this this this this this. >> this is ongoing. this is more intense.

and null-on fire. what we have been hearing throughout the day. when you talk to people, many have relatives inside. they are calling for a cease-fire. they say at least give it time to be able to get our women and children out there. the civilians who are not fighting so at least we can bring them to safety. at the moment, that hasn't happened. politicians and religious leaders are meeting trying to find a solution. the message we heard from them was that they weren't happy with the army besieging, as they called it, this neighborhood because of the civilian presence. they say that they stand behind the army trying to root out what they call terrorist elements or sleeper cells that may have to do with the spillover from syria but certainly an incredibly intense situation remaining here people concerned, people angry and it's heightening the sectarian tensions here, lebanon sectarian divided between those 2 support the syrian revolution and those who support president

bashar al assad. >> that's what's happening on the ground. let's bring in charif joining us via skype from tripoli. thank you for being with us. what can you tell us about reports of talks of a possible cease-fire that could be in the works? we know mps in tripoli are meeting to discuss the situation there. >> it's not about the cease-fire. first of all, i would like to presents my condolences to my citizen in triply and to the lebanese army because of casualties that are taking place in the north. and i believe that the army should clear as soon as possible. from those people who are trying to include and to do some pairlous action here and there which cannot help lebanon and which will put lebanon outside of the legitimacy of the government of lebanon even if it's a spillover from the syrian issue. but i believe that the policy

that lebanon should take a long, long time ago and lebanon take a long time ago was the decision because the lebanese divide we believe a long time ago the revolution in syria will take a long, long time. otherwise, lebanon will be a target for a new clashes which will take place not only between sunni and shia. tripoli, as you are saying, has been simmering for a little while, mr. charif. i would like to talk about what mps are going to do about this in tripoli right now. you are in tripoli. you must have some information so what was being planned. tell me about the security plan that was implemented in tripoli by the lebanese government and by the lebanese army. what's going on with that? >> first of all, the army clear

in tripoli, they cleared the area, now clashes are taking place, as you said in your report, and outside of tripoli but at the same time, i believe that the army, one of the major role of the army is to put the civilians in a safe place. we cannot continue this fight until unknown period. wir fighting in places where there are a lot of civilians. as you know, we heard and you will hear again that voice of simplians asking for clearance from this region. >> we understand that the army has also now been gone into the soup in tripoli which is quite unprecedented. but one member of parliament is denouncing what i call the excesssive use of force by the army in the current offensive that is going on. we understand, also, army

helicopter, gunshots are being used. do you share that view? >> we lebanese should support the army until the end. at the same time, we ask to don't overuse the forces because these people the civilians and are surrounded here by civilians over the north of lebanon. thinks should be very fast and the fight should stop as soon as possible. at the same time the army should be in control. >> the army, as you are very well aware stretched very thin in lebonon from problems to the valley to what we are seeing in the north of the country. is this a tipping point, do you feel, and can the army have a handle on the situation? >> i should believe that the army can control the situation. and i think that otherwise, we

will find our countries spilling over and was said, we have to keep the biggest lebanon. >> that's why we should support the army. we should support the government. we should support all of the security forces in lebanonon and then we can be in the opposition or with the government but however, we should keep what is lebanonon. >> thank you for joining us from tripoli in lebanonon. >> thank you. >> at least sixteen people believed to be from the same family have been killed in an airstrike in syria. it happened in the rebel held district in at a time dara prove incident in the south. activists say government helicopters dropped barely bonlz. continuing violence is forcing people to leave their homes. the alternative isn't much better. >> this syrian camp near the occupied golan heights is named al amal, it means hope.

it's supposed to provide protection to the many who escaped relentless fighting in their tongues. bur those who make the journey here say they are disappointed. conditions are so dire that many have even left. >> we were forced to leave our homes. we came here seeking shelter. there is no food or water. nothing but further humiliation. what can we do? we evening aped bombardment and humiliation back home. >> throughout the camp, there are more stories of despair. foured-year-old mohammed has an acute hearing loss. he is now unable to continue with may treatment we are suffering a lot in this camp. what as to our tragedy is my child needs a cochlear implant or at least a proper hearing aid. the one et cetera using has run out of batteries. >> with theitsisi near by, people here feel it's unlikely they will be attacked by the syrian army they say they need

better care. >> where is the national coalition or counsel? they are not living up to their responsibilities inside syria. what are they doing for displaced families and children who's homes are destroyed? areas of safety are hard to find. cities and villages have been bombarded every day. some of the worst violence on sunday happened in homs where dozens of people were killed. according to the syrian observatory for human rights, in just the past week, the syrian military carried out more than 530 airstrikes and barrel bomb attacks. government forces in that may be making full use of the aerial advantage to defeat the rebels but on the ground, it's the civilians who are getting killed. gerald tan, al jazeera. >> still to come on the al jazeera news hour, voting in brazil's tightly contested presidential run-off gets underway.

it's the ends of an era in afghanistan as british troops pull out after 13 years. and serena storms to victory to end her season at the top of the game once again. details coming up with joe in sports. now to pardon me parliamentary elections. the leaders of two of the largest parties have now voted that's the anada party up against nadat tunes party led by albagi. tunisia is now about to complete a vital step in its democratic transition. this is the second vote since the uprising that overthrew the then president benali, the party

inspired by political islam took 40% of the vote in elections that followed in 2011. >> made way under a new constitution this year which allows parliamentary oversight and independence monitoring. the parties are competing on two key issues. a shaky security situation as well as an economy with unemployment that's standing at around 15%. let's cross over to tunes and bring in albara. i was mentioning the security situation there, which we will talk about in just a moment. it's just about two hours left until the closing. the official closing of the polls there. how has it been? >> . >> reporter: well, international observers say the day went very smooth so far except for minor irregularities like officers turning up late or vot heers showing up at a polling station only to be told that we are not registered. the voter turnout is at 42%.

good news here according to officials who expect that number to increase in the coming hours. now, a historic event, a historic event for tunisia, a moment, huge expectations, huge hope but at the same time as we are going to see in this report, more uncertainty about the future. >> there is a senvariety of excitement in q are ueues about across tunisia. for many people, this is the second time they voted in a free election here he as minutes democracy will not be easy to aclean? >> being a fashion entrepreneur, i show some creativity and so -- saw many things coming out of this revolution. i am staying positive. i know there is a long, long, long way to go. >> most people are expected to vote for the two major political forces. his party which means the call

for tunisia promises a separation between the state and the religion. an islamic party led by this man who lived in exile for decades under the previous regime. today, the dreams of the marches of april come true. those who died when they spoke of the tunisia parliament, god bless our army and policemen who protected this path. >> the electoral system makes it unlikely one party will win an overall majority. so there will have to be some sort of an agreement. >> i don't see any coalition taking place. their grassroots work against each other. they have been attacking each other very vehemently over the last two years. i don't ceko al list but it is possible they agree, find and agreement toward the government to take place. >>its that kind of compromise

and national dialogue that led to a new constitution in january. successive governments have failed to cut unemployment and improve living standards. >> tun easeians may be politically divided. now, they can choose which path they want to take. for the transition to democracy isn't just about a free election. people want economic change and security in the country. >> there is a big security presence around the country. a few days ago, police discovered an apparent hideout of a group preparing attacks. they i hopeveyeded the hope killing 5 women and a man who they say were armed. the stability of the country is at stake in this election. most people say they want the goals of the revolution fulfilled. but what is important now is that people also feel that they can trust the election results. security concerns are in the

western part of the country. polling stations old late because they are launching an operation against armed groups in the area, but at the same time, political parties and media were legtelling people yo have to defy those groups, have to show up in huge numbers. you have to show that you are not deterred by those concerned and that your vote is going to make is ig of any can't impact on the future of the country. we have to wait and see what happens in the coming hours. now, there is a sentiment that we are going to see more turn outcome paired to 2011 when 50% of the registered voters cast their bal otsdz. >> hasham, thank you. joining us from tunnis. we have a very compromisive coverage of those elections going on our website. it includes this info graphic you are looking at as well as updates throughout the day. voting elsewhere and in brazil

in fact is underway in the presidential run-off there. the incumbent catch her vote in the country's south. she is seeing a second four-year term. rousseff is facing a challenge from nevez who received 34% of votes in the first round. he is a former governor as well as a state governor. asia newman is joining us from braz i thinkia to tell us how the voting is going. first of all, lucia. reporter: hello. the voting is going very well there have been a few hiccups with the electronic systems. they were one of the first countries in the world to instate this it kind of voting but they are first-generation machines. there have been some problems but nothing too serious according to the electoral council. all of the 150 brazilians are voting, very, very exciting race indeed. very, very close. too close to call first stage?

>> that is my next question to you. how is it looking for both candidates? >> well, you know, both are sounding very, very confident. the last poll which came out on the eve of the elections put president rousseff ahead of her con tender by between 4 to 6 office % but there is a margin off ro are and a large number wo are undecided as of last night. it is still a technical tie. no one can say who is going to win. exit polls are not allowed. we will have to wait. >> when you say they are undecided, why is that? why are people voting -- what are people voting on this time around? what's important to them? >> the thing is that brazil has done over the last 12 years very well under the workers party >> some 40 million brazilians

from poverty to the lower middle classes but their aspirations have increased economic growth has commin issued substantially. brazil is in a recession. the world's second largest emerging company. things have ghont well for rousseff. she says she would defend the poor. and nevez to fight growing inflation. there are their platforms aren't that different. brazilians clearly are dissatisfied. they want change and improvement. >> thank you, lucia reporting from brazilia. he elections are taking place. voters are picking their next president. the winner remains popular but cannot seek re-election because of term limits. he is famous for legalizing marijuana as well as donating most of his salary to charity.

a runoff will be held that will take place at the ends of november. in another election, botswana's president has been elected to a second term. his party has been in power for more than five decades. decide being a middle income country, he does continue to grabbel with unequal distribution of wealth, high levels of poverty as well as unemployment. the united kingdom has ended combat operations in this afghanistan. british forces have handed over their helmet province to the afghan sforsz. it's the last uk base in afghanistan. and the last marine base nearby at cap leatherneck has been handed over. the total number of foreign troops stands at around 40,000. that is down from a peek of 114,000 in 2011. most will leave by the end of this year. 12,,000 will stay. most will be american.

nearly 500 british soldiers and two and a half thousand american troops have died while serving in afghanistan. and 4,000 afghan soldiers and police have been killed this year alone. jennifer glasse has more from kandahar in southern afghanistan. >> reporter: the handover of these two basis in hellmit province marks the end of the nato come backgrounds mission in that prove incident. two large basis handed over to the afghan security forces. the british base, last british base here and last american u.s. marine base here, camp baston, camp leather neck, the marine base but this marks a big transition for the nato force here as it winds down it's 13 year mission here in afghanistan, 13 years of combat coming to an ends, about 12,000, the bulk of the americans, about 10,000 american troops will remain and their main goals will be to support, train the afghan

security forces to mentor them as they move forward. 350,000 afghan security forces across the country in northern hellmit prove incident the. they control a lot of rural areas there. afghan officials point out they haven't been able to take any of the district centers, any of the towns and the cities that they had tried to take but they still do control a lot of the rural areas. afghan forces doing their very best, but they recognize that they don't have what nato did have: some of the nato intelligence, certainly the nato air support, and those are the kind of things that the nato, the new nato force, when it takes over next year in 2014 will offer afghan security forces as they move forward into this new phase as a nato combat mission coming to an end here with a close of two large bases in helmet prove incident will see more forces leaving afghanistan with the idea that probably 12,000 nato forces

remaining here in 2015. >> the nigerian government may have signed a cease-fire with the armed group boca haram. tensions remain high. many nigerians are skeptical about that deal. harrah matasa was in abuja when one man was accused of being a boca haram member. >> people say this man raised suspicion when he refused to open his bag. he is an unfamiliar face in this part of abuja at a time when residents are nervous. attacks in the neonate northeast are going on despite a nigerian government insisting a cease-fire is holding. >> we don't want that kind of issue to happen. >> they suspect the man could be from boca haram because he was carrying these: he says he is just a cattle herder, the guns are to protect his animals. many here don't believe his

story. they don't know what this man was doing in the neighborhood, don't know why he was carrying the ammunition he was carrying. people say they are worried about boca haram in the area and they are not taking chances. abuja the capitol is more than 500 kilometers but they know they are not safe. there was an attack on a shopping mall here in june. is. >> bringing in this kind of a thing into our domain. it is because of boca haram. so we are afraid. >> the government says a cease-fire was t: ? >> people who are not really very, you know, not very happy with the cease-fire to bring up vigilantes within the region and some of them do cause problems, you know. and, you know, the main thing is that the federal government is

committed to the cease-fire. >> many nigerians say they are skeptical about the cease-fire and on edge. >> that's why some here want the man they have captured killed. others want the police to question him. it's a challenge getting him in to a nearby car, but this may have saved his life. harrah mutas a, abuja. there are protests in iran after a series of acid attacks against women in the central city and now, two of the victims are speaking out about their attacks which have sparked an international outcry. aj's natasha gname has more. >> reporter: it happened in a matter of seconds. these women say they were simply sitting in their cars when someone on a motor bike passed by and tossed acid on their faces. >> this all happened in 1/1000 of a second. i was burning to death. >> they are among eight women who have been victims of acid attacks in the last several months. in the iranian city of isfahan.

police have arrested four suspects so far. they believe the same person threw acid in the series of attacks. the motive is unknown. >> i want anyone who did this to receive retribution. >> amina barami knows how these women feel. in 2004, she was blinded biasid, her face disfigured after she refused to marry her attacker but she forgave the man seen here in 2011 as the doctor was about to destroy one of his eyes with acid as punishment under islamic law, she pardoned him. she said she didn't want him to endure the challenges of being blind as she has. >> i didn't go through with it because it was only important for the sentence to be issued. i never even wanted to seek revenge. >> perhaps alluding to her unexpected act of mercy, the iranian attorney general raz says even if these convictedims forgive, once apprehended, the law will not spare those who

have quote spread panic and terror among people. natasha gname, al jazeera. >> here with the news hour and still ahead: >> in cal culturea, coming up, we will see how a ban on by silks on the main roads is affecting livelihoods and the environment. >> more than 20 european banks fail a stress test on the amount of money they hold in case of another financial crisis. within a year, we won fair and square against tough, tough, tough competitions and we were very transparent all the way. coming up, we speak to qatar's sports minister about the 2022 world cup. details coming up.

>> 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, let the journalists live. >> america votes 2014 >> the race is still a dead heat >> filmmaker aj schack turns his camera towards elections in the swing states >> it shows you who these people are... in ways that you don't get to see from the short appearances >> unconventional... >> if i can drink this... i don't see why you should be able to smoke that... >> unscripted... >> we gonna do this? >> ...and uncensored... >> are you kidding me? >> america votes 2014 midterms the series continues only on al jazeera america

>> from now on, it will be different than the one we were chasing in the past. we have to adapt to it. >> carlos helped restrushing nissan pulling it out of near bankruptcy and transforming it into a company with more than $100,000,000,000 in a one of a kind collatration, he not only heads nissa. he also leads renaut. >> there was no other model like this.