>> tension in myanmar solders lockdown the ruling party. plus --

i'm in northern argentina, where thousands of people have been forced out of their homes by the flooding. ♪ we start in iraq why isil has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack in a crowded mar tet. at least 55 people were killed in a mainly shia muslim district of baghdad. around 200 others were injured. mohammed jamjoom reports. >> reporter: in the blink of an eye, the scene turned from mundane to murderous, as a truck plaqued with explosives blew up in a crowded market. the prom dominantly shia muslim neighborhood is one of the capitol's most densely populated. as some searched for survivors, others found the dead. amid displays of the cruelty

that had been committed. because the early-morning attack was apparently planned to maximize civilian casualties, many knew this would be the work ochl isil. it was the third attack in as many days. on tuesday, isil attacked two other areas where many shia muslims live. dozens were killed and dozens more injured. attempts to deepen sectarian lines at a time when increasing numbers of iraqis are demanding their government work together. fed up at the lack of basic services such as electricity and clean water, tens of thousands have been demonstrating against corruption. a call that has alarmed iraqi leaders who quickly passed sweeping reform proposals. it's unclear how the attack in the city may affect the turnout of protests, especially here in baghdad which has now

experienced another brutal reminder of the security crisis in this country. >> chairman of iraq's parliamentary block, a shia political coalition, and he says the bombing will not stir sectarian sentiment. >> the attention will not be as isil wants, because most of the iraqis know that those behind these attacks are not iraqi sunnis. we have differentiate clearly between sunnis who are against isis, who are moderates who adopt a moderate discourse from those terrorists who have this very extreme discourse. it is clearly not sectarian. i mean, although the motivation behind the attacks sectarian, because isil believes that shia and moderate sunnis should be killed, they are not muslims, this is not going to raise

any -- any tension. this going to maybe distract the attention given to the areas where daesh is occupying. this is going to distract the attention of the government from focusing on basis services from solving the political problems. maybe this is going to be the main -- i mean the main negative -- or the main problem that this attack or such attacks will create. explosions at one of the world's busiest ports in china have killed at least 50 people. these are pictures showing the scale of the blast. more than 700 others are injured and 36 firemen are missing. adrian brown has more from the site of the explosions. >> reporter: the heart of one of china's most important economic hubs attorney apart by multiple blasts. [ explosion ]

>> reporter: fires burned throughout the night. there were further explosions on thursday afternoon. as a pool of toxic smoke billowed across the city. with local people concerned not for the first time about the air they are now breathing. >> translator: we're very worried. very worried about what chemical is in the air. we're worry it might be toxic. >> reporter: close to the epicenter of the explosions, the scale of the destruction is difficult for survivors to comprehend what happened and why. >> translator: i thought it was a gas explosion. my bedroom wall was hit by a shock wave which threw me out of bed. >> reporter: windows were shattered in homes almost two kilometers away, foreseeing the evacuation of hundreds of families. the flying debris sliced through

hundreds of vehicles. this is a worker's dormitory, and as you can see it has been completely shredded. the imagine really bares testament to the force of those multiple explosions. the people in here were lucky to get out alive. the number of dead is continuing to rise. many of them were firefighters. government officials say hundreds of people were treated in hospital, mostly for cuts caused by flying glass and concrete. >> translator: my first reaction was to run, i then heard another blast. i got blood all over my body. >> reporter: the authorities say the blasts were caused by chemicals stored in a warehouse close to where thousands of people lived. an investigation into how that was possible has now begun. adrian brown, al jazeera. two of myanmar's most senior politicians have been removed from office.

soldiers surrounded beruling parties headquarters. there has been tension among military leaders over the selection of candidates for the general election in november. >> reporter: limited access in and out of the headquarters of the ruling party. it has been surrounded by security forces, locking many mp's inside. for months there's been an internal power struggle between the president and the chairman of the ruling party. both are former top military officers, and bot had said they want to run for president in november's general election. but a meeting to declare the candidates before friday's deadline, also included an amownsment that one had been dismissed. >> translator: he is not on the new list of the central committee, but he is still chairman of the lower house of parliament and union parliament and he is also listed as a

candidate of the lower house in the party too. >> reporter: the secretary general of the party has also been dismissed. there are still questions over what it means for both men and their position in the ruling party. it's also being seen as a blow to myanmar's path to democracy, just three monks before the general election. it is supposed to be the least restricted since they handed over power four years ago, but in fighting and public protests have already caused election unrest. the party of opposition leader is expected to make major gains in the election, but she is not allowed to run for president. a law bars candidates who have children with foreign passports. november's election is being seen by the international community as a test of whether myanmar's military commanders really are ready to loosen their grip on power. a court in cairo has

sentenced four policemen over the deaths of 37 demonstrators in august 2013. they are serve a total of eight years between them. the most senior officer had his jail time reduced after an earlier sentence was quashed. rob matherson looks back at the details of the case. >> reporter: august, 2013, and death has become a regular occurrence in the chaotic streets of cairo. it is month since mohammed morsi has been toppled by the military. families struggle to identify the bodies killed. and some look for the names of family members among the 37 prisoners gassed to death inside a van carrying them to jail. most of those killed in the van are later identified as morsi supporters, rounded up when a pro-morsi camp was cleared, but some are just passers by,

arrested by mistake. crowds gather at a nearby morgue. police see the prisoners rioted, but tear gas was fired into the van, the van was sealed. the prisoners suffocate and die. >> translator: my brother was transferred to the prison. the prison was attacked, and we don't know what happened to him. we were told that prisoners were killed and we were planning to visit him. we came here to the morgue to check for him. >> reporter: in march 2014, this captain is sentenced to ten years in jail for the manslaughter of the prisoner ises. three other officers get suspended sentences. it's the first time that security forces members have faced trial over the death of demonstrators. outside of the court, violence breaks out. three months later in june, the

captain's sentence is quashed on appeal. this latest verdict is from egypt's highest court. it is final. and cannot be appealed. rob matherson, al jazeera. now turkey's main opposition party says talks to form a coalition with the ruling party has failed. there have been meetings going on between the prime minister and the leader of the chp, having lasted for a couple of hours, they seem to have broken up without too much of a result. our correspondent who has been following all of this for us in istanbul is bernard smith. bernard, following those meetings, and both sides saying nothing has been achieved, the prime minister has been addressing the nation. what has he been saying? >> martine he has just said that it looks like the only possibility now is new elections in turkey.

he had earlier said that they had constructive talks with the opposition, chp, despite the political and idealogical differences between the parties. the akp is a religiously conservative party, the chp is a secular party. in the end they just couldn't come toen agreement. it looks like turkey is going to have new elections. they will probably be, according to the constitution, in mid-november. >> and so that puts even more pressure, doesn't it, on the turkish authorities. they have an electoral program now in front of them, as well as dealing with isil across the border and pkk both in the southeast as well as in iraq. >> reporter: well, the news didn't go down very well on the stock market. their stocks fell.

turkish currency fell to its lowest ever against the dollar. it's at 2.82, compared to 2.20, 12 month's ago. the markets had been hoping for a coigs will. and yes, turkey is facing security threats from its border with syria, it has joined the fight against isil, and it is also targeting positions of the pkk. there will be some sort of government formed to take the country to those elections. it could be a minority, ak party government with the support of another right-wing party, or a coalition of all of the parties represented in parliament. there will be some sort of government formed up to the elections martine. >> thank you for that. still to come on the program, the head of the u.n.

commission is fired. and find out how this new cooking fuel is becoming the biofuel of choice.

hello again. let's have a look at the top stories here on al jazeera. isil in iraq has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on a crowded market. it was a mainly shia district of the capitol. at least 50 people have been killed in a series of explosions

in one of the world's busiest ports in china. hundreds of people were injured and hospitals are overwhelmed by the number of casualties. a court in cairo has sentenced four policemen over the deaths of protesters in 2013. they will serve a total of eight years between them. the most senior officer had his time reduced after an earlier sentence was quashed. iran's foreign minister has been meeting with bashar al-assad in damascus. he didn't go into too much detail as to what was discussed but he described the exchange as good. meanwhile there has been no let upin fighting in syria. >> reporter: the rebel strong hold of duma was one of several opposition towns targeted by government air strikes. the military regularly attacks these regions. but the latest was in retaliation for an assault on

the government seat of power. casualties were caused as rockets and mortar bombs landed in the city. this barrage was intense and lasted for about two hours. many say the attack was a message to the syrian government and it's main ally, iran, who it's foreign minister was expected in damascus hours later zarif has also be in beirut as part of efforts to promote peace. he has repeatedly called for talks. >> translator: we want to extend hand of cooperation to all neighbors in this region. we are ready to cooperate and exchange ideas for joint action between these countries, to combat extreatmentism, terrorism, and sectarianism. >> reporter: there are a few details, iranian media has

reported the plan was involve a ceasefire, the formation of a national unity government, amending the constitution, and holding elections under international supervision. the main problem for the opposition is president bashar al-assad. >> there is still the pending issue today is the fate of the president, bashar al-assad. why -- i mean this iranian initiative is faced with what we call saudi condition, and the number one saudi condition is that no deal is to be -- or there is no place for assad in any possible solution inside syria. >> reporter: saudi arabia made that position clear. there is a renewed push for a diplomatic solution to the syrian conflict, it is being lead by the syrian's government's main backers, iran and russia. the international community does

agree on the need to find an agreement, but forming negotiations is proving to be difficult, there are many players in this conflict with die verging interests. some opposition leaders believe iran and russia are pushing for a deal because the syrian government is facing economic and political pressures. zana hoda, al jazeera, beirut. to yemen now and pro-government forces there are gaining more ground from houthi rebels and just 125 kilometers away from the capitol, sana'a. troops loyal to president hadi have taken six districts in the city of ibb, most of the south is now held by pro-government forces being backed by saudi lead air strikes. meanwhile president hadi is on a trip to the united arab

emirates. the al-qaeda leader has pledged allegiance to the new head of the afghan taliban. in an audio statement in support of the leader, he suggested his support as it was posted online. this is the first message from him since september last year. he is thought to be seeking refuge in the afghan pakistan border area that is the taliban's base. the president of guinea has dismissed the government lead by the prime minister. he made the announcement on a national radio program. this follows months of political infighting between the two leaders of this west african nation. the u.n. secretary general has forced the head of the u.n. mission to the central afghan republic to resign. it follows allegations that peace keepers have engaged in

the killing and sexual abuse of civilians, including the rape of a 12-year-old girl. >> reporter: anguished, ashamed, angered. united nations secretary general ban ki-moon's response after allegations u.n. peace keepers raped a 12-year-old girl and were begin the killing of civilians in the central african republic. >> i believe the number of disturbing allegations we have seen in many countries, but particularly in the central african republic. since speaks the need to take action now. enough is enough. >> reporter: allegations of wrongdoing in the central afghan republic started last year, when french troops were accused of sexual misconduct before the peace keeping mission began. the official peace-keeping

mission was then set up and has been in operation for about a year and a half. it is made up of more than 10,000 troops and police from more than 45 countries. the spokesperson for ban ki-moon announced wednesday there have been 57 allegations of misconduct, including 11 cases of possible sexual abuse. that's a far higher number than what has previously been made public. u.n. peace-keeping operations started just three years after the u.n. was founded in 1945. to date there have been 63 missions arrange the globe. peace-keeping missions as a whole won the nobel peace prize in 1988. in the democratic republic of congo there were allegations of rape. but the peace-keeping problems

have gone beyond sexual transgressions. nap poll ease troops were accused of causing the cholera outbreak in haiti. in rwanda, the ban ki-moon said the u.n. was ashamed they could not stop the 1994 genocide. and dutch peace keepers forced muslim families out of their compound, and the males were massacred. now with this latest scandal, the world's top diplomat stepping in to try to show accountability and change. u.s. investigators are trying to determine whether classified information passed through hillary clinton's private email server during her time of secretary of state. the presidential hopeful has turned over the server she used

to the justice department. her political opponents say two of her emails contained top-secret information. they accuse her of side stepping laws on transparency and record keeping. more rain and strong winds are expected in argentina's bens that aries region. at least three people have died. >> reporter: trying to take assistance to those kauft by the water. volunteer firemen were working day and night to help those in needs. in the northern part of banes that eye res area. this person lives here and is trying to save whatever little she has left. >> translator: i have never seen anything like this.

last year something similar happened, but not like this. this is a disaster. >> reporter: thousands of people have been effected. at the university, 80 of them have taken refuge. we're told hundreds of others have been placed in other schools around the city. this woman and her daughter say they have nowhere else to go. >> translator: we lost everything, all of our belongings. we're trying to get clothes and food here, but i'm not sure how we're going to go on. >> reporter: this is the second flooding in the last year, the sixth in the last four. people have been living in this university for almost five days, and most have already been victims from flooding in the past. that's why they are demanding more government action. the government says they have invetsed millions of dollars in the area. this man claims that more funds are needed to prevent the river from flooding again. >> translator: we understand

that large-scale development needs to happen here. they need to broaden the river so it adjusts to the increased water levels. more precautions need to be taken, but that can only be done by the federal government. >> reporter: many affected live in the city's poorest areas, near the river. they claim they cannot afford to move. they only hope that immediate and it action is taken so the next storm doesn't force them out of their homes. there's a new type of cooking fuel in west africa that it's claimed is healthier and more sustainable than conventional options. it's being produced by a start-up in nigeria that is focusing on green business and renewalable energy experts say it has great potential. >> reporter: at home this person is using a new kind of cooking fuel that helps her breathe more

easily. she suffers from asthma and is glad to find this gel. >> [ inaudible ] it will definitely be good for me, which means my kitchen my environment [ inaudible ] which gives life. >> reporter: the gel releases carbon dioxide, but is far less toxic. it uses the leftover of saw dust from mills that would otherwise go to waste, and an invasive weed. when plants grow they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. >> [ inaudible ] so much that we could create a oil that is clean, green, and sustainable. that has helped my thinking in ways in which i want to invest,

and where i want to put my money to work, and the kind of legacy i want to leave behind. >> some other biofuels produce crops. to make green fuels more accessible they need to be produced from resources with less waste. >> the amounts you will need for a truly sustainable africa are very significant. and therefore, it's important to start looking at more advanced fuel income >> reporter: the gel is being produced in nigeria and being sold in ghana and banine. liter of the fuel costs $0.05 and is sells to more than 350,000 households so far. cooks like irene have converted

to the green gel with a promising future. that's a fascinating story that you will be able to find out more about on the al jazeera website. you will be able to keep up with all of the day's top stories, and you see isil claiming deadly truck bombing at baghdad market. aljazeera.com. [ explosion ] [ screaming ] thousands evacuate after explosions in china. fears of toxic chemicals now spreading force rescuers to stop searching for survivors. the chief of epa acknowledges fears of long-term effects from a toxic spill in colorado. and a county clerk in kentucky turns a same-sex