends troops to find 200 school girls as there are new