lockerbie part two: case closed beji caid essebsi claims victory in the tunisian run-off. opponents say it's too early to say who won. hello, welcome to al jazeera, live from dough ha. i'm elizabeth parr arn am. also ahead. new york ideas police department says it's in a state of war after the killing of two officers. >> it is a disaster. this happened before riding out the slide. gulf countries stand by their decision not to cut oil

production. plus... >> this is a gift which i received from my friend saddam husse hussein a syrian war criminal back home and rebuilding his political career. we begin in tunisia where the candidate for the secular tunis party claimed victory in the country's historic presidential election. beji caid essebsi's claim has been dismissed by moncef marzouki, who says it's too early i to call a winner. the official result expected on monday. we go to tunis. >> reporter: starting early in the morning tunisians lined up at the polls, waiting for their turn to create history. for the first time people

choosing their president. beji caid essebsi under the minister, and moncef marzouki, the interim president who took charge following the 2011 revolution. beji caid essebsi built his campaign around experience spanning decades. those years in office were not without controversy. beji caid essebsi oversaw mass crackdowns and does sent. those that voted for him say he's the only one capable of moving tunisia forward. even though he's 88 years old. >> i voted for beji caid essebsi, because he has a lot of experience and we have a lot of faith in him that he will fix our country. >> reporter: tunisia is the only count ray that came close to being a success story of the arab spring. all disagreements have been resolved democratic lu, it is this that supporters say they want to safeguard - the former

human rights advocate turned politician built himself as a unifying figure, galvanising support from cross the political spectrum. >> translation: the reason i voted for moncef marzouki is i want to ensure that no single party has all the power. >> translation: the reason i voted for moncef marzouki is to have a political power share in the country. >> reporter: sunday is the third time tunisians go to the ballot box, resulting in a large percentage of people not voting this time around. with the polls closed in tunisia, people are waiting to find out who will be entrusted with the young democracy. regardless of his inclination, tunisians hope that his new-found freedoms will not be short lived let's bring in a senior

associate at the kahn age middle east center -- carnegie middle east center, joining us from beirut. very good to have you with us on al jazeera. we'll get to the major issues section but beji caid essebsi is claiming victory. is it too early to do so? >> based on the exit polls, it looks like he won by 11%. this is what the exit polls are indicating. is it too early to to? >> i mean, it's too early to officially announce a victory, yes, we have to wait for the higher authority that is overseeing the elections for the final results, i would say. >> let's talk about some of the major issues then in this election. you see a social polarization as one of the biggest ones. in what way is tunisia polarized, along which lines, and do you think beji caid essebsi, who is claiming victory - can he unite tunis

yams against the schisms. can either candidate do so? >> one hopes he can. he played a role in the polarization. a lot of this emerged after the first - the primary run off between the different presidential candidate, and with the emergence of the two final runner-ups, if you like. the divisions - the discourse, the language used played on the south voting formula, the poor south versus the north, the richer north. this is increased. it was also accusations that the islamist were voting and somehow this was deemed as an insult or as a way of saying you don't have legitimacy. so the polarization, the social

polarization has gone beyond - it's not an ideological one. it's not islamists versus nolle prosequi islamists. it's north versus south, rich and poor, ruler versus urban. it's a lot. he played a role in this. his speech was very much about - just the claim to victory. he said that he would work towards uniting tunisians, as working for all tunisians. hopefully he'll be able to do that. >> what about the use of tunisia that rallied. beji caid essebsi is 88, 89 years old. >> yes, yes, he is. the concern here is that his party is about beji caid essebsi. so given his age, should, god forbid, anything happen to him, there's no clear leadership

structure as such. for the use, i think the exit poll, the polls will eventually show that a portion of the youth did not vote, and have stayed out of the - i mean, we have seen the decline in the political use over the last few elections, and most likely will see a similar pattern in this particularly one. >> thank you very much for your time to other news now. human rights watch says hundreds of muslims in the central african republic are trapped in enclaves, living in deplorable conditions. in a new report, they face a grim choice, risking attacks by christian militias, or stay and face hunger and disease. human rights watch says human peacekeepers are blocking it from abroad. the report accuses the interim

government of stopping muslims from leaving the country and escaping across the board are. >> translation: the terrible thing is the anti-balaka killed my husband and killed my 12-year-old son, they struck his head, shot him and stabbed his foot with a spear. he survived, thank god. >> translation: we face three main problems. the first is food. the second is shelter. finally we have the problem of health. these problems took 42 lives in the community. many children, mostly girls. >> suspected boko haram fighters attacked a town in the north-east. the number of people killed and wounded in yobi state. many fled to safer areas after neighbouring towns were attacked. mourners gathered at a memorial in new york city for police officers killed on saturday. people laid flowers another the

site in brooklyn, where they were attacked child on patrol. the gunman fled to a railway station and took his own life. >> killings exposed a rift between police force and the new york mayor. bill de blasio has been criticized for not doing enough following a nation-wide protest against police brutality. >> he does a 2-year prison term in georgia from august 2011 to july 2013, for criminalisation of a weapon, from what we can ascertain. he does extensive local gaols by fulton. >> the criminal record of a gunman that shot two police officers at point blank range in the patrol car. 28-year-old ismaaiyl brinsley had a history of depression. cell phone footage captured the screen at the railway station. according to authorities, the

chain of event began in baltimore. he shot and wounded her. authorities in baltimore are reported to have alerted new york police half an hour before the shooting. condemnation has been expressed by president obama and civil rights leaders. >> the families of african-americans killed by police have condemned the killings. break-ins mentioned their names. >> we depend on police to protect us against forces of criminality. they are a foundation of our society. and when they are attacked attacked on the concept of decency. >> reporter: a new york police leader blamed the mayor for the murder of his colleagues. >> there's blood on many hands.

those that incited violence on the streets under the guise of protests trying to tear down what new york police officers did every day. we tried to warn it must not go on. it cannot be tolerated. that blood on the hands starts on the steps of city hall, in the office of the mayor. >> since the police killing of unarmed teenager of michael brown in august. marchers demanded a chain to a system because of young black men. mayor bill de blasio expressed fears in relation to his own son, who is bi-racial. >> we have had to talk to dante for years about the dangers he may face. >> reporter: the head of the new york police union said the ny police union is a war time police department.

the question is with whom is it at war andrew star is a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, saying changes to police protocol will help them to improve the force. >> the changes are to strengthen the effectiveness of the policing in this city, and to strengthen the trust that the community has in the police. i can't speak for patrick lynch, why he doesn't under the changes need to take place. it's been decades in the making and decades of people saying that change needs to come. and we finally - we have a real administration here in new york city from the mayor on down, that seems to recognise that he represents the entire city, not just one small contingency of the city. so i think there's some push back there, but, you know, i'm

optimistic that over time things will improve, there'll be positive changes. look, these protests on the street. they have been largely peaceful, and the police response to the protests have been largely effective and peaceful. >> lots more to come on al jazeera - a tide of anger rises in nicaragua, as the government prepared to break ground for a new waterway. and 10 years on from a tsunami, we meet a victim changing women's lives for the better.

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good to have you with us, i'm elizabeth puran am in doha, these are the top stories. the presidential candidate for the tunisian secular party is claiming victory. beji caid essebsi's claims have been dismissed by his rival marz r, who says it's -- moncef marzouki, who says it's too early to call a winner. human rights watch says muslims trapped in enclaves face hunger and disease. they fear violence if they leave and u.n. peacekeepers are not providing them with security assistance people gathered at a memorial for two new york police officers killed whilst on patrol. mourners laid flowers where rafael ramos and wenjian liu were shot oil-producing countries in the carr ab golf say they will

not cut levels to lift oil praises out an of slump, but the decision could hurt other countries that depend on oil to keep the countries afloat. >> saudi arabia is the largest exporter of oil. 10 million barrels are produced in the kingdom every day. six months of falling prices depth the profit margins. at an o.p.e.c. meeting saudi arabia blamed non-o.p.e.c. countries for the fall. it said it would not cut production levels if others do not do so first. >> translation: we do not know what can happen in the future. what we know for sure is those that have the most and best reduction will control the mark. >> this decision could hurt other members of o.p.e.c. countries like venezuela need to sell the oil at $118 per barrel to balance the budget. the current price is fluctuating around $60 a barrel.

>> we are not at a disaster. this happened before. this happened before. we are just at a shorter of oversupply. this oversupply will be fixed because the market is strong. >> some analysts say another factor in the volatility of prices is the rise of shale gas. >> what is clear is that there's increasing concern in the gulf about the rising levels of u.s. outlets of shale gas, and concerns that they will lose market share and the united states will become oil independent. >> shale gas currently represents a quarter of u.s. gas production. but such is the demand that figure is expected to double in the next 20 years, leading o.p.e.c. members from the gulf say they'll ride out the storm in oil prices. as things stand, that could cost them around $350 billion a year

a chief strat chist at bell point asset management. he says the downward trend in oil prices has a lot to do with saudi arabia decision. >> saudi arabia realised $100 oil is probably no longer defensible in today's world. there's too many producers. o.p.e.c. enjoyed the prestige. world and the ability to manipulate oil prices. o.p.e.c. has been a cartel dominating the oil scene for well over 50 years. for the first time in over four decades, oil is threating as a free commodity. it will be subject to supply and demand. i think saudi arabia understands that they have the reserves to withstand the fall, and they no longer want to subsidise iran, iraq, russia and venezuela. some of the countries that you mentioned, oil exports, for some it will be harsh, especially a

country like venezuela, literally on the brink of collapse, and for a country like russia, whose budget consumes 50% of its revenue. it's a serious issue north korea refuses to take part in a meeting on monday discussing their human rights record. the threat follows threats from north korean attacking the united states, accusing it of being behind an attack on sony pictures. obama will review whether it will put nooear on a u.n. listed country that sponsors terrorism. a serbian suspect says he will not return to the hague to hear the verdict on his case. it was released. he was using a chance to stage a return to politics. neve barker met with him. >> this is a gift which i

received from my friend saddam hussein. >> reporter: he is one of the last political strong men of yugoslavia's civil wars. after being temp tarely released by the hague tribunal, he is back at work. >> translation: in the last 12 years the hague tribunal failed to prove a link between me and any atrocities. >> this is the siege that ended in the massacre of hundreds of eth mick crow at. he is accused by the hague of the execution of non-serbs. for prison and torture. >> it comes at a tentative time as it edges closer to e.u. membership. there are those here that are concerned that membership will lead to a loss of sovereignty and be damaging to close ties for russia. >> he made no secret of his desire to create a pan slavic region, uniting russia and

serbia. interrupting the interview, the mobile phone. the russian national anthem, the ring tone of choice. >> translation: all of our traditional enemies are e.u. members. russia is our trend and alley, u.s. countries bombed us. russia, throughout history, never attacked us. >> reporter: from the start, obstacles and delay beset the trial. the biggest upset caused by the hague itself. infighting between officials forced the replacement of one of the judges, setting the verdict back. the hague was accused of being irresponsible. >> translation: after all the court proceedings were finished, as they reached an agreement on the verdict, the process was returned to square one.

this is unacceptable. >> a new verdict is expected next year. he will not return. >> no, never. if they arrest me, they need to know what i could do. >> reporter: he remains in serbia, his influence is growing. this is him at a recent rally. as the balkan struggles to come to terms with history. the return of one of the most repentant nationalists threatens to ipp flame tensions to egypt, where five members of the armed group have been killed in a shoot-out with police. the fighters who have fledged aleegeens to i.s.i.l. were hiding. egypt's interior ministery said security forces stormed the building. suicide belts, weapons and ammunition were seized in the

raid al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three journalists imprisoned in egypt for 359 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed were gaoled on false charges of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their convictions. now, india's south seas, a region ravaged which the boxing day tsunami, thousands were killed, and large chunks of the coastline were destroyed. in some communities women were not given the support needed. we met a victim that helped others to make a lasting difference. >> sitting where her home once stood. this woman remembers the moment the sea swallowed her beachside village. as the scale of the destruction became clear, help arrived. not everyone was taken care of.

>> me were given preferential treatment by the government and aid agencies. women struggled with everything from relief to medical support and counselling. in my community women shouldered responsibilities of the home. back then, no one helped them. >> some decided to take control, helping many to get the support they needed to rebuild their lives. what started as a call for unity during a disaster turned into the national coastal women's movement with 10,000 members. >> in 2004. some of the goal was to help women in her visit. 10 years on, she's forcing communities across the coastline to address the problems that she says have long been a source of shame. once recovered from the tsunami, they were emboldened to tackle problems like alcoholism and domestic violence.

this 32-year-old turned here to support. >> translation: i told her i couldn't handle my husband torturing me, and i wanted to separate from him. he protected me and helped me find a new home. i live peacefully with my children, free from violence. >> some worked with thousands of women. like many in this conservative society admits, that domestic violence is a problem. most say it's not surprising. >> everywhere here is poor and uneducated. men are frustrated and drink a lot. that's why there's family problems. >> for some, these waters have been a blessing and a curse. she says that they have taken away so much. but given her the chance to make a lasting difference. >> over the next few days we'll have a series of reports marking

the 10th anniversary of the swour boxing day tsunami. we have reporters throughout the region, veronica pedrosa will look at how people are recovering in thai and and we'll hear from sri lanka, where people are finding hope after the devastation, and indonesia, one of the worse-hit areas. nicaragua is set to begin construction of a controversial canal. the waterway that will go through the country is funded by a chinese businessman. small communities will be affected as many families will be forced out of their homs. we have this report from the capital. this ramp has been in the same family for more than 100 years. now it's feared they'll lose everything. 130 hectares of land. the $50 billion canal runs through it. >> translation: there's great

uncertainty, we feel bad and stressed because the government has not thought about us. this will not benefit us, it will destroy our home and family. lucia will do everything she can to protect her property. like her, all the villagers are worried they'll be evicted. >> neither the government nor the mayor told us where they'll send us, how much will be paid. it's up in the air. we don't have anyone to look out for us. >> the canal will be 278km long, crossing nicaragua's great lake and affecting nearly 300 communicateies. -- communities. activists are going from one community to the next, organising people to take action. thousands have been protesting for bonths. -- for months. >> translation: the project will

enrich companies and millionaires, not solve nicaragua's problems. on the contrary, it will create new problems and destroy territory and heritage. i see the programme take ebb into account. there should have been a referendum. >> reporter: opposition is growing the more people learn about it. the government says it must go ahead because it will create thousands of jobs. >> it says the canal has been an agreement for many nicaraguans. some that supported the promote have questions. >> translation: it could be a great investment in a short time and bring benefits. i was enthusiastic about how the project is managed. >> from her home. lucia can see the government's determination to go ahead. a police patrol is stationed near to prevent people disrupting construction.

but this will not deter her from her fight. >> just a reminder that you can keep up to date with all the news on the website. leading with the story of kurdish fighters moving into the i.s.i.l. hub of mosul. all that and more on aljazeera.com. open for business with america - cuba. we are breaking down dramatic change between the two nations in over half a century. we look at what it does and does not do for american businesses. quitting america - why some are giving up their citizenship to save on their taxes. the institutional investors buying up forelarges after the housing collapse could look to close in soon. i look at what it could do to your home.