uganda's main opposition candidate under house arrest hours before the results are to be announced hello. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. coming up in the next 30 minutes, fighting continues in syria as friday's deadline for a truce passes with little progress on making it happening. fiji bracing for cyclone winston

expect to pass close to the two most populated islands with winds speeds of 300 km/h. plus. >> reporter: i'm in south carolina. the republican race moves into america's south, but what are the challenges for the candidates in the state that is much more diverse and looks much more like the rest of america ewe began dan police have-- ugandan police opposition candidate has been placed under house arrest. it is the fourth time in a week. the police say it's to prevent further unrest after opposition parties allegedly vote rigging in the presidential poll. provisional results so president museveni on course to extend his 30-year rule. malcolm webb is live in the

capital and joins us from there. all eyes on the opposition as they ponder their next move now. >> reporter: that's right. besigye is still - we apologise there. we seem to have lost our connection with malcolm webb. we will try and come back to him as soon as we can. the u.n. brokered syria peace process is in danger of collapsing. the deadline for cessation of hostilities passed on friday and on the ground fighting continues. the u.s.-backed rebel forces have taken an i.s.i.l. held town near the iraqi border cutting off i.s.i.l.'s supply lines to months um. planes continue to strike targets in aleppo as forces supporting the government push towards the country's largest city there. turkey is keeping up its shelling of kurdish rebel positions in the north. this is a major point of

contention. a u.n. security council resolution drafted by russian and calling for an end to cross-border shelling looks unlikely to be accepted. daniel lak has more >> reporter: fighting has intensified. in the north kurdish fighters made gains along turkey's border. turkey responded with shelling. russian air strikes in support of the regime hit hospitals as well as rebel targets. in the united nations a stark warning from france that russia's action are making things worse >> this is a result of brutal offensive in the north syria led by the syrian regime and allies. here russia must understand that its unconditional support to bashar al-assad is a dead-end and a dead-end that could be

extremely dangerous. >> reporter: french president francois hollande said turkey's actions put it at risk of war with russia. plans to hold another round of peace negotiations in geneva were postponed and the u.n. syria envoy, staffan de mistura said no dates were set for resumption of talks. meanwhile, russia called an urgent u.n. security council meeting and drafted a resolution calling on syria's neighbors and others to respect its territory and stop interfering in syrian affairs. >> there are elements of a resolution, elements reementd by everybody, in the council, consultations and here. so i cannot imagine how they could refute that judge there is little chance it will come to a vote according to brings an and france and the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. this had rebuke >> this is a distraction. from the core fact which is 224

needs to be implemented. we have a resolution on the book. it is the right resolution. we've committed ourselves to it and we need russia to do the same. >> reporter: it is too early to do the say diplomacy has failed. getting the talks started again in geneva the ease the situation somewhat, but more escalation, more fighting on the ground will just push a peaceful political solution further away than it has been for some time turkey is blaming russia for the stalled talks. the prime minister accused russia of ethnic cleansing in syria. >> the purpose of russian air attacks is clear. they want to make an ethnic cleansing. they want to sends all forces groups, all sunnis, arabs.

all those who are against the regime so, in fact, based on humanitarian grounds we are receiving the refugees kurdish grouped based in turkey says it carried out wednesday's bombing in ankara. the t a.k. says it was in response to military action against kurds in south-eastern turkey. earlier the government blamed another kurdish group, the y.p.g. in syria for the attack. it is insisting the two organizations are linked and both groups say they are separate. taking you back to the main story following now. the main situation in uganda following presidential elections. we understand one of the candidates has been put under house arrest just hours before the results are expected to be released. malcolm webb is live for us now. a very dramatic build up to the final moments before the results are supposed to be released.

>> reporter: that's right. the main opposition leaders besigye is in his home surrounded by the police. it is a house arrest. police say it is a preventative measure to keep stability and security in the city. meanwhile, the european election observers have given a conference. they say the ruling party has distorted the elections. force against the opposition has said to have been unwarranted and the commission has lacked transparency. the commission say it has done things in a free and fair way. the authorities are saying they're trying to keep the capital city secure and stable. i have one of the local transaction observers who is from the citizens election.

that this been free and fair? >> we went to this election with a lot of unresolved business, stemming from the inability to pass electoral reforms that would guarantee a clean free and fair election. there was issues around the credibility of the electoral commission, which is the election management body, and these issues have remained coming up in the voices of the electorate. we went to this election with a lot of unresolved issues which have rared their heads in this particular election. looking at the preelection envoirnt, i think it was characterised with a lot of money, especially coming from the nr m ruling party, and as of now the nr m has spent 37 million u.s. dollars in the last two months compared to the opposition which has spends around 380,000 u.s. dollars. there are discrepancies. i would say that this election has been heavily influenced by

money. it has been heavily influenced by nonprofessional police force and i think the logistical issues by the electoral commission failure to deliver materials to polling stations on the election day could have disenfranchised a number of people. >> reporter: what about the allegations of rigging? the opposition says there has been rigging and the electoral commission says it hasn't brought any evidence or proof of thachlt do you have any evidence of rigging? >> we have had incidents in certain districts in the country, especially in the west. even here in the central. those are some of the districts where incidents of pre-ticked ballot papers finding their way into the boxes have been raised. in other polling areas people are given ticked ballot papers and asked to deposit them in the ballot boxes, which was again

the will of the people. in those instances what some of the voters did was to either directly ee validate the votes or do a map. this is why we might see a record number of invalid votes coming out of this election. >> reporter: thank you for that. the results are expected in just a few hours and we will bring it to you thank you for that. fiji is in a state of emergency as it is being battered by one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. it is the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane with winds gusting up to 325 km/h. >> reporter: racing to get out of the way of cyclone winst

no further questions the strongest storm on record to hit fiji. many many many islanders opened to stay-- opted to stay at home rather than go to government shelters. many buildings flimsy and may not withstand such powerful winds >> be prepared at all times and be prepared to embrace the winds as the cyclone grows closer. >> reporter: rough seas across a wide area are also endangering boats and ships. crews within 550 kilometers of the storm are required to check in every three hours. fiji has more than 300 low-lying islands. this massive storm is slow moving and the dump much rain

destroig crops. the city has prepared the best they can >> most shops are closed. there is big queues on the at ms. >> reporter: there's only so much you can do to prepare for such a massive storm, expecting to bring the full force of the most popular parts of fiji overnight still ahead david cameron says he has got a deal to give the u.k. special status in the e.u., paving the way for an in or out referendum. look at a legacy at a book which changed modern literature.

welcome back. let's recap the headlines. ugandan police have put the opposition candidate has been placed under unrest. museveni is on course to secure his rule. fighting on the ground continuing and the ceasefire passed. the pacific islands of fiji are being battered by the strongest storm ever recorded there. a curfew has been composed

because of tropical cyclone winston with wind speeds of 320 km/h. britain's prime minister says he will announce a date for an e.u. referendum following a cabinet meeting in london. david cameron will discuss the details of a deal reached with e.u. counterparts. emma haywood has more from brussels. >> reporter: after weeks, days and hours of the negotiations david cameron wasted no time in hailing this deal a victory. i've negotiated a deal to give the u.k. special status inside the european union. >> reporter: cameron had arrived at the summit say he was battling for britain a fight he says he won >> i believe that this is enough for me to recommend that the united kingdom remain in the european union having the best of both worlds. we will be in the parts of europe that work for us, influencing the decisions that affect us in the driving seat of

the world's biggest market and with the ability to take action to deep our people save, and we will be out of the parts of europe that don't work for us. out of the open borders, out of the bail outs, out of europe. >> reporter: support for the deal had to be unanimous, but reaching that point was tough. breakfast became lunch and then dinner while the talks rum you belled on. cameron's critics back home says he was asking for too little as the deal was too hollow. many said he wanted to much. in the end he has secured an opt out to the e.u. principle of ever closer union or more integration. new restrictions on accessing the u.k. welfare system and also safeguards against regulations being imposed on britain's financial sector. >> translation: i don't want there to be different rules for the london financial markets than for other european markets. when you've had a banking and financial acrisis like we had in

2008 you can't take any risks >> reporter: at the heart of this summit the role of britain, one of you're's biggest economies in the e.u. with cameron promising to hold a referendum in the membership in the union. >> in the hands of the british people this is. i love britain and brussels i finish by saying >> reporter: this was a big political gamble for david cameron. at times it has felt like it might end without agreement. he now goes back to the u.k. knowing that he has to convince the british people that he has got a good deal. >> reporter: david cameron will meet his cabinet on saturday, some of whom are already preparing to campaign against staying in the e.u. after that he is expected to confirm that the referendum will take place in june. the hard work, it seems, is only just beginning > sit-ins are being plans by

egyptian doctors over protests over police brutality. they are said to be held in doors because an effective ban on public dissent. >> reporter: it's more scenes like this the president sisi is hoping to avoid. the funeral of a 24-year-old taxi driver shot and killed by a police officer during an argument. >> translation: i want the government to bring me justice. the president himself. why would this policeman shoot my son. what was he guilty of. >> translation: all they care about is to rob us. as long as there is chaos, no-one will get punished. there is no justice. enough is enough

>> reporter: the president now wants new laws to curb police brutality. he says any police officer who assaults a citizen should be held accountable for their actions. the sisi government has brought in law effectively banning demonstrations, but only a week ago thousands of medics filled the streets outside their hospitals. they accused police of beating up two doctors during a dispute over treatment of an injured officer >> when thousands of people come into the street to protest against police brutality. it is unsettling for the regime. if we recall, the initial moment of the january 25 revolution was essentially against police brutal because of the death of one at the hands of the police. you are seeing a return to mass demonstrations against police brutality. >> reporter: the doctors' protest will continue on saturday, but they won't be in the streets. instead, they have agreed to hold sit-ins, in silence

thousands of yemenis have demonstrated in the capital to support houthi rebels fighting the government. houthi supporters say they will march and fight to retake the area from the government and the saudi- led coalition. more than 7 million people will go to the polls on sunday to elect a new president in niger. up to 80 political parties are participating. half of them are behind the ruling party of the sitting president. >> reporter: final moments of a heated election campaign in the capital. on thursday thousands of the ruling party supporters turned up for a final rally at this stadium. jubilation over what they expect to be a clear victory on sunday. that optimism is shared by the city president who has spoken to

al jazeera. >> translation: the democratic country actually is one of the most democratic nations in after. we're understand the rule of law. we have improved free press, reduced corruption and we're on a line for being bill. >> reporter: the president is running for a second term but facing a determined opposition. one of his most serious challengers is the ex-prime minister who leads a coalition supporting a single candidate. the coalition includes the controversial man head of the assembly who is behind bars. the opposition says his case is political and worse the election could be rigged. >> translation: the ingredients for fraud are there, but as political parties we will utilise the means we have to prevent that. we will make sure that all those

who have the right to vote are allowed to do so. the kind of means we have will depend on the problem at hands. >> reporter: the first democratic election was in 1993, but it has been marred by military coups over the years. the last one was in 2010. security is at the heart of this election. niger is involved in a regional group of boko haram to the east. it has shored up security along northern borders. the most pressing demands are employment, education and health. the country is rich in natural resources but almost half of the population live in poverty the prime ministers of india and nepal have met in knew delicatessen lee to talks on mutual interests. their discussions will focus on ways to improve relations.

there were tensions between the neighbors after a row over nepal's new constitution last year and a blockade on the border was lifted earlier this month. it is a big day for donald trump and the other republicans hoping to become the next u.s. president. south carolina is the first state to hold the first republican primary with a significant number of black voters. >> reporter: after the sunshine, the american presidential race has moved south and the different weather, a different state, brings different challenges for a republican party searching for a candidate and an identity. south carolina is different from the first two contests. the population here is greater than iowa and new hampshire combined. the diversity of the population different than iowa and new hampshire combined. the challenge for the republican party is to tap into that diversity so that their voters don't just look like republican voters from iowa and new hampshire

>> in south carolina although it is a much more diverse state in terms of ethnicity and race, the republican party remains largely a white party. it is not deep terribly in its region to citizens of color, particularly african americans and lat enos. -- latinos. >> reporter: minority voters tend to favor the democratic party, but one republican presidential candidate told me he thinks that is about to change. >> the democratic party has tried to convince blacks that they're the only option, but i think more and more people are actually starting to open their eyes and say so where has that gotten us. we have more poverty, more crime and incarceration from bro broken families, everything is much worse. so maybe if it's not working, you should look at something

else. >> reporter: this woman will vote for the first time in the election in november. she says she doesn't want to see parties pan dering to racial groups but rather facing real issues. >> you can say you're a democrat but then you can be saying something that doesn't line-up with what i believe in but then say your a republican but i don't agree with your views. i think it is more passion in what the issues are >> reporter: it has been said the road to the white house was through south carolina, win here and you can win anywhere. it could be a whole victory for any republican the best selling italian writer has died at the age of 84. he became famous for his mystery the name of the rose was turned into a mystery staggering sean connery. two other novels also

highlighted his fascination with language. author harper lee spread the message of racial tolerance with her prize winning novel to kill a mocking bird. the book sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. she withdrew from the public eye until the sequel in 2015. >> reporter: the words of harper lee painted pictures of life in america's deep south. it was the world she called home >> weep didn't have much money. nobody had any money. we didn't have many toys to play with. nothing was done for us, so the result was that we lived in our imagination most of the time >> reporter: her childhood was reflected in her 1960 best paraceler, to kill a mocking bird. sympathy crafted a hero who rose above the racist standard of the day to defend a black man.

it was brought to life in the 1962 film adaptation. >> now, gentlemen, in this country our courts are the great levellers, in our courts all men are created equal. i am no idealist to believe, it is a living working reality. >> reporter: set in the depression year it fuelled in part of civil rights movement of the 1960s and thereafter >> this is before the black panthers, the march on washington in 1963. this book coming out in 1960 was a time when civil rights were becoming very visible, were controversial and fortunately

the book was not scalding. it was not blaming. it was an engaging compassionate look. >> reporter: she emerged from se collusion rarely and in 2007 to receive the medal of freedom from the president. >> it cannot be unestimatede shgs estimated book. many tell me it was their favorite book >> reporter: it was her sole publication for 55 years until sympathy released go set a watchman. it told the story of the fate of the portrayed ageing man. >> she was trying to write a tribute to her father whom she loved very much and her first attempt go set a watchman completed in the late 19 # 50s was full of anger. the second attempt to kill a

mocking board was more understanding when it was told through the eyes of a girl who admired her father a great deal. >> reporter: her enduring classic will live on in lit rehistory, a story teller who shone a light into some of the dark corners of american history you can get more on that story as well as all the others we're following here at aljazeera.com of life. i had no intention of being in a band or a singer. it happened to me by accident she has rerecorded her break through solo album tigerlily, but this time with a twist.