up. polls open in ukraine's pairmtar ukray elections. despite bans in rebel controlled areas. hello, welcome to al jazeera, from our headquarters in doha. tunisians get to vote nearly four years after the overthrow of former president zen abadeen

ben ali. plus. >> we'll see how the ban on bicycles on the main roads of calcutta is affecting the environment. >> after months of conflict and instability, polls have opened in ukraine's parliamentary elections. the country is facing difficult times for the russian annexation of crimea. barnaby phillips reports from kiev. >> on the edge of kiev they are practicing for war. not all their guns are real but this is not a game. these are students, electricians, teachers. some fear an attack on this city, others have volunteered to go east to fight. in another part of the city we

find refugees from the war. they live in a church shelter. when we visited, there was no electricity. olga and her family share a room with 20 other people. their lives have been turned upside down but they are determined otake part in these elections. >> translator: we want to show people we exist and have a right to vote. we are citizens of this country. >> reporter: thousands of people have now been killed in the east. these pictures show just some of the soldiers and policemen who have died. it is a reminder of people here in ceaiv kiev as if they neededt that these elections are taking place in extraordinary circumstances in ukraine. as ukraine's currency falls in value, these people find their

monthly mortgage payments go up and up and they can't take it anymore. >> we have to choose whether we pay for food or pay for our homes. >> a chance to vote in a new reforming parliament that will push through difficult reforms. >> if you talk to all ukrainians, now, on the streets, they will tell you we have a new president. we have new government. but why do we still have the same parliament? who voted for this crazy laws, who supported different initiatives by previous regime. >> there is a possibility for the ukraine to make a full split from the past but there is an act of faith. >> barnaby is joining us live

from kiev. barnaby, how is the voting going? >> we have seen a steady stream of voters at this poalg station in thpollingstation in the cent, that secludes the rebel held east, of course it secludes crimea, which was taken by russia back in the spring. so whatever happens today, no matter how the conduct of the vote goes, some 30 seats, perhaps just under 30 seats will be left vacant, will not be occupied in ukraine, for the time being at least and that's why ukraine remains split. >> and how much does this mark a break from the past? >> welt i think many of the people -- well i think many medium in the center and the

western parts of the country who took part in the uprising against the former president yanukovych that is their hope that they can wipe the slate clean, if you like. they see the old parliament, as the old rada was full of the bad ways of the way politics was done in this country. a lot of corruption, a lot of control by oligarchs who remain in the shadows and they would like a more reformist, more pro eu government forming, that can push through economic and political reforms that this country needs. but it is not going to necessarily be as straightforward. we have spoken of the issue in the east, there is of course the deteriorating economic situation. and any government is going to have its back to the wall. and you've got to remember the rather complicated voting system

we have here in ukraine. half will be elected by proportionate representation and half voted within individual constituencies. traditionally in the past it has been that latter category of elections that has been prone to corruption, to vote-buying, to the influence of local oligarchs. perhaps not so much here in kiev but in other parts of the country. and that's why there's some skepticism that we will really see an entire new generation of politicians coming into this new rada. >> barnaby phillips joining us from the ukrainian capital, kiev. tunisians are also voting for their parliament. one of the final steps to ending a four year political transition. the 2011 uprising that toppled

zen al abadeen ben ali. >> set to cast a historic vote. security forces track a group of people in a suburb of a house in tunis, killed most of the hideouts, including five women who were, authorities say,ing ready to disrupt the process. leader of a secular, tunisians call likely to make significant gains. members of the government are also taking part in these elections. one of them is kamal mujen who

served as foreign minister under ben ali. >> my concern is, i'm determined to fix the economy and build strong ties with the international community. >> morjan and the s sepsi face a substantial challenge. no party is likely to reach majority. consensus is the only way forward. >> translator: the lesson that we learned from egypt and the other countries is in a transitional period, a simple majority won't be able to solve the country's problems. you have to have a substantial majority and to do that you have to have consensus. >> four years of violence and instability and a deepening rift between conservatives and

seculars. >> i think it is a defining political moment. tunisia will basically stand on the outcome of this election as a country with some kind of opportunity to rebuild society, to rebuild the state. and i guess to be the shining model. >> teutunisia's vote will be decided by half a million voters and half of them are undecided. half a million tunisians took to the streets. now people in the region wonder whether tunisians will inspire once again by becoming a model for the peaceful transition to democracy. hashim masari, tunis.

>> nazamin, what is the atmosphere like? >> i have to say, there is a lot ever excitement here, young people out voting as well, there was a fear that many young people wouldn't turn out for this election. i'll just take you inside one of these rooms. you can see the process itself. part of the reason there is such long queues, allowing one person in at a time. it is very organized but very, very slow. there are observers who are monitoring the process. there are thousand of observers in the country, national and international. not how smoothly it goes but whether the different sides are going to accept the results. >> and it's interesting, the economy security, liberty were the issues that mattered to him.

liberty, is that reflective of the wider mood in tunisia? what are the issues that matter to tunisians? >> jobs and security the main issues when you speak to people on the street and of course those freedoms that they fought and died for are in the revolution. this is part of the fact that they now have a choice, they can choose whether they want islamic party or islamic path or more secular path. during ali there was only one party and one path. that was one of the freedoms that people have gained. they want freedom of speech they want the constitution that was brought in in january of this year to be actually implemented so the freedoms are guaranteed. >> nazaneen mashiri, joining us

from tunis. retain the strategic city from islamic state of iraq and the levant. could help slow i.s.i.l.'s advance towards capital, baghdad. >> lebanon's gun battles in around around the northern city of tripoli, violence is seen as a spillover of the civil war in syria with sunni fighters snider by i.s.i.l. and al qaeda. stephanie decker is following thing situation. >> reporter: little further north, there is a home of the salifi sheik that the army has surrounded.

lebanese army is using helicopters, significant, first time helicopters have been used in that area since the spillover of the syrian war began. just to put this in context. the latest fighting was kicked off when the army raided the home of a man they believe was involved in i.s.i.l, calling for attacks on the army, calling for the army to lift its siege on tripoli. we are also hearing from the al qaeda affiliated nusra front, they still hold those men in the no man's land between lebanon and syria and threatening to execute one of them if the army doesn't lift the siege in tripoli. >> coming up in the bulletin. we look at how africa's funding crisis is dealing with the

threatening threat of ebola. >> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> this trial was a sham... >> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation... >> the government is prepared to carry out mass array...

>> if you want free press in the new democracy,

>> good to have you with us, i'm elizabeth feran in doha. voting in parliamentary elections the first poll since the overthrow of president viktor yanukovych earlier this year. lebanon's army driving, in and around the northern city of tripoli. and tunisia is voting to

elect its first full parliament under a new execution earlier this year. zena abadeen ben ali earlier this year. choice of the runoff, senator and former state governor. a latin american editor lucia newman has more from brasilia. >> buying or selling a coconut is an opportunity to show allegiance. brazil's most fiercely fought elections in decades. gimma rousseff, and, nieves.

unlike her predecessor, rousseff is seen as an iron lady, who dramatically decreased poverty through social programs. nieves is the market favorite. married to a former model, he insists that brazil can change. someone who would go to brasilia who would jump start economy. brazil's capital is built literally in the shape of an airplane. it is an apt metaphor, a country

who had finally taken off under the previous government but under gilma rousseff. >> roman god looks to the future, to the past, both ways, and the middle class looks like that figure today, they look to the past and they are grateful for everything the pt did for them but they are not sure if gilma will give them the extra mile they want. >> rousseff's strongest support, middle class, that's not case for much of the middle class that has come to expect more. >> it hasn't been all bad but there's too much corruption and

bad health services. we need to renew things. >> reporter: in the end the outcome will be decided by the middle and the new lower and middle classes. lucia newman, al jazeera, brasilia. >> protestors have called off their referendum. whether the supporters continue their sit in or agree to government proposals and admit it. admit there hasn't been enough consultation before the vote. botswana's president has won a second term in power. botswana is the world's largest producer of diamonds. amanda power is traveling to west africa.

further effort to stop the virus, british soldiers and health workers are helping local volunteers to treat the virus. public health facilities in africa, many communities lack the facilities to deal with the virus. >> convene mamahatu hospital has brought 21st century health care to the hutu. the government contracted with a private consortium to bring these services. >> this is well organized, i come to see a doctor and get a number. that didn't happen in the old one. >> it offers procedures like hip

replacement. no doubt it is saving lives. this baby is born at 22 weeks. full term is 40 weeks. if she was born in the old hospital she wouldn't have survived. >> oxfam allegation it is draining more than 40% of the budget. >> it is an 18 year agreement that the government's locked into. the fact that it takes 51% of the health budget and it is constantly increasing would 19 that ultimately there is not going to be a health budget for any of the other facilities. >> the government admits, 3 outer of 4 of the hutu live. the government canned afford to staff these facilities properly. the government says its private partners are make too much money

out of the hospital and the world bank should not be promoting this model as one for other poor countries to follow. >> it is a good hospital, it is a good model. meaning the infrastructure is good, services and so forth but it is difficult for me that it would be best to bring to another country. >> much needed world class services to one of africa's poorest countries but it is far from perfect. >> 20 years ago a peace deal between jordan and israel ended decades of tension. privately, both countries worked together on security measures. >> when jordan and israel signed a peace treaty 20 years ago, they put behind them 40 years of

war and mistrust. king abdalla described his relationship with bement a benjn netanyahu as cold and unpleasant. >> if jordan and other islamic countries are fighting islam and israelis ar slaughtering us, we have a problem. >> not only because it has the largest palestinian refugee population in the world but also because of its strong attachment to jerusalem. israeli recognized jordan's special role and has agreed to give it high priority when

israelis and palestinians eventually negotiate the future of the city. by allowing right wing groups to join the al aqsa compound. >> we continue to tell israeli officials that any lateral action that will affect israeli and the holy sites must be stopped immediately. >> mohamed, a palestinian refugee who fled to jordan in 1970, is still living in the camp. he said the wars with its neighbors and no one will ask israel why it's stealing palestinian land. >> there have been calls on the government to separate ties with israel but there is too much to lose. >> i'm convinced that jordan

will never sever ties with israel. it is as important for israel than it is for jordan. now if we're talking about i.s.i.s. let's not forget the borders. >> the treaty defined permanent borders for jordan. al bakla refugee camp. >> three al jazeera journalists have been detained for 300 days in egypt. appealing against their convictions. al jazeera has dismissed the charges against them and continues to demand their immediate release. several dozen residents in hawaii are preparing to evacuate as lava flows at the edge of

pahoa is moving at the speed of 9 meters per hour. coming from the ci kilauea volco erupting constantly since 1983. for many cycling is the only affordable way to get around in calcutta. fez jamil reports. >> cacalcutta's roads are brimmg with all sorts of vehicles. there are no bicycles on the main road. for the past year a bicycle ban has pushed cyclists onto these back roads. for him the ban means traveling longer and working less. he estimates his income has gone down from $200 a month before

the ban to just $80. >> translator: the ban has affected my family heavily. if the ban goes on for a longer time i don't think i can make ends meet. >> the business is bad for those who repair bicycles. >> before the ban i used to have at least 20, 30 cycles in the shop for me to fix. now i only there three to five a day to fix. imagine if it goes on for a year. >> reporter: in past media statements police have said general safety and traffic congestion were the main reasons for the ban and there's no plan to lift it. >> with traffic increasing every year, police say since critics say besides affecting those whose livelihood depends on

traveling by bicycles, banning g this form ever transportation also bans the most green way to get around. officials say 50% of calcutta's pollution comes from cars. >> it would only mean that the airn pollution in calcutta is going to rise. and if you don't look at more sustainable methods of trainings it's going to become a problem. >> pukete is still trying to stop the the ban. fez jamil, al jazeera, calcutta. the pricey overhaul, picasso

museum has reopened. featuring thousands of picasso's works. the spanish artist spent most of his time in france until his death in 1973. the $66 million project took five years to complete. >> in 2009 peace came to sri lanka after 26 years of civil war. >> government troops had crushed the tamil tigers - a guerrilla force which had waged a brutal insurgency seeking self-rule for the tamils c a minority making up about 12 percent of sri lanka'pu