>> only on al jazeera america. we will restore the image and respect of fifa. >> a bold pledge on the challenges ahead, infantino is the surprise new boss of fifa. ♪ hello, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up, the u.n. prepares to vote on a truce backing syria. and polling is extended in

iran's high-stakes elections. and donald trump gets the backing of former rival, chris christie as a u.s. presidential candidate. ♪ football's world governing body has elected infantino as its new president. infantino came out on top with 115 votes after the second round of voting ahead of bay rain's sheikh salman who got 88 votes. he now faces the job of restoring fifa's badly tarnished image. as lee wellings reports. [ cheers ] >> reporter: chosen by fifa as the man to lead them into a cleaner future. the swiss was only standing for president because his boss in europe, michelle platini was

banned for corruption. the favorite was sheikh salman, but he won with a major 115 votes to salman's 88, in the first vote to go to a second round in over 40 years. >> we will restore the image and respect of fifa, and everyone in the world will applaud us and will applaud all of you for what we'll do in fifa in the future. we have to be proud of fifa, and everyone has to be proud of fifa, and we have to be proud of what we will do together. >> reporter: an extraordinary ride for the man who was secretary general of uefa. but he has a huge job ahead of him. and his election pledge of $5 million per federation raises

questions of how an organization $550 million under their financial target of the year can afore it. disappointment and some bemusement from sheikh salman. some of his pledges didn't come through. some african delegates broke ranks, and defied the directive to vote for him. if he had been elected questions over his human rights record may have left another shadow over fifa it can barely afford. 207 representatives came to zurich knowing it was crucial they got this right and push through the reforms the organization desperately needed. 89% of them agreed to do so. they hope it will be enough. after the glory, infantino will need to work tirelessly to

convince the world his new fifa can be trusted. >> live now to lee in zurich for us. lee tell us more about why infantino's election has become as a little bit of a shock. >> reporter: it certainly did come as a shock, because infantino, definitely had a good campaign. he worked tirelessly around the globe to gather support from all the areas he needed. but it didn't look like it would be enough to beat sheikh salman. but it seems some people did break ranks, and of course money also talks at fifa, and when infantino said every federation can have $5 million, that may be what swung it for him at the end. >> what are his immediate

challenges? >> reporter: well, he has given himself a huge challenge by pledging to give that money to the federations, because fifa openly said $550 million is the deficit away from where they want to be at this stage financially. so how is he going to make that work? and he needs to try to restore fifa's reputation. even if he achieves that, he is still going to make sure that the u.s. and swiss authorities who are looking so closely at what fifa does, he needs to assure them that, yes, we can be a new fifa under me. >> thanks very much, lee wellings in zurich. ♪

the united nations security council is expected to vote soon on a resolution endorsing a truce in syria. the pause is fighting is to allow humanitarian aid and is due to come into force in less than three hour's time. the al-qaeda linked al-nusra front has urged its fighters to intensify attacks against the syrian government and itself allies. duma has been targeted in russian air strikes. at least seven people are reported to have been killed. our diplomatic editor, james bayes joins us live now from the u.n. and james what can we expect? >> reporter: this is a meeting, i think that is supposed to galvanize support for the cessation of hostilities. it is supposed to be just a

couple of hours ahead of when the cessation of hostilities is starting. they will vote on a resolution. this was drawn up by the u.s. and russia. they managed to come to some consensus and merge together their resolutions to make one, so we're going to see in one hour's time that vote, the idea that this will give an extra push to this cessation of hostilities, which some of the main warring parties in syria say they are going to respect. the syrian government says they will respect it, the high negotiations committee say they will respect it. there were groups that weren't even invited, including of course, isil and al-nusra, and it's also worth noting when you look at the agreement for the cessation of hostilities that the other groups have pledged to stick to, it does even allow there to be self-defense, if you

feel you are being attacked, you are allowed to declare that you responded as an act of self-defense. diplomats tells me they don't expect there to be complete quiet. they say that is absolutely impossible. what they are hoping for is a significant lull in the violence. >> thanks very much, james bayes. voting still hasn't wrapped up in iran's first election since the country negotiated its nuclear deal. polling has been extended by several hours in some places because of what state tv called a rush of voters. they were voting for the parliament and the assembly of experts the clerical body which will likely appoint the country's next supreme leader. the parliament is currently dominated by conservatives, but that could change given the success of president rouhani in

securing the nuclear deal. and many were banned from running. let's go live now to andrew simmons -- actually andrew simmons has more now from tehran. >> reporter: also sides had appealed for a high turnout, and it looks like voters listened? polling was brisk, a country with 54 million eligible to vote. the supreme leader was one of the first to cast a ballot from his own residence. the president is standing for reelection to the assembly of experts. >> reporter: polls indicate a passive turn out at the polling stations. the elections are indicative of the country's independence and our national sovereignty. >> reporter: he is counting on a strong turnout, similar to the

72% that made him president two and a half years ago. turnout like this, could favor the reformists. they are hoping to make a big dent in the majority of conservatives in parliament. so enabling rouhani to encourage more foreign investment in this country and bring it out of recession. >> translator: we want our mp's to tackle the issues, and consider the situation in the region and around the world. our mp's need to show the world what iran is really like. >> translator: there are economic problems, unemployment. people are a bit tired of hard lined policies. to get rid of those problems they want to vote, so that god willing they can select lawmakers who can meet our demands. rrm conservatives have formed an alliance to take on what reformists their candidates list of hope, and the conservatives warn that foreign investments could endanger the country's

nens. voters are hungry for a way to get the economy moving again. it's their appetite for wider political change that is being put to the test right now. andrew simmons, al jazeera, tehran. >> reporter: runs of thousands of iraqi shias demand a cabinet resufl and reforms. also looking at the chileans who have come up with a way to produce an cheaper alternative to meat.

welcome back. switzerland's gianni infantino has been elected as fifa's next president. the leader of the al-nusra front in syria has called on rebels to intensify strikes against president assad and itself allies just hours before a two-week truce is set to be enforced. and the first vote in iran since the nuclear deal was signed last year. new jersey's governor chris christie has endorsed donald trump. he said his former rival for the white house had the best chance at beating hillary clinton, come november's election. endorsement comes after another heated debate between republican candidates. the last before a series of crucial elections on tuesday. alan fisher was there, and sent

this report from houston in texas. >> reporter: this was a key debate. marco rubio went on the attack from the first moments. donald trump the target. and in a border state, immigration the first topic. >> you are the only person on this stage that has ever been fined for hiring people to work on your projects illegally. >> i'm the only one that has hired people, you haven't hired anybody. >> reporter: and ted cruz said he couldn't win an election. >> we can't risk another four years of these failed obama pollties by nominating someone who loses to hillary clinton in november. >> reporter: marco rubio knows he has to stop donald trump's momentum. he attacked his record, his previous comments, his lack of detail on positions he holds now. but donald trump still holds a

lead in most of the states that vote on super-tuesday. there was a discussion on the economy on the battle against isil and the middle east. [overlapping speakers] >> gentlemen -- >> reporter: but this was a debate where few will remember details on policy, but will remember the anger. >> i think he had no choice but to be aggressive, same thing with cruz. rubio is losing you is losing by 22 points in the state of florida and he is a sitting senator, even though he never shows up. >> reporter: everyone has been waiting for the meltdown the moment his campaign falls apart, but it hasn't happened, and no one has yet worked out how to beat him. 12 people have been killed in an al-shabab attack in a hotel in the somali capitol.

police say a car bomb was detonated at the gates of the hotel, and its fighters then stormed the hotel. joining us on the line is a journalist. thank you for speaking to us. what more do we know about the circumstances surrounding this al-shabab attack? and have we heard any more. >> reporter: thank you very much. [ inaudible ] have been injured after al-shabab car bomb explosion took place at the hotel in mogadishu's -- in the center of mogadishu. also [ inaudible ] mp's and [ inaudible ] from the hotel, so rebels are saying that they are more casualties from that

attack. >> right, so the death toll could increase, could you tell us about the location of the attack. why would this particular hotel be targeted? >> this hotel is popular among government officials who were inside the hotel where the explosion took place. somali, national security agencies says al-shabab [ inaudible ] government officials, and it [ inaudible ] the mogadishu attack is over [ inaudible ]. >> thank you very much for explaining that for us. joining us on the line from mogadishu in somalia. in the last hour cameroon has announced it killed 92 members of the armed group boko haram. it says it carried out the attack on a military operation. more as the details come in to

us. hundreds of thousands of support ers of a prominent shiite cleric have gathered in baghdad. the block holds 34 seats in parliament, 3 posts in the cabinet. he says a technocratic government should be formed. >> translator: it should be known not implementing these terms is a betrayal to iraq and its people, especially as all conditions fall under the regulations, and not implementing them will be disappointing to us. therefore our withdraw from politics would become a duty. there is no room for slacking off with reform. a palestinian journalist and activist has ended his 94-day hunger strike after israel agreed not to renew his

administrative detention. under the deal reached with israel he'll now be released in may. our correspondent reports from west jerusalem. >> reporter: this is mohamed minutes after he ended his 94-day hunger strike. the activist and journalist was arrested in late november and placed in administrative dense which is imprisonment without charge for up to six months renewable indefinitely. >> translator: palestinian society was united in this fight, and thanks to god i will be freed because of that unity. >> reporter: earlier this month this video of him handcuffed to his hospital bed crying out in pain went viral. it sparked protests. protesters demanded the government free him and all

those held in administrative detention. his case was also discussed at a recent meeting in jordan when the palestinian president and u.s. secretary of state john kerry. last month israel's supreme court suspend his detention because of his ill health but allowed for his rearrest. he refused to stop his hunger strike saying he would only stop if he was released without conditions or if israel charged him with a crime. israel accuses him of having links to hamas. something he denies. his relatives celebrated the end of the hunger strike. >> translator: we won his battle, with the help of god, the unity of our society, an agreement was reached at the hospital. >> reporter: under the deal reached with israel, he'll

continue to receive treatment at the hospital where he is being held and will be allowed periodic visits from his family. once he has recovered he will continue his administrative detention until his release on may 21st. after refusing food for 94 days, and coming near death the real reached is something of a compromised, although he has managed to secure his eventual release, more than 700 palestinians remain in administrative detention, a policy of imprisonment that israel isn't likely to change. ireland is voting to elect a new government. it's seen as a test of the outgoing leadership after six years of economic difficulty. years of austerity, cutbacks and tax hikes have left many voters calling for change. neave barker is in dublin for

us, and from there, he sent this report. >> reporter: ireland is a nation divided. the last five years have brought pain and prosperity, the government promised continued economic recovery, but not everyone is convinced they can finish the support. >> we expect as many people as possible to go out and cast their votes. >> reporter: the main opposition party and its leader are hoping for an election recovery. the party was once among the most powerful in europe, but was swept from office soon after the financial crash. ireland's fortunes may have changed, but the country is still fixated on its economic health. >> i know keeping the tax [ inaudible ] keep the [ inaudible ]. >> there are people outside of

dublin who haven't seen the benefits of the recovery yet, and i think they are wondering why not? >> reporter: it's 6 -- 6 years since they secured a bailout from international lenders. now it has the fastest growing economy in the european union, but not without painful cuts. while some want to remain on this road map to recovery, others are desperate for change. thousands of people have demonstrated against the introduction of water charges, a condition imposed by ireland's bailout lenders. the outgoing government say austerity is over. many voters are expected to turn on those in power, making it harder than ever to form a strong coalition. >> i think it is going to be really difficult to form a stable government, and i wouldn't be shocked if we had

another election over the coming months. the greatest risk is political instability and poor policy making. >> reporter: when the votes are counted the difficult job of coalition forming begins. ireland's political landscape is changing. to avoid a stalemate, the next government could be a coalition of the many. neave barker, al jazeera, dublin. the french oil giant has been fined more than $800,000 in a paris court for corrupting foreign officials. under the program which ran from 1996 to 2003, iraq was allowed to sell oil in return to humanitarian goods. but investigators found money

also illegally found its way to saddam hussein's government. we spoke to a business consultant and energy expert. >> it's a little bit of a tempest in a teacup, because it was something that was ten years ago and we have moved on, i think what we should look at that is the importance of transparency. if you are a u.s. company not only do you get fined as a company when you pay bribes, the official who pays bribes will go to jail, and you won't believe how quickly the company lets you lose. the anti-bribery is becoming more and more stringent, so we're getting better in europe at this. a palestinian man who is wanted in israel in connection with a murder has been found

dead in the bulgarian capitol. he was found inside the compound of the palestinian embassy. he was wanted for killing an israeli settler in 1986. a group of chilean students have created a new plant-based food. >> reporter: some say we are what we eat, but what if what we ate changed radically, using state-of-the-art technology, a food tech startup is making plant-based foods that replicate the taste, texture and smell of animal-based products. >> this is actually not milk. >> what is this not milk made out of? >> a mushroom species, a couple of seeds over here, chi that,

linseed, you are going to see sesame seeds as well. >> reporter: this biochemist insists it has the same nutritional value as dairy milk. this harvard educated computer scientist is responsible for the team's most important silent partner, a computer, that reconstructs the molecular structure of dpood. >> it is trained to learn patterns happening in this molecular components that create the special perception of flavor and texture on every product. >> reporter: vegetable-based versions of meat products are not new, but the software has no registered match. they argue that plants use less land, less water and fewer resources than livestock, which according to united nations is a major contributor to greenhouse

gases. >> if we were to start from scratch and we wanted to figure out the best or most efficient way to deliver nutrition to the 7.1 billion people on this planet, the answer wouldn't be animals. science would tell you to do something different. >> reporter: but what about the no small matter of taste? our own taste test determined that the not milk which will sell for half of the price of overall certaintive milks tastes slightly sweeter and creamier than dairy milk, but with fewer calories. the mayonnaise, perfect. the cheese, i think you can work on the cheese a little more. the not company's products which will soon include not hot dogs should be on supermarket shelves in chile next month, an example of what they believe is the

future. >> climate change will determine our lives from here to 30 years. >> reporter: perhaps, but in the short-term the determining factor will likely be the taste of consumers. delicious. more on our website, aljazeera.com. usually means this. it can be controversial, it can also be extremely beneficial. >> just like that, i'm genetically modified the mosquitos that carry two