voting under way in myanmar in an historic election as the country hopes to make a transition from military rule to democracy. you're watching al jazeera, live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead on the programme - at least 17 are killed in a new wave of political violence in burundi. families flee the capital. mourners gather at st. petersburg cathedral to remember

those killed in the crash. and malala yousafzai - trying to give girls a better education. millions of people have taken part in myanmar's first openly contested election in decades. the leader of myanmar's democracy movement and former political prisoner aung san suy kyi kissed her ballot paper before she voted. there are queues around the country. al jazeera has several teams in myanmar. wayne hay is there, in a state where many are not allowed to take part in the election. florence louie is where aung san suy kyi cast her vote, on the out skirts, and scott heidler.

tell us how voting went today, and about the turn outs. >> it was a very good turn out according to those in the election commission. an official told the a.f.p. newsagency that there was an 80% turn out. officials where we are told us there was 60%. there were lines out the door at the elementary school. they lined up at 4:00am, the polling started at 6:00am. it was an historic day. it seems like there was an enthusiastic population that came out to vote. let's look at the day with florence louie's package. >> reporter: before daybreak, before the polling stations opened. voters in myanmar waited their turn for a chance to vote for the government they want. >> for the next generation, for

real changes. hopefully there'll be change. >> this day, to make a change for the future, a brighter future for our country >> reporter: for nearly 50 years a military government recalled the country until handing over four four years ago, since then. the ruling party, mostly consisting ever former military officers, have been in charge. the woman seen by many it bring change is opposition leader aung san suy kyi. she was under house arrest when the last general election was held. a process considered fraudulent by the international community. this election is seen as more legitimate compared to the last election. the national league of democracy is taking part. people that didn't vote in 2010 are turning up to cast their ballots. >> it's a first for myanmar to

invite international commissioners. our observers are doing to work. it will help with transparency and it's hoped it will be displayed throughout the counting and the announcement of the result. >> reporter: there are allegations of errors in the voter list and irregulations. and there'll be no voting in several townships and villages because of security concerns, following fighting between the counties and soldiers. the move affects more than 1 million rohingya, the movement that is discriminated against and unrecognized by the government. and whatever the outcome of sunday's vote, the military will play a part in government. because the constitution guarantees it a quarter of seats in parliament. despite its flaws. the election is a step forward for the fledgeling democracy in

myanmar let's take a look at how we got here. aung san suy kyi's party won elections in 1990. the military annulled the results, putting her under house arrest. in 1991 aung san suy kyi was awarded the nobel peace price for her commitment to peaceful change in myanmar. fast-forward to 2007. buddhist monks held a protest. known as the saffron revolution. the following year, the military rulers rewrote the constitution, giving them a quarter of all seats in parliament banning aung san suy kyi becoming president. she was finally released in 2010. her party boycotted elections widely seen as rigged. back to scott heidler. when do we know there'll be a new president or myanmar?

>> we know 9am monday morning, the election commission will hold a press conference and fill in the blanks. we don't expect there to be overall results revealeded by the commission on monday. we have been told and hearing that preliminary results, not official, would be announced by tuesday. it really all depends how quickly they can get the ballot boxes to counting positions and centers. in the remote areas they'll be counted, when we get the preliminary on tuesday, it will be a couple more weeks there, before we get the official tabulation, and then we'll know who will be in the position to jockey for position within government. and it will be interesting when that happens, that's when three presidential candidates will be selected by the parliament.

so that is several months down the line. what will be interesting is described as most likely a tense couple of months, and depends on how the numbers fall. aung san suy kyi's party, the ruling party, how will they work together and form a government. it will be tense, we'll hear numbers over the next couple of days, official numbers over the next couple of weeks, when the jockeying will go on. >> that is the situation in yangon, scott heidler reporting there. wayne hay is at a place for displaced people. >> reporter: there's no celebration for myanmar's democracy. in these camps around the capital, there's 100,000 people, most rohingya muslims, viewed as illegal immigrants in myanmar, despite the fact most have been here for generations. their rights have been stripped away. they used to be able to vote in elections - not this time.

that right has been taken away by the government. >> translation: i was hoping to vote. i can't. our lives are so difficult right now. >> translation: i'm sad i can't vote. i hope that after the election the rohingya will be recognised. that's my one wish. >> reporter: a few kilometres away outside the camps, people vote as normal. one of the leading candidates for the buddhist party in the state is not offering hope for the people here. >> translation: we have a citizenship law. we can live with those compatible with the law, but not newcomers. >> reporter: the people have hope in the form of aung san suy kyi, but so far she has refused to speak out in support of them in burundi unidentified gunmen killed several people in the capital bujumbura. security forces are carrying out searches after a deadline to hand in illegal weapons ran out.

there are fears it may push burundi to civil war. in july president pierre nkurunziza won a third term in office. the opponents say it was against the constitution, but it was uphold by a special court. there have been ongoings battles. around 200 have been killed. 13 people are said to have died in the past week alone. many have been found in opposition strongholds in the capital. people are frightened. >> translation: we just lost loved ones, they have been savagely killed. we want justice, and want to know the truth. we want to know the reason for the hateful crimes. that's all we ask for. >> translation: we are scared for what is to come. we saw the neighbours fleeing and we decided to flee. >> reporter: foreign journalists have been banned to get press passes in the currenty, only

international journalist spoke to us from bujumbura, and we are not naming him for his own safety. >> it's terror. five guys in uniform ordered five people to go inside - they killed them. this is happening every couple of days. a couple of days ago another bar was attacked in another popular area. it's terror. people are afraid. they are fleeing the city. people aring are fleeing the su and the countryside. no one knows what will happen. they are very scared. it's difficult to work here. they don't want witnesses. opposition groups in the country - they are not, you know, verbally present. most are outside the country. you have the - the burundian press has shut down. also, the foreign press has been

banned. the israeli soldiers shot dead a palestinian who drove a car into a group of israelis in the occupied west bank. three were wounded in the attack south of nablus. israelis gather there to hitch rides. 77 palestinians and nine israelis have been killed in violence since act. >> an explosion in the southern neighbourhood of baghdad kills two. it's unclear if it was a roadside bomb or a car bomb. 12 were injured a memorial has been held in st. petersburg for the victims of the plane crash in egypt. mourners gathered at the cathedral to commemorate the 224 people who died when the metro jet aircraft went down in the sinai peninsula. rory challands has more from moscow. >> reporter: the russians are looking at what is coming out of

their screens, and what the tv screens are saying is that this is an open case, it hasn't been decided one way or the others. there's not a great deal of anger detectible. yes, there's a huge amount of sorrow. at the moment it's a fatalistic attitude to what has happened, than searching around for someone or something to blame. there are many reasons for that. as i have just said, the russian television stations say that this is still open, it's not necessarily a bomb or attack. but also russia is no stranger to air disasters. it's comparable - well, in terms of air safety, it's a great deal worse than it is in other parts of europe. there has been 20 fatal crashes in the last 20 years. involving russian airlines or in russia itself. russia is no stranger to armed attacks.

there has been a great many coming from groups based in the caucuses and beyond. as i read somewhere recently, russia is always a country of emergencies. this is no different coming up on al jazeera - sweets and celebrations in india's state as opposition parties beat the government plus, saving the world's frogs, how scientists in panama are trying to stop a mysterious disease. disease. >> tough that the country gave up on me. >> look at the trauma... every day is torture. >> this is our home. >> nobody should have to live like this. >> we made a promise to these heroes... this is one promise americans need to keep.

>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. the top stories on al jazeera - millions of people

have taken part in myanmar's first openly contested elections in 25 years. turn out was around 80%. aung san suy kyi's national league for democracy party is expected to win. the constitution bars her from becoming president. in burundi unidentified gen men killed several in a bar in bujumbura. security forces carry out searches after a deadline to hand in illegal weapons was over. some fear civil war will break outs and a funeral in st. petersburg for the 224 that crashed on the russian plane that took off from sharm el sheikh the b.j.p. admitted defeat in an election. a major political event in india. ba hor is one of the poorest and populous state.

>> reporter: although these were state elections, it was seen by pundits and media as a test of prime minister narendra modi's leadership. since he and his b.j.p. party won a majority in the 2014 national elections, including half the seats, the b.j.p. won in several states in what supporters called a modi wave. they hoped a win here would give a credibility boost to push through economic reforms which have been lagging in the last couple of months. a grand alliance of opposition parties, including bitter rivals, got together to oppose what they called the b.j.p. playing politics based on religion, and countering many of the b.j.p.'s proposed reforms. this was going to be a psychological boost. it will be business as usual. the b.j.p. will have a majority in the lower house of parliament, and a minority in the upper house, which blocked

several reforms from going through. in light of the results, b.j.p. and narendra modi, may have to take an amicable tone when negotiating with the opposition. >> she's called the afghan malala, a 14-year-old fighting for children's rights in afghanistan. malala yousafzai goes to school in the morning and runs her own school in the afternoon. she is nominated for the children's international peace prize, to be awarded on monday. jennifer glasse met her in kabul. >> reporter: this woman is teaching the alphabet to children that may not yet know how to read. and malala yousafzai says knowledge begets knowledge. many parents did not want to send their children to school. >> translation: i talk with the families, any chance i could

get. sometimes by the water pump. they like me, so they let their children come to school. >> reporter: that was four years ago. malala yousafzai has been teaching the kids since she was 10 and advocates with the government and educational offences. they live in the camps, many don't go to school because they don't have i.d.s. many missed out because they had to collect water. malala yousafzai got water pumped in and the children went to school. much would not happen without her father who defied many to send her to school. >> translation: i was to the educated. she was the only one interested. i let her study and gaver has much financial support i could. >> reporter: that was not much. she worked selling teach foods and had support from a charity - something else that she shares

with the children. malala yousafzai was born in one of the poorest neighbourhoods. here house has no indoor plumbing but she has big dreams - hoping some day every child in afghanistan will have an education. malala yousafzai is nominated for an international peace price, that could get her an education grant and over $100,000 to funds her projects. winning would help her school become a model for the rest of the country. >> translation: i didn't know about the award. i've been helping the kids for four years. i'm happy to be nominated. my words are more valuable now. i want to share my message with everyone. >> reporter: the nomination brought her attention. if she wins, her voice may be heard by a wider audience. two years ago another girl won the prize. pakistan's malala voters in croatia are taking part in the first parliamentary

elections since joining the european yuan opinion polls predict a tight race between the democrats and the patriotic revolution. more than 330,000 passed through croatia in the past two months a march in madrid demanded government help for victims of domestic violence. organizers were joined by opposition politicians, spanish government statistics say many women have been murdered. by their partners or ex partners in the past six years. saturday - the leaders of taiwan and china met for face to face talks. >> the pair shook hands and exchanged warm words. no agreements were made, and what the meeting means for the future relationship is unclear. from taipei andrew thomas reports. >> reporter: like taipei through the mist, it's not easy to see

the future, part of a unified china or independent state. not many thinks the status quo independence, without international recognition can last forever: that's why the leaders, the meeting, the first since the split of 1949 mattered, as did its timing. in january taiwan's people vote for a new precedent. the ruling kmt matter is unpopular. pore for its position -- support for its position, one unified cleana is la. the meeting with ma was one in the wrong direction. >> translation: i'm concerned and anger said. i'm angry with how could ma sell out the island's future. >> reporter: others see the proindependence d.p.p. party and its supporters as a risk,

antagonising beijing, jeopardizing the mainland and risking conflict. people may be vocal, but don't necessarily reflect the majority. most know whoever wins the election will have to work with beijing. a couple of kilometres from the protests most were pragmatic. >> translation: if the leaders communicate it's a way to show we are in peace. >> translation: it's a good idea and well timed. i have faith in the president. >> reporter: the d.p.p., too, knowing its candidate is likely to win january's election, wants lines of communication kept open. >> translation: the d.p.p. has to be pragmatic. it could take over power. relations will be important under its rule, they have to show people they are capable of engaging with china taiwan's people struggle to see their future. the election may burn some of

them off. on the second anniversary of a powerful storm to hit the philippines, politicians admit there are delays in rehousing survivors. the typhoon killed more than 6,000 people, displacing millions more. the correspondent returned to the city to see how survivors are coping two years on. >> reporter: this was once this woman's home. here is where she nurtured her four children for many years, until the typhoon haiyan swept it away. many politicians promised her a new home. she is still waiting. >> translation: where will we be? where will we end up now? will we have a home? there are questions when it comes to government choice of beneficiaries, we have to fight from local government to community leaders. >> reporter: at least 6,000 were

killed, and millions displaced. the president aquino budgeted around 3.9 billion in funds for recovery. at least 21,000 homes needed to be rebuilt. two years on, only around 500 houses are complete. thousands of people are jobless, others say they are grateful so many groups stayed on to help them. the recovery of haiyan's survivors is a big test of aquino's presidency. desperate for health thousands wrote to him. >> unfortunately, the open letter never got to me. i never saw it. not in any paper or my media that i managed to see. >> reporter: election season has begun, some say they are worried that the stories will be used to further political ambitions

here. no flowery speeches can hide the truth that two years on thousands are living in makeshift shelters with no electricity or running water. national and local government agencies put the blame on each other. relief efforts mar said by politics since the beginning. >> they are doing their best. i believe a lot has been done. they could do more. >> reporter: here, in this mass grave, is where hundreds of unidentified bodies were bur yids in haste -- buried in haste by the government. families desperate for closure, hoping that in death they are given dignity. two years on the mass grave deteriorated, parts removed to make way for construction. for those grieving, it's a grim resting place. for loved ones whose stories have been forgotten

in brazil, the search for signs of life is continuing for a fourth day after mud and mining sludge buried a village. two are confirmed dead and 28 missing after waste reservoirs at an iron ore mine burst. the tidal wave continued for 60km. bhp billiton is offering support frogs disappearing, scientists say it's due to a fungus. there's a push to ensure their survival at a laboratory in panama. david mercer paid them a visit. >> reporter: inside the laboratory, an hour outside panama city, scientists work over time. for this investigator the motivation is clear - a chance to save frogs from extinction. with a deadly fungal disease threatening amphibians, the work

is vital. >> translation: we are in a race against time. the fungus is spreading east across panama. we have to rescues individual frogs before the fungus gets to them, and use the frogs to establish healthy populations. >> reporter: the new state of the art lab is allowing researchers to look at ways to protect amphibians from the fungus, and get them back into the wild. a third of the amphibian species are in danger of extinction. 30% of frog species have been wiped out. scientists say programs like this are essential to their survival. building a lab in central america brought new changes. without stores to buy food for the frogs researchers have to raise the insects themselves, maintaining precise temperatures and humidity is essential, giving them the nutrients they need to thrive.

>> translation: female progress meet a lot of fat in their diet. when they are mating they hardly eat. we need to make sure they are well fed from the mating, going from a few days to a month. >> reporter: the lab is home to three spees ice of endangered -- species of endangered frogs. more than 300 individuals separated according to gender and species. staff are increasing the population, key to the frog's long-term survival. >> translation: studies tell us with 40 individuals, 20 male, 20 females. the genetics won't be affected in 25-50 years time. it will be important in the future when frogs repopulates areas where they have disappeared. >> searching for clues whilst fighting the fungus and bringing a species back from the brink. an effort to save frogs before

it's too late. what you can read, more about the story, that david mercer filed from panama on our website aljazeera.com. and all the other stories we are covering for you. all at aljazeera.com. [ ♪ ] hello i'm richard gizbert, and you are at