>> more than a dozen killed 37 many more injured as bomb targets a busy intersection in the thai capital of bangkok. i'm lauren taylor. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. south sudan's leaders are on the brink of a compromise deal that one side said needs more time before signing. u.n. humanitarian chief calls for more protection for civilians after one of the worst single attacks in the war in syria. >> i'm o on an indonesia island, and i'll tell you why

this island is being destroyed and why these men are risking their lives, and it's our obsession with gadgets like these that have something to do with it. >> hello, at least 16 people have been killed in a bomb attack in a thai capital of bangkok. the explosion happened near the hindu shrine in the heart of the city. in a few moments we'll have the latest from the scene. first here is emma hayward. >> with the fire from the explosion still burning, there was a desperate race to reach the survivors. as the emergency services moved in, police tried to secure the area. the bomb on a motorbike had exploded minutes before. closed circuit television shows the moment fear struck in the

heart of bangkok with people running for their lives. the bomb went off close to the hindu shrine, bodies, twisted melt, and debris strewn across the street. several foreigners are among those who are known to have died. survivors are rushed to hospitals. government officials say those behind the attack were trying to destroy thailand's economy and tourism industry. but no group has yet claimed responsibility for this. emif a hayward, al jazeera. >> let's go live now to al jazeera's veronica pedroza who is in bangkok. tell us what is going on there now. >> well, the scene is quit has calmed down significantly since the hour when the blast took

place. it was chaos and it was a grizzly scene. emergency services were cleaning up, body parts, motor bikes venue across the area. the shrine itself was destroyed. it's not clear whether the explosive device was inside or outside. i want to clarify the situation about the death toll. the official death toll remains at 16. local media outlets are saying as many as 27 people have died. around 80 injured, and national police chief said that among the dead there are filipino and chinese nationals. it's been more reaction from the government in the spokesman has said it is too premature to say anything who might be behind the attack, but it is--it could be from a group of people who lost their political benefits from this government.

we've also heard from the british and u.s. embassy, this is an area that is very popular with tourists, i want to say one of the top three tourist landmarks, what they said to their citizens is to exercise extra precautions, and to monitor news reports. all schools in the bangkok metropolitan area has been declared to start tomorrow. this is a test for the government of the prime minist minister. they have set up a war room to try and deal with the situation, the after mast trying to get to who may be behind the attack. at this point there are fingers being pointed everywhere. and if it is simply impossible to say who might have done it, but it is an unprecedented attack in the sense that it is such a high profile landmark, and that it was timed with high

explosives at the time when hundreds of people would have been in the area. >> veronica pedroza, thank you for that life update from bangkok. ♪ one of south sudan's two warring leaders have signed a peace agreement. former vice president and now rebel leader has put pen to paper. however his rifle, the president, has said he needs more time. the conflict which started in 2013 has killed more than 10,000 people and forced 2 million from their homes. the u.n. has evidence of widespread atrocities including reports that women and girls have been gang raped and burned alive. charles stratford is in ethiop ethiopia's capital. tell us about the sticking

points here. some interesting lines coming out. they have said that he signed this deal of his own free well "l." free will. he was not forced to sign it. he said he wasn't signing it because he got what he wanted from this deal, but he signed it to bring peace to south sudan. he referred to these reports of two rebel commanders who split from the groups pointing the finger who sacked four governors yesterday saying that this was an indication of split in his group.

there are some realisticking points. we know that muchar was pushing for more power. we'll also know that there were problems in terms or lack of agreement in terms of the demilitary indication of juba as well, the south suda sudanese president saying that this where the police would have to come in. and they say that at issue is in the northern state where all the oil is. despite the international pressure on these two men.

despite the threat of sanctions, no deal yet signed, and there is more of what they describe as consultations. >> united nations has called for more protection for civilians following a syrian government attack on the outskirts of damascus. more than a hundred people died in the airstrike in douma. the u.s. called the attack the worst single incident on the war to date. we have this report. >> the plane dropped the bomb in a crowded marketplace. it is an all too familiar seen for the people of the rebel stronghold of douma. this area is regularly targeted, but under's attack was the worst yet. civil defense workers and others gathered at the site of the explosion to help move the wounded when more air rates hit. more than 100 people were killed

and dozens of others were wounded. doctors at the field hospital struggle to help those who survived, many of them were critically injured. according to activists on the ground the victims were civilians, women and children were among them. the attacks coincided with a visit of the u.n. humanitarian chief stephen o'brien to syria, where he met officials and visited the battered city of homs. the u.n. has been unable to stop the violence or bring about a political settlement, but o'brien has condemned the douma tribes. >> i'm absolutely horrified by the total disorder for civilian life by all parties in this conflict. it is unlawful, unacceptable and must stop. i appeal to every party engaged in violence and fighting to protect civilians, and to respect international humanitarian law. >> syrian state media did mention the attack on douma but

a military source is quoted at saying the air force carried out strikes in douma and nearby areas that targeted the headquarters of the rebel group islam army. a day earlier the group had announced a new offensive against government forces and captured an army base. [ gunfire ] fighting around the capital of damascus has escalated in recent days. douma has been out of government control for years, but the military still controls the skies, and civilians more often than not have been targeted. it is at the door steps of the government seat of power, this is why sunday's attacks are being seen as a message to the people of the area. the government will consider them responsible for the actions of the opposition. al jazeera, beirut. >> iraq's former prime minister nouri al maliki could be put on trial. the report reached by

parliamentary committee has accused him and other officials of not doing enough to stop isil. mosul was taken by the armed group in june of last year. with more than 3 million people internally displaced in iraq the humanitarian crisis is threatening to declare another casual, children education. >> in a climate that makes concentrating near impossible, and handbooks don't distract from the heat, these students are doing their best to learn. >> we used to live in our own neighborhood and it was like heaven. we would go to clean schools, schools with proper roofs. but we're studying here. >> while the boys here worry the world has forsaken them, they're determined not to give up on their education. >> according to unicef there are approximately 850,000 internally displaced school-aged children

here in iraq. of that number 650,000 have missed at least a year worth of classes. that's why schools like this are so important now. >> fleeing anbar province when it was attacked. he was just one of several students who were forced to leave school. >> if i was at home i would bewaring a proper uniform. i wouldn't be dressed like this. we wouldn't be living in tents. >> or studying in them, either. the teacher said that the situation is worse than it looks at the camp. >> the most basic requirements for classes are not available. we have 90 students and three different classes and only 30 text books we're distributing. how can you teach 90 students with 30 books? >> jalal tells me that 20 students should be working here now, a lack of funding means

that only five make it every day. his wife teaches english to another group of students in an adjacent tent. she expresses even more concern. >> we feel that this is a crime against the poor children. what do these children do to deserve such harsh conditions? these students do not have what they need to study adequately. >> they work on a white board propped up by cinder blocks. 12-year-old mohammed says much more is needed. >> it's very, very hot. the electricity comes and then it goes. and sometimes it just doesn't come at all. >> outside the next class cues up, and tattered work books

wither in the sun. the thirst for knowledge has not come close to being quenched. >> still to come on al jazeera, sri lankans give their former president another shot at political office. and nigeria's industry is under threat from cheap chinese imports. >> they're slamming a technology that could be used to solve problems for people who desperately need it. >> they get exited about technology whether it's in their phone or in their car, so why is it so weird on their plate? >> something's going into food that shouldn't really be there. >> techknow investigates. >> you could not pay me to fake data.

>> our american story is written every day. it's not always pretty... but it's real. and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight.

>> more than a dozen people have been killed in bangkok after a bomb goes off in one of its largest tourist areas. more than 100 people die in assyrian government airstrike on a busy marketplace. >> sri lanka are choosing between 6,000 candidate vying for 225 parliamentary skeets including this man, he lost a presidential election earlier this year and he's hoping to make a political come back as next prime minister. >> voters cued early to cast their ballot. in january they elected a new president and on monday they

return to vote for 225 members of parliament. >> this election is important for the country in every aspect. i think people will use their brains and they'll vote wisely. >> voter identification in land people across sri lanka gather at schools and temples. >> this is as close as we've been able to get to gauge what is going on. the commission election said that the strict rules are to ensure that these elections are free and fair. election observers includin they've been watching proceedings closely. >> not far from here political

parties are still open. there even flying flags. apart from this we have not seen any other election violence or violations so far. >> not only are they expected to determine the political futures but also the direction of the country. al jazeera, sri lanka. >> well, let's look at how accountings are going in colombo. how has it been going there? >> mating from what we're hearing. counting centers like this from around the country there is a steady stream of activity. even here where one of two counting centers in the district we've seen party representatives coming each party can nominate representatives where the counts happen. each and every center, each

party has reputation. it has been painstaking and time-consuming process. these are counted by hand, verified by those present in those counting rooms before they're officially declared the results of that particular area. so the account very much on the way. we're hearing possibly the initial trends are coming up when we hear the first results, which will be the result of the vote, votes that were cast earlier this month by people who are out of station who live away from home, that cast their ballot by force. so those are the first results that will come, and over the following arrests we'll start hearing results of individual districts before totaling up tomorrow for the final result. >> so those official indicators yet to come, but what are people telling you, are there any indications of which way it might be going? >> it's a bit early to say in

terms which way this election will go. we did speak to a great cross section of people outside of polling stations. the whole of today, and essentially for different people this election is about a number of priorities. corruption. it was one thing that came up very often here in colombo where people talked about the need to get a handle on corruption for the country to move forward, development should be taken forward, they say, and there must be free and fair environment and atmosphere for people. there were others who also said that the previous kind of momentum of development in this country must continue. now, for the former president, obviously having a strong support base among the traditionalist buddhist majority, who revere him as a true son of the, who brought an end to more than 30 years of conflict, where the crash tamil tigers who were waging war

against the state. however, even the man who defeated him in january, also popular among the block, now the prime minister promising to continue the change in very much asking for a mandate to bring that change. so we should start seeing towards later on today and tomorrow which one of them has succeeded. >> okay, thank you very much. egypt has opened its border with the gaza strip for the first time in two months. the border crossing opened monday for four days, and allo allowing poisons to travel in both directions. the crossing director said that 20,000 people have applied to leave. it is gaza's only border exit that is not controlled by israel. bodies of migrants are said to have suffocated in the hull of a fishing boat trying to cross the mediterranean sea.

hundreds of other migrants have been asked in multiple operations. more than 2,300 people fleeing war and poverty have died this year in attempts to reach europe by boat. ththe indigo dye pits have been a source of income for many people. but technology and cheap chinese imports are now threatening the art. >> trying to keep alive a century-old tradition, but workers here are losing the battle. the dy pits as old as the city have been a source of income for many families for generations. for 64 years mahmoud earned a living here. now things are not looking good. >> we have customers from neighboring countries and as far as the arab world.

royalty and everyone would come. very few come these days. i just can't understand because we make quality products. >> even as some continue to refine their art the results are not encouraging. they continue to lose their share of the market because of cheap i a and substandard imports. they say the art has been copied and used against them. >> the cheat imported fabrics that include text tiles from china, which are putting the local dye industry out of business. result thousands are out of work. >> there used to be more than 300 dye pits here. now only a few remain. and most of them are disused. new technologies have arrived. locals watch helplessly as they are pushed out an. >> when they come to this

business it effects us because we spent three to four days doing nothing. we become almost jobless because of this invasion into our business. >> people like mahmood, the lost income is as painful as the rapid decline of the art. he fears that his may soon be the last generation to carry on this once highly respected tradition. al jazeera, nigeria. >> in moscow russia's foreign minister lavrov and his iranian counterpart say that they have believe the conflict in syria must be solved by syrians without foreign interference. bashar al-assad's strongest allies. >> the issues of overcoming the

syrian crisis should be resolved and negotiated with the syrian government and opposition which represent the whole spectrums of the opponents of leadership. the steps of reforms, decisions and negotiations should be taken based on the mutual agreement of the government and it's opponents. >> a lawmaker from australia's ruling party has proposed a bill that would legalize guy marriage in the country. they went against a party decision to oppose gay marriage. it is unlikely to be voted on by mps. >> global demand for sophisticated smart phones and laptops increasing all the time puts a pressure on raw materials. tin is a key ingredient of modern tech devices. we have reports from indonesia, the combination of world demand

and local poverty has many people risking their lives. >> caked in sand it's almost as if they have become one with this pit. this is an illegal tin mine, and you can find them everywhere on this island. it's dangerous work, we're told an average of 70 to 100 miners die every year. >> sometimes they're buried for days before we can recover the bodies. sometimes four to five people die in a slide. if you dig seven or eight meters then there is risk of sand falling on us is much higher. >> this job is the best paid on the island, so they're willing to take that chance. young children often help their parents. some have died around these mine pits, too. they end up with companies like apple, samsung and sony. they're used to make laptops

working. your laptop possibly contains tin mined from here. they make more money than legitimate companies. the free for all means that the island is being torn apart. you don't get the sense of the damage that tin mining has done from the ground. but take to the sky, and it becomes clear. the landscape scared by abandoned and active mines, we're just showing a small part of t but it's like this long large parts of the island. >> there are so many old mine pits almost 20,000, and then they started mining the sea i in 2006. so now we have noted we have lost at least 75% of coral reef around the island. >> it's low tide allows them to visit the mines at sea. mining in water is refuted to be more dangerous. here, too, the sand walls collapse. there is a dinners. they can't see it coming.

>> if you're asking whether it's worth the risk, which is our life, then no, but what else can we do? other jobs don't pay well. even for our daily needs. with this job i could even save some money. >> the divers can make three times the minimum wage, but there is no compensation when something goes wrong. that is something that the government is highlighting. they want to legalize these mines and admit that they're losing a lot of money because of them. >> by legalizing the mines we can save money for the mining safety and for the environment. then we can manage the mining properly. >> with you we're told, and we've seen that little is being done by the government, the companies, or the people to fix the land after the mines are abandoned. the mines at sea could be even harder to fix. the tin will run out one day. the question is what will be left of this island to provide for its future generations? stephanie dekker, al jazeera.

>> and you can find plenty more stories on our website. the address for that is www.aljazeera.com. details of that bomb that has gone off in the thai capital, and so far no one claiming responsibility. plenty more on our website. the address again, www.aljazeera.com. >> a massive explosion rocks thailand's capital. foreigners are among the dead. the white house launch a new initiative to take on heroin, speaking the spike of overdoses as a public health epidemic and not a criminal problem. the faa knows what led to a weekend travel nightmare. an